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Sweden: Moroccan-Swede singer wins Eurovision Song Contest   Via NPR : Sweden's Loreen clinched the top spot at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with her dance hit "Euphoria," pushing aside competition from a sextet of Russian grannies and a Serbian balladeer. Juries and television viewers from across Europe awarded Loreen a total of 372 points, handing her an easy win in an event that ended in the early hours Sunday in host country Azerbaijan. Sweden will take over hosting duties next year. Softly spoken Loreen, a 28-year-old of Moroccan-Berber descent, thanked her fans for their support. ( source )

Italy: Moroccans in quake area return home Via AKI : At least 100 Moroccans are returning home after the area in northern Italy where they were residing was struck by an earthquake five days ago. The immigrants were forced to abandon their homes in the town of Finale Emilia in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region where a 5.9-magnitude quake early Sunday morning killed seven people and left around 5,000 homeless. A Moroccan working a night shift in a factory was among the dead. ( source )

Netherlands: Moroccan 'lover boys'   Via Al-Jazeera (h/t Snaphanen ): As part of his research, Bovenkerk sent a group of field researchers to talk to prostitutes in De Wallen, Amsterdam's red light district. They discovered that a significant number of women had been recruited as young girls by second- and third-generation immigrant boys, largely in places where youngsters gather in outlying villages. And a series of interviews with convicted 'Lover Boys' suggested some of them had been influenced by American TV images and video clips glamorising relations between pimps and their girls. The interview evidence, coupled with an analysis of police CCTV footage, led Bovenkerk to estimate that there were around 100 'Lover Boys' operating in Amsterdam. In all likelihood, he concluded, 'Lover Boys' usually run more than one girl at a time so there could in fact be several hundred 'legal' prostitutes working for them. Bovenkerk insists that alth...

Belgium: Moroccan Expatriates to Back Development Initiatives at Home Via StarAfrica : IOM and the Belgian Embassy in Rabat have signed an agreement to launch an innovative project aimed at encouraging Moroccans living in Belgium to start businesses back home in Morocco. The EUR 1.2 million, two-year programme seeks to encourage Moroccan expatriates to invest their savings, knowledge and expertise into the setting up of private ventures that will further the development of impoverished regions in the north and east of the country.   ( source )

Belgium: Moroccans upset at immigrant 'starter kit' Via HLN : The Moroccan community is upset at Flemish Minister Geert Bourgeois. "In his new 'starter kit' for migrants he portrays Moroccans as stupid beasts," says actor Noureddine Farihi.  "The brochure and accompanying video are patronizing and full of prejudices."  Bourgeois says it's unjustified criticism.  "The majority of them happen to be very ignorant of our norms and values." "It is forbidden to hurt someone mentally or physically, including your partner or children."  That is just one of the many remarkable - and for Moroccans, offensive - sentences from the new ' Starterskit Migrating to Flanders '. Flemish Minister of Integration Geert Bourgeois (N-VA), flew to Casablanca specially this week in order to hand out the first copies.  At the local press conference there was a lot of criticism from local journalists.  But the Moroccan community in Flanders are ...

Amsterdam: Moroccan woman attacked in racist incident Via Parool h/t NRP : A pregnant Moroccan woman out walking with her Surinamese boyfriend was attacked March 26th.  The attackers, five Moroccans in their twenties, followed the couple, and called the woman a 'nigger whore'.  Her boyfriend responded, which led to a fight.  The woman was also pushed, beaten and kicked. The attackers were arrested and the woman was treated in hospital.  Her injuries seemed light, but a week later she went into premature labor and the baby did not survive.

Belgium: Moroccan killed in first homophobic murder Via VRT : On Sunday, the body of a 32-year-old man was found in a field in Villers-le-Temple, between the cities of Huy and Li�ge in Wallonia. Four suspects have been apprehended, and there are strong indications that they had homophobic motives. The case is causing commotion both in Wallonia and in Flanders. The man had gone missing one week before his body was discovered in Li�ge province. "The victim left a bar and was approached by four men in a car. He entered the car voluntarily. A couple of hours later, nothing was heard of him and a friend informed the police", Dani�le Reynders of the Li�ge judicial authorities explains. The four suspects have all been apprehended. Just like the victim, all four are of foreign descent. According to the suspects, the victim "made advances". ( source ) Fatima Omari, the lawyer of victim Ihsane Jarfi, published the family's statement , thanking all those who supported the...

Belgium: Moroccan PM insults female minister, Moroccan-Belgian MPs want Belgian response Via HLN : Moroccan PM Abdelilah Benkirane recently met in Rabat with two Belgian ministers: Minister of Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders (MR) and Justice Minister Annemie Turtelboom (Open Vld).  However, during the meeting he barely paid attention to Turtleboom, and instead focused on her male colleague, Reynders.  Benkirane praised Reynders' French, and told him he 'didn't have to come with an interpreter'.  Turtleboom made it clear who she was, but Benkirane continued to ignore her.   Turtleboom was upset, but swallowed the insult since she didn't want to cause a diplomatic row.  Moroccan-Belgian MPs say her reaction is unblievable, and that Belgium should respond. Yamila Idrissi (sp.a) and Nadia Sminate (N-VA) say that Turtleboom should have walked out of the meeting.  But Idrissi says it's not too late for a response.  "Belgium shouldn't leave things like that a...