The US has placed a bounty on the spokesperson of the militant Islamist al-Shabab group.

It offered $5m for for information leading to the identification or location of Ali Mohamed Rage, also known as Ali Dheere.

He has been al-Shabab’s chief spokesperson since May 2009 and is a senior leader of the group, the State Department said.

Al-Shabab militants have recently carried out several attacks in Somalia despite government forces gaining ground in areas previously under the group's control.

More on al-Shabab:

• Are militant attacks on the rise in Somalia?
• Somalia and al-Shabab: The struggle to defeat the militants

BBC World Service

Three journalists from one of Egypt's last remaining independent media outlets are to be put on trial.

The three women work for the liberal online newspaper Mada Masr.

They are charged with offending legislators from the Nation's Future party, which strongly supports President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

If convicted, the journalists could face prison sentences of up to two years, and hefty fines.

Nation's Future disputes an article carried by the website last August, which reported that a state watchdog had accused its MPs of gross financial misconduct.

The Egyptian authorities have tried to clamp down on Mada Masr at least twice before.

The newspaper has struggled to keep its publishing licence.

Nigeria ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party has thanked Nigerians for electing its presidential candidate Bola Tinubu, although opposition parties have disputed the election results.

The 70-year-old veteran politician got 8,794,726 votes - 37% of votes counted - according to official results..

The elections were Nigeria’s most hotly contested since the reintroduction of multiparty democracy in 1999.

"Thank you Nigerians for electing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, President Elect of Nigeria," the ruling party tweeted.

Opposition parties have described the election as a sham.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party said results had been manipulated, and they wanted a new election to be organised.

The electoral commission said they should take their complaints to court.

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Opposition parties condemn the election as a sham as Bola Tinubu wins 36% of the vote.

Old and misleading footage plus unproven allegations about electoral tampering abound online.

We're pausing our coverage of the results coming in from Nigeria's tightly contested presidential elections.

The electoral commission is taking a two-hour break, having announced the results of 14 states and the capital, Abuja, on Tuesday afternoon. It is expected to announce at least another two results later on this evening.

We'll be back on Wednesday morning, but you can follow the latest results - and all the drama around the election - on our website and dedicated results page.

Here are the main points from the results released so far:

• The governing APC party's candidate, Bola Tinubu, has a lead of about 1.5 million votes
• He has 39% of votes counted so far, while Atiku Abubakar of the PDP has 31%, followed by Labour's Peter Obi with 20%
• Their parties have called for the election to be cancelled, describing it as a sham
• They have been critical of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) and its handling of the electronic voting system
• Inec has said complaints should be taken to court once all the results are in
• Rival protests have taken place outside the commission's headquarters, one accusing it of fraud, the other praising its integrity
• There are 36 states plus the capital, Abuja - a candidate needs 25% of votes in two-thirds of these to win, as well as having the most votes.

Nigeria’s opposition PDP candidate Atiku Abukar has gained the majority of votes in Nigeria’s north-western state of Sokoto, according to official results.

He got 288,679, but the APC’s Bola Tinubu, candidate for the governing party, was not far behind, picking up 285,444 votes.

The Labour Party’s Peter Obi trailed way behind the majority Muslim state with 6,568 votes.

One of the outlier presidential candidates in Nigeria's election has won close to a million votes in the northern vote-rich Kano state, according to official results.

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP got 997,279 votes, upsetting Bola Tinubu of the APC (517,341) and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP (131,716) in the majority Muslim-state.

Peter Obi of the Labour Party got 28,513 ballots.

Mr Kwankwaso, 66, is a former defence minister, former senator and served two-terms as governor of Kano, one of Nigeria's most-populous states.

He is rarely seen without his red cap. It is a symbol of his ambition and his achievements.

Read more: Who is Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP?

Nigeria’s ruling party candidate has won a comfortable majority in the presidential election in Zamfara, the north-western state of Zamfara.

Bola Tinubu of the APC got 298,396 votes with Atiku Abubakar of the PDP taking 193,978.

