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Two transgender women in Cameroon who were sentenced to five years in jail and fined for "attempted homosexuality" have now been provisionally released.

Trans celebrity Shakiro and her friend Patricia were two months into their sentences at a prison in Douala, which they had appealed.

The pair's lawyer Alice Nkom say they will now be able to appear free for the next hearings in a court of appeal.

Cameroon is among 31 African countries that criminalises gay sex.

According to Human Rights Watch, security forces in Cameroon have arrested, threatened, or assaulted at least 24 people since February as part of a crackdown on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

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Some social media users have been sharing misleading videos and pictures depicting the violence in South Africa in recent days, clearly not connected to the current unrest.

One such video which has been widely shared falsely claims protesters had pulled down a fence at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve in the KwaZulu-Natal province letting the animals out.

It warns people to "watch out for lions".

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, the government agency that manages the game reserve, says the video was taken in mid-May during an unrelated protest.

"So far we have not experienced any damage to our property," they say.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South Africans to "refrain from posting and circulating inflammatory messages on social media, and from spreading rumours or false reports that may create further panic".

AFPCopyright: AFP

East African neighbours Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo have announced a joint plan to combat armed groups and foster economic growth.

The presidents of both nations signed a series of agreements in Kinshasa on security and also infrastructure - with plans for a railway to connect the nation's major cities and boost trade.

No cost and deadline were made public today for the projects - but a joint commission of experts who will oversee its progress was announced.

Tuesday's visit to Kinshasa was the first made by Burundi's President Évariste Ndayishimiye since he took power a year ago, following the sudden death of his predecessor Pierre Nkurunziza.

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South Sudan's health officials say more than 50,000 people have had their first Covid-19 jab, and that vaccines have been sent to all of the country's regional states.

But there is still a long way to go - given the country's total population stands at 11 million people and its chronic insecurity and infrastructure challenges.

In March, South Sudan received its first consignment of 132,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines from the Covax facility.

Due to slow rollout and the possibility of the vaccines getting expired before they were used, 72,000 doses were donated to neighbouring Kenya.

South Sudan has so far used 90% of the remaining 60,000 doses, according to its official data.

Angelo Goup, the medical doctor leading national emergency response and preparedness, told reporters on Tuesday that the second consignment of the vaccine from the Covax facility is expected soon, but he did not specify the date.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has issued a pardon for dozens of youths who had been jailed for cheating in the national Baccalaureate exams for school leavers.

His decision comes a week before the Muslim festival Eid al-Adha.

More than 60 people had been prosecuted in various parts of the country and imprisoned.

The pardoned youth will be released in time to celebrate Eid with their families.

The head of the UN refugee agency says he has received "credible and corroborated reports of reprisal attacks, abductions, arrests and violence meted out against Eritrean refugees for their perceived affiliation with one side or the other throughout this bloody conflict".

Filippo Grandi expressed his concern about widespread attacks against refugees committed by numerous armed players in the Mai Aini and Adi Harush refugee camps, primarily at night.

Hundreds of Eritreans have been arrested in Shire in the last week and he demanded clarification from the authorities in Mekelle, as well as the immediate release of the refugees and asylum seekers.

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Mr Grandi urged the federal government and the Tigray Regional Government to initiate formal investigations into all credible allegations.

Ethiopian forces have been battling the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the region since November.

Despite calls for ceasefire in region, Tigrayan rebel forces launched a new offensive in the northern region of Ethiopia and seized major towns including Korem and Alamata.

Clashes have also erupted near the refugee camp, which is home to thousands of refugees, according to the AFP news agency.

Mr Grandi has called for an end to the violence and intimidation directed at Eritrean refugees, as well as the use and manipulation of refugees for political benefit.

The UN refugee chief has urged for the opening of the Shire and Mekelle airport and all land connections into Tigray, to aid Eritrean refugees and other displaced people in Tigray.

Close to 100,000 Eritrean refugees have been living in camps in the Tigray region. They fled political persecution and compulsory military service, long before the current conflict.

Thousands of them fled to Addis Ababa and other regions of Ethiopia as a result of the fighting in Tigray, and thousands more are still missing.

Lelise Neme/TwitterCopyright: Lelise Neme/Twitter

A special adviser to the Ethiopian premier has failed in his bid to lead the UN's Industrial Development Organisation (Unido).

