Latest news with #Amine
Ya Biladi
5 days ago
- Sport
- Ya Biladi
Amine Adli opens up on his mother's passing ahead of Afcon and Morocco's support
Moroccan footballer Amine Adli has opened up about the passing of his mother in a heartfelt interview with Instant Foot. Just before the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), held in January 2024, Adli was called up to the Morocco national team. But he was also facing a devastating personal loss—the death of his mother. In the interview, he recalls those difficult days. After a strong season with Bayer Leverkusen, Adli decided to spend the holidays with his mother. «I took a vacation with my mom in Dubai. It was our first time there, and everything went well», he said. But once they returned, things took a turn. «We came back, my mom went back home, and my sister told me, 'Mom isn't feeling well. She's at the hospital'». Adli rushed to be by her side in France. «They kept telling me she was fine. My mom kept saying, 'Go ahead, Amine, go play football.' I said no, I wouldn't leave, but she insisted». ? UN DES MOMENTS FORTS DU PAYE TA GRAILLE BY @lnstantFoot Amine nous explique le décès de sa mère Allah y rhamha et l'aide apportée par Faouzi Lekjaa et la fédération mais également l'amour apporté par le public ? ÉMOUVANT… — SOCCER212 (@SCCR_212) May 27, 2025 Adli joined the national team's AFCON camp, but a day later, his sister called again. «She said, 'Come back. Mom isn't doing well'». Coach Walid Regragui told him, «Go back right away». Adli returned, but within days, his mother's condition worsened, and she passed away. He shared how the Moroccan federation helped him fulfill his mother's last wish—to be buried in Meknes. «I called the coach and told him. Repatriating a body for burial—it's a lot. But the national team, the whole federation, they really supported me. They arranged a plane so we could get to Morocco quickly, helped with all the paperwork. They took care of everything». In the midst of his grief, Adli made a choice. «I felt I had to go for my country. After everything the team did for me, I owed it to them. I had to show up». Returning to the pitch helped. «Once I started training again, it helped. It was good to think about something else, to clear my mind. Sometimes, being on the pitch just helps». Adli also spoke about the overwhelming support from Moroccan fans. «Incredible support. I can't even express how grateful I am».
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tahar Rahim on Metamorphosing and Shedding 44 Pounds for Julia Ducournau's ‘Alpha': ‘That State of Deprivation Transports You in a Spiritual Dimension' (EXCLUSIVE)
In the space of two years, French actor Tahar Rahim has transformed himself completely to inhabit a pair of drastically different characters, the iconic French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour, and Amine, a man engulfed in drug addiction who is dying of a mysterious disease. The latter performance is the force behind Julia Ducournau's allegorical drama 'Alpha' which world premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday evening and earned an 11-minute standing ovation. More from Variety Jodie Foster Embraces 'Vie Privée' Director as French Murder Mystery Gets 8-Minute Cannes Standing Ovation 'Private Life' Review: Fluent in French, Jodie Foster Steers an Upscale, Paris-Set Psychological Thriller Guillermo Galoe Unpacks His Insider's Vision of a Family Riven by Its Shanty Town's Demolition in Critics' Week's 'Sleepless City' Rahim, who saw his career explode 16 years after a breakthrough performance in Jacques Audiard's Cannes prizewinning thriller 'A Prophet,' had transformed himself before, notably in 'The Serpent,' starring as the merciless serial killer Charles Sobhraj. But in 'Alpha,' he went to the extreme, losing 20 kilos (44 pounds) for the part, so that he could relate to his onscreen character, Amine, on an emotional level, as well as physical. 'Julia didn't ask me to go that far, but she needed authenticity,' says Rahim, who stars in the movie alongside Iranian actor Golshifteh Farahani and emerging talent Melissa Boros. 'When I took on the role, I knew that in order to make it real and organic, it had to go through this physical process,' he says with a striking conviction, sitting at the poolside bar of the Majestic Hotel just a couple hours after landing in his first interview discussing the film. It took him three-and-a-half months to shed the weight, a timeframe during which he found the strength to promote 'Monsieur Azanavour,' Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade's biopic. That role of Aznavour, which required him to learn how to sing, speak and move completely differently, ultimately earned him this year's Cesar nomination for best actor. The movie, which like 'Alpha,' was produced by Eric and Nicolas Altmayer, and Jean-Rachid Kallouche, also became one of 2024's biggest local hits with over 2 million tickets sold. While playing Aznavour represented a daunting challenge for Rahim, the experience of making 'Alpha' turned out to be the most spiritual in his career. 'When you get into that kind of state of deprivation,' he says, 'it transports you to a place, a kind of spiritual dimension where you're connected, for me it was with God, because I'm a believer, and with creation.' The movie, which is set in a fictive city, shot in Le Havre, which allowed him to stay in character – something that would have been hard to pull off with his four kids and wife, actor Leila Bekhti, in Paris. 