BBC Africa Live
Natasha Booty

That's all from the BBC Africa Live page this week. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website.

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here to send in your African proverbs.

We leave you with this photo of children at play in Kenya's capital, Nairobi:

Authorities in Cameroon appear to want to postpone October's general election to a later date.

The BBC has obtained a copy of a letter from President Paul Biya to the leader of the senate, requesting that it debate the possibility of postponing elections for a year.

It follows last week's news that only 3% of new voters registered since the start of the year are from the country's Anglophone regions, although English speakers account for about 20% of the population.

Separatists in Cameroon's two mainly English-speaking areas - the North-West and South-West regions - have been demanding independence.

Tens of thousands of Anglophone Cameroonians fleeing violent clashes with Francophone security forces have crossed into neighbouring Nigeria in recent months.

Lawyer and presidential challenger Akere Muna tells BBC Focus on Africa radio that the proposal to delay elections "shows the level of incapacity in taking care of issues that concern the common man".

But he describes the document as a "simple, procedural letter... asking the opinion of the president of the Senate before such a proposal goes to parliament".

He says that Cameroonian law dictates that only municipal and legislative can be postponed - not senatorial nor presidential elections.

He adds:

Image source, AFP

The Citizen news site reports, external that Tanzania is to join Kenya and Mauritius in waiving taxes on women's sanitary pads.

Finance minister Philip Mpango revealed the change as part of yesterday's budget announcement.

It is hoped the removal of 18% Value Added Tax (VAT) from the sanitary products will make them more affordable to young girls in particular.

According to the UN's education agency, external, one in 10 girls in sub-Saharan Africa misses school during their period.

Some girls reportedly lose 20% of their education for this reason, making them more likely to drop out of school altogether.

Image source, Universal Images Group

Nigerian football fans hoping to bring live chickens into Russia's World Cup venues as good-luck charms have been warned off by a government official.

Russian culture and tourism minister Andrei Ermak is quoted by Nigerian media as saying:

But he said that Nigerian fans watching their team outside of official stadiums had every right to find a feathered friend, adding:

Punch news site reports that Nigeria fans were turned away, external from a 2010 World Cup match in South Africa "after their demand to take chickens, painted in the nation’s colours into the stadium was refused".

Authorities in the Central African Republic (CAR) may be remaining tight-lipped over whether or not tennis star Boris Becker is an official ambassador, but it seems their Belgian outpost appears not to have got the message.

On its official list of "notre équipe" ("our team") is one of Mr Becker, posing with a CAR flag:

Image source, Ambassade de Centrafrique a Bruxelles

According to the page, Mr Boris-Franz Becker is the attaché for sports, culture and humanitarian issues.

We do not know when this page was last updated.

Scroll down to read what people in CAR think of Mr Becker, or click here to read the whole story.

Image source, AFP

It is one of today's more surprising stories: tennis star Boris Becker has announced he holds a diplomatic post with the Central African Republic (CAR) - meaning he is protected from any legal claims.

And it seems among the most surprised are CAR residents.

"This Boris Becker is unknown in the CAR," one man told the BBC.

"The case is just bizarre because even if he didn’t have legal troubles, he should not be representing the Central African Republic at the European Union. That job should be for a Central African national."

"It’s a moral issue," another said, adding:

However, the government appears to be remaining quiet over the claims.

Albert Yaloké Mokpème, spokesman for the CAR's president, told BBC Afrique :

Read the full story on the BBC News website here.

A new play, written and performed by actor Paterson Joseph, tells the story of Britain's first black voter.

Charles Ignacius Sancho was born around 1729 on a slave ship and went on to become the owner of a grocer's shop in London.

For Joseph, his story still resonates today:

Mo Salah's face appears to say it all: after 89 goalless minutes, Uruguay scored.

Minutes later, the game ended.

At full time, it was 1-0 to the South Americans.

In the 89th minute, Carlos Sanchez floats over a free-kick from the right, and Jose Gimenez rises above two defenders to plant a header into the corner. Oscar Tabarez, Uruguay's 71-year-old head coach, springs from the bench like a teenager.

It is 1-0 to Uruguay.

Image source, AFP

The Central African Republic (CAR) has been put back in the spotlight after former tennis champion Boris Becker claimed diplomatic immunity.

He says that his 2018 appointment as a CAR's sport and culture attaché to the EU affords him protection from any legal claims.

Mr Becker is attempting to thwart ongoing bankruptcy proceedings against him in the UK.

But for the citizens living in the landlocked Central African country - which has been plagued by hunger, coups, rebellions and destitution since it gained independence from France in 1960 - the German tennis ace's financial woes are the last things on their minds.

• Read more on the BBC News website

A pig with "special powers" has chosen the four nations that will reach the World Cup semi-finals.

Mystic Marcus, a micro pig from Derbyshire in the UK, chose Belgium, Argentina, Nigeria and Uruguay.

He did it by eating apples marked with the flags of all the other teams.

He correctly predicted the outcome of the 2014 Fifa World Cup, the Brexit referendum and Donald Trump's election, said owner Juliette Stevens.

Image source, Mercury Press

• Read more about Mystic Marcus here

The first African match of the tournament is under way, as Egypt take on Uruguay in Yekaterinburg in Russia.

The Pharaoh's star player is on the bench (see earlier post for details):

Image source, Reuters

Meanwhile, Uruguay's national team, which won its first World Cup in 1930 and a second in 1950, comes into this fixture on a run of three consecutive victories.

Image source, Reuters

• Follow live updates from BBC Sport

Image source, .

