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Live Reporting

Clare Spencer, Lamine Konkobo and Lucy Fleming

All times stated are UK

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  1. Scroll down for Wednesday's stories

    That's it from us today

    That's all from the BBC Africa Live page 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: The fly was living before the dog’s ear got cut." from A Liberian proverb sent by Caroline Smart in New York, the US
    A Liberian proverb sent by Caroline Smart in New York, the US

    Click here to send your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this photo of flamingos in flight taken in the coastal town of Porto Amboim in Angola:

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  2. Legendary South Africa photographer remembered

    Juda Ngwenya, a former South African photographer for the Reuters news agency who captured some pivotal moments in the country's history, has been remembered today at a service in Johannesburg: 

    View more on twitter

    He photographed conflict during South Africa's apartheid years as well as the moment Nelson Mandela voted in the first democratic elections on 27 April 1994.

    According to the Associated Press news agency, several hundred people gathered to remember him, including Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa:

    Quote Message: It is heartbreaking to say goodbye to a special person like Juda Ngwenya. Each shutter of his camera became an unstained record of truth. This was a life dedicated to the cause of humanity and justice."

    AP said fellow photographer Siphiwe Sibeko wrote in a tribute that the 65-year-old was also fashion conscious and a generous friend:

    Quote Message: Juda was a smart dresser, taking pride in disproving the myth that photojournalists are an untidy bunch who do not take care of themselves
    Quote Message: I remember once struggling to file my pictures while covering floods in Mozambique in 2001. I was working for The Star at the time but felt no qualms about going to Juda's hotel to ask for help. He did not mind being woken up in the middle of the night and, using his more sophisticated equipment, filed my pictures to the newspaper.''
  3. Tanzanian farmers left with rotten tomatoes

    Aboubakar Famau

    BBC Africa, Tanzania

    Tomato sellers

    Some Tanzanian farmers have experienced a bumper harvest of tomatoes.

    But some have ended up with rotten produce as the tomato price has fallen sharply.

    Many are now calling for the government to set up processing plants to produced canned tomatoes and paste.

    These farmers at Mlale market in the central region of Morogoro showed the BBC their surplus stocks:

    Tomatoes
    Tomatoes
    Tomatoes
  4. Hail storm in Mozambique killed 12

    Jose Tembe

    BBC Africa, Maputo

    The Mozambican government says Monday’s sudden hail storm in Maputo has killed 12 people - this number is an increase on our report yesterday that at least four people had died. 

    The storm destroyed 55 houses and seven schools, according to Deputy Health Minister Mouzinho Saide.

    Mozambique’s weather institute was criticised for not giving an early warning about the storm. 

    But the institute said it was not able to issue a warning as it did not have the right equipment to collect such information.

    People tweeted pictures of the hail stones at the time:

    View more on twitter
  5. Get Involved: Should all African countries leave the ICC?

    ICC
    Image caption: The ICC came into force in 2002

    Many readers have been debating on our BBC Africa Facebook page whether more African countries should leave the International Criminal Court (ICC), following the announcement that the Gambia is to pull out of it.

    The Gambian information minister described the ICC as "an International Caucasian Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially Africans".    

    Richard Mbewe from Chipata in Zambia agrees with this sentiment:

    Quote Message: Let ICC probe [former US President George] Bush and [former UK Prime Minister] Tony Blair, then I will say they ain't biased and humiliating Africans."

    But Andy Alang from Yaounde in Cameroon says pulling out of the ICC would be a mistake:  

    Quote Message: The ICC only has jurisdiction over cases where the relevant state is unwilling or unable to investigate and / or if appropriate prosecute the case itself. Now, to avoid the ICC, many countries have implemented legislation to provide for the handling of crimes that fall under the jurisdiction of this court. African countries are dragging their feet."

    Eke Shakawe from Gaborone in Botswana emailed us at africalive@bbc.co.uk to say he wants the ICC to have more powers:

    Quote Message: I want the ICC. I want justice. The ICC should have power to pass death sentence to some of these murderous warlords that abound in Africa."

    One person tweeted @BBCAfrica with another complaint about the war crime court's procedures:

    The one place which is not getting involved in the debate is the African Union, which has been critical of the ICC in the past:  

    View more on twitter
  6. IS fighters take control of Red Sea port in Somalia

    BBC Monitoring

    News from around the globe

    Abdiqadir Mumin
    Image caption: Abdiqadir Mumin leads IS in Somalia

    Fighters believed to be members of the so-called Islamic State (IS) have taken control of an ancient Red Sea port town in Somalia, the private Jowhar website reports.

