The Rwanda plan is in tatters - and it is very difficult to see how the PM can salvage its flagship policy.

That's it for now from the BBC Africa Live team, but we'll be back on Thursday morning.

Until then, you can get the latest African news on the BBC News website , externalor listen to our Focus on Africa podcast for stories behind the news.

A reminder of our wise words of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with a photo of Nimfasha Berchimas of the USA celebrating after scoring a goal against Burkina Faso in their match at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Indonesia:

Image source, Getty Images

Ish Mafundikwa
Harare

Image source, AFP

A court in Zimbabwe has ordered a prominent businesswoman to pay a fine of $5,000 (£4,000) for trying to smuggle gold worth more than $330,000 out of the country in her handbag.

Henrietta Rushwaya, the president of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, was also given a suspended 18-month sentence.

In some African cultures she is considered a niece of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, but they are not related by blood.

Rushwaya, a strong supporter of the ruling party, was caught with gold bars weighing 6 kg at the main international airport in the capital, Harare, in 2020 as she was about to fly to the United Arab Emirates.

She did not have an export permit.

At the time she said she had accidentally picked up the wrong handbag. The gold has been forfeited to the state.

Brentford's Yoane Wissa scores as DR Congo begin their 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Mauritania.

Will Ross
Africa editor, BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Initial results from the presidential run-off election in Liberia point to an extremely tight race.

With almost a quarter of the results in, opposition candidate Joseph Boakai is just ahead of President George Weah.

Mr Boakai so far has 50.7% of the vote, while Weah has 49.3%, the election commission has said.

In the first round, both men were also neck and neck, with the third-placed candidate securing just 2% of the votes.

Faye Mooney, 29, was caught in the crossfire between police and gunmen in Nigeria, an inquest hears.

The prime minister says a new government treaty will prove Rwanda is a safe country to send migrants to.

Image source, Nema

At least two children have died after a fire swept through an informal camp for displaced people in north-eastern Nigeria's Borno state, AFP news agency reports, quoting an official from the emergency services.

National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) official Mannir Gidado said the cause of the fire was still under investigation, but was suspected to have been caused by people cooking in their tents, near their clothes and their beds, AFP reports.

Nema confirmed two deaths on its Twitter account, but did not say whether they were children.

The fire also destroyed more than 1,000 tents at the Muna Alamdari camp near the state capital Maiduguri, Mr Gidado told AFP.

Thousands of people have been living in the camp after being forced to flee their homes because of the almost 15-year-long insurgency being waged by Islamist fighters.

The UK's highest court says the plan leaves people at risk of being sent back to unsafe countries.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Getty Images

Four opposition politicians in Zambia - including a former justice minister - have been arrested by police over the last 24 hours for various offences, fuelling concerns that democracy is under threat.

Emmanuel Mwamba of the main opposition Patriotic Front (PF) was detained following a Facebook post in which he called for anti-government demonstrations.

A police statement said he was inciting hatred and violence.

Former Justice Minister Given Lubinda - also of the PF - is accused of refusing to surrender a diplomatic passport.

A third PF member, Raphael Nakachinda, has been charged with espionage, along with Socialist Party leader Fred M’membe, after they featured in a documentary broadcast by Zimbabwe's state broadcaster following that country's election in August.

All four deny the charges.

Civil society groups, the Catholic church and Zambia's Law Association have alleged that the democratic space is shrinking in Zambia.

The government denies the allegation.

Tributes are being paid to the young rapper who was due to release his new album on Thursday.

A year after being gripped by drought, the country is experiencing exceptional flooding.

Image source, Getty Images

An overnight curfew has been imposed in Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, ahead of Thursday's presidential election which most opposition candidates have described as a fraud and are boycotting.

The country has been extremely tense with numerous opposition protests being dispersed by the police.

Antananarivo's police chief said the curfew was necessary after what he called acts of sabotage including the burning of a polling station.

President Andry Rajoelina is running for re-election, but 10 of the 12 opposition candidates have urged supporters not to vote, raising concerns about the credibility of the poll.

Burglars break into South Africa's Rugby Union headquarters but do not steal any trophies.

Burglars break into South Africa's Rugby Union's headquarters and steal items but not the World Cup trophy.

Popular Nigerian rapper Oladipupo Oladimeji, known as Oladips, has died at the age of 28.

"We are still in shock as we speak," his management said in an Instagram post, external.

It did not give the cause of his death, but said that the rapper had for more than two years "kept his battles within himself".

The statement urged the public to respect his family's privacy, and said that funeral details would be announced later.

The PM says he will revisit the “domestic legal framework” if needed, in order to fulfil his vow to stop the boats.

Image source, Getty Images

Ethiopian Airlines has announced plans to buy 11 Airbus planes, a day after it purchased 31 Boeing aircraft, AFP news agency reports.

It is regarded as Africa's most successful airline, and the move to boost its fleet is the latest sign that it sees itself growing in the years ahead.

"We are keen to expand our fleet size, acquiring the latest technology aircraft," CEO Mesfin Tasew

The airline announced the plan to buy 11 Airbus A350-900s at the Dubai Airshow.

The aircraft can serve routes ranging from short-haul to ultra-long-haul.

On Tuesday, the carrier ordered 11 Boeing 787 Dreamliners and 20 737 MAX planes.

This came more than four years after an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX crashed after take-off from Ethiopia's capital Addis Adaba, killing all 157 passengers and crew.

Helen Williams had to lay the wig out on a highway in Nigeria so it could be measured.

Watch the decision on the government’s appeal over its plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.