Africa highlights: Nigerian women 'want mass wedding', SABC fires top journalists

The US is the world's biggest donor to Aids programmes, but there are concerns about future funding if the Republican Party candidate Donald Trump becomes president.

Campaigners at the UN Aids Conference in the South African city of Durban worry that the social conservative policies of the Republican nominee and his running mate, Mike Pence, might alienate minorities, including the gay community.

But Deborah Birx, global Aids co-ordinator at US Department of State, has soothed fears that a Trump presidency would dramatically slash global Aids funding. 

She acknowledged there was already a $7bn (£5.3bn) funding gap, but told the BBC's Karen Allen how it could be addressed:

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

We've just heard the audio of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's speech attacking Pastor Evan Mawarie and his followers for campaigning for him to resign, amid a deepening economic crisis. 

Mr Mugabe accused the pastor of being unable to spell God, but just see how the president spells it:   

Quote Message: Well, we spell God G.G.O.D. They spell God in reverse."

Well, we spell God G.G.O.D. They spell God in reverse."

Read earlier posts for more details

Gospel music came from the US but has been interpreted in many ways across the world.

South African gospel singer Mahalia Buchanan was inspired by the American singers Mary Mary. But she says language makes a massive difference between US gospel music and her songs:

Meanwhile Ghanaian gospel singer Sir Tim explains that he makes his music distinctively Ghanaian by using Ghanaian rhythms:

Listen to the whole show on BBC Global beats.

Tension is high at  Ivory Coast main university,  hours after police clashed with a group of students on the campus in Abidjan city.

Reports say at least 40 students were arrested and a dozen wounded, including three police officers, at Felix Houphouet Boigny University.

In a statement on state TV, a police spokesperson said several vehicles were burnt down as they "intervened to stop a violent protest" organised by the Federation of Ivory Coast's Students.

The students have been protesting for seven days to demand better learning conditions and have promised to continue protesting.

Twitter users are calling for the release of Alfred Taban, the editor-in-chief of South Sudan's Juba Monitor newspaper. 

Mr Taban, a former BBC correspondent,was arrested last week over an article he published on the conflict in South Sudan. 

Here is a flavour of some of the tweets:

Back in 2014, Jason Patinkin wrote in Christian Science Monitor wrote about Mr Taban's career as a journalist.

APCopyright: AP

A day after after arriving from the African Union summit in Rwanda, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe was in his usual no-nonsense mood when he addressed thousands of mourners at the funeral of Charles Utete, the country's first black cabinet secretary  

The 92-year-old attacked his new-found nemesis, Pastor Evan Mawarie, accusing him of not being a genuine pastor and telling him to relocate to a country which is "sponsoring" him. 

But Mr Mawarire, who is currently in South Africa, has struck a chord with many Zimbabweans through the #ThisFlag campaign he has organised via Twitter and WhatsApp to press Mr Mugabe to step down after 36 years in power. 

That is not surprising because the mood in the country is one of despair, anger and anxiety over corruption in government, the shortage of money - and the heavy police presence on streets. 

See earlier post for more details

At least 12 soldiers have died in an attack on a military base in central Mali, a local official has told Reuters news agency. 

The assailants also wounded at least 27 people as they took control of the base in Nampala town, near the Mauritanian border, the agency quotes Ousmane Diallo, the deputy mayor of a nearby town, as saying. 

It adds that casualties have been confirmed by a security source as well.

See earlier post for more details 

AFPCopyright: AFP

It is a rest day in the Tour de France bicycle race but South Africa’s Louis Meintjes could become the highest overall finisher from the continent.

He is currently twelfth overall, five minutes 48 seconds behind leader Chris Froome. 

He is also second in the standings for the White Jersey for the best young rider in the race – he is three minutes and three seconds behind Britain’s Adam Yates, who is third overall. 

More than 10,000 Muslim women have registered their desire to be married at a mass ceremony in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, religious official Abba Sufi has told me.

The Hizba board, the main Islamic authority in the predominantly Muslim state, arranges the ceremony in a bid to reduce the number of single women.

It introduces the women to possible husbands and leaves them to make the final decision. 

