One of the leaders of Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been arrested after a shoot-out in the northern city of Kano, police say.

Muhammed "Hamza" Aliyu was held as he tried to flee the city after an exchange of fire outside his residence, they said.

The party of President Alassane Ouattara has won most seats in Ivory Coast's parliamentary elections - the first poll since ex-leader Laurent Gbagbo was arrested, officials say.

Mr Ouattara's RDR gained just under half the 255 seats, while the allied PDCI won 77 to ensure a large majority.

The death of Libya's former leader Muammar Gaddafi "creates suspicions" of war crimes, says the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo said the ICC was raising the concern with Libya's National Transitional Council (NTC).

China's internet censors have blocked searches relating to an ongoing protest in the village of Wukan, web users say.

Users of Sina Weibo, the country's Twitter-like micro-blogging site, say searches for Wukan return no results.

The Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has rejected claims that he won elections through widespread rigging.

The Carter Center observer group said the results "lack credibility", while the Catholic archbishop of Kinshasa said they did not reflect "the truth".

At least 73 people have been killed in a fire that broke out in a hospital in the eastern Indian city of Calcutta (Kolkata), officials say.

Most of the victims were patients who were trapped after the flames spread through the AMRI hospital in the southern part of the city.

UN head Ban Ki-moon is visiting the Somali capital, Mogadishu - the highest-ranking foreign official to go there in years.

He was wearing a bulletproof vest as he was welcomed at the airport by Somalia's prime minister.

Thailand has jailed a US citizen for two and a half years after he admitted posting web links to a banned biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Joe Gordon, a used car salesman from Colorado who was born in Thailand, admitted lese-majeste, or insulting the king, at an earlier hearing.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is being treated in Dubai for a heart condition, his spokesman has said, dismissing reports that he may resign.

A presidential spokesman said that Mr Zardari was undergoing "medical tests and check-ups as planned".

Publication of presidential election results in the DR Congo has been delayed by 48 hours because of technical difficulties, officials say.

The result had been due before the end of President Joseph Kabila's term at 23:00 GMT and the opposition say they will not recognise his authority now.

President Joseph Kabila is in the lead in the Democratic Republic of Congo's election with 46% of the vote, official results show.

With more than two-thirds of votes counted, his closest challenger, Etienne Tshisekedi, trails on 36%, the election commission says.

Former president of Ivory Coast Laurent Gbagbo is to make his first appearance before the International Criminal Court at The Hague.

He faces four charges of crimes against humanity, including murder and rape, in the wake of Ivory Coast's disputed presidential elections a year ago.

Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has arrived at the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.

He left northern Ivory Coast, after an arrest warrant was issued, and was flown to Rotterdam, from where he was transferred to detention in The Hague early on Wednesday.

Former Libyan rebels are still holding about 7,000 prisoners, the United Nations says.

The detainees are being held without access to legal process because the police and courts are not functioning, and some may have been tortured.

Sudan has ordered the expulsion of the Kenyan ambassador after a Kenyan judge issued an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's foreign ministry has said.

Mr Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

Polls have opened for the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential elections, after a run-up marred by violence and logistical delays.

The head of the electoral commission said 99% of polling stations were ready and voting would go ahead as planned.

Col Gaddafi's fugitive spy chief Abdullah al-Sanussi has been captured, Libya's interim government says.

He was seized by fighters in the south of the country, officials say.

A Nigerian construction mogul has topped a list of Africa's richest people.

Aliko Dangote, with a stake in Dangote Cement and interests in flour milling and sugar refining, has a fortune of $10.1bn (£6.4bn).

Kenya is prepared to send troops to bolster the African Union (AU) force in Somalia to tackle militant Islamists, Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says.

Kenya launched military action in Somalia last month after blaming the al-Shabab group for a spate of abductions on its territory.

Portugal's prime minister has arrived in oil-rich Angola, which is boosting its investment in its former colonial power caught up in the eurozone debt crisis.

Angolan presidential aide Carlos Maria Feijo said Portugal's privatisation scheme would be discussed.