BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

A Mauritanian secondary school student has been arrested for writing an exam paper considered insulting to the Prophet Muhammad in last month's baccalaureate exams.

Domestic media have reported that religious authorities demanded the death penalty if the young woman, who has not been named, is found guilty of blasphemy in court.

Mauritania has strengthened blasphemy laws, prescribing the death penalty for Muslims who "ridicule or insult God or the Prophet, even if they repent". Previously people could avoid the death sentence if they expressed remorse.

Pan-Arab news outlet al-Quds al-Araby reported on Wednesday, external that the student is from the north-western town of Atar and comes from the Haratin ethnic group, who are the descendants of slaves of sub-Saharan origin.

Image source, Metropolitan Police

James Ibori, a former governor of Nigeria's Delta state, has been ordered by a UK judge to hand over £100m ($130m) that he is accused of having stolen, the Reuters news agency reports.

Ibori was convicted in London of fraud and money laundering in 2012. After serving some of his sentence in a British prison he is now back in Nigeria.

The judge said that Ibori had to pay the money immediately or face jail once again, Reuters says.

Ibori had earlier told Reuters that he would be appealing the court's decision.

James Copnall
BBC Newsday, Camini, southern Italy

In a small Italian village, perched on a hillside above the Mediterranean Sea, I saw something that immediately transported me thousands of kilometres away.

It was a coffee pot - a bulging brown pot with a narrow spout and a semi-circular handle.

It looked like the sort of pot that would be used for elaborate ceremonies or simply an afternoon coffee in Eritrea, Ethiopia or Sudan.

The only difference? This pot wasn’t given pride of place on a silver platter, next to incense and a bowl of popcorn.

Instead, it was embedded in the wall of a house.

The house had recently been purchased by Philemon, a migrant who first came here a decade ago.

He was renovating the property before moving in, and he wanted a reminder of home for everyone to see.

I told Philemon I had lived in Sudan, and it looked very much like the sort of coffee pot - the jebena - I had often see there.

He laughed, and said the pot, like him, was from Eritrea, adding with a smile that it was Eritrea who had given that sort of coffee pot to Sudan, not the reverse.

Philemon is a long way from Eritrea, but his new house will always display part of the land he left.

Listen to Newsday with James' reports from southern Italy.

Yusuf Akinpelu
BBC News, Lagos

Teachers in Guinea-Bissau are fighting back against a government order this week to suspend their salaries.

It is unclear when the suspension will take affect but once in place some 8,000 teachers may be affected.

The authorities have said the decision would enable an audit of those employed by the education ministry and weed out so-called "ghost workers" - people who are getting paid but don't actually exist.

The president of teaching union Common Front, Seni Djassi, told the BBC that “the union will activate every legal mechanism to deal with this illegal measure”.

Teachers in Guinea-Bissau earn a monthly average of $86 (£67).

Mr Djassi said those who may be missed in the audit and therefore not be put back on the payroll were “sick teachers”, those who requested leave for treatment and others “on study leave in Europe”.

The small Portuguese-speaking country, with a population of two million, is one of the poorest countries in the world and relies heavily on external aid to meet salaries in the education sector.

The opposition is set to take over parliament next week after winning June's election. The teaching union said it is hoping the new government will rescind the salary suspension order adding they had met with the incoming party to negotiate a way forward.

Image source, AFP

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is considering stopping its vital work in part of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, after a series of incidents in which its workers have been targeted.

The latest one happened on Thursday when a convoy taking medical supplies to the Turkish Hospital in the south of the capital was “stopped by a group of armed men”, MSF has said in a press release.

“After arguing about the reasons for MSF’s presence, the armed men then aggressively assaulted our team, physically beating and whipping them, as well as detaining the driver of one of our vehicles.”

The life of the driver was then threatened and the vehicle was stolen.

The charity has said that its work at the Turkish Hospital is in “serious jeopardy” without safety guarantees.

“In order to save people’s lives, the lives of our staff who are there to carry out this life saving work must not be put at risk. If an incident like this happens again, and if our ability to move supplies continues to be obstructed, then, regrettably, our presence in the Turkish Hospital will soon become untenable,” Christophe Garnier, MSF’s emergencies manager for Sudan, said.

The hospital is only one of two operating in southern Khartoum, both of which MSF supports, the charity says.

There are very few other international charities working in the country.

As the three-month conflict between the army and a paramilitary force continues, the few remaining medical facilities in Khartoum are struggling to treat wounded patients.

