Kidnapped children released in Cameroon, two teachers still held

The Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon has been filled with drama but not that many onlookers. The government is aiming to try and fill up empty stadiums as supporters prefer fan zones. But first, one protester is killed in Sudan as two top US diplomats arrive in the country to try to speak to all sides involved in the deepening crisis. And in a major step for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa, South Africa has opened a new vaccine plant, the first on the continent to cover the entire process from start to finish.

At least 16 people have died in a fire at a disco in an upmarket district of Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, the government says. The disaster comes as the country hosts the AFCON football tournament.

At least eight fans dead after a stampede at the Yaounde Olembe Stadium in Cameroon before the host nation's round of 16 game in the Africa Cup of Nations against Comoros, the national broadcaster reports.

Hosts Cameroon overcame a resilient, goalkeeperless Comoros team 2-1 to progress to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil. But the result was overshadowed by events which took place outside the stadium in Yaoundé, where a stampede tragically claimed at least eight lives. Earlier in the day, Gambia's dream run continued as they edged out Guinea, winning their first ever knockout game in their maiden tournament. The Scorpions will go head-to-head against Cameroon at the Douala stadium on Saturday for a place in the semi-final. Jean-Emile Jammine is joined by Sports Editor Simon Harding and James Vasina.

The Ebo rainforest in Cameroon is part of the second-largest tropical forest in the world. It is home to rare primates including gorillas. But poachers and logging companies threaten the forest and its inhabitants.

There have been lots of memorable moments at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon, most of it involving some of the so-called lesser countries. But do you really know where some of these self-styled smaller nations are situated in Africa?

ECOWAS leaders hold an emergency summit in Ghana after a series of coups on the continent. Also, Mali's cotton sector is hit hard by ECOWAS measures after its military coup. In Nigeria, an explosion on an oil vessel off the coast sparks fears of environmental damage; the fate of 10 crew members is also still unclear. And Egypt beat Cameroon on penalties to reach the Africa Cup of Nations final.

The price of Bitcoin dipped in early trading on Wednesday, after the US Justice Department announced it had arrested two people and seized Bitcoin worth $3.6 billion that was stolen from the exchange Bitfinex in 2016. The investigation is being closely watched by players in the cryptocurrency sector as to how investigators are tracking criminal activity involving the tokens. Also today, we report on protests in Argentina against the latest agreement with the International Monetary Fund.

Back in June 2019, the provincial government in Quebec adopted a secularism law, known as Bill 21. The law bars some government employees in positions of authority, such as teachers, from wearing religious signs while on the job. In December 2021, the law was applied for the first time. A Muslim teacher who wears a hijab was removed from her job and reassigned to an administrative position. The decision has sparked controversy and polarised Canadians.

Delaying players and officials of your country’s national women’s football team for over three hours at the airport after a two-hour flight from Abidjan, following a hard-fought 1-0 win against their Cote d’Ivoire counterparts, on the pretext of conducting Covid-19 tests, is not how to welcome heroes back home.

English-speaking separatist militias in Cameroon are partnering with Nigerian separatists. The cross-border alliance between the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the Ambazonia Defence Forces (ADF) is raising fears of accelerating violence.

Did you know that in Anglophone Cameroon, schoolkids don't wear uniforms? It's to avoid being identified by attackers. Also, they don't attend school on Mondays. Our teen reporter, 16-year-old Lum Precious, speaks with her peers in the first episode of GirlZOffMute from Cameroon. They appeal to President Paul Biya to act immediately so that kids no longer fear being attacked on their way to school