Some of the women told me they had searched but couldn't find a suitable partner. They had, therefore, turned to the Hizba for help. 

Others said they had turned down marriage proposals because they couldn't afford the cost of a wedding and have now decided to marry at the Hiza-organised ceremony. 

Mr Sufi, who is a senior Hiza member, told me he expected the number of women seeking to marry to rise by the time the next ceremony takes place. 

No date for it has still been set.       

A total of 5,000 men and women have been married since mass weddings were introduced in Kano in 2012.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

AFPCopyright: AFP

South Sudan's President Kiir will be hoping that the African Union (AU) shelves its plan to deploy troops to his country, as it did in the case of Burundi. 

So far, the continental body has only sent forces in at the request of the state in need. Theoretically it can intervene against a nation's wishes, which is part of the remit of the new rapid-response African Standby Force.

The AU has a history of talking tough but has been unable to rein in African leaders causing problems. 

It is also struggling to fund its operations so sending troops to South Sudan will only add to its challenges.

The AU wants to model this new force after the Force Intervention Brigade sent to eastern DR Congo to battle rebel groups. 

That was a collaboration involving the AU, the UN and the Southern African Development Community and ended up defeating the M23 rebels after some 800,000 people had fled their homes during their insurgency.

Mr Kiir's troops make up the majority in and around the capital, Juba, contrary to the terms of the peace agreement with the opposition.  

So, it would be a huge challenge for the AU force to call them to order, but it would provide a buffer to the outnumbered troops on Mr Machar's side. 

His whereabouts, following the recent fighting, remain unclear.

See earlier posts for more on South Sudan

APCopyright: AP

Here's how you move an elephant:

Step one: You fire it with a tranquiliser dart from a helicopter.

APCopyright: AP

Step Two: When it is knocked unconscious you flip its big ears over its eyes to block the light and prop open the tip of its trunk with twigs to make sure it doesn't stop breathing.

Step Three: Then you put straps on its ankles and pull it up with a crane onto a trunk.

APCopyright: AP

APCopyright: AP

APCopyright: AP

A total of 500 elephants are being moved like this over the next two months in Malawi, AP news agency reports.

They will be relocated from the overcrowded Liwonde and Majete parks to the more spacious Nkhotakota park, AP adds.

It says the reason Nkhotakota is more spacious is because poachers have virtually wiped out its elephant population.  

It is unclear how the elephants will be protected from poachers in the new park.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Many would regard receiving $10 (£7) from the military for being detained without charge as an insult. 

But that's the amount given to each of the 249 men, women and children who were freed by Nigeria's military after being cleared of having links with militant Islamist group Boko Haram. 

It is not clear for how long the 249 were detained or where they are now. 

With inflation in double digits as the economy worsens, it is doubtful that $10 will cover the transport fares of all those trying to get back home from northern Nigeria -  one of the released suspects came from Lagos city, some 1,200km (745 miles) away in the south-west, while another two from across the border in Cameroon.

While it is unclear under what conditions the 249 were held, human rights groups have repeatedly accused the military of keeping suspects in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. 

In May, Amnesty International called for the closure of a military detention facility in the main city in the north-east, Maiduguri, after nearly 150 people, including children, allegedly died in custody.

AFPCopyright: AFP

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has slashed its growth forecast for Nigeria's economy, saying a lack of investor confidence and falling oil prices will push it into recession, the AFP news agency reports. 

 The IMF said it expected Africa's largest economy to contract by 1.8%, after having forecast in April a 2.3% expansion. 

A media pressure group has called on the authorities in South Sudan to release prominent journalist Alfred Taban. 

He has been held without charge since Saturday. 

The Committee to Protect Journalists said the newspaper run by Mr Taban, Juba Monitor, has been shut down. 

Staff at the paper say the authorities were angered by a column written by Mr Taban, a former BBC Africa correspondent, about the recent outbreak of violence in the capital Juba. 

A number of journalists have been arrested and beaten in South Sudan in recent months.

APCopyright: AP

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe has blasted the pastor at the heart of a social media campaign against the government, saying he was not a "true preacher" who served God as he spelt God backwards [ie dog], the state-owned Herald newspaper reports. 

