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Jonathan Paye-Layleh
�鶹Լ�� News, Monrovia

Image source, Getty Images

At least eight people, including a mother and her two-month-old baby, died after a canoe capsized in a river in Liberia's north-eastern Nimba county over the weekend.

Seven of the bodies were retrieved from the Yarr River and hastily buried near the river, local authorities told the �鶹Լ��.

Rescue workers on Monday said they were not hopeful of recovering the infant’s body.

The local district commissioner, Jefferson Saye Gondah, said the possibility of finding the baby's body was "slim".

The dead were among 18 persons returning from their farms in a dug-out canoe that capsized in the middle of the river. Ten people managed to swim to the shore.

The local town, Zahnboi, has remained tense, with grief-stricken people from nearby and distant towns coming in to help with search and rescue efforts and consoling the bereaved.

Paramount Chief Isaac Kolleh told the �鶹Լ�� that the situation was confused.

Liberia has had bad roads and poor infrastructure since the country’s bloody wars ended nearly 20 years ago. Corruption and bad governance have been blamed for the lack of resources for critical interventions.

Prime Ndikumagenge
�鶹Լ�� News, Nairobi

Image source, Getty Images

Rwanda’s president has said he’s had a "good discussion" with the UN secretary general about de-escalating the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Conflict has been raging in the region for months between the DR Congo’s army and the M23 rebels who seized two more towns over the weekend.

The situation has prompted the DR Congo government to expel Rwanda’s ambassador to Kinshasa, a decision Rwanda has noted “with regret”.

In a , President Paul Kagame wrote that the “ways and means to de-escalate and address the issues to a peaceful end are with us … We just have to commit ourselves to applying them”.

The African Union has expressed its “extreme concern" at the deteriorating security situation and.

Kinshasa has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, an accusation Kigali has always denied.

Different initiatives by the Angolan president and the East African Community - which both countries belong to - have been unable to stop the violence and resolve the decades-long conflict.

Image source, AFP

South Africa's tourism minister says President Cyril Ramaphosa should step aside in line with the ruling party’s rule about members linked to corruption scandals.

President Ramaphosa is embroiled in an corruption scandal dubbed "farmgate". It is about an alleged cover-up of a robbery that took place at his private farm, Phala Phala, back in February 2020.

The president denies any wrongdoing.

In an interview by the public broadcaster SABC, Lindiwe Sisulu said she intended to put the scandal on the agenda of the ANC conference in December.

She said there needed to be a discussion about President Ramaphosa's fate and the application of the step-aside rule.

The ANC is set to pick its presidential candidate for the 2024 election and Mr Ramaphosa is under increasing scrutiny.

More on the "farmgate" scandal:

Image source, Reuters

Congolese singer Fally Ipupa has sent his condolences to the families of 11 people who died on Saturday during his concert in the largest stadium in the capital, Kinshasa.

The stadium was packed beyond its 80,000 capacity - even the corridors were jammed, according to one witness.

Reports said the size of the crowd vastly exceeded the number that the security personnel could control.

Two police officers were among those killed.

The country's interior minister, Daniel Aselo Okito, has called for the organisers to be punished for failing to limit the number attending the concert.

In a Facebook message, Fally Ipupa said there was "strict compliance with safety" procedures at the concert.

He added: "I am deeply disturbed and my deepest condolences to all the families. May God in his deepest mercy comfort the bereaved hearts."

Image source, Getty Images

The African Union has called for an immediate cessation of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo where rebels have been advancing towards a provincial capital in the east of the country.

DR Congo has expelled the Rwandan ambassador, accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 rebels who are now threatening the city of Goma.

It follows the take-over by the rebels of a key transit town in the east of the country.

Rwanda has repeatedly denied the allegation that it supports the rebels.

The town of Kiwandja fell to rebel hands on Saturday, potentially cutting off the regional capital, Goma, from the north of mineral-rich North Kivu province.

The AU has urged all the parties to engage in a constructive dialogue and is calling them to peace talks in Kenya next month.

