Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

Image source, AFP

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says old banknotes will remain legal tender until the end of the year in line with a judgement made by the supreme court earlier this month

Banks have also been directed to comply with the court's decision that allowed for old and new naira notes to run concurrently until 31 December.

A lack of newly designed naira notes led to a cash shortage in a country where 40% of the population don't have bank accounts.

Long queues were witnessed at banking halls and cash machines with many unable to access the new banknotes. This led to protests in some parts of the country.

In February, some state governors took the federal government to the court, challenging the implementation of a 10 February deadline to phase out the old notes.

President Buhari on 16 February ordered the central bank to recirculate the old 200 naira notes only until 10 April, insisting the old 500 and 1,000 naira notes were no longer legal tenders.

But the supreme court’s judgement overruled this directive.

On Monday, the presidency denied public sentiments that he had instructed the CBN governor and the attorney-general to disobey the court orders.

"The directive of the President, following the meeting of the Council of State, is that the Bank must make available for circulation all the money that is needed and nothing has happened to change the position" he said in a statement, external.

Last October, the central bank redesigned the higher banknotes to combat counterfeiting, cash hoarding and insecurity fuelled by kidnaps for ransom.

Peter Jegwa
Lilongwe, Malawi

Image source, Reuters

The death toll in Malawi from Tropical Storm Freddy rose to 99 on Monday, with 85 deaths recorded in the city of Blantyre alone, the authorities said.

The country is struggling to contain the effects of the storm, which has wreaked devastation particularly in 10 of the country’s southern region districts.

Heavy rains accompanied by strong winds have destroyed houses, washed away roads and bridges, flattened crop fields and disrupted power generation.

The main referral hospital in Blantyre says it is overwhelmed by the sheer number of bodies it is receiving.

It has appealed to bereaved families or whose relatives are missing to go to the hospital to identify and collect the bodies for burial as hospital is running out of space.

The storm has crippled power generation capacity with most parts experiencing prolonged blackouts.

The national power generating company says it is unable to restore power with its hydro-power plant off due to accumulation of debris caused by flooding.

Weather experts say heavy rains and flooding will continue on Tuesday as the storm is expected to begin withdrawing from Malawi back to the Indian Ocean on Wednesday.

The Malawi government has declared a state of national disaster in the most affected districts. It appealed for help locally and globally for the tens of thousands of people who have been left without food and shelter.

Image source, Getty Images

Volcanologists say they have observed a glow at the top of the Nyamulagira volcano in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

It's been caused by a movement of lava at shallow depths towards the central crater of the Nyamulagira volcano, according to the latest data.

Nyamulagira's last major eruption was in 2011 - its biggest eruption in 100 years.

It is located right in the middle of Virunga national park, which is also home to endangered mountain gorillas.

If a fresh eruption happens, the lava would flow towards the park, the Goma Volcano Observatory warned on Monday evening.

There are currently no threats to the city of Goma, where around 670,000 people live according to UN estimates.

But volcanic ash and strands of cooled lava could be blown by wind into inhabited areas, the observatory added in a statement.

"We recommend that the people of Goma keep calm and go about their business freely," it said.

Residents have been urged to wash vegetables and use stored water, while airlines have also been told to consider the wind direction when flying over the Virunga region.

In May 2021, tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the city of Goma after Mount Nyiragongo erupted.

Lukhanyo Calata remains determined to prosecute the security agents who killed his father 38 years ago.

Digital Planet caught up with Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales. In the first of two interviews with Gareth, Jimmy explains why Wikipedia was restricted in Pakistan recently and how they overcame the block. And he gives his thoughts on Twitter’s plans to stop the bots and banish its free API.

6G – what we can expect Professor Sana Salous, Chair of Communications Engineering at Durham University is about to submit her latest recommendations for the implementation of 6G connectivity to the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). She’s on the show to explain how this will change the way we communicate and tells Gareth that we should be connected to 6G by 2030.

Computer labs for schoolchildren in rural Kenya Nelly Cheboi’s nonprofit, TechLit Africa, has provided thousands of students across rural Kenya with access to donated, upcycled computers - and the chance for a brighter future. When she began working in the software industry, she realised that there are many computers that are thrown away as companies upgrade their technology infrastructure. So, together with a fellow software engineer they founded TechLit Africa. The students not only get upcycled computers but are also learning various skills such as coding. Wairimu Gitahi reports from Nairobi.

Podcast Extra Following months of debate and discussion about what caused Gareth’s motorbike key fob to malfunction near a major TV transmitter, Imperial College and Durham University engineers have joined forces to establish what actually happened. Please do listen as we have a definitive answer.

The programme is presented by Gareth Mitchell with expert commentary from Angelica Mari.

Studio Manager: Tim Heffer Producer: Ania Lichtarowicz

(Image: Wikipedia logo seen on screen of laptop through magnifying glass. Photo by Altan Gocher/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Senegal claim another continental title but Scorpions coach Abdoulie Bojang insists his team will eventually win a Cup of Nations.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

Tunisia has sworn in a new parliament with the opposition coalition refusing to recognise its legitimacy.

Only state media were allowed to cover the opening session. Independent journalists were denied access.

A spokeswoman for Tunisia's journalists' union said what was happening was dangerous.

The parliament was elected on a turnout of just over 11% after a new constitution was passed granting its author, President Kais Saied, sweeping powers.

Mr Saied dissolved the previous elected parliament two years ago, in a move described by critics as a coup.

Beatrice Ekweremadu says she was not privy to discussions about a donor for her daughter Sonia.

