ADFD plans to fund railway project in Morocco Abu Dhabi The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) yesterday said it is funding a Dh367.3 million high-speed railway project in Morocco in line with its drive to support infrastructure projects in developing countries. ADFD said the high speed railway project will connect the cities of Casablanca and Tangiers. ADFD officials attended a ceremony marking the commencement of construction. “In the ceremony, which was held in Tangiers and attended by His Majesty King Mohammad VI of Morocco, two loan and fund guarantee agreements, both estimated at around Dh367.3 million, were also inked,” ADFD said in a statement. Algerian army kills 10 rebels Algerian troops killed 10 Islamist rebels on Friday in the eastern Kabylie region known as a stronghold of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), a security source told Reuters on Saturday. Between 3,500 and 4,000 troops backed by helicopters attacked a site between the cities of Boumerdes and Tizi Ouzou after intelligence officials heard that AQIM was planning to hold a meeting in the region. “The operation is still ongoing and ten terrorists have been killed,” the source, who asked not to be named, told Reuters news agency. Tunisia increases gasoline prices to trim budget deficit The Tunisian government has raised gasoline prices by four per cent with the aim of cutting its budget deficit. This is the second time in 2010 for the government to increase gasoline prices. The price of lead-free petrol and premium petrol will rise to 1.370 Tunisian dinars (95 cents) from 1.320 dinars (91 cents), according to a press release from the Ministry of Industry and Energy. The price rise will be implemented starting today, Sunday. Libya, Italy Reiterate Need for EU Funding to Fight Illegal Immigration Italy and Libya have signed a technical and operational protocol to fight illegal migration by sea, according to the Italian media. The agreement was signed by Italian Home Affairs Minister Roberto Maroni and Libyan Secretary of Public Security Abdelfattah Younis. The two parties reiterated the need for the European Union to allocate greater funding and show stronger political commitment to countries which suffer an influx of migration either on transit or as a destination. Disputed Border Area Could Reignite War In Sudan The people of Southern Sudan vote next month on whether to split Africa's largest country and create one of their own. Whether things turns bloody — as they often have in Sudan — may hinge on what happens in Abyei, a disputed region along the border between the north and south. Abyei, an oil-producing county, is supposed to choose whether to join the south in a vote to be held simultaneously with Southern Sudan's Jan. 9 referendum on independence. But it appears Abyei's planned January vote will either be postponed or even canceled. BM
