Morocco leases farmland to reform agriculture Morocco is inviting bids from foreign and domestic investors to lease 21,000 hectares of farmland as part of its farm reform plans, the chief executive officer of the government-run Farming Development Agency said. “We have set June 25 as the closing date to receive offers by local and foreign investors. We expect to pick the winners in October this year when the new the agricultural season starts,” Ahmed Hajjaji told Reuters in an interview. Orascom Telecom Surges on Talk to Sell Algeria Unit Orascom Telecom Holding SAE, the biggest mobile-phone operator in the Middle East by users, rose to the highest level since November on investor speculation it will receive a bid for its Algerian unit. The shares climbed 4.1 percent to 7.32 Egyptian pounds, the highest close since Nov. 2. That gives the company a market value of 38.4 billion pounds ($7 billion). Tunisia: tourists pay to rough it Spending two weeks trekking through a desert without any creature comforts isn't everyone's idea of a vacation, but for some, it's paradise. Despite the hardship involved, this kind of adventure tourism is becoming increasingly popular in places like Tunisia, with some tourists desert trekking for up to a month on foot and on camel. Douz, in Central Tunisia, is known as the gateway to the Sahara. From here a group of French tourists is embarking on a 14-day journey through the Sahara desert, accompanied and assisted by fully laden camels. Libya frees ‘insulting' dissident Jamal al-Haggi A court in Libya has freed a dissident who faced 15 years in jail for complaining he was tortured in prison. Jamal al-Haggi was acquitted of charges that he insulted judicial officials, Human Rights Watch said. Sudan elections end Voting in Sudan ended Thursday, after five days of landmark elections that were marred by logistical problems and allegations of fraud. Polling centers are due to close down at 6 p.m. local time, with vote counting set to begin on Friday. International election observers have yet to pass formal judgment on the elections, Sudan's first multi-party polls since 1986. Syria looks for military return to Lebanon: Daily Star When Syria’s President Bashar Assad withdrew his army from Lebanon in 2005, there was a naive belief he had accepted the new situation and would be satisfied merely with reasserting Syrian political influence in Beirut. In fact, his ambition always was, and remains, to return Syria militarily to Lebanon. In recent weeks, the US has accused Syria of transferring advanced weaponry to Hizbullah. Kuwait’s Al-Rai al-Aam newspaper and Israeli media have suggested this may include Scud-D missiles. There have also been reports, including statements by Israeli officials, that Syria has sent the party anti-aircraft missiles, including possibly the advanced SA-24 Igla. Damascus has denied this, but in 2007, when Hizbullah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said the party had acquired a new “surprise†weapon against Israel, many believed that he meant an advanced anti-aircraft capability. BM
