PARIS, Sept. 16 -- French special forces stormed a hijacked sailboat and freed two French hostages held captive since Sept. 2 in a small Somali port, killing one of the kidnappers and capturing six, the government announced Tuesday.

Senate moved yesterday to criminalize organized violence and acts of terrorism as the bill which prescribed a minimum of 20 year jail term for person engaged in organized crime passed through second reading in the Upper House.

The violence in the Niger Delta region came to fore in the Senate yesterday as Senators from the region strongly opposed an anti-terrorism bill which they said could be directed at the region.

After a hot and exhaustive debate, the Senate yesterday referred the bill which seeks to outlaw terrorism and terrorists activities in the country to the Committees for further legislative action, thus setting the stage for its third reading.

Ugandan security organisations have been put on high terror alert following reports that Al-Qaeda regional linkman Fazul Abdallah plans an imminent strike on Uganda.

Two South African men arrested over terrorism are considering suing Uganda at The Hague-based International Criminal Court over allegations of torture and Islam-phobia.

A man linked to the 2002 Kikambala Paradise Hotel bombing that killed 15 people in 2002 was on Tuesday acquitted by the High Court.

Researchers have bred three fish species in captivity. The fish, commonly called Ningu, Kisinja and Mmale (African cat fish) are threatened with extinction resulting from pollution of rivers and lakes.

The Ministry of Science and Technology Tuesday in Luanda launched the portals of knowledge and of the researcher, as well as presented the Ethno-Sculptural Map of Angola.

The Kaduna State government has commenced the production of fuel from sugarcane in an effort to develop alternative source of energy.

Residents and drivers who use the Kayunga-Mukono highway have vowed to hold a demonstration later this month to protest government's failure to repair the road.

Two companies have been contracted to rehabilitate roads leading to the oil wells near Lake Albert.

THE Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Transnet and the South African Rail Commuter Corporation (SARCC) against a high court finding of negligence after a passenger lost a foot when he tried to board a moving train

The Mozambican government has invested about 7.5 million US dollars in the purchase of six new ferry boats for passenger transport in the cities of Maputo, Inhambane, Beira, and Quelimane, reports Tuesday's issue of the Maputo daily "Noticias".

IN A speech he gave at Princeton University in 2002, John Bogle showed the extent to which American investors tend to grossly overestimate the returns equity investing can provide.

THE chairman of pan-African financial services group Imara Holdings, Philip Gray, said yesterday booming commodity prices and rising Chinese interest is making Africa an exciting proposition for investors bruised by the global financial crisis.

If all goes as planned, Uganda is bound to see an influx of more Japanese investments into the country something that is destined to create more jobs.

The road network that will link upcoming industries at Luzira Industrial park is near completion, with part of the project already handed over to Uganda Investment Authority (UIA). On September 12, a stretch of 1.7km, part of the 3.7 km

MCCARTHY Motor Holdings plans a huge sale of used cars worth more than R100m as the retail motor industry grapples with record-high inventories.

Commuters plying the Nyanya - Mararaba road have identified the police check-point along the Abuja/Nasarawa State boarder as the sole cause of the traffic jam that has continued to cause so much pains and untold hardship to residents.