The Trump administration's opposition to abortion has led to the watering-down of a UN resolution on ending sexual violence in war.

The US removed all references to sexual and reproductive health.

The Security Council resolution, submitted by Germany, dropped all such references. The US, along with China and Russia, had threatened to veto it.

The Trump administration opposed a phrase on the grounds that it implies support for abortion.

The amended resolution passed 13-0, with Russia and China abstaining.

Read the full story here

Algeria's interim President Abdelkader Bensalah has sacked the head of the country's biggest oil company, Sonatrach, state media has announced.

Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour is the latest high profile businessman to be caught up in the investigations that have followed the resignation of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Image source, Getty Images

Earlier, police confirmed that they had arrested Issad Rebrab, Algeria's richest businessman, on suspicion of having made false statements concerning the transfer of funds.

His detention, along with four other billionaires, comes after the head of the military, Ahmed Gaid Salah, called on prosecutors to "accelerate the pace" of corruption investigations into those with ties to Mr Bouteflika's inner circle.

Read: Youth lead the movement for change

Two Canadian women sentenced to 40 lashes each in the breakaway republic of Somaliland after being convicted of consuming alcohol have been released from prison, Canadian media reports.

The government's Global Affairs Canada department is quoted as saying that it is aware of their release and is providing them with consular assistance.

Maymona Abdi, 28, and Karima Watts, 23, were detained more than three months ago after police entered a house in Somaliland's capital, Hargeisa.

They were sentenced to two-and-a-half months in prison and 40 lashes each after being convicted of drinking alcohol, which is forbidden in Somaliland. The women denied the charge, external, Canada's The Globe and Mail newspaper reported.

Somaliland human rights lawyer Guleid Ahmed Jama told the newspaper that the women had been released, without being lashed.

The prosecution had also dropped its appeal for a harsher sentence, he was quoted as saying.

A radio station in Somalia has tweeted a photo of the women:

Our African proverb of the day:

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Welcome back to BBC Africa Live where we will bring you the latest news and trends from around the continent.

BBC Africa Live
Ashley Lime

That's all from BBC Africa Live for today, but you can keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

A reminder of Tuesday's wise words:

And we leave you with this image taken by photographer Yagazie Emezi in Lagos during the Easter weekend:

The head of the Transitional Military Council of Sudan has told the BBC he will not allow his troops to use force against protesters calling for a civilian government.

The comments from General Abdul Fatah al-Burhan come a day after the military ordered protesters to dismantle their barricades on roads leading to army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

Talks between protesters and the military have broken down.

The BBC’s Mohanad Hashim, who grew up in Sudan, has been spending time at the protest headquarters.

Video producer: Joe Inwood.

BBC World Service

Police in Uganda say they have placed the opposition politician Bobi Wine under "preventative arrest" in his house in the capital, Kampala.

A police spokesman said the singer planned to disrupt public order and officers would stay put outside his home until further notice.

The MP, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, was taken into police custody on Monday when one of his concerts was cancelled and his supporters teargassed.

He said he was "under siege" but urged his supporters to exercise their right to demonstrate.

Bobi Wine has vowed to continue his campaign until President Yoweri Museveni is out of office.

He has been posting updates to his social pages, including this musical performance:

Thomas Naadi
BBC Africa, Accra

Shisha bars in Ghana will now face tougher sentences if they fail to meet health and safety requirements.

Smoking shisha, or hubbly bubbly as some people call it, has become increasingly popular among the youth in the country.

But there is a common misconception that shisha is less harmful than cigarettes.

The World Health Organization disagrees, as does Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).

The national body says operators can now expect minimum jail term of three years and a $4,000 (£3,000) fine if they fail to register the product or display visible warnings on the dangers of smoking it.

Image source, AFP

Mudslides and flooding caused by torrential rain have killed 32 people in Durban and the wider KwaZulu-Natal province, officials say, with the death toll expected to rise.

Among those killed was a six-month-old baby.

Dozens of people have been taken to hospital and search and rescue teams are looking for more survivors under the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Local roads have flooded, sewers have been blocked and electricity pylons brought down. Road safety campaigners Arrive Alive shared these photos of affected areas earlier today when the death count was lower:

The BBC's Nomsa Maseko in Johannesburg says two universities and a number of schools are shut after the storms hit on Monday evening.

A severe weather warning remains in place in most parts of South Africa. Meanwhile, more localised flooding is expected in coastal areas.

Last week, heavy rains were blamed for the collapse of a church wall in KwaZulu-Natal, which killed at least 13 people.

Ade Daramy
Letter from Africa, The Gambia

I had little idea that my Letter from Africa on the hundreds, possibly thousands, of nameless streets in The Gambia would cause such interest and laughter here for those dealing with the headaches of trying to give directions or find addresses without street names or numbered houses.

This was the drawing I had included in the piece of how Gambians are often expected to draw their address on official forms:

Since its publication on Monday, people have been recalling myriad ways used to direct friends to meet them at home for the first time. In one case, the awkward situation of navigating their way to go to a girlfriend’s house and how to call a house phone to say they were lost, only to have one of the parents pick up.

I have even heard from police sources that many people over the years may have been refused bail, even when it was appropriate, because they had no “proper addresses” to which suspects could be released by the courts.

But it seems change may be afoot. Some have been in touch to ask if the piece could prompt a “crusade” (to use their word) to address the situation.

One idea has included a competition for schools to take part in “street-naming” in their local areas, in tandem with local and central government.

Even someone who worked for Google Maps has made contact. He was asking if there was any way his work might help in addressing the situation. I put a counter-suggestion to him, asking whether the internet giant might assist in paying for the actual signs if the streets do get names.

