BBC Sport's football expert Chris Sutton gives his predictions for the final round of group games at the World Cup.

That's all for now from the BBC Africa Live team. There'll be an automated news feed until we're back on Friday morning.

In the meantime, you can get the latest news from our website and the Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this picture of Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech being congratulated after he scored in the match against Canada at the Qatar World Cup on Thursday - a goal which helped send Morocco through to the knockout stage as group winners.

Image source, AFP

Ameyu Etana
BBC Afaan Oromoo

Armed men affiliated with Ethiopia's rebel Oromo Liberation Army have been blamed for kidnapping more than a dozen staff working for the Dangote Cement factory - owned by Nigerian billionaire and richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote.

Two officials of the company told the BBC the company service bus was ambushed on Wednesday morning in Ada'a Berga district, less than 90km (56 miles) west of the capital Addis Ababa.

A senior official at the company told the BBC 17 staff members who were on their way to a mineral extracting site had not returned yet.

According to the company, it is the largest cement plant in the country.

There has been no immediate comment from the Oromo Liberation Army, which has repeatedly been accused of extorting cash from people.

Kenneth Mungai
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Peter Njoroge/ BBC

Kenya is set to criminalise doping in athletics, to crack down on it in the same way it does with narcotics because the "national brand" is "at stake", Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba has told the BBC's Michelle Katami.

It comes after several Kenyan athletes were banned from sport for doping, even if the country itself escaped a ban.

So far this year more than a dozen athletes from the East African country have been suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for a range of violations.

Kenya simply cannot afford another ban after having faced a football ban, Mr Namwamba said.

"We have not attempted to conceal anything. We have owned up that we have a problem," he said.

He also explained the importance of enforcement and the financial commitment - $5m (£4m) over five years - Nairobi is making to stamp out doping.

"We needed to strengthen capabilities in investigation, prosecution, and general enforcement because one of the weakest links in that war is enforcement," Mr Namwamba said.

"I believe that I'll convince parliament on the seriousness of this matter," he added.

Read more about Kenya's doping scandal here.

Build-up as Ghana take on Uruguay and Brazil and Portugal prepare for final group games, after Germany and Belgium are knocked out.

Follow live text and BBC Radio 5 Live commentary as Serbia face Switzerland at the 2022 Fifa World Cup.

Image source, Getty Images

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is keeping all options open, amid the "Farmgate" scandal, after an independent panel found he may have committed serious breaches of the constitution, violated an anti-corruption law, and acted in a way inconsistent with his office.

He has "all options on the table", according to a quote from his spokesperson reported by the Reuters news agency.

Mr Ramaphosa's critics accuse him of having covered up a burglary at his farm nearly three years ago.

He denies wrongdoing but faces the possibility of impeachment.

Over the afternoon, speculation was swirling that Mr Ramaphosa could resign.

The damning report has raised tough questions for South Africa's president, including:

• Why did he have some $580,000 stored inside a sofa?
• Why was the theft of that money not reported to the police two years ago?
• Why do the buffalo he says were sold in return for the money remain on the farm?

Read more about the "Farmgate" scandal here.

BBC World Service

Heavy fighting between the Congolese army and M23 rebels has resumed in the east of the country threatening a truce announced last week.

Both the military and the rebels have confirmed the clashes.

Thousands of people are fleeing the fighting in North Kivu province. Dozens are reported to have been killed.

Rwanda and the DR Congo agreed at talks in Angola that a ceasefire would take effect last Friday.

The M23 said the truce did not concern them as they were not invited to the talks.

DR Congo and others accuse Rwanda of backing the rebels. Kigali denies the allegation.

Read more about DR Congo here.

South Africa's president came to power vowing to fight corruption but now has his own case to answer.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Unesco has added the spicy paste harissa to its list of intangible cultural heritage on behalf of Tunisia.

The UN's cultural agency said that it was part of Tunisia's national identity.

Harissa - which is made with sun-dried hot peppers, spices and olive oil - is found across North Africa, but is most closely associated with Tunisia.

In its application to Unesco, Tunisia described harissa as an integral part of the country's daily culinary and food traditions.

Prayers are held for the Birmingham men who were among 14 who died during a hotel siege.

Grace Kuria
BBC News

Image source, Senegal National Assembly

Chaos erupted in the Senegalese parliament on Thursday after a male lawmaker hit a female colleague on the head in scenes that were televised live.

Parliamentary proceedings were disrupted during a budget presentation, after opposition member of parliament Massata Samb left the podium and walked over to Amy Ndiaye Gniby of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition and hit her.

In retaliation, Ms Gniby threw a chair back at Mr Samb, before other MPs intervened, however the chaos did not stop as the lawmakers traded blows, leading to the suspension of the session.

Local media reports that Mr Samb reminded the house of remarks Ms Gniby had made earlier which he said were "discourteous".

