London, Jan 29 : The CIA's station chief in Algeria is under investigation over claims that he drugged and raped two Algerian women at his official residence.

Law enforcement sources told ABC News that the 41-year-old officer, named as Muslim convert Andrew Warren, had been sent home in October. He could face charges as early as next month

Two Algerian women came forward last September saying that Warner at his home in Algiers had sexually assaulted them.

Paris /Oran, Algeria - Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are expected to approve a cut in oil production of up to 2 million barrels per day when they meet later Wednesday in the Algerian city of Oran.

With global oil demand falling this year for the first time since 1983, the 12-member cartel has already found consensus that a drastic production cut is necessary to shore up the price of oil, OPEC President Chakib Khelil said.

The price of a barrel of crude oil has fallen by some 70 per cent in five months because of the global economic slump.

Paris - Both houses of the Algerian parliament are due to meet Wednesday to decide whether to change the constitution to allow President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to stay on for a third term.

If passed, the 71-year-old president could take up a third five- year term in the spring of 2009.

Parliament would also vote on cutting some of the prime minister's powers in favour of the president.

Algiers/Paris - Libyan strongman Moamer Gaddafi paid a ransom to free two Austrians kidnapped by Islamic militants in Tunisia, the Algerian daily Liberte reported on Monday.

According to the report, Gaddafi paid between 3 million and 5 million euros (3.85 million - 6.41 million dollars) to members of the terrorist group al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, who were holding the hostages, Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloibner, in northern Mali.

Rome - Italy and Algeria, "both victims of illegal immigration" are to hold a summit to discuss ways to control migratory flows and work closer on curbing terrorism, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said Tuesday.

Frattini made the remarks during a joint news conference with his Algerian counterpart, Mourad Medelci, in Rome.

The summit would be held Algiers in the "coming weeks" and would also focus on closer economic ties between the two Mediterranean nations, Frattini said.

Algiers/Paris - At least 33 people were