At least 9 Portuguese tourists dead in Morocco bus crash Nine Portuguese tourists were killed and 14 injured when their tour bus plunged into a ravine in northern Morocco on Wednesday, the interior ministry said. Eight of the dead in the accident near the border with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta were female, including a teenager, and one of the injured was a Moroccan guide, medical sources added. “It was very foggy and drizzling,” a witness said. “The coach skidded and fell into a ravine.” Algerian men goes on trial for breaking fast Police in Algeria have detained ten men for allegedly eating in public in violation of the sanctity of Ramadan. Police picked up the young men in a restaurant in the province of Bejaya, east of the capital Algiers after neighbors complained of the alleged public desecration of the Islamic faith's ban on eating during daylight in the holy month. Tunisia looking at higher retirement age Right after Eid, the Tunisian government, civil society groups and employers will begin negotiations aimed at protecting the financial stability of the country's two social security funds. In order to fix the funds' current deficit, however, Tunisia may require its citizens to work for several more years and make a larger personal contribution. “The information we have on the aggravated deficit in the two social security funds has triggered us to think clearly about salvaging social security in our country,” said MP Adel Chaouch. “I think extending the age of retirement is the right solution for everyone.” Gadhafi ends Italy visit amid controversy Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has ended a visit to Italy marked by controversy over his call for Italians to convert to Islam and his request for European Union cash to stem the flow of illegal migrants. During his two-day stay, Gadhafi gave two lectures on Islam to young Italian women recruited by a modeling agency and paid to attend. His call for them to convert sparked outrage from Italian politicians. Gadhafi also urged the EU to pay Libya euro5 billion ($6.35 billion) a year to help stop illegal migrants from setting off for the continent. Clinton: Sudan referendum process a ‘ticking time bomb' U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Sudan a “ticking time bomb,” and urged international leaders to help ensure a successful referendum process by intensifying efforts to bring the north and south together. A January 2011 referendum will determine whether the semi-autonomous southern Sudan should declare its independence from the north. BM
