Image source, Getty Images

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila have agreed to form a coalition government.

The announcement was made by chief negotiators on live TV on Monday night and confirms reports from Friday that the two camps had made the agreement.

The cabinet will consist of 66 members.

These include Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Mr Kabila, 42 positions will be held by Mr Kabila's coalition and 23 will be held by Mr Tshisekedi's alliance.

Holders of the positions are yet to be named.

It comes seven months after the Mr Tshisekedi's CACH alliance won the election.

Questions were raised at the time about the accuracy of the results amid accusations that Mr Tshisekedi had made a pre-election power-sharing deal with Mr Kabila.

Image source, Getty Images

French club Paris St-Germain have announced the signing of Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gueye from Premier League side Everton.

The four-year deal is reportedly in the region of $36m (£30m).

Gueye, 29, was a losing finalist with Senegal at the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt and made the official "team of the tournament".

He scored four goals for Everton during his time in England, and returns to France where he spent seven seasons with Lille from 2008 to 2015.

Image source, Getty Images

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has granted royal pardons to thousands of prisoners across the country, including to some involved in protests that rocked the North African country in 2016 and 2017.

The demonstrations - sparked by a fishmonger who was crushed to death by a rubbish lorry in the city of Al-Hoceima as he tried to protect fish being confiscated by the police – spiralled into demands for action to be taken against corruption and unemployment.

They were organised by the so-called Hirak movement and unrest spread throughout the northern Rif region.

More than 400 protesters are thought to have been arrested and tried in connection with the demonstrations, but no official figures are available. Around 250 of them have previously been pardoned.

The justice ministry said 4,764 people were being granted a pardon to mark the 20th anniversary of the monarch’s accession to the throne.

The king also pledged a government reshuffle and an injection of "new blood" into political and administrative positions to help tackle inequality in the country.

The 55-year-old monarch welcomed progress in infrastructure and freedoms in the country but said the efforts had not had "sufficient impact".

He also reiterated his “policy of the outstretched hand toward Algeria”, noting the “brotherhood” and “joy” expressed in Morocco after the Algerian team won the recent Africa Cup of Nations tournament.

Shared borders have been closed between the two North African neighbours since 1994.

They have been at loggerheads over a number of issues, including the disputed territory of Western Sahara - claimed by Morocco and the Saharawi people, who are led by the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

Read also:

• Could Morocco see the next uprising, after Sudan and Algeria?
• Why has Morocco’s king survived the Arab Spring?

India's president has announced a loan of $100m (£82m) for developmental projects in Benin on a visit to the West African nation.

Ram Nath Kovind was received in Cotonou by President Patrice Talon on Monday - on the first stop of a West African tour Africa. He is continuing on to The Gambia and Guinea.

Image source, President of India

It is the first visit by an Indian head of state to the three countries.

President Kovind also addressed Benin's National Assembly in the capital, Porto-Novo, and attended a banquet hosted in his honour. He tweeted a clip of his parliamentary speech, saying it was an historic day in relations between the two countries:

He said that India was committed to support Benin’s growth and development and that he was "happy to note that implementation of the $42.6m credit for upgrading of water supply schemes in 103 villages in Benin, is proceeding well".

Defence and security co-operation were also on the agenda, with India offering further training assistance to Benin to expand its anti-piracy capacity.

Three pupils have died of suspected food poisoning at a school in South Africa’s eastern province of Mpumalanga, officials say.

According to South Africa’s Soweten newspaper, after students at Nelson Ngobeni Primary School complained about stomach pains on Monday afternoon and started to vomit, they were taken to hospital.

Two of the children died on the way, another in hospital.

“There are currently about 10 learners from the same school who are being treated at Emalahleni hospital," said Jasper Zwane, a spokesperson from Mpumalanga’s education department.

He said an investigation had begun and the province’s education minister is expected to meet parents later.

Nigerian soldiers have been accused of arresting men with dreadlocks and those with tinted hair in Aba, a city in the south-eastern state of Abia.

