THE Pearl of Africa Rally was tragically ended with the death of the two time Champion Riyaz Kurji, when he was involved in an accident.

Mogadishu - The French navy on Sunday captured 11 suspected Somali pirates armed with two assault rifles and an RPG in the Indian Ocean, an AFP correspondent on board the French frigate Nivose reported.

Cairo - Egypt is to step up a controversial slaughter of the nation's 250 000 pigs on Saturday, despite the World Health Organisation saying there was no evidence the animals were transmitting swine flu to humans.

Mogadishu - A hardline opposition leader appeared in Somalia's capital on Friday for the first time in almost two years and said he was ruling out peace talks with the government unless African Union peacekeepers leave the country.

WARID Telecom’s customers have hit 1.2 million, the chief executive officer (CEO), Zul Javaid, has said. During the opening of switching centre 11 at Bugolobi in Kampala, Javaid said the telecom business was full of risks but they had come up with risk mitigation strategies.

Port Of Spain - Latin American leaders are hailing as a success an Americas summit closing on Sunday that consecrated President Barack Obama as a positive partner in the hemisphere who won over even die-hard anti-US critics.

Rubira - Burundi rebel chief Agathon Rwasa said on Saturday at a demobilisation ceremony that he has renounced his movement's "armed struggle" after more than 13 years of civil war.