• Somali immigrant wins in European poll

The Somali-born former Lord Mayor of Sheffield city in England, Magid Magid, has been elected to the European Parliament by the Yorkshire and the Humber electorate.

A former refugee, Mr Magid was Sheffield City Council's first Green Party mayor and its youngest at 29.

• Eight dead after explosion in Zimbabwe gold mine

The bodies of eight gold miners have been recovered so far after an explosion in a mine shaft in central Zimbabwe.

The miners are believed to have been working illegally in the South African-owned Jumbo mine.

The information ministry says initial indications are that some miners exploded dynamite in one shaft, causing a collapse in an adjacent one.

Illegal mining has increased in Zimbabwe, as commercial miners scale down operations because of an economic crisis.

In February, 24 illegal miners were killed when a dam burst, flooding a mine shaft just south of the capital, Harare.

• Madagascar votes in parliamentary election

Polls have opened in the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar to elect new members of parliament.

Eight hundred candidates are fighting for 151 assembly seats in a contest unique in more than 500 hopefuls running as independents.

• Zimbabwe allows bow-and-arrow hunting for buffalo

Zimbabwe is to allow bow and arrow hunting of buffalo in a bid to capture a growing part of the international sports trophy hunting market.

Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo said this would attract more people into the country as the market for wealthy hunters seeking animal trophies for ostentation becomes more competitive.

• Sudan Islamists back army in push to preserve sharia

With talks suspended between protest leaders and Sudan's military over a transfer of power to civilian rule, Islamist movements are backing the army in the hope it will keep sharia law in place.

Hundreds of Islamists have rallied in the capital in recent days, warning they would reject any deal that would exclude sharia - Islamic law - from the country's political roadmap.

• Two candidates present bids to be Algeria president

The Algerian Constitutional Council on Sunday announced that it has received two candidate bids for the presidential elections scheduled for July 4, APS news agency reported.

The council said that it received the files of Abdelhakim Hammadi, a doctor, and Hamid Touahri, an aircraft engineer, before the legal deadline on Saturday.

The elections are set for July 4.

• Tanzania sells $14 million from newly opened centers

Tanzania has seen its gold sales at new trading centers ordered by President John Pombe Magufuli hit $14 million.

Minister for minerals Dotto Biseko said the gold was sold in 21 centers, which the government hopes will help curb smuggling and bolster economic growth.

• China hands over ‘television’ village in Rwanda

China has handed over a village television project in Rulindo, Rwanda as part of its Access to Satellite TV for 10,000 African Villages project.

Under the project China will provide 300 Rwandan villages with free access to satellite TV.

So far, 900 TV sets, 6,000 decoder sets, 600 projectors, 600 solar panels have been installed countrywide, according to Jing Yuchang, CEO of StarTimes Media (Rwanda) Co., Ltd.