Image source, Équinoxe TV

Cameroon has stopped the trial of prominent Anglophone journalist, Mimi Mefo, who was accused of spreading fake news and terrorism after the intervention of President Paul Biya, her employer, privately-owned Equinoxe Television, has said.

It said the military tribunal had announced "a complete stop to the prosecution".

"The government commissioner simply reflected an instruction from the head of state, [President] Paul Biya,” the report said.

Ms Mefo is the star presenter and head of English news at the Douala-based media outlet that widely reports on the conflict in Cameroon’s two English-speaking regions, South-West and North-West.

She was detained on 7 November after reporting on the killing of US missionary Charles Wesco on the outskirts of the north-western city of Bamenda.

Mr Wesco’s family blamed the Cameroonian army for his murder.

Ms Mefo was released on Saturday after three days at New Bell Central Prison in Douala following pressure from local and international human rights groups.

She thanked supporters for standing by her:

Image source, AFP

Libya's military strongman Khalifa Haftar has said he will not take part in a summit on the country's future that Italy is currently hosting.

Field Marshall Haftar, who commands his own military forces in eastern Libya, is already at the venue for the talks in Palermo.

On the sidelines, he met Libya's Prime Minister, Fayez al-Serraj, whose UN-backed government is based in the west of the country, Reuters news agency quotes Italian government sources as saying.

The rival leaders have not met since May.

But Field Marshall Haftar's office said he would not join round-table talks on Tuesday - the latest international bid to resolve the political chaos in the North African nation.

On Monday night, he pointedly kept his coat on while greeting the Italian hosts and declined to attend an official dinner.

Libya has been riven by violence and deep divisions since its long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed seven years ago.

Read more: Who is Khalifa Haftar?

Image source, AFP

Felix Tshisekedi, the leader of the largest opposition party in Democratic Republic of Congo, has withdrawn his support to put forward a joint opposition candidate for the election to be held on 23 December.

The Union for Democracy and Social Progress party leader made the announcement a day after the agreement was announced.

"I gather that the agreement reached in Geneva was not accepted by the grassroots and was rejected by them. As a result, I am withdrawing my signature from this agreement, which we signed yesterday," Mr Tshisekedi said in an interview with radio station Top Congo.

Seven opposition leaders, meeting in Switzerland on Sunday, picked little-known MP Martin Fayulu as their joint candidate.

President Joseph Kabila, in power for 18 years, will step down after the long-delayed vote.

Another opposition leader, Vital Kamerhe, also pulled out from the deal saying there was not enough grassroots support among party members.

The ruling coalition has picked Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, a loyalist of President Kabila, as its candidate.

Read: DR Congo - the crime behind the chaos

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe’s military has told a commission of inquiry that its soldiers did not kill civilians during protests in the capital, Harare, that erupted after the contentious 30 July poll.

Six people were shot and killed and more than a dozen others were injured in the aftermath of the first elections to take place since Robert Mugabe was ousted as president after three decades in power.

Supporters of opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, clashed with security forces in the streets of the capital after they claimed that the ruling party, Zanu-PF, had stolen the election.

A seven-member independent commission of inquiry - set up in August and headed by former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe - has been hearing testimony to establish who was to blame for the protests and the fatalities.

It is supposed to wrap up its work in three months.

The government has said that no order was given to shoot civilians on 1 August and that victims, some shot in the back, could have been killed by armed business owners or militant opposition protesters.

Video footage seems to suggest otherwise.

The army's testimony drew occasional, incredulous laughter from the audience at the commission of inquiry.

The opposition says the probe is President Emmerson Mnangangwa's attempt to escape liability.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Welcome back to BBC Africa Live where we'll be keeping you up to date on news and developments on the continent.

BBC Africa Live
Dickens Olewe

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. Thank you for staying with us for the special coverage of the Beyond Fake News conference in Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

You can 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 Monday's proverb:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this promotional video of the BBC's new show, Factfinder, which was launched at the conference:

Eleven students at a boys boarding school in Rakai district in southern Uganda died on Sunday night after fire gutted their dormitories, police say.

At least 20 others from St Bernard Secondary School suffered from severe burns.

Henry Nsubuga, headmaster of the school, said he suspected some students who had been expelled recently were behind the "heinous act".

"The arsonists first locked the doors of the dormitories before setting them on fire. Even when the rescue [team] came it was difficult to evacuate the students inside the dormitories. Some would have been saved but they died of suffocation," Mr Nsubuga said.

"Some bodies were burnt beyond recognition and police have recommended a DNA test to establish their identities," he added.

Area police chief Ben Nuwamanya told news agency AFP that the cause of the fire had yet to be established, and that three people, including a guard at the school, had been arrested for questioning.

Jibat Tamirat
BBC Horn of Africa

Ethiopia has arrested more than 60 former security and intelligence officials for alleged human rights abuses and corruption.

The arrests came at the end of a five-month-long investigation, Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye said Monday.

He said some are still on the run.

