Norway has declared that it has been assured by the Democratic Republic of Congo that two Norwegian nationals sentenced to death will not now be executed. Joshua French, who holds a joint British-Norwegian nationality and Tjostolv Moland were convicted in September of murdering a taxi driver and spying, writes Norway Post. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:54

Footballs fans have been dedicated to booking flights and accommodations to South Africa next June, following the World Cup draw and the largest batch yet of almost 1 million tickets going on sale at the week end. 55,000 were sold in the first two hours, states Breaking Travel News. “It is amazing the demand for tickets and people who want to come to South Africa. We are not confident this will be a great World Cup for all the fans,” said Jerome Valcke, Fifa general secretary. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:40

Somalia’s government has warned that al-Shabaab rebel group plans to carry out two suicide attacks around Mogadishu’s sea point and airport, reports AFP. The suicide bombers will be disguised as army or police officers. Officials are not aware of the time for the planned attacks. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:34

Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba has been re-elected for a second term after winning 76.4% of the vote in last week’s poll, official results show. Mr. Pohamba’s governing Swapo party won about 75% of the parliamentary vote, maintaining its two-thirds majority, notes IOL. Eight out of 13 opposition parties that took part in the vote have vowed to contest the results in court, alleging voting and counting irregularities, says BBC. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:15

Climate talks opening today in Copenhagen, Denmark, could be a turning point for developing countries in Africa and around the world. The negotiations to craft a new climate deal, if successful, could open new funding opportunities for green development, Ms Helen Clarl, and administrator with UNDP, was quoted as saying according to AllAfrica. She also added the African continent should press for mitigation support such as technology transfer, carbon market access and increased grants during the summit. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:05

Several senior southern Sudanese politicians have been arrested during a rally against President Oma al-Bashir’s National Congress Party (NCP), writes Al Jazeera. Among those held was the secretary general of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), Pagan Amum as well as two other senior figures from the south’s ruling party. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 14:00

According to BCC, Guinea’s military leader is in a favorable condition after surgery following an attempted assassination, doctors treating him in Morocco have said. Captain Moussa Dadis Camara was flown from Guinea for surgery on his head, although the extent of his injuries has not been officially disclosed. In the mean time, reports of gunfire in the capital late on Sunday have been reported. - Monday 7 December 2009 - 13:53

Beyonce leads the 2010 Grammy Awards with ten nominations. According to MTV.com.au, her impressive list of nods, include two for the biggest and most prestigious awards: Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year. Her nominated songs include "Halo", "Single Ladies [Put a Ring on It]" and album of the year for I Am ... Sasha Fierce. Kanye West and Black Eyed Peas were given six nods each, while Lady Gaga got five. - Friday 4 December 2009 - 17:51

The Ivory Coast elections, which has been postponed on uncountable occasions since 2005, will finally “take place between end of February and beginning March”, top officials of the West African country said during a meeting in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso with the country’s President Blaise Compaoré, mediator for the Guinean political crisis. The first round of votes will “take place between end of February and beginning March 2010”, a communiqué published after a meeting of the Cadre Permanent de Concertation (CPC) and republished by AuFaitMaroc has revealed. - Friday 4 December 2009 - 17:01

South African tourism and football authorities have called on hotels, airline companies and restaurants not to take undue advantage of the World Cup to hike their prices during the international football competition, reports IOL. Over half a million visitors are expected in the Southern African country in the middle of 2010. IOL also states that Media reports have said that some hotels are planning to charge as much as $250 (about R1 700) for a basic room that normally would be $100 to $150. Other reports point to homes along Cape Town’s exclusive Atlantic seaboard renting for $1 000 to $35 000 a day - with one house reportedly renting for a whopping $1-million for the duration of the tournament. - Friday 4 December 2009 - 16:47