One of Africa's most respected referees, Gambian Bakary Papa Gassama, says Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology cannot eliminate every mistake made by match officials.

Gassama used VAR at last year's Confederations Cup and will be able to use the technology again at the World Cup in Russia.

But he says everyone from referees to fans are still learning about how to make the best use of the system.

Gassama told BBC Sport:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AFP

Spain has offered to take in a rescue ship drifting in the Mediterranean with 629 migrants on board after Italy and Malta refused to allow it to dock, Reuters news agency reports.

The Aquarius ship picked up the migrants, including 123 unaccompanied minors, 11 other children and seven pregnant women, from inflatable boats off the coast of Libya at the weekend.

The minors are aged between 13 and 17 and come from Eritrea, Ghana, Nigeria and Sudan, according to a journalist on the ship, Anelise Borges.

Span's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who assumed office just over a week ago, has given instructions for the boat to be allowed into the eastern Valencia port, his office said in a statement quoted by Reuters.

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has called the killers of ruling party MP Ibrahim Abiriga "pigs", a state-owned newspaper has tweeted:

Mr Museveni, who has been speaking at the MP's funeral in the northern town of Arua, accused the killers of starting a war:

Thousands of people are attending Mr Abiriga's funeral.

He was shot dead last week by gunmen on motorbikes.

See earlier post for more details

Image source, Jamii Forums

A popular whistle-blowing website in Tanzania has been forced to shut down after controversial regulations governing online content were introduced by the government.

Known as the Swahili Wikileaks, Jamii Forums, external has millions of followers on social media and Tanzanians used it to share sensitive information including criticism of the government.

But the new rules ban such platforms where contributors can post anonymously.

Last month Jamii Forums and rights activists lost a court case challenging the media law which forces bloggers to pay around $1,000 (£750) to register and requires details of online contributors to be stored.

Licence to blog: Will 'Swahili WikiLeaks' have to close?

Thousands of people in Badme, the town at the heart of the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, are protesting against the Ethiopian ruling coalition's decision to accept the outcome of a 2002 border commission ruling which awarded the town to Eritrea, reports BBC Tigrinya's Girmay Gebru from Mekelle.

Image source, Teferi

Protesters chanted slogans saying “Badme is part of Ethiopia yesterday and today” and “We are Ethiopians until we die, we can’t be Eritreans."

Image source, Teferi

The ruling Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) announced last week that it will fully accept and implement the peace deal that ended its border war with Eritrea.

It says it will accept the outcome of a 2002 border commission ruling, which awarded disputed territories, including the town of Badme, to Eritrea.

This will end a dispute with Eritrea that sparked Africa's deadliest border war in 1998.

Tens of thousands of people were killed in two years of fighting.

Louise Dewast
Kinshasa, DR Congo

Tributes have been pouring in for a leading pro-democracy activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luc Nkulula, after he died in a fire at his home in eastern Goma city on Sunday.

Nkulula, 33, was one of the founders and most vocal members of Lucha, a pro-democracy group.

He was arrested several times during protests against President Joseph Kabila remaining in power after his term ended in 2016.

"Time has stopped this Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo," wrote a popular French language news website, CasInfo., externalMany of the country's opposition leaders also paid tribute to the activist, and have raised concern that the government may have been involved in his death.Felix Tshisekedi hailed Lucha as a "martyr", adding in a tweet: "Who profits from this crime? Why such cruelty? For me there is only suspect: power!"

Moise Katumbi, another leading opposition figure, tweeted a picture of the dead activist, saying it showed his courage and commitment.

"With our other democracy heroes, he is a model for all. Light must be shed on his death," he added.

Campaign group Human Rights Watch's Central Africa director Ida Sawyer added her voice to calls for an independent investigation into the death.

The government has not yet commented.

Jose Tembe
BBC Africa, Maputo

Image source, AFP

Three militant Islamists have been arrested in northern Mozambique's Nampula province over the spate of killings since October, Interior Minister Basilio Monteiro has said.

