Photos of new year celebrations in a country with a calendar seven years behind that followed in the West.

Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo, World Indoor 800m winner Prudence Sekgodiso and 5000m world record holder Beatrice Chebet are among those hoping to make their mark in Tokyo.

The highest court rules that a law barring men from taking the surnames of their wives is a "colonial import".

Zambia's Vice-President Mutale Nalumango says the compensation offered to communities "may not be all".

Equatorial Guinea fail in an appeal against a decision by world governing body Fifa to impose two 3-0 forfeits for fielding an ineligible player in World Cup qualifying.

This summer has been an unforgettable time for Brighton's new goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, who discusses how her recognition will have an impact on African football.

Fourteen deportees including nationals of Nigeria and The Gambia have already arrived, President Mahama says.

Survivors of the flood tell the BBC they are still in need of government support.

Worshippers have been gunned down in mosques and homes have been torched in escalating violence, Human Rights Watch says.

A raid on a Johannesburg factory found 91 Malawians, including 37 children, living in appalling conditions.

Kyalo Mbobu was driving home when a gunman on a motorbike shot him dead on a busy street in the capital.

The UN says the number of obese teenagers has nearly tripled globally in the last two decades.

Organisers said two boats were hit in separate incidents; Tunisian authorities disputed the first and have not commented yet on the second.

Cape Verde are one win away from qualifying for the Fifa World Cup for the first time but Cameroon and Nigeria could miss out on the finals.

In a fractious nation, the dam's construction has brought people together despite controversy abroad.

Simone Gbagbo will run against President Alassane Ouattara, who is seeking a controversial fourth term.

A funeral ceremony was being held in a village when the night-time assault took place, officials say.

This is the court's first-ever confirmation of charges hearing without the accused present.

The Mercator projection, a map that’s been around for over 450 years and which most people use, distorts size. It stretches land masses farther from the equator. It can make Greenland looks the same size as Africa, when in reality Africa is actually around 14 times bigger.

Campaigners want schools, organisations and governments to use a different one - the Equal Earth map. And now the African Union, which represents all 55 states on the continent, has endorsed the “Correct the Map” campaign.

The BBC’s Makuochi Okafor explains some of the arguments for switching to a different map and also the wider implications of showing Africa as smaller than it really is.

Moky Makura, from Africa No Filter, tells us what her organisation is hoping to achieve with the Correct the Map campaign. Plus Edwin Rijkaart, known to his YouTube subscribers as Geodiode tells us why we use the Mercator projection in the first place.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Benita Barden, Chelsea Coates and Abiona Boja Editor: Verity Wilde

A new farming method is having a dramatic effect on maize crops in Malawi. And assistance is coming from a solar-powered tractor. In the last of her visits to Malawi, Myra goes to a village where they are using a new method called Deep Bed Farming. It’s more than doubled the yield of some of the farmers and improved their standards of living. The method involves digging deep into the hard earth. This can be tough work but a new solar-powered tractor designed in the UK called Aftrak is helping the farmers. Malawi has been hit hard by the changing climate and often struggles to feed its population. So making it more food secure could improve the lives of millions.

People Fixing The World from the BBC is about brilliant solutions to the world's problems. We release a new edition every Tuesday. We'd love you to let us know what you think and to hear about your own solutions. You can contact us on WhatsApp by messaging +44 8000 321721 or email peoplefixingtheworld@bbc.co.uk. And please leave us a review on your chosen podcast provider.

Presenter: Myra Anubi Producer: Richard Kenny Malawi Producer: Marie Segula Editor: Jon Bithrey Senior News Editor: Lisa Baxter Sound Mix: Hal Haines

(Image: Malawian farmers with an Aftrak solar powered tractor, BBC)