1. Fifa committees for Chad and Guinea FAspublished at 12:15 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    World governing body Fifa appoints normalisation committees to run the football associations in Chad and Guinea.

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  2. China-Africa conference opens in Dakarpublished at 12:07 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Nicolas Negoce
    BBC News, Dakar

    Hundreds of delegates are attending the two-day event
    Image caption,

    Hundreds of delegates are attending the two-day event

    The three-day triennial Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (Focac) conference has officially opened in Senegal's capital, Dakar.

    Delegates from the continent and China are in attendance as well as hundreds of participants.

    The gathering comes amid biting economic and social challenges on the continent fuelled by the Covid pandemic and climate change.

    Ministers and representatives of African countries and China are due to chart a joint response to deal with Covid-19 and unveil other plans that would guide the relationship for the next three years and beyond.

    A communique will be released on Tuesday.

    China's President Xi Jinping is expected to address the delegates via video link, but a high-profile delegation led by China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in Dakar.

    Ahead of the conference, Senegal's President Macky Sall praised China, saying its economic success offered lessons and hope to African countries which have "had similar historical experiences".

  3. Botswana court upholds ruling decriminalising gay sexpublished at 11:03 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Activists wearing rainbows mask inside the Botswana High Court in Gaborone on November 29, 2021 embrace as they celebrate after the Botswana Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by the government of Botswana against the Botswana High Court ruling of decriminalising homosexuality.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The ruling effectively struck off two sections of the penal code that had outlawed homosexuality

    Botswana's Appeal Court has upheld a 2019 landmark ruling decriminalising gay sex in the country.

    A five-judge bench unanimously ruled that the criminalisation of same-sex relationships violated the constitutional rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.

    In 2019, the high court had rejected as unconstitutional laws that imposed up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, saying that human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalised.

    But the state appealed against the decision, arguing that the penal code outlawed gay sex. It also said that majority of citizens did not agree with the 2019 judgement.

    Monday's ruling effectively struck off two sections of the penal code that had outlawed homosexuality.

    "Those sections have outlived their usefulness, and serve only to incentivise law enforcement agents to become key-hole peepers and intruders into the private space of citizens," said Appeal judge president Ian Kirby, who read the ruling.

    Laws outlawing same sex relations exist in majority of the 54 African countries.

  4. Pistorius to meet victim Reeva Steenkamp's parentspublished at 09:51 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Oscar PistoriusImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The meeting is part of a process that could lead to his eventual release

    The jailed ex-Paralympic athlete Oscar Pistorius is due to meet the parents of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, who he was convicted of murdering in 2013.

    The meeting is part of a process that could lead to the 35-year-old's eventual release on parole.

    The South African has been moved to a different prison nearer to where Mr and Mrs Steenkamp live, officials said.

    Pistorius is up for possible release after having served half his 13 years and five month sentence.

    But he first must participate in what is called "restorative justice".

    Read more: Oscar Pistorius set to meet victim Reeva Steenkamp's parents

  5. Poisonous turtle meat kills seven in Zanzibarpublished at 09:32 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    A turtleImage source, Getty Images

    Seven people have died and dozens more are in hospital after eating poisonous turtle meat in Tanzania's semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar.

    Zanzibar's President Hussein Mwinyi sent condolences to the families of the deceased, in a message shared on Twitter, external.

    Some 24 others were admitted to hospital in Pemba after the incident.

    Turtle meat is a common delicacy among locals living along the coastal areas of the Indian Ocean.

    It is believed that this particular one consumed was from a poisonous species.

    Pemba police boss Juma Sadi has banned the consumption of turtle meat following the incident.

  6. Staff suspended as grasshoppers sold on Ugandan flightpublished at 09:16 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Uganda's national carrier has banned the sale of a local grasshopper delicacy onboard a flight after an incident over the weekend.

    Uganda Airlines said the sale of the delicacy, locally known as Nsenene, contravened the "spirit of the national carrier".

    The airline said the incident exposed some passengers to "unruly market experience on their flight".

    Local media report that some airline employees have been suspended over the incident.

    A video was shared online showing a man hawking the grasshoppers:

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    The airline says it understood that the excitement on board was because the grasshoppers were not in plenty this season and was considering "adding the delicacy to its menu on request".

    "This move will boost tourism marketing and the livelihood of the people in the grasshopper value chain going forward," said the airline.

  7. I can win Yashin award - Mendypublished at 09:11 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Chelsea and Senegal Edouard Mendy is confident he can win the Lev Yashin Trophy for Europe's best goalkeeper.

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  8. Zambia to impose restrictions on unvaccinated peoplepublished at 08:10 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    A woman at a market store in ZambiaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Zambia has announced heightened measures against Covid in public places

    Zambia will from Tuesday start restricting people who have not been vaccinated against Covid from accessing government buildings.

