CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: An explosion and the stampede that followed killed at least 29 schoolchildren and injured more than 250 at a secondary school in the Central African Republic’s capital city, authorities said yoday.

The explosion occurred Wednesday at the Barthelemy Boganda High School in Bangui when power was being restored to an electrical transformer within the school premises after it malfunctioned, according to the country’s Ministry of National Education.

KENYA: The number of Kenyans who died during Wednesday’s nationwide protests over police brutality and bad governance has reached 16, the country’s human rights commission said today.

Property was also destroyed in the protests that attracted thousands of frustrated young Kenyans. At least two police stations were razed down by angry protesters.

Kenyans demonstrated on Wednesday in 23 of 47 counties across the country calling for an end to police brutality and better governance.  

FRANCE: Two people were killed and 17 injured during torrential storms in France that toppled trees, flooded Paris streets and caused the National Assembly roof to spring a leak as Prime Minister Francois Bayrou was speaking on Wednesday evening.

A falling tree killed a 12-year-old child in south-west France and a man died when his quad-bike hit a toppled tree in the north-west, French media reported.

SERBIA: Police have arrested several people accused of plotting to overthrow the government as tensions soared ahead of a major anti-government rally planned this weekend in the capital Belgrade.

Police said six were detained on Wednesday evening, suspected of “preparing criminal acts against the constitutional order and security of Serbia” and “calling for violent change of the constitutional order.”