Africa highlights: Zambia election as it happened, South Africans win silver

Twelve hours after they opened, polls have officially closed in Zambia.

Exceptions are being made for the polling stations which opened late - they will stay open later to compensate for the lost time.

A BBC reporter in Lusaka has tweeted what's going on at one polling station:

The vote counting should start soon.

You can hear more from Akwasi on Focus on Africa on the BBC World Service at 17:00 GMT.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

This is an election like no other. 

Each voter is being given five ballot papers - presidential, parliamentary, mayoral, local government and a referendum. All of these to be decided on one day. 

The five ballot papers each represent a separate vote. 

They are orange, red, purple, black and tan. 

The political landscape is fluid. There's been a shifting of political allegiances which in other parts of the continent would be seen as a betrayal. 

• Geoffrey Bwalya Mwamba is Hakainde Hichilema's running mate for the United Party for National Development. But before this he was the defence minister in late Michael Sata's Patriotic Front government. 
• Whilst the country's former deputy president Guy Scott, whose wife is seeking a position as a lawmaker in Lusaka central constituency to replace her husband, has endorsed Edgar Lungu's main rival Hakainde Hichilema. 

• And lastly, Mulenga Sata, son of the late President Sata has also defected to Mr Hichilema's UPND. 

The BBC's Meluse Kapatamoyo in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, has been out and about snapping voters posing with their voter cards.

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

BBCCopyright: BBC

There were nearly 6.7 million registered voters and reports say that turnout has been high, though that needs to be confirmed by the electoral commission.

Polls are about to close.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Tanzania's government has banned the weekly newspaper Mseto for publishing false stroies, the information minister has announced. 

Nape Nnauye accused the paper of using fake government documents "that only aim to tarnish the image of President John Magufuli’s and other government officials”.

The Swahili tabloid is banned from publishing in print and online for 36 months.  

This is the second newspaper to be banned since the new government came to power less than a year ago.

Press freedom activists have long been calling the repeal of the 1976 Newspaper Act that gives wide powers to the authorities to ban publications.

South Africa is once more the biggest economy in Africa, after overtaking Nigeria.

It's because the economy is measured in US dollars and the Nigerian naira has depreciated rapidly against the dollar in recent months.

See more here:

Polls are due to close at 6pm local time (16:00 GMT) in Zambia, where people have been voting in presidential, parliamentary and local elections - as well as in a constitutional referendum.

A Twitter account monitoring the Zambian election has been sharing the mood in two places in the south of the country.

Getty imagesCopyright: Getty images

We just reported that weightlifter Sara Ahmed is the first ever Egyptian woman to get an Olympic medal.

But she might not always be.

How could that be?

Well, her compatriot Abeer Abdelrahman could yet be awarded a silver medal from the London 2012 Olympics in the same weightlifting event.

She originally finished fifth overall in London.  

But medals are likely to be taken away from three other competitors for failing drugs tests. 

If and when the International Olympic Committee reallocate those medals, Abdelrahman could get one.

But, whatever happens, Ahmed will always be the first Egyptian woman on the Olympic podium.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Reader Micheal Phiri sent us these pictures of two men spotted shortly before they went out to vote in Zambia's capital, Lusaka this morning.

Possibly two of the sharpest dressed voters today.

Micheal PhiriCopyright: Micheal Phiri

Micheal PhiriCopyright: Micheal Phiri

The Angolan armed forces has offered its condolences to the family of 14-year-old Rufino Marciano Antonio who, according to Human Rights Watch, was shot dead during a peaceful protest after military police opened fire.

The armed forces said in a statement:

Quote Message: Since the primary mission of the armed forces is to defend the nation, to which the population is an essential part that deserves our respect, protection and dedication, we lament the incident...

Since the primary mission of the armed forces is to defend the nation, to which the population is an essential part that deserves our respect, protection and dedication, we lament the incident...

Quote Message: We are currently taking actions to avoid similar incidents occuring in the future."

We are currently taking actions to avoid similar incidents occuring in the future."

The military will now investigate the incident, according to the statement.

Human Rights WatchCopyright: Human Rights Watch

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Last night Egyptian Sara Ahmed won bronze in weightlifting, making her the first ever female Egyptian to win a medal at the Olympics.

It turns out that she has given up quite a lot to get this far.