Ms Gniby is then said to have replied from her seat that she "did not care".

Then, Mr Samb cut short his speech and rushed towards her.

Since a July legislative election where the ruling party lost its comfortable majority, there has been tension between the ruling and opposition politicians.

Ahmed Rouaba
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

An auction house in Belgium was forced to cancel the sale of three skulls of Africans killed during the colonial period in what is now modern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The skulls - belonging to people killed between January 1893 and May 1894 - were put up for sale by Vanderkindere auction house in Brussels.

It has sparked anger in the country and on social media with human rights organisations calling it "dehumanising and racist".

The rights group called Collectif Mémoire Coloniale et Lutte contre les Discriminations (CMCLD) has called for a rally in Brussels to denounce the sale, and for the human skulls to be seized by the authorities and "conserved in an appropriate way and with dignity".

The auction house has now cancelled the sale and apologised.

"We do not in any way condone the suffering and humiliation suffered by the peoples who were victims of these colonial acts," Vanderkindere said.

The auction house added: "Once again, we express our deepest regrets to anyone who has been hurt and injured by the sale of this lot."

Human rights groups warned that such a sale could have taken place because there is no law in the country against it.

Rhoda Odhiambo
BBC Africa Health Correspondent, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

South Korea will donate 50,000 doses of the monkey pox, now known as mpox, vaccines to the African Union.

This will be the first batch of vaccines African countries will use to contain the outbreak.

Dr Ahmed Ogwell, the acting director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, says priority will be given to health workers and communities living in areas that have the highest number of cases.

“Our criteria will look at countries that are reporting a lot of cases, deaths and whether they have the capacity to deliver the vaccines to where it is required,” Dr Ogwell told journalists in a virtual press briefing.

Out of the 55 African countries, 13 are currently dealing with an active outbreak.

A majority of the cases are from Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Ghana.

The health body says it is concerned about the rapid rise in cases in the DR Congo. Fifty-one new cases and four deaths have been reported in the last seven days.

Mpox is endemic in parts of West and Central Africa, but it wasn't until the disease caused unusual outbreaks in Europe and North America that public health officials thought of using vaccines.

So far, Africa has reported 1,047 new cases and 202 deaths.

Guitarist David Leadbetter, 64, was one of the "finest musicians" in South Africa, his wife says.

Anne Okumu
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, AFP

LGBT refugees in one of Kenya's biggest camps for displaced people are asking to be relocated because of what they have described as an increase in discrimination and harassment by other refugees in the camp because of their sexual orientation.

One of the refugees, who asked not to be identified due to fears of further backlash, told the BBC "we do not feel safe at the camp any more".

Kakuma is run by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and is one of the biggest refugee camps in Kenya, hosting hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people, as well as those from neighbouring countries.

Last week there were protests by LGBT groups in the camp, who complained about harassment and abuse towards them, which led to the temporary arrest of 18 people, scuffles, and the use of tear gas.

All of those detained were released the next day after UNHCR officials negotiated their release.

"We are fed up, Kakuma is no longer safe for us as members of the LGBTQI community. We are threatened. We have made complaints to the UNHCR and no action has been taken," said the refugee.

They allege that the discrimination and harassment has made it close to impossible to access social services like education and events held at the camp because they are not allowed to mingle with the rest of the community.

A UNHCR spokesperson told the BBC that the body has been working with the LGBT community at the camp to guarantee their safety and security by increasing police patrol where they live and work, with community volunteers to help integrate them and increase awareness about protection of their rights and equality.

"The UNHCR remains committed to working towards ensuring the protection of, and finding durable solutions for, all refugees regardless of their culture, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or any other factor," said UNHCR spokesperson Charity Nzomo.

"We are committed to ensuring that all refugees and asylum seekers residing in Kenya, including those with an LGBTIQ+ profile, are provided with the best possible protection and assistance on a fair and equal basis," Ms Nzomo continued.

A panel finds Cyril Ramaphosa abused his position in the handling of a theft from his farm.

On World Aids Day, Unicef's new head of HIV/Aids Anurita Bains tells the BBC that progress on HIV is stagnating for young people.

Image source, Getty Images

Pope Francis' trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan has been rescheduled for early next year, the Vatican has announced.

The pope will be visiting the two countries between 31 January and 5 February, according to a statement, external from the Vatican.

He will be accompanied by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in South Sudan where he will spend the last two days of his trip, it said.

The pope’s trip to the two countries had initially been scheduled for July this year but was cancelled because of his health problems.

He will be hosted by the presidents of the two states and will also meet bishops, other clergy and members of the civil society in both countries. In South Sudan, he is also expected to meet internally displaced people.

Tunisia captain Wahbi Khazri remains philosophical after exiting the World Cup despite a famous win over the defending champions France.