Boko Haram is holding a French priest who was kidnapped in northern Cameroon, a source in the banned Nigerian Islamist group said on Friday, rejecting claims of a rift among the insurgents.

"I can confirm that the French priest is in the hands of mujahideen (fighters) from Jamaat Ahl al-Sunna Li Da'wat al-Jihad, who carried out the operation that was coordinated with Ansaru," he told Agence France Presse.

The EU's executive gave its green light Friday to visa-free travel for Moldova's 3.5 million people but said Ukraine and Georgia needed to make more progress before lifting their visa requirements.

The European Commission said in a statement that it would consider immediately after a summit in Vilnius at the end of November "presenting a legislative proposal to lift visa requirements for Moldovan citizens holding a biometric passport."

The U.N. Security Council on Friday rejected an African demand to suspend the International Criminal Court crimes against humanity trials of Kenya's top two leaders, sparking a diplomatic storm.

Some African nations reacted with fury to the rebuff, while Security Council members were angered by accusations by Kenya and its allies that they had humiliated the continent.

Uruguay said Friday it will withdraw part of its peacekeepers from Haiti in the coming days, following through on an earlier decision it linked to a lack of democratic progress.

"Uruguay is sticking with its decision to leave for now and will withdraw and not replace a part of its forces in the coming days," President Jose Mujica said in his weekly radio address.

Sectarian clashes in Pakistan's garrison city Rawalpindi left eight people dead and over 40 injured on Friday as worshipers massed to mourn the seventh century martyrdom of Hussain, the grandson of prophet Mohammad, officials said.

The clashes erupted in Rawalpindi, the neighboring city of the capital Islamabad, when a procession by Shiite Muslims in the main downtown area coincided with a sermon in a nearby Sunni mosque.

French Interior Minister Manuel Valls announced on Friday that Paris would create a "regional homeland security envoy" role in Dakar to boost the fight against terrorism in Africa's Sahel region.

The spotlight has been thrown on the growing threat of Islamist extremism across the vast hinterland stretching from Senegal in the west to Somalia in the east since France launched a military operation against al-Qaida-linked militants in Mali.

Hong Kong said Friday it will contribute $5.16 million to a fund that can be used to help the typhoon-stricken Philippines, after drawing fire for sticking to a deadline on sanctions against Manila over a 2010 hostage crisis.

The city's legislative body voted for the injection of HK$40 million ($5.16 million) into an existing disaster relief fund, boosting its total amount to HK$49 million, which aid groups can then apply for, the government said in a statement late Friday.

Some of the world's biggest broadcasters on Friday urged the U.N. Security Council to take greater action over the killing of journalists in conflict zones.

The organizations including the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Japan's NHK said the dangers facing their reporters were making it difficult to provide accurate news from some corners of the world.

Fears that the dire situation among desperate typhoon survivors in the Philippines would tip into violence receded Friday, as relief operations scaled up and a reinforced police presence deterred looters.

At Tacloban airport, which had witnessed frenzied scenes earlier in the week as crowds fought for a seat on any plane leaving the devastated city, a semblance of order had been restored.

The U.N.'s human rights body on Friday condemned a barrage of racist slurs against France's black justice minister, including a magazine cover comparing her to a monkey.

"We condemn the racist attacks that have been taking place against French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira over the past few weeks," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.