The mainly Muslim state is among several grappling an epidemic of kidnapping for ransom.

The Labour Party’s Peter Obi failed to secure many votes, only getting 1,660, trailing behind former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the NNPP, who got 4,044.

Atiku Abubakar has beaten Nigeria's ruling APC party's candidate Bola Tinubu in the north-western state of Kebbi, according to results announced by the electoral commission.

The PDP presidential candidate got 285,175 votes compared to Mr Tinubu's 248,088.

Labour Party's Peter Obi secured 10,682 ballots.

There are 36 states plus the capital Abuja - in order to win in the first round a candidate needs 25% of votes in at least 25 of these, as well as having the most votes nationwide.

Lamin Jallow appeals to other Turkish teams after Adanaspor's withdrawal from competition leaves the winger without a club.

Nigeria's vote-rich Kaduna state has gifted the three main presidential candidates many votes, with the most going to opposition PDP's Atiku Abubakar.

The two-term former vice-president got 554,360 votes, according to results announced by the electoral commission.

The northern state, which has large Christian and Muslim communities, gave 399,293 votes to the ruling APC party's Bola Tinubu.

The Labour Party's Peter Obi, whose party lacks the the networks enjoyed by the other two main parties, got 294,494.

The southern oil-rich state of Bayelsa has been won by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the opposition PDP, according to official results released by the Nigerian electoral commission.

Voting in some areas of the state were delayed until Sunday because of logistical problems on Saturday when the rest of the country voted.

Mr Abubakar got 68,818 votes, ahead of Labour Party candidate Peter Obi, who got 49,975, and Bola Tinubu of the ruling APC with 42,672.

Atiku Abubakar has trounced rivals in the north-eastern state of Bauchi, garnering 426,607, according to official results.

The ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu also made a strong showing, he got 316,694.

Peter Obi of Labour party came a distant fourth with 27,373, behind NNPP's Rabiu Kwankwaso, who got 72,103.

Peter Obi of Nigeria’s opposition Labour Party has won Nigeria's central state of Plateau with 466,272 votes.

The state, which is at the crossroads between the country’s predominantly Muslim north and the largely Christian south, had more than one million accredited voters, officials results show.

APC candidate Bola Tinubu got 307,195 votes with Atiku Abubakar of the opposition PDP coming third with 243,808.

Bola Tinubu of the governing APC party has won the central state of Kogi, garnering 240,751 votes, according to Nigeria's electoral commission.

It is a comfortable victory over Atiku Abubakar of opposition PDP, who came second with 145,104 votes.

Peter Obi of Labour Party registered 56,217 ballots.

Image source, AFP

A revered monarch in south-west Nigeria has appealed for all politicians and the electoral commission not to inflame tensions as results from Saturday’s presidential election are announced.

The Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, called for them to conduct themselves in a mature manner “in order for peace to reign”.

The governing APC party’s candidate Bola Tinubu is currently leading the vote, while the opposition PDP and Labour Party have called for a fresh election, alleging malpractices by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).

The king, who is also co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, urged Nigerians to be patient as they await the result.

The Ooni of Ife's kingdom is in present-day Osun state.

"Nigerians have suffered enough and any form of uproar will add to the already harsh condition of living for Nigerians especially the poor and vulnerable amongst us," the Ooni said in a statement released by his palace.

"I equally urge our youths to resist all pressure to be utilised by unpatriotic elements as thugs."

The southern state of Abia has voted overwhelmingly for Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi, according to official results currently being announced at the national collation centre in the capital, Abuja.

Mr Obi got 327,095 votes.

Atiku Abubakar of the opposition PDP was a distant second with 22,676. Bola Tinubu, the candidate for ruling APC party, got 8,914.

Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of Labour Party, has registered a huge win in the southern Edo state, according to official results.

Mr Obi got 331,163 his closest rival Bola Tinubu of the governing APC garnered 144,471.

The PDP's Atiku Abubakar, who has served two terms as the country's vice-president, got 89,585 in the state.