1. Namibian cricket chief 'overjoyed' after T20 historypublished at 16:11 BST 25 May 2022

    Namibia's historic T20 international series win over Zimbabwe is a continuation of the side's "incredible journey", says Cricket Namibia president Rudie van Vuuren.

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  2. Chad workers strike over opposition leaders' detentionpublished at 16:05 BST 25 May 2022

    Guy Bandolo
    BBC News

    Chadian protesters demand an end to military ruleImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Wakit Tama demonstrations began after last year's military coup

    Workers in Chad have begun an indefinite strike to demand the release of six opposition leaders arrested during an anti-French march earlier this month.

    It will affect both public and private sectors, with minimal services being offered in hospitals, a federation of the country’s trades unions says.

    Those arrested come from Wakit Tama, which in Arabic means “Time's Up”, a coalition of civil society groups and opposition parties formed in the wake of the coup that took place following the death of President Idris Déby last year.

    The coalition has been calling for a boycott of products from France, because of the former colonial power’s support for the junta led by Déby’s son

    The Wakit Tama leaders were detained for allegedly destroying property and disturbing public order during the demonstration on 14 May.

    Union officials says the six, who are due to go on trial next month, are now on hunger strike.

    Labour Minister Brah Mahamat told the BBC striking civil servants “would face consequences”.

  3. Thousands gather to mourn Malawi music icon Martsepublished at 15:30 BST 25 May 2022

    Peter Jegwa
    Lilongwe, Malawi

    The late artist MartseImage source, Martin Nkhata
    Image caption,

    The 28-year-old had won multiple awards

    Thousands of Malawians have gathered at a national stadium in the capital, Lilongwe, to pay their last respect to music icon Martin Nkhata, aka Martse, who died after he sustained multiple burns from a fire that gutted a house he was living in while on holiday.

    Martse, who has won multiple awards on the local music scene and was very popular among young people, had travelled from his house in the southern city of Blantyre to the eastern lake district of Mangochi.

    Several people who were in the house escaped unhurt from the blaze, but Martse suffered serious burns and was rushed to the main referral hospital in Blantyre, where he died on Monday.

    Youth Minister Richard Chimwendo Banda said there would be a police inquiry into the fire and the death of the 28-year-old artist.

    Vice-President Saulos Chilima’s wife, Mary, several cabinet ministers, members of the clergy, music stars, local celebrities and members of the public are among those attending the funeral service.

    The music star held a degree in nutrition from the University of Malawi and was also a philanthropist who started a “bring a desk to school project”, which aimed to help improve access to education for underprivileged young Malawians.

  4. Gambia ready to prosecute ex-President Jammehpublished at 14:57 BST 25 May 2022
    Breaking

    Former President Yahya Jammeh (archive image from 2013)Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Yahya Jammeh, 57, lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea

    The Gambian government says it is ready to prosecute former President Yahya Jammeh for what it called "the myriad of crimes" he committed during his rule.

    It was responding to a report by the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which investigated abuses that took place during his 22 years in power.

    The former leader has been accused of corruption and serious human rights violations, including killings, disappearances and imprisonments, targeting opponents, journalists and gay men.

    Mr Jammeh came to power in a military coup in 1994, and ruled until 2017 when he went into exile after a shock electoral defeat.

    The 57-year-old now lives in Equatorial Guinea, which, according to the AFP news agency, has no extradition treaty with The Gambia.

  5. Nigerian lawyer wins prestigious environmental prizepublished at 14:44 BST 25 May 2022

    Nigerian lawyer Chima WilliamsImage source, Goldman Environment Foundation
    Image caption,

    Chima Williams took an oil giant over pollution and won

    Nigerian lawyer Chima Williams is one of the winners of this year's prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize.

    The seven recipients of the 2022 award come from across the world and are being honoured for taking "extraordinary measures to protect our planet".

    After two oil spills in Nigeria's southern Niger Delta region in 2004 and 2005, Mr Williams worked with two local communities to hold Royal Dutch Shell accountable for the widespread environmental damage caused by its Nigerian subsidiary.

