The provincial commissioner of Kenya's Northeast Province, which borders Somalia, has confirmed reports that a criminal syndicate of Somalis and Kenyan sympathizers is issuing identification documents to hundreds of Somali immigrants seeking to enter Kenya. But he tells VOA that he does not know if Somali Islamist fighters are among those being smuggled into the country.

FIFA lifted the ban on Kenyan teams taking part in international matches. World soccer's governing body said Friday that its emergency committee had suspended the ban at the request of the Confederation of African Football after noting "positive developments" in a long-running dispute over political interference in the game.

New research indicates that unhygienic male and female circumcision practices in eastern and southern Africa may transmit HIV.

The constitutional court overturned a Kenyan law on Tuesday that required TV and radio stations to obtain an approval certificate from a censorship board before broadcasting material.

A senior director in the aid agency Care was shot and killed in Kenya's capital Saturday during a carjacking attempt. His death follows the fatal shooting of two American women, also during a carjacking, leading to renewed concerns about violent crime in Kenya. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

The Kenyan government has closed its border with Somalia to stop Somali refugees fleeing the violence from entering the country. The government also said the border closure was necessary to secure the country from an influx of fleeing combatants who are armed and may increase proliferation of small arms.

Somalia's interim president is in Kenya for talks with President Mwai Kibaki and other top security officials. Meanwhile, Kenyan authorities have arrested and detained at least eight people at a border crossing, saying they could be fighters and financiers of the Islamic Courts Union attempting to flee Somalia into Kenya. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki has turned down a pay package that would have seen him earning more than U.S. President George Bush. Many Kenyans, who had been calling for Mr. Kibaki to reject the pay package, Thursday expressed relief that he did so.