Chris Ewokor
BBC News

The defence ministry in Niger says at least 17 soldiers have been killed in an Islamist militant attack.

Another 20 were said to be wounded. The ambush happened in the Tillabéri region - close to the border with Burkina Faso.

The military said more than 100 attackers were killed as they escaped the scene.

"The prompt reaction of the military and the air-land response initiated at the scene of the clash made it possible to deal with the enemy," a government statement read.

The government offered their condolences to the families of those affected.

This is the seventh attack on the country's forces since military officers overthrew the government in Niamey three weeks ago.

Niger's army has cited the jihadist insurgency as a justification for last month's coup.

Fierce clashes kill 55 people as many families are left trapped in their homes in Tripoli.

Favour Nunoo
BBC News, Accra

Image source, AFP

Ghana has imposed a 10% tax on betting and lottery winnings effective from Tuesday.

The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says the new withholding tax on all betting, games and lottery wins will be deducted at the point of pay-out.

According to the GRA, in situations where a game is cancelled and the player’s stake is returned or the value of the pay-out is less or equal to the amount staked, withholding tax will not apply.

Lottery operators have been directed to make changes to their software to display the amount staked, winnings and tax withheld during pay-out for easy tracking by the revenue authority.

GRA Commissioner Edward Gyambrah says the tax will “boost domestic tax revenue mobilisation as Ghana's total tax to GDP is very low compared to that of others in the sub-region”.

The new tax has been widely criticised by young Ghanaians who say betting and lottery winnings serve as alternative income sources for the unemployed.

Revenue authorities have cautioned that sports betting firms, lottery operators, casinos, slot machines operators and marketing promoters who fail to comply will have their licences withdrawn.

Ghana secured a three-year IMF bailout programme in May this year after experiencing a protracted period of economic crisis.

Managers of the economy have been encouraged to expand the tax net and mobilise domestic resources to help navigate the country back to growth.

Alfred Lasteck
BBC News, Dar es Salaam

Image source, AFP

Three journalists and one language interpreter have allegedly been injured by a group of young Maasai people living in the Ngorongoro conservation area in northern Tanzania, authorities say.

Elibariki Bajuta, the deputy commissioner for conservation in the area, told the BBC that the attack happened on Tuesday as the journalists were monitoring how authorities have been providing "conservation-based education" to the citizens living there.

Mr Bajuta says they are investigating the attack on and legal action will be taken against those identified.

The injured are being treated at a hospital in the neighbouring town of Karatu, he said.

It comes amid a row that erupted last year between the government and some Maasai community members opposed to the authorities moving them from what they call their ancestral land.

The authorities have been relocating people to the coastal region of Tanga, saying that the increased human population in Ngorongoro endangers the ecology of the area.

Gloria Aradi
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

Cameroonian journalist Simon Ateba has persisted in his fight against the White House, days after filing a lawsuit challenging the cancellation of his press pass.

In recent interviews and social media posts, Mr Ateba has claimed that the White House discriminated against him due to his race, because of his tough questions and because he reports for a lesser-known news outlet.

In a lawsuit, filed last Thursday against White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and the Secret Service, Mr Ateba alleged the White House targeted him by introducing a credentialing policy to block him from renewing his White House press pass.

The rule change led to Mr Ateba and more than 400 other White House reporters losing their passes.

Under the new policy, Mr Ateba cannot obtain a White House press pass as his news outlet, Today News Africa, which he runs himself, is not considered a reputable news organisation.

Mr Ateba’s ban and subsequent lawsuit mark the culmination of a long-running feud between him, Ms Jean-Pierre, the White House press office and some White House journalists critical of Mr Ateba’s frequent interruptions.

Last month, the White House warned him that he would lose press access if he continued disrupting the briefings.

He had disrupted briefings on at least four occasions to call out Ms Jean-Pierre for repeatedly denying him opportunities to ask questions.

Gloria Aradi
BBC News, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

A petition to ban TikTok has triggered a debate among Kenyan MPs and citizens.

The Kenyan parliament on Tuesday debated the petition, which was presented by a Kenyan, Bob Ndolo.

