BBC World Service

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Two people have been arrested in Egypt for posting a parody of a prison visit on social media.

Basma Hegazi and Mohamed Hosam have been placed in pre-trial detention after being accused of spreading false news and belonging to a terror organisation.

The arrests are the latest in a recent clampdown in Egypt on social media, with some women accused of “violating family values”.

In one high-profile case Haneen Hossam, who lip-synced to songs and danced, was sentenced to 10 years in jail for human trafficking.

Her sentence was later reduced to three years following a public outcry.

Tarik Habte
BBC News

Nigerian rapper and singer, Rema, has set a new YouTube record with his song 'Calm Down' which is now the most-viewed Afrobeats music video on the streaming platform, according to Nigerian music company, TurnTable Charts, external.

The video has been watched over 355 million times, so far, and is also the fastest Afrobeats song to reach 100 million in views, hitting that number in less than three months.

A remixed version of the song featuring American popstar Selena Gomez has also been released, debuting on YouTube four months ago and has already racked up over 260 million views.

Rema tweeted his thanks to fans on Monday, with a selfie that has already been liked over 38,000 times.

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The US ambassador to the UN has told the BBC’s Newsday radio programme that her country does not see its recent engagement with the continent as a “scramble for Africa”.

It comes after US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, visited the continent and weeks after President Joe Biden hosted a summit in Washington for Africa leaders. Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and his Chinese counterpart have also visited several African countries this month.

“We have been on this continent for many decades,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in an interview with our correspondent Anne Soy, explaining that she has spent most of her diplomatic career in Africa.

Like Ms Yellen, Ms Thomas-Greenfield has just completed a tour of Africa.

“There are extraordinary opportunities on the continent,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield continued, highlighting the contribution of the continent's youth.

However, the US does not see it as its role to boss Africa around: “We are not telling African countries who they should be friends with,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said.

African countries like South Africa have recently faced criticism for close relations with the likes of Russia, amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Ms Thomas-Greenfield also warned against the use of Russian mercenary group, Wagner, in Africa, describing it as a criminal organisation.

"The kind of activities that they carried out in Mali – human rights violations including rapes of women; the kinds of attacks that they have carried out in the Central African Republic including targeting humanitarian workers and the UN, that is not an organisation that would bring, in my view, any value to the fight against terrorism."

Wagner has been linked to African countries that are currently facing a surge of militant Islamists, such as in Mali, Mozambique and other nations.

Read more about the US’s relations with Africa here.

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Ahead of Pope Francis' visit to DR Congo on Tuesday, a Nigerian pries has said there needs to be more African representation in the Catholic Church.

“We Africans must be at the table. Africa has 236 million Catholics – the fastest growing church in the whole world,” Father Stan Chu Ilo told BBC’s Africa Daily podcast.

He added that there are no African cardinals holding any major offices in the church.

In an interview alongside Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, a Ugandan nun who’s been described as the African Mother Teresa, Father Stan added that the Pope wants Africa to have a voice.

“I have never seen Pope Francis so animated as a I saw him at this virtual conversation between about 3,000 African young people,” he said.

“The Pope thinks, and I am also convinced, that we need to focus on how we would built the church and our society on the shoulders of these young people,” he added.

Sister Rosemary also said that the Pope is coming at a crucial time because he can “bring a glimpse of hope to people” who have faced adversity for a “long time”.

DR Congo is currently facing escalating conflict in the east of the country instigated by armed militia groups.

The Pope will also visit South Sudan which has faced conflict for years.

You can listen to the full Africa Daily podcast here.

Abdi Dahir
BBC Monitoring, Nairobi

A Somali military court has sentenced the wife of Abdiqadir Mumin, the alleged leader of the Islamic State's (IS) local branch, to eight years in prison for transferring money to the militant group, state-owned Somali National TV has reported.

“The armed forces court in Mogadishu on Monday handed an eight-year jail term to Fartun Abdirashid, the wife of Abdiqadir Mumin, [IS] terrorists leader in Somalia. She was found guilty of facilitating money transfer to the terrorists and sharing information," the TV station said, external.

State media reported that she was arrested in March last year in Mogadishu and had been using multiple names to conceal her identity.

Her husband, Mumin, was previously a senior al-Shabab member but defected with dozens of fighters to IS in 2015.

He is reportedly based in the north-eastern Puntland regional state.

Last Wednesday, US special forces killed a senior IS member, Bilal al-Sudani, in northern Somalia.

As the African Nations Championship (CHAN) reaches the semi-final stage in Algeria, a former Tunisia defender suggests age restriction format to improve quality of play.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

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Belarussian President Aleksandr Lukashenko is beginning his three-day visit to Zimbabwe, his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as he looks to expand his country’s footprint on the continent.

