Smash hit

alMegrahi linked to Libya’s chemical weapons

The man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing is implicated in the purchase and development of chemical weapons by Libya

Navy releases pirates caught red-handed

More than 340 suspected Somalian pirates have been captured in operations over the past year and subsequently released

Uganda proposes death penalty for HIV positive gays

A law that would mean those convicted of gay sex being jailed or even executed has brought protests from Britain and Canada

Navy 'could not rescue yacht hostage couple'

The First Sea Lord fires a broadside at 'emotional' critics who branded sailors as cowards for not foiling pirate kidnap

UN still failing to rid Congo of its killers

A few hundred members of the FDLR have given themselves up, but there has been a surge in refugees and the cases of rape

Soldier tells of savage years in Congo’s FDLR

One of Africa’s most feared rebel armies is on the back foot as the Congolese army closes in — but the fight is far from over

Tsvangirai welcomes possible Commonwealth return

The country’s Prime Minister said he was ‘committed to seeing Zimbabwe being welcomed back into the family of nations’

President Mugabe grabs World Cup glory

The African tour of the solid gold trophy before the tournament kicks off on the continent next year reached Zimbabwe

Shining a light into the heart of darkest Africa

The Times begins its Christmas Charity Appeal to help three charities

Journalists freed from captivity in Somalia

Nigel Brennan and Amanda Lindhout had been pistol whipped, tortured and held in chains throughout their 15-month long ordeal

Poachers kill Sierra Leone elephants

Ten men were arrested after the bodies of the six elephants from Outamba Kilimni national park were found on the border

Swiss 'Jetman' Rossy ditches in Atlantic

Man with jet powered wing on his back fails to make first intercontinental flight, falling into Strait of Gibraltar

Brown backs Zimbabwe's return to the fold

The Prime Minister will press leaders at a summit in Trinidad to encourage a wide range of political and human rights reforms

Congolese militia leaders deny war crimes

Germain Katanga and Mathieu Ngudjolo, on trial in The Hague, are accused of sending child soldiers to kill 200 villagers

Briton facing death in Congo pleads for help

Two former soldiers accused of killing a truck driver say they are innocent, and look to their governments for assistance

Congo warlord ignored claims of atrocities

All around were reports of rape and murder, child soldiers and butchery, but he smiled gently and protested his innocence

Yes I remember holding you hostage – come and stay

When searching for an Ethiopian rebel who kidnapped him 33 years ago, a former Sunday Times reporter had an unexpected invitation

Trouser ban rebel slips out of Sudan

A female journalist who was prosecuted for wearing trousers has defied a ban on leaving Sudan to rally support in Europe

African migrants desperate for a better life

Meet the survivors, bereaved families from Gambia and Senegal, and a man who smuggles the people — at a colossal price

Kidnapped Britons: we could be dead in a week

In a televised appeal, British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler said Somali pirate kidnappers were 'losing patience'