A lawyer for South African athlete Oscar Pistorius has made an impassioned plea to appeal court judges not to increase the six-year jail term the double amputee received for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

Barry Roux has been addressing the judges after the prosecution called for the sentence to be raised to 15 years, saying Pistorius - commonly referred to as OP - brutally murdered the model by firing four shots through a toilet door a his home in the capital, Pretoria, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013.

A journalist with South Africa's News24 site is tweeting from the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein city:

Image source, AFP

Do people on South Africa's farms get killed more often than other people in the country?

On Monday, mostly white activists carried crosses and blocked roads to demand better protection for South Africa's farms, after they were targeted in a spate of murders.

The South African Police Service has argued that the majority of attackers are motivated purely by a desire to rob farmers,, external but the country's Institute of Race Relations has warned there may be a racial element to some of the attacks., external

There's a sense in some quarters that white farmers are being targeted in particular, but what does the evidence say?

Image source, AFP

While farm murders are at their highest level since 2010-11, this increase doesn't tell us anything about whether farmers are more at risk than the average South African.

What's more, we can't calculate a meaningful murder rate for farmers, because fully comprehensive data doesn't exist. Plus, we simply don't know what proportion of people on South Africa's farms is white for the same reason.

In short - we have no clear idea about the murder rate on South African farms.

Read the full investigation here

South African prosecutor Andrea Johnson has urged appeal judges to consider the brutal way double amputee athlete Oscar Pistorius murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, as she argues for the six-year prison sentence to be increased to 15 years, a journalist has tweeted from court:

Tulip Mazumdar
Global Health Correspondent

Image source, RIJASOLO

Madagascar is facing the worst outbreak of plague in 50 years.

There have been more than 1,800 cases and 127 deaths since the start of August, according to new figures, external.

The island off the south-east coast of Africa is used to seeing about 400 cases of mostly bubonic plague in the same rural areas every year.

But this year it has developed into the deadlier pneumonic version and spread to much more populated areas, including the capital.

The WHO describes the plague as "one of the oldest - and most feared - of all diseases".

Historically, plague has been responsible for widespread pandemics with extremely high numbers of deaths.

It was known as the Black Death during the 14th Century, killing more than 50 million people across Europe.

Bubonic v pneumonic plague:

• Bubonic plague is spread to humans by the bites of infected fleas that live on small mammals such as rats

• Without treatment, it kills up to two-thirds of those infected

• About one in 10 cases will develop into pneumonic plague, which is almost always fatal if not treated quickly
• Unlike bubonic plague, it spreads much more easily through droplets in the air. So if a sick person coughs very close to you, you could pick it up

Read more on the BBC News website.

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal is hearing an application by prosecutors to increase disgraced Olympic and Paralympic star Oscar Pistorius' six-year prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

Prosecutors say the sentence is "shockingly light", and he should be given a 15-year jail term.

Defence lawyers are opposing the application, arguing that the six-year sentence handed down by a lower court is appropriate.

Pistorius says he shot dead Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for a burglar at his upmarket home in the capital, Pretoria.

The lower court said mitigating circumstances, such as rehabilitation and remorse, outweighed aggravating factors, such as his failure to fire a warning shot, for deviating from the prescribed 15-year sentence.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC World Service, Lusaka

Image source, AFP

Zambia's President Edgar Lungu has warned the judiciary that there will be chaos if he is barred from standing in the 2021 election, saying they should not be a "copycat" of Kenyan judges who plunged the country into crisis after annulling President Uhuru Kenyatta's victory in elections in August.

Mr Lungu's eligibility for the poll is being challenged by critics who argue that he is serving his second and final term, and cannot stand for re-election.

They say that the period he served after the death of President Michael Sata in 2014 counts as his first term.

Mr Lungu's supporters maintain that he merely finished his predecessor's term, and he has been serving his first term since his victory in the disputed 2016 election.

Addressing his supporters in the north-west, Mr Lungu said:

Our African proverb of the day:

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