    The Goldman Environmental Foundation says, external he knew how difficult it would be to hold oil companies accountable in the Nigerian court system, so in 2008 he helped the victims seek justice in The Hague by partnering with Friends of the Earth Netherlands to bring a case.

    The farmers and fishermen wanted payment for lost income due to contaminated land and waterways and demanded that pipeline maintenance be improved.

    It has been a long court battle, but in January this year a court of appeal ruled that Royal Dutch Shell ultimately had oversight and control over its subsidiary's operations to the point that it had a duty to prevent oil spills.

    The ruling means that Goi and Oruma farmers are owed compensation for the oil spills, with amounts yet to be determined, the Goldman Environmental Foundation says.

    “While the many challenges before us can feel daunting, and at times make us lose faith, these seven leaders give us a reason for hope and remind us what can be accomplished in the face of adversity,” said Jennifer Goldman Wallis, the foundation's vice-president.

  6. Brighton's Lamptey considering switching to Ghanapublished at 14:14 BST 25 May 2022

    Tariq Lamptey asks to be left out of England's Under-21 squad for upcoming European Championship qualifiers as he is considering representing Ghana.

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  7. Anguish as bodies found in trapped miners searchpublished at 13:46 BST 25 May 2022

    Another four miners remain missing more than a month after a Burkina Faso zinc mine was flooded.

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  8. Senegal rule out June friendlies over fatigue concernspublished at 13:44 BST 25 May 2022

    Senegal decide not to schedule any warm-up friendlies for their 2022 World Cup-bound squad in June to allow players benefit from 'a suitable rest period'.

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  9. Boat carrying 100 migrants sinks off Tunisia coastpublished at 13:26 BST 25 May 2022

    BBC Monitoring
    The world through its media

    A picture taken on June 5, 2018, shows palm trees on the beach in Tunisia's Kerkennah Islands off Sfax in the Mediterranean sea.Image source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Tunisia is one of North Africa's main transit points for migrants

    Seventy-six people have been reported missing after a boat carrying around 100 people sank near the south-eastern city of Sfax in Tunisia.

    The UN's migration agency IOM in Tunisia tweeted that one body had been recovered so far, and 30 others were rescued by the Tunisian coastguard., external

    According to the privately-owned Tunisian Kapitalis news site, the overcrowded boat set sail from the Libyan shores of Zuwara, close to the Tunisian-Libyan border.

    The news comes just days after two other boats sank off the coast of Sfax province.

    In one of the incidents, eight Tunisians from the central coastal city of Monastir went missing, according to the state-run Shems FM radio station.

    At least four other migrants died and 10 were reported missing in the other incident, following the sinking of a boat carrying 58 migrants.

    Tunisia is one of North Africa's main transit points for migrants attempting to make the crossing to Europe.

    Most come from sub-Saharan African countries.

  10. Gambians await justice plan for Jammeh victimspublished at 12:44 BST 25 May 2022

    Thomas Naadi
    BBC News, Accra

    Eyewitness give evidence to the Gambia's Truth and Reconciliation commissionImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    Nearly 400 eyewitnesses gave harrowing details about human rights abuses under Jammeh's rule

    The Gambia’s attorney general and the justice minister will on Wednesday unveil plans on how the country will implement recommendations of a commission of inquiry that investigated human rights abuses under former President Yahya Jammeh.

    The commission’s report held the former Gambian leader responsible for almost all the alleged rights violations and recommended that he be prosecuted.

    The release of the government white paper will be a significant step towards ensuring justice for victims of rights abuses during the 22-year rule under Mr Jammeh.

    At the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission hearings, nearly 400 witnesses gave chilling accounts of alleged state-sponsored torture, rape and forced disappearances.

    The commission submitted its report to the government in November after more than two years of work.

    It found that Mr Jammeh and his hit squad known as the Junglers allegedly killed over 240 Gambians and other nationals including nearly 60 West African migrants in 2005.

