The pastor who found one of the world's largest uncut diamonds says he expects to get "not less than $50 million" for the 709-carat precious stone, after it failed to reach its minimum reserve price at auction in Sierra Leone today, AFP news agency reports.
"I want my diamond to be sold abroad so I can get the best price to enable many people to benefit from the proceeds," Pastor Emmanuel Momoh told AFP.
Today's highest bid, for $7.8m, came from a UK citizen based in Antwerp, the European diamond capital in Belgium, where the next auction is expected to take place in the next few weeks.
SAIDU BAH/AFPCopyright: SAIDU BAH/AFP
Emmanuel Momoh and his wife attended today's failed auction in FreetownImage caption: Emmanuel Momoh and his wife attended today's failed auction in Freetown
The reserve price, which is the minimum amount that the diamond can be sold for and was set by the Sierra Leonean government, is a secret.
Last May, diamond-mining firm Lucara sold a 813-carat stone for $63m (£51m) at a closed auction in London.
UN chief Antonio Guterres, has told an international gathering on Somalia that after decades of conflict and stability, the conditions are now in place for it to become a success story.
Mr Guterres said Somalia now had a government that could be trusted and a plan that made sense.
At the end of the meeting in London, President Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said now was the time for action.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Several world leaders attended the meetingImage caption: Several world leaders attended the meeting
Earlier, the conference heard that although there had been improvements in security, Somalia faced the risk of a drought turning into famine.
Six million people need help and the UN is seeking about $1bn (£780m) in aid.
The African Union has a large force in Somalia to help the government defeat the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.
African lions face same extinction threats as Ice Age cats
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXCopyright: UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
The African lion formerly ranged throughout Eurasia and Africa, but today is only found in sub-Saharan AfricaImage caption: The African lion formerly ranged throughout Eurasia and Africa, but today is only found in sub-Saharan Africa
Two big cats - the African lion and the Sunda clouded leopard - are most at risk from extinction caused by loss of prey, according to a new analysis.
Lack of food was a factor in why seven big cats, including sabre-toothed tigers, went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age, say scientists.
The trend is continuing, threatening a range of modern big cats, they warn.
If the prey of big cats continues to decline it will add to other pressures such as habitat loss, a study found.
Dr Chris Sandom from the University of Sussex said: "I think it adds an extra pressure for these animals. They are already suffering quite heavily from other conflicts with humans."
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXCopyright: UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
The African lion is under threat from habitat loss and poachingImage caption: The African lion is under threat from habitat loss and poaching
The poster (l) was similar to that portraying the Nazi-era League of German Girls (r)Image caption: The poster (l) was similar to that portraying the Nazi-era League of German Girls (r)
A leading South African university has suspended three students suspected of being linked to Nazi-inspired posters which appeared on campus notice boards earlier this week, a statement has said.
The posters at Stellenbosch University had caused outrage, with critics saying it was the latest sign of racism at the institution.
The university has condemned the posters and started an investigation to find out who was behind them.
In a statement, vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers said he had decided to suspend the three students "suspected of misconduct while disciplinary proceedings are ongoing".
The posters, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda to rally support for Hitler, called for a "Fight for Stellenbosch".
The university has been fraught with racial tension since white minority rule ended in 1994.
Social mediaCopyright: Social media
The posters, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda to rally support for Hitler, called for a "Fight for Stellenbosch".
The university has been fraught with racial tension since white minority rule ended in 1994.
Ghanaian Anin Yeboah, a supreme court justice, has been elected as chairman of Fifa's Disciplinary Committee.
He was voted in for a four-year term at Thursday's congress of football's world governing body in Bahrain.
Yeboah was a member of Fifa's Ethics Committee last year.
He was one of several Africans voted onto committees at the congress, including Rwanda's Martin Ngoga as deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee.
