Our African proverb of the day:

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A minister has written a letter to the former boxer, who has invested in a cannabis farm in the US.

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

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.

A reminder of our African proverb of the day:

And we leave you with this picture of a resident of Mozambique's southern city of Xai Xai.

Prince William has said population growth in Africa is having negative effects on wildlife on the continent, the UK's Times newspaper reports.

“The increasing pressure on Africa’s wildlife and wild spaces as a result of human population presents a huge challenge for conservationists, as it does the world over," William said in a speech at a conservation awards ceremony on Monday.

Africa's population is estimated to double to 2.5 billion by 2050.

The prince has been accused of hypocrisy for criticising population growth while expecting his third child.

Other commentators have called his comments offensive.

Image source, Getty Images

The UK has suspended Covid-19 rules for travellers from Ethiopia to allow British citizens to leave the country as the war between the government and northern Tigray rebels and their allies intensifies.

“In the coming days we may see the fighting move closer to Addis Ababa, which could severely limit options for British nationals to leave Ethiopia," Vicky Ford, the Minister for Africa, said in a statement.

She added that citizens must leave "immediately" and announced the UK government was offering financial help to assist those who want to leave.

“Those who choose not to leave now should make preparations to shelter in a place of safety over the coming weeks. We cannot guarantee there will be options to leave Ethiopia in the future," she added.

Efforts to get the warring sides to agree to a ceasefire have not succeeded so far.

Ethiopia Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on Monday that he would go to the front line, leaving Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen in charge of running state affairs.

Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The son of Libya’s late leader Muammar Gaddafi has been excluded from running in the 24 December presidential elections.

The electoral commission rejected the candidacy of several applicants including Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, citing "legal reasons", local media reported.

Mr Gaddafi had sparked controversy after he announced he would run for president.

He is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and murder committed when his father ruled the North African country.

The application of strongman Khalfa Haftar has also caused a stir in the country as he is facing criminal charges in US courts, but it is unclear if he's among those whose application have been rejected.

Libyan military prosecutors had asked the electoral commission to stop processing the candidacy paperwork of both Mr Gaddafi and Mr Haftar until they answer questions over the accusations.

Sixty people submitted applications to run for president of Libya by Monday's deadline.

Women's rights activist Leila Ben Khalifa, 46, is the only female aspirant.

British-Ghanaian poet Dzifa Benson has won the UK's leading poetry prize, the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship.

The prize was set up to recognise and give a platform to the next generation of British poets – whose writers reflects what it means to live and work in Britain today.

Born to Ghanaian parents in London, Dzifa grew up in Ghana, Nigeria and Togo and now lives in London.

She told the BBC it was encouraging to have her work acknowledged.

"It kind of inspires you and makes you want to do better," she said.

She plans to take a break and finish writing her poetry book and visit her mother in Ghana.

"The $33,000 (£15,000) will allow me to take my feet off the gas a bit and have a few weeks of relaxation or a few weeks where I can at least focus on my own writing rather than writing to earn a living," she said.

Here is her full interview with BBC Focus on Africa radio:

Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News

The Defence Minister of Israel Benny Gantz has arrived in Rabat for a historic visit to Morocco amid high tension with neighbouring Alegria.

It is the first formal visit by an Israeli defence minister to the country and it comes a year after the two countries resumed their diplomatic relations.

Morocco established links with Israel in the 1990s but suspended relations following the second Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation in the 2000s.

In 2020 Rabat joined the Abraham Accords with some other Arab countries to normalise relations with Israel in a deal brokered by former US President Donald Trump.

Mr Gantz tweeted a picture of him meeting his Morocco counterpart Abd al-Latif Lodi.

Mr Gantz's visit comes weeks after Algeria cut off diplomatic relations with its neighbour, accusing Rabat of "hostile acts" including using Israeli technology to spy on Algerian political and military officials.

Algeria accuses Morocco of killing three Algerian lorry drivers in a drone attack carried out in the disputed Western Sahara territory. They had been on their way to deliver goods to Mauritania.

On 29 September the Israeli oil company Ratio Petroleum announced it had signed a partnership agreement with Rabat to explore offshore oil and gas in the Dakhla region off Western Sahara.

Spying software Pegasus, developed by private Israeli company NSO, has reportedly been used by the authorities in Morocco.

Rhinos at Longleat are playing a role in helping to save the northern white rhino subspecies.

Image source, Getty Images

Bayern Munich and Cameroon footballer Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting has tested positive for coronavirus.

The 32-year-old forward missed the German club's Champions League win over Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday and is self-isolating at home.

Choupo-Moting has scored eight goals in 12 appearances for his club this season, and last week he helped Cameroon qualify for Africa's 2022 World Cup play-offs.

A statement on the Bayern website said the player was "doing well under the circumstances".

Grace Kuria
BBC News

Image source, AFP

A 19-year-old rule that banned pregnant students from attending school in Tanzania is to be scrapped, a minister says.

Education Minister Prof Joyce Ndalichako said on Wednesday that primary and secondary school students who drop out of school due to various reasons, including pregnancy, will now be allowed to return to the formal school system.

The government had set up a parallel education system for pregnant schoolgirls with officials saying this would protect other students from "bad influence".

The late Tanzania President John Pombe Magufuli reinforced the law initially passed in 2002 which allowed for the expulsion of pregnant schoolgirls.

The law said the girls could be expelled and excluded from school for "offences against morality" and "wedlock".

Women's rights groups had long urged the government to change the law.

