Militants Seize Hostages at a Hotel in Mali, Jihadists stormed a hotel where United Nations staff members were staying in central Mali on Friday, seizing hostages and killing at least five Malian soldiers and a United Nations contractor, the government said. Radhia Achouri, a spokeswoman for the United Nations Mission in Mali, confirmed that a contractor had been killed in the attack on the hotel, called Byblos. Late Friday, Mali’s army continued to surround the hotel in Sevare, north of the capital, Bamako, battling militants into the night. Officials said that at least two militants had also been killed in the fighting, and the government said its forces had detained seven suspected militants. A Defense Ministry adviser, Lt. Col. Diarran Kone, said that at least six people were being held inside the hotel. “The operation to free the hostages is ongoing,