BBC Focus on Africa radio

The emergency services in Malawi are "overwhelmed" by the disaster that Tropical Storm Freddy has caused, police spokesman Peter Kalaya has told BBC Focus on Africa radio.

"We have rivers overflowing, we have people being carried away by running waters, we have buildings collapsing," he said.

He confirmed that at least 60 people have been killed - including 36 in a landslide in the biggest city, Blantyre.

"It is a really tough situation that we are facing," Senior Superintendent Kalaya added.

You can listen to his interview with Focus on Africa's Bola Mosuro here:

Image source, Getty Images

US Vice-President Kamala Harris plans to visit three African states, in what will be her first trip to the continent since she took office more than two years ago.

Ms Harris' visit to Ghana, Tanzania and Zambia from 25 March to 2 April will focus on efforts to "expand access to the digital economy, support climate adaptation and resilience, and strengthen business ties and investment", her office said in a statement, external.

They were travelling from Madagascar to Mayotte, which lies some 400km across the ocean.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Aid groups and officials in Malawi say at least 60 people have died as a result of the destruction caused by tropical storm Freddy.

Mobile phone footage shows homes with their roofs torn off and extremely dangerous, fast-flowing water in urban areas.

The full impact is not yet clear as some areas have been cut off.

The storm struck Mozambique as a cyclone on Sunday - for the second time in a less than a month.

The authorities there say they so far know of six deaths in the port city of Quelimane.

Initial assessments by humanitarian agencies report extensive damage to private homes in more than half of Mozambique's provinces.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

The Suez Canal has recorded its highest daily transit rate since it came into operation in 1869.

The canal authority said 107 ships passed through it in a day, carrying 6.3 million tonnes of goods.

Traffic included one of the world's largest container ships travelling from Greece to Malaysia.

The authorities attribute the increased transit rates to an expansion project completed in 2016.

The Suez Canal - which links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean - is one of the world's busiest waterways.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Johannesburg

A labour court in South Africa has ordered a halt to a strike by nurses and teachers who are demanding better pay.

Health authorities have welcomed the ruling, saying it will empower them to implement a no-work no-pay policy if the strike continues.

Health workers are regarded as providing essential services in South Africa and are prohibited from striking.

Thousands of members of the Natioanl Education and Health Workers Union (Nehawu) have been on strike since last week after failing to resolve their wage dispute with the government.

The military has been deployed to some hospitals following reports workers who were not taking part in the protest faced bullying and intimidation.

Military medics have also been dispatched to assist in some of the worst-affected hospitals.

The health minister said the deaths of four patients could be "directly attributed" to the strike, but the union said the strike "has never killed anyone".

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

At least 30 people are reported to have been killed in north-western Nigeria following several attacks by armed gangs.

Fierce fighting took place over the weekend between gunmen and volunteers who had joined self-defence groups to protect villages in Katsina state.

In neighbouring Kaduna state the authorities have imposed an overnight curfew after villagers were killed in Ungwan Wakili community.

Attacks by criminal gangs have remained a major threat in the north-west despite the heavy deployment of security forces.

The Nigerian government has been strongly criticised for failing to stop the insecurity.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, EPA

Police in Malawi say at least 11 people have died and 16 others are missing as a result of the destruction caused by tropical storm Freddy.

With communication links cut we don't yet know the full extent of the damage and the number of casualties.

But people died when their homes were destroyed, and police in the city of Blantyre fear people are trapped under rubble.

Freddy is one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the southern hemisphere and has caused weeks of persistent rainfall in Mozambique and Malawi.

Initial assessments by humanitarian agencies working in Mozambique say there's been extensive damage to private homes and infrastructure in more than half of the country's provinces.

The education minister apologises after Ethiopian Israeli girls film teachers mocking them on a trip.

Image source, Getty Images

Two foreign tourists, a German and a Swiss, died in an accident in Kenya’s Maasai Mara game park on Saturday

The accident happened after a vehicle they were using for their tour got stuck and veered off the road, police said.

The vehicle was carrying three German and two Swiss nationals, when the accident happened along the Sekenani-Mara Bridge.

One other tourist was injured and two others escaped unhurt. The injured tourist was airlifted to a hospital in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, local media said.

Kenyan police said the accident was being investigated.

Maasai Mara national reserve is a popular tourist destination for locals and foreigners.

Kyla Herrmannsen
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla has said the death of at least four patients can be “attributed directly” to an ongoing nationwide strike action by health workers.

He has warned that this number may grow, as his team continues to assess clinical reports and visit affected health centres.

Strike action by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) from last week saw the shutdown of some hospitals, with workers being violently barred from entering and patients in need of care being turned away.

The army has now been deployed to key hospital entrance points to stop the intimidation of workers and to ensure hospitals can remain operational.

Nehawu has, however, refuted claims that patient deaths can be blamed on their strike action.

The union's general-secretary, Zola Sephetha, told local TV station eNCA that the strike "has never killed anyone, and the government is accountable for whatever happens at the hospitals".

Public service workers - including medical personnel - have vowed to intensify their strike as it enters its second week.

They have rejected the government's 4.7% wage hike offer, demanding 10% instead.

Image source, Getty Images

Two football players died after being struck by lightning while playing a match in Kisii county in western Kenya, local media report.

Two other players were taken to hospital for emergency treatment after they got injuries during the weekend tournament.

A football federation official was quoted as saying that the teams were having a friendly match when it began to rain.

“It is quite unfortunate that they lost their lives while playing a game that they loved most. As federation officials, we send our condolences to the affected families,” the Daily Nation quoted the local Football Kenya Federation chairman Evans Akang’a as saying.

The official urged the authorities to install lightning arrestors in public areas including schools where matches take place in order to reduce such incidents.