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Live Reporting

Dickens Olewe and Farouk Chothia

All times stated are UK

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  1. Scroll down for Tuesday's stories

    We'll be back tomorrow

    That's all from the BBC Africa Livepage today. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or checking the BBC News website

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    Quote Message: If a leaf stays long on soap, it becomes soap too." from A Yoruba proverb sent by Dayo Adekunle, Ilorin, Nigeria.
    A Yoruba proverb sent by Dayo Adekunle, Ilorin, Nigeria.

    Click here to send your African proverbs.  

    And we leave you with this photo of penguins at the Table Mountain National Park in Cape Town, South Africa:. 

    Penguins
  2. DR Congo's Kabila 'should lead unity government'

    Poly Muzalia

    BBC Africa, Kinshasa

    President Kabila waves a greeting
    Image caption: Mr Kabila, 45, is one of Africa's youngest rulers

    The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Joseph Kabila should lead a transitional unity government tasked with organising presidential elections, according to a draft political deal circulated among delegates at government-sponsored talks in the capital, Kinshasa. 

    The talks are being boycotted by the main opposition parties, which are pressing for the elections to take place in November and for Mr Kabila to leave office in December, when his two terms as elected leader end.

    Mr Kabila's main rival, Etienne Tshisekedi, has warned that he will be committing "high treason" if he remains in office.   

    The constitution bars Mr Kabila from running for another term, but DR Congo's highest court has ruled that he can stay in power until elections take place.

    Under the proposed plan, a national unity government will be set up, with Mr Kabila remaining as head of state until his successor is elected. 

    Protesters and police in Kinshasa
    Image caption: Protesters have repeatedly taken to the streets to demand an end to Mr Kabila's rule in December

    A prime minister will be appointed from the ranks of the opposition, and he will chair the unity government, according to a draft document circulated.

    It does not set a timetable for the polls. The election commission has said it will need until the middle of next year to register voters in the vast resource-rich country. 

    The proposal is likely to rejected by the main opposition parties and civil society groups who believe Mr Kabila wants to delay the election so that he does not have to leave office.  

    At least 17 people were killed last week in clashes between police and opposition supporters demanding that he adheres to the constitution by standing down as president in December.    

    Read: DR Congo's fearful future

  3. Kenyan police 'kill' wanted militant

    Kenyan police say they have shot dead a wanted terror suspect who has eluded capture several times. 

    The police shared the news about Ismael Shoshi's death on their Twitter account: 

    View more on twitter

    The Standard newspaper reports that Shoshi was killed in a shootout in a residential area this morning in the coastal city of Mombasa. 

    He had sought refuge at the home of a widow of another militant who was killed in 2013, the paper says. 

    Shoshi was a member of Jeysh Ayman, which is linked to militant Islamist group al-Shabab, and is alleged to have been behind the killing of 60 people in Mpeketoni in the coastal country of Lamu in 2014.

    Police say that he was also involved in other high profile attacks including the murder of an intelligence officer and a moderate Muslim cleric. 

    According to the police, Shoshi was trained by al-Shabab operatives who specialised in assassinations. 

    A local TV channel has shared a picture of some the ammunition it says was recovered from his hide-out:

    View more on twitter
  4. Somali gunmen 'flee' after killing reporter

    Ahmed Adan

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    The gunmen who shot dead Somali journalist Abdi Asis Ali in the capital, Mogadishu, have managed to escaped from the scene, his employer, the privately owned Radio Shebelle, has said. 

    See previous post for more details

  5. Journalist gunned down in Somalia

    Ahmed Adan

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Gunmen on motorbikes have shot dead radio journalist Abdi Asis Ali in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

    The journalist who worked with the privately-owned Radio Shabelle, was gunned down in the city's Yaqshid district while he was going home, according to other journalists in Mogadishu.

  6. Girl latest victim of Madagascar fire

    Raissa Ioussouf

    BBC Afrique, Antananarivo

    The number of people killed in a fire which swept through a poor neighbourhood of Madagascar's capital, Antananarivo, on Sunday has risen to eight, officials have said.

    A 16-year-old girl was the latest to succumb to her wounds from the fire in the East Ankisana neighbourhood. 

    Seven other people, including a pregnant woman and children, also died in the fire.      

    Authorities suspect that a candle may have started the fire in a neighbourhood where many live in wooden shacks and do not have electricity. 

    More than 50 homes were burnt, leaving some 460 people homeless. 

    Using buckets, pots and bowls, residents scooped water from a drainage canal to try and extinguish the fire before firemen came to the scene. 

    The homeless are now living in tents. 

    This year, 26 fires have killed 55 people in Madagascar. 

    Authorities say most of the fires were caused by carelessness.

