AFRICA

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP | Four Moldovan nationals were killed and three French soldiers hurt on Saturday when a transport plane chartered by France’s army crashed off Ivory Coast, authorities said. There was a storm over Abidjan early in the day, but it was unclear whether heavy weather had played …

Rome, Italy | AFP | An Italian priest has been kidnapped by gunmen in southern Nigeria, church officials in both countries have said. Maurizio Pallu was snatched on Thursday in broad daylight by armed men just outside of Benin City, Italian media reports said. “Pope Francis has been informed about …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | A student suspected of joining in an armed raid that killed six at a school in Kenya’s far north Saturday was stoned to death by angry locals and his body burned, officials said. The suspect — a suspended student at the school in Lokichogio — was …

Mogadishu, Somalia | AFP | A truck bomb exploded outside a hotel at a busy junction in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu on Saturday causing widespread devastation that left at least 20 dead, with the toll likely to rise. “Initial reports from emergency departments indicate more than 20 bodies picked up off the …

Weah and Boakai edge towards Liberia presidential run-off Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  Former football star George Weah and incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai on Saturday edged closer to competing in a run-off vote for Liberia’s presidency, with three quarters of polling stations counted. Weah now commands 39.2 percent of votes …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | All seven passengers and crew were killed when a plane bound for the Angolan capital Luanda crashed in a remote corner of the country, emergency services said Friday. The Brazilian-built Embraer aircraft operated by Air Guicango crashed on Thursday after taking off from Dundo in …

Mozogo, Cameroon | AFP | Nearly 60 men who said they were captured by the Boko Haram Islamist group and forced to fight for them in Nigeria have surrendered to authorities in northern Cameroon. After spending two years with Boko Haram, the men decided to flee with their families and …

Victoria, Seychelles | AFP | The Seychelles government ordered schools to close Friday, after the discovery of two suspected cases of plague thought to have been brought from Madagascar where the disease has killed scores. The health ministry has also put under surveillance 320 people who have come into contact …

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Nearly a fourth of the estimated 30,000 refugees sheltered in Angola’s northeast have returned to their homes in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s restive Kasai region, an Angolan official said Friday. “Of the 31,240 refugees from DRC hosted by the Angolan government in the Lunda …

Monrovia, Liberia | AFP |  More partial figures released by Liberia’s electoral commission Friday showed former footballer George Weah ahead of incumbent Vice-President Joseph Boakai as they battle for the presidency. With 33.71 percent of polling stations counted, Weah has taken the lead with 39.7 percent (205,218 votes), while Boakai …