There was disappointment earlier for bidders at an auction in Sierra Leone for the second largest diamond ever found in the country. Even the highest bid, at $7.8m, wasn't enough to meet the minimum price that had been set for the precious stone.
It will now be re-auctioned in the Belgian city of Antwerp, known as the diamond capital of Europe.
Mugabe 'resting eyes not sleeping': Twitter reacts
Twitter users have been poking fun at Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe's spokesman after he denied that the 93-year-old falls asleep at meetings, saying the veteran leader was in fact closing his eyes to protect them from bright lights:
Your questions: How will UK elections affect Africa?
British voters go to the polls on 8 June but how will the vote affect Africa?
The election follows last year's Brexit vote when voters decided to leave the European Union, a decision that is expected to bring a lot of changes to the UK's international relationships.
If you want to know where the major parties stand on trade, immigration, education or any other issue, and if you want clarification abut anything related to the election, let us know.
We'll put a selection of your questions to our reporters and in-house experts for their analysis.
President Muhammadu Buhari (left) has left Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge while he takes medical leave in the UKImage caption: President Muhammadu Buhari (left) has left Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge while he takes medical leave in the UK
Nigerian lawmakers have approved the national budget in both houses of parliament after a five-month delay, in a move that is hoped will kick-start the country's flagging economy.
The budget of 7.5 trillion naira ($24bn; £19bn) was passed in both the House of Representatives and The Senate.
It was slightly higher than the expenditure first put forward by President Muhammadu Buhari in December.
The budget can now be signed into law by the president.
President Buhari left Nigeria on Sunday to take medical leave in the UK for an undisclosed illness, leaving Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge.
Nigeria is in its second year of recession brought on by low
oil prices which have slashed government revenues, weakened the
naira currency and caused chronic dollar shortages.
The senate tweeted confirmation that the government spending plans had been passed:
Femi Kuti 'to try again' after world record near-miss
Femi Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend Fela, has told the BBC that he'll try again after narrowly missing out on breaking the world record for the longest continuous note played on a saxophone. But how does he manage to play for so long?
Video content
Video caption: How saxophone player Femi Kuti played a single note for 46 minutesHow saxophone player Femi Kuti played a single note for 46 minutes
Chibok girls: 103 freed girls to go back to school
BBCCopyright: BBC
Ms Alhassan said the government will close its rehabilitation centre in SeptemberImage caption: Ms Alhassan said the government will close its rehabilitation centre in September
The 103 schoolgirls released from captivity after being taken by Islamist militants Boko Haram in Chibok, north-east Nigeria, will go back to school in September, a Nigerian minister has said.
Aisha Alhassan said the girls will be ready psychologically.
She said the rehabilitation centre in the capital, Abuja, where some of the girls have been kept, will be closed.
The girls include the 82 released on Saturday, Ms Alhassan said.
She told journalists that the young women were "stable" and "cheerful" compared to how the 21 freed last year were on their release.
How seven rangers stopped 'industrial scale' logging
Thirty-five men from Mozambique, Malawi and China have been convicted over an illegal logging operation which destroyed about 2,000 hectares of woodland and smuggled out $37m (£29m) worth of hard wood.
Journalist Lucy Ashton told the BBC's Newsday programme how a small group of Malawian rangers brought down the racketeers last November:
Video content
Video caption: It was the largest arrest of its kind in Malawi's national parksIt was the largest arrest of its kind in Malawi's national parks
$7.77m Sierra Leone diamond bid fails
Umaru Fofana
BBC Africa, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Diamond auction will now move to the Belgian city of Antwerp after none of the bidders matched the state's reserve price at the auction in Sierra Leone.
Multi-million dollar auction bid for Sierra Leone diamond
Someone has bid $7.77m (£6m) for an uncut diamond weighing 709 carats which has gone on sale at an auction in Sierra Leone, the BBC's Umaru Fofana reports from the capital Freetown.
They are now waiting to find out if the bid has reached the reserve price (the lowest price which the diamond can be sold for), which has been set by the government.
