BBC World Service

The UN says almost 300 children are estimated to have died or disappeared this year while attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to Europe.

The new report by the UN children's agency warned, however, that many shipwrecks leave no survivors or go unrecorded, making the true number impossible to verify.

Unicef is calling for more safe and legal routes for young people to claim asylum and for better efforts to rescue people at sea.

The report also calls for much more to be done to address what's causing so many children to flee their home countries and risk their lives.

Read more on this story:

• 'Europe or death' - the teenage migrants risking it all to cross the Med

Image source, Reuters

South Africa's former President Jacob Zuma is in Russia's capital, Moscow, for "health reasons", his foundation has said.

"He will be returning to [South Africa] once his doctors have completed their treatment," a statement from the Jacob G Zuma foundation continued.

The news comes a day after Zuma, 81, lost a case at the Constitutional Court, where he had tried to overturn a ruling that he must return to prison.

The former president left for Russia last week on a commercial flight, the foundation's spokesman Mzwanele Manyi said.

He has gone to Russia before for treatment, including in 2014 after he was allegedly poisoned.

On Thursday, the Constitutional Court ruled that Zuma had been granted medical parole unlawfully.

He was given parole by the former head of the prison service, Arthur Fraser, who is regarded as an ally of the former president.

Zuma was released in September 2021 after serving less than eight weeks of a 15-month jail sentence.

He had been convicted of contempt, after refusing to co-operate with anti-corruption enquiry during his term in office.

The prisons department has said it is studying the constitutional court’s judgement and will comment after seeking legal advice.

The main opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) has welcomed the court's ruling, saying that it confirms that Zuma "belongs in jail".

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, Getty Images

Ethiopia and Egypt have agreed to resume talks over a controversial hydroelectric mega-dam that Addis Ababa is building over the Blue Nile river.

The dam, which is nearing completion, has been at the centre of diplomatic spats between the two countries as Egypt fears it could impact its essential water supplies while Ethiopia sees it as an integral part of its plans to electrify millions of homes.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed met Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo and the two leaders agreed to negotiations over the filling of the dam’s reservoir.

They also aimed to finalise their agreements in four months, according to a joint statement issued by the Ethiopian prime minister’s office.

The huge reservoir has been filled over the last three rainy seasons as the dam wall was built up.

Egypt and the other downstream country, Sudan, expressed their opposition to this as it was carried out without a binding agreement between the three nations.

The African Union has commended the decision to resume talks. The dam’s construction began in 2011 and was initially scheduled to be completed in six years.

Read more about the dam:

• River Nile dam: Why Ethiopia can't stop it being filled
• Nile Dam row: Egypt and Ethiopia generate heat but no power

BBC World Service

A judge in Tunisia has ordered the release of two prominent political opponents of President Kais Saied.

Chaima Issa and Lazahr Akremi have been in jail for five months.

They were among a group of around 20 leading figures arrested in February on charges of plotting against the state.

Lawyers said the others had their appeals rejected.

President Saied has concentrated power in his hands since he suspended Tunisia's parliament two years ago.

His opponents accuse him of crushing the only democracy to emerge from the revolts of the Arab Spring in 2011.

Nkechi Ogbonna
West Africa Business Journalist, BBC News

Image source, Reuters

Nigeria's secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS), has said that it had filed charges in court against the country’s suspended Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, following an earlier High Court order to charge him or release him within seven days.

He was suspended in early June, shortly after President Bola Tinubu was sworn in. The bank governor was then arrested the following day.

The DSS did not give details of the charges against Mr Emefiele but said in a statement that he had been detained on the strength of “suspected fresh criminal infractions/information, one of which forms the basis for his current prosecution”.

The Reuters news agency says it has seen papers filed by government lawyers which suggest misappropriation of funds is one of the charges he is facing.

Mr Emefiele will remain in custody until he appears in court, but no date has been set.

On 20 June, he had asked the High Court to order his release saying there was no basis for his continuous detention.

Following the governor’s suspension, the president ended the policy of multiple foreign exchange rates and currency restrictions introduced by Mr Emefiele - moves that were welcomed by investors.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Ghana has defended its policy of sending asylum seekers back to Burkina Faso, after the UN refugee agency urged it to stop deportations.

Ghana's national security ministry said suspected terrorists and illegal migrants were being repatriated in accordance with international protocols.

And it claimed refugees were only being sent back if they were willing to go.

Burkina Faso is in the grip of an Islamist insurgency and Ghana is concerned that the militants could take advantage of the flow of refugees to infiltrate its territory.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has opened a new investigation into alleged war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan.

Ethnic violence has surged there as part of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary RSF.

The court's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said the reports included attacks on civilians, mass rapes and the burning of homes and markets.

He said the investigation would be conducted under an existing mandate for Darfur dating back to 2005.

That probe led to genocide charges against Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir.

Our proverb of the day:

Image source, Getty Images

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

A selection of the best photos from across Africa and beyond this week.

An eyewitness tells the BBC he saw dozens of bodies being dumped from a truck by a paramilitary group.

The small nation of Eritrea is on the verge of breaking through in elite cycling - and Biniam Girmay is at the centre of it.

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

You can also get the latest updates at BBCAfrica.com and listen to the new Focus on Africa podcast for stories behind the news

A reminder of the day's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo of Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur celebrating getting through to the Wimbledon finals:

Image source, Getty Images

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, AFP

The Constitutional Court in South Africa has ruled that former President Jacob Zuma was granted medical parole unlawfully.

Zuma had been given parole by the former head of the prison service, Arthur Fraser, who is regarded as an ally of the former president.

He was released in September 2021 after serving less than eight weeks of a 15-month jail sentence.

