The families of eight missing miners in Burkina Faso desperately awaited news from rescue teams on Thursday as efforts continued to locate the men who have been stuck underground for 26 days. There has been no communication with the miners since they were trapped more than 500 metres (1,640 ft) below ground during a flood at Canada-based Trevali Mining Corp's Perkoa zinc mine on April 16.

Nigerian student Jerry Kenny is stuck in Kherson, a city in Ukraine occupied by Russian forces. Kenny says he will not leave before his fellow students are safely evacuated.

In Morocco, rescuers are racing against the clock to save a young boy trapped in a well for almost three days. Five-year-old Rayan fell down a 32-metre deep well on Tuesday. Search crews have begun excavating a horizontal tunnel to reach him, but shaky soil is threatening the rescue operation.

At least two people are killed and around 20 others are thought to be trapped below ground in a mining accident in Zimbabwe. Meanwhile, the world's mining elite gather in Cape Town for a top-flight industry conference. We hear more about the challenges facing the sector. And the very few Congolese World War II veterans still alive remember the sacrifices they made fighting for Belgium during the conflict. The former colonial ruler has been criticised for turning its back on African soldiers who battled shoulder to shoulder with the Belgians.