It's the second largest diamond ever discovered in Sierra Leone and one of the 20 largest found anywhere.
It was discovered in March by a local pastor and his workers in Kono district.
If it does go for $7.77m, then Umaru would not have been far off with his own valuation of $7.5m! Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised though, given he was once a diamond miner himself.
NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIESCopyright: NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES
The discovery was made at an archaeological site at the Dahshur royal necropolisImage caption: The discovery was made at an archaeological site at the Dahshur royal necropolis
The 3,700-year-old burial chamber of a pharaoh's daughter is believed to have been found near the remains of a recently-discovered pyramid in Egypt.
The ministry of antiquities said the chamber at the Dahshur royal necropolis, south of Cairo, contained a wooden box engraved with hieroglyphs.
Inside the box were four canopic jars filled with the organs of the deceased, likely a daughter of King Emnikamaw.
NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIESCopyright: NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES
A box found inside the chamber bore hieroglyphics meant to protect the bodyImage caption: A box found inside the chamber bore hieroglyphics meant to protect the body
Libya 'intercepts' migrant boat heading for Europe
BBC World Service
The Libyan coastguard says it has turned back a boat packed with nearly 500 migrants bound for Europe, just as they were about to be rescued at sea.
The migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria, Bangladesh and Morocco, were returned to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where they are being held at a detention centre.
Libya accused a German rescue boat - run by the Sea-Watch organisation - of trying to disrupt its operation. But the captain said the EU-funded Libyan patrol boat had almost crashed into his vessel.
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Libya is under pressure to curb migration to EuropeImage caption: Libya is under pressure to curb migration to Europe
Mr Mugabe often appears to be dozing at meetingsImage caption: Mr Mugabe often appears to be dozing at meetings
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's spokesman has hit back at critics who accuse him of being asleep at public events when his eyes appear to be closed, saying the 93 year old is in fact protecting them from bright lights.
George Charamba was quoted by the state-owned Herald newspaper as saying that Mr Mugabe travels regularly to Singapore to receive specialised treatment for an eye condition.
He added that "the rest of his body gets attended to" in Zimbabwe by a physician who is not only Zimbabwean but "is actually black".
The increasingly frail-looking Mr Mugabe's health has been the source of intense speculation, and his critics say his trips to Singapore show he has no confidence in Zimbabwe's hospitals.
He is due to return from Singapore at the weekend after travelling to the country for his latest check-up.
In his response, Mr Charamba said:
Quote Message: I feel like a failure when there is this reading that the President is sleeping in conferences. No. At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the president cannot suffer bright lights. If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting."
I feel like a failure when there is this reading that the President is sleeping in conferences. No. At 93, there is something that happens to the eyes and the president cannot suffer bright lights. If you look at his poise, he looks down, avoids direct lighting."
ReutersCopyright: Reuters
Mr Mugabe was at a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa last weekImage caption: Mr Mugabe was at a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa last week
Mr Charamba drew parallels with South Africa's late President Nelson Mandela, whose eyes were sensitive to flash photography:
AFPCopyright: AFP
Mr Mandela visited his prison cell after minority rule ended in 1994Image caption: Mr Mandela visited his prison cell after minority rule ended in 1994
Quote Message: In the case of Mandela, if you remember, you were not allowed to even use flashes whenever he was in the room. This is what happens at 93 and Mandela, I do not think lived as long as the president."
In the case of Mandela, if you remember, you were not allowed to even use flashes whenever he was in the room. This is what happens at 93 and Mandela, I do not think lived as long as the president."
Mr Mandela died in a private hospital in the main city, Johannesburg, in 2013 at the age of 95.
The young Senegalese woman behind the next French president
French newspaper Le Monde is running a profile on Sibeth Ndiaye, the 37-year-old Senegalese-French campaign guru of Emmanuel Macron, who has now been named as the president-elect's press secretary.
