Morocco fans descend on Doha ahead of semi-final match against France in the World Cup.

The last-minute cancellations mean many fans are unable to travel to Wednesday's World Cup semi-final.

Billionaire Elon Musk has apologised to Norway's foreign ministry after Twitter mislabelled its official account and that of its staff as belonging to Nigeria.

"Sorry," Mr Musk, the platform's owner, tweeted. , external

Norway had complained, but in jest, after the social media site seemed to mix up the two countries' names.

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The mistake has been corrected.

Abrham Meareg and others are suing Meta for $2bn over claims its algorithm spread hate in Ethiopia.

Major roads in the city were submerged as heavy rains continued for hours and several homes collapsed.

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Hundreds of Atlas Lions fans in Morocco have been left disappointed after flights scheduled to depart for Doha on Wednesday ahead of the World Cup semi-final were cancelled.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM), the country's national airline, had laid on an extra 14 planes on Tuesday and Wednesday to meet demand to travel to Qatar for the match against France.

However, the seven flights due to leave on Wednesday have been cancelled, with RAM citing a decision by Qatari authorities.

"Following the latest restrictions imposed by the Qatari authorities, Royal Air Maroc regrets to inform customers of the cancellation of their flights operated by Qatar Airways," the airline said in an emailed statement.

The decision meant some supporters who had already booked match tickets or hotel rooms were unable to travel.

RAM said it would reimburse air tickets and apologised to customers.

Image source, UN/OCHA/Twitter

The UN migration agency says it is “deeply shocked and saddened” by the discovery of dozens of bodies, including those of children, in the Chadian desert.

The 27 migrants had reportedly left Moussoro, a crossroads town in central Chad about 17 months ago in a pick-up truck, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

It said the migrants, who included four children, died of thirst - with their trucks believed to have got lost in the deep desert.

IOM Chad Chief of Mission Anne Kathrin Schaefer has sent her condolences to the families and called for stronger collective action to prevent further deaths.

The migration agency says it has documented the deaths and disappearances of more than 5,600 people transiting through the Sahara Desert since 2014, with 149 deaths recorded so far this year.

It says the numbers are likely higher as many migrant deaths go unrecorded.

Kenyan President William Ruto’s second-born daughter, Charlene, has defended her remarks on the existence of an office of the first daughter.

Kenyan law does not recognise the office of first daughter.

In a statement, Ms Ruto says the office is not a government department but is a "private entity".

"It is neither a constitutional office nor being funded by Kenyan taxpayers. The office runs to purely facilitate the activities of and any programs being run by Charlene Ruto," the statement said, external.

It follows criticism over what some saw as a misuse of taxpayers’ money.

Ms Ruto has been regularly meeting leaders across the country and attending international forums meeting foreign dignitaries since her father became president.

Image source, Getty Images

Morocco's World Cup semi-final clash against France on Wednesday has dominated local newspapers and television stations

The front page of the leading Assahra al-Maghreb newspaper reads: “Lions, we are with you until victory: Another historic point for Morocco".

Le Matin newspaper says: “The Atlas Lions are determined to honour their appointment with history”.

State TV ran a 10-minute trailer for tonight’s game - sound-tracked by rousing music, ululation and a stirring voice-over.

An article on the news website Lakome said Morocco's achievements at the World Cup have ignited a "sense of optimism and pride in the hearts of Moroccans that made them forget… their difficult economic conditions".

It included an interview with a man saying the campaign had "made us forget everything else...the high prices and everything. We want them to move forward. My mood has changed, praise God!"

When the final whistle blew on Morocco’s victory over Portugal on Saturday, the state broadcaster al-Aoula immediately dropped its schedule to show scenes of celebrations taking place across the country for several hours.

Drone footage over the capital, Rabat, showed thousands of Moroccans on the streets and squares revelling in the historic moment.

It was a scene echoed in cities across the country, from Marrakech to Casablanca, and even Laayoune – the capital of the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

A presenter said: "The victory gave the values on which we were raised a thousand meanings: Faith, parents’ blessings and attachment to national symbols”.

“This is the Kingdom of Morocco: History, civilisation, a people, culture and heritage beyond description”.

One news website, external took it a step further, saying the team’s success was emblematic of Morocco’s "geo-strategic gains and growing soft power" on the international stage.

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The world through its media

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Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that African countries must wean themselves off "begging" the West to earn global respect and change poor perceptions about the continent.

"If we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone, we will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow," Mr Akufo-Addo said.

He made the remarks during the opening of the US-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington DC.

Mr Akufo-Addo urged greater solidarity among Africans to address shared aspirations.

"Africans are more resilient outside the continent than inside. We must bear in mind that to the outside world, [there's] nothing like Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya, we are simply Africans. Our destiny as people depends on each other," he said.

The president said that the continent had skills and manpower but needed concerted political will to make "Africa work".

Mr Akufo-Addo's remarks came on the day that the International Monetary Fund agreed to give Ghana a $3bn (£2.4bn) loan to alleviate an unprecedented economic downturn in the West African country.

