Asia

Cairo -- European shipping companies said they are ordering fleets to sail around the tip of Africa to avoid piracy, a move that threatens Egypt's Suez Canal revenues.

Cairo -- Egyptian authorities have confirmed archaeologists found the remains of a base that likely once belonged to a 4,300-year-old pyramid.

Doha, Qatar -- The Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, both won their first round matches Wednesday at the season-ending Sony Ericsson women's tennis championships.

Doha, Qatar -- World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams highlighted Tuesday's round-robin winners at the $4.55 million Sony Ericsson Championships in Qatar.

Reykjavik, Iceland -- Expert Electronics said Monday it would take over failing Icelandic retailer Merlin, which fell victim to Iceland's financial woes.

Dublin, Ireland -- Irish budget airline Ryanair said Monday it will sell 1 million plane tickets for $12.64 as a promotion meant to celebrate its recent quarterly results.

Sao Paulo -- Brazil's Felipe Massa won Sunday's season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paolo, but England's Lewis Hamilton clinched the Formula One World championship.

Cassino Beach, Brazil -- Some of the hundreds of penguins that had migrated too far north on the coast of Brazil have been flown back to their feeding grounds on a military plane.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan -- Sorana Cirstea got her first career title Sunday by rallying to beat Sabine Lisicki 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) in the title match at the Tashkent (Uzbekistan) Open.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan -- Top-seeded Shuai Peng dropped a set Friday but still was able to lead four of the top five seeds into the semifinals of Uzbekistan's $145,000 Tashkent Open.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan -- Sabine Lisicki and Magdalena Rybarikova each won second-round matches Wednesday at the $145,000 Tashkent Open tennis tournament in Uzbekistan.

Bangkok -- Former British rock star and convicted child abuser Gary Glitter, released from a Vietnamese jail, has been denied entry to Hong Kong, officials said.

Bangkok -- Former rock star Gary Glitter, released from a Vietnamese jail, was thought to be in Hong Kong Wednesday after dropping plans to fly to England.

Bangkok -- Former rocker Gary Glitter claimed he was having a heart attack while at the Bangkok airport and refused to board a flight to Britain, the BBC reports.