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Reuters
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's secret service arrested the purported spokesman for Islamist militant sect Boko Haram on Wednesday, a group that has claimed responsibility for a string of deadly bombings and gun attacks, a secret service source told Reuters.

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Reuters
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo's ruling party has lost more than 40 percent of its legislative seats to rivals but will remain the largest bloc in parliament, according to full results from a November 28 vote released on Thursday.

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Reuters
DAKAR (Reuters) - Senegal security forces used tear gas and flash grenades to disperse hundreds of rock-throwing youths in the capital Dakar on Wednesday, a day after a student was killed in mass anti-government protests.

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Reuters
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Ageing African presidents who try to cling to power by manipulating constitutions and judiciaries risk the same popular rebellions that toppled rulers in last year's Arab Spring, Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka said on Wednesday.

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Reuters
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan, stepping up its rhetoric, accused South Sudan of "hostility" in their row over oil transit fees and said it would hold Juba responsible for any attack on northern oil facilities, a state-linked news website said on Wednesday.

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Reuters
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will press South Sudan for help in securing the release of 29 Chinese workers held captive for five days and may appeal to the African Union and other parties to mediate in negotiations, state media reported on Thursday.

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Reuters
LISBON (Reuters) - A technocrat who transformed Angolan state oil firm Sonangol into a multinational player, Manuel Vicente is tipped as the likely successor to long-serving President Jose Eduardo dos Santos following his appointment to an important cabinet post.

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Reuters
TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Rival militias fought a gunbattle on Wednesday in the centre of the Libyan capital, a Reuters reporter at the scene said.