Our colleague Mo Allie has sent these photos from a workshop near Cape Town in South Africa where used tea bags are fashioned into something new.

Handbags, tea coasters, trays pillows and other products are among the items for sale at the Original T-Bag Designs in the town of Hout Bay.

The handmade items are popular with tourists, and the bags and purses in particular have attracted buyers from Paris, who now sell the products in the French capital.

Image source, AFP

A Senegalese politician has been sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay a fine of 100,000 CFA francs ($188; £132) for "contempt of court, discrediting a judicial decision and incitement to disturb public order".

Barthélémy Dias, the mayor of the Mermoz Sacré-Cœur commune in Senegal's capital Dakar, had hit out at last month's sentencing of fellow politician Khalifa Sall.

Mr Dias is seen as a close ally of Dakar mayor Mr Sall, who was ordered to serve five years in prison for “embezzling” $3.4m (£2.4m) worth of public funds.

Mr Sall's conviction bars him from next year's elections, when he had been expected to present a strong challenge to President Macky Sall. His supporters said his sentencing was politically motivated.

Mr Dias's laywer, El Hadji Diouf, says he will appeal against the verdict in his client's case, which he labels "unjust".

Senegal is one of the most stable democracies in West Africa.

It is the only country on mainland West Africa never to have had a military coup.

Kenya's electoral commission (IEBC) has complained that police guards and armed drivers protecting its top officials have been withdrawn, a local news site has tweeted.

The tweet from the Daily Nation's twitter account says the electoral body has sought answers from the police chief:

This development comes a day after three of six commissioners resigned saying they did not have faith in the leadership of Chairman Wafula Chebukati (pictured above).

The IEBC has been suffering from a crisis of confidence since its technology chief was murdered a week before Kenya's general elections last August.

The Supreme Court later annulled the election saying that it had been beset by "illegalities and irregularities".

The electoral body has also been reeling from the resignation of one of its commissioners before the repeat election last October.

Roselyn Akombe - who fled to the US after receiving threats to her life - had said she doubted the preparedness of the electoral commission to hold a repeat poll which was boycotted by the opposition.

Tanzania's top music star Diamond Platnumz was only held briefly by authorities over what they allege were "obscene" videos he allegedly posted on social media, news agency Reuters reports.

The 28-year-old singer whose birth name is Nassib Abdul was arrested on Monday.

Another artist, 26-year-old Faustina Charles who is popularly known as Nandy, was also released after being detained.

She was also accused of "indecency" for a video that was shared on WhatsApp.

A government minister has said that the two musicians are likely to face criminal charges.

• See our earlier reports.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Nigeria's upper chamber of parliament is to ask the central bank governor and the ministers of finance and defence to explain how $462m (£322m) was spent on six helicopters for the air force.

One senator said the money was withdrawn from the federal account last month without the required parliamentary appproval.

The government is facing severe security challenges across the country and needs more equipment.

But with President Muhammadu Buhari promising to eliminate corruption, the helicopter deal is likely to be closely scrutinised by Nigerians.

Image source, AFP

Stanley Kwenda
BBC Africa

Former Cameroon and Arsenal defender, Lauren, says he believes none of the African teams at the World Cup will get past the quarter-finals in Russia.

He says a combination of mismanagement and a difference in quality means Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco will struggle.

No African nation has made it past the last eight of the World Cup.

"I could say Africa will be in the semis, we're going to win, but that's not the reality," he told BBC Sport.

"To be honest with you I can't see any of them go further than the quarter-finals.

"I can't see them challenge the Germans, Argentina, Spain or Brazil, they are not on that level."

To date only three African nations have reached the last eight at the World Cup. First were Cameroon in 1990, followed by Senegal in 2002 and then most recently Ghana in 2010.

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa

Image source, Addis Insight/ YouTube

Freed Ethiopian journalist Eskander Nega has said that he will continue pushing for democracy in his country, even if it lands him in prison for a third time.

"Unless we have a democratic order, our peaceful fight, our peaceful advocacy for democracy will not cease. So the mission has not been completed and the struggle will have to continue," he told the BBC.