Mr Ndolo asked MPs to outlaw TikTok, citing concerns that the platform threatens Kenya’s cultural and religious values.

The petitioner also said that Kenya’s weak regulation of TikTok has caused the proliferation of offensive and inappropriate content on the platform.

“The petition decries that while TikTok has gained popularity among the youth in Kenya, the content that is being shared on the platform is inappropriate, thus promoting violence, explicit sexual content, hate speech, vulgar language and offensive behaviour, which is a serious threat to the cultural and religious values of Kenya,” Moses Wetangula, the speaker of the Kenyan parliament, told MPs.

Mr Ndolo added that the ban would shield Kenyans against the negative effects of TikTok, including addiction, which could disrupt the education and mental health of students. Mr Ndolo also expressed concern that the app could be illegally collecting or sharing Kenyans’ personal data.

Some lawmakers and citizens have supported the proposed ban, while others say that such a move would deter Kenya’s technological development and affect income for several young Kenyans who create content on TikTok.

Some lawmakers, like the majority leader in parliament Kimani Ichung'wah, have proposed stricter content regulation on the platform instead of an outright ban.

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Image source, AFP

Residents and opposition groups have accused government troops in Ethiopia’s largest Oromia region of killing multiple civilians as the army continues to battle militias in another region - Amhara.

Family members of victims in West Shoa told the BBC’s Afaan Oromoo service that at least 10 civilians including four members of a family were killed by government forces.

The BBC’s attempts to get a response from the regional government have not been successful.

A resident, Ararsa Yadesa, said four members of his family and two farm workers in his village were killed in a single incident.

The armed group, the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA), widely operates in the area. However, Mr Ararsa said there had been no fighting between OLA and government forces prior to the attack.

In another incident, a university student said he and three other young people were taken by security forces from their village and only he managed to survive after the security forces opened fire on them.

Two opposition parties, the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) have accused the government of unlawful killings, mass arrests and human rights abuses in West Shoa.

The groups put the number of deaths at 11.

It comes as the government faces widespread resistance from armed militias in the country’s second-largest Amhara region.

While relative normalcy continues in Amhara’s biggest cities after intense urban combat last week, militias still say they control small towns and villages.

Sailors from Angola and Morocco are among those looking to use the Sailing World Championships as a stepping stone to Paris 2024.

Azeezat Olaoluwa
BBC News, Lagos

Image source, Getty Images

Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu has assured the citizens that the current price of petrol will remain the same as there is "no plan to increase the prices of fuel at this time".

This follows the warning by some oil marketers that the price of petrol would rise again for the third time since the president resumed office late May. They said this is due to Nigeria's foreign exchange crisis.

But the president's spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, told BBC News that Mr Tinubu and the industry stakeholders are convinced that they can maintain current pricing without "reversing our deregulation policy by swiftly cleaning up existing inefficiencies within the midstream and downstream petroleum sector".

Similarly, Nigeria’s state oil company, NNPC, posted a statement online, explaining that "we do not have the intention to increase our pump prices as widely speculated".

The naira has continued to experience a free fall at the foreign exchange market since the government unified the exchange rates, causing the cost of getting fuel to the customer to rise recently.

Since the removal of the fuel subsidy, Nigerians have been facing rising costs of food items and increased transportation fares amid high inflation rates.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Chadian presidency

Niger's junta-appointed civilian prime minister, Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine, and two other members of the ruling military council visited Chad on Tuesday for talks with interim President Gen Mahamat Idriss Déby.

Mr Zeine, who has emerged as the diplomatic face of the military government, said his country was now under a “transitional” government and reiterated the junta’s readiness for talks.

However, he said the junta would only talk to "partners" who respect his country’s sovereignty.

Chadian President Déby has made efforts to mediate between the Niger junta and the deposed government of President Mohamed Bazoum.

Chad has also said it would not participate in any military action against the Niger coup leaders.

Meanwhile, the army chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) will meet in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Thursday and Friday to discuss the situation in Niger.

The military chiefs are reportedly meeting to work out a plan for military intervention in Niger to return Mr Bazoum to power.

A Kenyan man has told the BBC how his AI-related job has affected his personal life.

