ATHENS (Greece) - SOMALI pirates have released a Greek-owned tanker that was hijacked in September, a Greek government spokesman said on Saturday.

The tanker MV Genius was released Friday with its cargo of refined oil intact and the crew of 19 safe, Merchant Marine Ministry spokesman Constantine Gialelis said. He said the ship's owners would not provide any information, including whether ransom was paid.

ISMAILIA (Egypt) - RAMPANT piracy off Somalia's coast will hit revenues at Egypt's Suez Canal if piracy is not quickly curtailed and shippers continue to shun the strategic waterway, current and former canal officials said.

One of the world's biggest shippers has said some of its fleet was avoiding the canal due to piracy fears south of the waterway linking the Red Sea to the Mediterranean, and a major tanker association said many others were also diverting vessels.

WASHINGTON - PRESIDENT-ELECT Barack Obama on Saturday outlined his plan to create 2.5 million jobs in coming years to rebuild roads and bridges and modernise schools while developing alternative energy sources and more efficient cars.

'These aren't just steps to pull ourselves out of this immediate crisis; these are the long-term investments in our economic future that have been ignored for far too long,' Mr Obama said in the weekly Democratic radio address.