'I had a room facing the ocean and I've never felt the elements so strongly, never felt the wind and the water in front of me so intensely. Everything was much clearer and more striking,' he says. Becoming Amine led him develop a form of addiction and a ritual, which came to him in the unlikely form of pistachios and cherry tomatoes. 'I was on a very strict diet but I was allowed to eat cherry tomatoes and pistachios in certain quantities at a certain time in the evening,' he says, with a laugher. 'When I found myself once or twice without any left, I took my scooter and rode around town at night to get my fix.' Asked if he would ever consider relying on AI or post-production tools to look the part instead of inflicting himself such an ordeal, Rahim is categorical: 'Never in a million years. It'll mess with your head. I'll never rely on things like that.' The actor also volunteered for an association called Gaia that helps marginalized people, including those suffering from additions. The actor says he was mentored by two men who explained to him the sensations induced by drugs, and also allowed him to observe them during their 'rituals.' 'I was able to observe them, to pick up things on the fly, expressions, a way of speaking, a way of moving and everything. All of that built that part of the character,' he says. 'Then you have to fully immerse yourself in the director's world to bring that cinematic touch and emotion that allows you to stray, come back and invent things,' explains Rahim, who served on the Cannes jury in 2021. Just like he was struck by Ducournau's empathy and non-jugement towards Amine's character which emanated from the script of 'Alpha,' he was touched by the work of Gaia. 'It offers these vulnerable people a place where they are listened to, where they exist, because they are clearly ghosts on the streets, they're sick and none of them wanted to end up there,' he says. He also formed a deep bond with Ducournau almost instantly when they started working on the film. 'It had never happened to me before,' he says. 'Something magical happened on day one. First day of shooting, first sequence, first take,' Rahim says. 'I think you only really get to know a director on the first day of shooting.' 'A working relationship like that is very rare, and when it happens, it really gives you wings,' he continues. The script of 'Alpha' compelled him, he said, because 'it's a family story,' but one 'with a certain visual codes of genre films.'They're Julia's codes, which are very recognizable from her other work and that's what makes her such a great filmmaker,' he says. But Rahim says Amine is way more than an addict, he's a 'fallen angel who's had his wings cut off.' And yet, he 'still has a mission,' which for the actor is 'about freeing Alpha,' who is a teenager coming of age in the second half of the film. 'They free each other and also Alpha's mother who's ridden by guilt, fears and grief and gradually learns how to let go — it's got so many layers,' he says. Ducournau and Rahim discovered they were similar in more than one way, including when it comes to the way they tackle work. 'Like her, I'm almost obsessive when I work,' Rahim admits. The other thing they have in common, he says, is 'the way she approaches her her films. 'It's in the same way that I approach my characters; there's really something physical and bodily about it. I need to go through the body to get into the head.' Rahim credits New Hollywood icons of the 1960's and 1970's such as Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, Gene Hackman and Marlon Brando, as well as British actor Daniel Day Lewis, for inspiring him to become an actor and continuing him to have an impact on him today. That passion for American cinema led him to become one of the rare French actors to have been leading a truly international career from the start, working with foreign directors such Ang Lee, Asghar Farhadi, Damien Chazelle and Kevin Macdonald, among others. His role in 'The Mauritanian' earned him a BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations, among other critical nods in 2021. A year later, he got a second Golden Globe nomination for his part in 'The Serpent.' The actor, who is currently filming 'Prisoner,' directed by 'Bridge of Spies' screenwriter Matt Charman, in Wales, says working often in the U.S. and in the U.K. has taught him to approach work in a different way 'because it's not the same culture, it's not the same budget, it's not the same mythology,' he says. He says he's realized that he's been able to 'get into my characters very quickly.' He credits 'shooting series' for being 'very formative because you don't have time so there are very few takes, you have to move quickly.' Then, his favorite thing on set is what he calls his 'freestyle.' 'Once the director is happy with what he's got, once we've explored everything and it works in every way, then I can let go of everything and we try things,' he says. 'It allows me not only to suggest a new take, but also to return to the essence of my profession, which is fun because it's recreation for grown-ups. I'm a big kid,' he jokes. After 'Prisoner,' Rahim will play Inspector Javert in Fred Cavayé's adaptation of 'Les Miserables,' starring opposite Vincent Lindon who will star as Jean Valjean. The actor says he film will have thriller elements, exploring the confrontation between Javert and Valjean, while being a proper adaptation of 'Les Miserables.' 'There are seeds planted in the novel that are sometimes under-exploited, from which we can grow different flowers that haven't been seen yet, in a way,' he says, adding that he's been talking about the project and his role at length with Cavayé. 'I always need to talk to my directors the way I did with Julia or Fred, because the cool thing about a script is that it's the first form of a film,' he says. 'It's destined to be enhanced on screen, so it's still alive, it's still moving, and we can constantly improve it or give it a different color, a different texture, along the way.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Morocco World