Mr Eskander was released in February having been convicted of terrorism. His freedom was however short-lived, as he was rearrested shortly after at a ceremony celebrating the release of jailed politicians, journalists and bloggers.

He says says he has endured "terrible" prison conditions:

But he told me the experience has not broken him.

"We struggled in prison, we did not submit in prison. That was the whole point."

Mr Eskander is hopeful about Ethiopia's new Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, saying that he means well and is possibly "a reformer at heart".

However the journalist warns that hardliners in the ruling EPRDF party could derail the new leader's plans for reform.

Ferdinand Omondi
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Corruption, inequality and favouritism have been identified as the biggest impediments to youth empowerment in Kenya by a report released by the British Council today.

The body found that four out of 10 young Kenyans are willing to leave the country in search of better opportunities.

The report, dubbed Next Generation Kenya, was based on a survey of 4,000 young people aged 15 to 24 from all over the country.

Unemployment is young people's biggest concern, the survey found. Around 39% of young Kenyans are unemployed, the highest rate in Eastern Africa.

Those seeking self-employment said they were mainly hampered by lack of start-up capital.

Young people also felt that many opportunities were not given on merit, but rather favouritism, bribery or sexual favours.

Concerns were also raised about a discriminatory labour market that favours the older generation.

Kenya’s education system was cited as falling short of equipping young people with the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st century.

And only 38% of Kenyans are highly satisfied with their involvement in politics and decision making, compared to 78% who feel the same way in Tanzania.

Tanzania's Information Minister Harrison Mwakyembe says that authorities plan to file charges against top musician Diamond Platinumz for posting "obscene" and "indecent" material on social media, news agency AFP reports.

Diamond, according to the report, was arrested yesterday and reportedly still being questioned by the police.

As we reported earlier a video of the musician kissing an unidentified woman was widely shared on social media which the star has since deleted.

Another local musician Faustina Charles, popularly known as Nandy, has been arrested over similar accusations after a video deemed "indecent" by authorities was shared on WhatsApp.

If found guilty the two musicians could each face a fine of at least five million Tanzanian shillings ($2,200; £1,500) or a prison sentence of a minimum of 12 months, or both.

Two people have been killed and 62 injured following a bomb attack near a bus station in Ethiopia's southern Moyale town, Huruka Godana, a local health official, has told the BBC.

The attack happened during clashes between the Oromo and Somali ethnic groups.

Tension between the two groups is common, however it is unclear what sparked today's trouble.

Last September thousands of people fled the Somali region following deadly clashes between the two groups.

We will keep you updated as we get more information.

Read: What is behind clashes in Ethiopia's Oromia and Somali regions?

Police in the Nigerian capital, Abuja have fired tear gas to disperse Shia protesters for the second day running.

They are demanding the release of pro-Iranian Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who was arrested in 2015 during a military crackdown in which more than 300 of his supporters were killed.

At least one demonstrator was killed and several others injured on Monday.

Police said in a statement they had arrested 115 protesters.

Nigeria's Punch newspaper shared this video of yesterday's clashes:

Supporters of the IMN leader say his detention without any formal charge is illegal.

Ahmed Ambali
BBC Yoruba, Lagos

Image source, BBC Yoruba

Residents of Boun village in Nigeria’s south-western Ogun state fear that a power-line tower is about to collapse because illegal sand miners have made its foundations unstable.

If the power line is destroyed, residents in five southern states, including Lagos, could be thrown into darkness.

“If anything happens and the tower caves in, the consequences will be disastrous,” said Olaitan Olubiyi from the Redeemed Christian Church of God, which has a large community of its members living nearby.

Over the last four years the sand miners have excavated an area which is now the size of two football pitches.

Mr Olubiyi told BBC Yoruba the digging was also threatening a road the church had built connecting its community to the main Shimawa Road.

He said the church had written to local authorities about their concerns.

The police occasionally sent officers to curb the miners’ activities, but excavations would restart after they left, he said.

A chairman for the local government area, Rafiu Oladele, told BBC Yoruba: “We are not aware of the activities of the miners but we will look into the matter as soon as possible.”

Sand is in demand as it used by the construction industry to make cement.