    Victims and their families are keen to see Mr Jammeh brought to justice.

    He has been in exile in Equatorial Guinea since the current President Adama Barrow defeated him in the 2016 elections.

  11. 'I used to buy oil in bulk, now I can't even buy one'published at 12:02 BST 25 May 2022

    Caterer Mark shows us how his shopping habits have changed as food prices in Ghana almost double.

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  12. New date set for return of Patrice Lumumba's toothpublished at 11:58 BST 25 May 2022

    Samba Cyuzuzo
    BBC Great Lakes

    Patrice LumumbaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Patrice Lumumba was killed in January 1961

    A new date has been set for the return of a tooth that was all that remained from the Congolese independence hero Patrice Lumumba.

    DR Congo officials will receive what is believed to be Mr Lumumba's only remains - a tooth - from Belgium on 20 June in Brussels, according to the authorities.

    An initial plan to hand over the tooth in June last year was pushed following a wave of Covid-19 infections in the central Africa country.

    Mr Lumumba’s children will be among the Congolese delegation to receive the tooth, the Belgian Prime minister said in a statement.

    Mr Lumumba led Congo to independence from Belgium in June 1960 and became the country's first prime minister.

    However, he was overthrown and jailed before being killed by a firing squad in January 1961.

    In 2002, Belgium admitted responsibility for its part in the killing.

    A court in Brussels in 2020 ordered Belgian authorities to hand back the tooth to DR Congo, after it has been kept by a former colonial police officer.

    In his statement, Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo said the return of the tooth “will be seen as a new corner in the history” of relations between the two countries.

    The tooth is expected to be displayed in public on 30 June during its independence day celebrations in the capital, Kinshasa.

    Belgium's King Filip and Queen Mathilde are scheduled to visit the country in early June.

  13. Addo and Hughton to remain with Ghanapublished at 11:30 BST 25 May 2022

    Ghana agree a deal for Otto Addo to remain as head coach of the Black Stars, while Chris Hughton continues as technical advisor.

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  14. Christian group in DR Congo marks Christmas Daypublished at 10:47 BST 25 May 2022

    Church of Jesus Christ on EarthImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The church biggest following is in southern DR Congo (file photo)

    A Christian group mainly based in the Democratic Republic of Congo is on Wednesday marking Christmas Day to commemorate the birth of Jesus.

    The Church of Jesus Christ on Earth by His Special Envoy Simon Kimbangu has about 20 million followers in the country, but also enjoys a following in neighbouring Angola.

    It's also called Kimbanguist Church after its founder Simon Kimbangu.

    The church was last year suspended, external from the World Council of Churches for theological reasons.

    Since 2016, the church has been celebrating Christmas Day on 25 May according to its understanding of the bible.

    Church of Jesus Christ on EarthImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    The church also has a following in Angola (file photo)

    Mr Kimbangu was sentenced to death in 1921 for sedition and died after serving about 30 years in jail.

    He died in Kasombo prison in the southern city of Lubumbashi, then known as Élisabethville.

    He was reported to have fallen ill while in prison and was rushed to hospital where he died.

  15. Ukraine a victim of West 'war' on Russia - Eritreapublished at 10:13 BST 25 May 2022

    BBC Monitoring
    The world through its media

    children's cuddly toy sits on top of a destroyed Russian main battle tank, next to war damaged homes, on May 24, 2022 in Hostomel, Ukraine.Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Eritrea says Ukraine is a victim of West's "forces of hegemony"

    Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says developments in Ukraine are a continuation of a long-term Western strategy to contain Russia, and that Ukraine and its people are "victims".

    He made the remarks while addressing the nation on Eritrea's 31st Independence Day from the main stadium in the capital, Asmara, on Tuesday.

    He alleged that "forces of hegemony" had after the collapse of the Soviet Union decided to "rule the world through anchor states" against Russia.

