A new outbreak of post-poll rioting in Northern Nigeria left many dead overnight, the Red Cross said on Tuesday, after President Goodluck Jonathan appealed for unity following his win.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday built an unbeatable lead after elections, according to official results still being declared, putting him on course to be announced the winner.

In a move that could change the pirate-hostage equation, Somali pirates have taken in a multi-million dollar ransom, then released the ship and some of the crew but kept all the Indian crew members as hostages.

Libyan rebels fired off barrages of rockets from west of the front line town of Ajdabiya on Friday as Nato warplanes few high above, an AFP reporter said.

Egyptian ex-President Hosni Mubarak, in detention pending a probe into state violence against protesters, was reported on Thursday to be in "stable" condition after suffering a heart attack.

At least 13 people were killed and some 50 hurt on Thursday in an attack by Muammar Gaddafi’s forces on the port area of Libya's third city Misrata, a rebel spokesman said.

Egypt's ailing ex-President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons have been placed in detention for 15 days as part of an inquiry into the use of force against protesters, prosecutors said on Wednesday.

Egypt’s justice ministry has ordered the 15 day detention of a former regime stalwart pending investigations into corruption charges.

The stench of the bodies, steaming in the Libyan sun just outside the town of Ajdabiya on Monday, made several of the rebels retch.