Zuma had been convicted of contempt, after refusing to co-operate with anti-corruption enquiry during his term in office.

He has recently been spotted at a climate conference in Zimbabwe.

The prisons department has said it is studying the constitutional court’s judgement and will comment after seeking legal advice.

This week marks the second anniversary of the deadly riots sparked by Zuma’s arrest. More than 350 people were killed in the violence.

You may be interested in:

• South Africa riots: The inside story of a week of anarchy

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News

Opposition MPs in Sierra Leone have boycotted their parliamentary swearing-in ceremony following elections last month.

The All People’s Congress (APC) won 54 out of 149 seats, according to results announced by the electoral commission which the opposition disputes.

The APC has demanded the resignation of the election commission chief and a rerun of the vote within six months.

US ambassador to Sierra Leone David Reimer had urged against the boycott, saying "a vibrant democracy needs a strong opposition - those who voted for the opposition need to have their voices heard".

But APC leader Samura Kamara, the losing presidential contender, tweeted: "Under normal circumstances, each day forward means progress. In our political journey however in Sierra Leone, a new day now means going backwards.”

Image source, AFP

Thomas Naadi
BBC News, Accra

Image source, Getty Images

News that Ghana’s parliament has passed a controversial law allowing the industrial cultivation of cannabis for medicinal purposes has been generally welcomed.

The recreational use of marijuana remains illegal.

The Supreme Court had earlier overturned the Narcotic Control Commission Amendment Bill, saying that it was not properly debated by MPs.

That ruling upset the Attorney General’s office and the speaker of parliament – but the law was passed after a debate by MPs on Wednesday.

People the BBC spoke to on the streets of the capital, Accra, said it was a positive move, as long as growers were properly overseen.

“We need to control its usage - we should have a system of policing it,” one man said.

This view was echoed by others concerned about young people who smoke cannabis – and the belief it fuels those engaged in criminal activities.

Richard Hamilton
BBC World Service newsroom

Image source, @OkendeC

A leading member of the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been found dead.

The body of Chérubin Okende was discovered riddled with bullets, in his car in the capital, Kinshasa.

A government spokesman said it was shocked to learn of his assassination.

Mr Okende was the government's transport minister before he resigned from office in December last year to join the opposition party Ensemble pour la République of Moïse Katumbi. He became the party's spokesman.

Tensions are said to be high ahead of the next elections at the end of this year.

Image source, Reuters

Tunisia's tennis star Ons Jabeur produced a superb comeback to beat Aryna Sabalenka from Belarus at Wimbledon in the women's semi-finals.

Jabeur's hopes were slipping away at first but she fought back before riding a wave of momentum and support to win 6-7 (5-7) 6-4 6-3.

She will play unseeded Czech Marketa Vondrousova in the final.

It means there is guaranteed to be a new Wimbledon and Grand Slam champion after Saturday's final.

• Read more: Wimbledon 2023 results: Ons Jabeur fights back to beat Aryna Sabalenka and reach final

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, Reuters

Retired US boxer Floyd Mayweather danced to a drumbeat and the cheers of fans at the Robert Mugabe International Airport in Zimbabwe’s capital, Harare, on the first day of his “motherland tour”.

He was greeted at the airport by his host Scott Sakupwanya, a prominent gold dealer and businessman, who is also a brand ambassador for Mayweather’s lifestyle brand The Money Team (TMT).

Mr Sakupwanya is campaigning to become a member of parliament for the governing Zanu-PF party in Mabvuku, a constituency in Harare.

As part of his tour, Mayweather will watch some boxing matches in Mabvuku and then conduct a few training sessions before heading to an exclusive business dinner with young entrepreneurs.

The BBC understands that he is seeking business and investment opportunities in Zimbabwe. His is expected to leave for South Africa on Friday.

Image source, Reuters

Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Déby has told warring Sudan’s military rivals during a peace summit in Egypt that the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict should not be forgotten.

More than 230,000 people out of 700,000 who have fled Sudan are now in Chad. Inside Sudan more than three million have been displaced since the war began in mid-April.

“The clashes taking place in Sudan are a great source of concern for my country, and for all neighbouring countries,” President Déby said

“Chad has continued to deplore the deterioration of the situation, the destruction of public buildings, the attacks against innocent civilians and the targeting of basic social service institutions.

“In this regard, I call for a joint and active search for rapid and appropriate solutions for the provision of emergency relief in order to remedy the lack of food, medicine and medical equipment, to alleviate the pressures of the crisis on innocent civilians.”

The rival military factions have sent delegations to the summit in Cairo, but previous regional and international peace efforts have failed.

During the gathering on Thursday, attended by several of Sudan’s neighbours, Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki warned that bringing peace could be a slow process.

“This initiative is good but it is a start to an extremely long journey, because to move from the condition that the Sudanese people are currently in to reach safety, that will take effort, time and resources. As mentioned before, there should be a clear mechanism with practical references."

More analysis on Sudan's crisis:

• From Ruto to Sisi, leaders vie to drive peace process

Shingai Nyoka
BBC News, Harare

Image source, AFP

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has promised to set up a tractor factory in Zimbabwe during his visit to the southern African country.

Diplomatic ties between the two countries have been forged through economic adversity - highlighted by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who bemoaned the impact of sanctions.

Image source, AFP

“We victims of Western sanctions are talking to each other,” he said after 12 agreements were signed during the state visit by his Iranian counterpart.

“The authors of sanctions won’t want us to talk to each other but because we are both victims, it is important that we show them that we are united.

And I am happy that we share this view with my dear brother.”

You may also be interested in:

• LISTEN: Africa Daily - why Iran’s president is visiting Africa