CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: An Iranian woman was one of around two dozen migrants set to arrive in the Central African Republic today via a deportation flight from the United States, lawyers said.

The Central African Republic is one of at least nine other African nations that has agreed to take third-country nationals expelled by the US.

HUNGARY: Two collisions one after another on a highway in western Hungary killed eight people early today, police said.

A truck caught fire after colliding with a construction vehicle near the city of Gyor, killing one person, police said.

About half-an-hour later, a minibus slammed into a truck that had stopped on the highway following the first accident, killing seven.

KENYA: Hundreds of mourners gathered today in the central town of Gilgil for a memorial service to honour the lives of 16 students who died in a fire at Utumishi Girls Academy last month. 

Police have said the fire was caused by arson, and nine school girls have been arrested on suspicion of causing the fire. They remain in custody. 

NORTHERN IRELAND: The former leader of the North of Ireland’s largest unionist party told a jury on Thursday that he was “crystal clear” he did not rape an alleged victim when she was a child decades ago, as he gave evidence at his trial on sex crime charges.

At the opening of his trial at Newry Crown Court two weeks ago, Jeffrey Donaldson pleaded not guilty to one count of rape, four counts of gross indecency and 13 indecent assault charges involving two alleged victims from 1985 to 2008.