More than 5,000 workers at two platinum mines in South Africa have embarked on a strike, the Anglo America Platinum (Amplats) company announced on Monday.

All secondary schools in Yobe State, northern Nigeria, have remained closed following Saturday's massacre that left at least 20 students dead.

The Egyptian presidency ordered forming a judicial committee to investigate killings that took place outside the Republican Guard headquarters early Monday morning, official news agency MENA reported.

Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's party has formed a coalition with two other opposition parties in a bid to bolster their chances to challenge President Robert Mugabe and his party in the upcoming general election, local media reported Monday.

Kenya's financial market regulator on Monday announced a plan to introduce the trading of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) to improve liquidity and eventually diversify the capital markets in the East African nation.

Egyptian security forces opened fire at supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, and clashes between the two sides have killed at least 42 people, the Health Ministry told Xinhua on Monday.

Nigeria's northern state of Yobe ordered on Sunday to close all the secondary schools after a Saturday school massare in which at least 20 students lost their lives, according to a government statement.

Algeria and the European Union signed Sunday in Algiers a memorandum of understanding related to strategic partnership in the field of energy, APS news agency reported.

Algerian army forces killed seven militants on Friday night in Chrea mountains, in the upper area of the province of Bouira, 100 km eastern Algiers, local media reported Sunday.

At least five people were killed and one severely injured in a tanzanite mine collapse in northern Tanzania, police said on Sunday.

Egypt kept its border with the Gaza Strip closed for the third day in a row on Sunday, preventing Palestinians from leaving or returning to the coastal enclave via its main crossing point at Rafah city.

An international defense committee will soon be designated to find out the truth in the killing of Chokri Belaid, a secular Tunisian opposition figure, earlier this year, said a spokesman of the investigation initiative late on Saturday.

Egyptian border guards foiled on early Sunday morning an infiltration attempt of ten Jihadists -- presumably Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip into North Sinai, a security source told Xinhua.

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel spoke to his Egyptian counterpart and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Friday and Saturday, stressing the need for "a peaceful civilian transition" in the most populous Arab nation, the Pentagon said on Saturday.

A group of militant bombed early Sunday morning a pipeline in North Sinai that provides natural gas to Jordan, security sources told Xinhua.

The Sudanese army on Saturday refuted South Sudan's accusation of launching an air strike and a land attack on South Sudan's territory near the two countries' joint border, official SUNA news agency reported.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal vowed Saturday to take his nationals in Egypt back home in case of danger.

Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said on Saturday that his country hopes that stability return to Egypt amid clashes over ouster of President Morsi.

Israel is relying on the Egyptian army to suppress Islamist militants in the Sinai and to ensure the country's stability after the dismissal of Mohamed Morsi as president, Israeli media and politicians said.

At least three supporters of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi were killed by gunfire as a crowd of several hundred tried to march towards the military barracks in Cairo where he is believed to be held.