    It will also require civil servants to show proof of vaccination in order to be admitted to work, although this will be done in consultation with the unions.

    The new measures were announced on Sunday during a joint update on the Covid situation in the country.

    Health Minister Sylvia Masebo announced a raft of new measures, including a requirement for all visitors coming from high-risk countries to be quarantined for 10 days at their own cost.

    She also announced heightened surveillance including at border points, markets and in public transport.

    She said the country was rolling out a nationwide vaccination campaign targeting at least two million people by Christmas day.

    It comes amid a looming fourth wave of coronavirus infections and after the recent discovery of a new Covid variant cases in neighbouring countries.

  9. Skepta's manager 'once afraid of the music industry'published at 06:45 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Music entrepreneur Grace Ladoja on working with Skepta and building her own festival in Nigeria.

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  10. Ethiopia denies killing Sudanese soldierspublished at 06:16 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    BBC Monitoring
    The world through its media

    The Ethiopian army chief has denied accusations that government forces killed Sudanese soldiers at the border between the two countries, the US-based pro-Ethiopian government ESAT TV reported.

    Gen Birhanu Jula said there was no reason to attack Sudan and that the country was "not in a position" to carry out such attacks as it was fighting the rebels from the northern Tigray region.

    The two countries have been having a border dispute and ongoing disagreements over the shared waters of the Nile River.

    The army chief said he hoped the issues could be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

    Sudanese media had claimed that Ethiopian forces killed dozens of Sudanese soldiers in the disputed al-Fashaga border area, where the north-west of Ethiopia's Amhara region meets Sudan's breadbasket Gedaref state.

    Read more: Why Ethiopia and Sudan have fallen out over al-Fashaga

  11. At least 22 killed in attack on DR Congo camppublished at 05:33 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    A woman walks near the Loda IDP camp, near Fataki, in Ituri province, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo on September 16, 2020.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Many people have been displaced by violence in eastern DR Congo

    At least 22 people have been killed in an attack in a camp for displaced people in Ituri province in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

    The attack has been blamed on the armed group Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (Codeco) who are said to have opened fire on the camp.

    Twenty people were buried immediately in two common graves, while another two were buried later, the AFP news agency quoted a Red Cross official as saying.

    An attack on the same camp last week killed 29 people.

    Ituri and neighbouring North Kivu province were put under a state of siege on 7 May - for the authorities to tackle insecurity in the area caused by armed groups including Codeco and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

    As part of the siege, military officials replaced civilian officials who were in charge of the area’s administration.

  12. Rwanda suspends flights to southern Africa statespublished at 04:51 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    A medical worker injects a second dose of Astra Zeneca vaccine to a patient in a Covid-19 (coronavirus) vaccination centre in Kigali, on 27 May, 2021.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Rwanda has introduced restrictions for travellers from southern African countries

    The government in Rwanda has announced new measures that include the suspension of flights to and from southern African countries.

    All arriving passengers must have a negative test and do a repeat test on arrival and seven days after arriving into the country.

    A seven-day quarantine has also been reintroduced for travellers coming from countries recently affected by the new waves.

    All those attending gatherings like weddings and funerals must be fully vaccinated.

    Following the government directives on travel, the national carrier Rwandair has halted services to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Zambia:

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    Rwanda is the latest country to impose a travel ban to South Africa after a new coronavirus variant Omicron was detected in the country.

    South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa said he was "deeply disappointed" by the bans against his country and neighbouring states where the variant has been detected.

  13. Monday's wise wordspublished at 04:46 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Our African proverb of the day:

    Quote Message

    You do not give a squatting frog a stool."

    A Twi proverb sent by Kojo Ayew in Mampong Akuapem, Ghana.

    A frog

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

  14. 'Hurry he's escaping' - civilians hunt rebels in Ethiopiapublished at 00:30 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Ethiopians tell the BBC they are willing to give up their lives to defend their country against rebels.

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  15. The ex-president and DR Congo's missing millionspublished at 00:16 Greenwich Mean Time 29 November 2021

    Millions of dollars of public funds went through bank accounts of ex-President Joseph Kabila's allies, BBC Africa Eye reveals.

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  16. South Africa's president 'deeply disappointed'published at 23:16 Greenwich Mean Time 28 November 2021

    South Africa's president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

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  17. Fire-eaters and dancers at Dakar cultural carnivalpublished at 13:24 Greenwich Mean Time 28 November 2021

    The three-day event is a celebration of Senegalese culture and features an elaborate parade.

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  18. Omicron symptoms mild so far - South African doctorpublished at 11:13 Greenwich Mean Time 28 November 2021

    The South African doctor who found the new variant says patients are showing very mild symptoms so far.

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  19. Israel to ban foreigners from entering over Covidpublished at 11:09 Greenwich Mean Time 28 November 2021

    Travellers from all countries will be banned from entering Israel for 14 days, local media report.

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