The visit follows the signing of trade agreements worth $350m (£282m) with Zimbabwe including the provision of agricultural machinery.

Zimbabwe president Emmerson Mnagagwa visited Minsk in 2019. Mr Lukashenko posted on his official website the same year that his government saw great opportunities in Belarus-Zimbabwe co-operation.

The economic ties with Zimbabwe have increased over the last seven years.

During this visit, more deals are expected to be signed in energy, manufacturing, transport and logistics, according to Zimbabwe state-owned media.

Political analyst Alexander Rusero tells the BBC that the visit is significant in Zimbabwe’s attempts to diversify its economic trade and dependency. He points out that Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF party, like Mr Lukashenko’s government, are both labelled as authoritarian.

Zimbabwe was put under western economic sanctions for over 20 years prompting then leaderx, Robert Mugabe, to adopt a "look east" policy, that strengthened trade ties with countries like China and Russia.

The relations with Belarus are an extension of that.

Businessman Alexander Zingman, a Belarussian and US citizen who has extensive interests in Africa, was appointed Zimbabwe’s honorary consul in Belarus’ by President Mnangagwa.

Mr Zingman has often denied accusations that he is an arms dealer.

He was arrested briefly in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2021 after a meeting with former president Joseph Kabila. He was released without charge.

Last year the Zimbabwe government controversially sourced fire engines from Mr Zingman for its local councils without going to tender.

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Nigerian LGBTQ rights campaigner, Davis Mac-Iyalla, was over the weekend made a traditional chief by a community living in Ghana's central region.

He was installed as Amankorehen, also known as development chief, of Yamonransa Nkusukum area.

The role is given to people, including foreigners, seen to be able to promote activities that can accelerate development in the area, the Graphic Online site reports.

There was heavy police presence during the ceremony, it adds.

Mac-Iyalla has British citizenship after seeking asylum in the UK in 2008 following threats to his life.

He said he will use his new title to fight for human rights.

He momentarily fell from a palanquin while he was being paraded through a road during the ceremony.

The Gravediggers’ Wife was the first Somali film nominated for the Oscars, in 2021.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

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A former teacher accused of abusing pupils at boarding schools in Edinburgh has been arrested in South Africa.

The 83-year-old — who can’t be named for legal reasons — attended a sexual offences office in Cape Town with his lawyer on Monday morning.

He is due to appear at the city's Wynberg Magistrates Court later.

The man, known in a BBC documentary as "Edgar", taught at Fettes College and Edinburgh Academy in the Scottish capital in the 1960s and 1970s.

The BBC presenter Nicky Campbell is one of several former pupils who have made allegations against "Edgar", who is fighting extradition from South Africa to the UK.

"Edgar" admitted abusing young boys while teaching in Scotland, according to court documents seen by the BBC.

His legal team now insists that he denies the allegations.

He also denies molesting students after moving to South Africa to teach at a prestigious boys school in Cape Town.

The man is subject to an order at the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry preventing his identification.

BBC presenter Nicky Campbell - who has been fighting for Edgar’s extradition to the UK - said he witnessed incidents of both sexual and physical abuse at the Edinburgh Academy which had a “profound effect” on his life.

Edgar is fighting the extradition on compassionate grounds arguing that he is old, unwell, and remorseful.

Read more: Teacher accused of abuse at Scotland schools arrested in South Africa

A second tiger went on the loose on Monday morning, two weeks after another escaped from a private farm.

Residents of Edenvale community in Gauteng spotted the tiger roaming the area on Monday morning, local media reported.

The National Council for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) was said to have confirmed the sighting of the animal. Authorities urged caution and asked residents to keep animals indoors.

News outlet News24 later reported that the tiger had been recaptured, and was to be taken to a sanctuary.

Earlier this month, a pet tiger escaped from a farm in Walkerville in Gauteng for days and attacked a man, a dog and a pig before it was shot dead.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

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Sudanese military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan travelled to neighbouring Chad on Sunday for talks aimed at cementing ties between the two countries, the state-run Suna news agency reported.

Gen Burhan and Chadian interim military leader Mahamat Idriss Déby met in N'Djamena and renewed their commitment to implement a 2018 bilateral agreement, the news agency said.

They also expressed their concern over communal violence in their countries and agreed to form a joint force to handle insecurity along their border.

Gen Burhan and Mr Déby also agreed to take the necessary steps to tackle irregular immigration and weapons smuggling.

They also agreed to bolster joint patrols along the tri-border area with the Central African Republic (CAR).

