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Live Reporting

Dickens Olewe and Farouk Chothia

All times stated are UK

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  1. Scroll down for Friday's stories

    We'll be back on Monday

    That's all from the BBC Africa Live page this week. 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 our African proverb of the day: 

    Quote Message: An ivory tooth is not a cure for the gap caused by a missing one. " from A Swahili proverb sent by Samuel Bond, Arusha, Tanzania
    A Swahili proverb sent by Samuel Bond, Arusha, Tanzania

    Click here to send in your African proverbs.  

    And we leave you with one of our top pictures of the week, of men blowing horns during the inauguration ceremony of Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo in the capital, Accra: 

    Men blowing horns during the official inauguration ceremony for Ghana's new president Nana Akufo-Addo
  2. Africanising emojis

    A Kenyan-based company has launched a brand of emoji stickers "for Africa". 

    Tech companies like Facebook have been diversifying their emoji collection but critics say the stickers are not rich in diversity.

    A description of Afro Stickers, available for download on the Apple app store, says that it offers "diverse facial features and a range of food and travel stickers."

    View more on facebook
  3. Zambia goat farmers see surge in demand

    Goat farming in Zambia is set to grow with huge demand coming from Saudi Arabia.

    The BBC's Kennedy Gondwe talks to farmers and local businesses about the impact of foreign export to the local market: 

    Video content

    Video caption: zambia goats
  4. Ghana's Schlupp joins Crystal Palace

    Stanley Kwenda

    BBC Africa

    Ghana's Jeffrey Schlupp

    Ghana's Jeffrey Schlupp has left English Premier League Champions, Leicester City, for Crystal Palace, his club has announced.

    The 24-year-old, who joined Leicester as an 11 year-old, was part of the history-making Foxes' side which won the premier league last year.

    Schlupp made 149 first team appearances since 2011, scoring 15 goals in the process but intense competition for positions at the club saw him struggling for game time in recent months. 

    He becomes Crystal Palace’s new manager Sam Allardyce’s first signing.

  5. Sudan welcomes easing of US sanctions

    Sudan has welcomed a US decision to lift some economic sanctions in force since 1997 as a "positive and important" development in relations between the two states, the AFP new agency reports.

    The decision to lift the sanctions was the "natural result of joint efforts and long and frank discussions", foreign ministry spokesman Ghariballah Khidir added in a statement, it reports. 

    Mr  Khidir said that President Omar al-Bashir's government was "determined to pursue its cooperation with the US until Sudan is removed from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism".   

    See earlier posts for more details

  6. First-time mother at 60: 'It's been wonderful'

    Nigerian Omolara Irurhe, 62, gave birth to her first child two years ago through IVF after 30 years of marriage. 

    She told BBC Focus on Africa's Veronique Edwards how life has changed for her:

    Video content

    Video caption: Omolara Irurhe gave birth to her first child two years ago through IVF
  7. Your comments: Somalia town imposing new rules for weddings

    Opinion is divided on the BBC Africa Facebook page about our story of a Somali town banning lavish weddings so that it becomes cheaper and easier for young people to marry.

    The district commissioner of Beled Hawa told the BBC that the new ordinance limits the number of goats to be slaughtered to three and bans reception parties.  

    Spending limits of $600 (£500) on furnishings for a couple's new home and up to $150 on a bride price have also been set. 

    Here are a sample of your comments: 

    Quote Message: Here in Zambia we are paying as much as $3,000 just for bride price, marriage has been turned into a poverty eradication plan by most families." from Chomba Mwaba
    Chomba Mwaba
    Quote Message: If the marriage is cheap enough, the rate of fornication, adultery & and illegal children will drop and decrease completely." from Baraha Barbaarta Caawiye
    Baraha Barbaarta Caawiye
    Quote Message: In Cameroon, the iPhone 7 is included in the bride price." from Ambe AY
    Ambe AY
    Quote Message: This is so good... in Ghana people are spending over $3,000 just for decoration and $4,000 for bride price.. Marriage in Ghana is too expensive." from Nana Kwame Atakorah
    Nana Kwame Atakorah
  8. South Africa's battle with the bottle

    South Africa knows it has a huge problem with drink-driving and is considering some tough measures to tackle it.

    Over the festive season, more than 1,700 people were killed in road accidents, a slight increase on last year, and close to 6,000 motorists were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.  

