TUNISIA’S communications ministry has cut Internet subscription rates in half, and says privatisation of the telecommunications sector will probably begin this year. Monthly charges for subscribing to the Internet for a family dropped from 21 dinars ($15) to 10 dinars ($7), while professional subcribers saw their fees reduced from about $33 to $14 a month, with special rates for journalists, students and handicapped people. Beyond the base subscription rate, the cost of surfing on the net was also reduced because of a cut in the value-added tax on Internet services from 18 to 10 percent. – AFP