Kinshasa / AFP Floods triggered by heavy rains and a river bursting its banks have killed at least 50 people and left thousands more homeless in southwestern Congo, a provincial governor said on Thursday. Torrential rains caused the Kalamu river, which flows through the city of Boma into the River Congo, to overflow for two hours before the waters receded, …

  Baghdad / AFP Iraqi forces advanced on Thursday after declaring a new phase in their offensive on eastern Mosul, stepping up efforts to reclaim the IS group’s last major stronghold in the country. Elite forces have reconquered several parts of eastern Mosul since beginning the massive operation to recapture the northern city from the extremists on October 17, but …

  Kiev / AFP Ukraine on Thursday reported the first death of a soldier since Kiev agreed a new “indefinite” ceasefire deal with pro-Russian insurgents in the separatist east last week. The military said the death occurred on Wednesday in the village of Kurti Blaka, some 15 kilometres (nine miles) north of the militias’ de facto capital of Donetsk. The rebels …