The education ministry refused the 18-year-old's requests for her high school exams to be delayed, she told Sada al-Balad TV.

So she decided to drop her final exams to attend a training camp for the Olympics. 

There was outrage on social media at the education ministry's decision, reports BBC Monitoring’s Doaa Soliman. 

Ahmed plans to take the exams next year.

After motorcycles were banned in Maiduguri, due to Boko Haram attacks, bicycles became popular.

As peace returns to the city in north-east Nigeria, the popularity of bikes is providing an economic boom.

Video journalist: Roderick MaCleod

We've just received a picture from what we think must be one of the most verdant polling stations in Zambia.

Reader Parvena Paul Masala sent it to us from Chipata in the east of Zambia.

Parvena Paul MasalaCopyright: Parvena Paul Masala

He says people were still streaming in with just a few hours to go until polls closed.

You can send us your photos to our WhatsApp number +44 7341070844.

In Uganda, a book by popular British children's writer Jacqueline Wilson has been removed from a primary school library by the country's ethics minister.

Love Lessons is partly about a crush that a 14-year-old pupil has on her teacher.

Minister Simon Lokodo told the AFP news agency:

Quote Message: The books contained literature on sex and these books are not suitable for primary pupils."

The books contained literature on sex and these books are not suitable for primary pupils."

He also described in the New Vision newspaper what action was taken:

Quote Message: I stormed Greenhill Academy this morning and they confessed that in their library they had copies of the book."

I stormed Greenhill Academy this morning and they confessed that in their library they had copies of the book."

The New Vision is also reporting that some parents were upset that the book was available in the library.

Mr Lokodo has become well known in Uganda for clamping down on what he sees as immoral behaviour.

Last week, he forced the cancellation of a Gay Pride march and he also says that he is importing a machine that can detect if people have downloaded pornography from the internet.

Readers have been sending in their voting pictures to our WhatsApp number +44 7341070844.

Omar in Lusaka shared this one of his inked thumb:

OmarCopyright: Omar

Thandiwe sent us this message: 

Quote Message: I went to vote, and the experience was awesome. I was voting for the first time. I woke up at 3.30 am just so I could queue up. The polling station opened at around 6am and I cast my vote!"

I went to vote, and the experience was awesome. I was voting for the first time. I woke up at 3.30 am just so I could queue up. The polling station opened at around 6am and I cast my vote!"

And Simon Siame Penza sent us this message from the Copperbelt Province:

Quote Message: I just voted. We are a peaceful nation and I am proud to be a Zambian."

I just voted. We are a peaceful nation and I am proud to be a Zambian."

Zambia's president, who is facing eight challengers in today's election, has tweeted his election day thoughts:

The head of the European Union observer mission has echoed the president's remarks:

The EU mission has been sharing photos of the voter queues on its Facebook page:

EUCopyright: EU

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Central African Republic's health minister says at least 12 people have died from cholera since the beginning of August, reports AP news agency. 

Fernande Ndjengbot said that 19 cases had been registered, eight of whom had died in Ndjoukou, where cholera first surfaced, about 300km (186 miles) south-east of Bangui . 

Health authorities say that Unicef is working on a water purification programme to help provide safe public drinking water.

Cholera is a gastrointestinal disease, usually spread by contaminated water and food, and can cause severe diarrhea that in extreme cases can lead to fatal dehydration and kidney failure within hours. 

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

South African Olympic rowers Kirsten McCann and Ursula Grobler have just come first in their semi-final of the women's double skulls. 

Earlier South Africa's Lee-Ann Persse and Kate Christowitz also rowed their way into the finals of the women's pairs, coming third in their race. 

Both pairs will compete in the final on Friday.

We have a bonanza of South African rowers competing at the Olympics in Rio today, as we reported earlier. 

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

The United Nations has urged Ethiopia to allow international observers into parts of country recently affected by violent protests. 

The UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said there had been no genuine attempt to investigate the violence or to find out who was responsible. 

The human rights group Amnesty International says around 100 people were killed in demonstrations in the Oromia and Amhara regions at the weekend. 

Others say the number was lower. 

The Oromo and Amhara are Ethiopia's largest ethnic groups. 

One of the issues they have been protesting about is land.

Read more: What is behind Ethiopia's wave of protests?