    Qandala lies 75km (46 miles) from the commercial port city of Bosaso, in the north-eastern region of Puntland.

    Qandala district commissioner Ahmed Khurshe confirmed the fall of the town to IS to journalists, saying that some residents, including himself, had fled.

    Reports suggest the fighters set up a military camp inside Qandala, which itself is a coastal town.

    Puntland's regional administration is holding an emergency meeting to discuss the situation.

    A year ago, a group of al-Shabab fighters in Puntland pledged allegiance to IS.

    The breakaway faction is led by Abdiqadir Mumin, who the US put on a sanctions list last month because of his terrorism activities.

    Read more: Al-Shabab v IS in Somalia

  7. Ex-BBC journalist declared wanted in Nigeria

    Jamilah Tangaza
    Image caption: Jamilah Tangaza left the BBC in October 2011

    Nigeria’s anti-corruption body is searching for Jamilah Tangaza, a former government official and former BBC journalist.

    Ibrahim Magu, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), told the BBC Hausa service that the agency had declared her wanted following media reports that she had tried to jump bail.

    Ms Tangaza was arrested by the EFCC in July over allegations of financial crimes while she headed a government agency in Abuja in charge of allocating land in the capital.

    She was released on bail in August while investigations continued. She has not been charged and she has denied any allegations of corruption.

    Following the report on Tuesday by the Nigerian news site Sahara Reporters about Ms Tangaza’s alleged escape attempt, Mr Magu said anti-corruption agents had tried to contact her, but all her phones were switched off.

    The person who guaranteed her bail is helping the EFCC in its search for Ms Tangaza, he said.

    All border officials had been warned to look out for her, as has Interpol, so any attempt to flee the country would prove futile, he said.

  8. The taboo of Kenya's intersex children

    In Kenya children who are born intersex cannot get birth certificates or identity cards, or register for exams.

    Gathoni Muchomba tells BBC Africa why she is campaigning to get the government to recognise them as a third gender:

    Video content

    Video caption: The taboo of Kenya's intersex children
  9. 'Senegal frustration' over mobile phone deadline

    A mobile phone user in Senegal
    Image caption: Senegal mobile phone users will be cut off if they do not register within the next two weeks

    As a 10 November deadline looms for mobile phone users in Senegal to register their sim cards, some subscribers have already found themselves deprived of a service, France's RFI radio reports

    The move for mandatory registration is understood to be a security measure in the fight against terrorism. 

    It is believed that phones can be used to plan attacks or to remotely detonate explosives.

    To avoid being cut off by their networks, people in Senegal must show up in person at premises of their operator with their ID to have their name and address registered. 

    But one man told RFI that his phone connection had been stopped because his passport had expired and he had no other ID documents to show officials as he was from Burkina Faso:

    Quote Message: The system seems a little outdated. I have lived here in Dakar for more than four years and I am told I can't register because my passport has expired."

    Other countries in the region, such as Burkina Faso, have already enforced such regulations. 

    Senegal has so far avoided a major attack by Islamist militants, but the country neighbours Mali, which has been fighting al-Qaeda-linked militants for several years. 

    This year al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb launched two deadly attacks elsewhere in West Africa: A cafe and hotel was targeted in Burkina Faso in January and a beach resort in Ivory Coast in March. Senegal already requires foreign nationals to register to get a sim card.

  10. Tunisia arrests two ‘US nationals over suspected IS links'

    Rana Jawad

    BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

    The US State Department has confirmed to the BBC that they are looking into reports that two US nationals have been arrested in Tunisia on suspicion of terrorist activities.  

    Tunisian security officials say they apprehended the two in the north-western city of Jendouba, which is close to the Algerian border.  

    The men were arrested for alleged links to so-called Islamic State (IS) and are brothers who recently converted to Islam, according to several local media reports.

    Officials here say one of them is married to a Tunisian woman.

    The two men are due to appear in front of a judge. 

    Unconfirmed reports say the pair had laptops which contained material with calls for jihad and plans for bombing targets in the country. 

    Police on Sousse beach
    Image caption: IS said it was behind several attacks in Tunisia, including on a Sousse beach resort last year
  11. South African police fire stun grenades outside parliament

    Pumza Fihlani

    BBC News, Johannesburg

    Police fired stun grenades to disperse protesters outside South Africa's parliament in Cape Town as Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan was delivering his midterm budget speech.

