Image source, AFP

At least 22 people are trapped underground at a coal mine in South Africa following a gas explosion, local media report.

Emergency staff were at the Gloria mine , externalin Mpumalanga province, but it was too risky for them to try and rescue the trapped group because of a lack of electricty, the local Middelburg Observer news site reported.

The 22 were believed to be part of a group of 42 who had been trying to steal electrical cables, external from the underground mine outside Middelburg town, 165km (100 miles) east of the main city of Johannesburg, when the blast occurred, South Africa's Business Day newspaper reported on its website.

Twenty of the group managed to return above ground, but the rest remained trapped, it added.

The government's Department of Mineral Resources said it had dispatched a team of inspectors to the mine.

"The mine is currently not operational, external," it said in a statement quoted by the IOL news site.

Those trapped were believed to be Lesotho nationals, the news site added.

Many people from Lesotho work in mines in South Africa.

The Gloria mine is part of the Optimum Coal assets, which the controversial Gupta family bought in 2016.

Business Day reports that they were put into business rescue about a year ago, which is a process that allows for the restructuring of companies in financial distress.

The paper adds that many workers had not been paid since October and have not turned up for work since December.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Getty Images

Zambia's government is investigating former Vice-President Guy Scott for publishing the death certificate of late President Michael Sata in his new book.

Mr Sata, who was elected president in 2011, died in a London hospital after just three years in office.

The official cause of his death has never been publicly disclosed, except that he died of "illness".

While some people have been demanding more details, Mr Scott said in the book, entitled Adventure in Zambian Politics, A Story in Black & White, that his former boss died of carcinoma cancer.

His decision to publish such details has divided the nation, with some praising him while others expressing outrage, arguing that the matter was private and Mr Scott had acted insensitively and immorally.

Chief government spokeswoman Dora Siliya told a media briefing in the capital, Lusaka, on Wednesday that the issue had been tabled before cabinet and was being investigated.

Mr Sata’s son, Mulenga, said it would be difficult for him to comment because he has neither read the book nor has been made aware of its content.

Image source, AFP

A peace deal between the Central African Republic's government and rebel groups has been signed in the capital, Bangui, following talks brokered by international mediators, AFP news agency reports.

CAR was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority-Christian country.

A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-Balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka.

Thousands have been killed in the violence and more than one million internally displaced. An estimated 570,000 people have fled abroad.

Sylvia Yeko decided to undergo female genital mutilation (FGM) three weeks ago at the age of 26 - even though the practice, which used to be performed on teenage girls, was outlawed in Uganda in 2010.

Her circumcision ceremony took place in public - she showed us a video taken on the day. It shows an excited, cheering crowd surrounding Ms Yeko and another woman, whose faces are smeared with a whitish-brown flour.

"During this day I felt so proud, I just felt so excited," Ms Yeko tells the BBC as she watches the footage.

"Before I was circumcised I was taken as any other child, but now I'm someone respected."

Read the full story here

Russell Padmore
Business correspondent, BBC News

Image source, AFP

Rwanda has signed a deal to allow a company to bottle gas from a body of water known as one of Africa's killer lakes.

The project by Gasmeth Energy will involve sucking gas from the floor of Lake Kivu to use as fuel.

The lake emits such dense clouds of methane that is it is known as a killer.

The $400m operation by Gasmeth Energy - which is owned by business people from the US, Nigeria and Rwanda - would help to prevent toxic gas bubbling to the surface.

Rwanda hopes the increased availability of bottled methane would reduce reliance on wood and charcoal, the fuels used by most households and tea factories in nation of 12 million people.

The country already has two companies that extract gas from Lake Kivu to power electricity plants.

The deep waters of Lake Kivu, in the volcanic region on Rwanda’s border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, emit such dense clouds of methane that scientists fear they might erupt, killing people living along the shore.

Gasmeth Energy plans to build a gas extraction, processing and compression plant to sell methane in Rwanda and abroad.

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham are investigating after a video emerged of a fan racially abusing Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah during Monday's 1-1 draw at London Stadium.