    The government is considering raising the legal age of drinking to 21 but will this fix the problem?

    Video content

    Video caption: Should South Africa raise the drinking age to 21?
  9. Mozambique's ban on timber exports

    Mozambique has banned raw timber exports in a bid to boost investment and jobs in its woodworking sector.

    Opinion is, however, divided. Some local businesses are worried about the short-term challenges while others welcome the ban: 

    Video content

    Video caption: Mozambique's ban on raw timber exports
  10. Buhari meets Jammeh

    Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has tweeted that he has held talks with The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh to end the crisis over his refusal to accept defeat in elections and to step down when his term ends next week:  

    View more on twitter

    Before the meeting, Mr Buhari said that "only God knows" if Mr Jammeh would step down, AFP news agency reports. 

    Mr Jammeh has been demanding a new election, run by a "God-fearing" election commision following hi shock defeat at the hands of opposition leader Adama Barrow in the 1 December poll.  

    Mr Jammeh first seized power in  a coup in 1994.

    Read: Six reasons why Jammeh lost

  11. Feud over who will succeed dead Rwanda king

    Relatives of Rwanda's late king-in-exile, Kigeli V, have rejected a move by his chief courtier to hand his crown to the monarch's nephew, Emmanuel Bushayija, who lives in the UK city of Manchester, Reuters news agency reports.

    It adds that a spokesman for the family, Pastor Ezra Mpyisi called him a pretender: 

    Quote Message: "We heard of surprising news that they have crowned a new king. This is a wrong ... He is the so-called king but he is not a real king. Only the Rwandans can choose a new king,"

    King Kigeli V died in October and was flown to Rwanda this week after a US court overruled his reported wishes not to be buried there. 

    He was deposed in 1961 after just two years on the throne, when Rwanda became a republic after getting independence from Belgium in 1962. 

    Few people outside his ancestral home of Nyanza province know much about the late monarch, the report says. 

    He had spent more than six decades in the US, living in relative obscurity and running a charity for refugees from Rwanda. 

    Listen to this audio about his life: 

    Video content

    Video caption: Why King Kigeli V has died in exile in America
  12. 'No immediate benefit' for Sudan

    This file photo taken on October 20, 2016 shows US President Barack Obama delivering remarks on the Affordable Care Act at Miami Dade College in Miami, Florida.
    Image caption: Mr Obama is due to step down next week after two terms in office

    Sudan will not benefit immediately from the US trade and investment sanctions that President Barack Obama has eased, the Associated Press news agency reports.

    This is because the outgoing president has built in a six-month waiting period before the benefits for Sudan go into effect. 

    Different US agencies would have to confirm to the Donald Trump-controlled White House by 12 July that Sudan was taking positive steps before the sanctions would be eased, AP reports. 

    New York-based camapaign  group Human Rights group condemned Mr Obama's move to ease sanctions as "inexplicable".

    Sudan's government was still committing war crimes and against humanity, it alleged.

    In a letter to Congress, Mr Obama said there had been a "marked reduction in offensive military activity, culminating in a pledge to maintain a cessation of hostilities in conflict areas in Sudan, and steps toward the improvement of humanitarian access throughout Sudan, as well as cooperation with the United States on addressing regional conflicts and the threat of terrorism".

  13. Ugandan king 'rearrested'

    Catherine Byaruhanga

    BBC Africa, Kampala

    Police in Uganda have rearrested the Rwenzururu King Charles Mumbere, hours after a court released him on bail, reports say. 

    It is unclear why the police have detained him again.    

    He was first arrested on 27 November on charges of treason and murder after clashes between royal guards and security forces left more than 60 people dead.

    (see earlier report)

  14. Magufuli warns newspapers

    Tanzania's president John Magufuli

    Tanzania's President John Magufuli has warned newspapers that their "days were numbered" after he accused some of them of inciting dissent, the Reuters news agency reports. 

    Speaking at a rally in the north-western town of Shinyanga, he said: 

    Quote Message: "We will not allow Tanzania to be a dumpyard for inciting content. This will not happen under my administration."

    He accused two newspapers, which he did not name, of seeking to cause trouble:

    Quote Message: "Whenever you read them, they are full of inciting content ... their days are numbered," he said.

    Government officials said he was probably referring to an English and Swhaili daily which have published some articles critical of government policies.

    Mr Magufuli signed a law in November which journalists said was aimed at muzzling the press.

