Our African proverb of the day:

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

BBC Africa Live
Flora Drury

That's all from the BBC Africa Live page today. 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.

And we leave you with this photo of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo bringing palm seed pods from the forest back to their village, taken as part of the #EverydayClimateChange project:

Google has announced it is to open its first African artificial intelligence research centre in Ghana later this year.

Google boss Sundar Pichai said the multi-national was "really looking forward" to opening the centre.

The centre will open later this year in Accra, the company said in an official statement, external.

"We’re committed to collaborating with local universities and research centers, as well as working with policy makers on the potential uses of AI in Africa," the statement continued.

The Accra office will join similar AI research centres in places like Paris, Tel Aviv, and, of course, San Francisco.

Peter Okwoche
BBC Focus on Africa

Image source, EPA

It's been another disappointing bid for Morocco: the country had been hoping to make it fifth time lucky, but that was not be.

From a neutral point of view, Morocco faced an uphill task to win this bid.

They had come in to the process late and, from early on, it was obvious that hosting a World Cup which has been expanded to 48 teams would be an uphill task for a comparatively small nation.

At least nine new stadiums would have had to be built and enormous infrastructure development would need to be undertaken.

And despite assurances from the government it could afford it, their bid was beaten by a safer bid from the US, Canada and Mexico.

There is also the fact the United bid looks set to take in more than twice the revenue that Morocco would have, with some estimates saying the winning bid could make as much as $14bn (£10.3bn) in revenue, which could well have helped sway the vote.

It's another big blow but, as one fan told me, they have now switched their attention to their first match at the World Cup in Russia.

On Friday, Morocco's "Atlas Lions" take on Iran in their first game in this competition in 20 years.

Image source, AFP

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is to launch an assistance fund for victims in the Central African Republic (CAR) of a militia once run by the former Democratic Republic of Congo Vice-President, Jean-Pierre Bemba.

The announcement of the $1.2m (£900,000) fund comes after the release of Mr Bemba, whose conviction on war crimes charges was overturned by the court.

In 2002, Mr Bemba sent his 1,500 strong militia into the CAR to suppress a coup.

There his forces committed murder, rape and looting but appeal judges ruled he couldn't be held responsible for their crimes.

The fund for victims in the CAR was first unveiled five years ago, but the ICC says it did not become operational because of the security situation.

However, Mike Cole, the head of the ICC in CAR, told a press conference it would now "accelerate the launch" of the programme, which will provide "physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as material support" for victims and their families.

The serious crimes committed in CAR "have not been forgotten", he added.

• Read more:ICC orders release of Congo 'warlord'

Image source, AFP

South Sudan's rebel leader has agreed to meet with the country's president in Ethiopia next week.

A spokesman for Riek Machar, who is under house arrest in South Africa, confirmed he had accepted Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's invite to Addis Ababa on 20 June.

The statement, which was emailed to news agency Reuters, added the meeting would "go a long way in building confidence in the peace process".

If it goes ahead as planned, it will be the first time former vice-president and President Salva Kiir have met since the last peace deal fell apart in August 2016.

According to another statement, the talks will be led by East African bloc IGAD.

South Sudan's government have yet to comment on the decision.

Image source, Science Photo Library

A Nigerian has confessed to running an illegal blood bank - paying donors small sums before selling their blood on at profit.

Achegbulu Paul, 45, was running the operation out of his one-room apartment in Lagos.

According to a police press release, he offered people 2,000 naira per pint ($5.50; £4), which he then sold for 7,000 naira.

The racket was discovered, the release explained, after a 17-year-old was admitted to hospital, having donated four pints of blood in the space of just six days.

The press release said his mother realised something was wrong when he was spotted riding his bicycle "looking like a corpse".

After he was arrested, Mr Paul, a trained lab technician, told police he had been running the scheme for five years.

However, he said he thought the teenager was 20.

Police say they have started a wider investigation, amid fears that the blood, which was not screened before being sent to a local hospital, could have been carrying infections.

Ibrahim Aydid
BBC Monitoring

Somalia's government has released a circular banning importation of toy pistol, guns and bombs on Eid days.

The circular warned businesses importing the toys could have wider implications for the country, possibly motivating the children to engage in violent acts themselves.

Businesses should rather import other goods which will help the children learn over the period, it said.

Image source, AFP

Uganda’s former police chief Kale Kayihura has been flown to the military headquarters in Kampala, according to an army statement, as confusion over his rumoured "arrest" continues to mount.

Gen Kayihura was picked up by helicopter from his farm more than 125 miles (200km) west of the capital on Wednesday.

Up until then, his whereabouts had been the subject of intense speculation: on Tuesday, a helicopter sent to collect him could not find the general.

It is now known he is meeting with Uganda's Defence Force chief.

However, there is still no precise explanation as to why he has been summoned back to the capital.

It is also not clear if he is under arrest. Gen Kayihura has personally denied it.

• Read Africa Live's earlier post on Gen Kayihura denying his own arrest

Zerubabel Sedika
BBC Amharic

Image source, AFP

Two would-be bank robbers almost had their escape scuppered by traffic in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

The attempted bank heist happened late on Tuesday afternoon at the Bole branch of Abyssinia Bank.

Two of the alleged robbers - one of whom is reported to be a security guard - fled empty-handed, but police managed to apprehend the main suspects.

