Ishaq Khalid
BBC News, Abuja

King Charles welcomed the president of Nigeria to Buckingham Palace on Wednesday afternoon.

President Muhammadu Buhari told journalists after the meeting that they had discussed "mostly economic" issues.

Mr Buhari said King Charles spoke "very well of Nigeria" and was "interested very much in Nigeria".

The Nigerian leader said the meeting was initially scheduled to take place in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in June but it was postponed.

President Buhari has been in London since last week for what his office called a "routine medical check-up". He is expected back in Nigeria next week.

King Charles will later this month host the first state visit of his reign when he welcomes the South African president to Buckingham Palace.

The visit will take place from 22-24 November.

It will be the first time a South African leader has visited the UK in an official capacity in more than a decade, with the last state visit being in 2010 when Jacob Zuma visited the late Queen.

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The World Health Organization says no food or medicine has reached the Ethiopian region of Tigray despite the signing of a ceasefire last week.

The United Nations has accused Ethiopia of using starvation as a weapon of war in Tigray, where it says a humanitarian blockade put 90% of the population at risk.

"Nothing is moving," said WHO head Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

"I was expecting food and medicine to start flowing immediately after the ceasefire. That's not happening."

He said people were dying from starvation and treatable diseases.

Dr Tedros, who comes from Tigray, called for the restoration of telecom, banking and other basic services.

He said six million people had been shut off from the rest of the world for two years as if they didn't exist.

An Ethiopian official said Dr Tedros was trying to undermine the peace agreement - and that food and medicine were reaching Tigray.

He said electricity and telecom services had been restored in some areas.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Indigenous people warn of risks to the Okavango Delta, and an ex-bishop calls on COP to take action.

Namibia's President Hage Geingob insisted 'we can address our own problems' despite adding that 'rich countries don't care about climate'.

Alaa Abdel Fattah's family have not heard from him since Sunday, when he started refusing water.

The staff tell the BBC they are insulted after receiving an email about the need for cost cutting.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team until Thursday morning Nairobi time.

There will be an automated news feed until then. You can also get the latest news from our website and listen to the Africa Today podcast.

Here's a reminder of Wednesday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of parked Tuk Tuk's in Mozambique's capital, Maputo.

BBC World Service

Thousands of members of Sudan's Nuba ethnic group have marched through the capital, Khartoum, calling for an end to violence in their mountainous homeland.

They carried placards saying "No to the genocide of the Nuba", accusing the government of supporting Arab militias to drive them off their land.

Last month up to 20 people were killed in fighting between Messiria Arabs and the Nuba in their home region of West Kordofan.

The Nuba have been marginalised for decades.

They have been killed, tortured, evicted from their land and forcibly converted to Islam.

A video of the protest has been shared on Twitter:

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Getty Images

Divorce in Zambia's eastern province - the country's main agricultural hub is on course to rise for a second year, reports the state-owned Zambia Daily Mail newspaper.

In the last eight months close to 3,400 couples in the east filed for divorce, it reports.

The cases were filed between January and August - with the majority of couples citing adultery as the main reason they want the courts to dissolve their marriages.

Other reasons are gender-based violence, which has risen according to a recent report, and cruelty among spouses.

Last year, 4,441 divorce cases were recorded but this year's number is on course to surpass that number.

The Zambia Daily Mail report says most marriages have been dissolved to avoid domestic violence which could escalate and lead to loss of life.

In 2021, the country recorded more than 22,000 divorce cases, with eastern province top of the list.

FW de Klerk won the prize alongside Nelson Mandela for their efforts to end the apartheid system.

Victor Komen
BBC News

Image source, State House Kenya

Kenya and South Africa have agreed to a reciprocal visa-free entry deal which will be rolled out from January next year.

Applicants will get a maximum of 90 days annually.

Currently, Kenyan nationals pay up to $40 (£35) and have to show proof of "sufficient" funds as well as wait an average of three weeks for a 90-day South African visa.

Only travellers staying less than 30 days enjoyed a free pass, but that too attracted a processing fee of about $40.

In contrast, South Africans do not require pre-departure visas to travel to Kenya.

The new visa-free regime was announced after talks between President William Ruto and his South African counterpart Cyril Ramaphosa in Nairobi.

"I express appreciation on the progress that we have made in the long awaited visa-free regime," said President Ruto.

The two heads of state also agreed on a return policy in cases where immigration laws are breached. Visa restrictions have been a thorny issue for the two countries for years.

The two leaders also backed a plan agreed last year to unveil a Pan- African airline between Kenya Airways and South African Airways.

"We both occupy strategic points on the continent and there is a great need for a strategic partnership to be struck," President Ramaphosa said.

But no details have been revealed yet on the deal between the two airlines considered some of the most unprofitable and heavily dependent on government bailout currently.

President Macron said some troops would remain in the region, but under new arrangements.

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, Reuters

Ghana’s annual inflation rate hit 40.4% for October, a rise from 37.2% for the previous month, that’s according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

The cost of essential commodities like staple food, fuel and utilities have all surged to push price increases to a record high.

On Saturday, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of the capital, Accra, demanding the resignation of President Nana Akufo Addo, Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta for failing to deal with the crisis.

The local currency, the cedi, recorded one of its worst performances against the US dollar last month and is already listed as the world’s worst performing currency.

Read more: Kwacha v cedi: The best and worst of African currencies

Jonathan Paye-Layleh
BBC News, Monrovia

Image source, Getty Images

Liberian President George Weah has informed the senate that he plans to spend nine days in Qatar to watch the football World Cup.

Mr Weah - a former footballer - left the country last week for a number of foreign visits, but not all of his plans have been disclosed.

His son Timothy, who is American, will be in the US squad at the World Cup tournament, which kicks off on 20 November.

