ABIDJAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Protesters clashed with police in western Ivory Coast's cocoa belt on Friday after the death of a youth leader, raising the prospect of more disruptions to the harvest.

ABIDJAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Protesters clashed with police in western Ivory Coast's cocoa belt on Friday after the death of a youth leader, raising the prospect of more disruptions to the harvest.

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenya's opposition coalition has asked supporters to boycott three big companies it says benefit from ties to the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta, who won last week's repeat election after an opposition boycott.

CAIRO (Reuters) - A previously unknown militant group with links to al Qaeda claimed responsibility on Friday for an attack in Egypt's Western Desert that killed at least 16 policemen two weeks ago, announcing the start of a holy war against the Egyptian state.

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe police detained a U.S. citizen and seized her laptop on Friday on suspicion of calling President Robert Mugabe a "Goblin" on Twitter, the first arrest since the creation of a Ministry of Cyber Security last month, her lawyers said.

LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerian militant group Niger Delta Avengers said on Friday its ceasefire on attacks in the country's southern oil-rich region was at an end.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa's state prosecutors told the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) on Friday the six-year sentence for murder handed to Paralympic gold medallist Oscar Pistorius was "shockingly lenient" and asked for the right to launch an appeal.

CAIRO (Reuters) - A militant group called Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for an attack in Egypt's Western Desert that killed several policemen on Oct. 21, the newly emerged group said in a statement on Friday.

The following company announcements, scheduled economic indicators, debt and currency market moves and political events may affect African markets on Friday. - - - - - GLOBAL MARKETS Asian shares took a breather on Friday as investors gave a guarded reception to Republican plans for massive U.S. tax cuts, while welcoming the appointment of a centrist at the helm of the Federal Reserve. WORLD OIL PRICES Oil markets rose on Friday, supported by OPEC-led supply