Ms Ndiaye is seen as one of the key figures who orchestrated the meteoric rise of Mr Macron's En Marche movement.
Le Monde says that she was ever-present during the Macron campaign and that along with his wife Brigitte Macron, was one of the most prominent women in his camp.
She's being hailed as the star of a new documentary that's just aired on French TV, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at Mr Macron's victory.
In the film, she jokes with Mr Macron, is seen advising and encouraging him, as well as organising his schedule.
With her "dreadlocks and blue Adidas trainers" Ms Ndiaye does not fulfill the stereotypical image of those working in French politics, the paper adds.
Describing herself in her Twitter bio as an "apprentice geek and committed socialist", Ms Ndiaye grew up in the Senegalese capital Dakar, the youngest of four sisters in a highly political family.
Both her parents were high-profile figures in Senegal, serving in senior positions under former President Abdoulaye Wade.
Live Reporting
Hugo Williams and Farouk Chothia
All times stated are UK
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SAIDU BAH/AFPCopyright: SAIDU BAH/AFP Emmanuel Momoh and his wife attended today's failed auction in FreetownImage caption: Emmanuel Momoh and his wife attended today's failed auction in Freetown - How I funded my studies by digging for Sierra Leone diamonds
- Why have so many huge diamonds been found recently?
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Several world leaders attended the meetingImage caption: Several world leaders attended the meeting 
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXCopyright: UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX The African lion formerly ranged throughout Eurasia and Africa, but today is only found in sub-Saharan AfricaImage caption: The African lion formerly ranged throughout Eurasia and Africa, but today is only found in sub-Saharan Africa 
UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXCopyright: UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX The African lion is under threat from habitat loss and poachingImage caption: The African lion is under threat from habitat loss and poaching 
Social mediaCopyright: Social media The poster (l) was similar to that portraying the Nazi-era League of German Girls (r)Image caption: The poster (l) was similar to that portraying the Nazi-era League of German Girls (r) 
Social mediaCopyright: Social media - Why South African students want to be taught in English
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Video caption: Umaru Fofana on the diamond find that transformed his lifeUmaru Fofana on the diamond find that transformed his life View more on twitterView more on twitter View more on twitterView more on twitter View more on twitterView more on twitter View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Nigeria PresidencyCopyright: Nigeria Presidency President Muhammadu Buhari (left) has left Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge while he takes medical leave in the UKImage caption: President Muhammadu Buhari (left) has left Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge while he takes medical leave in the UK View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Mamelodi Sundowns are the current holdersImage caption: Mamelodi Sundowns are the current holders Video caption: How saxophone player Femi Kuti played a single note for 46 minutesHow saxophone player Femi Kuti played a single note for 46 minutes 
BBCCopyright: BBC Ms Alhassan said the government will close its rehabilitation centre in SeptemberImage caption: Ms Alhassan said the government will close its rehabilitation centre in September Video caption: It was the largest arrest of its kind in Malawi's national parksIt was the largest arrest of its kind in Malawi's national parks 
View more on twitterView more on twitter View more on twitterView more on twitter 
NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIESCopyright: NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES The discovery was made at an archaeological site at the Dahshur royal necropolisImage caption: The discovery was made at an archaeological site at the Dahshur royal necropolis 
NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIESCopyright: NEVINE EL-AREF / EGYPTIAN MINISTRY OF ANTIQUITIES A box found inside the chamber bore hieroglyphics meant to protect the bodyImage caption: A box found inside the chamber bore hieroglyphics meant to protect the body 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Libya is under pressure to curb migration to EuropeImage caption: Libya is under pressure to curb migration to Europe - The untold story of Europe's drowned migrants
AFPCopyright: AFP Mr Mugabe often appears to be dozing at meetingsImage caption: Mr Mugabe often appears to be dozing at meetings 
ReutersCopyright: Reuters Mr Mugabe was at a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa last weekImage caption: Mr Mugabe was at a World Economic Forum meeting in South Africa last week 
AFPCopyright: AFP Mr Mandela visited his prison cell after minority rule ended in 1994Image caption: Mr Mandela visited his prison cell after minority rule ended in 1994 View more on twitterView more on twitter - What Emmanuel Macron's win means for Africa
- The meteoric rise of Emmanuel Macron
Latest PostScroll down for Thursday's stories
We'll be back tomorrow
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:
Click here to send us your African proverbs
And we leave you with this photo of a new work by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare:
Pastor: I want $50m for my diamond
The pastor who found one of the world's largest uncut diamonds says he expects to get "not less than $50 million" for the 709-carat precious stone, after it failed to reach its minimum reserve price at auction in Sierra Leone today, AFP news agency reports.