MSF says it has treated over 1,600 war-wounded patients in the capital since April.

Five-time African Footballer of the Year Asisat Oshoala on embracing pressure and fame as Nigeria's star player.

Nigeria's Onome Ebi still loves her football as she embarks on a sixth appearance at the Women's World Cup.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, Reuters

The Nigerian government says it will start the distribution of grains and fertiliser from next week in a bid to cushion the impact of rising fuel prices, which was caused by the new president's decision to end the petrol subsidy.

The cost of food, transport and other services has also gone up.

In addition, the government is considering proposals to raise civil service salaries.

Frustrations about the rise in the cost of living are building. President Bola Tinubu - now in office for nearly two months - wants to be seen as addressing the crisis.

Along with other measures, his administration plans to give out cash to poor families, but first wants to create a new register of those who are eligible to benefit from the programme.

There are also proposals to deploy electric buses and cars as well as vehicles powered by compressed natural gas to reduce the cost of transportation.

Labour unions have criticised the removal of the fuel subsidy without measures to mitigate rising prices.

Last month, the unions and the government agreed on an eight-week timeline to raise the minimum wage for government workers.

Pink is sweeping the world it seems as everyone catches the Barbie bug.

And the colour was everywhere as the great and the good of Nigeria's celebrity culture turned out for the premiere of the Barbie movie in Lagos.

The theme for the night was Barbie Glam Galore, as fashion site Bella Naija Style reports, external, adding that it was a "stunning parade of fashion, creativity and individuality".

The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie - a toy doll made human - and Ryan Gosling as her sidekick Ken. It follows the pair as they leave Barbie Land behind and travel to the human world.

Barbie is on general release around the world from today.

Read more on the movie here.

Anthony Irungu
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Reuters

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga says “bad flu” has kept him from taking part in the three-day street protests that he called for over the cost of living and tax hikes.

"It is not a must that opposition leaders have to be seen on the streets," Mr Odinga told a Kenyan TV station about the protests that are due to end today.

The veteran politician, who lost disputed presidential elections last year, said "game-changing" demonstrations belonged to the people and were not his alone.

He denied suggestions his absence was a ploy to do a deal with President William Ruto, adding he was not seeking to be a part of the government.

"We have not, and we will not seek a ‘handshake arrangement’,” the opposition leader said referring to the name for the deal he made with the previous President, Uhuru Kenyatta.

For his part President Ruto has insisted that he will not engage in discussions with Mr Odinga to resolve the current impasse.

On Thursday, he praised the police's response - the police chief had said the protests were a threat to national security and deployed riot officers across the country.

But many others have criticised the way the security forces have confronted demonstrators, which has led to several deaths.

Far fewer people have been taking part in this week's anti-government protests compared to earlier demonstrations. Many people stayed at home on Wednesday and Thursday, fearing violence.

But things appear to returning to normal on Friday with schools and businesses reopening.

Major bus stations in the capital, Nairobi, and other cities are slowly resuming operations.

The opposition's three designated meeting points for Friday’s protests, including one in Nairobi's central business district, seem deserted with little or no activity.

BBC Focus on Africa

Guinness World Records (GWR) is encouraging more Africans to follow in the footsteps of Nigerians when it comes to trying to break records.

Though it comes with a warning that people must register their efforts first and follow the rules.

We've reported that record breaking has become something of a craze in Nigeria since chef Hilda Baci's four-day cook-a-thon in May was recognised by GWR.

The record-keeping body has now quantified the craze.

GWR's editor-in-chief Craig Glenday told BBC Focus on Africa that his organisation has received 1,572 applications from Nigerians for record attempts since chef Hilda hit the headlines.

People have been crying non-stop, massaging non-stop and frying huge amounts of snails, among other things - all in an effort to get recognition.

"I really like it when people are passionate about record-breaking," Mr Glenday said.

"We definitely want to see more people from Africa generally setting records - it's a good thing."

But he added that GWR wants to be notified first so they can assess the record attempt and see if it is measurable and establish the rules.

Mr Glenday said 95% of record attempts get rejected.

Listen to Focus on Africa here.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Reuters

Darfur governor and former rebel leader Minni Arko Minnawi renewed his call for civilians in the region to take up arms to defend themselves, saying the “current situation necessitates that”, Al Arabiya reported., external

He said this administration was leading efforts to stop the fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army, particularly in Darfur. The conflict is now in its fourth month.

