NAIROBI, Kenya (AP):

A severed head was discovered in downtown Nairobi, and police killed eight people they suspected of belonging to a criminal gang accused in a string of be-headings, authorities said Saturday. The deaths happened late Friday and early Saturday, a day after a wave of violence in and around the capital in which more than 20 people died, and police said they were investigating the gang, called the Mungiki. The severed head appeared to also have been skinned, said police official Tito Kilonzi.

In the Ngomongo slums on the outskirts of the city, police said they fatally shot five suspected Mungiki members, said division police chief Paul Ruto.

"We got information that they were on a mission to kill," said Ruto, who had no further details.

Ruto said police killed three other suspects, including one in the Mathare slum, known to be a Mungiki stronghold.

LAGOS (Reuters):

Nigerian unions said they are ready for a compromise to resolve a general strike that has hobbled Africa's top oil producer, raising hopes of a quick end to the dispute when talks resume later on Saturday.

"We expect flexibility from both sides. We are optimistic that things will change before Monday if the government bends a little backwards," Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) President Abdulwahed Omar told Reuters.

"If government makes an acceptable offer, we will suspend the strike and work can resume on Monday," Omar said.

The unions had asked Nigerians to prepare for a long battle with the government after talks to end the four-day strike over a 15 per cent increase in fuel prices collapsed on Friday. Unions had threatened to extend the strike, which has hit most sectors of the economy, to essential services like water and power unless the government gave in.

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP):

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed and a fourth was critically injured on Saturday while dismantling a bomb placed by al-Qaida-inspired Islamic militants in a northern Palestinian refugee camp, officials said. The deadly blast occurred as the army was dismantling bombs, booby traps and land mines inside the camp, reported a senior military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media. Saturday's fatalities bring to 79 the number of soldiers killed in the battle against Fatah Islam militants holed up in the Nahr el-Bared camp near the port city of Tripoli. More than 150 have been wounded since fighting erupted on May 20.