BBC News Africa

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An investigation by the BBC Disinformation Unit has found no evidence to support claims that the viral cycling video shared by the presidential candidate of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on 2 October had previously appeared on the internet.

Mr Tinubu uploaded the video to prove he was in good health, after rumours had been circulating that he had died or was poorly.

After Mr Tinubu shared the video, several people on the internet called its authenticity into question - suggesting it was an old video that had been shared in 2021 and earlier this year by representatives of Mr Tinubu.

The BBC Disinformation Unit put the video through INVid - a verification tool. It generated keyframes which were then analysed using Google’s reverse image search.

In-depth analysis of the reverse image search results showed that the video had not appeared on the internet before 2 October 2022.

Though there were versions of the images we investigated with older dates in the search results, further analysis showed those dates were from pages where the video or its keyframe appeared as an “include”.

Includes usually occur when, for instance, the keyframe or image that is being searched appear as “related content” in an older YouTube page or webpage.

Other Twitter users used Mr Tinubu’s clothes as evidence that the video is old.

However, while Mr Tinubu was wearing what could be the same clothes, his shoes were different.

This supports the idea that the two photos were taken on different days.

Read more about Mr Tinubu here.

Munir Zulu/ FacebookCopyright: Munir Zulu/ Facebook

A lawmaker in Zambia has been suspended from parliament for a month after saying MPs were adults “who shaved their pubic hair”.

Cutting pubic hair for adults is a custom in Zambia, as people with uncut public hair are considered unhygienic. However, talking about cutting the hair in public is considered inappropriate.

Munir Zulu was on Wednesday incensed after Jamba Machila from the governing United Party for National Development party referred to him as a “young man” during a parliamentary debate about the abolition of district commissioners.

"Everyone of us here shaves their pubic hair... we are elders."

The remarks drew sharp reactions from other lawmakers who called speaker Nellie Mutti to compel Mr Zulu to withdraw the statement.

The MPs said they felt insulted.

In the ensuing heckling, an MP was heard referring to Mr Zulu as a “rat".

Mr Zulu later told the BBC he saw no offence in using the phrase “pubic hair" because it was used in a metaphorical way to describe adults.

He says he has been given the chance to prove that he did no wrong "but before this matter could go to the privileges committee as per procedure, I have been suspended,” he said.

“This suspension is petty, vindictive and unprecedented," he continued.

“What kind of parliament are we having where I can be referred to as a rat and nothing is done yet I am asked [about] my pubic hair remarks?”

Mr Zulu, who is Muslim, is not new to controversy. He has previously been barred from parliament for wearing a thobe - an ankle-length garment that is often worn in the Middle East and North Africa.

Former Zambia Minister of Home Affairs Stephen Kampyongo and his wife have been arrested on allegations of corruption.

Mr Kampyongo and wife Wanziya are alleged to own property worth $1.8m (£1.6m) suspected to be proceeds of crime.

They both deny the charge.

Anti-corruption commission spokesperson Timothy Moono confirmed the two were arrested on Thursday and released on bond.

The property is located in the capital, Lusaka.

Mrs Kampyongo is further alleged to have money in her bank accounts exceeding her verified sources of income.

The couple is expected to appear in court soon.

They join other prominent Zambian politicians such as former Minister of Health Chitalu Chilufya, opposition leader Kelvin Bwalya Fube and journalist Margaret Musonda, who were all arrested this week on various corruption-related offences.

They all denied the charges and were released on police bond.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

British actress Michaela Coel has taken her American Vogue cover to the streets of Accra.

Coel, who has been cast in Marvel's blockbuster Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is Vogue's November cover star - and she chose to have the photoshoot in her ancestral home, Ghana, alongside her father, Derek Kwesi Coel, and grandmother Jemima Andam.

She was photographed by Senegalese-Italian model Malick Bodian.

"They asked me where I'd like to shoot it and I though to myself 'shoot for the stars aim for the moon', and I said 'Ghana', and they were like 'sure'."

Speaking to Vogue about a previous visit to Ghana in 2018, Coel said: “I’d been to Africa before - Kenya and Uganda - but when I came here, I was really seeing people who looked like me.”

“I remember looking at all the kids playing, and it hit me, like, Wow, this could’ve been me and I think I would have really enjoyed that,” she continued.

“Yes, there are a lot of sad things, poverty, unemployment, struggle. There’s also a lot of peace, friendliness. There’s a lack of anxiety.”

In her Vogue interview Coel also spoke about her upcoming role in Black Panther where her character falls in love with her warrior colleague, played by Florence Kasumba.

"That sold me on the role, the fact that my character’s queer,” Coel said. “I thought: I like that, I want to show that to Ghana.”

Coel was born and raised in East London after her parents emigrated from Ghana. She is most famous for writing, directing and starring in the comedy-drama series I May Destroy You.

A famous Kenyan socialite has announced that she has reversed her butt enhancement surgery, by posting a picture on Instagram with a visibly smaller figure.

Vera Sidika, who is well-known for previously having a large derriere, said she had experienced health complications from having the enhanced butt:

"I’m lucky to be alive," she posted on her Instagram account.

