A South African news site has tweeted that Cyclone Kenneth has weakened to a tropical depression and winds are dying down, but heavy rains are forecast for the next four days in north-eastern Mozambique.

Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC Africa, Khartoum

Image source, EPA

Protest leaders in Sudan have told the BBC they are close to reaching an agreement with the country’s military to hand over power to a civilian government.

Thousands of people came out on the streets of the capital, Khartoum, on Thursday to push for democratic change in Sudan.

Sudan has experienced a political crisis since Omar al-Bashir was deposed in a coup after three decades in power.

Read: Why Omar al-Bashir was overthrown

Image source, Getty Images

All marine transport between mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar island has been stopped because of fears that Cyclone Kenneth could cause widespread destruction, Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) deputy director Ramadhan Hussein has told BBC Swahili.

The directive had been issued to avoid the loss of lives and ship and ferry services would resume when the maritime authority feels the cyclone no longer poses a threat, he said.

Fishermen have also been ordered to stop going to sea until the cyclone has passed, Mr Hussein added.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

The UN refugee agency says it is increasingly concerned about the safety of migrants and refugees in Libya after gunfire at a detention centre on the outskirts of the capital, Tripoli.

Unverified footage shows detainees trying to take cover as repeated shots are being fired. There are unconfirmed reports they had been protesting about living conditions.

The centre is in an area occupied by forces loyal to General KhalifarHafta, the military leader from eastern Libya who launched an offensive on Tripoli - the base of the internationally recognised government - three weeks ago.

More than 250 people have been killed during fighting.

Read: Why is Libya so lawless?

Image source, Reuters

Cyclone Kenneth has made landfall in northern Mozambique, a country still recovering from another huge storm.

The cyclone has brought 220km/h (140mph) winds and has already killed three people on the island nation of Comoros.

Mozambique's National Institute of Disaster Management (INGC) said 30,000 people had been evacuated from areas likely to be hit.

Last month, Cyclone Idai caused hundreds of deaths in the region.

Read the full BBC story here

Robert Misigaro
BBC Great Lakes

Image source, Getty Images

Burundian international midfielder Papy Faty has died of suspected heart failure at the age of 28 after collapsing during a match in Piggs Peak town in north-western eSwatini.

He was playing for local team Melanti Chiefs against Green Mamba when he collapsed after only about 15 minutes on the pitch.

He was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead, football news site KickOff reports, external.

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South African Babalwa is intersex.

She says it makes her genetically male, but physically female. She and her partner Thando spoke to BBC Africa's health programme Life Clinic about why that makes her a '"nicorn".

Babalwa says that by coming out and talking about being intersex, she wants to help others in the same position to feel confident and inspired to talk too.

Take a look:

Weather service Accuweather says that Cyclone Kenneth has now made landfall in northern Mozambique. For those caught in the storm, it could bring life-threatening conditions.

This map shows the cyclone's predicted path:

Image source, .

The authorities in the southern Tanzanian town of Mtwara have said residents can return to their homes as the prospect of the place being in the path of Cyclone Kenneth has lessened.

Regional Commissioner Gelasius Byakanwa has said that he does not anticipate a major catastrophe as a result of the cyclone.

He told the press that a Regional Safety and Security Committee met and reviewed the conditions. He promised to issue an alert warning in case there is any change in intensity.

"We were informed that by 15:00 local time (12:00 GMT) that the wind was supposed to move at speeds of 140km/h (87mph) but after monitoring with our equipment we have observed that it is moving at 50km/h.

"The dark and heavy clouds have also cleared. And the rains have passed. That has informed [our decision] to allow the residents to go back home and carry on with their daily activities."

It appears that the predicted path of the cyclone may have shifted more to northern Mozambique.

Senegal and Liverpool striker Sadio Mane has been included in the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Team of the Year 2018-19.

The 11 were voted for by members of the PFA, which is the players' union.

All the named players, except Manchester United's Paul Pogba, play for either Manchester City or Liverpool, which are the two teams vying for the Premier League title.

This has been Sadio Mane's best Premier League season for goals scored (18) and goal involvements (19).

