Nairobi

Dutch navy frees 16 Yemeni fishermen from pirates

Dutch navy frees 16 Yemeni fishermen from piratesNairobi/The Hague  - A Dutch naval unit Saturday freed 16 Yemeni fishermen and their vessel after boarding a boat used by Somali pirates to attack a tanker in the Gulf of Aden, a Dutch military spokesman said in The Hague.

He said nine pirates were briefly detained but then released after their weapons were seized. Pirates had been in a speedboat operating from the fishermen's dhow which they had been using as a "mother ship" after seizing it earlier in the week.

Ethiopian opposition stages rare demonstration

Ethiopian opposition stages rare demonstration Nairobi/Addis Ababa  - Ethiopia's opposition held a rare demonstration in the capital Addis Ababa Thursday to demand the release of an opposition leader, who is serving a life sentence.

Birtukan Midekssa, the head of the Unity for Democracy Justice (UDJ), was arrested along with dozens of other opposition officials during protests that followed the 2005 elections.

The opposition did well in the polls, but accused the party of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi of stealing the elections.

Kenyan coalition government in crisis talks

Kenyan coalition government in crisis talksNairobi  - Kenya's coalition government, formed to bring an end to the post-election violence that ripped the county apart in early 2008, was Thursday locked in talks aimed at preventing an increasingly fragile alliance falling apart.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga, of the Orange Democratic Movement, on Wednesday said members of his party would boycott cabinet meetings.

The ODM feels is is being sidelined by President Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity. Odinga's party walked out of earlier talks with the PNU.

Undaunted Somali pirates seize four more boats - Summary

Undaunted Somali pirates seize four more boats - Summary Nairobi - Undaunted Somali pirates have seized a total of four ships - among them two cargo ships - just days after US and French forces killed five pirates in two separate operations to free hostages, officials said Tuesday. The EU Maritime Centre said that the 35,000-ton MV Irene E. M. was taken overnight, but that the Greek vessel's 22 crew members, reportedly entirely Filipino, were unhurt.

Rights body: Hanged Sudanese men may have been innocent - Summary

Rights body: Hanged Sudanese men may have been innocent - Summary Nairobi/Khartoum - Human rights body Amnesty International on Tuesday condemned the hanging of nine Sudanese men convicted of beheading a prominent newspaper editor, saying they may have been innocent. "The execution of the nine men is outrageous," said Tawanda Hondora, Africa Deputy Director at Amnesty International. "They were arbitrarily arrested, tortured and then subjected to an unfair trial."

EXTRA: Report: Second US vessel hijacked by Somali pirates

Second US vessel hijacked by Somali pirates Nairobi - Pirates hija

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