Egypt striker Salah, 26, was filmed on a mobile phone from a section of home supporters as he was taking a corner.

The footage, taken by a fellow fan, shows expletives directed at Salah, including about his Muslim religion.

In a statement, West Ham said they have "a zero tolerance policy to any form of violent or abusive behaviour".

Read the full BBC Sport story

The Jarjeer Mule and Donkey Refuge lies in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains near to Marrakesh.

It looks after donkeys who have retired from working and is also an orphanage and care centre for working equines.

The centre was established by Susan Machin and Charles Hantom 10 years ago when they retired to Morocco.

The BBC Travel Show’s Ade Adepitan finds out more.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

A Tunisian court has given a five-month suspended jail sentence to a mother who racially abused a black school teacher after her daughter was thrown out of a class.

The conviction is the first under the country's new anti-racism law.

Tunisia has a significant black minority, which has roots going back to the days of the slave trade.

Rights groups say black people are routinely subjected to discrimination.

Image source, AFP

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa has announced that he will boycott a summit called by President Emmerson Mnangagwa to promote "national dialogue" amidst a worsening economic and political crisis.

Mr Chamisa tweeted Mr Mnangagwa won a "rigged" election last year, and talks could only be held under a "credible convener":

Mr Mnangagwa tweeted that he wanted all leaders to "put the people first and politics second", and attend the summit:

The summit is due to be held later today, AFP news agency reports.

Zimbabwe's economy is in a downward spiral, with critics alleging that Mr Mnangagwa is proving to be a worse president than his predecessor, Robert Mugabe, who was ousted in 2017 after 37 years in power.

Widespread protests broke out last month after Mr Mnangagwa announced that the fuel price will more than double.

At least 12 people were killed when the security forces intervened to crush the protests, a local rights group said.

The price of bread increased by 70% on Saturday, amid growing anger at the rising cost of living and at shortages of fuel and basic foodstuffs.

Read:Where food costs three times your salary

A petition has been launched in Uganda to force the government to cancel its decision to promote curvy women in a bid to attract tourists.

The move comes after Uganda's privately owned Daily Monitor news site reported that the State Minister for Tourism, Godfrey Kiwanda, announced the plan - including holding a Miss Curvy Uganda beauty contest - at a press conference in the capital, Kampala, on Tuesday.

"We have naturally endowed nice looking women that are amazing to look at. Why don’t we use these people as a strategy to promote our tourism industry?” the news site quoted him as saying.

Pageant organiser Ann Mungoma said the contest "will bring out the endowment of the real African woman" and will be "an exceptional event that will see young ladies showcase their beautiful curves and intellect", the Daily Monitor reported.

The winner will be selected in June.

Reactions on Twitter included:

A court in South Africa has released anti-corruption whistleblower Angelo Agrizzi on 20,000 rand ($1,500; £1,150) bail following his arrest earlier on Wednesday on corruption allegations.

He has been ordered to surrender his passport.

Four of his co-accused were also released on bail.

Mr Agrizzi, a former chief operations officer of Bosasa, recently blew the lid on the alleged corruption at a judge-led inquiry.

The company, now re-branded African Global Group, had won lucrative catering, facilities management and security contracts at various government institutions.

See post below for more details

Image source, AFP

An anti-corruption whistleblower is among six people arrested in South Africa over the alleged illegal awarding of tenders by the prison department to private firm Bosasa, local media report.

Former Bosasa chief operations officer Angelo Agrizzi blew the lid on the alleged corruption during days of riveting testimony at a judge-led inquiry - only to be now arrested along with people he implicated.

They include former prison boss Linda Mti, according to local media.

South Africa's elite anti-corruption unit, the Hawks, arrested the six , externalon allegations of corruption, including fraud and money-laundering, in connection with the awarding of tenders worth 1.6bn rand ($118.7m, £91.6m) to Bosasa and companies linked to it, the privately owned TimesLive news site reported.

Legal representatives of the six have not yet commented.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Senegal's former President Abdoulaye Wade has called for this month's elections to be cancelled over fears they could lead to instability.

