Tripoli, Libya - Some 2,712,977 Libyans, representing 80 per cent of the electorate, have been registered ahead of the country's Constituent Assembly election 19 June, according to a statement issued late Tuesday by the High Electoral Commission.

Tripoli, Libya - President of Libya's National Transition Council (NTC) Mustapha Abduljalil has hailed the role played by the city of Benghazi in the uprising that toppled the old regime in the country and paved the way for the emergence of a new Libya. President Abduljalil's commendation came as he commented Tuesday on the city's successful council election, the first in the country in decades.

Judicial system - From May 23 to 25, Rwanda is hosting the annual meeting for the East Africa Magistrates and Judges Association (EAMJA). Under the theme "The universal jurisdiction and Africa", the 10th conference of EAJMA will examine among other things, the causes of lack of confidence in their respective judicial systems.

Dakar, Senegal - US Ambassador to the Gambia Pamela Ann White has ended her tour of diplomatic duty in the West African nation.

Economy - Morocco has been ranked second in Africa, behind continental economic powerhouse South Africa, in terms of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in 2011, according to 'FDI Intelligence', a Rabat-based subsidiary of the Financial Times Limited.

Latest forex rates in Tanzania - Following are Thursday's exchange rates for the Tanzanian shilling:

Wednesday's forex rates for Mauritian rupee - Following are Thursday's exchange rates for the Mauritian rupee:

Wednesday's forex rates in Mauritania - The Central Bank of Mauritania Wednesday published the following exchanges rates for the country's currency, Ouguiya:

Samsung Galaxy Pocket - As efforts to raise Kenya's Internet penetration through mobile devices gets underway, Samsung Electronics East Africa, has unveiled a sub Sh10,000 mobile device tailor-made to introduce millions of Kenyans to the wide variety of Smartphone applications. Samsung electronics has introduced the Samsung Galaxy Pocket handset which is designed to provide a platform for more than eight million mobile subscribers to upgrade from basic mobile handsets functionalities to smart phone capabilities.

Economy - British Prime Minister David Cameron has warned that the economic and political turmoil in the euro area is having a 'chilling effect' on the UK economy. The sterling pound has fallen by 1,3 percent against the euro to trade at 80,92 pence per euro. The G-8 leaders are pushing for a resolution on the European crisis and have made noise about the current crisis as we saw a whopping US$4 trillion wiped off in the equity markets.

Economy - The Government's Diamond Policy, seeking to ensure meaningful contribution of the gems to economic development, is expected to receive Cabinet approval next week, a senior official said in Harare this week. Secretary for Mines and Mining Development Mr Prince Mupazviriho said the policy which dwells on beneficiation and value addition was ready and awaiting Cabinet approval.

Emergency operations - The National Health Care Trust of Zimbabwe has donated equipment worth over US$50 000 to Government for national emergency operations. Speaking at the handover ceremony recently, Deputy Minister for Health and Child Welfare Dr Douglas Mombeshora lauded the commitment by health organisations in rehabilitating the health sector. He said the donation will go a long way in ensuring swift deliveries of services in times of disaster.

Football - Ivory Coast coach Francois Zahoui is widely expected to pick star striker Didier Drogba for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers clash against national soccer team Taifa Stars in Abidjan on June 2. The EUFA Champions League winner with Chelsea has pledged his future to the Ivory Coast until the 2014 World Cup. Drogba will be 36 by the time the Brazil finals arrive, which could be his third World Cup.

Infrastructure development in and around Delmas is boosting economic activity in this Mpumalanga town and has led to a shortage of residential rental accommodation. Rental units are in high demand among construction workers and professional contractors at the Kusile power station and a new cement factory, says Koos Pretorius, who has recently opened a new RealNet franchise in Delmas.

Instant Accounting solution - First National Bank's Instant Accounting solution which enables business owners to produce full management accounts using information pulled automatically from their bank statements has undergone a major face-lift in recent months, aimed at making it more user friendly for the small business owner. When it was launched in 2008, Instant Accounting was the first product of its kind to be offered by a bank in South Africa. It is still the only product of its kind which uses data directly from the customer's bank statements and eliminates the need for any manual file downloads or imports.

The Southern African Marketing Research Association (SAMRA), has announced the appointment of Leonie Vorster as its new CEO. Formerly the MD of Evolutions Research Solutions, Vorster is also a former SAMRA chair, council member and accredited researcher.

Mastercard, Heineken - Though handlers of the brand argued that MasterCard was not expecting anything from the partnership, except to use it to celebrate with their Nigerian customers, who were passionate about the game of football, it was obvious that the relationship would achieve more than that. This is because it has brought together patrons of the brand and people who had nothing to do with it. For the existing customers, it turned out to be a bonding platform that would increase loyalty while it beckoned on new comers to think of MasterCard.

Reinsurance agency - The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission promises to float a reinsurance agency with a capital outlay of $300 million to encourage Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the West Africa sub region. The agency will provide a window of reinsurance to the insurance industry as well as mitigate the political risk to FDIs in the sub region. The $300 million is expected to underwrite an exposure level of $1 billion.

Central Bank of Nigeria - Obinna Chima writes on the need to allow the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), maintain its autonomy, so as to effectively discharge its monetary policy objectives and other special objectives. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and members of the National Assembly have been at daggers drawn over the submission of the Bank's proposed revenue and expenditure for this year.

Mobile health in Africa and the Middle East is developing quickly, but there are differences in drivers and characteristics of the 'mHealth' models employed in each of these areas, according to a new report from Pyramid Research. The report, released Wednesday, examines the mobile network operator-backed mobile health services model in the Middle East and highlights the best practices that have helped operators in this region expand the reach of healthcare access.