Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's main opposition DA party has condemned the government for conducting joint navy exercises with Russia, calling it "tone deaf" and a "terrible error of judgement".

Russia has been dealt sanctions by a number of world powers for its belligerence in Ukraine but appears to have found allies among African nations, some of whom abstained from a UN security council resolution condemning the invasion or have military deals with the country.

The first military exercise between South Africa and Russia was reportedly in November 2019.

This week's exercise happened at a naval base off Durban and included China's navy too.

Last week, South Africa's government was in hot water for allowing a Russian oligarch to dock his superyacht in Cape Town against the wishes of the city's mayor.

Kenya's Viola Lagat will be driven by the desire to win for slain compatriot Agnes Tirop in Sunday's New York Marathon.

Randy Jo Sa'ah
BBC News, Yaoundé

Image source, AFP

Africa's oldest president and one of the continent's longest serving rulers - President Paul Biya - will mark 40 years in power this weekend.

Nationwide commemorative activities have been planned and his supporters are celebrating his achievements.

But the 89-year-old's opponents are lukewarm, calling on him to step down and hand over power to a younger generation.

Mr Biya’s long rule has been characterised by great ambition but also with significant failures.

Systemic corruption is Cameroon's biggest downfall, says the ex-head of Transparency International and former presidential candidate Akere Muna.

"On the production of mines, who are the miners? What do they produce? What do they pay to the country? Why do the citizens not have access to information about spending of their own country’s riches?," he says.

The government is also engaged in a bitter battle against Anglophone separatists in the country's two English-speaking regions that has forced about two million Cameroonians from their homes and killed thousands of civilians.

"He changed the name of the country from United Republic to the La République du Cameroun, which is the name the French-speaking republic of Cameroon had before we ever joined them in 1961," one man on the street tells me, saying it sums up the Anglophone grievance against the French-speaking majority.

"It will be good if the regime tries to change," says another woman I speak to. "Why not make it a woman, why not make it a young person to take over?"

Another man says "the little he has done, we appreciate", but suggests it's now time for Mr Biya to "go and rest".

But, as President Biya told journalists some years back after returning from one of his lengthy stays abroad, anyone who wants him dead will have to wait another 20 years.

Image source, Getty Images

The famous West African food dish - Jollof rice - is the top Google search trend in the UK on Friday, reaching 200,000 plus searches and counting. It is also trending in Nigeria, but with just 50,000 plus searches.

People are searching the for the tomato-based rice dish on the search platform, after it made Jollof rice its Google Doodle for Friday showing how the meal is prepared.

The dish is often a hot topic in West African culinary conversations, with rivalry between different countries about who cooks it best - especially between Nigeria and Ghana who use different methods.

Jollof rice was originally invented in the ancient Wolof Empire, which spanned parts of today's Senegal, The Gambia and Mauritania.

Google's doodle was designed by Nigeria-based guest artist Haneefah Adam and the soundtrack was put together by Hervé Samb.

It shows a 35-second clip on how to make the dish using onions, tomatoes, scotch bonnet peppers, spices and other ingredients.

Fancy some Jollof for your weekend? You can find out more about how to make it here.

Bon appétit.

Grégoire de Fournas of the far-right National Rally called out as a black MP talked about immigration.

BBC Focus on Africa radio

Image source, AFP

Top officials in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo have traded accusations on the BBC's flagship radio programme for Africa following a Congolese call to arms against its neighbour.

"President Tshisekedi called youth to join the army because the country is under threat - we are experiencing a new aggression from Rwanda," said DR Congo government spokesman and media minister Patrick Muyaya.

But the president's push for so-called vigilance groups is "cheap populism", "dangerous" and little more than an irresponsible "election tactic", according to Rwanda's government spokeswoman Yolande Makolo.

She also dismissed DR Congo's accusations that Rwanda is supporting the M23 rebel group, alleging that "most of the groups in the DRC [were] actually started and sponsored by Congolese politicians" and saying that DR Congo should not try to blame other nations when it has "failed to bring security to its [own] citizens".