03-04-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Moroccan Scientist Khalil Amine Elected to US Academy of Engineering
Rabat– Khalil Amine, a Moroccan materials scientist, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering of the United States for his contributions to battery and energy storage technologies. The recognition comes for his leadership in the field of materials science, specifically in the development of batteries and energy storage devices. Amine, who also serves as a professor at the University of Chicago, is among 128 members and 22 international members inducted into the NAE class of 2025. 'I am very delighted to be selected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering,' said Amine. 'This is a recognition not only for me, but also for all my co-workers and collaborators around the world, as well as Argonne, which has provided an unmatched, state-of-the-art capability to do excellent work.' Amine leads the Advanced Battery Technology team at Argonne, where his research focuses on the development of advanced chemistries, materials, and battery systems. His team's work spans several industries, including automotive, power grids, satellites, military, and medical applications. A key focus of Amine's research is the creation of new cathodes, anodes, solid-state electrolytes, and additives for lithium-ion batteries, as well as exploring 'beyond-lithium' batteries that use alternative chemistries for energy storage. Read also: Morocco Trains 11,000 Engineers a Year to Ensure Future-Ready Workforce Amine's significant contributions to the field of battery technology have made him a leading figure in materials science. He holds more than 200 patents or patent applications in the field, and he was for 23 years the most cited scientist in battery technology globally. His accomplishments have earned him numerous accolades, including the prestigious Global Energy Prize in 2019. Amine is also a member of several prestigious scientific organizations, including the National Academy of Inventors, the European Academy of Sciences, and the Electrochemical Society, among others. Born in Morocco, Amine earned degrees in chemistry and materials science from the University of Bordeaux. After his academic training, he joined Argonne in 1998, bringing with him experience gained from research positions in Belgium and Japan. His innovative work has played a pivotal role in advancing energy storage technologies that have far-reaching applications in today's technological landscape. The National Academy of Engineering, founded in 1964, provides independent analysis and advice on engineering matters, offering leadership and insight into complex global challenges. Amine, along with other members of the NAE class of 2025, will be formally inducted at the Academy's annual meeting in October. Tags: khalil AmineMoroccan scientistUS Academy of engineering
Ya Biladi
03-04-2025
- Science
- Ya Biladi
Moroccan scientist Khalil Amine joins National Academy of Engineering
Moroccan materials scientist Khalil Amine, a researcher at Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for 2025. He is among 128 new members and 22 international members selected for their outstanding contributions to engineering. The NAE, a nonprofit, non-governmental organization, recognizes individuals who have made exceptional advancements in their fields. Amine, who is also a professor at the University of Chicago and an Argonne Distinguished Fellow at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, was honored «for leadership in the development of materials science for batteries and energy storage devices», according to a press release. Expressing his gratitude, Amine stated, «I am very delighted to be selected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering. This is a recognition not only for me, but also for all my co-workers and collaborators around the world, as well as Argonne, which has provided an unmatched, state-of-the-art capability to do excellent work». Amine leads research and development in advanced battery chemistries, materials, and systems used in various applications, including automotive, power grids, satellites, military, and medical technologies. His team focuses on innovating cathodes, anodes, solid-state electrolytes, and additives for lithium-ion batteries, while also exploring next-generation «beyond-lithium» energy storage solutions, reads the same statement. Born in Morocco, Amine earned degrees in chemistry and materials science from the University of Bordeaux. He joined Argonne in 1998 after holding research positions in Belgium and Japan. Over his career, he has secured more than 200 patents and patent applications related to battery technologies. For over two decades, Amine has consistently ranked as the most cited scientist in battery research. His contributions to the field have earned him numerous accolades, including the esteemed Global Energy Prize in 2019. He is also an esteemed member of several scientific organizations, such as the National Academy of Inventors, the European Academy of Sciences, the Electrochemical Society, the Materials Research Society, the American Ceramic Society, and the American Chemical Society. Established in 1964, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) serves as an independent body providing expert analysis and guidance on engineering and technological advancements. Membership is granted through peer selection, and Amine, along with his fellow inductees in the NAE's 2025 class, will be officially welcomed at the academy's annual meeting in October.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal handed five-year sentence as diplomatic rift widens
