Moroccan convert serving jail time for faith Nearly five years into the prison sentence of the only Christian in Morocco serving time for his faith, Moroccan Christians and advocates question the harsh measures of the Muslim state toward a man who dared speak openly about Jesus. By the end of December Jamaa Ait Bakrim, 46, will have been in prison for five years at Morocco's largest prison, Prison Centrale, in Kenitra. An outspoken Christian convert, Bakrim was sentenced to 15 years prison for “proselytizing” and destroying “the goods of others” in 2005 after burning two defunct utility poles located in front of his private business in a small town in south Morocco. Algeria says ransom cash funds al Qaeda attacks Cash paid in exchange for releasing hostages in north Africa is used to fund al Qaeda violence, a senior Algerian diplomat said on Thursday, hours after seven foreigners were kidnapped in the Sahara. The hostages, who include five French nationals, were abducted in northern Niger's uranium mining zone and analysts said there was a strong chance they would end up in the hands of al Qaeda's north African wing. AfDB Supports Infrastructure Development in Tunisia The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Board of Directors has approved a € 236-million loan to the Republic of Tunisia to finance the country's Roads Upgrading Program. Given the important role of the transport sector in the economic and social development process, the Tunisian government has embarked on an ambitious program to develop an efficient transport system and high quality infrastructure to sustain growth and create conducive conditions for enhanced export competitiveness. Libyan fund increases UniCredit stake Libya's sovereign wealth fund has increased its stake in UniCredit, making it by far the largest shareholder in the Italian banking group and aggravating high emotions in Italy about a number of investments by Muammar Ghaddafi's regime. The Libyan Investment Authority now holds a stake of 2.5 percent in Italy's largest bank by assets, up from about 2 per cent, having made the purchase in July, according to several financial sources. This is in addition to the 4.9 per cent in the bank held by the Libyan Central Bank. Together, the stakes make Libya by far the largest shareholder in UniCredit, followed by the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi. S.Sudan leader warns of violence if vote delayed Sudan risks “violence on a massive scale” if there is any delay to a planned January referendums that will likely split the oil-rich African nation in two, South Sudan's leader said on Friday. South Sudan President Salva Kiir said it increasingly appeared that “unity is not an option” following the January 9 vote, which will cap a 2005 peace deal that ended decades of civil war in the country. BM