The border region has been the focus of intense manoeuvring in recent weeks involving forces loyal to Sudanese deputy military leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, CAR and Chadian rebels as well as the Russian Wagner mercenary group.

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The Kenya Wild Service (KWS) over the weekend explained why a captive lion had to undergo vasectomy earlier in the week

KWS had initially said the procedure was meant to control the lion’s breeding, but Kenyans questioned why it could not instead be released into the wild amid a decline in the endangered species.

But the KWS has explained, external that the big cat would be vulnerable in the wild, and noted that breeding was not permissible in captive facilities.

“When wild animals are hand-reared, they lose their natural instincts and if released back to the wild, they are vulnerable. The cat family end up being problem animals as they look for easier prey,” it said in a statement.

KWS said human-wildlife conflict leading to injury and retaliatory killings was among the main threat to lion conservation in the country.

Currently, Kenya’s lion population is estimated at 2,589, according to the KWS.

BBC World Service

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Only 11% of Tunisian voters turned out for the second round of parliamentary elections in what is being seen as a clear rejection of the controversial reforms of President Kais Saied.

Opposition parties boycotted the poll, accusing the president of staging a coup after he shut down parliament in 2021 and gave himself almost unlimited executive powers.

He also introduced a new constitution at the same time.

Turnout was similarly low in the first round of voting.

Tunisia is experiencing a deep economic crisis that has caused severe shortages of many basic foods.

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Gunmen killed eight people after opening fire on a group of people celebrating a birthday party in a township in South Africa's Eastern Cape province, police have said.

Two gunmen entered the yard of the house on Sunday evening in Gqeberha, formerly Port Elizabeth, and randomly shot at guests, a police statement, external said.

The owner of the house was among those killed, while three others were also wounded.

The Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, and the head of police, Fannie Masemola, are expected to lead a delegation to the crime scene on Monday.

No arrests have been made and an investigation has been opened on the attack, local outlets report.

A cost-of-living crisis in Nigeria is forcing thousands of young professionals to flee abroad.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Reuters

Key Libyan political figures have rejected an $8bn (£6.4bn) gas production deal overseen by the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU) and the Italian government.

Rights groups and observers in the country have also criticised memorandums of understanding reached between the two governments aiming to crack down Mediterranean migration flows.

The energy deal was signed between Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) and Italian energy firm Eni during a visit by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and an accompanying delegation to Tripoli on Saturday, while the memorandums were signed between the two countries' foreign ministers.

The GNU's outspoken oil and gas minister Mohammed Aoun spoke to Al-Wasat's WTV shortly after the gas deal was signed, calling it "illegal" and saying it "lacks equality between the Libyan and Italian sides".

He said his ministry was "bypassed" on the deal which he reiterated was illegal and pledged to "rectify".

On Sunday, the ministry released an official statement reiterating Mr Aoun's points, further criticising the deal for increasing the Italian side's shares from 30% to 37%.

During a press conference after the signing of the deal on Saturday, a reporter from the pro-GNU Lana news agency asked the NOC chairman Farhat Bengdara why Mr Aoun had been absent from the ceremony.

In a strongly worded response, Mr Bengdara said his company "works according to the law, and whoever sees this procedure as illegal must go before the court".

He added that GNU ministers had been involved in approving the NOC negotiation team and that the government had international recognition.

He also said the agreement was a "message to international oil companies" to return to Libya to continue with energy exploration as well as a "clear indication that the oil sector in Libya is free of risks".

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

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The Somali government says it has killed more than 130 fighters from the Islamist militant group al-Shabab - including top commanders.

It says a joint operation was carried out with Somalia's international partners, which include the US military.

The group has recently lost swathes of territory as the result of an operation led by pro-government forces.

It is impossible to independently verify the details of this attack but the Somali government has described what sounds like a significant setback for al-Shabab.

An information minister said 136 jihadist fighters had been killed in a joint operation with Somalia's international partners.

Just three days ago the US said its special forces had killed a senior militant leader during a raid in the north of the country.

Several years ago Bilal al-Sudani split away from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab and played a key role trying to boost the presence of the Islamic State group in other parts of the continent - including Mozambique and eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

More on this topic:

• Al-Shabab: Are militant attacks on the rise in Somalia?

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Ade Ayeyemi, the CEO of Ecobank - Africa’s biggest bank - speaks to presenter Peter MacJob about the economic woes facing much of Africa and explores the leadership and policy adjustments needed to turn the continents fortunes around.

In a candid and wide ranging interview Mr Ayeyemi says that African governments need to stop introducing subsidies and start collecting more taxes in order to manage their economies better.

Presenter/producer: Peter MacJob

(Photo: Ade Ayeyemi, CEO Ecobank. Credit: Getty Images)