A UN peacekeeping force in the region has placed its troops on high alert.

Thomas Naadi
�鶹Լ�� News, Accra

Image source, Getty Images

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo says his country is experiencing its worst economic crisis.

The president said in a televised address to the nation on Sunday: "We are in crisis. I do not exaggerate when I say so. I cannot find an example in history when so many malevolent forces have come together at the same time."

The Ghana cedi has depreciated by over 50% this year and is listed as the world’s worst-performing currency against the US dollar.

Mr Akufo-Addo blamed speculation and illegal forex traders for the depreciation, adding that the central bank would clamp down on perpetrators.

Fuel prices have been rising in the country and inflation has risen to a record 37.2%.

Announcing a raft of measures to address the crisis, the president said the government would maintain a 30% cut in the salaries of the president, vice-president, ministers, and other government appointees.

Ghana is also negotiating a $3 billion IMF bailout programme.

The president assured investors in government treasury bills and other financial instruments that they would not lose their money because of the deal - amid concerns that a possible debt-restructuring agreement could affect the investors.

Our proverb of the day:

The �鶹Լ��'s Catherine Byaruhanga gains special access to Ethiopia's Oromo Liberation Army.

Musician Yahaya Sharif-Aminu broadcast a song about Prophet Muhammad in March.

�鶹Լ�� Arts Correspondent, Rebecca Jones, introduces the best new audio dramas from the New Creatives.

�鶹Լ�� Arts and Arts Council England have joined forces to give 500 emerging artists the chance to tell the stories they want to tell. New Creatives are aged between 16-30 - and their work is featuring on �鶹Լ�� TV, online and radio.

�鶹Լ�� Radio 4 Extra is the place to hear the very best dramas from these writers new to radio. And the writers themselves tell us what inspired them to explore the world of sound.

In this episode we first enter the slightly alarming world of Ivan Uncovers, written and starring Theo Watkins. After that, teenage pupil Samuel must come to grips with a new world of education in Ghana, in Dem Times written by Jacob Roberts- Mensah and Rhys Reed-Johnson.

Ivan Uncovers written by Theo Watkins. Ivan Gallows ... Theo Watkins; bin man/jingle announcer ... Tim Wells; Karen ... Sasha Bigwood; Razorthump ... Ben Young; Tom Barker ... Ed Drewitt; Steve Yabsley as...himself; voiceover recordist ... Noah Feasey-Kemp

A Calling the Shots production New Creatives which is supported by �鶹Լ�� Arts and Arts Council England.

Dem Times written by Jacob Roberts- Mensah and Rhys Reed-Johnson Samuel ... David Omor; Dad / Mr Anash ... Andy Sarfo; Mum/Mrs Ampofo ... Harriet Eshun; Belinda ... Wini Opoku; Tiwa ... Samuelle Durojaiye; Derrick ... Kobby Parker; Nll ... Julian Ossei-Gerning; Theme song written and performed by Joshua Kyeot

An ICA Production for New Creatives which is supported by �鶹Լ�� Arts and Arts Council England.

More information about the New Creatives can be found on the �鶹Լ�� Arts website.

New Creatives Dramas was presented by Rebecca Jones Producer: Peter McHugh for �鶹Լ�� Radio 4 Extra

How artificial intelligence could increase world inequality: Professor Ian Goldin finds that the kind of rapid development once enjoyed by regions like East Asia and based on manufacturing is unlikely ever to repeat itself, as developing countries bear the brunt of automation, and the economic benefits go mainly to more advanced nations. Speaking both to AI experts and consumers, he finds the cards stacked against the world's poor, who are less likely to have the high skills demanded by the emerging technology, and will find it ever harder to catch up. And, as developing countries' one big asset, a plentiful supply of cheap labour, risks turning into a liability, he asks what, if anything, can be done. Producer: Mike Gallagher

World War II drama. A low-ranking officer who resembles General Montgomery is recruited to play his double in an elaborate plan to trick the Nazis.