He made the announcement while visiting Cabo Delgado province on Sunday to assure residents that more troops were being deployed to end the attacks.

About 30 people have been killed and some 200 homes have been burnt by the insurgents since October.

In the latest attack last Thursday, seven people were killed in a village in Cabo Delgado.

Soldiers have been helping villagers to rebuild homes that were torched by the militants.

Read: How Mozambique's smuggling barons nurtured jihadists

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The Nigerian authorities say they have rescued nine young girls and one boy who were being trafficked to Moscow.

Five suspects, including a policeman and a quarantine officer, were arrested for facilitating their travel, the government agency fighting trafficking says.

The victims had football supporter ID cards in order to look as though they were fans heading to the World Cup in Russia.

Criminals have been pressurizing young Nigerians and their parents to take advantage of the World Cup to get Russian visas, the agency says.

But it warns that, once out of the country, the victims would be exploited by the traffickers.

Image source, AFP

A Kenyan carpenter has sued the government for about $2m (£1.5m) for failing to pay him for two presidential chairs he had made 26 years ago for then-President Daniel arap Moi, Nairobi News reports on its website., external

Solomon Njoroge Kiore said he had delivered the chairs to the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) offices in Nairobi for a three-day presidential function.

Mr Moi used the chairs for a year, before they were returned to him, Mr Kiore was quoted as saying.

He had not been paid for the chairs, despite appeals to the Department of Defence, which issued the tender, and State House, Mr Kiore said.

The two chairs have occupied a huge amount of space in his workshop, and his business has crumbled, Mr Kiore added.

Nairobi News also quoted him as saying:

The news site reports that the government lawyers had indicated in February that it was prepared to reach an out-of-court settlement with Mr Kiore, but he has not heard from them since then.

Mr Kiore said he would like the chairs to be kept at Kenya's recently created State House Library and Museum.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta gave Canada's Prime Mnister Justin Trudeau a historic photo when they met at the G7 summit in Canada.

The photo is that of Canada's Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau - the father of Justin Trudeau - meeting Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi.

We are not sure whether the current Canadian prime minister is in the photo or when the photo was taken - but we think it was in 1981 when Pierre Trudeau, with sons Justin, Sasha and Michel visited Kenya for a three-day safari vacation., external

In a report at the time, the United Press International wrote:

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has promised that water supplies to Egypt will not be disrupted by the massive dam under construction on the River Nile.

On a visit to Cairo, he told President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi the Grand Renaissance Dam would not restrict the flow that Egypt relies on for drinking water, agriculture and industry.

Mr Sisi said the two men were now close to resolving the difference that have delayed the project. Construction began in 2011.

Correspondents say Egypt has worked to undermine the project, but Sunday's visit is a sign that the largest hydro-electric scheme in Africa could soon be completed.

Read: The 'water war' brewing over the new River Nile dam

Image source, SOS MEDITERRANEE

A rescue vessel carrying 629 migrants is stranded in the Mediterranean after Italy's new interior minister refused permission for it to dock.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, said Malta should accept the Aquarius but he was rejected.

Malta says the German charity SOS Méditerranée picked up the migrants in Libyan waters, which means they fall under Italy's jurisdiction.

Italy is the main entry for migrants crossing from North Africa to Europe.

Read the full BBC story here

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Security has been stepped up in northern Uganda ahead of the funeral of an MP whose assassination on Friday triggered unrest.

Ibrahim Abiriga - a staunch ally of President Yoweri Museveni - was shot dead along with his bodyguard by gunmen on motorbikes on Friday.

Hundreds of the late MP's supporters gathered at the airport in the town of Arua, when his body was flown home on Sunday.

Angered by the killing, some tried to attack Arua's main police station.

They were dispersed by officers firing tear gas and live ammunition.

President Museveni is due to attend Mr Abiriga's funeral later on Monday.

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