    A journalist from South Africa's News 24 tweeted from the scene:

    View more on twitter

    Throngs of students marched demanding free tertiary education. 

    Such protests over tuition fees have disrupted lectures at universities across the country for about a month now. 

    The movement known as #FeesMustFall has garnered support from various sections of society but concerns have been raised about the destruction of property, such as libraries, and the intimidation of non-participating students. 

    Last year saw similar demonstrations from students who say their families simply cannot afford the exorbitant fees. 

    They say they are a form of “financial exclusion” for the country’s poor black population. 

    The government has launched a commission looking into the feasibly of no fees in tertiary for deserving students but will only report on its finding next year. 

    Until then, universities have been left to their own devices on how to restore calm at their institutions.

  12. Nigeria's President Buhari wants to borrow $30bn

    naira
    Image caption: How many notes would add up to seven trillion naira?

    Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has requested lawmakers to approve a plan to obtain $30bn (£24bn) in foreign loans. 

    If you can't get your head round $30bn, the BBC's Naziru Mikailu in Abuja gives it a little perspective: It is more than the federal government's entire budget from 2016.

    That budget was seven trillion naira, which in December equated to $30bn. 

    But as the currency has fallen sharply, $30bn is now worth nine trillion naira. 

    The president said the money would be spent across all sectors with a special emphasis on infrastructure.

  13. Ghana soldiers to be disciplined over illegal escort

    Thomas Naadi

    BBC Africa, Accra

    Ghana's military is taking disciplinary action against soldiers who provided an armed escort to the brother of President John Mahama during a campaign event on Sunday, an army spokesman has told the BBC.

    Col Aggrey Quashie, the military’s public affairs director, said the military was not allowed to provide escorts to private individuals.

    He said the soldiers who accompanied Ibrahim Mahama were part of the president’s security detail.

    They had not been officially assigned to provide protection for the president’s brother.

    The military’s investigation was prompted by photos on social media that seem to show the businessman with "about a dozen, heavily armed, well-built men" in military camouflage, Ghana's Joy Online reported. 

    An eyewitness posted on Joy's Facebook page that there were also armoured cars for his use.

    Campaigners for President Mahama also tweeted, showing a man in camouflage:

    View more on twitter

    Elections are due in Ghana in December. 

  14. Botswana 'backs ICC reform not withdrawal'

    Botswana’s Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi
    Image caption: Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is in the running to become the head of the AU commission in January

    African states unhappy with the International Criminal Court(ICC) should work to reform it from within rather than pulling out, Botswana’s Foreign Minister Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi has told the Reuters news agency.

    The 65-year-old, who is a candidate to become the next African Union (AU) Commission chair, gave the interview just before The Gambia announced it was leaving the ICC.

    Ms Venson-Moitoi’s stance is at odds with the AU, which has repeatedly complained that the ICC treats Africans and Africa unfairly.

    Gambia’s information minister didn’t mince his words when putting forward his country’s objections to the war crimes court:

    Quote box

    But South Africa, which announced last Friday that it was withdrawing, said the treaty that set up the court was at odds with its own laws granting leaders diplomatic immunity.

    Last year, a South African court criticised the government for refusing to arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the court on genocide and war crimes that he denies.

    Ms Venson-Moitoi said that not all AU members were in agreement with South Africa's hard-line approach:

    Quote Message: The good thing is that a few more members now, within the AU, agree that pulling out is not the solution. We should be working towards fixing."

    Ms Venson-Moitoi's main rival for the AU chair is Amina Mohamed, foreign minister of Kenya - a fierce critic of the ICC.

  15. From Kenyan slums to Europe's catwalks

    Watch the tailors from the Kenyan slum of Kibera whose suits are now being shown on the catwalks of Europe:

    Video content

    Video caption: From Kenyan slums to Europe's catwalks
  16. Where did #Nov8AfricanEdition originate?

    We mentioned a few days ago that the hashtag #Nov8AfricanEdition has been trending on Twitter. 

    Tweeters have been imagining how the US election would be reported if they were happening in Africa, with fake "breaking news" headlines and sarcastic support:

    tweet
    Tweet

    One of the highlights was this mocked-up picture:

    View more on twitter

    Now BBC Trending has looked into the origins of the hashtag. 

    It explains that the hashtag began trending after the third presidential debate, in which Republican candidate Donald Trump hinted he might not accept the election result if his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton won.

    The jokers saved their best material for Trump's accusation that the US campaign was "rigged".