George Weah played for top European teams, including AC Milan and Chelsea.

The 56-year-old switched careers and was elected president of Liberia in 2017.

News of the president's foreign trip plans has angered many Liberians, some have taken to radio call-in shows and on social media to criticise him.

They say it would be inconsiderate of the president to go to Qatar at a time when many people were dealing with a crippling food crisis, as well as uncertainty over the conduct of the much-delayed population census, which Mr Weah postponed recently for the sixth time.

Mr Weah's staff - who haven't responded to questions about the cost of the trip - have hit back at his critics, saying the president's foreign visits would "yield huge dividends" for the country.

Omar Wally
Journalist, The Gambia

Residents of Gunjur, a coastal town in The Gambia, gathered on Tuesday to mark the first anniversary of a mysterious disappearance.

About 200 people, mostly young men, are believed to have taken a boat to begin a journey to Spain in search of a better life but their fate remains unknown.

At least 40 of them were from Gunjur itself and their families say they were unaware that they were embarking on the journey.

Many believe the boat capsized. But others say that the vessel took a detour and their relatives are alive and likely being held captive since no bodies have ever been retrieved from the sea.

A lot of money has been raised to help with the search operations, but where to start the search has been a matter of debate.

Binta Sawareh’s husband, who was a serving member of the Gambia Armed Forces, paid $700 (£610) for a seat in the boat. She clings on to hope that the father of her three children is alive.

The journey, often referred to as "the backway", usually takes a maximum of one week to reach Europe.

Local authorities say they want to dissuade people from making the dangerous voyage.

The proceeds from selling the ball used to score two of the most famous goals in World Cup history will be 'a gift' for Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser after a long career.

An exclusive report from a journalist in Tigray

Following last week's signing of a truce to end fighting in Ethiopia's northern Tigray, things feel different in the regional capital, Mekelle.

Drones are no longer flying over the city, people are starting to go out without fear, and a relatively normal life is returning to the city.

People are desperate for humanitarian aid. They also want the main roads to open so that they can travel again.

Spiralling food prices have started to stabilise, and even fall. For instance the price of teff, the grain used to make the staple injera, a pancake-like fermented bread, is down by around 40%.

The price of a bag of wheat has fallen from 9,000 Ethiopian birr ($168; £145) to 3,000 Ethiopian birr ($56).

The prices of oil, sugar and pepper are also decreasing as supplies slowly trickle through.

On the street, everyone talks about the peace agreement signed by the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in South Africa, and are following its developments.

News is not easy to get here, people crowd around radios on the street.

There is very little power.

Rahel Abay, a mother of two, is optimistic: "At least, we have started to move around without constant fear of drone attacks."

Many people in the city expressed similar feelings.

"We, the Tigrayan people, as any people in Ethiopia want to live peacefully. We know how much war costs us. But we want the parties in the peace agreement to implement the truce," Belay Takelle, 32, said.

Like many others, he has reservations about the presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray.

"I want to listen to the news about the withdrawal of the 'Sha'ebiya' [Eritrean army] from my land," he said.

Eritrean forces were deployed into Tigray at the start of the war in November 2020 to support the Ethiopian army in its conflict with Tigrayan forces.

One of the crucial issues under discussion is the disarmament of the Tigrayan army. People I spoke to agreed that the Ethiopian constitution has to be respected. This means not having this regional army co-existing with the Ethiopian army so it must disband.

However, they do not trust the Ethiopian army, which they accuse of committing many atrocities against civilians over the last two years.

Politics here is not easy.

The TPLF has promised to implement the peace agreement, but the day the deal was signed, three opposition parties rejected it, saying it was damaging to the interests of Tigrayans.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Tech company Twitter has fired nearly all its staff in Ghana, more than a week after billionaire Elon Musk took over the company.

A source told the BBC that only one person was left in the almost 20-member team.

“The company is re-organising its operations as a result of a need to reduce costs,” read the email to staff from Fidelma Callaghan, Director People Services.

Mr Musk promised to make big changes at Twitter including laying off workers worldwide.

The employment termination emails were sent to the Ghana employees personal accounts having been denied access to their work ones.

The termination of employment notice warned staff not to “contact or deal with any customers, clients, authorities, banks, suppliers or other employees of the company and are required to inform the company if contacted”.

“It's very insulting. The entire thing. From the mail to the lack of next steps to the tone of the letter. Just everything. Ridiculously insulting,” an affected staff told the BBC.

The letter told staff that their last day at work will be 4 December, but warned them against seeking any other employment before the date.

"You must ensure that the company knows where you will be and how you can be contacted during each working day to ensure your availability during the transition of responsibilities," the notice reads.

Employment law in Ghana requires at least three months' notice of termination.

It also demands redundancy pay which is to be negotiated between the organisation, and the employee or trade union.

Last year, Twitter announced it was opening its first Africa office, but its commitment to the continent is now in question.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Reuters

The families of 21 teenagers who died at a bar in South Africa in June have lodged a complaint with the country’s Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), calling for an independent inquiry into their deaths.

The bodies of the teenagers, the youngest 13, were found by East London police.

After months of delays, officials in September said toxicology tests revealed that they died of suffocation but the families want further investigations conducted.

The teenagers had gone to a popular township bar to celebrate the end of their exams when tragedy struck.

Nearly six months since their deaths, their parents believe there is more to the story.

They are hoping the independent probe will shed light not only on what happened on that night but also on whether there was any other reason behind the mass deaths, besides what the authorities have shared.

Meanwhile, the owner of Enyobeni tavern is before the courts – charged with selling alcohol to minors.

The legal drinking age in South Africa is 18.

The teenagers’ deaths have prompted fresh calls for the age limit to be raised to 21 and for better monitoring of drinking establishments.