Killings, beatings, repeated rape and disappearance of prisoners are some of the offences allegedly committed by the former security and intelligence officials against suspects held under anti-terrorism legislation, Mr Berhanu said.

The law has been strongly criticised as violating the rights of people, and an amendment is currently being drafted.

Thirty-six suspects were also arrested over the weekend in relation to these crimes.

Twenty-seven additional individuals from the military conglomerate, Metal and Engineering Corporation (Metec), are also in police custody for allegedly embezzling public funds for six years.

BBC Africa women's programme #TheSheWord has been hosting a panel to discus the struggles of living truthfully in a world obsessed with perfection.

The panel has just ended but here's a chance to rewatch it:

Favour Nunoo
BBC Pidgin

Scores of Ghanaians in the capital, Accra, today defied police orders against demonstrating over the absence of footbridges on some roads which they say has resulted in fatal accidents.

The residents of Madina and Adentan suburbs carried placards, sang, drummed and danced during the protests.

Last week, a first-year female student from the West Africa Senior High School (Wass) was killed on the spot by a speeding vehicle while crossing the Madina-Adentan Highway.

Residents, outraged by her death, blocked the highway, burnt tyres and threw stones at the police who tried to disperse the crowd.

I snapped these pictures from today's protests:

Last week, officials said that work on six footbridges will start this week. Residents said if the government does not meet its promise it will incur their wrath.

Most roads in Accra are in a terrible state and contribute to fatal accidents.

At least 1,000 deaths have been recorded since the start of the year. In February, dancehall star Ebony Reigns died in a road crash aged 20.

Image source, AFP

Members of Ethiopia's National Intelligence and Security Service (Niss) were behind the 23 June blast at a rally attended by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye has said, news agency Reuters reports.

Two people were killed at the massive rally in Meskel Square in the capital, Addis Ababa.

In September, five suspects were charged with terrorism over an attempt to kill the prime minister.

Mr Berhamu also said arrest warrants had been issued for 36 security agents accused of rights abuses and corruption.

Warrants have also been issued for more than 30 officials from a military-run firm, Metals and Engineering Corporation( Metec).

"For six years Metec made international procurement totaling $2bn (£1.5bn) without any bidding processes," Mr Berhanu said, referring to the company's contract for building the Grand Renaissance Dam.

Since coming to power in April, Mr Abiy has launched several reforms, including freeing political prisoners and making peace with Eritrea.

Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

What exactly is going on with South Africa's deputy president?

We now know that David Mabuza is in Russia for a medical check-up.

However, contrary to local newspaper reports - which suggested he was undergoing medical treatment following an alleged poisoning three years ago - Mr Mabuza's office says he is not ill.

“At no point in our statement did we say that the deputy president is ill," spokesman Thami Ngwenya insisted.

"There’s a difference in there. We said he was on sick leave, so he was attending to his medical health. But to say he’s gravely ill and sick, those are two different things."

Indeed, far from being sick, Mr Ngweya was quoted in the Sunday papers as having said: “South Africans can be assured that he is in good health and will be resuming his delegated responsibilities soonest."

Confused? So is the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA), who were busy demanding answers in parliament, external last week.

This is not the first time the 58-year-old, who is also deputy president of the governing African National Congress (ANC), is known to have sought medical treatment in Russia.

In 2015, South Africa's Sunday Times reported that he flew to Russia in an aircraft owned by the controversial Gupta family allegedly because he was not responding to treatment at home.

These young people have been looking for solutions to fake news:

Ever been forwarded anything from your mum which was of, um, questionable veracity?

It looks like you aren't the only ones.

Raising the question: are mums the true source of fake news?

(.... just kidding!)

What on earth are these people doing?

They are experiencing the BBC's Damning the Nile piece in virtual reality - hence the unusual glasses.

BBC Africa correspondent Alastair Leithead was around to guide them through (and was very excited about it, by the looks of this tweet from earlier):

For those not lucky enough to be in the Kenyan capital today, you can see it here: Damning the Nile

That is exactly what this panel have been discussing in Nairobi at the BBC Beyond 'Fake News' conference:

Leonard Mubali
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

Image source, AFP

Tanzania's arts regulatory council, Basata, has banned a brand new hit song - Mwanza - by household musicians Raymond Shabaan Mwakyusa, famously known as Rayvanny, and Diamond Platnumz

The song, which was released over the weekend, is now strictly prohibited from being played on any TV and radio stations in Tanzania.

Basata said the song's lyrics are "encouraging sexual thrill" and therefore immoral.

The regulatory body also warned other artists from composing songs which go contrary to the laws, culture and norms of the country.

In April, Basata banned another 10 songs, including Hallelujah by Diamond Platnumz, saying the song mixed religious messages with sexual innuendo which they found unlawful and grossly immoral.

Apart from "immoral songs", the commission has also been targeting politically motivated songs, especially those critical of President John Magufuli.

A Kenyan TV station is reporting that residents living near the Nairobi National Park have been warned to be on alert because a leopard has managed to get out of the park.

We will be monitoring the search and will bring you the latest.