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Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal: A viral photo from 2007 connects football generations
via Le Matin3 min read
A 2007 photograph showing a young Lionel Messi bathing an infant Lamine Yamal has resurfaced and gone viral during Euro 2024. The picture was originally taken for a charity calendar by Spanish sports daily Sport, in collaboration with the FC Barcelona Foundation and UNICEF. Parents of Lamine Yamal, now a star for the Spanish national team, entered their son into a drawing to participate, leading to his pairing with Messi for the photoshoot in the Camp Nou visitor's locker room. At the time, Messi was 20 years old and had not yet won a Ballon d'Or or a World Cup. The photographer, Joan Monfort, used a plastic duck to help relax the atmosphere, resulting in the now-iconic smiling image. The photo, which accompanied the 2008 charity calendar, gained renewed attention when Lamine Yamal's father posted it on social media during Euro 2024, where his 16-year-old son was a breakout star. The coincidence fascinated internet users, who widely shared the image. Nearly two decades later, parallels between the two players are noted, including their origins in La Masia, FC Barcelona's training academy, their left-footed play on the right wing, and both having worn the club's number 10 jersey. Additionally, both Messi and Yamal scored their first World Cup goals at age 18. Messi scored for Argentina in 2006 against Serbia and Montenegro, while Yamal scored for Spain against Saudi Arabia in 2026.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Le Matin.
Several seismic tremors have recently been recorded in the Mediterranean, off the coast of northern Morocco. Nasser Jabour, director of the National Institute of Geophysics ING, reported observing multiple clusters of earthquakes in this area, with some reaching a magnitude of 3 on the Richter scale. Despite this increase in tremors, Jabour stated that only one earthquake was slightly felt in the northern provinces of the Kingdom, while others were solely detected and recorded by the national seismic monitoring network. Jabour noted a decrease in seismic activity since Wednesday, with the situation returning to its usual level of six to seven events recorded every 24 hours across the national territory and in offshore Atlantic zones. The region regularly experiences earthquakes due to its proximity to the boundary between the African and Eurasian tectonic plates. Their continuous convergence generates regular seismic activity, particularly in the Alboran Sea and offshore Mediterranean areas. Most tremors in this region are of low magnitude and go unnoticed, continuously detected by the ING's monitoring networks. A succession of small earthquakes, sometimes grouped into "clusters" or seismic swarms, does not necessarily indicate an impending larger earthquake.
Marsa Maroc has been awarded a 30-year concession for petroleum berth 8 Bis at the port of Jorf Lasfar, following a tender by the National Ports Agency ANP. This project is part of a strategy to expand port capacity for petroleum products. Marsa Maroc will oversee all development phases, including design, financing, construction, equipping, commercial operation, and maintenance of the future terminal. The new oil berth will feature a 71-meter-long quay with a draft of 16.5 meters, providing an additional annual capacity of 4.6 million tons for various liquid bulk products. Commissioning is scheduled for the first quarter of 2029. This new infrastructure aims to meet the growing national demand for petroleum products and strengthen Marsa Maroc's presence at Jorf Lasfar, a key Moroccan hub for energy and industrial imports. The expansion will also increase the port complex's liquid bulk processing capabilities. Marsa Maroc operates 36 terminals across 21 ports in Morocco and Africa, handling over 67 million tons annually. This concession aligns with its "Marsa 2030" strategic plan, which focuses on strengthening its position in major port and logistics projects.
Anouar Invest Group is seeking support from the African Development Bank AfDB for its growth program. The AfDB is considering providing financing to Nutris S.A., Anouar Invest Group's agri-food holding company. This funding would contribute to a €190 million investment program designed to strengthen the resilience of Morocco's food system, promote import substitution, and accelerate value creation within key agricultural value chains. The program includes establishing a yeast production unit to support Morocco's baking industry and valorize agricultural by-products like molasses. It also involves creating a modern cheese processing unit to strengthen the national dairy value chain and reduce import dependence. Additionally, the plan aims to increase the Group's capacity in processing high value-added flour-based products and modernize its national distribution network through IT system upgrades to improve traceability, logistics, and access to underserved areas. The new yeast and cheese processing factories will be located in the second phase of the Jorf Lasfar industrial park in Moulay Abdallah, El Jadida province. The yeast unit will occupy 4 hectares, and the cheese processing unit will occupy 1.5 hectares, on land already owned by the Group. Anouar Invest's existing biscuit production unit, located in the Sahel industrial zone in Had Soualem, Berrechid province, is also on Group-owned land. Following an expansion between 2022 and 2025, new production lines are planned to