Tom Bayly
BBC World Service News

Image source, Getty Images

Google has announced plans to train 20,000 Nigerian women and young people in digital skills to support government targets of creating one million tech jobs.

The US firm said it would also donate $1.6m (£1.26m).

It follows talks between Google's director for West Africa, Olumide Balogun, and Nigeria's Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, in Abuja.

Welcoming the announcement, Mr Shettima said President Bola Tinubu's administration was determined to harness the potential of Nigeria's young population to grow the digital sector.

No firm timeline was set out for the plans.

Tom Bayly
BBC World Service News

Image source, Getty Images

Several West African migrants have been found dead aboard a boat drifting off Cape Verde, along with around 40 survivors.

The exact number of casualties is unconfirmed.

The boat had reportedly set off from Senegal a month ago with around 100 people onboard.

It's believed the vessel was heading for the Spanish Canary Islands, a popular gateway for migrants to the European Union.

Thousands of people fleeing poverty and war risk their lives to make the dangerous crossing each year, often in modest boats or motorised canoes supplied by smugglers.

BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

Libyan medical sources say clashes between two powerful armed factions in Tripoli have killed 27 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Violence broke out late on Monday after the Special Deterrence Force (SDF) seized a commander of the 444 Brigade.

It subsided after the commander was released on Tuesday evening.

The fighting shattered months of relative calm in Tripoli.

A 2020 ceasefire has brought a measure of peace to Libya but entrenched factionalism constantly threatens to upset it.

Image source, AFP

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has paid tribute to soldiers who died after a helicopter crashed in the country’s north-western state of Niger on Monday.

It had been on a mission to evacuate soldiers following an ambush in the area where the army has been fighting armed groups.

It is not clear why the helicopter crashed.

The president said the “tragic loss of our officers and soldiers” had “brought immense sadness to me”.

In a statement, external, he said they would be remembered as “courageous men who did not consider the perils and dangers of their national duty as paramount to their sacred mandate of ensuring that their fellow countrymen and women can live in peace”.

Armed gangs are common across central and northern Nigeria where they rob and kidnap for ransom.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, @advocatemahere

Police in Zimbabwe have arrested 40 members of an opposition coalition who were campaigning ahead of elections next week.

They were detained in the Glenview suburb of the capital, Harare, on Tuesday.

Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said that Gladmore Hakata, the party’s Glenview South MP candidate, was among those arrested, external.

A police statement shared on social media said the CCC had engaged in activities not mentioned in their notification for a rally in the suburb.

They held a vehicle procession, obstructed traffic and chanted party slogans on the streets, prompting a police response after a resident reported the matter, police said.

Last month, the opposition called on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to take action against the use of the police to disrupt their rallies.

The CCC says the police have banned several of its meetings since 9 July, and nearly 100 gatherings since the party was formed in January last year.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa and CCC leader Nelson Chamisa are the front-runners in the election.

More on the vote:

• Zimbabwe elections 2023: What you need to know

Nomsa Maseko
BBC News, Johannesburg

Image source, Getty Images

Rwandan fugitive Fulgence Kayishema, who has been in custody in South Africa, has been arrested again on an order for his transfer to Arusha, Tanzania, to stand trial for genocide.

The latest developments which were at the request of the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals - seem to have caught his lawyers by surprise.

He was arrested while in the holding cells at the high court in Cape Town earlier on Tuesday.

The tribunal wants him to answer to charges that he allegedly orchestrated the killing of approximately 2,000 Tutsi refugees at a Catholic church in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide.

Mr Kayishema is already in custody in South Africa after he was traced to a wine farm in Paarl in the Western Cape province and was initially arrested for contravening the country’s immigration laws.

South African investigators said he’d been living in South Africa under a false name since his arrival in 2000.

In his home country, Rwanda, he’s accused of playing a key role in the 1994 genocide, complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.

During his last court appearance in June, he abandoned his bail application and said he’d apply for asylum status in South Africa.

The case against him has been postponed to 30 August to allow his lawyers and local prosecutors to respond to the arrest and transfer order.

He has not officially pleaded to the charges against him, but has previously denied, external having any role in the crimes.

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