Rabat, Morocco  - West and central Africa have rapidly growing aviation markets, but the local airlines are having a hard time defending their turf against foreign competition.

Many African airlines "have very short life spans," Jacques Courbin, president of the African air traffic control agency Asecna, told the magazine Jeune Afrique.

Cairo  - Morocco announced on Friday that it is cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, following a dispute over the sovereignty of the Gulf state of Bahrain.

The move appears to be the culmination of a diplomatic row between Morocco and Iran over Tehran's alleged questioning of Bahrain`s independence.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement it made the decision effective as of Friday.

Cairo  - Morocco has announced that it is cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, following a dispute over the sovereignty of the Gulf state of Bahrain, Dubai based al-Arabiya satellite channel reported on Friday.

The move appears to be the culmination of a diplomatic row between Morocco and Iran over Tehran's alleged questioning of Bahrain's independence.

Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in February appeared to question Bahrain's sovereignty, saying that the Gulf island nation had earlier been Iran's "14th province".

Rabat, Morocco - The Moroccan national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has set a deadline for Senegal to prepare plans for the transfer of Air Senegal International
(ASI) to the Senegalese state, RAM said in a communique that was made public on Friday.

RAM holds 51 per cent and Senegal 49 per cent of ASI, the main Senegalese airline, which was created in 2000 with a capital of 10 million euros (13 million dollars).

Senegal's then Air Transport Minister Farba Senghor said in 2007 that Dakar would nationalize the carrier and inject up to 36 million euros into it to solve its financial problems.

Rabat- A diplomatic row has erupted between Morocco and Iran over Tehran's alleged questioning of Bahrain's independence, with Rabat recalling its diplomatic representative to Tehran for a week of consultations, Moroccan press reported Thursday.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Tayib Fassi Fihri informed Iran's ambassador that Morocco had been surprised over being singled out for Iranian protests after showing solidarity with Bahrain.

Amsterdam - One of the survivors of the Turkish Airlines c