The Royal Navy this week shot dead two Somali pirates after intercepting a boat in the mouth of the Red Sea, but Britain's battle against international piracy goes back a long, long way.

Portland Coastguard's brand new search and rescue helicopter was put to work on its first day in the job.

Ivory Coast and Nigeria qualify for the last eight at the Nations Cup after a day of drama.

The BBC's David Amanor keeps a diary of this travels around Ghana during the month-long Africa Nations Cup.

A Cornish village drama group registers a toy gun with the police to comply with health and safety rules.

The papers voice a collective "phew" after a plane misses houses to crash-land at Heathrow with no fatalities.

Ethical presents for developing countries are popular but a UK charity says they can be patronising.

Pirates have captured the imagination of writers and filmmakers for decades. Who is the best of the bunch?

Results from Nigeria's widely criticised elections are due to be announced, amid tight security in the capital.

Nigerian opposition leaders call for a re-run of the presidential vote, which is criticised by foreign observers.

Nigeria's biggest election monitoring group says Saturday's poll was so flawed it should be re-run.

Elections for a new president and parliament in Nigeria are marked by violence and delays.

The Army signs a £65m contract to get a fleet of 80 hi-tech bomb disposal robots, the Ministry of Defence announces.

Violence in Nigeria has made the mood in the country very gloomy ahead of elections in April.

Ibrox legend John Greig leads tributes to former captain Bobby Shearer who has died after a short illness, aged 74.

Bob Geldof called it a "victory for millions of Africans". Newspaper editorials said it would go down in history as a "great day". But what has writing off $72 billion worth of debt done for those who live in the poorest countries?

The rise of machete-wielding bandits poses a challenge for the UN mission and for vigilantes in the Liberian capital.

Forget Johnny Depp and cutlasses. Pirates today carry AK-47s and use speed boats to plunder gas tankers and aid ships - with six attacks this week alone. Sean Coughlan reports.

It is estimated that there is one gun for every 20 Africans. Does easy access to guns equal more violent crime?

With preparations in full swing for Benin's annual Voodoo Day, is there a place for voodoo in modern Africa?