MALI: UNMARRIED COUPLE STONED TO DEATH

An unmarried couple were stoned to death in public in northeast Mali by Islamists, the first such incident since jihadist groups overran the region five years ago.
Jihadists seized key northern cities in Mali in March 2012, and though they were driven out by a French-led military intervention, Islamist groups continue to make their presence felt with frequent attacks on domestic and foreign forces.
"The Islamists dug two holes where they put the man and the woman who lived maritally without being married," a local official told AFP overnight.
The May 16 stoning happened in Taghlit, close to Aguelhok in the Kidal region, and the same source told AFP that members of the public were invited to take part.
"Four people threw stones at them until they died," they said.
Another local official said the Islamists had accused the unmarried couple of violating "Islamic law", which requires punishment by stoning.