Congolese spokesman Mr Makolo however accused Rwanda of wanting to "keep this part of DRC unstable so they can continue the looting of our mineral resources as they have been doing for the past 25 years".

He also said Rwanda had not shown good faith in respecting negotiations intended to end the diplomatic crisis.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Achieving a permanent ceasefire in Ethiopia won't be easy after a brutal two-year war in which more than 100,000 people are believed to have been killed, warns the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

At a G7 meeting in Germany, Mr Borrell said attention was focused on Ukraine but the humanitarian crisis was worse in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian government and Tigrayan officials signed a cessation of hostilities deal on Wednesday after coming under international pressure.

However the Tigrayan authorities have accused government forces of carrying out attacks against civilians in the city of Maychew since then.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify the reports.

Read more: Analysis: Tigray truce a triumph for PM Abiy Ahmed

BBC World Service

A crowd of protestors has gathered outside the French parliament, demanding action against a far-right MP who's accused of making a racist insult.

It happened when another MP - Carlos Martens Bilongo - whose family come from Angola and Congo was asking a question about immigration.

In response, Gregoire de Fournas, from the National Rally party, shouted out "go back to Africa".

Following widespread criticism, he insisted he was referring to refugees in boats.

The parliament's governing body is due to meet to decide whether Mr De Fournas should be suspended.

Several French politicians, including Mr Bilgo, are taking part in the demonstration:

Jose Tembe
BBC News, Maputo

Mozambique has bowed to international pressure to release a journalist who was arrested a week ago on suspicion of terrorism.

In the five years since militants began their insurgency in Cabo Delgado province, Arlindo Chissale is the third journalist to be accused of participating in jihadist acts there.

There are reports that Mr Chassale was denied food while he was in detention in Balama town.

Mr Chissale was granted a provisional release on Thursday after a judge decided there wasn't a strong enough case for keeping him in preventive detention, says media freedom watchdog MISA-Mozambique.

There has been a communications blackout in Ethiopia's Tigray region since the start of the conflict.

Nichola Mandil
BBC News, Juba

Image source, AFP

About two-thirds of the South Sudanese population - some 7.7 million people - are likely to face acute food insecurity during between April and July next year, warns Unicef .

Along with the World Food Programme and the Food and Agricultural Organisation, Unicef says the number of people experiencing food insecurity and malnutrition in South Sudan is now the highest it has ever been.

The UN agencies say some communities are likely to face starvation if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and climate adaptation measures are not scaled up.

"South Sudan is on the frontline of the climate crisis and day in, day out families are losing their homes, cattle, fields and hope to extreme weather," says Makena Walker, the acting WFP country director in South Sudan.

Conflict, and the spiralling costs of food and fuel are also driving the hunger and malnutrition crisis in the oil-producing East African nation, UN agencies say.

A project to develop Kenya's national teams is a blueprint for the sport across the world, says the head of volleyball's world governing body.

Anne Ngugi
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

Kenyan officials say hundreds of wild animals including 205 elephants have died this year as a result of a devastating drought.

Tourism Minister Penina Malonza said thousands of wild animals, mostly herbivores, had died in the country’s national parks due to lack of water and pasture.

She said these included more than 500 wildebeest and close to 400 zebras.

“The current drought being experienced in southern, eastern and northern Kenya has caused mortality of wildlife, mostly herbivore species. The mortalities have risen because of depletion of food resources as well as water shortages,” said Ms Malonza.

The ministry is now appealing for help with the provision of water and salt licks to help wildlife in the most affected areas.

With the number of children trafficked into England rising, how can they escape the cycle of abuse?

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The acting leader of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, Ibrahim Munir, has died in London aged 85.

Mr Munir, who was jailed in his home country Egypt for many years during his early life, was the movement’s spokesman in Europe.

In 2017 he was accused of terrorism by the Egyptian government, a charge he vehemently denied.

