The authorities in Kenya have confirmed an outbreak of the influenza virus in the country.

The Kenya Medical Research Institute (Kemri) said four out of 36 samples had tested positive for influenza A.

Doctors had noted an influx of patients with flu-like symptoms.

The outbreak comes amid rising Covid-19 cases and the emergence of the Omicron variant.

Health professionals are urging the public to follow strict hygiene guidelines to prevent the spread of the viruses.

A Peterborough couple say confusion over red list quarantine rules impacted "final wish" trip.

Lawmakers in Nigeria have rejected a bill seeking to empower women and promote gender equality.

Senator Biodun Olujimi from the south-western Ekiti State was forced to withdraw the draft law after her male colleagues objected citing “socio-cultural and Islamic concerns”.

She told the BBC that it was “disheartening” that women had to contend with many issues in the law-making process.

“Naturally, everyone is afraid of giving power to women...for cultural reasons,” she told the BBC’s News Day programme.

“That’s what we are grappling with and we believe that without a legislation that would make it work for us, it would be tough,” added.

She says she is not going to relent in the fight for equal opportunities for women.

Wycliffe Muia
BBC Monitoring

Image source, AFP

Ghana's land borders will remain closed indefinitely to prevent a potential fourth wave of Covid-19 infections in the country.

President Nana Akufo-Addo said in a national address on Wednesday that his government was "monitoring the level of threat of the disease and ongoing vaccinations in neighbouring countries" before it can reopen borders.

"We must do everything possible, at the very least, to maintain this situation, especially as the festive season approaches," President Akufo-Addo said.

Residents in border towns have protested against the prolonged closure of Ghana's land borders that began when the pandemic broke out last year. Only transit cargo trucks are exempt from the border closure.

President Akufo-Addo said that the current data points to a “favourable Covid-19 situation” but urged vigilance.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said that large quantities of Covid-19 jabs distributed in the south-eastern Volta region have expired due to vaccine hesitancy.

Ghana has so far administered 6.4 million doses out of the 17.7 million vaccines available in the country.

The West African country has recorded over 130,000 cases and 1,243 deaths.

Sprinter Christine Mboma overcame the odds, and personal heartbreak, to become Namibia's first female Olympic medallist.

Image source, Handout via AP

Three journalists have been detained in Ethiopia under the state of emergency laws and accused of giving publicity to a group designated by the government as a terrorist organisation.

One of those arrested is a freelance video journalist accredited to The Associated Press, Amir Aman Kiyaro.

Two local journalists, Thomas Engida and Addisu Muluneh, have also been detained.

Police say the journalists violated the state of emergency law and Ethiopia’s anti-terrorism law.

AP’s executive editor Julie Pace said these were "baseless allegations".

The news agency says its journalist has been covering both sides of the war.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the arrests and called for the immediate release of all journalists arrested for their work.

The CPJ says a police spokesperson Jeylan Abdi had told them that contacting a group designated as a terrorist group was a crime under the country’s anti-terror law and not an act of journalism.

Several journalists have been detained under the state of emergency laws.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

The Nigerian government has approved a 20% salary increase for police officers.

President Muhammadu Buhari had promised a pay increase in the wake of mass protests, known as the #EndSars, against police brutality last year.

Police Affairs Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the salary increase was part of measures to discourage officers from taking bribes and extorting citizens.

He said this was also to "improve the relationship between the public and the police".

The increase will take effect from January 2022, he added.

A salary tax waiver for junior police personnel has also been approved with retrospective effect from October this year.

The #EndSars protests were sparked by widespread allegations of police brutality including extortion, torture and extra-judicial killings especially by members of the police's Special Anti-robbery Squad unit known as Sars.

The unit was disbanded in the wake of the protests and various panels of inquiry have been set up in several states to investigate human rights violations by the security forces - before and during the protests.

Campaigners however say that more than one year on, officers implicated in abuses have yet to be held to account.

Read more:

• Nigeria’s #EndSars protests: What happened next
• 'My bank account was frozen because I took on the police'

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Somalia's former deputy prime minister has been arrested in the self-declared Republic of Somaliland.

Mohamed Omar Arte Qalib was arrested at Hargeisa airport and no reason was given.

Mr Qalib had been in the city for the past few months.

The former deputy premier had been pardoned by Somaliland President Muse Bihi in October 2020 for opposing Somaliland's independence.

He resigned as a member of Somalia's parliament in order to be able to visit his ailing father, who later died in Hargeisa.

President Bihi recently issued an order banning people in the region from participating in the political activities of the Somali government, and warned that those who dare do so would not be pardoned.

Image source, Getty Images

Twenty-four rhinos have been killed in South Africa in about two weeks, the environment ministry has confirmed.

It says seven carcasses were found at Kruger National Park, another seven in Mpumalanga province, six in KwaZulu-Natal and four in Western Cape.

The ministry has condemned the continued poaching of rhinos for their horns, saying nine suspected poachers have been arrested in the first 14 days of December.

It has encouraged the public to assist with any information that could lead to the arrest and prosecution of poachers.

South Africa is home to nearly 80% of Africa’s rhino population, which stands at less than 30,000.

Hundreds are killed every year for their horns - most of which are destined for Asia where rhino horn is an ingredient in medicine and herbal remedies.

