Someone looks happy to be at the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea...

Ghana's only athlete, Akwasi Frimpong, who is competing in the skeleton (that's him at the very top of the page), was first into the stadium after the Greek athletes, grinning from ear to ear.

We have to say, if we were about to hurtle down a frozen track on a piece of metal we would not be quite as chirpy.

But he loves it: read all about him here.

Image source, Getty Images

Egypt has announced the country's highest state of alert, following the launch of a major counter-terrorism operation.

Earlier, the army said it was beginning operations in the Sinai peninsula, Nile Delta and Western Desert against Islamist militants.

It has since closed the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.

"All security measures are beefed up around vital and important facilities, national projects, water and power plants as well as places of worship," says the state-run MENA news agency.

Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has praised the operation.

"I am following with pride the heroism of my sons from the armed forces and the police to cleanse Egypt's dear land of terrorist elements, the enemies of life," he posted on his official Facebook page.

Read more: Egypt begins counter terrorism operations

Image source, Getty Images

Former West Ham striker, Andre Ayew, has told people not to stereotype African footballers.

The Ghanaian player was referring to comments made by West Ham's former head of recruitment, Tony Henry, who said that the club didn't want any more African footballers because they "cause mayhem".

Mr Henry was subsequently sacked following his racist remarks.

"African players are like any human beings in the world, everyone is different," Mr Ayew said. "Maybe an African player can be difficult, but maybe a French or English player can be difficult too. Everyone has their character, their philosophy, and the way they were brought up."

Mr Ayew was at West Ham when Mr Henry made his comments, but has since left and moved to Swansea, where his brother also plays.

Image source, Getty Images

The African Union has begun trying to recover the stolen wealth of Chad's former president, Hissène Habré, the Guardian reports, external.

The dictator, who is believed to be responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, fled the country in 1990, but not before emptying the treasury of $150m (£108m).

In 2016, a Senegalese court convicted him of crimes against humanity, and ordered him to pay $153m (£110m) in compensation to 7,396 victims.

The money has never been traced, though some of the funds have been found in two bank accounts and are known to have been spent on a house in Senegal's capital, Dakar.

Now, the African Union is hoping to continue the search, and has also asked for voluntary contributions from other countries and organisations.

Both France and the US are expected to donate, given their role in bringing Habré to power.

Image source, EPA

The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is about to begin - and a number of African countries will be leading the way as the athletes arrive in the stadium in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The Korean alphabet means that Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa - along with Greece, which is always at the front - will be the first countries to enter.

Reuters news agency explains that this is because teams will enter alphabetically - according to the Korean language.

The country's alphabet, known as Hangeul, means these three African nations are at the top.

The agency says the alphabet starts with a sound similar to an English "g", followed by a sound close to an "n".

• Africa Live will be keeping an eye on all the athletes as they enter the Olympic games.

On Sunday, South Africa will mark 28 years since Nelson Mandela walked free from prison.

A large celebration is due to be held in Cape Town - a nod to the fact that this year, 2018, would have been Mandela's 100th birthday.

But it is at risk of being overshadowed by the battle within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to remove South Africa's current President Jacob Zuma.

The party's leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the rest of the ANC's "top six" officials, pulled out of all public events in the run up to Sunday, to focus on more "pressing matters".

They had been scheduled to meet with Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, a close friend of Mandela's.

The party released this statement on Twitter:

The question of whether or not Mr Zuma will go has dominated the headlines all week, with speculation reaching a fever pitch after the annual state of the nation address was postponed on Thursday.

The ANC politician is facing calls to step down amid allegations of corruption, which he vehemently denies.

On Tuesday, Mr Ramaphosa - South Africa's deputy president - said he was holding direct talks with the embattled Zuma over a transfer of power.

However, it doesn't seem like any transfer looks likely in the immediate future.

Meanwhile, the ANC has tweeted a short video of Mr Ramaphosa - the likely successor to Mr Zuma - and Mandela back in 1990.

It did not go unnoticed by the BBC's Africa editor Fergal Keane, who appeared to suggest the post could be a subtle dig...

The Ghanaian singer Ebony Reigns has reportedly died in a car crash at the age of 20.

The dancehall singer, who released her latest album Bonyfied in December, is reported to have died after her car collided with a bus in southwestern Ghana.

On social media, users have begun posting their condolences.

Image source, AFP

Four Ugandan government officials have been suspended amid allegations of inflating refugee figures.

According to the Guardian, external, the country's commissioner for refugees Apollo Kazungu and three of his senior staff are being investigated for alleged collusion with the United Nations (UN) and the World Food Programme (WFP).

The Ugandan Daily Monitor, external, which first reported the allegations, says the issue was first raised by the UN country representative Rosa Malango.

The newspaper says she raised three issues, including "doubtful" numbers of refugees, the trafficking of women and children, and fraud.

One spot check found just 7,000 people when there were reported to be 26,000 needing aid - leading to questions about where the money and resources for the missing 19,000 were going.

Uganda is said to be hosting around 1.4 million refugees within its borders, coming from conflict ravaged countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.

Last year, it was reported to have seen the highest rise in new arrivals anywhere in the world.

But these allegations will cast a shadow over those figures.

As a result of the accusations, the United States, European Union and UK are all threatening to withhold funding to the country, the Guardian says.

Musa Ecweru, state minister for relief and disaster preparedness, assured the Guardian measures would be taken to prevent any fraud in future, suggesting biometric registration for all refugees entering the country.

BBC World Service

The Egyptian army says it has begun a major operation against terrorist organisations in several parts of the country.

An army spokesman said it would focus on the Sinai peninsula, as well as the Nile Delta and the Western Desert.

The Sinai is the scene of a long-running insurgency by militants linked to the Islamic State group.

There have also been frequent attacks elsewhere in the country since the military toppled the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

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