It has sparked discussion online, with some people making fun of it, and others saying that you should not try and artificially enhance your looks: "Vera Sidika will serve as a perfect example of what happens when you attempt to hijack the laws of natural justice."

Others have offered her their full support, according to Kenya's Mpasho news site: "I love brave women. Vera Sidika you deserve to live your truth," Mpasho quotes media personality Betty Kyallo as saying.

Ms Sidika had a warning for those who are thinking of getting cosmetic surgery: "For those who have been thinking of getting booty surgery or changing anything on their bodies this might change your mind."

Butt enhancement surgeries, commonly known as Brazilian Butt Lifts or BBLs have become an increasingly popular form of cosmetic surgery, but come with large health risks with some women even dying from it.

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Voting has begun in the small mountain kingdom of Lesotho – home to a little over two million people.

More than 50 political parties are vying for a chance to govern. In reality though it's a race between four major parties including the newly launched party Revolution for Prosperity (RFP).

This is the first election the leaders of the four parties are contesting in, so whoever wins, Lesotho will have an untested prime minister.

Some hope a new and untainted leader will help change the country’s political fortunes.

The election comes after politicians in the country landlocked by South Africa, failed to pass a bill calling for constitutional reforms earlier this year which were meant to help end years of political instability.

Lesotho’s politics have been marred by coup plots, infighting within parties and floor-crossing which has often lead to unstable coalition governments.

Another concern the reforms would have addressed is the country’s overly influential military, who have for years played the role of kingmakers.

They would have tried to reduce the army’s political sway.

Political wrangling aside, the people of Lesotho want a government that will address rampant unemployment, food insecurity for hundreds of thousands of people and help to rebuild the criminal justice system - which is seen as ineffective and compromised.

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The number of Burundian asylum seekers arriving in Belgium through Serbia have drastically increased, overwhelming reception centres, authorities say.

Hundreds of Burundians are reportedly sleeping on roads and public parks in Brussels as they wait to be processed.

Josephine Nkunzimana is one of Belgium's residents from Burundi who are offering basic needs for her compatriots “after an exhausting journey that takes them to cross more than five countries to arrive here”, she tells BBC Great Lakes.

Belgian authorities recorded 263 asylum seekers from Burundi in July, up from just 34 in May and 112 in June. This is eight times more than the previous three months, the Belgian newspaper La Libre Belgique reports.

The paper quotes Dirk Van den Bulck, the Belgian commissioner for refugees, as saying that Burundian nationals do not need a visa to enter Serbia and once there, “they enter European territory via Romania”.

In June, the Burundian parliament ratified agreements on different sectors with the Serbian government.

Burundi, a former Belgian colony, is the poorest country in the world according to the World Bank’s GDP per capita report.

Most travellers are young people seeking a better life abroad with Belgium giving them hope as 96% of the Burundian asylum cases were accepted last year.

“But it is hard this time as many can be denied, [because] refugees from Ukraine are prioritised,” Mrs Nkunzimana says.

Media in Burundi cite ONLCT, a local anti-illegal migrant organisation, urging the government to manage its deal with Serbia so “it doesn’t cause problems” for Europe.

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The cost of loans in Ghana is set to increase again for the average borrower, following an upward review of the rate at which banks can borrow money from the central bank, otherwise referred to as the policy rate.

The central bank has announced a hike in the policy rate by 250 basis points to 24.5%, from 22% in August, the highest increment since 2017.

This will further worsen the high cost of living in the country.

The move, according to the central bank, is to curb the rising inflation of nearly 40%.

Inflation in the country is likely to go up significantly in the coming months following recent adjustments in utility tariffs and local currency depreciation.

Multiple credit rating agencies have downgraded the economy to junk status, meaning the country is no longer credit-worthy.

Ghana is currently negotiating a $3bn (£2.7bn) IMF bailout programme to run for a period of three years.

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Burkina Faso's military has warned the public not to circulate rumours and false information amid claims that France was working with unnamed army generals to remove new junta leader Capt Ibrahim Traoré from power.

"We urge you to freely go on with your activities. We especially urge you to refrain from any rumours and misinformation and remain true to our values of hospitality, tolerance and communal living," a statement read on state-run RTB TV by a military officer said.

The ministry of communication also called the rumours "unfounded” and urged citizens to “remain calm and distance themselves from misinformation and trust official channels”.

The warning came after protests were held outside the state broadcaster in which demonstrators accused army generals of planning to remove Capt Traoré.

According to privately-owned Radio Omega, there were rumours that a general in the army could replace Capt Traoré as head of state.

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Lesotho is holding parliamentary elections, with little sign that these will end years of political gridlock.

Fifty parties are contesting the Friday poll in the kingdom, which is landlocked inside South Africa.

Divisions and defections within the governing ABC party have left it vulnerable to opposition rivals, particularly the Democratic Congress.

Last month Lesotho’s highest court overturned a state of emergency imposed in August after members of parliament failed to pass a raft of constitutional reforms.