Osama bin Laden wanted Al-Qaeda in north Africa to keep French hostages alive until after the presidential election currently taking place, a letter released by US secret services shows.
The bloc of West African states, Ecowas, has set coup leaders in Mali a three-day ultimatum to restore constitutional order or face diplomatic and economic isolation.
The government of Niger says a convoy of cars travelling south from Libya towards Mali carrying an arms consignment has been intercepted after a gun battle.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is in "informal contact" with Moamer Kadhafi's fugitive son Seif al-Islam over his surrender, the prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said on Friday.
Two Nigerian oil unions went on strike this week in the Niger Delta to protest against the danger of working in an area where armed rebel grousps operate.