According to Aschalew Tamiru, the communications chief at the bank, they used a car to escape, which later collided with a vehicle belonging to Anteneh Redai.

‘’My friends and I tried to follow them but the car couldn’t go beyond 50 metres due to the crash it suffered,’’ Mr Anteneh told BBC Amharic over the phone.

‘‘I saw them driving the car down the wrong lane. Because of the traffic jam, the driver jumped out of the car and started running. Another young man from the passenger seat followed the driver.

"Then the people around the area stated shouting and tried to stop them but one of the guys was holding a knife."

Fassika Fenta, spokesman of the city's police commission, told BBC Amharic that nearly 5m birr ($185,000; £136,000) was saved.

Mr Aschalew added that things were now back to normal and the branch resumed its operations today.

The incident is a rarity not just for Abyssinia Bank, but also for the country at large.

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

Image source, Reuters

Ghana's high court has banned all activities of the Ghana Football Association for 10 days.

The ban follows an investigative documentary which showed officials of the association accepting cash gifts.

Ghana’s attorney general had petitioned the high court to dissolve the country’s FA, arguing it had been used for illegal activity and was no longer fit for purpose.

This move seems to be the first major step towards that.

Some Ghana FA officials were prevented from travelling to Russia to take part in today’s ceremony to elect a host for the 2026 World Cup.

In total, more than 100 football officials and administrators were shown accepting cash gifts in the investigative documentary that has left many Ghanaians in shock.

All of the members of the association who were caught on tape accepting cash gifts are already under investigation by the police.

• Find out more: African referees filmed taking cash

Ethiopia has been forced to deny it was considering moving its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem.

The East African nation said it had no such plans after a lawyer acting for its Israeli embassy claimed the plans were on hold over the treatment of a group of Ethiopian monks by police in Jerusalem.

According to The Times of Israel, external, Eliezer Yasu Gil said "moving the Ethiopian embassy to Jerusalem was under consideration", but "for now this process is frozen”.

A spokesman for the Ethiopian embassy said Mr Gil did not represent their views, and it has never been mentioned before.

However, the ambassador, Tsegay Berha Hadera, had warned the eviction of the monks from a complex owned by the Ethiopian church - captured on film last week - could spark a diplomatic crisis.

Most countries have their Israeli embassies in Tel Aviv because the status of Jerusalem goes to the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel regards Jerusalem as its "eternal and undivided" capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war - as the capital of a future state.

However, after the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem earlier this year, a number of other nations have followed suit.

Darod Farah
BBC Monitoring

Somalia's semi-autonomous region Puntland has ordered satellite service provider DSAT to immediately remove the self-declared republic of Somaliland's main TV station, Somaliland National Television, from the list of channels in its decoder.

The memo from the Ministry of Information and Communication did not specify the exact reasons why, only giving "current circumstances" as a reason for the demand.

This decision will affect the people of Puntland alone.

Tension is still high between the two regions who have deployed troops to Tukaraq and Sool, where they recently clashed in a border dispute.

Image source, AFP

This picture is likely to bring a smile to Egypt's football fans ahead of their World Cup 2018 debut on Friday.

Mo Salah, who suffered a shoulder injury in Liverpool's Champions League final loss to Real Madrid last month, was seen warming up with his teammates in Grozny on Wednesday morning.

However, for those thinking the striker will be on the pitch for the match against Uruguay in two days time may be disappointed.

"There's a good degree of progress but no definitive decision on whether he takes part, as we are following his case day by day," team director Ihab Lahita told reporters, according to news agency AFP.

So, which countries backed Morocco's bid, and which sided with the North Americans?

Here is a chart which seems to lay it all out which has been making the rounds on Twitter:

Interestingly, Ghana - which is currently trying to deal with a massive scandal - does not appear to have voted, or abstained.

It suggests, BBC Africa's Nick Cavell says, the West African country's football association did not send anyone to vote.

BBC World's Piers Edwards has compiled a list of all the other African countries which voted against Morocco:

Today is World Albinism Awareness Day, a good time to listen to South African model, lawyer and activist Thando Hopa's wise words.

People with albinism "don't need validation from others" she told BBC Minute earlier this week.

"I am beautiful enough. I am smart enough. I am capable enough," she added.

Hear what else she has to say below:

Morocco may be upset after failing to win enough votes to host the 2026 World Cup, but they have not forgotten how to be gracious in defeat.

Their official bid Twitter account has already sent out its congratulations to the winning countries - Canda, Mexico and the US:

Morocco secured just 65 votes backing it to host the 2026 football World Cup, Fifa has announced.

The North African country lost out to the "United Bid" from the US, Canada and Mexico after a vote by Fifa members.

Here is how it broke down:

It is not yet known exactly who voted for who, but some other African countries failed to back Morocco's bid.

The UK's Football Association has said it voted for the "United Bid" based on the "very clear" advantages laid out in the technical assessment.

However, in a statement it added: "However, it is important to note that both bids were deemed to have met the hosting requirements and a tournament in Morocco, close to Europe and in a country that loves football, had a great deal for English football fans to be excited about."

Morocco has lost to out to the "United" North American bid to host the football World Cup in 2026.

The result was announced live from Moscow, where Fifa members have been voting.

It is the fifth time the North African country has bid for the competition.