    Read more: Africans chuckle at ugly US election

  17. Ethiopia withdraws from parts of southern Somalia

    Tomi Oladipo

    BBC Monitoring's Africa security correspondent

    Ethiopian soldiers in Somalia - archive shot
    Image caption: Ethiopia has thousands of troops in Somalia that are not part of the AU mission

    Ethiopian troops have withdrawn from parts of south-western Somalia, including a military base in the strategic town of Tiyeglow, where they were stationed in the fight against al-Shabab militants.

    Following today’s withdrawal, officials in Somalia’s Bakol region say some residents have fled the area, fearing an imminent take-over by fighters from the Islamist group.

    Ethiopia's Communication Minister Getachew Reda blamed a lack of support from the international community for this move.

    But he said the troops being withdrawn were not part of the 22,000-strong African Union (AU) force – but a separate batch deployed to support AU and Somali government soldiers:

    Quote Message: The international community also has a responsibility either to train or to support the Somali national army in whatever way they promised and if they do not make good on that promise and Somali national army fails to discharge their responsibilities then of course, as they say, nature - and al-Shabab - abhors a vacuum, so they’ll just move in.”

    Ethiopia stressed that the withdrawal had nothing to do with the state of emergency at home and that it had enough troops to handle that.

    Other nations that contribute to the AU force have also complained about the lack of commitment to Somalia from the international community and have threatened to pull out their forces permanently.

    But with the threat of al-Shabab closer to home for some of them, leaving Somalia prematurely might backfire.

  18. South Sudan armed group release 145 child soldiers

    James Copnall

    Africa editor, BBC World Service

    Children soldiers in South Sudan - February 2015
    Image caption: Unicef says there are still 16,000 child soldiers in South Sudan

    Armed groups in South Sudan have released 145 children, according to the UN children's agency Unicef.

    Military forces in the country often use underage combatants who are usually enrolled by force. 

    The children had been part of the main rebel group - SPLM-In Opposition - as well as a smaller ethnic militia, Cobra Faction, Unicef says. 

    They have been disarmed and given civilian clothes and will receive medical support and counselling. 

    Unicef says there are still 16,000 child soldiers in South Sudan.

    See more: South Sudan artists paint for peace

    Today's BBC Focus on Africa radio programmes at 15:00 GMT, 17:00 GMT and 19:00 GMT look at how South Sudan's civil war can be resolved.

  19. UN chief condemns CAR attacks 'against peacekeepers'

    N peacekeepers in the CAR
    Image caption: UN peacekeepers in the CAR face hostility from locals who accuse them of inaction

    UN chief Ban Ki-moon has condemned the recent violence in the Central African Republic (CAR), where four civilians were killed on Monday during a protest.

    Peacekeepers are accused of opening fire when demonstrators tried to force their way into the UN headquarters on Monday, but the UN denies using live bullets and says its soldiers only used tear gas.

    Fourteen people, including five peacekeepers, were wounded in the incident which happened as civil society activists called on residents to stay at home to demand the withdrawal of Minusca, saying it was failing to protect people.

    In a statement, Mr Ban welcomed "the determination of the government to ensure that the perpetrators and instigators of these attacks are brought to justice".

    He added:

    Quote Message: The actions of those seeking to destabilise the government and harm the country's prospects for peace and stability must not undermine the important work of rebuilding the country's infrastructure, promoting social cohesion, reconciliation and economic recovery, strengthening the rule of law, and creating opportunities for all."

    The UN peacekeepers were deployed to CAR in the wake of a civil war that broke out in 2013.

    Numerous armed group still operate across the country - both the mainly Seleka rebels and Christian self-defence forces set up to tackle them, known as anti-balaka.  

  20. Uganda and South Sudan 'start joint border patrols'

    BBC Monitoring

    News from around the globe

    Map of South Sudan and Uganda

    Uganda and South Sudan have started a joint police force along their common border to stem the killings of travellers, reports Uganda's private Observer newspaper

    The paper says that at least five buses travelling between South Sudan's capital, Juba, and the Ugandan capital, Kampala, have been ambushed in South Sudan over the last four months.

    It said "many" passengers have been killed, without giving specific numbers.

    Correspondents say armed groups in South Sudan's southern Equatoria region are behind the attacks, often targeting people from the Dinka ethnic group. 

    Ugandan troops have intervened at times in South Sudan's current civil war on side of President Salva Kiir.

    Most recently they conducted operations to rescue their citizens caught up in the violence that erupted in Juba in July - less than a year after a peace deal was agreed. 

    The joint patrol began on Sunday, the Observer says.