"I want my diamond to be sold abroad so I can get the best price to enable many people to benefit from the proceeds," Pastor Emmanuel Momoh told AFP.
Today's highest bid, for $7.8m, came from a UK citizen based in Antwerp, the European diamond capital in Belgium, where the next auction is expected to take place in the next few weeks.
The reserve price, which is the minimum amount that the diamond can be sold for and was set by the Sierra Leonean government, is a secret.
Last May, diamond-mining firm Lucara sold a 813-carat stone for $63m (£51m) at a closed auction in London.
Read more:
Somalia will become a 'success story'
UN chief Antonio Guterres, has told an international gathering on Somalia that after decades of conflict and stability, the conditions are now in place for it to become a success story.
Mr Guterres said Somalia now had a government that could be trusted and a plan that made sense.
At the end of the meeting in London, President Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said now was the time for action.
Earlier, the conference heard that although there had been improvements in security, Somalia faced the risk of a drought turning into famine.
Six million people need help and the UN is seeking about $1bn (£780m) in aid.
The African Union has a large force in Somalia to help the government defeat the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab group.
African lions face same extinction threats as Ice Age cats
Two big cats - the African lion and the Sunda clouded leopard - are most at risk from extinction caused by loss of prey, according to a new analysis.
Lack of food was a factor in why seven big cats, including sabre-toothed tigers, went extinct at the end of the last Ice Age, say scientists.
The trend is continuing, threatening a range of modern big cats, they warn.
If the prey of big cats continues to decline it will add to other pressures such as habitat loss, a study found.
Dr Chris Sandom from the University of Sussex said: "I think it adds an extra pressure for these animals. They are already suffering quite heavily from other conflicts with humans."
Read the full BBC News story
Nazi poster controversy: SA students suspended
A leading South African university has suspended three students suspected of being linked to Nazi-inspired posters which appeared on campus notice boards earlier this week, a statement has said.
The posters at Stellenbosch University had caused outrage, with critics saying it was the latest sign of racism at the institution.
The university has condemned the posters and started an investigation to find out who was behind them.
In a statement, vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers said he had decided to suspend the three students "suspected of misconduct while disciplinary proceedings are ongoing".
The posters, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda to rally support for Hitler, called for a "Fight for Stellenbosch".
The university has been fraught with racial tension since white minority rule ended in 1994.
The posters, reminiscent of Nazi propaganda to rally support for Hitler, called for a "Fight for Stellenbosch".
The university has been fraught with racial tension since white minority rule ended in 1994.
Ghanaian judge gets top Fifa job
Ghanaian Anin Yeboah, a supreme court justice, has been elected as chairman of Fifa's Disciplinary Committee.
He was voted in for a four-year term at Thursday's congress of football's world governing body in Bahrain.
Yeboah was a member of Fifa's Ethics Committee last year.
He was one of several Africans voted onto committees at the congress, including Rwanda's Martin Ngoga as deputy chairman of the investigatory chamber of the Ethics Committee.
Read the full story here
The diamond find that changed my life
There was disappointment earlier for bidders at an auction in Sierra Leone for the second largest diamond ever found in the country. Even the highest bid, at $7.8m, wasn't enough to meet the minimum price that had been set for the precious stone.