Image source, Getty Images

Read more from BBC Sport.

Image source, AFP

Protesters in Sudan are showing their defiance as they continue to put pressure on the military council that is currently governing the country, the BBC's Mohanad Hashim has told Focus on Africa.

They have been gathering in the capital, Khartoum, for what has been dubbed a "million-strong march for civilian rule".

Popular protests helped unseat long-time President Omar al-Bashir and demonstrators now want the generals to hand over power.

"We are in the middle of a historic moment," one protester told our reporter.

"The military council is wasting time... We can wait for 100 years to get what we want," said another.

Image source, AFP

Jose Tembe
BBC Africa, Maputo

In Mozambique, 10 people have been found guilty of carrying out armed attacks in the north of the country and sentenced to 40 years in prison.

A number of other defendants received shorter sentences for lesser offences but most of the dozens of other defendants were found not guilty because of a lack of evidence.

These are the first verdicts in trials relating to the recent spate of violence in the north.

Militants have been carrying out beheadings and attacks on villages and defence targets in some districts of Cabo Delgado since October 2017.

Known locally as al-Shabab, the group was formed in 2015 as a religious organisation and has no known links to the Somali jihadist group of the same name.

It is thought early members of the group were followers of a radical Kenyan preacher who was killed in 2012.

Read more:

• How Mozambique’s smuggling barons nurtured jihadists
• South African on terror charges 'dies in Mozambique'

Image source, AFP

People are gathering in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, for what has been dubbed "the million-strong march for civilian rule", pictures from the AFP news agency show.

Organisers hope to maintain pressure on the Transitional Military Council to hand over to a civilian administration.

Earlier, thousands of protesters have arrived by train from various cities to take part in the event.

Image source, AFP

Since the last forecast, BBC Weather has said that there has been a slight weakening in the wind speeds generated by Cyclone Kenneth.

The sustained wind speed is thought to be 204km/h (127mph), but there could be gusts of up to 285km/h.

The cyclone should make landfall in the next few hours on the north coast of Mozambique some 100-150km (60-90 miles) north of the city of Pemba. It is expected that it will bring "catastrophic flooding", BBC Weather says.

The BBC's Nasidi Yahaya has been giving us more details on the story that a Chinese businessman in Kano, northern Nigeria, has been given a traditional title.

Earlier, Mike Zhang was appointed as "Wakilin 'Yan China" or "leader of the Chinese community", by the Emir of Kano.

Our reporters says that with this appointment, Mr Zhang will be expected to attend meetings at the Emir's palace and may wish to take part in the traditional horse riding festival, known as a durbar, along with his entourage during Eid festivals.

The Kano Emirate said the appointment followed "an increase in the number of Chinese businessmen who engage in different forms of businesses without a unified leadership structure".

One member of the Kano Emirate told the BBC that "the emirate needs a liaison officer to solve conflicts that emanate from business transactions between Chinese and Kano traders".

Mozambique prepares again for catastrophic impacts as Cyclone Kenneth makes landfall late on Thursday.

Extreme winds, torrential rain and a storm surge expected.

Nick Miller reports

Peter Wakaba
BBC Business, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

Work to resolve a crippling power shortage on East and Central Africa’s only electric standard gauge railway may soon start in earnest following the signing of a $1.8bn (£1.4bn) deal between China and Ethiopia.

In a tweet, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office said China had agreed to invest the money to improve power on the line between Ethiopia and Djibouti, and to boost electricity supply to Ethiopian cities and up to 16 industrial parks.

The deal was reached on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Initiative Forum, which Mr Abiy and a string of other leaders are attending in China's capital, Beijing.

The signing of the deal came almost immediately after an announcement that China had offered Ethiopia a reprieve on some of the debt it had accrued to the end of 2018.

The scope of the reprieve remains unclear, with Mr Abiy's office sending out conflicting messages on Wednesday.

Data from the China-Africa Research Initiative shows Ethiopia owes Beijing $13.73bn.

Ethiopia is not the first country in Africa to have its Chinese loan burden lifted. Earlier this year, China "forgave" $78m owed by Cameroon.

Read: The woman bringing Mandarin to Uganda