  7. Promoting tourism in Somalia

    Mohammud Ali Mohamed

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Yaasir Mohamed Baafo, Somalia Tourism's chairman
    Image caption: Yaasir Mohamed Baafo, Somalia Tourism's chairman

    Today is the world international day for tourism and Somalia is pulling all the stops to sell the country to the world. 

    The East African nation has seen more than its fair share of violence, extremism and civil war in the last 26 years

    Despite this gloom, Mr Yaasir Mohamed Baafo, the chairman of the Somalia Tourism Association, told the BBC Somali service that he's optimistic about the future:

    Quote Message: We know the challenges we face, but we have gradually managed our people to understand the importance of tourism in our country.
    Quote Message: God has endowed us with vast resources including the longest coastline in Africa."

    He said steps were being taken to attract tourists and boost the local economy.

    Somali boys drawing their fishing lines at the coastal town of Hobyo in north-eastern Somalia - 2010
    Image caption: Somalia has a long coastline
  8. Malian militant's sentence 'fair'

    The nine-year prison sentence given by the International Criminal Court to Malian militant Islamist  Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi for organising attacks on ancient shrines in the northern city of Timbuktu in 2012 was "fair", chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has said, AFP news agency reports. 

    Mahdi, a former preacher, was jailed after pleading guilty to a single war crimes charge of intentionally directing attacks in the historic city during its seizure by al-Qaeda-linked militants. 

    The sentence would have "a deterrent effect on those who are considering committing these crimes", Ms Bensouda added.

    he rubble left from an ancient mausoleum destroyed by Islamist militants, is seen in Timbuktu, July 25, 2013
    Image caption: The militants destroyed the shrines of Muslim saints, saying they had become symbols of idolatry
  9. MTN hit by 'new investigation' in NIgeria

    A man walks past a MTN notice board in Lagos, on October 27, 2015
    Image caption: MTN's relationship with Nigeria's authorities is strained

    Lawmakers in Nigeria's upper house of parliament have decided to investigate an allegation that mobile phone giant MTN illegally transferred nearly $14bn (£11bn) out of the country between 2006 and 2016, Reuters news agency reports. 

    South African-owned MTN declined to comment on the Senate's decision, it adds. 

    The allegation was made in a motion submitted by Senator Dino Melaye which said the money had been repatriated "illegally" out of Nigeria by MTN through its bankers   

    With 62 million subscribers, Nigeria is the company's biggest market. 

    The investigation comes just three months after MTN agreed to pay a reduced fine of about $1bn in a settlement with the Nigerian  government over unregistered Sim cards, allegedly used by militant Islamists and criminal gangs. 

  10. The travails of travelling while African

    Last week Nigerian author Elnathan John shared several tweets about the ignominy many Africans face when applying for a visa and travelling in western countries:

    View more on twitter
    View more on twitter

    Ciku Kimeria, a Kenyan writer has now shared her experience, in a piece published in Quartz,  travelling with her country's passport. 

    She says that she has been the 'Good African' always returning home after her visits. Despite this she's still treated with suspicion and derision. 

    She writes about a recent trip to South America:

    Quote Message: As I was denied entry into my flight from Sao Paolo, Brazil to Lima, Peru everyone watching probably wondered what crime I had committed to be pulled aside like that. These are the indignities of having certain passports. I was rerouted to Bolivia, where I could get a visa on arrival. My Machu Picchu plans came to an end. Another injustice at the hands of the visa gods."

    Others have been also sharing their experiences:

    View more on twitter
  11. TB drug for children 'important'

    Until now tuberculosis in children has been treated with adult drugs. With the announcement of a new medication formulated specifically for young people hopes are high that treatment will improve.

    Kenya's head of TB control, Dr Enos Masini, explains to BBC Newsday why this is such an important development.

    Video content

    Video caption: A new pill gives hope for the battle against tuberculosis in children.
  12. Nigeria's military battles to hunt down militants

    The head of the Nigerian air force says he faces major challenges in defeating a seven-year Islamist insurgency in the country. 

    Air Marshall Sadiq Baba Abubakar told the BBC's Hausa service that the sheer size of the Sambisa forest, where many Boko Haram militants are said to be hiding, made it impossible for the air force to locate them. 

    He said it also made it difficult to find more than 200 girls abducted in April 2014 from Chibok town in the north-east. 

    Grab from Boko Haram video with faces of girls blurred
    Image caption: Boko Haram has released several videos to show it is holding the girls

    Lack of proper equipment was also a problem, but daily air patrols were carried out to find the girls. 

    The Nigerian military has come under criticism for its inability to locate and rescue the Chibok girls.

    See earlier post for more details

  13. Liberia teachers strike over exam

    More than 25,000 high school teachers in Liberia have gone on strike, demanding the resignation of Education Minister George Warner.

    The walk-out is in protest against calls by Mr Warner for all teachers to resit their qualifying exams owing to growing dissatisfaction with teaching standards across the country. 

    In 2013, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf described the education system as "messy".