"The masked soldiers flogged many of their victims and used scissors to cut off the hair and then threw the victims into their vehicles and zoomed off," eyewitnesses told Punch newspaper, external.

The men were reportedly then taken to an "unknown destination" over the weekend.

An army spokesman, Major Aliu Kadiri, confirmed to the News Agency of Nigeria that the army was aware of the incident, and were "working on it”.

It is not clear if the "hair-cutting" arrests are linked to anti-kidnapping operations being conducted by security agencies across the country.

Nigeria's army is also involved in an operation targeting cattle thieves and the Islamist insurgency in the north-east.

This is not the first time Nigeria's security agencies have focused on those with dreadlocks.

In March, a police unit targeting gangs shot dead a bystander in Lagos, the country's commercial hub, after a scuffle ensued when they went to arrest a man wearing dreadlocks in a bar.

A police spokesman told BBC Pidgin at the time that people with "dreadlocks and tattoos" have a "high chance of arrest".

Watch this video to see why dreadlocks are controversial in Nigeria:

A top investigative journalist in Tanzania, who has been critical of the government, has been arrested for questioning, a police source has confirmed to the BBC.

Erick Kabendera was taken by six men from his home in Dar es Salaam on Monday afternoon.

At first reports suggested the freelance reporter had been abducted. Police are still refusing to comment officially on his detention.

The hashtag #FreeErickKabendera is trending on Twitter in Tanzania:

According to Tanzania’s private Citizen paper, the officers confiscated the journalist’s phone and that of his wife before he was taken away.

Witnesses told the paper that those who had gathered there and taken pictures had also had their mobile phones taken away.

Muthoki Mumo, from the Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ), said the manner of Mr Kabendera’s arrest was ominous and “further evidence that the press is not safe in President John Magufuli's Tanzania”.

"Authorities must immediately disclose if they are holding Erick Kabendera, and for what reason, and ensure the journalist is returned safely to his family," she said in a statement, external.

Mr Kabendera is a well-respected journalist, his work, according to the CPJ, has appeared in The Citizen, the African Arguments website and the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Since Mr Magafuli came to office in 2015, laws overseeing the media have been toughened and a number of newspapers and radio stations have been suspended for "incitement".

He has often warned about fake news in the wake of articles critical of the government, saying there are limits to press freedom.

Read: Five things Tanzania's President 'Bulldozer' Magufuli has banned

Our proverb of the day:

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Welcome back to BBC Africa Live where we'll be bringing you the latest news from around the continent.

BBC Africa Live
Nduka Orjinmo, Damian Zane and Natasha Booty

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. 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 today's wise words:

We leave you with this photo of Cameroonian travel blogger Lee Litumbe swimming with turtles in Tanzania:

Perplexed Twitter users in Kenya have been sharing videos of a man dressed as Jesus Christ emerging from the sun roof of a car:

We're not quite sure what's going on either, but several people are suggesting he was invited to officiate at a church service at the weekend:

It's drawn comparison with another, somewhat less high-profile impostor of recent years - the man who dressed as Mr Bean in Zimbabwe:

BBC correspondents in Sudan report that outraged protesters have gathered in several cities including the capital, Khartoum, following the killing of five protesters in North Kordofan state.

At least four of those killed were secondary school children.

The group that has spearheaded Sudan's recent protests leading to President Omar al-Bashir's ousting, the Sudan Professional's Association, says the ruling military council is to blame for the deaths and is now calling for nationwide protests.

It is demanding an immediate transfer of power to civilians.

Princess Irede Abumere
BBC Africa, Lagos

Some of Africa's biggest music stars look set for success on a global scale having been handpicked by US singer Beyoncé to appear on her Lion King-inspired album.

The collaboration is a savvy attempt to blend "pure Afrobeats, mainstream pop and R&B sounds" for a non-African audience, said Nigerian broadcaster Adesope Olajide, popularly known as Shopsydoo.

"It's a bigger platform for the pop and mainstream world to recognise African artists", and also a "brand-new following for Beyoncé by collaborating with some of Africa's pop culture icons", he said.

"The smartest business people are those who reach out to collaborate first."

