NIGER

According to Libya's Vice Premier, Mustafa Abushagur, and a government spokesman, Mauritanian has agreed to hand over Gaddafi's former intelligence chief, Abdullah al-Senussi to Libya.

Senussi, who has been on the run since the dictator's overthrow last year, is likely to become the subject of a three-way tug-of -war between Tripoli, France and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague who also want to put him on trial in Europe.

The last of a West African herd of giraffes, which were living in the wild in Niger, are reproducing in large numbers.

A “lethal mix” of drought, regional wars, high food prices and widespread poverty has conspired to create this debilitating crisis.

Algerian security forces have found a large cache of weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles, which they believe were smuggled in from neighboring Libya, a security source briefed on the discovery told Reuters on Saturday.

Amnesty International describes the situation in northern Mali as the country’s worst crisis in two decades.

Around 20 gunmen believed to be members of Boko Haram raided a federal prison in Nigeria on Wednesday night, freeing as many as 200 inmates before escaping in getaway vehicles.

Libya urged Niger on Saturday to extradite Moammar Gadhafi's son Saadi, saying his call for Libyans to prepare for a coming uprising threatened bilateral ties. In response, Niger pledged to tighten house surveillance of Saadi, but reiterated he could not be handed over to a state where he could face execution.

The crisis means nearly 12 million more people require assistance.

An increasingly violent insurgency by Islamist sect Boko Haram in Nigeria's economically stagnant north has begun pressuring the country's finances by forcing extra spending on security. It could be costing as much as 2 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

Thanks to expansive oil fields and a reservoir of millions of barrels of crude, Nigeria is the third-richest country in Africa. But due to corruption, poor wealth distribution, and lack of infrastructure, the nation's people suffer from staggering rates of poverty.

Islamist sect Boko Haram, whose attacks have killed hundreds in oil-rich Nigeria, will continue its campaign until the country is ruled by sharia law, a senior member was quoted as saying on Saturday: We have our sights set on [bringing sharia to] the whole world, not just Nigeria.

Boko Haram threatened Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan this week. Speaking in an audio message that was posted online, rebel leader Imam Abubakar Shekau said that he was willing to martyr himself to make Jonathan see.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday, fired the country's police chief and his six deputies, following a rash of Islamist attacks. The sacking of the top brass also came a week after the main suspect in a Christmas Day bomb attack escaped from police custody, according to Reuters.

The Islamist sect Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for coordinated bomb attacks on security forces in the northern Nigerian city of Kano that killed at least seven people late Friday.

As Boko Haram and the unrest in Nigeria intensifies, African newspapers this week have run stories with headlines likes Nigeria: Worse Than We Thought, Boko Haram: Enough is Enough, Nigeria: A ticking time bomb and Nigeria: Armed and dangerous.

Gunmen opened fire on a church service in Nigeria Thursday, killing six people and wounding 10, the church's pastor said, the latest in a string of attacks that has raised fears of sectarian conflict in Africa's most populous nation.

Essentially meaning greater force, the Dutch oil company is attempting to insulate itself from possible liabilities following a pipeline leak, the second in more than three weeks in the country, by declaring it beyond the company's control.

Mainland China and 21 other countries will finally launch sales for Apple's most advanced smartphone, the iPhone 4S, on Friday, Jan. 13. The phone will be available in black and white and will sell at the same prices as in the U.S.

Apple fans in China mainland and other 21 countries are going to be crazy after hearing this - iPhone 4S, Apple's hottest handset so far, will reach their shores on Friday, Jan. 13, ending various speculations about local launch dates, that lasted for several months.

Nigerians are furious over the government's removal of a fuel subsidy, which instantly sent the price of oil rising to new levels. Thousands of people protested across the country.