    He accused the West of a strategy to use Eastern European countries bordering Russia as a wedge, which had created a dangerous situation.

    "What we are witnessing in Ukraine now is not something spontaneous but a continuation of the strategy. Ukraine and its people are victims and a pretext," Mr Afewerki added.

    Eritrea was the only African country that opposed a UN resolution in March that condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

    It joined Russia, Belarus, North Korea and Syria in voting against the resolution.

  16. Egypt midfielder Elneny signs new Arsenal contractpublished at 09:46 BST 25 May 2022

    Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny, who joined from Basel in 2016, signs a new contract with Arsenal.

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  17. Zambia 'makes big decision' to abolish death penaltypublished at 09:37 BST 25 May 2022

    Kennedy Gondwe
    BBC News, Lusaka

    Zambia is making moves to abolish the death penalty, President Hakainde Hichilema has announced.

    He termed it a "big decision" by the government.

    “We will work with parliament to run this process as we transition away from the death penalty and focus on the preservation, rehabilitation of life while still delivering justice for all,” he said on the eve of Wednesday’s Africa Freedom Day.

    “This is important. We believe in it. Africa Freedom Day is a symbol of our collective commitment to secure a better future for all.”

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    Though Zambia has had the death penalty law, no executions have taken place since the late 90s.

  18. Tanzania leader: I’ve outperformed male presidentspublished at 09:04 BST 25 May 2022

    Alfred Lasteck
    BBC News, Dar es Salaam

    Tanzania President Samia Hassan (L) and her predecessor John MagufuliImage source, AFP
    Image caption,

    President Samia Hassan (L) was sworn in after the death of John Magufuli (R)

    Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu says she has in some circumstances handled the country’s top office better than other male presidents before her.

    The Tanzanian president said she faced challenges of mistrust during her first days in office because she is a woman – which she had to overcome.

    Ms Samia was speaking at a forum in the Ghanaian capital Accra – her first official trip to West Africa since she was sworn in as president following the death of her predecessor John Magufuli in March 2021.

    “It was very difficult to make people of Tanzania trust me. That I can run the country in the same way men do - that was the major challenge,” she said during a session organised as part of the annual African Development Bank (AfDB) meeting.

    “In the course of one year I have shown women’s power, I led the country the same way men did and in some circumstances better than they did,” she added.

    Ms Samia is Africa's only current female national leader - the Ethiopian presidency is a largely ceremonial role.

    The Tanzanian leader told the AfDB forum that the country's economic growth had dropped from 6.4% to 4% amid the Covid pandemic – but under her leadership it rose to 5.2% and was forecast to reach 6.7% by 2025.

    The forum in Accra was also attended by Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi and Comoros' President Azali Assoumani.

    Ms Samia will on Wednesday be awarded a trophy after being named the 2022 winner of the Africa Road Builders–Babacar Ndiaye Trophy last month.

    Read more on Samia Suluhu:

  19. Mining giant Glencore pleads guilty to Africa briberypublished at 08:17 BST 25 May 2022

    Kolwezi copper mine in DR CongoImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Glencore part-owns the Kolwezi copper mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo

    A subsidiary of the mining and commodities trading giant Glencore has pleaded guilty to seven counts of bribery in a London court.

    The firm also said it will pay more than $1bn (£800m) to resolve similar claims with the US and Brazil.

    The UK's Serious Fraud Office said it had exposed "profit-driven bribery and corruption" across Glencore Energy UK's oil operations in five African nations.

    The firm will find how much it must pay in fines at a sentencing in June.

    Glencore's chairman said "unacceptable practices" had taken place in relation to the bribery charges it pleaded guilty to at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

    The company's agents and employees paid bribes worth over $25m for preferential access to oil, with approval by the company between 2011 and 2016, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said.

    The bribes were paid in Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and South Sudan, it added.

    Read more here.

  20. Will Cameroon-born NBA star Embiid play for France?published at 08:00 BST 25 May 2022

    Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid could turn his back on Cameroon, the land of his birth, to play internationally for France.

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