Mr Wade lives in France but is due to return to Senegal this week and is calling for peaceful protests.

The 92-year-old is a fierce critic of President Macky Sall, who is seeking a second term.

Mr Wade's son, Karim, was barred from standing because of a previous corruption conviction.

The former mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall, who had also been viewed as a potentially strong contender in the election, was jailed for fraud last year.

The governing party denies that their trials were politically motivated.

Tesfalem Araia
BBC Tigrinya

A groom and his best man have been killed at a traditional honeymoon ceremony when a grenade belonging to the groom exploded, police are quoted by the state-owned Ethiopian News Agency as saying.

The incident happened on Monday at the home of the groom in South Wello Zone, north of the capital, Addis Ababa.

“The accident occurred when the bride and groom were playing with their bridesmaids and best men,” a police inspector said, adding that the grenade was owned illegally by the groom.

In some areas, keeping weapons and firing celebratory shots in the air during social events like weddings has raised concern in communities, which have urged the authorities to take measures against those who keep illegal firearms.

Read BBC Tigrinya

A group of BMK bike-riders in Nigeria is helping to keep young people from drugs abuse through BMX-ing.

The 'Lagos BMX Crew' wants youths to get into the sport as way a keeping themselves out of trouble.

The group however says bike riding without skate-parks is a tough experience in Nigeria.

Video Journalist: Faith Ilevbare.

#AskAtikuYourself has been trending on Twitter in Nigeria's commercial hub, Lagos.

This comes as the campaign team of Nigeria's main opposition presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has launched a web page, external where you can conduct a virtual interview with him.

In a brief video introduction he says he has selected the most popular questions that he gets on social media.

The camera then pans down and the user gets a chance to tick one of the options:

• What is your favourite football club?
• What is your favourite food?
• Who is your favourite musician?

He then answers and takes you through a new set of questions.

What you learn is that he says he supports Arsenal, loves the anti-establishment musician Fela Kuti and used to go to his famous club, the Shrine, and that he thinks Nigerian jollof is the best.

In a nod to more contemporary music, Mr Atiku, 72, also said he liked Nigerian Afrobeat superstar star Davido, who has one of the biggest followings on Instagram in Nigeria.

And Davido responded by sharing Mr Atiku's comments with his 9.4 million followers:

There are two more sets of questions. In one of them, about his three wives, he says that none of them belong "in the other room".

This is a dig at his rival, President Muhammadu Buhari, who once said that his wife belongs "in the other room".

The election is on 16 February.

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has said Ivory Coast's former President Laurent Gbagbo is now in Belgium after his conditional release from prison.

Gbagbo was acquitted by the court of war crimes charges on Friday, on the condition that he went to a country willing to send him back should there be an appeal.

Prosecutors are expected to contest the verdict.

Gbagbo had been charged with crimes against humanity over post-election violence in 2010 and 2011 in which 3,000 people were killed and 500,000 displaced.

He was the first former head of state to go on trial at the ICC.

Read the full BBC story here

Flamboyant self-styled prophet Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary, who have been charged with fraud and money-laundering, have been granted bail of 100,000 rand each ($7,400; £5,000) by a court in South Africa's capital, Pretoria.

After the verdict was given, hundreds of their supporters raised their hands to the sky, external, and bowed to pray while others sang and danced in jubilation, South Africa's privately owned TimesLive news site reported.

"Daddy is out, yay," it quoted a Bushiri supporter as shouting.

The bail condition of the couple - who are Malawian nationals - stipulates that they cannot leave Gauteng province, the economic hub of South Africa.

They were arrested last week by South Africa's elite anti-corruption unit, the Hawks, for alleged offences dating back to 2015.

The pastor and his wife have not yet been asked to plead to the charges, but they have denied the allegations in affidavits presented to the court.

The church leader - who is referred to by his supporters as "Major 1" - is known as much for his lavish lifestyle as for his successful ministry, which stretches across Africa.

He claims to have cured people of HIV, appeared to walk on water in images posted on social media, and owns four private jets.

Read: Meeting the man 'who walks on air'

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