Stowaway 'applies for asylum' in Sweden

Ground crew staff at Stockholm's Arlanda airport have found a stowaway hidden in a cargo container on a flight from Ethiopia, police say, AFP news agency reports. 

The man has applied for asylum in Sweden, police added, AFP reports. 

There was no immediate confirmation of the man's nationality or age, but Swedish news agency TT reported he was 27 years old.

Dangote eyes rice production

Africa's richest man, Nigeria's Aliko Dangote, says his firm plans to produce one million tonnes of rice within the next five years in the West African state, Reuters news agency reports. 

Nigeria so far imports 2.8 million tonnes of rice annually, most of which is smuggled into the country, he said during an economic summit in the main city, Lagos.

"Our projects are mainly import substitution," he said. "We are working to be self-sufficient."

Dangote's main interest is in cement, oil, food and sugar business.

The billionaire businessman also says he wants to buy phosphate from Morocco and potash from Congo-Brazzaville to feed a planned fertilizer plant.

Mr Dangote said his firm was close to signing a deal with a Moroccan firm to supply phosphate, without giving details, Reuters reports.

Dangote Group has raised a $3.3bn loan to develop a $9bn oil refinery and petrochemical complex in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy and top oil producer. It has invested $3.5bn of its own equity.

Nigerian 'killed in Messi-Ronaldo row'

Police in India have charged a Nigerian man with murdering his friend after a heated argument over whether Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's best footballer, AFP news agency reports.

Michael Chukwuma, 21, stabbed Obina Durumchukwu, 34, on Sunday in the northern Mumbai suburb of Nallasopara following an argument over the two footballers, police Inspector Kiran Kabadi is quoted as saying.

They had apparently got together on Saturday night to celebrate Mr Durumchukwu's birthday on Sunday, but the following morning an argument over football turned to tragedy.  

"The two Nigerian youngsters were discussing football players. One is a fan of [Barcelona's] Messi and the other was for [Real Madrid's] Ronaldo. During the conversation a quarrel has taken place," the inspector is quoted as saying.

"The deceased threw a glass into the face of the accused person. The glass broke and caused small injuries. After that the accused took the broken glass and assaulted the deceased person who died due to heavy bleeding," he added, AFP reports. 

African peackeepers implicated in UN sex abuse claims

Allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeepers have increased, according to a new UN report. 

There were 69 claims last year, compared with 52 in 2014. 

They're alleged to involve military personnel, international police, other staff and volunteers at 10 missions. 

And they're mostly from African countries, namely Cameroon, Congo, Tanzania, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gabon, Niger, Nigeria, Togo, Rwanda, Ghana, Madagascar and Senegal. 

Almost a third of the claims in 2015 were made in the Central African Republic. 

The report calls for on-site courts martial and a DNA database of all peacekeepers.

Zimbabwe 'to take control of country's diamond mines'

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has accused the country's diamond miners of robbing the country of its wealth and has therefore announced that the state would take control of all diamond operations, Reuters news agency is reporting.

The government had already ordered all mining to stop at the Marange diamond fields over licensing issues, Reuters adds.

"Companies that have been mining diamonds have robbed us of our wealth. That is why we have now said the state must have a monopoly," Mr Mugabe said in a television interview quoted by Reuters.

Zimbabwe is one of the world's top diamond producers and the stones are an important source of foreign exchange for the country.

Italian hostages freed in Libya

Two Italians taken hostage in Libya in July have been freed, say the authorities.

The pair are still in Sabratha in north-west Libya for questioning, in what the head of Sabratha Millitary Council, Taher el Gharaballi described as an "investigation". 

They will be transferred to Tripoli after that.

They were part of a group of four Italian oil workers who were abducted by gunmen in July, near Libya’s border with Tunisia.    

Italy’s foreign ministry said yesterday that the two other hostages may have been killed during a raid by Libyan forces on a hideout used by militants from the so-called Islamic State (IS).   

Boko Haram 'cattle markets' shut down

Authorities in north-east Nigeria have taken over four cattle markets where stolen animals were being sold to finance the Islamist militants Boko Haram.

A management team has been set up to monitor cattle traders and butchers in an effort to clamp down on all illegal activities, Governor Kashim Shettima said in a statement.  

He said that insurgents have been using unscrupulous middlemen to sell stolen cattle.

Boko Haram has stolen thousands of cattle in Nigeria and nearby Cameroon.

Trade was suspended about two weeks ago at Gamboru cattle market - one of the biggest in Africa.

Cattle markets in Dusuman, Shuwari and Ngom have all also been suspended.