Briefly

FRANCE

Measures sought after Burkina Faso cuts ties

France said on Saturday that it was considering reciprocal measures after Burkina Faso broke off diplomatic relations. Burkina Faso severed ties with France on Friday, saying "the conditions essential for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of noninterference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are no longer in place". The French Foreign Ministry said France "regrets this hostile and unfounded decision, which illustrates the worrying drift of the Burkinabe authorities". The ministry urged French nationals in Burkina Faso "to exercise heightened vigilance".

Plane crash kills all 11 people on board

A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed near the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, local authorities said. The crash killed five instructors, five students, and the pilot, said Yves Seguy, the prefect of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle."There were no bystanders among the victims," he added. The aircraft, registered in Germany, crashed in a grassy area near the runway of the Nancy-Essey airfield, close to a residential area and two roads, an Agence France-Presse journalist reported. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear.

DR CONGO

Confirmed Ebola cases exceed 1,200

The Democratic Republic of Congo has reported 1,203 confirmed cases of Ebola, including 321 deaths, since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, according to a report released on Friday by public health authorities. The report said 148 patients had recovered, while 419 patients were in isolation or receiving hospital care. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said on Friday that contact tracing in the DR Congo was reaching more people and that more Ebola patients were recovering and returning home. However, he warned that the fight was "far from over".

XINHUA-AGENCIES