An Army sergeant has been jailed for life for trying to murder his wife by sabotaging her parachute.

Victoria Cilliers, 41, survived a 4,000ft (1,220m) fall at Netheravon airfield, in the UK, in April 2015.

South African-born Emile Cilliers, 38, of the Royal Army Physical Training Corps, also tried to kill her by causing a gas leak at the family home.

At Winchester Crown Court, Cilliers was told he would have to serve a minimum of 18 years.

In sentencing, Mr Justice Sweeney told Cilliers he was "of quite exceptional callousness and a person who would stop at nothing to gratify your own desires".

He described the evidence as "overwhelming" and said Cilliers had three motives.

They were the money he thought he would receive in life insurance, the concern that his wife - a senior officer - could ruin his Army career, and because it would clear the way for a new life with another woman.

Muslims across the continent are celebrating the festival of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Eid al-Fitr is "the feast of the breaking of the fast" that begins when the moon rises on the final day of Ramadan. About 1.6 billion Muslims across the world are believed to be marking the festival this year, including this girl with her family in Kenya's capital Nairobi:

Image source, AFP

Ramadan lasts between 29 and 30 days, with the exact dates varying from one year to the next, based on the lunar calendar.

The timing of Eid can vary from country to country and community to community, with some following the moonrise in Mecca, and others using local sightings.

These worshippers began their celebrations outside Cairo's El-Seddik Mosque on Thursday:

Image source, Reuters

Eid is marked with a special set of prayers on the first morning of the festival - as these women in South Africa are observing - followed by the first daylight meal in a month, usually shared with friends and family. Many return to their family homes to celebrate.

Image source, AFP

A second Eid festival - Eid al-Adha, which means "feast of the sacrifice" - is celebrated just over two months after Eid al-Fitr, at the same time when many Muslims perform the Hajj pilgrimage.

A vast array of sweet dishes and treats are prepared and consumed on the morning of the celebration, like these biscuits seen at a bakery in Somalia's capital Mogadishu:

Image source, Reuters

"Eid Mubarak" is a greeting used during the festival - Eid means "celebration" and Mubarak "blessed".

Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah will not start in today's World Cup opener against Uruguay in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg.

Salah, 25, has not played since injuring shoulder ligaments during Liverpool's Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid on 26 May.

Image source, AFP

The King of Morocco has insisted that the country must bid for the 2030 World Cup.

It follows the announcement from football's world-governing body Fifa on Wednesday that the north African nation had lost out to the US, Canada and Mexico's joint bid to host the 2026 event.

Moncef Belkhayat, a member of the Moroccan 2026 Bid Committee and former sports minster, confirmed the new bid to the BBC:

By the time the 2026 finals take place, Africa will have hosted just one of 23 World Cups - while Mexico alone will have staged three separate tournaments.

The 2010 finals in South Africa only came about after football's world governing body specifically introduced a rotation system in 2001.

Some African football delegates are keen for Fifa to reintroduce a rotation system for World Cup hosting after Morocco failed attempt to land the 2026 World Cup.

"Rotation would be a solution," said Malawi FA president Walter Nyamilandu.

The stepson of Zimbabwe's former President Robert Mugabe is facing eviction from his home over claims he failed to pay rent for over three years.

Businessman Russell Goreraza, who is Grace Mugabe's son from her first marriage, is accused of owing his landlords $65,801 (£49,569) in rent arrears for the property in the capital Harare's upmarket suburb of Highlands.

Lawyers for the property's owners - the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council - have applied to the High Court to evict Mr Goreraza. In their legal application their lawyers state:

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, AFP

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has announced new austerity measures in a bid to halt the country’s rising debt.

The measures include cancellation of new loans, restrictions on ministers’ travels and an audit of the government’s payroll to clear suspected "ghost workers" - those who claim a salary, but do not do any work.

The government says Zambia’s debt is about $10bn (£7.5bn) but independent analysts say it is much greater.

Zambia's government has since banned "unmandated" officials from making public comments on the state of the economy and the debt situation.

The country has struggled over the years to secure an International Monetary Fund stimulus package to revitalise its ailing economy.

Announcing the cost-cutting measures in a statement on Thursday night, Finance Minister Margaret Mwanakatwe said President Lungu had also ordered the cancellation of some existing loans.

In addition, she said the president had banned any letters of credit from being issued, as well as any guarantees to state-owned enterprises. Development projects which were less than 80% complete would have their financing terminated.

Further measures include compelling fuel importers to declare their of fuel imports at borders to curb the problem of smuggling of fuel, and the use of a telecommunication transactions monitoring system for mobile service providers.

Legislation to introduce taxes on precious metal exports is also expected.

Image source, AFP

The mother of Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau has spoken out, telling Voice of America, external that her son has "brought many problems to many people" and that she hasn't seen him in 15 years.

"I am praying for God to show him the good way," she told the broadcaster.

Falmata Abubakar added:

Boko Haram launched an insurgency against the Nigerian government in 2009 with the aim of establishing an Islamic caliphate in West Africa.

Mostly focused in north-eastern Nigeria, the conflict has reportedly left around 20,000 dead and displaced at least two million.

Led by Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group (IS) in March 2015.

In August 2016, the group apparently split, with an IS video announcing that Mr Shekau had been replaced with Abu Musab al-Barnawi, believed to be a son of Boko Haram's founder.

Mr Shekau disputed this, insisting he was still in charge.

“I don’t now if he’s alive or dead," says his mother, Falmata. "It’s only God who knows."

• Read more: Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram?

Our proverb of the day:

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