Mike Thomson
BBC World Service News

Image source, Getty Images

Hamas has called on Egypt to open the Rafah border crossing to allow the transfer from Gaza of 6,000 wounded people for urgent treatment.

Such a move would require consultation with Israel.

Dozens of Palestinians are reported to have been killed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza as intense fighting continues across the territory.

In addition to the sustained Israeli bombardment, there has been ground combat between Israel's army and Hamas fighters.

Hamas' media office said nearly 60,000 injured Palestinians were suffering from infections.

As the violence continues, US Secretary of state Antony Blinken is meeting officials in the United Arab Emirates. He will then move on to Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv for further talks.

Read more on the live page about the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza

Dorcas Wangira
Africa health correspondent

Monday should have marked the start of the academic year in Zambia, but children there will instead have to wait three weeks to return to class.

That's because the authorities want to stop the spread of cholera, saying there is an urgent need for action and awareness following an increase in cholera-related deaths.

More that 200 people in Zambia have died of the disease since October.

In the last 24 hours alone, there have been 27 cholera deaths.

Zambia is among 18 countries in the world experiencing cholera outbreaks, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bacterial disease is spread by contaminated water or food, and causes severe dehydration from vomiting and diarrhoea. Left untreated, it can kill within hours.

Paul Njie
BBC News

Image source, AFP

Chad's new interim prime minister says he is forfeiting his own pay to help others in the country, as "a way of modestly contributing what could have belonged to me".

"I am giving up my salary as prime minister, which I will devote entirely to a social scholarship for the 23 provinces," Succès Masra told state TV on Sunday.

"I feel I have a mission and a privilege to serve the republic," he added.

Soon after, a transitional legislator, Bedei Toullomi, also said he would give up 50% of his salary and donate the rest to orphanages.

It is not clear how much top government officials in Chad earn, as such information is closely guarded.

Before his appointment earlier this month, Mr Masra was a staunch opposition leader who challenged the administration of military leader Mahamat Déby.

His return to Chad in November 2023, after a year in exile, followed a reconciliatory deal with transitional authorities.

In an apparent switch of allegiance, Mr Masra campaigned in favour of a controversial draft constitution during the December referendum, which was highly criticised by some members of the opposition.

The approval of the new constitution by the Supreme Court paved the way for elections later this year, expected to put an end to the military transition.

Image source, The Royal Hashemite Court

Rwanda and Jordan have signed multiple bilateral agreements as the two countries seek to broaden ties.

The deals were signed by Rwanda's President Paul Kagame and Jordan's King Abdullah II Ibn Al-Hussein, who arrived in Kigali on Sunday for a three-day working visit.

The pacts cover collaboration in health and medical science as well as economic, trade and agricultural cooperation.

The two countries have also entered a tax agreement meant to eliminate double taxation and prevent tax evasion and avoidance, Jordan's palace said in a statement, external, adding that the two countries will also expand their ties in politics, defence and counter-terrorism.

The war in Gaza also featured in the leaders' talks.

"The king thanked Rwanda for its contribution to the humanitarian response in Gaza by sending a plane carrying humanitarian aid", Jordan's palace said.

The two countries have increasingly cozied up to each other in recent years, announcing an earlier round of deals in February last year and a reciprocal visa-waiver agreement last August.

Image source, AFP

The Constitutional Court of the Democratic Republic of Congo is due to begin hearing a challenge into last month's presidential election.

The petition to annul the presidential results was submitted last week by Théodore Ngoy, who came last with 0.02% of the vote.

He termed the results a "sham".

The two main opposition candidates, Moïse Katumbi and Martin Fayulu, disputed the results but declined to challenge them in court.

The Constitutional Court is expected to give a ruling before 12 January, when the electoral body will announce the final results.

If Mr Ngoy's challenge is thrown out, President Felix Tshisekedi will be sworn in for a second term on 20 January, after winning the election with 73% of the vote.

The 20 December election was marred by widespread logistical problems. It had to be extended to a second day in some parts of the vast country.

On Sunday, the electoral body disqualified 82 legislative, provincial and local candidates, citing fraud and violence.

Image source, Getty Images

Evidence of widespread abuse and torture by the Nigerian founder of one of the world's biggest Christian evangelical churches has been uncovered by the BBC.

Dozens of ex-Synagogue Church of All Nations members accuse the late TB Joshua of atrocities, including rape and forced abortions.

The allegations of abuse in a secretive Lagos compound span almost 20 years.

The Synagogue Church of All Nations did not respond to the allegations - but said previous claims have been unfounded.

TB Joshua, who died in 2021, was a charismatic and hugely successful preacher and televangelist who built an evangelical empire that drew presidents, Premier League footballers and millions of followers from across the globe.

More on this story:

• BBC uncovers shocking abuses in a two-year investigation
• Long read: 'Terrible things happened' - inside TB Joshua's church of horrors
• Profile: Nigeria's disgraced televangelist

Fardowsa Hanshi
BBC News Somali

Image source, EPA

President Said Abdullahi Deni has been re-elected as the leader of Somalia’s semi-autonomous region of Puntland after months of electoral disputes.

He was voted back with 45 votes by members of Puntland's parliament on Monday.

His closest challenger Guled Salah Barre received 21 votes, while Abshir Omar Jama, a former Somali foreign affairs minister, finished third.

Mr Deni was immediately sworn in for his second term.

Like the rest of Somalia, Puntland holds indirect elections where clan elders pick MPs, who in turn elect the president.

The vote followed campaigns marred by disputes and deadly violence.

Last year, at least 26 people were killed in Garowe in clashes between forces loyal to Mr Deni and the opposition over a proposal to hold a direct election, which has since been shelved.

Image source, Getty Images

Kenya is facing a backlash over the visa-free entry policy introduced for all foreigners this month, with some terming it "hectic".

President William Ruto announced the policy last month to advocate for a visa-free travel within the African continent.

Kenyan authorities have since clarified that while the country grants visa-free entry, visitors need to apply for electronic travel authorisation (ETA) by submitting documentation and paying a $30 (£23) processing fee.

The requirement also applies to countries whose citizens previously had unrestricted access to Kenya.

By Sunday, Kenya had received more than 9,000 visa applications through the digital platform, authorities said.

But some foreigners are now criticising the government, saying that the new policy has created confusion and made travel to Kenya tougher and costlier.

"Dear Africans, Kenya is not telling the world the truth when it says that it is now visa free, it is not! It has in fact made travelling there more difficult for Africans who didn’t need a visa before," prominent Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin'ono said on X.

"So until 24 hours ago, as a Malawian, I could just wake up, buy a ticket and fly to Kenya in the afternoon, visa free. Now Kenya has 'removed visa' for everyone visiting Kenya, but now everyone has to pay $30 travel authorization fee 72 hours before travel. What? Hectic," Malawian entrepreneur Jones Ntaukira shared on X.

Some Kenyans have voiced fears that the tougher restrictions could trigger a boycott by some foreigners or that other countries could impose reciprocal restrictions.

Image source, Reuters

The South African presidency has dismissed social media reports claiming President Cyril Ramaphosa had been taken ill and was admitted to a military hospital in the capital, Pretoria.

This is after Mr Ramaphosa failed to attend a meeting organised by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) on Sunday in Mpumalanga province.

The ANC announced that Mr Ramaphosa had been excused from the meeting due to an unexplained “emergency”.

The announcement sparked rumours and speculations about the president's health.

"The president is fine, he was never hospitalised, and there was no emergency," presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.

Mr Magwenya said the president decided to spend the rest of the day at home "ahead of a busy week", terming the rumours "malicious".

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

The defence minister of the self-declared republic of Somaliland has resigned in protest against a deal granting Ethiopia access to a seaport in the breakaway region of Somalia.

Abdiqani Mohamoud Ateye criticised Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi “for not consulting the council of ministers on the port deal with Ethiopia”, saying they “heard about it from the media”.

Mr Ateye hails from Somaliland’s Awdal region, where Ethiopia reportedly wants to set up its military base in the coastal town of Lughaya.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) reportedly gives landlocked Ethiopia access to the Red Sea in exchange for it recognising Somaliland as an independent state.

Somalia has termed the deal an act of "aggression" and recalled its ambassador to Addis Ababa.

There are reports that Ethiopia’s ambassador to Somalia has also returned to Addis Ababa amid a diplomatic row between the two countries.

At least five people have died and more than 30 others were rescued after a boat accident in Nigeria.

The boat capsized on Sunday on River Niger in the south-eastern state of Anambra.

Authorities are still investigating to find out what caused the accident, the state's police spokesman Tochukwu Ikenga told local media.

Boat accidents are frequent in Nigeria, often due to poor maintenance and weak safety standards, including the overloading of vessels with goods and passengers.

Image source, AFP

Libya's state-owned energy firm has declared a state of force majeure at Al-Sharara oilfield after protests disrupted production at the facility.

Force majeure is a legal measure that exempts contractual parties from any obligations arising due to an event beyond their control, such as fighting or natural disasters.

The field, which had daily production of up to 300,000 barrels, was closed a few days ago following protests in the area, the National Oil Corporation (NOC) said in a statement.

"The closure has resulted in the suspension of crude oil supplies from the field to Zawiya terminal," the oil company said.

The NOC did not elaborate on the protesters' demands but said "negotiations are ongoing to resume production as soon as possible".

Libya's oil output has been frequently disrupted by social and political protests since the uprising against its former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

BBC World Service

Image source, Getty Images

All 15 miners trapped in a Zimbabwean gold mine for four days have been rescued.

Mines Minister Soda Zhemu said the workers were healthy and conscious.

The Redwing gold mine owned by Metallon Corporation caved in after the shaft collapsed on Thursday.

Officials said an earth tremor might have caused the accident.

Families of the trapped workers have been camping at the mine site in the mining village of Penhalongato - 270 km (167 miles) east of the capital Harare - waiting for the rescue.

The area is home to many undocumented workers who scrape a living amid economic hardship.

BBC World Service

A former interior minister of The Gambia goes on trial in Switzerland on Monday accused of crimes against humanity.

Ousman Sonko faces a lengthy list of charges, including participating in or ordering the killing, torture and rape of political opponents.

Sonko has denied all the charges, AFP news agency reports, citing his lawyer Philippe Currat.

He fled to Switzerland in 2016, shortly before the repressive regime of Gambian president Yahya Jammeh lost power, but was arrested after non-governmental organisations presented Swiss authorities with evidence of his involvement in human rights violations.

Nine of his alleged victims will be in court to testify.

He is the highest-ranking government official ever to be prosecuted in this way in Europe.

Switzerland is trying the case under the principal of universal jurisdiction, which allows countries to prosecute people on their territory, even though the alleged crimes were committed elsewhere.

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Updates from across the African continent.

MPs vote through the prime minister’s new Rwanda deal on asylum seekers by a majority of 44.

Jeopardy is in the air and MPs are being tracked down to ensure they are around to vote. says Chris Mason.

Conservative Party critics of the updated plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda are debating whether to support the PM.

The ex-immigration minister says the PM's bill to revive the asylum scheme "doesn't do the job".