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  1. Kenya children to return to schools in January

    Kenya's Education Minister George Magoha has announced that all students will return to school on 4 January.

    Currently, only final year students are in school while in some places lessons have continued online for students in other years.

    The school calendar was disrupted by coronavirus.

    At the onset of the pandemic, the ministry of education scrapped the entire 2020 academic year but later announced that finalists would be allowed to resume face-to-face lessons.

  2. Sudan and Egypt begin joint air exercises

    Ibrahim Haithar

    BBC Monitoring

    Sudan and Egypt over the weekend started joint air exercises, dubbed The Nile Eagles 1, at the Merowe air base in northern Sudan.

    The joint drills will continue until 26 November.

    It's the first of its kind military exercise between the two North Africa neighbours since the era of former Sudanese President Jaafar al-Nimeri in the 1970s.

    "The joint air drills will carry out many activities, including planning and managing joint air combats, air offensive and defensive operations by the multi-role combat aircraft from the two countries. Also, airborne forces will conduct combat search and rescue exercises," a spokesman for the Egyptian army said in a statement.

    The army chiefs of Sudan and Egypt met in Sudan's capital,Khartoum, on 31 October and agreed to enhance joint military co-operation.

    The training comes days after talks between Sudan, Egypt and Ethiopia on the Grand Renaissance Dam failed.

    It also comes at a time when Ethiopia is engaged in a military conflict with its opposition-led Tigray region.

    Early in October, Ethiopia banned flights in its airspace over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) for security reasons.

    The controversial dam, which is expected to be the largest in Africa, has strained Ethiopia's relations with Egypt and, to some extent, also with Sudan.

  3. Ethiopia 'eliminates' gunmen linked to deadly bus attack

    Kalkidan Yibeltal

    BBC News, Addis Ababa

    A map of Ethiopia

    The authorities in Ethiopia’s western state of Benishangul-Gumuz say they have "eliminated" a group of gunmen linked to an attack on a passenger bus.

    At least 34 civilians were killed in the Saturday evening bus attack that was carried out by unidentified gunmen in Dibate district.

    Police in the state said the 16 attackers were "messengers" of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) - the main political organisation in the country's Tigray region.

    But they didn't present any evidence linking the bus attackers to TPLF.

    Ethiopia’s federal army is engaged in a military offensive against forces loyal to the TPLF in the northern Tigray state. The government accuses the TPLF of working to destabilise the country, but the TPLF denies the accusations.

    The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission has said the death toll from the bus attack could rise.

    “The unrelenting pace of attacks on civilians in Benishangul-Gumuz calls for higher vigilance and a more co-ordinated action between regional and federal security force,” the commission’s head Daniel Bekele said on Sunday.

  4. How Ethiopia's neighbours might play a part in Tigray conflict

    Video content

    Video caption: There's an increasingly complex regional dimension to the fighting in the province.

    There's an increasingly complex regional dimension to the fighting in the province.

  5. Ugandan pop star politician's supporters teargassed

    Police in Uganda on Sunday teargassed supporters of presidential candidate and musician Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, and denied him entry into one of his campaign venues.

    Bobi Wine's supporters who had gathered at Kumi town, east of the country, were dispersed.

    His convoy was later denied entry into Sironko area and had to turn back to Mbale town where more teargas canisters were hurled at his supporters.

    Bobi Wine tweeted photos of the clash between police and his supporters:

    View more on twitter

    Ugandans will vote in a general election on 14 January to elect a president and members of parliament. Incumbent President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power for over three decades, is seeking re-election.

    Health ministry guidelines discourage the politicians from drawing crowds, and to only address a maximum of 70 people.

  6. Eswatini prime minister tests positive for Covid-19

    ESwatini Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini
    Image caption: Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini says he is asymptomatic

    Eswatini Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini has tested positive for Covid-19.

    The prime minister on Sunday said he was self-isolating at home adding that he was asymptomatic and was feeling well.

    All the prime minister's close contacts have been tested and are isolating.

    The country on Sunday tested 384 samples out of which two were found to be positive, according to a statement from the health ministry.

    The total number of coronavirus cases stands at 6,095 including 119 deaths.