International features are mutually beneficial for global stars and African artists, according to digital marketing director Kareem Mobolaji.

"Americans and others are paying more attention now. The likes of Wizkid have shown how their presence on songs can help increase sales and listening across Africa and indeed all over the world."

Read the full story here.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

An overnight curfew has been anounced in four towns of Sudan's North Kordofan state after five people were shot dead during a protest.

At least three of the victims are reported to be high school students who were demonstrating on the streets of the state capital, El Obeid.

Anti-government protests have been taking place across Sudan since December.

They led to the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir in April.

On Saturday the prosecutor's office said at least eight military officers would be charged with crimes against humanity for killing 78 protesters.

Doctors linked to the opposition say almost 130 died.

More on this topic:

• Sudan's violent political crisis explained
• Sudan’s livestream massacre
• Sudan country profile

Cape Town is a well-known tourist hotspot, but also one of the most divided and dangerous cities in the world.

It has seen an average of eight murders a day, for the first six months of this year.

In one weekend in July, 43 people were killed.

The South African Army has now been deployed to help stop the violence. In some cases, residents are forming vigilante groups.

The BBC's Vauldi Carelse and cameraman Christian Parkinson spent a weekend on the streets of the city with both the police and the army, as well as the families of those killed:

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's Public Protector - who investigates allegations of corruption by state officials - has lost a court case for the second time in a week.

Busisiwe Mkhwebane's critics accuse her of political bias in her role.

She had instructed that disciplinary action be taken against the country's Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan after stating that he had violated the constitution.

However, the High Court in Pretoria has suspended the order.

Last week, a court ruled that Ms Mkhwebane had lied under oath and acted in bad faith.

The courts have repeatedly overruled her, and President Cyril Ramaphosa is challenging another of her reports, which found he had lied to parliament.

More on this topic:

• The corruption fighter surrounded by scandal
• More about South Africa

Ethiopia has planted more than 200 million trees in a day, officials say, in what they believe is a world record.

The numbers haven't yet been independently verified, but the country's technology minister tweeted earlier that more than 220 million trees had been planted:

Droughts are becoming more common in Ethiopia and according to the UN over the last century Ethiopia's forest coverage has fallen from around 35% to just over 4%.

Some people are criticising the campaign as an attempt by the government to deflect attention from challenges like growing ethnic tension.

Read the full story here.

Nineteen-year-old Yongren Otundo lost his sight after falling from a stool when he was two.

Despite being blind, he now repairs electronics and is the leading pianist in his school, and has won several music awards.

The BBC visited the Thika School For The Blind in Kenya to find out how he managed to learn these skills.

Video producers: Anthony Irungu and Anne Okumu.

A former Boeing engineer has told the BBC's Panorama programme that work on the production line of the plane model which crashed in Ethiopia in March, killing everybody on board, was not adequately funded.

The 737 Max aircraft is currently grounded after two crashes which killed 346 people - 157 on the Ethiopia Airlines flight, and 189 Lion Air Indonesia passengers on a flight last year.

The model is the company's fastest-selling plane and has earned the company billions of dollars in sales.

Boeing denies the claims and says it's committed to making the 737 Max one of the safest aircraft ever to fly.

More on this story:

• What went wrong in the 737 Max cockpit?
• 'I lost my family in the Ethiopian plane crash'

Joshua Ajayi
BBC Yoruba, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

The bail hearing for the leader of the Nigerian Shia group Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) has been postponed for the second time in a fortnight.

It was meant to be on Monday but the High Court in Kaduna, northern Nigeria, will now hear the bail application on 5 August.

Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky has been detained since 2015, in the aftermath of clashes between his followers and the army, and charged with culpable homicide, murder, unlawful assembly and disruption of the peace.

The first time he was seen in court after his arrest was in May 2018.

He was not at the court on Monday either. His lawyer cited health reasons.

Sheikh Zakzaky's followers have been protesting regularly since he was arrested.

Those protests turned deadly recently and a police officer and a journalist have been killed.

Security had been beefed up in the state capital ahead of the hearing.