Morocco's unions take fight to infrastructure minister A few days before the new Highway Code is due to come into force, unions in Morocco are back on the warpath. They had called a national strike for Monday (September 20th), but the majority suspended their action at the last minute following an emergency meeting with the infrastructure and transport minister and the employment minister on Saturday. The threat of a stoppage still looms, however, with the unions refusing to put their grievances aside until concrete action is taken by the government. Al-Qaida says kidnaps 5 in Niger Al-Qaida's North Africa branch claimed responsibility in an audio message broadcast Tuesday for kidnapping five French nationals that disappeared in the deserts of Niger last week. Seven foreign workers were kidnapped from a uranium mine operated by the French company Areva in Niger Thursday and were last seen heading toward the neighboring countries of Mali and Algeria with about 30 captors before vanishing in the vast desert. Britain handed Tunisia clash Great Britain will face Tunisia in their opening match of the 2011 Davis Cup. Britain will be at home for the Europe/Africa Group II meeting and will be fancied to claim a straightforward victory regardless of whether world number four Andy Murray makes himself available for Leon Smith's team. Britain will need to secure three wins next year to secure promotion back to Europe/Africa Group I and victory over their African opponents would see them face Luxembourg or Ireland in the second round. Official says Canadian detained in Libya can leave An official says a Canadian man reportedly detained in Libya on suspicion of spying on a planned BP offshore drilling project can now leave the country. Canada's Foreign Affairs Department spokeswoman Catherine Loubier said Wednesday that restrictions preventing Douglas O'Reilly from leaving Libya had been lifted. She did not provide further details. Libyan officials have refused to comment on the case. Obama wants Sudan solution On Friday U.S. President Barack Obama will press to keep Sudan's crucial referendum on track and prevent Africa's largest country from returning to civil war. Obama will make a concerted but diplomatic push at the United Nations meeting on Sudan amid rising fears that war once again looms in a strategic oil-rich state that sits on the continent's Muslim-Christian divide. BM