• Read: The art of drawing your address in The Gambia

The only open border crossing between Ethiopia and Eritrea, at Bure-Assab, was closed on Monday. No official reason has been given by either nation, and cross-border trade there has also been stopped.

A thawing in relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea saw key border crossings opened last September for the first time in more than 20 years.

But matters have become more complicated since then.

Flights between the two countries had already restarted in September, but then most land crossings were subsequently closed as the authorities said they needed to sort out issues such as visas and what duty should be paid on goods.

The closure is a disappointment to traders but also families, some of whom were reunited for the first time after two decades apart.

The BBC's Girmay Gebru says the crossing had also benefited Eritreans who were able to receive treatment in Ethiopian hospitals.

Authorities in Mozambique warn that a tropical storm could hit the country later this week, just one month after Cyclone Idai struck.

“We will keep abreast of the evolution of this weather system," The National Institute for Disaster Management's Spokesman Paulo Tomás reportedly told a meeting of officials from meteorological, health and food security departments, external.

AccuWeather says the storm, which will be named Kenneth if it becomes the next organised tropical cyclone in the region, could also hit Tanzania.

People in parts of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe are still reeling from the after-effects of Cyclone Idai which, according to the Disasters Emergency Committee, external, killed at least 960 people and left some 3 million in need of humanitarian assistance.

African presidents meeting in Egypt today have agreed to give Sudan's ruling military council more time to introduce democratic reform, Reuters news agency quotes the Egyptian leader Abdul Fattah al-Sisi as saying.

President Sisi was speaking in his role as the current chair of the African Union.

Tensions have been growing between Sudan's new military rulers and demonstrators who have already forced Omar al-Bashir from the presidency.

The head of the Transitional Military Council of Sudan has told the BBC he will not allow his troops to use force against protesters calling for a civilian government.

The comments from General Abdul Fatah al-Burhan come a day after the military ordered protesters to dismantle their barricades on roads leading to army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.

Talks between the two camps have broken down.

But General Burhan told the BBC's Hard Talk programme that he was willing to step down within days, if consensus could be reached between the political opposition, saying he had no interest in ruling the country.

A Kenyan choir is on a mission to get more musicians performing in the capital.

The RedFourth Chorus takes to the streets of Nairobi each week to promote peace and education through its music.

The group wants Kenyan authorities to make it easier for artists to perform on the streets.

Journalist: Sharon Machira.

Emergency summits on Sudan and Libya are to take place today in Egypt.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is the current president of the African Union, is hosting African leaders for discussions on "the evolution of the situation in Sudan" where President Omar al-Bashir was toppled after weeks of protest, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement seen by AFP.

They will also seek to "stem the current crisis" in Libya, where the internationally recognised government in Tripoli is under attack from forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar from a rival authority based in the eastern city of Benghazi.

Among those due to attend today's talks are the presidents of Chad, Rwanda, Congo-Brazzaville, Somalia, Djibouti and South Africa, according to AFP.

This video of South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa arriving in Cairo was shared on his Twitter page:

Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni has received two Bombardier CRJ900 jets from Canada at Old Entebbe Airport.

The coming of the new planes, with the words Ugandan Airlines on the sides of the aircraft, marks the official comeback of the East African country's national carrier that was grounded in 2001.

Privately owned newspaper Daily Monitor, external reported that the Bombardier CRJ900 recently took to the skies for the first test flight at Canada's Montreal Mirabel International Airport and that an eight-minute video clip was uploaded on YouTube showing the test flight, exciting Ugandans.

And as guests cheered and danced when the planes landed this morning, some Ugandans on Twitter reacted to the news:

But some people poked fun at the ceremony:

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Pledges by Sudan’s military to build a transitional government in the wake of President Omar al-Bashir’s ousting from power have been rebuffed by key political groups, according to privately owned Baj News.

The main opposition National Umma Party has accused the military of “procrastinating” instead of handing power over to a civilian government, the website reports, and refused to take part at all.

Protest leaders also announced at the weekend that they were suspending talks with the military council.

On Monday, Sudan's military government has told protesters to take down their road blocks in the capital, Khartoum.

• Read more about Sudan

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Ugandan opposition MP Bobi Wine has called for mass protests against the actions of police and other state injustices meted out on Ugandans, reports the privately-owned Observer newspaper.

"We are encouraged by the people of Algeria who in the past weeks forced a dictator to resign, and the people of Sudan who through peaceful protests forced a powerful despot to give way," the MP, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi, announced from his home in Magere, north-west Uganda.

He was reportedly taken by force to Magere by police who blocked him from holding a press conference in the capital Kampala.

This comes after police prevented the singer-turned-politician from holding a planned music concert at his private club in the Busabala neighbourhood of the capital, citing security concerns.

Bobi Wine has had frequent run-ins with long-time President Yoweri Museveni's administration.

The MP's arrest and alleged torture by security forces last August lead to international condemnation, including a petition from pop stars for his release.

Bobi Wine recently announced that he will challenge Museveni in the 2021 polls.

Aaron Akinyemi
BBC News

Image source, Bandile

Years of styling, braiding, pulling, relaxing and sewing in weaves have left a 31-year-old aspiring South African model with a balding head.

"Every time I took out my weave at the salon, I would have them chemically 'relax' my hair and would then put on another weave on the same day - I was never with my own hair," says Bandile (not her real name).

It is a form of hair loss called traction alopecia, and she was in secondary school when she first noticed her hair was falling out.

But the Johannesburg resident is not alone - the condition affects one-third of women of African descent, according to a study in the medical journal Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology.

Read more here.