Across the world, people are ooh-ing and aah-ing over the outfits which graced this year's Met Gala.

Katy Perry's angel wings, Rihanna's papal-inspired gown and Zendaya's nod to Joan of Arc have dominated column inches.

But in South Africa, it seems it is all about Trevor Noah:

The late night television host's name is trending in his home country, with people sharing pictures of the comedian on the red carpet, and posing with his fellow stars at the New York society event.

Noah, who was wearing a Balmain suit, even had time to take a few snaps of his own. Here he is with fellow comedian Jimmy Fallon:

Chris Ewokor
BBC Africa, Abuja

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the permanent establishment of a battalion of soldiers in an area where nearly 60 people were killed by bandits over the weekend.

The battalion, at Birnin Gwari, in Northern Kaduna, is the first big step taken by the government to scale up the security response to banditry in the area.

A new police command will also be established in the area.

The announcement comes after gunmen surrounded Gwaska village, blocking escape routes and set fire to homes while shooting at people fleeing in panic.

Many of the victims are reported to be members of a self-defence vigilante group. Eyewitnesses said some bodies were mutilated.

A total of 58 bodies were later recovered and buried.

It is hoped a permanent military presence in the area will help ensure the protection of lives and property.

Attacks in the area have been blamed on cattle thieves now turned organized bandit groups.

An activist for Ghana's ruling party has found herself at the centre of a media storm for allegedly slapping a journalist - and then defending her actions by saying the woman looked like an "onion seller".

According to Ghana's CitiNews, external, Hajia Fati attacked the journalist last week as she tried to take her picture.

When confronted over the incident, Ms Fati - an activist for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NNP) - said she had mistaken her for someone loyal to suspended NPP official, Sammy Crabbe:

Her defence has left many unimpressed.

Sulemana Braimah, who is the executive director for the Media Foundation for West Africa, told the news outlet he feared the NPP's headquarters was becoming "unsafe ground" for reporters.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Journalists Association revealed it was considering legal action against Ms Fati.

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

Image source, AFP

Libya’s eastern city of Derna has been threatened with a military ground operation for months - and it now appears to be underway, led by forces under thecommand of the controversial Field Marshal Khalifa Hefter.

Derna is the last major city in the east not under the control of Field Marshal Hefter's troops, and is seen as a haven for militant training by neighbouring Egypt.

The battle there today is against the Mujahedeen Shura council - a mixed group of local militias which include Islamists and others who helped topple Col Muammar Gaddafi from power in 2011.

Some are believed to have links to al-Qaeda, an accusation that’s been denied by the council’s members in the past.

Derna was the first city to fall into the hands of the so-called Islamic State in 2014, but IS was ejected from there by the Mujahedeen shura council a year later.

Libya is bitterly divided along military, political and regional lines, and this will be seen by many as yet another battle for increased territorial clout with an eye on wider political gains.

It also presents a fresh challenge for the international community’s efforts to reconcile rival communities and end the political stalemate there.

A European diplomat, who asked not to be identified, told the BBC: “The Derna operation is likely to inflame tensions and will make it harder to achieve political progress and national reconciliation."

What's more, there is also concern this latest military operation will be a protracted conflict akin to the destructive and deadly three-year war that Filed Marshal Hefter's forces fought against Islamist militias in the eastern city of Benghazi.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Equatorial Guinea's Supreme Court has upheld a ban on the country's main opposition party, as well as lengthy prison sentences for 21 of its members.

The Citizens for Innovation, or CI Party, was dissolved by a court in February after it was accused of involvement in acts of violence ahead of last year's elections.

A lawyer for the CI Party described Monday's court decision as a sentence for dictatorship and shame.

Human rights groups say corruption, poverty, and repression have thrived under the presidency of Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has been in power since 1979.

In January the government said it had foiled a coup attempt by mercenaries.

Nigeria's food and drugs agency has shut down three companies manufacturing cough syrup containing highly-addictive codeine, Punch newspaper reports.

Mojisola Adeyeye, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration director, said in statement the decision follows an investigation by her agency.