  7. SA starts extradition procedure for 'fugitive' Malawian preacher

    Nomsa Maseko

    BBC Southern Africa correspondent

    Shepherd Bushiri and his wife Mary appears at Pretoria Magistrate's Court on November 04, 2020 in Pretoria, South Africa.
    Image caption: Shepherd Bushiri (L) had previously said he wanted to clear his name

    The South African government says it has contacted Malawi to hand over controversial preacher, Shepherd Bushiri, and his wife, Mary, after the couple skipped bail.

    They are facing fraud and money laundering charges in South Africa.

    Mr Bushiri, the leader of the Enlightenment Christian Gathering Church, also known to his followers as Major 1, announced on Saturday that he had fled South Africa after receiving death threats.

    He refused to reveal to the BBC how they had got out, but it is thought that they were smuggled across the border by a syndicate that deals with stolen cars.

    His escape sparked a diplomatic row between South Africa and Malawi.

    The South African government has labelled the couple as fugitives who must be extradited to face justice.

    Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera, who was on a state visit to South Africa last week, was accused of aiding Mr Bushiri’s escape - an allegation he has repeatedly denied.

    The South African authorities have also confirmed that the Malawian millionaire preacher did not leave on President Chakwera's flight.

  8. Kenya doctors plan strike after '10 die from Covid-19'

    Rhoda Odhiambo

    BBC Africa Health, Nairobi

    Kenya's doctors' union has issued a 21-day strike notice to the government after it said that 10 of its members have died from coronavirus.

    Four doctors died last week alone, although it is unclear if they had contact with coronavirus patients.

    The doctors accuse the government of exposing them to Covid-19.

    The union's acting secretary general, Mwachonda Chibanzi, said that they would not call off the planned strike until all their demands were met.

    They want the government to provide standard and adequate protective gear to all healthcare workers in all health facilities, including those working in privately owned hospitals.

    They also want the government to provide all healthcare workers with a comprehensive medical cover.

    “We will be available for any engagement within those three weeks, failure to which we will have no choice but to rally our members for our nationwide strike,” Mr Mwachonda said.

    Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe said that a meeting would be held on Monday to discuss the rise of Covid-19 infections in the country and among healthcare workers.

    Kenya has so far confirmed more than 70,200 coronavirus cases and 1,269 deaths.

  9. Libya talks paused with no naming of new government

    UN's interim Libya envoy, Stephanie Williams

    Libya's political peace talks ended on Sunday without the naming of a new transitional government and interim Presidency Council.

    The UN's Libya envoy, Stephanie Williams, said no names were discussed during the week-long meeting.

    "We have agreed to reconvene in about a week in a virtual meeting (to) agree on the selection mechanism for the coming authority," she said.

    During the talks involving delegates from rival sides, a “preliminary agreement to a roadmap” for elections was reached.

    The talks are being held in neighbouring Tunisia.

    The political peace talks started on Monday following last month’s ceasefire agreement signed between the warring sides in Geneva.

    Read:

  10. Monday's wise words

    Our African proverb of the day:

    Quote Message: The eye doesn’t have a door." from A Dinka proverb sent by Moses Awar in Aweil, South Sudan.
    A Dinka proverb sent by Moses Awar in Aweil, South Sudan.
    A drawing of an eye

    Click here to send us your African proverbs.

  11. Video content

    Video caption: Nollywood producer Mo Abudu: ‘Our lives matter, our stories matter’

    EbonyLife media CEO Mo Abudu explains why African filmmakers need to be the ones to tell African stories.

  12. Video content

    Video caption: Egypt: More than 100 intact sarcophagi unearthed near Cairo

    Archaeologists opened one coffin to reveal a mummy, dating back over 2,500 years.

  13. Scroll down for Friday's stories

    We’ll be back on Monday

    That's all from BBC Africa Live for now, we'll be back on Monday at 0430 GMT.

    Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast or check the BBC News website.

    A reminder of today's wise words:

    Quote Message: A man who believes that he can do everything, let him dig a grave and bury himself" from An Igbo proverb sent by Emeka Obia, Lagos, Nigeria.
    An Igbo proverb sent by Emeka Obia, Lagos, Nigeria.

    Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs.

    And we leave you with this picture from Johannesburg. It's one of our favourite pictures from the week.

    A man with a bike on a street with Jacaranda trees in bloom