Dozens of African leaders are in Washington to discuss cooperation with the US amid growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo Félix Tshisekedi says he will cut short his trip to the US, where he is attending the US-Africa leaders summit, after floods killed more than 120 people in Kinshasa.

In a tweet, Mr Tshisekedi says he will return home on Thursday, external after his meeting with President Joe Biden.

Three days of national mourning have been declared and the president has told state agencies to assist the affected families and start rebuilding damaged infrastructure.

In a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the summit, President Tshisekedi blamed the floods on climate change, the AFP news agency reports.

Mayeni Jones
BBC News, Casablanca

Image source, Getty Images

Moroccans are eagerly anticipating their team’s semi-final World Cup match against reigning champions, France.

Morocco became the first Arab and African side to make it to a World Cup semi-final, after defeating Portugal last week in a shock result.

Across Casablanca, a port city in western Morocco, café owners are setting up for the biggest football game of their lives.

Tables are being cleared out, and rows of chairs lined up in front of giant screens, ready for the throngs of supporters who will be pouring into the city’s many coffee shops to watch the game.

Vendors selling flags and football jerseys have taken over the Medina, the city’s historical district.

Football fans here say they never expected this day to come, and that the team’s victory would be a watershed moment, not just for Moroccans, but for the entire African continent, as well as the Arab world.

This is a country which has poured millions into its national team. That investment appears to be paying off: many of its players were trained in Morocco rather than abroad.

Many here are praying this homegrown side will make history today.

Kenyans online are expressing disbelief over the apparent existence of an office of the first daughter, linked to President William Ruto’s second-born daughter.

In a video being shared widely online, Charlene Ruto is seen speaking to an audience at a summit in Tanzania where she introduces her “team from Kenya” including her adviser and another who is the “head of trade and investments at the office of the first daughter”.

The audience appear to respond loudly with claps and some laughter.

“I don’t get what is funny,” Ms Ruto responds as she attempts to continue with the introductions.

Kenyan law does not provide for an office of the first daughter and there has not been any public announcement of the introduction of such an office.

Kenyans online have been criticising what some see as a misuse of taxpayers’ money.

"Charlene Ruto introducing her team from the office of the first daughter who are paid with taxpayers money despite being an illegal office," a Kenyan on Twitter says., external

Another asks how the office was established and shares the video:

Ms Ruto has been regularly meeting leaders across the country and attending international forums meeting foreign dignitaries since her father became president.

She has been among the most trending topics online on Wednesday.

She has sparked online debates in the past amid her many political engagements - and has been nicknamed Quickmart Ivanka on Twitter, a mockery of her similarities with Ivanka Trump, the daughter of former US president Donald Trump.

Emery Makumeno
BBC News, Kinshasa

Heavy rainfall on Monday night led to floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, Kinshasa, that destroyed many homes and cut off one of the main roads to the the city.

The damage left a third of the city with no water and electricity, according to authorities. Most of the dead were in hillside areas which suffered landslides

Kinshasa has about 15 million inhabitants and is one of the most densely populated capitals in Africa.

Prime Minister Sama Lukonde visited the affected neighbourhoods on Tuesday together with the city's Governor Gentiny Ngobila.

The governor said the provincial government will pay all the funeral expenses for the deceased.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

The authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo say more than 120 people have been killed in the worst floods in years in the capital, Kinshasa.

Most of the dead were in hillside areas which suffered landslides in torrential rain.

One journalist reported seeing the bodies of nine members of the same family whose home had collapsed.

A three-day period of national mourning is beginning on Wednesday.

Correspondents say there has been a big increase in the number of people moving to Kinshasa in recent years and the city suffers from inadequate drainage and poor urban planning.

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Morocco coach Walid Regragui stands on the brink of history as he looks to lead an African team into its first World Cup final.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now but we'll be back on Wednesday morning Nairobi time.

In the meantime there will be an automated service, but you can check the news by going to the Africa pages of the BBC News website or listening to our Africa Today podcast.

A reminder of our African proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this festive shot from Central Community Fellowship Church in the Hillbrow neighbourhood of Johannesburg, in South Africa:

Image source, AFP

Ishaq Khalid
BBC News

Police in the northern Nigerian state of Bauchi say they are investigating a grisly attack on a 12-year-old boy who was found with one of his eyes gouged out.

The Koranic school pupil was lured by two strangers on motorbike to the outskirts of Kafin-Madaki town, according to a police statement, where his attacker "forcefully plucked" out his right eye and "abandoned him in his pool of blood".

The victim later managed to walk back towards the town where he was spotted, rescued and rushed to a hospital. The suspects are currently at large, say police.

It’s not yet clear why the boy was targeted but in recent years there have reports of human body parts being removed for use in witchcraft.

Earlier this year, also in Bauchi state, another teenager was attacked and both his eyes were gouged out.

The man accused of making the Lockerbie bomb should face execution in the US, Bill Barr tells the BBC.