The environment department says it will give an update on the total number of rhinos killed for their horns in 2021 early in 2022.

The announcement was shared on Twitter:

Our African proverb for today:

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We can learn some things from what's happening in South Africa, but there are also uncertainties.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced some city dwellers to move back to the countryside to survive.

Malawi have to "improve on their shortcomings" to make an impact at the Africa Cup of Nations, says head of technical panel Mario Marinica.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now. We'll be back on Thursday morning.

Until then there will be an automated service and you can find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our podcast Africa Today.

Our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this image of a boy running through the streets of Mozambique's capital, Maputo.

Peter Jegwa
Lilongwe, Malawi

Malawi's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested a prominent business person, Abdul Karim Batatawala, and a top immigration official, Fletcher Nyirenda, on corruption charges.

The body accuses the two of involvement in Mr Batatawala being awarded an irregular government contract in which the country lost 4.7 billion Malawi Kwacha ($5.7m; £4.3m)

The two deny wrongdoing.

In the lead up to aborted 2019 presidential elections, Mr Batatawala made headlines when he deposited money directly into the then governing Democratic Progressive Party's bank account, which had just been opened with the ex-president, Peter Mutharika, as the sole signatory.

The cash was returned following a public outcry, although questions remained as to why a businessman who regularly secured government tenders was donating to the governing party.

Malawi's new President, Lazarus Chakwera, has made fighting corruption one of his government's priorities.

The arrests today are being hailed by his supporters as a fulfilment of those campaign promises.

Image source, AFP

South Africa's hospitality industry is "thrilled" to have been removed from the UK red list.

The restriction had a negative impact on the sector, the national chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa told the BBC's Newsday programme.

The industry was now looking forward to "capitalise on the rest of the summer market", said Rosemary Anderson.

She was responding to the news that the UK government had scrapped the red list system - effectively a travel ban - imposed last month on 11 countries as a precaution against the Omicron coronavirus variant:

Azeezat Olaoluwa
Women’s affairs reporter, BBC News, Lagos

Authorities in Guinea must investigate the increasing numbers of rape, sexual assault and murders, and bring the perpetrators to justice, Amnesty International says.

In a joint press release, Amnesty International and International Planned Parenthood Federation expressed concern about the lack of convictions. Organisations working with vulnerable people have recorded 331 rape incidents since the beginning of the year but cases could be higher. The groups are worried that the stigma associated with rape leaves many cases unreported. This makes women and girls more vulnerable. One Guinean woman told BBC News she was frightened about her safety and was now more conscious about what she wore.

She also fears sending her 12-year-old daughter out to shop around her neighbourhood alone. Getting noticed by a boy is a source of constant fear, another said.

She no longer trusts anyone and has had to limit her movements at night.

Samira Daoud of Amnesty International wants the government to strengthen efforts to end the high rate of sexual violence in the country.

Last month, the death of a 25-year-old woman who was allegedly raped by doctors at an unlicensed clinic on two separate occasions led to protests.

The suspects have been arrested.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Ethiopia has accused the United Nations' human rights commission, Unesco and the World Health Organization (WHO) of overlooking destruction in areas in the northern parts of the country, that were recently recaptured by the army and allied forces from Tigray rebels.

It said the UN agencies were silent about alleged abuses and the destruction of schools and health facilities.

Thousands of health facilities have been destroyed, Deputy Communication Minister Kebede Desissa told journalists in Addis Ababa on Wednesday.

The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the allegations and the UN has not yet reacted to the accusations.

Addis Ababa’s relations with the UN have been fraught since the beginning of the conflict in November last year, which started in the country's northern region of Tigray.

The war has unleashed a massive humanitarian crisis, and as fighting expanded to the neighbouring regions of Afar and Amhara, so has the tragedy and destruction.

Read more: Ethiopia’s Tigray war: The short, medium and long story - BBC News

Image source, BBC News

Ugandan medical workers who were arrested while marching to parliament to demand better pay and working conditions have been released on police bond.The group of 27 senior and intern health workers had been taken to the Central Police station following their arrest in the capital Kampala.

The marchers had initially decided to sit down in the street when police stopped them.Both senior and intern doctors in the country are on strike.The medical workers' strike started early last month, but escalated this week, following an order from the health ministry that all striking intern doctors should vacate their bases at public health facilities within a week.

The ministry also threatened the interns that if they did not complete their rotation, they would not get their practicing licences.

The strike has now been joined by pharmacists, nurses and other trainee medical workers.The in-coming group of interns have also announced that they will not start their training unless their senior colleagues' demands are met.The medical interns and senior house officers - those training to become specialists - form the bulk of the healthcare staff in the country.

The interns are paid 750,000 Ugandan Shilling (£160; $210) per month during their placement.

BBC World Service
The Newsroom

The US State Department says it's alarmed by reports that Russian mercenaries from the Wagner Group could be deployed to Mali to help fight a jihadist insurgency.

The Moscow-backed group is under US and EU sanctions for destabilising activities and rights abuses in Ukraine, Libya, Syria and the Central African Republic.

A State Department spokesman said countries that experience Wagner Group deployments soon find themselves poorer, weaker and less secure.

Mali is considering buying in Russian mercenaries in preference to additional UN peacekeepers or French troops who currently assist the Malian armed forces.