She said Peace Standard Pharmaceutical Limited, Bioraj Pharmaceutical Limited and Emzor Pharmaceuticals would be shut.

However, they could reopen at a later date - although this "will depend on the level of cooperation that is shown during the comprehensive investigation".

Nigeria had announced a ban on the production and import of cough syrup containing codeine after a BBC investigation into its role in an addiction epidemic.

Read:How cough syrup in Nigeria is creating a generation of addicts

Image source, AFP

The Libyan military strongman, Khalifa Haftar, has announced the start of an offensive to capture the eastern port city of Derna from those he called "terrorists".

Speaking at an army parade in Benghazi, he said his forces had been given instructions to save civilians.

Mr Haftar, who has support from Egypt, has long been seen as a contender for national power.

He opposes the internationally recognized government in the capital, Tripoli, frustrating UN-led efforts to reunify the country.

Read: Who is Khalifa Haftar?

Zimbabwe's opposition leader has told the BBC he struggles to see what he did wrong after offering to marry his 18-year-old sister to President Emmerson Mnangagwa if he won 5% of the vote.

Nelson Chamisa, who took over leadership of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) earlier this year, came under fire for the comments caught on camera.

Speaking in Shona, he said he was happy to make the bet "because I know it won't happen".

But speaking to the BBC's Newsday programme, he dismissed the accusation of sexism, which have made headlines in his home country:

He further said the complaints were coming from "political detractors" during what he described as "the madness season".

Hear what else he had to say here:

Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari leaves the capital Abuja today for a four-day medical trip to the United Kingdom - his fourth since he came to power in 2015.

Mr Buhari, who arrived back from a visit to the United States last week, announced the trip on Twitter on Monday evening.

It is not known what the president is suffering from, and the announcement is sure to raise questions among opposition figures.

However, last year he spent 104 days in the UK. He also met his doctor last week during a stopover to refuel in London on the way back from the US.

• Read more: Why does Buhari go to hospital abroad?

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

Welcome to BBC Africa Live, where we will bring you the latest news and views from around the continent throughout the day.

You can also catch up on all the news from Monday by scrolling down.

That's all from BBC Africa Live today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website. Africa Live will resume its coverage at 08:00 GMT.

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this artwork by Ethiopian artist Aida Muluneh entitled I in the other:

A Zimbabwean woman got married in a hospital chapel despite having her arm bitten off by a crocodile just days before.

A family friend is quoted in the UK's Daily Mail, external as saying Zanele Ndlovu was canoeing down the Zambezi river with her fiance Jamie Fox when the crocodile struck.

"They were in an inflatable boat, and the crocodile attacked their vessel and in the process deflated it, before attacking her," the family friend said.

Ms Ndlovu's Facebook profile picture shows her white water rafting.

"During the attack the crocodile gripped her arm and ripped it off while her partner made frantic efforts to save her," the family friend said.It adds that Mr Fox made a make-shift tourniquet before taking her to hospital where the arm had to be amputated.

The UK's Sun newspaper reports, external that they had made plans to marry by the Victoria Falls on Saturday but instead were allowed to use the chapel at the Mater Dei Hospital in Zimbabwe's second city, Bulawayo, on Sunday.

A Youtube video shows when they tied the knot:

USM Alger of Algeria beat Young Africans of Tanzania 4-0 as the group phase of this season's African Confederation Cup kicked off.

USMA began their scoring spree through Oussama Darfalou after only four minutes.

Farouk Chafai added a second before half-time with Abderrahmane Meziane hitting a third on 54 minutes.

Goalkeeper Mohamed Zemmamouche converted a late penalty to complete the rout.

Read all the other results on the BBC Sport website

Image source, Getty Images

Thirteen-year-old Marylove Edwards from Nigeria is tipped for future international success by top tennis coach Nick Bollettieri.

BBC Sport Africa met the teenager, who some are calling the "Nigerian Serena".

Frank Kandu
BBC Sport, Blantyre

Tributes are being paid to one of Malawi's greatest footballers, Jack Chamangwana, who died in Blantyre on Sunday aged 61.

