Image source, Reuters

Seven migrants from sub-Saharan Africa have been found dead in an abandoned refrigerator truck near the Libyan capital, Tripoli, a senior official in the fight against illegal immigration told AFP news agency.

"There were 35 illegal migrants on board, but seven of them had already died," Adel Mostafa told AFP.

He said he did not know what had prompted the smuggler to abandon the vehicle.

Many migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are driven through Libya in trucks to the northern coast where they later attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing to Italy.

Sports journalist Kwame Boakye has posted these pictures on Facebook of an incredible "Chelsea Thanksgiving service" where the congregation turned up in Chelsea football shirts this Sunday:

Citi Fm report that the service was in Living Streams International Church in Accra.

It adds that the service was led by Rev Dr Ebenezer Markwei who is actually an Arsenal fan. His sermon was about learning to promote the success of others.

Last month, Chelsea won the English Premier League.

Image source, Getty Images

Campaign group Animal Defenders International (ADI) says it "heartbroken" that two of the lions it took out of circuses in South America to an animal sanctuary in South Africa have been "murdered in an evil and cowardly attack".

An autopsy has confirmed that the lions, Jose and Liso, ate a "huge amount of poison and died very quickly", the ADI said in a statement.

It is still unclear why they were targeted.

The ADI said it would do all it can to help catch the killers.

The two were part of a group of 33 lions that were brought to the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in South Africa's northern Limpopo province in May 2016.

Said ADI President Jan Creamer:

Image source, Getty Images

Zambia's hopes of becoming only the second African nation to win the Under-20 World Cup are over after a 3-2 defeat to Italy on Monday.

A thrilling quarter-final tie in Suwon, South Korea, was settled in extra-time by a goal from Luca Vido.

The Zambians paid dearly for giving the Italian play-maker the freedom of the Zambian penalty area in the second period of extra-time.

The Zambians will also be kicking themselves for failing to take advantage of playing against 10 men following the expulsion of Giuseppe Pezzella just before half-time.

Zambia got off to a dream start at the Suwon World Cup stadium when Patson Daka scored after just three minutes.

But five minutes after the break, the Italians equalised when Riccardo Orsolini headed past Mangani Banda for his fourth goal of the tournament.

Six minutes from time Fashion Sakala's superb strike looked to have won it for the reigning African champions.

But with a place in the semi-finals tantalisingly close, a glorious free-kick by Federico Dimarco four minutes later sent the game into extra-time.

With penalties looming, Vido broke Zambian hearts when he put away one of the many chances that littered this thrilling contest.

South Sudan's football team cannot afford to travel to Burundi for their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier on 10 June, the Reuters correspondent in South Sudan has tweeted:

Last month, the South Sudan Football Association appealed to the public to raise funds to enable the Bright Stars to travel to Burundi.

The association said that it did not have enough money to pay for the transport and accommodation fees for the team to compete in their first game of the group stages outside the country, the private Eye Radio reported, external.

Libya's eastern-based government has followed regional allies in cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar, its foreign minister, Mohamed Dayri, told Reuters news agency.

The government, which sits in the eastern city of Bayda, has little authority within Libya.

It came after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Read more on the BBC News website.

Image source, Getty Images

A woman gave birth at a railway station in South Africa after two hospitals refused to admit her, reports the local IOL news site, external.

IOL goes on to say Francine Ngalula Kalala was allegedly turned away from the hospitals "because of her asylum status".

It says she was refused treatment at two hospitals in the capital, Pretoria, so got on the train to the main city, Johannesburg.

She spent the 45-minute train ride vomiting as the other passengers tried their best to assist her, the news site says.

When the train pulled into Johannesburg's Park Station at 7am, she had been in labour for more than five hours and gave birth on the station platform, IOL adds.

The ambulance took her and her baby to a hospital and, again, she was refused treatment.

The fourth hospital did eventually take her and her baby girl in, the news site adds.

China has condemned Zambia for detaining 31 of its nationals for alleged illegal mining without providing strong proof, Reuters news agency reports.

Those detained include a pregnant woman and two people with malaria, China's Foreign Ministry said.

Lin Songtian, the ministry's director-general for African affairs, had raised his concerns with a Zambian diplomat in Beijing.

China supported actions to crack down on illegal mining, but was opposed to "selective" law enforcement and the detention of its citizens without strong evidence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a media briefing, Reuters reports.

Zambia has not yet commented.

Chinese firms have invested more than $1bn (£780m) in copper-rich Zambia.

In 2012, Zambian miners killed a Chinese supervisor and seriously wounded another in a pay dispute at a coal mine.

Watch: Why do Chinese firms invest in Zambia?

Image source, Mzansi Magic

A reality TV show has restarted a debate over polygamy in South Africa.

Uthando Nes’thembu, external, which translates as "Love and Polygamy", follows Musa Mseleku a 43-year-old property developer, along with his four wives and their 10 children.

BBC Trending says the series, which premiered on 19 May, is consistently a top trending topic on Twitter in South Africa.

Mr Mseleku told BBC Trending that they were motivated to take part to dispel the myth that polygamy oppresses women.

"I want to show men that you can be in a polygamous relationship and also be a considerate husband."

Image source, EPA

A meeting between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Togo's President Faure Gnassingbé had to be rescheduled after an altercation between their bodyguards, according to the Times of Israel, external.

The news site says the scuffle, including "shoving and punching", happened when Israeli security personnel refused to allow the Togolese security guards to enter a meeting between the two leaders in Liberia's capital, Monrovia, on Saturday.

Mr Gnassingbé and Mr Netanyahu were attending a summit of the West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas).

Mr Netanyahu hailed his presence at the summit as historic.

"This is the first time they [Ecowas] have invited the leader of a country outside of Africa to address them. I really appreciate it. Israel has returned to Africa and in a big way," Mr Netanyahu was quoted by The Jerusalem Post , externalas saying.

Image source, EP

Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has condemned President Robert Mugabe's latest threat to seize white-owned farms as "racist and nonsensical", South Africa's privately owned News24 site reports, external.

At a rally in the farming town of Marondera on Friday, Mr Mugabe, 93, complained about white farmers still owning land:

Mr Kaukonde was expelled from the ruling Zanu-PF party in 2014 after being accused of being part of a plot to oust Mr Mugabe.

The MDC said Mr Mugabe’s plan to target the few remaining “productive white farmers” would worsen Zimbabwe's economic crisis, News24 reports.

It quoted MDC spokesman Obert Gutu as saying:

Image source, Oupa Mokoena/Pretoria News

A self-styled prophet who caused controversy in South Africa in 2015 after being accused of making people eat snakes, rats and hair has appeared at a service hosted by popular Nigerian televangelist TB Joshua in Lagos.

Mr Joshua has tweeted about Pastor Penuel Mnguni's attendance:

South Africa's Citizen newspaper quoted Mr Mnguni as saying, external that he had a change of heart after finding himself at the centre of international headlines - and being arrested and released:

Charges against Mr Mnguni, laid by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, were provisionally withdrawn in July 2015 because of a lack of evidence.

Read: The men who claim to be 'miracle workers'

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