Mr Minnawi has made similar remarks in the past, raising fears that Darfur, which is divided into five states, could descend into an all-out civil war amid growing ethnic tensions.

Elsewhere in the country, fierce fighting was reported between the army and the RSF in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri, the three cities that make up Sudan’s capital.

Eyewitnesses in Khartoum said the army carried out the "heaviest" airstrikes so far against RSF positions in several areas. The army said it killed 18 RSF fighters in clashes in Omdurman and Khartoum.

Renewed clashes were also reported in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, after a lull in fighting.

The fighting has persisted despite continuing indirect talks between the army and RSF representatives in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

Read more on Darfur:

• 'I saw bodies dumped in Darfur mass grave'
• West Darfur governor killed after genocide claim

Image source, AFP

Christine Sinclair missed a chance to become the first player to score at six Fifa World Cups as Canada drew level with Nigeria, with a 0-0 outcome.

Nigeria keeper Chiamaka Nnadozie kept out Sinclair's spot-kick early in the second half as the Olympic champions were frustrated in Melbourne.

Referee Lina Lehtovaara awarded the penalty after the video assistant referee intervened, however Sinclair's effort was weak and well saved by impressive an Nigerian keeper.

Nnadozie - 18 years younger than Sinclair - denied her penalty and the rebound.

"I'm probably going to embarrass her, but I think she's one of the best young goalkeepers in the world," said Nigeria coach Randy Waldrum.

"I think Chiamaka's save really lit the fire and made us realise there's still something to play for."

Read more on the match here.

Our proverb of the day:

Image source, Getty Images

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Zambia men's head coach Avram Grant says the nation's women can aim high at the World Cup - but warns they are in the toughest group at the finals.

Lu Ke was shown by BBC Africa Eye making videos with children, some of which included racist content.

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 picture of bathers enjoying Egypt's Gamasa Beach on the Mediterranean:

Image source, EPA

The political heads of state of Ukraine and Ethiopia have held talks on the telephone for the first time ever, a tweet from President Volodymyr Zelensky said, external.

The conversation between Mr Zelensky and Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took place in the wake of Russia's withdrawal from a deal that allowed for the safe exporting of Ukrainian grain.

There have been concerns over the impact of this decision on food security in poorer countries.

"I informed the interlocutor that Ukraine has supplied almost 300,000 tonnes of food to Ethiopia under the Black Sea Grain Initiative and another 90,000 tonnes of grain under a separate Grain From Ukraine initiative," the Ukrainian president said in his tweet.

"I emphasised that Ukraine is still ready to remain a guarantor of global food security."

Mr Abiy's tweet, external about the phone call was more terse.

He wrote: "I held a phone call with President Zelensky today to discuss bilateral and international matters of mutual interest as well as the means and ways of bringing peace between Ukraine and Russia."

Richard Hamilton & Chris Ewokor
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

A teachers' union in Nigeria has told the BBC that its members will only work two days a week, unless the government addresses the rising cost of living.

The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union - the third largest in Nigeria - is demanding a 200% rise in salaries to meet the costs of transport and other expenses.

It follows a sharp increase in the price of petrol, after a government fuel subsidy was removed.

Peter Jegwa
Lilongwe, Malawi

A magistrate's court in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, has found Chinese national Lu Ke guilty of procuring children to take part in entertainment and racially exploiting them. It then said he should leave the country within seven days and never be allowed to return.

Lu Ke, also known as Susu in Malawi, was arrested in July last year after he had been exposed in a BBC Africa Eye investigation, external. The report revealed he was filming local children making personalised greeting videos, some of which included racist content.

The videos could be bought for up to $70 (£55) on Chinese social media and internet platforms.

When news of his offensive videos broke, Lu Ke fled to neighbouring Zambia when he found out that the Malawian authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest.

He was then detained in Zambia and convicted on entering the country illegally before later being extradited to Malawi.

The case in Malawi did not immediately start as authorities said they were still carrying out investigations.

Lu Ke was denied bail and remained in police custody until his sentencing on Thursday.

The court was told that Lu Ke had already paid 16m Malawi Kwacha ($16,000) to the government of Malawi.

The money is supposed to be used as compensation for his victims and for helping school children in the area of Njewa on the outskirts of Lilongwe, where Lu Ke made the videos.

The court handed him a 12-month prison sentence which it said he had already served since he has been held in police custody for the past year.

Magistrate Rodrick Michongwe also ordered Lu Ke “to leave the country within seven days and to never return to Malawi”.

Watch the original BBC Africa Eye documentary: