Our African proverb of the day:

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Bob Menendez was previously charged with accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for political favours.

The president waged a nationalist campaign, while the opposition was divided.

South Africa accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, triggering Israeli outrage.

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

There will be an automated service here until Wednesday morning Nairobi time, but you can also find the latest updates on the BBC News website, or listen to our Focus on Africa podcast.

Our proverb of the day:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

We leave you with a photo of a building in Cape Town painted with the Palestinian flag.

The photo was captured on the same day Israel said it would appear before court to fight South Africa's accusations of "genocide" in Gaza.

Image source, AFP

Cricket South Africa says it has "utmost respect" for Test cricket after they receive criticism for naming a weakened squad for a tour of New Zealand.

France said its embassy in Niger has now closed, confirming previously announced plans.

The closure is one of the final chapters in Paris winding down its presence in its former colony.

Relations between the two countries had deteriorated after a coup last July left Niger in the hands of the military.

In a statement confirming the embassy's closure, a spokeswoman for the French foreign ministry said on Tuesday: "For five months, our embassy has been severely hampered, making it impossible to carry out its missions."

Most staff, including the ambassador who was expelled by the new military leaders, left months ago.

Read more:

• 'France takes us for idiots' - Inside coup-hit Niger, external

Earlier, we brought you the news that two suspects had been arrested over the death of a Ugandan Olympic athlete.

The pair have now appeared in a Kenyan court.

Identified in legal documents as 25-year-old David Ekhai Lokere and 30-year-old Peter Ushuru Khalumi, the pair were told by the magistrate's court they will be detained for 21 days so that the police could continue investigations into the killing of the runner.

Nandre Burger laughs off criticism from Kevin Pietersen that he is too smiley on the cricket pitch.

In an angry reaction, Somalia says the Ethiopia-Somaliland deal is a violation of its sovereignty.

Image source, Malawi's Football Association

Malawian footballer Temwa Chawinga has been named 2023's top female goalscorer, beating huge names like Australia's Sam Kerr and Germany's Alexandra Popp.

Chawinga won the award on Monday from the International Federation of Football History & Statistics, external (IFFHS).

According to IFFHS, Chawinga scored 63 goals last year, for both her national team and Chinese club Wuhan Jiangda.

Zambian players Barbra Banda and Racheal Kundananji also made the top 10.

Temwa Chawinga's older sister, Tabitha, bagged spot number 25 on the list. The elder Chawinga played for Inter Milan and Paris St Germain this year, along with the Malawian national team.

The IFFHS has been producing rankings since 1984.

Read more:

• Temwa and Tabitha Chawinga: The sisters putting Malawi women's football on the map
• Serie A's top goalscorer Tabitha Chawinga on the adversity she faced in Malawi, external

Image source, AFP

Widespread power cuts have returned to South Africa after a reprieve over the festive period.

The blackouts, known as load-shedding, are designed to prevent a total collapse of the overstretched electricity grid.

State-owned power utility Eskom said load-shedding will be implemented from 5am to 4pm on Tuesday.

The power cuts will then progress from stage two to stage three, meaning South Africans can expect blackouts up to nine times a day over a four-day period for two hours at a time, or nine times over an eight-day period for four hours at a time.

In a statement on social media platform X, external, Eskom said load-shedding was halted for 18 days across late December and New Year's day.

This was South Africa's longest period without load-shedding since summer 2022, the company said.

More about South Africa's power cut problem:

• South Africa load-shedding: The roots of Eskom's power problem
• Load-shedding could switch South Africans off the ANC

Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to contest South Africa's accusation of "genocidal acts" in Gaza, an Israeli government spokesman has said.

On Friday, South Africa filed a case at the ICJ, the UN's principal judicial organ.

Following its application to the ICJ, South Africa's presidency said that the country was obliged "to prevent genocide from occurring".

In response, spokesman Eylon Levy said in a briefing on Tuesday: "The State of Israel will appear before the International Court of Justice at The Hague to dispel South Africa's absurd blood libel.

"We assure South Africa's leaders, history will judge you, and it will judge you without mercy."

South Africa has been highly critical of Israel throughout its military operation in Gaza.

The current war between Israel and Hamas was triggered by the 7 October attack by Hamas on southern Israel.

Hamas killed about 1,200 people, most of them civilians. They also took about 240 others hostage.

More than 22,000 people, mostly children and women, have been killed in Gaza during Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

The ICJ is based in The Hague, in the Netherlands. It settles disputes between states and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues.

Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey is left out of Ghana's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations because of injury.

Image source, AFP

"No sane person can agree" that incumbent President Félix Tshisekedi legitimately won a second term in the Democratic Republic of Congo's presidential elections, a leading opposition candidate has said.

In an interview with the BBC’s Newsday programme on Tuesday, Martin Fayulu issued a fresh dismissal of Sunday's results.

Officials said Mr Tshisekedi won around 73% of the vote. The election, which took place on 20 December, was marred by widespread logistical and technical problems.

Following the announcement of the results, Mr Fayulu and several other opposition candidates alleged electoral fraud and widespread irregularities. An observation mission run by the Catholic Church and Protestant churches also noted "numerous cases of irregularities".

Speaking to the BBC, Mr Fayulu argued that given the size of the crowds that gathered at his campaign rallies, the idea that he received only 5% of the vote was unbelievable.

He added: "Tshisekedi cannot beat me anyhow - he cannot beat me!

