BBC News World

UN/OCHA/TwitterCopyright: UN/OCHA/Twitter

The UN migration agency says it is “deeply shocked and saddened” by the discovery of dozens of bodies, including those of children, in the Chadian desert.

The 27 migrants had reportedly left Moussoro, a crossroads town in central Chad about 17 months ago in a pick-up truck, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a statement.

It said the migrants, who included four children, died of thirst - with their trucks believed to have got lost in the deep desert.

IOM Chad Chief of Mission Anne Kathrin Schaefer has sent her condolences to the families and called for stronger collective action to prevent further deaths.

The migration agency says it has documented the deaths and disappearances of more than 5,600 people transiting through the Sahara Desert since 2014, with 149 deaths recorded so far this year.

It says the numbers are likely higher as many migrant deaths go unrecorded.

Kenyan President William Ruto’s second-born daughter, Charlene, has defended her remarks on the existence of an office of the first daughter.

Kenyan law does not recognise the office of first daughter.

In a statement, Ms Ruto says the office is not a government department but is a "private entity".

"It is neither a constitutional office nor being funded by Kenyan taxpayers. The office runs to purely facilitate the activities of and any programs being run by Charlene Ruto," the statement said.

It follows criticism over what some saw as a misuse of taxpayers’ money.

Ms Ruto has been regularly meeting leaders across the country and attending international forums meeting foreign dignitaries since her father became president.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Morocco's World Cup semi-final clash against France on Wednesday has dominated local newspapers and television stations

The front page of the leading Assahra al-Maghreb newspaper reads: “Lions, we are with you until victory: Another historic point for Morocco".

Le Matin newspaper says: “The Atlas Lions are determined to honour their appointment with history”.

State TV ran a 10-minute trailer for tonight’s game - sound-tracked by rousing music, ululation and a stirring voice-over.

An article on the news website Lakome said Morocco's achievements at the World Cup have ignited a "sense of optimism and pride in the hearts of Moroccans that made them forget… their difficult economic conditions".

It included an interview with a man saying the campaign had "made us forget everything else...the high prices and everything. We want them to move forward. My mood has changed, praise God!"

When the final whistle blew on Morocco’s victory over Portugal on Saturday, the state broadcaster al-Aoula immediately dropped its schedule to show scenes of celebrations taking place across the country for several hours.

Drone footage over the capital, Rabat, showed thousands of Moroccans on the streets and squares revelling in the historic moment.

It was a scene echoed in cities across the country, from Marrakech to Casablanca, and even Laayoune – the capital of the disputed territory of Western Sahara.

A presenter said: "The victory gave the values on which we were raised a thousand meanings: Faith, parents’ blessings and attachment to national symbols”.

“This is the Kingdom of Morocco: History, civilisation, a people, culture and heritage beyond description”.

One news website took it a step further, saying the team’s success was emblematic of Morocco’s "geo-strategic gains and growing soft power" on the international stage.

AFPCopyright: AFP

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has said that African countries must wean themselves off "begging" the West to earn global respect and change poor perceptions about the continent.

"If we stop being beggars and spend African money inside the continent, Africa will not need to ask for respect from anyone, we will get the respect we deserve. If we make it prosperous as it should be, respect will follow," Mr Akufo-Addo said.

He made the remarks during the opening of the US-Africa Leaders' Summit in Washington DC.

Mr Akufo-Addo urged greater solidarity among Africans to address shared aspirations.

"Africans are more resilient outside the continent than inside. We must bear in mind that to the outside world, [there's] nothing like Nigeria, Ghana or Kenya, we are simply Africans. Our destiny as people depends on each other," he said.

The president said that the continent had skills and manpower but needed concerted political will to make "Africa work".

Mr Akufo-Addo's remarks came on the day that the International Monetary Fund agreed to give Ghana a $3bn (£2.4bn) loan to alleviate an unprecedented economic downturn in the West African country.

Dozens of African leaders are in Washington to discuss cooperation with the US amid growing Chinese and Russian influence on the continent.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Moroccans are eagerly anticipating their team’s semi-final World Cup match against reigning champions, France.

Morocco became the first Arab and African side to make it to a World Cup semi-final, after defeating Portugal last week in a shock result.

Across Casablanca, a port city in western Morocco, café owners are setting up for the biggest football game of their lives.

Tables are being cleared out, and rows of chairs lined up in front of giant screens, ready for the throngs of supporters who will be pouring into the city’s many coffee shops to watch the game.

Vendors selling flags and football jerseys have taken over the Medina, the city’s historical district.

Football fans here say they never expected this day to come, and that the team’s victory would be a watershed moment, not just for Moroccans, but for the entire African continent, as well as the Arab world.

This is a country which has poured millions into its national team. That investment appears to be paying off: many of its players were trained in Morocco rather than abroad.

Many here are praying this homegrown side will make history today.

Heavy rainfall on Monday night led to floods in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, Kinshasa, that destroyed many homes and cut off one of the main roads to the the city.

The damage left a third of the city with no water and electricity, according to authorities. Most of the dead were in hillside areas which suffered landslides

Kinshasa has about 15 million inhabitants and is one of the most densely populated capitals in Africa.

Prime Minister Sama Lukonde visited the affected neighbourhoods on Tuesday together with the city's Governor Gentiny Ngobila.

The governor said the provincial government will pay all the funeral expenses for the deceased.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images