The former Flames captain had been suffering from high blood pressure and was admitted to hospital last week.

Chamangwana was the second most capped player in Malawi's history, making 133 appearances.

Before his death he worked as Technical Director for Malawian Super League side Be Forward Wanderers.

"We are saddened by Chamangwana's death. It has come as a shock and we cannot believe he is gone," said Be Forward Wanderers chairman Gift Mkandawire.

Chamangwana made his international debut in a friendly match against Kenya in Lilongwe in 1975 at the age of 18 under the guidance of Brazilian, Wonder Moreira.

He was part of Malawi's 1978/79 East and Central Africa Challenge Cup winning squad and retired from national duty in 1985.

His career then took him to South Africa where he played for the country's Premier League side Kazier Chiefs from 1986 to 1988 before taking over as coach.

"On behalf of the Kaizer Chiefs family, I would like to send love and peace and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family, friends, Wanderers FC and the Malawian football family," said Kaizer Motaung, owner of Kaizer Chiefs.

Leading Zimbabwean opposition politician Nelson Chamisa has come under fire on Twitter after a video emerged of him saying that if he President Emmerson Mnangagwa wins 5% of the vote "in a free election, I will give him my sister".

"I'm betting on this because I know it won't happen," the Bulawayo 24 news site quotes him as saying in Shona.

There was laughter from the crowd when Mr Chamisa - who hopes to run for the presidency for the first time in elections expected in July - made the comment.

It is unclear where or when he was speaking, but the respected Zim Media Review group has posted the video on its Twitter account:

Mr Chamisa sees himself as Morgan Tsvangirai's successor following the veteran MDC leader's death in February, but he is being challenged for the leadership by Thokozani Khupe.

She was Mr Tsvangrai's deputy in the party, and served as deputy prime minister from 2009 and 2013 in the unity government that the MDC formed with the ruling Zanu-PF party to end conflict in Zimbabwe.

Mr Chamisa's comments have led to many people on Twitter accusing him of being sexist:

Image source, Getty Images

An illegal diamond mine has been discovered operating underneath a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo, reports London's Metro newspaper, external.

Prisoners in Osio, northern DR Congo, worked in the mine to extract diamonds and some did not leave after their sentences ended, the newspaper adds.

The head of the provincial division of Justice, Gérard Kombozi, has now ordered the closure of the makeshift mine and said anyone using it will be punished, reports DR Congo's UN-backed Radio Okapi, external.

The radio station adds that people who weren't in prison had started setting up temporary accomodation nearby to work illegally in the mine as well.

When the authorites raided the site, 30 people were found working there, Mr Kombozi said.

Landslides caused by heavy rains killed at least 18 people in Rwanda's Northern and Western province over the weekend, a government official has told Reuters news agency.

Philippe Habinshuti, the director of the response and recovery unit at the Ministry of Disaster Management, told Reuters that more than 200 people had now died in floods in the last four months.

"The four months have been far worse than last year and other years. This is terrifying," he said.

Today people dug through mud to search for three people missing missing in Western province.

The Rwandan news agency, Kigali Today, tweeted a picture of a hill side after the landslide:

Jose Tembe
BBC Africa, Maputo

Image source, Getty Images

Mozambique will hold an official funeral for Afonso Dhlakama, leader of the main opposition party, and the ex-rebel Renamo movement.

The decision was made by the cabinet of the Mozambique government at the weekend.

"Under the spirit of peace, harmony and reconciliation, the Council of Ministers urges all Mozambicans to keep calm and serene. The Council of Ministers sends its deep-felt condolences to Renamo and to the bereaved family," said spokesperson for the council of ministers Ana Comoana.

The funeral ceremony will take place in Beira on Wednesday and he will be buried over 300 km (186 miles) away, in his home vilage Mangunde, in the Chibabava district, on Thursday.

Mr Dhlakama led Renamo during a 15-year rebellion against the Mozambican government and was accused of mass killings,mutilations and the use of child soldiers.

After the end of the civil war, Renamo became Mozambique's main opposition party.

He died on Thursday of a heart attack aged 65.