"The people of Congo are with me. No one will follow Tshisekedi. He can go by force, but no one will follow him."

Mr Fayulu called for a fresh election, a demand that has been rejected by DR Congo’s government spokesman and Information Minister Patrick Muyaya.

“Of course there were incidents but these incidents were not able to change the results of the presidential elections,” Mr Muyaya said in an earlier interview with the BBC's Newsday programme.

“It’s okay if they want to use legal ways to contest the election. That’s law. They have the right to do that but at the same time they should make sure that they can provide some proof of what they are arguing,” Mr Muyaya added.

He said that the government “will not tolerate disorder” from opposition politicians unhappy with the election results.

Listen to Martin Fayulu's interview:

• DR Congo: Third placed presidential candidate cries foul

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News

Earlier, we brought you news of a controversial agreement granting Ethiopia access to a seaport in the self-declared republic of Somaliland.

Now, in response to the deal, Somalia has recalled its ambassador based in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Bare made the announcement in an urgent press conference on Tuesday.

His government said it strongly rejected the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Somaliland and Ethiopia, calling the agreement “naked aggression” that violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Somaliland seceded from Somalia in 1991 but is not recognised internationally as an independent state.

Somalia views Somaliland as part of its territory.

In Tuesday's response to the deal, the Somali authorities said the MoU was “null and void”, while calling on the public to stay calm.

They also urged the UN Security Council and African Union to discuss the issue.

Image source, AFP

Police in Kenya have arrested two suspects believed to have been involved in the death of Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat on Sunday.

The athlete, who has represented Uganda at three Olympic Games, was found dead in his car near the Kenyan town of Eldoret.

Stephen Okal, a local senior police commander, said the suspects were arrested on Monday in the neighbouring counties of Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia.

He said CCTV footage obtained from the scene of the crime led to the arrests.

The suspects are expected to make a brief appearance in court on Tuesday, in order to hear the charges brought against them.

Kiplagat, 34, reached the semi-finals of the 2012 London Olympics in the 3,000m steeplechase.

World Athletics said it was "shocked and saddened" by news of Kiplagat's death.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

The heads of Sudan’s warring military factions have vowed to escalate fighting against each other amid regional efforts to end the brutal conflict in the country.

Army chief Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, made the remarks on Monday during the 68th anniversary of Sudan's independence.

Gen Hemedti said “we will pursue the putschists”, referring to the army. He vowed to "end this war in favour of our people soon and establish a state founded on principles of equal citizenship without discrimination”.

“The enemy must concede defeat in this war as our forces have made major victories in Khartoum, Darfur, Kordofan and Gezira states”, he said.

The RSF leader pledged to protect civilians in the central state of Gezira, which his paramilitary group seized last month. He vowed that those responsible for reported human rights violations would be brought to justice.

For his part, Gen Burhan said the country's regular armed forces “will be victorious" and "liberate Sudan from the hands of traitors and mercenaries”.

He ruled out the possibility of a peace deal with the RSF until the group vacates the urban areas it seized in April 2023.

The pair's belligerent comments came despite them both expressing readiness to hold a face-to-face meeting this month, which would be the first since the conflict in Sudan broke out in April last year.

Gen Burhan also criticised the leaders of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Uganda for meeting Gen Hemedti last month, saying they were "interfering in our affairs”.

At least 12,000 people have been killed and an estimated six million others displaced in the war in Sudan, according to the United Nations.

Image source, AFP

Authorities in Kenya have advised motorists to use alternative roads following complaints about increased toll charges on a major highway in the capital city.

The government has hiked fees on the Nairobi Expressway, a 27km (17-mile) highway, by up to 39%.

For the most expensive route, toll charges have jumped from $2.29 (£1.80) to $3.18.

The move has sparked anger in the country. Some Kenyans have called the hikes excessive and said the new prices have been imposed without public or parliamentary approval.

The surges come amid a generally rising cost of living in Kenya. The government also increased a number of taxes and charges last year, such as the cost of obtaining documents like passports and marriage certificates.

Defending the toll increases, Transport Minister Kipchumba Murkomen said on Monday.“The adjustment was done based on the project agreement taking into account the depreciation of the Kenya shilling to the United States dollar since the time of gazettement of the toll rates in April 2022.”

The $550m (£410m) Nairobi Expressway was constructed to ease the flow of traffic amid congestion that has worsened in recent years.

The China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is operating the highway under a public-private partnership and charges toll fees to recover construction costs.

Read more:

• William Ruto: The ‘tax collector’ president sparking Kenyan anger

Image source, Reuters

Prominent South African photographer and anti-apartheid activist Peter Magubane has been hailed for his contributions to South Africa's liberation struggle following his death on Monday. He was 91.

Magubane covered key events during South Africa's fight against apartheid, including the 1976 Soweto uprising in which hundreds of protesting black students were killed.

Magubane's work pitted him against apartheid authorities, leading to his arrest, solitary confinement for 586 days and a five-year ban from photography.

South Africa's Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa has praised Makubane as "an excellent photojournalist and freedom fighter, who fearlessly documented apartheid's injustices".

"Dr Magubane used his camera as a mode of protest, never backing down against an oppressive regime," Mr Kodwa added.

Magubane's "indomitable spirit, courage and exceptional contributions to journalism will be sorely missed", the South African National Editors' Forum (Sanef) said.

Magubane also served as the official photographer for former president and liberation hero Nelson Mandela.