It quoted Mr Mugabe as saying that if people like Evan Mawarire "don't want to live with us they should go to those countries that are sponsoring them".    

Mr Mawarire, who launched the #ThisFlag campaign, is currently in neighbouring South Africa. 

A court ordered his release last week after throwing out charges of subversion against him.

He was detained after calling for a stay away against the deteriorating economic situation in Zimbabwe, where the government has battled to pay the salaries of civil servants. 

Speaking at the funeral of his political comrade Charles Utete in the capital, Harare, Mr Mugabe said:  

Quote Message: The Mwarires, I don't even know him... I don't know if he's a man of religion. A man of religion will speak the biblical truth.

The Mwarires, I don't even know him... I don't know if he's a man of religion. A man of religion will speak the biblical truth.

Quote Message: First Corinthiuans, what does its say? Love one another. So beware these men of God - not all of them are true preachers of the Bible.

First Corinthiuans, what does its say? Love one another. So beware these men of God - not all of them are true preachers of the Bible.

Quote Message: I don't know whether they are serving God. Well, we spell God G.O.D. They spell God in reverse."

I don't know whether they are serving God. Well, we spell God G.O.D. They spell God in reverse."

Read: Zimbabwe's pastor 'hero'

Officials in Mali say heavily-armed men have attacked a military base in the central town of Nampala, near the border with Mauritania. 

Eyewitnesses say they took control of the base, parts of which have been set on fire. 

A number of people are said to have been killed. It is not yet clear who the attackers are.

 Jihadist groups are active in Mali, especially the north. In 2012, Islamist and separatist groups seized control of more than half of the country. 

They were beaten back by French and African troops, but continue to stage attacks.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The UK Prime Minister didn't even wait until the end of his term to step down.

For our regular columnist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, there is a lesson in this for some African leaders - that there is no need for "melodramatic performances when it comes to leaving office".

It is even possible to go out on a jaunty note, as Mr Cameron did, whistling to the tune of D'Banj's Olorun Maje.

We are yet to confirm that was indeed the song he was caught whistling but we are not ruling it out. 

The spate of speedy political resignations is just one lesson that can be taken from Brexit, our columnist writes in her Letter from Africa.   

BBCCopyright: BBC

Thousands of women across South Africa are taking drugs to combat Aids in secret.

Julia – not her real name – told the BBC’s Karen Allen she is one of them.

She didn’t realise she had HIV until she had a test when she was pregnant with her third child.

She had been infect by a previous partner. 

She has decided not to tell her husband as she says he would divorce her if he knew.

Instead she tells him that she goes to the clinic because she has high blood pressure and she even decants her drugs into a different bottle to disguise them.

She believes she is going to keep the secret until she dies.

Watch Julia’s story.

AFPCopyright: AFP

South Africa's public broadcaster has confirmed to me that it has sacked all eight journalists accused of questioning its decision not to broadcast violent protests.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation's (SABC) spokesman Kaizer Kganyago told me those who were full-time employees had been served with letters of dismissal last night while those who were freelancers had their contracts terminated.  

When I asked Mr Kganyago to explain the decision, he replied: 

Quote Message: In each and every organization there are rules and regulations and if you do not go according to the rules you will be fired.”

In each and every organization there are rules and regulations and if you do not go according to the rules you will be fired.”

Sam Mkokeli of the South African National Editors Forum condemned the decision. 

He said the SABC's controversial Chief Operations Officer (COO) Hlaudi Motsoeneng should be removed from his post: 

Quote Message: He is not a legitimate COO. He doesn’t have the qualifications. He shouldn’t be there."

He is not a legitimate COO. He doesn’t have the qualifications. He shouldn’t be there."

The SABC has been ordered by South Africa's media regulator to reverse the ban, imposed last month.

It has so far refused, saying it will challenge the order in court.

The SABC argues that showing footage of violent protests incites people to carry out more attacks. 

South Africa has a history of violent demonstrations, going back to the days when people protested against white minority rule.

Local media reports that five of the eight journalists have decided to challenge their dismissals in the Labour Court. 

Read: Is SABC using apartheid tactics?