    Liberian journalist Cholo Brooks spoke to BBC's Outside Source programme about the situation:

    Video content

    Video caption: More than 25,000 Liberian teachers are striking demanding sacking of Education Minister
  14. Rare success for war crimes court

    Anna Holligan

    Reporter BBC News, The Hague

    Malian jihadist Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi reacts at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on September 27, 2016
    Image caption: The war criminal was a preacher in northern Mali

    Wearing a grey suit, striped tie and spectacles at his sentencing at the International Criminal Court, there was little sign in Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahd of the violent jihadist responsible for destroying treasured shrines in Mali's Timbuktu city in 2012.

    He was a member of a group with links to al-Qaeda and the leader of the morality police (a religious vice squad operating in Timbuktu during the rebel occupation).

    According to the judge, he wrote a sermon dedicated to the destruction, gave instruction and tools to complete the operation.

    His confession, a well-considered apology and apparent willingness to co-operate with the court contributed to the nine year sentence.

    While the case is being seen as a rare success for the ICC some of the victims in Mali say the charges don't cover some of the most devastating atrocities committed during the occupation - including violence against women, rape and sexual slavery.

  15. Counterfeit drugs: 'People are dying every day'

    A child
    Image caption: Children are very susceptible to malaria, so fake drugs can be a death sentence

    Imagine seeing your child suffering from malaria, one of the biggest killers of children across the world. Symptoms include high fever, sweating, vomiting and convulsions.

    But it's OK, you think, because you bought medicine to combat the disease from a local drugs market.

    Now imagine what it must be like to see your child die nonetheless because the drugs you bought were fake.

    That is the brutal reality of the multi-billion dollar a year global trade in counterfeit drugs.

    Read the full BBC feature here

  16. South Sudan's 'Cobra' rebels to break ceasefire

    Anthony Irungu

    BBC Africa, Nairobi

    Murle ethnic group
    Image caption: The Democratic Movement Cobra Faction has been fighting to win greater rights for the Murle ethnic group

    South Sudan's rebel group the Democratic Movement Cobra Faction has announced that it will resume its armed struggle against President Salva Kiir's government.

    The group, led by Lt Gen Khalid Botrus Bora, has been fighting to win greater rights for the Murle ethnic group and had signed a peace agreement with the Juba government in May 2014. 

    In a statement it said it would join with other forces that are currently fighting the government.

    The Sudan Tribune, an online publication, reports that the announcement, made today in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, comes after South Sudan’s former minister of agriculture, Lam Akol, formed a new rebel faction after spending several weeks in consultations with different unarmed and armed opposition parties in the country. 

    Mr Akol, according to a statement issued over the weekend and sent to the Sudan Tribune,  has named the new rebel group as National Democratic Movement (NDM) and said that its aim is to overthrow by all means the government of South Sudan under the leadership of President Kiir.

    Civil war erupted in South Sudan, the world's youngest country, in December 2013.

    Read more: South Sudan's wounds of war

  17. Gabon's leader takes oath of office

    Mary Harper

    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    President of Gabon Ali Bongo Ondimba departs at the conclusion of the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit on March 25, 2014 in The Hague, Netherlands.
    Image caption: The president took office after his father died in 2009

    Gabon's President Ali Bongo has been sworn in for a second seven-year term following disputed elections in which a number of people died. 

    The inauguration comes three days after the Constitutional Court rejected the opposition's demands for a recount. 

    Ali Bongo - whose father, Omar Bongo, was president for four decades - officially won the poll by fewer than 6,000 votes. 

  18. Morocco gives Amazigh 'official status'

    Morocco's government has approved a bill which recognises Amazigh, spoken by its Berber community, as an official language alongside Arabic, AFP news agency quotes the royal palace as saying. 

    The move rounds off a reform programme launched by King Mohammed in 2011. 

    The palace said the language bill covers "the methods of [Amazigh's] integration in education and in different sectors of public life", AFP reports. 

    A school teacher helps a pupil reads a text in Amazigh, an ancient tongue, on September 27, 2010 in Rabat.
    Image caption: The minority Berber community has waged a long campaign to gain greater recognition for their language
  19. Conservation walk

    As the threat to elephants from poachers increases Kenyan campaigner Jim Nyamu is walking across East Africa to make people aware of the dangers they face.  

    He plans to cover 3,200km (1,900 miles) across East Africa to highlight the fight against elephant and rhino poaching. 

    Nyamu spoke to BBC's Newsday programme about his campaign:

    Video content

    Video caption: Jim Nyamu is campaigning to help elephants by walking across East Africa.
  20. Deadly helicopter crash in Angola

    At least four people have died in a helicopter crash en route to a Chevron oil platform in Angola, the US firm has said in a statement quoted by Reuters news agency. 

    Search and rescue operations were continuing for two missing passengers, it added. 

    The pilot and three passengers died in the crash