The UK government wants to designate Wagner a terrorist group because it threatens global security.

Fifteen countries have now qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations, but a handful of places can still be claimed.

Hundreds have died and millions have been forced from their homes since fighting began in April.

Heath Streak was one of Zimbabwe's best players in their most successful period in history, though his coaching career ended in disgrace.

PM Benjamin Netanyahu wants the immediate deportation of Eritreans who took part in Tel Aviv riots.

Criminal gangs 'hijack' buildings in South Africa, and then they burn down. And no-one seems able to stop them.

A survivor tells the story of a five-week ordeal on the North Atlantic passage to Europe.

Dozens of people are reported injured in Tel Aviv as demonstrations turn violent.

A source close to the deposed president says those celebrating the coup should not expect much change.

The Newsroom
BBC World Service

Image source, AFP

The main opposition party in Senegal says its leader, Ousmane Sonko, has ended a hunger strike he began following his arrest in late July.

Mr Sonko, a fierce critic of President Macky Sall, had been charged with insurrection, undermining state security and terrorist activity.

He had already been banned from standing in next year's presidential election after a court sentenced him to two years in prison for morally corrupting a young woman.

Muslim leaders had urged him to end his hunger strike.

He was admitted to intensive care unit last month after his health deteriorated.

Mohamed Kissi accuses the Algerian coastguard of killing his brother and a friend.

Gabon's main opposition says the military shows no sign they plan to hand power back to civilians.

Morocco's Asmâa Hamzaoui learned to play the main instrument in Gnawa music from her father.

France's post-colonial days are long gone and yet its influence in Francophone Africa is in tatters.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team for now until Monday morning.

There will be an automated news feed here until then, plus you can get the latest updates at BBCAfrica.com and find out about stories behind the news on the Focus on Africa podcast.

A reminder of Friday's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Before we go, some snaps of something fishy...

Image source, Mozambican presidency

Rebecca Akufo-Addo is in town accompanying her husband, Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo, on a three-day state visit to Mozambique. She has been shown the sights by First Lady Isaura Nyusi (below right).

Image source, Mozambican presidency

Image source, Mozambican presidency

And we leave you with this image of a model in Kenya posing as part of a collaborative project involving photography, sculpture and art - one of our favourites from this week's gallery of top shots from around Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Nation Media Group

A Kenyan MP has raised health concerns about the infra-red light used by Worldcoin’s eye-scanning orbs during a parliamentary probe into the cryptocurrency project.

Worldcoin has been giving people digital coins in exchange for a scan of their eyeballs - though last month it was ordered to stop signing up Kenyan users pending an investigation over data privacy concerns.

MP Shakeel Shabir brought up the complaints when Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha appeared before the parliamentary committee on Thursday.

“I have five cases who have written to me, who claim that after this scan they felt great discomfort. Their eyes were paining,” he said.

Ms Nakhumicha said as the orb had not been brought into Kenya as a health device, its infra-red light had not been tested. She urged Kenyans who may have developed health issues to seek medical help.

The results of Kenyan forensic analysis of Worldcoin’s orb are reportedly expected next week, external.

But the Worldcoin Foundation told the BBC: “Biometrics including iris and facial scanning are safely used and captured all over the world by private companies, health organisations and governments. Worldcoin is no different when it comes to safety.

“More than two million people around the world have registered with Worldcoin. We have not received any reports of health issues following the orb-enabled proof of humanness verification process.”

Tools For Humanity, which developed the orb that Worldcoin uses, has also tweeted , externalto say the device "complies with international standard specifications".

Image source, AFP

The battle for control of Kenya’s main sugar-producing factory has taken a dramatic turn this week.

Mumias Sugar, partly owned by the government, has been in trouble since 2019 and has been seeking new investment.

It has become ugly with various tycoons, including some from Uganda, wanting to gain control of the company.

President William Ruto has now waded in with a warning to the warring parties.

During a visit to sugar-growing areas in the west earlier in the week, he accused them of exploiting farmers and consumers, using some stark words: “I have told these crooks, thieves and conmen that they have three options. Either they leave Kenya, go to jail or travel to heaven. There isn’t any other option.”

The remarks outraged human rights groups, but they seem to have prompted one of the businessmen to withdraw his interest in Mumias Sugar - as he dropped various court cases on Thursday.

This has all proved a sweetener for those enthralled by the drama of it all - nonetheless the fate of Mumias Sugar still hangs in the balance.

Image source, SABC

Eighteen people have been killed during a shoot-out with police in the South African province of Limpopo, security offficials have said.

The officers confronted a gang of so-called cash-in-transit robbers, national broadcaster SABC reports.

The criminals target security vehicles carrying money.

Speaking after travelling to the scene National Police Commissioner Fannie Masemola said that a team of officers pounced on the gang , externalas they were planning to carry out a heist.

The shoot-out lasted 90 minutes, during which the suspects - 16 men and two women - were killed and one police officer was seriously injured, he said, external.

The police also found explosives at the scene that they say were going to be used in a crime.

Richard Hamilton & Thomas Naadi
BBC News

Image source, AFP

The United Nations has warned of an impending humanitarian crisis in Niger, after the new military junta suspended the activities of UN agencies in war zones.

On Thursday, Niger's interior ministry announced it was stopping UN agencies and other international organisations from working in what it called military operation zones because of the current security situation.

It did not specify which regions were affected.

The country has for years experienced insurgencies from Islamist militants, but security has deteriorated further since the coup that toppled President Mohammed Bazoum's government last month.

Shortly after taking over, military leaders said they had done so in order to better tackle the insurgencies.

The coup leader's suspension of the UN Humanitarian Air Service comes as less than half of Niger's health facilities are operational.

On Wednesday, the UN said the move has impeded the delivery of essential medicines and nutritional supplies. Other UN agencies have also been affected.

The global body is particularly worried about the fate of more than 600,000 refugees and more than 20,000 internally displaced people living in dangerous conditions in the West African nation.

Following Johannesburg's deadly fire, families have been trying to identify loved ones.