    The Media Services Act gives officials powers to shut down media organisations that violate their licences by confiscating printing machines.

    In December, Tanzanian police arrested the co-founder of whistle-blowing site Jamii Forums after he refused to hand over details of people who post on the site to.  

    Read: Tanzania's 'Bulldozer' president

  15. AU won't recognise Jammeh if he fails to quit

    The African Union will stop recognising Yahya Jammeh as The Gambia's president from 19 January, when his term expires, its peace and security council has said. 

    It warned The Gambian strongmanof serious consequences if his actions caused the "loss of innocent lives'' and it uerged the security forces to exercise restraint.  

    Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari is in The Gambia in the latest attempt to persuade Mr Jammeh to hand power to property developer Adama Barrow, who defeated the strongman in elections on 1 December. 

    A BBC producer is tweeting from The Gambia's capital, Banju: 

    View more on twitter
  16. Deadly blast in 'crowded Nigerian market'

    Four suicide bombers have killed 15 people in a crowded market in Nigeria's north-eastern town of Madagali, a police spokesman is quoted by Reuters news agency is saying. 

    Militant Islamist group Boko Haram is active in the region, but police have not said whether it is responsible or the blasts. 

  17. US 'eases' Sudan sanctions

     President Barack Obama has signed an executive order easing but not eliminating sanctions against Sudan, the White House says, the Associated Press news agency is reporting. 

    Reuters news agency quotes the executive order as saying that the lifting of the sanctions will be delayed by 180 days in a move "intended to encourage the Government of Sudan to sustain its efforts" over the past six months on human rights and terrorism.

    Sudanese President and Commander in Chief Omar al-Bashir salutes during a ceremony to mark the 53rd anniversary of the creation of the Sudanese armed forces in the northern Sudanese city of Merowe, 14 August 2007
    Image caption: Critics accuse Sudan's President Omar al-Bshir of leading a repressive regime
  18. Headlines from outside Africa

    BBC World Service

    Turkish soldiers attend an army parade marking the 40th anniversary of the Turkish military invasion of Cyprus, on July 20, 2014 in Nicosia, in the northern Turkish-controlled area of the of the east Mediterranean island.

    * Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says that Turkish troops will not be withdrawn from northern Cyprus, as part of any deal to reunify the island. 

    * Renault has become the latest car manufacturer to be investigated over whether it has tried to cheat emissions tests. 

    * Iraqi armed forces have made more advances against the Islamic State group in the city of Mosul. 

    * Protest rallies have been held in southern India in support of a traditional annual bull-taming festival that's been banned by the Supreme Court.

  19. Kidnapped Libyan dad freed

    Rana Jawad

    BBC North Africa correspondent

    A 68-year-old father of eight who was kidnapped for ransom by a militia in Libya's capital, Tripoli, has been rescued by another militia. 

    Mustafa Sorreya was kidnapped from his shop in broad daylight in central Libya on Monday, and the case drew a lot of attention on social media because it was captured on a security camera outside his shop. 

    View more on twitter

    Mr Sorreya's son, Oussama, told me that his father was in good condition - he had been "verbally intimidated" but not assaulted.

    He added: 

    Quote Message: They wanted money, they asked for 100m Libyan dinars ($70m; £57m) in ransom. They contacted us everyday about 10 times to demand the money and they were nervous because they were under pressure and knew that other militias we asked for help to find him.
    Quote Message: They kept saying: 'We just want the money.' Everybody wants money. The country is cashless and this is what is fuelling these kidnappings.”
  20. Ugandan king gets bail

    Catherine Byaruhanga

    BBC Africa, Kampala

    King Charles Mumbere
    Image caption: The monarch is accused of separatism by the government

    A court in Uganda has given bail to King Charles Mumbere, who was arrested on 27 November on charges of treason and murder. 

    The court, in the eastern  town of Jinja, ruled that he cannot return to his Rwenzururu Kingdom in western Uganda, and cannot go abroad, pending the outcome of his trial.

    The king was arrested after clashes between royal guards and security forces left more than 60 people dead.

    The authorities accuse of him of trying to stage a rebellion to secede from Uganda. King Mumbere also has followers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

    The king denies any involvement in violence. 

    Read: Why a palace lies in ruins

    Ruins of King Charles Mumbere's palace
    Image caption: The king's palace was burnt down during the clashes