Jack Kim

An Ethiopian court acquitted two Swedish journalists on Thursday of conspiring to commit terrorist attacks, but kept them in detention and said they must still answer allegations they had assisted the secessionist ONLF rebel group.

The United States agreed to a compromise allowing Zimbabwe to export diamonds that human rights groups say are tainted by abuses, to prevent the paralysis of the global system for stopping trade in blood diamonds, the State Department said on Wednesday.

Pirates have hijacked an oil products tanker off the coast of Nigeria after contact was lost with the vessel and crew over the weekend, the vessel's manager said on Thursday.

South Africa on Thursday said it signed an agreement with 12 other countries to combat cross-border tax evasion.

The International Criminal Court is still receiving information that Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam may try to flee Libya with the help of mercenaries, the court's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday.

Somali Islamist militants mounted weapons on roofs, dug trenches and armed students in the port of Kismayu, warning the Kenyan invasion would lead to cataclysmic consequences.

South Africa's rand weakened against the dollar on Tuesday as a Greek plan for a referendum on a bailout package raised worries that the euro zone debt crisis is far from over.

Kenya's central bank bared its teeth against stubbornly high inflation on Tuesday with a record rate rise that is seen supporting the shilling, boosting appetite for long-term bonds and helping secure the approval of extra funds from the IMF.

South African stocks ended sharply lower on Tuesday, extending the decline to two days as investors worldwide offloaded risky assets after Greece's shock move to hold a referendum on a rescue deal.

Zambia's central bank slashed its reserve ratios on Tuesday to cut the cost of borrowing for commercial banks and consumers in a bid to stimulate economic growth in Africa's biggest copper producer.

Barclays Bank of Kenya said on Tuesday its pretax profit increased 26 percent to 8.87 billion shillings in the nine months ended September, driven higher by the benefits of cost-cutting and sharply reduced bad loan provisions.

South Africa's Allied Technologies Ltd is in talks to pay up to $60 million for unlisted Kenyan IT firm Symphony, according to a person familiar with the matter, to help revive its struggling business in fast-growing east Africa.

Congolese state mining firm Gecamines has refused a request from the mines ministry to publish all revised contracts, saying it cannot do so without the permission of firms involved, according to a letter from Gecamines published on the ministry website.

Nigerian legislators started hearings this week on a bill that would criminalise same-sex marriage and could make it punishable by five years in jail.

Egypt's ruling generals will ratify within days a law barring anyone found guilty of corruption from political life, a senior minister said on Monday, a move to curb the influence of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's former allies.

Thousands of Egyptians protested on Monday in Tahrir Square, the epicentre of an uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak this year, after a prominent activist was detained by military prosecutors.

Zimbabwean police sealed the offices of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party on Tuesday, firing tear gas into the building and at bystanders in central Harare and raising tensions ahead of elections that could come next year.

A Nigerian court rejected a challenge to President Goodluck Jonathan's victory in an April election and rejected demands by the main opposition party for a recount in several areas of the country.

Libya's ruling National Transitional Council has elected little-known academic Abdul Raheem al-Keeb as the new interim prime minister to guide the country as it emerges from a bitter civil war towards a new constitution and democratic elections.

Kenyan shares vaulted 2 percent on Friday to their highest in five weeks as foreign investors trooped back to riskier assets in search of bargains, while the shilling firmed slightly.

U.S. and European shares took a breather on Friday after a strong rally on a long-awaited euro zone rescue deal, but a weak sale of Italian bonds showed investor confidence in the agreement was shaky.

Oil prices retreated on Friday in light volume trading as uncertainties about Europe's plan to tackle its debt problems prompted some profit taking after the previous session's rally.

Global development groups on Friday called on G20 leaders to step up to their commitments to tackle global food security and come up with new ways to boost world growth that also benefit the poorest.

Kenya will end its military campaign against the Islamist al Shabaab rebels in Somalia when it is satisfied it has stripped the group of its capacity to attack across the border, its head of military said on Saturday.

Two African Union peacekeepers were injured on Saturday when Somalia's al Shabaab rebels attacked one of the mission's bases in Mogadishu, a spokesman for the force said.

A federal court in Oklahoma on Friday dismissed a lawsuit against Rwandan President Paul Kagame brought by the widows of two assassinated African presidents, ruling that he had immunity in the United States.

The International Criminal Court said on Saturday Saif al-Islam Gaddafi was in contact through intermediaries about surrendering for trial, but it also had information mercenaries were trying to spirit him to a friendly African nation.

Rebels in South Sudan attacked a town in an oil-producing state on Saturday, killing 15 people, including nine soldiers, and wounding 18, officials said, in the latest violence in Africa's newest nation.

An Egyptian court jailed two policemen on Wednesday for seven years for their cruel treatment of an activist whose death helped kindle the popular revolt against Hosni Mubarak.