It will now be re-auctioned in the Belgian city of Antwerp, known as the diamond capital of Europe.
BBC Africa's Umaru Fofana, who reported on the extraordinary find by a Christian pastor, has a special connection to this story.
He used to hunt for diamonds in his spare time when growing up in Sierra Leone.
And he's been telling the BBC's David Amanor how finding a diamond changed the course of his life:
Video content
Read more: How I funded my studies by digging for Sierra Leone diamonds
Mugabe 'resting eyes not sleeping': Twitter reacts
Twitter users have been poking fun at Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe's spokesman after he denied that the 93-year-old falls asleep at meetings, saying the veteran leader was in fact closing his eyes to protect them from bright lights:
Your questions: How will UK elections affect Africa?
British voters go to the polls on 8 June but how will the vote affect Africa?
The election follows last year's Brexit vote when voters decided to leave the European Union, a decision that is expected to bring a lot of changes to the UK's international relationships.
If you want to know where the major parties stand on trade, immigration, education or any other issue, and if you want clarification abut anything related to the election, let us know.
We'll put a selection of your questions to our reporters and in-house experts for their analysis.
Go to the BBC News website to send us your questions
Nigeria passes budget after five-month delay
Nigerian lawmakers have approved the national budget in both houses of parliament after a five-month delay, in a move that is hoped will kick-start the country's flagging economy.
The budget of 7.5 trillion naira ($24bn; £19bn) was passed in both the House of Representatives and The Senate.
It was slightly higher than the expenditure first put forward by President Muhammadu Buhari in December.
The budget can now be signed into law by the president.
President Buhari left Nigeria on Sunday to take medical leave in the UK for an undisclosed illness, leaving Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo in charge.
Nigeria is in its second year of recession brought on by low oil prices which have slashed government revenues, weakened the naira currency and caused chronic dollar shortages.
The senate tweeted confirmation that the government spending plans had been passed:
New era begins for African Champions League
A new era for the African Champions League begins this weekend as a group stage featuring 16 teams kicks off.
There are five matches on Friday, two on Saturday and one Sunday with seven previous champions in action.
Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa continue the defence of their title on Sunday as they host Ethiopia's Saint George.
Sundowns' coach Pitso Mosimane says fixture fatigue could threaten their hopes.
Last year they became just the second South African winners of Africa's top club competition, beating Zamalek of Egypt 3-1 on aggregate in the final.
Read the full BBC Sport story
Femi Kuti 'to try again' after world record near-miss
Femi Kuti, son of the late Afrobeat legend Fela, has told the BBC that he'll try again after narrowly missing out on breaking the world record for the longest continuous note played on a saxophone. But how does he manage to play for so long?
Video content
Chibok girls: 103 freed girls to go back to school
The 103 schoolgirls released from captivity after being taken by Islamist militants Boko Haram in Chibok, north-east Nigeria, will go back to school in September, a Nigerian minister has said.
Aisha Alhassan said the girls will be ready psychologically.
She said the rehabilitation centre in the capital, Abuja, where some of the girls have been kept, will be closed.
The girls include the 82 released on Saturday, Ms Alhassan said.
She told journalists that the young women were "stable" and "cheerful" compared to how the 21 freed last year were on their release.
Read the full BBC story here
How seven rangers stopped 'industrial scale' logging
Thirty-five men from Mozambique, Malawi and China have been convicted over an illegal logging operation which destroyed about 2,000 hectares of woodland and smuggled out $37m (£29m) worth of hard wood.
Journalist Lucy Ashton told the BBC's Newsday programme how a small group of Malawian rangers brought down the racketeers last November:
Video content
$7.77m Sierra Leone diamond bid fails
Umaru Fofana
BBC Africa, Freetown, Sierra Leone
Diamond auction will now move to the Belgian city of Antwerp after none of the bidders matched the state's reserve price at the auction in Sierra Leone.