The Muslim Brotherhood, which claims to be against violence, is now considered a terrorist organisation in Egypt and several Gulf states.

It was founded in 1928 and influences various Islamist movements, political parties and charitable groups.

• Profile: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

The comedian talks about about his comedy videos and documentary on Zimbabwe - his place of birth.

DJ Edu
Presenter of This Is Africa on BBC World Service

Image source, Supplied by the artist

Mozambique isn't a country I report on a lot, but DJ Tarico is putting it firmly on the musical map.

He's a super versatile producer who seems to be able to turn out hit after hit with different artists and in several musical genres.

Now he's conquered the amapiano scene with tracks so good even the South Africans are fooled.

Already making waves across the continent with his 2020 hit Yaba Buluku, he gained global exposure the following year when Burna Boy collaborated on a remix of the song.

DJ Tarico began experimenting in music back in 2010 when a school friend taught him how to play with sounds on a computer.

He also had a friend who was a DJ so he had two people to guide him at the start, and in the beginning he was producing hip hop because that was what he listened to most.

"When I felt I was producing good, I tried to change a bit. One thing that I like is to keep growing. I don't like to be static."

So he changed from hip hop to Kuduro.

"Kuduro is the style of Angola. Kuduro at that time was rocking all over the place. So then I moved from Kuduro to Kizomba, that dance when people are too close!," he laughs.

"After that I changed to Panza, our regional style here. That time I became a big producer here in Mozambique when I started producing local styles here."

He says that Panza was invented by DJ Ardiles and Ziqo.

"They tried to mix Raga music with Marabenta. We tried to put more electronics on the traditional sounds."

He says it was quite hard back then as they didn't know anything about the music industry, "we were just doing it".

He later switched again to Amapiano. "At that time amapiano was growing in Moz, so why not?"

Burna Boy heard Yaba Buluku in a club and jumped on board the track propelling to the global stage with the remix.

DJ Tarico says the track changed his life.

"Now DJ Tarico is not a local artist, he's an international artist. It's the first time in Mozambique you see? It's a hope for more Mozambican artists. It's like a spark. They are now working more because they know that it's possible. I became like an example here in Mozambique."

As a result he says the music industry is now changing in Mozambique, with artists becoming more aware of digital platforms on which to promote their work.

But DJ Tarico has no plans to leave Mozambique in order to enhance his career.

"From Southern Africa we don't like to emigrate too much. It's sweet bro!"

To hear the full interview with DJ Tarico, listen to This is Africa on BBC World Service radio and partner stations across Africa, and online here: bbcworldservice.com/thisisafrica, external.

Holders Mamelodi Sundowns all but sealed a Women's African Champions League semi-final place after thrashing Wadi Degla 5-0.

Image source, PA Media

A Kenyan company that makes safer indoor burning stoves is among the 15 finalists in the running to win a $1.2m (£1m) environmental award founded by the Prince of Wales.

Charlot Magayi, who used to sell charcoal for fuel, started Mikuru Clean Stoves initiative after suffering repeated respiratory infections due to charcoal and her daughter was severely burnt by a stove.

The company provides cleaner burning stoves to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and a safer way to cook.

Her eco-stoves use processed biomass made from charcoal, wood and sugar cane, and claims they cause 90% less pollution than an open fire. She hopes to create an even cleaner version which burns ethanol.

Read more on the BBC News website.

Twelve Tunisian policemen have been jailed for two years over the death of a football fan.

Nineteen-year-old Omar Laabidi drowned in a stream in 2018 while trying to escape as the police chased a group of fans to the edge of the stream.

Laabidi is reported to have screamed that he could not swim before jumping into the water to escape the police. Laabidi's dead body was found the following day.

Witnesses say they had heard officers shout at him "you just have to learn how to swim", which has since become a rallying cry on social media with the hashtag #ApprendsÀNager used by people seeking justice for police abuses.

The victim’s family has said they will appeal against the sentence, calling the conviction for manslaughter a "charade of justice".