Arkebe Okubay, who is a former senior member of the ruling party of the troubled Tigray region, lost out to German Development Minister Gerd Müller.

Mr Okubay had been the only African in the running - against the candidates from Germany and Bolivia - and had won the endorsement of the African Union (AU), Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and a number of former African heads of state.

He has remained loyal to Mr Abiy, who has lost some allies following the conflict that has erupted in November in the northern province of Tigray,

Mr Müller will replace the current head Li Yong of China, who has lead Unido since 2013.

The UN body works to reduce poverty through industrial development.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Algeria is set to start producing coronavirus jabs from September, a cabinet minister has announced on state radio.

"In addition to the Russian vaccine Sputnik, we will be producing the Chinese Sinovac as well," Lotfi Benbahmed told National Radio Algeria.

Chinese technicians would arrive in Algeria by the end of this month to "prepare the arrival of raw materials" and "the production of the vaccines would start in September", he said.

The state-owned pharmaceutical company Saidal will be producing 2.5 million doses of both vaccines a month, according to the minister.

These locally made vaccines would be 45% cheaper than imports and 90% cheaper once the raw materials were produced in Algeria, Mr Benbahmed said. Per dose it was a saving of at least $5 (£3.60), he added.

Sinovac has also agreed to supply Algeria - which has a population of 45 million - with 15 million imported doses of its vaccines by the end of the year.

More on this topic:

• What is happening with Africa's vaccine supplies?
• How South Africa hopes to bridge the divide

Islamic police in Kano in northern Nigeria have arrested five men accused of breaking laws on homosexuality.

Same-sex relationships are illegal across Nigeria under secular laws, and also prohibited under Sharia in about a dozen northern Nigerian states including Kano.

The Islamic Police Board in Kano said they had raided a "hideout" in the Kumbotso area after receiving "complaints" about the young men.

If found guilty, they could be jailed for 14 years - under secular law - or face the death penalty - under Sharia.

Arrests and prosecutions of the LGBTQ community in Nigeria have increased, since new legislation was introduced in 2014. Convictions are rare.

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The ship that was the focus of worldwide attention when it blocked the Suez Canal has finally left Egyptian waters.

The vessel - called Ever Given - was detained in the area during protracted negotiations in which the canal authorities were demanding compensation.

These were concluded last Wednesday, after an undisclosed sum was agreed.

The Ever Given has now resumed her journey, more than 100 days after she became wedged in the busy canal - blocking it for nearly a week and disrupting global trade.

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Traders in Uganda's capital, Kampala, have been denied access to their businesses as security forces continue to implement tough health measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

On 18 June President Yoweri Museveni ordered a 42-day lockdown that restricted movement and closed businesses.

Many people criticised the move, saying that it would deny millions of people their right to earn a living.

Local newspaper Daily Monitor reports that several traders tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the security forces manning Park View Shopping Centre to allow them in.

"Please, let me access my boutique. I want to pick some clothes and sell them from elsewhere. My children are starving at home because I am not working. Let me in," the paper quoted a woman as saying.

President Museveni said imposing tough measures was necessary to deal with a surge of infections sparked by the Delta virus which has led to an increase in hospitalisation and death.

The East African country has reported more than 40,000 cases and 334 deaths.

A well-known TV personality in the US has come under fire for mocking the names of Nigeria's basketball players, following the African side's historic win over the US in a friendly at the weekend.

Stephen A Smith said the US's "bona fide stars" had "no excuse to lose to Nigeria... some dude named Gabe Nnamdi who goes by Gabe Vincent, Caleb Ogada, uh... Namu- or however the hell you pronounce his name":

Smith later tweeted suggesting he had been misunderstood, adding that he would apologise if he had unintentionally caused offence "because it’s the right thing to do. Period! I’m BLACK. I would know!"

Many fans online were unconvinced.

"Being Black doesn't mean you can't be xenophobic though. Your intent is irrelevant. Your words carry weight and sent the absolute wrong message," replied Twitter user Erika K Wilson.

"For someone that preaches equality, you sure know how to divide," said Dom Tyrone.

Meanwhile another US commentator reacting to the match, Kelvin Clancy, angered many by questioning whether Nigerians even have food.

He was swiftly cut down by Nigerian personality Frank Edoho, who said "I guess we were hungry for it":