See previous post
Multi-million dollar auction bid for Sierra Leone diamond
Someone has bid $7.77m (£6m) for an uncut diamond weighing 709 carats which has gone on sale at an auction in Sierra Leone, the BBC's Umaru Fofana reports from the capital Freetown.
They are now waiting to find out if the bid has reached the reserve price (the lowest price which the diamond can be sold for), which has been set by the government.
It's the second largest diamond ever discovered in Sierra Leone and one of the 20 largest found anywhere.
It was discovered in March by a local pastor and his workers in Kono district.
If it does go for $7.77m, then Umaru would not have been far off with his own valuation of $7.5m! Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised though, given he was once a diamond miner himself.
How I funded my studies by digging for Sierra Leone diamonds
Egypt uncovers 'tomb of pharaoh's daughter'
The 3,700-year-old burial chamber of a pharaoh's daughter is believed to have been found near the remains of a recently-discovered pyramid in Egypt.
The ministry of antiquities said the chamber at the Dahshur royal necropolis, south of Cairo, contained a wooden box engraved with hieroglyphs.
Inside the box were four canopic jars filled with the organs of the deceased, likely a daughter of King Emnikamaw.
Read the full BBC News story
Libya 'intercepts' migrant boat heading for Europe
BBC World Service
The Libyan coastguard says it has turned back a boat packed with nearly 500 migrants bound for Europe, just as they were about to be rescued at sea.
The migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, Syria, Bangladesh and Morocco, were returned to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, where they are being held at a detention centre.
Libya accused a German rescue boat - run by the Sea-Watch organisation - of trying to disrupt its operation. But the captain said the EU-funded Libyan patrol boat had almost crashed into his vessel.
Mugabe 'resting eyes, not sleeping'
Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's spokesman has hit back at critics who accuse him of being asleep at public events when his eyes appear to be closed, saying the 93 year old is in fact protecting them from bright lights.
George Charamba was quoted by the state-owned Herald newspaper as saying that Mr Mugabe travels regularly to Singapore to receive specialised treatment for an eye condition.
He added that "the rest of his body gets attended to" in Zimbabwe by a physician who is not only Zimbabwean but "is actually black".
The increasingly frail-looking Mr Mugabe's health has been the source of intense speculation, and his critics say his trips to Singapore show he has no confidence in Zimbabwe's hospitals.
He is due to return from Singapore at the weekend after travelling to the country for his latest check-up.
In his response, Mr Charamba said:
Mr Charamba drew parallels with South Africa's late President Nelson Mandela, whose eyes were sensitive to flash photography:
Mr Mandela died in a private hospital in the main city, Johannesburg, in 2013 at the age of 95.
The young Senegalese woman behind the next French president
French newspaper Le Monde is running a profile on Sibeth Ndiaye, the 37-year-old Senegalese-French campaign guru of Emmanuel Macron, who has now been named as the president-elect's press secretary.
Ms Ndiaye is seen as one of the key figures who orchestrated the meteoric rise of Mr Macron's En Marche movement.
Le Monde says that she was ever-present during the Macron campaign and that along with his wife Brigitte Macron, was one of the most prominent women in his camp.
She's being hailed as the star of a new documentary that's just aired on French TV, which takes a behind-the-scenes look at Mr Macron's victory.
In the film, she jokes with Mr Macron, is seen advising and encouraging him, as well as organising his schedule.
With her "dreadlocks and blue Adidas trainers" Ms Ndiaye does not fulfill the stereotypical image of those working in French politics, the paper adds.
Describing herself in her Twitter bio as an "apprentice geek and committed socialist", Ms Ndiaye grew up in the Senegalese capital Dakar, the youngest of four sisters in a highly political family.
Both her parents were high-profile figures in Senegal, serving in senior positions under former President Abdoulaye Wade.