Christians launch Morocco appeal Village of Hope workers on Tuesday launched a public appeal to be reunited with the foster children they were forced to abandon. A week after being expelled from the North African country over proselytism allegations, the Christian workers held a press conference in Gibraltar to raise awareness about what they described as a “painful situation.” Algeria: Unity to fight terrorism Sahel and Saharan foreign ministers at a Tuesday (March 16th) conference in Algiers called for escalated anti-terrorism measures, only days after an al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) video warned regional leaders to abandon their efforts against terrorists. “Our meeting today shows that we understand that peace and security are necessary for the development” of the African Sahel, Algerian minister for Maghreb and African affairs Abdelkader Messahel said. “Terrorism – which now exhibits dangerous developments – and its alliance with organized crime pose real threats.” Doyle on trade mission to Italy, Tunisia Gov. Jim Doyle left Wednesday on a 10-day trade mission to Italy and then Tunisia – a country where he once served as a Peace Corps volunteer. The trip includes meetings with executives of Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, the international ship builder that owns Marinette Marine and Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay. Fincantieri and Marinette Marine are seeking a major U.S. Navy contract, expected to be announced this summer, to build 10 Littoral Combat Ships – relatively small, agile vessels that perform well close to shore. Libya welcomes Swiss compensation offer A top Libyan official on Wednesday welcomed as a “step forward” a call by Swiss officials for damages to be paid to a son of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi who was arrested in Geneva in 2008. Relations between Libya and Switzerland broke down after Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were held briefly on charges, later dropped, of abusing domestic servants in a Geneva hotel. Libya cut oil supplies to Switzerland and withdrew more than $5 billion from Swiss bank accounts. This month it declared a trade and economic embargo on Switzerland. Sudan hangs two for killing Chinese workers Sudan executed two people convicted of killing four oil workers, two of them Chinese, in one of the country's most energy-rich regions, state media reported on Wednesday. The two were found guilty in 2004 of killing the workers and looting their vehicle in Heglig in Sudan's South Kordofan state, state Suna news agency reported. Richest man visits Lebanon The world's richest man told a group of university students in Lebanon, his ancestral home, on Wednesday that education and jobs are the best way to fight poverty. Mexican telecom tycoon Carlos Slim is the first man from a developing nation to become the world's richest person. With a recovery in the value of his cell phone holdings pushing his estimated fortune to $53.5 billion, Slim jumped past Microsoft founder Bill Gates and investor Warren Buffett when Forbes magazine released its 2010 list of the world's wealthiest last week. BM