Magufuli warned that "after getting pregnant, you are done".

He also announced that men who impregnate schoolgirls should be imprisoned for 30 years.

Prof Ndalichako said she would give more information about the way forward.

How can the "voice" of African diaspora help build relations between Germany and Africa?

Image source, Getty Images

The US embassy in Ethiopia has warned of a possible terror attack, external in the capital, Addis Ababa, and other parts of the country.

The embassy listed possible targets as "diplomatic facilities, tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, western businesses, restaurants, resorts, local government facilities and other public areas”.

It urged Americans to be vigilant and avoid crowded places and areas frequented by foreigners.

The terror alert is likely to anger Ethiopian authorities, who recently assured foreign diplomats that Addis Ababa is "safe".

The US is among countries that have urged their citizens to leave Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency earlier this month as rebels from the northern Tigray region took control of more territory as its fighters advanced south, closer to the capital.

Read:

Ethiopia escalation prompts foreign exodus call

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

The police in Nigeria’s north-west Zamfara state say they have rescued 24 people, including some students and travellers, who were kidnapped from different parts of the state.

Commissioner Ayuba Elkanah said that some of the victims spent more than 60 days in captivity before they were freed.

He added that they were rescued unconditionally.

Among the victims were four students of Government Day Secondary School in Birnin Yero who were abducted while writing their exams and a student of Federal Polytechnic Kaura Namoda.

Zamfara is regarded as one of the hotbeds of kidnapping for ransom and other criminal activities in the north-west region, this is despite reported increase in security crackdowns against armed gangs, known locally as bandits.

More than 1,000 students have been kidnapped from schools and colleges in the region since December last year - many of them were later freed after their relatives reportedly paid ransom.

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromo

Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde has denied a report by a Paris-based magazine, alleging she had disagreements with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over the year-long war that began in the northern Tigray region but has since spread to other parts of the country.

The Africa Report claimed the seasoned diplomat "neither approves nor supports Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s warmongering policy".

Ms Sahle-Work said in her statement on Tuesday night that she had never met the story's author Francois Soudan, Editor-in-Chief of Jeune Afrique (the French version of the magazine).

"I don’t think it’s a coincident the story is out today. This is an attempt to show there is disagreements among leaders," she added.

On Monday Mr Abiy said he would go to the frontline to fight the Tigray rebels.

"Like many, I'm heartbroken. Fighting a civil war is particularly tragic," said Ms Sahle-Work, whose role as head of state is largely ceremonial.

"It is up to us Ethiopians to find the way to resolve the conflict in our country. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has issued directives as leader of government, and we all engaged in putting our knowledge and skills to bear to follow the path that has been set."

In past comments Ms Sahle-Work has said the government was keen to solve the conflict peacefully while hinting that the government had been provoked into war with Tigray rebels.

The African Union has been leading efforts for warring sides to agree to a ceasefire, but there has been little progress.

Police in Uganda have removed bags abandoned on a street in the capital Kampala after they caused a bomb scare in the city.

A local news site has shared pictures of the police operation.

Residents have been on high alert since last week's suicide attacks that killed four people.

More than 30 others were injured in the attack, which officials have blamed on the Allied Defence Forces (ADF), which has formed links with the so-called Islamic State militant group.

Read more: Inside view of the IS-linked ADF rebels

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The Sudanese prime minister has announced a review of all appointments that were made during his detention following last month's coup.

Abdalla Hamdok who was reinstated to his post on Sunday also ordered an end to the dismissals of officials.

When the country's military chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, carried out the coup he dissolved all the country's institutions and sacked many officials including the heads of state media, public companies and banks.

The prime minister is still without a government after being reinstalled in a controversial deal with General Burhan.

State media earlier quoted Mr Hamdok as saying investigations would be carried out into recent violations against protesters.

Many Sudanese have demanded an end to military interference in the running of the country and want civilians in charge.

The United Nations has declared 7 July each year as the world’s official day to celebrate the Swahili language.

The announcement was made on Tuesday, external at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) headquarters in France.

It is the first African language to be recognised by the UN and have its own day of celebration, according to Unesco.

Swahili is also the only African language to have been officially recognised by the African Union.

Swahili, is widely spoken across East Africa, and in parts of central and southern African countries.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Media and journalism professional bodies in Burkina Faso have issued a joint statement condemning the “sudden and unjustified” disruption to internet services.

The disruption followed government's decision to cut mobile internet connection for 96 hours, citing security and national defence grounds.

But the professional groups said the situation was inconveniencing the people and was in "violation of the public’s right to information and the freedom of speech".

The statement also criticised the government’s initial silence about the “blackout” and demanded its immediate reversal.

Mobile internet will be restored at 20:00 GMT on Wednesday, according to a government directive.

The cut to mobile internet services came amid anti-French demonstrations and growing political unrest in the country over insecurity.

Image source, AFP

Sudan has launched investigations into violations against protesters since the 25 October military coup, reinstated Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok says.

Mr Hamdok said this on Tuesday after meeting members of the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), the former ruling civilian coalition that has been opposing military rule.

State-owned Sudan News Agency (Suna) reported that the coalition was now backing Mr Hamdok's deal with the military after the talks in Khartoum.

The coalition had previously said it was not recognising any political agreement with the military leadership following the reinstatement of Mr Hamdok.

On Tuesday, the PM and the group called for political prisoners to be released and for the military to respect the rights to hold peaceful protests.

The military takeover last month triggered protests, and more than 40 people have reportedly since been killed during demonstrations.