A British woman serving a three-year jail sentence for smuggling banned painkillers into Egypt has been seen on video for the time since her sentencing last December.

Footage aired by local news channels shows Laura Plummer, 33, sitting among women all dressed in white.

The UK's Sun newspaper reports, external that it was filmed during a recent Easter mass at a makeshift church at Al Qanater prison in the capital Cairo.

Plummer was found guilty in December of taking almost 300 Tramadol tablets into Egypt. She had said the prescription pills were for her partner Omar Caboo, an Egyptian national.

"It's so hard to see her like this," her sister Jayne Synclair is quoted by British The Sun newspaper as saying after the video emerged.

"We've obviously been out to see her regularly but she isn't the same woman who left for a two-week holiday in the sun."

We reported earlier that air traffic controllers in Ethiopia's main airport in the capital, Addis Ababa were holding a rare strike which had stalled traffic at the airport.

The BBC's Emmanuel Igunza was one of the stranded passengers.

He has just tweeted an update:

Image source, Getty Images

Human Rights Watch says Burundi government forces and members of the ruling party have killed, beaten and intimidated people they regard as opponents of a referendum vote on extending the president's term in office.

President Pierre Nkurunziza, who is serving a controversial third term in office, has governed Burundi for 13 years.

If next month's vote goes in his favour it will allow him to rule until 2034.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) says it has documented 19 cases of abuse since 12 December when the president announced plans for the May 2018 referendum.

The rights group says one man was beaten to death because he did not show a receipt proving he had registered to vote.

HRW says most of the people targeted were members of the opposition National Liberation Forces party.

"Burundian officials and the Imbonerakure [the ruling party’s youth league] are carrying out violence with near-total impunity to allow President Nkurunziza to entrench his hold on power", says HRW's Central Africa Director Ida Sawyer.

Image source, ELHADJ DIOP

After Elhadj Diop's daughter died from Malaria he quit his job as a photographer for the UN children's agency Unicef and embarked on a campaign against the disease.

Mr Diop goes around communities in his district, informing people about the importance of hanging a mosquito net over every bed, and the need for rigorous cleaning to remove rubbish and stagnant water that attract the mosquitoes which spread malaria.

Every Thursday is now sanitation day in Thienaba district.

He is one of the reasons why Senegal is on track, according to the World Health Organization, to be declared malaria-free by 2030.

• Read his full story here

Tanzania's top music star Diamond Platnumz has been arrested for posting videos on social media that authorities say breach cultural norms.

Information Minister Harrison Mwakwembe said in parliament that the images project acts that go against a law that bans such acts.

Police are also looking for Bongo artist Nandi over similar claims.

An Instagram video of Diamond playfully kissing an unidentified woman has been shared by several news site.

It is unclear if these are the pictures that have got the artist in trouble:

Some people on social media are speculating that the musician was getting back at his former partner who left him.

Last month Tanzania's authorities banned 13 songs by local artists including Diamond.

It came after President John Magufuli complained about obscenity in music videos.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she "deeply regrets" the UK's role in introducing anti-gay laws in its former colonies and the "legacy of discrimination, violence and even death that persists today".

Reuters reports that colonial-era homophobic laws are still used in 37 of the Commonwealth's 53 member nations.

Mrs May told the Commonwealth heads of government meeting (Chogm) in London to loud applause and cheers:

She said the Commonwealth had agreed to accredit its first organisation for LGBT people since its last meeting and also praised member countries which had recently decriminalised homosexuality.

Mrs May continued:

• Read more: Seven things you might not know about the Commonwealth

Faouziatou Ibrahima was the captain of Benin's Junior National Basketball team, but after she was involved in a car accident her life changed.

Watch her story:

Image source, AFP

Namibia is to compensate the families of people killed by wild animals, including crocodile and hippos, with up to 100,000 Namibian dollars ($8,330; £5,798).

But it comes with a disclaimer. Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta has said:

Nine people were killed by wild animals in 2016 and six in 2017, according to Namibian government data.

Four people have reportedly been killed this year - three by crocodiles and one by a hippo.

In many rural areas the river is the main water source. Mr Shifeta has urged people to take river water home to wash and bathe in order to avoid being attacked.