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — A court in Algeria on Thursday sentenced an award-winning French-Algerian writer to five years in prison over remarks that questioned the borders dividing Algeria from regional rival Morocco, which prosecutors claimed threatened national security. The case against 76-year-old Boualem Sansal has become a flashpoint in growing tensions between the Algerian and French governments. Both French President Emmanuel Macron and members of the European Parliament have called for his release. Sansal had been found guilty under anti-terrorism laws that human rights advocates in Algeria claim have long been used to quash anti-government voices. Charges included undermining national unity, insulting public institutions, actions likely to harm the national economy, and disseminating videos that threaten national stability. Sansal's five-year sentence is half of what prosecutors requested and less than the recommended for those charged under Article 87 of Algeria's penal code, the controversial anti-terrorism statute implemented after mass protests convulsed the country last decade. He also was fined 500,000 Algerian dinar ($3,734). France's Foreign Ministry said later Thursday that it was disappointed in the verdict and called for a 'rapid, humanitarian and dignified' resolution to the case. Sansal's case dates back to last October, when Sansal gave an interview to the right-wing French media outlet, Frontieres. In the interview, he questioned Algeria's current borders, arguing that France had redrawn them during the colonial period to include lands that once belonged to Morocco. He was arrested the following month. Sansal on Thursday denied the remarks violated any laws or were meant to harm Algeria as prosecutors claim, according to Hociane Amine, a lawyer who was in the courtroom, which was surrounded by heavy police presence. Amine said that Sansal showed little emotion upon hearing the verdict. Though his sentence was set at five years without parole, lawyers believe there's a chance he may serve less time. 'Obviously, he has a possibility to appeal. And now that he's been sentenced, the president is within his rights to grant him a pardon because it's a political card in the current crisis with France,' Amine said. Sansal's case has provoked outrage from the European Parliament, civil liberties groups and politicians across the political spectrum in France, particularly on the right. Both far-right leader Marine Le Pen and Macron called for his release, as has the literary association PEN International and French-Algerian novelist Kamel Daoud. They have decried both the charges and Algeria's refusal to grant a visa to Sansal's French lawyer. The writer rejected court-appointed lawyers and chose to defend himself. Macron last week told reporters in Brussels that he hoped Sansal would soon be released and that he trusted Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune — framing the case in political terms. In a December speech to Algeria's parliament, Tebboune called Sansal 'an impostor who doesn't know his identity, his father and just said that half of Algeria was part of another country.' Diagnosed with cancer, Sansal has awaited a verdict in a hospital prison ward. Commentators in France have for months described the charges as a political lever Algiers is deploying against Paris. Relations between the two countries sharply deteriorated last summer when France shifted its position to support Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algiers and is based in refugee camps in southeastern Algeria. The rift has grown since. A planned visit by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to Paris never occurred. Algeria has rejected France's attempts to return Algerians slated for deportation and imposed new restrictions on French companies operating in the country. In addition to souring relations with France, Sansal's arrest also comes in a context of heightened censorship in Algeria. Since pro-democracy protestors forced the military to oust longtime president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2019, authorities have clamped down on dissent. Hundreds — including journalists, activists, poets and lawyers — have been detained or imprisoned in the years since for speech-related offenses, according to Amnesty International and Algeria's National Committee for the Liberation of Detainees. Before his October arrest, Sansal's work faced bans from Algerian authorities but he regularly travelled between Paris and Algiers without issue. His works — written in French — are little read in Algeria. However he has amassed a large following in France for books and essays, in which he regularly critiques Algeria's post-revolution leaders and the role of Islam in society. Under the imprint of the prestigious French publishing house Gallimard, he has published ten novels, including '2084: The End of the World' which won the France's Grand Prix du Roman in 2015.
