AFCON: mixed zone reactions as Algeria make light work of Kenya

For the first time in Algerian football history, four female match officials were appointed to referee in a match held on Saturday between ES Ben Aknoun and RC Kouba in Algiers. The referee committee of the Algerian Football Association appointed four female officials to run the 22nd and last round of the Ligue 2.

He has described himself as "accidentally Algerian". Karim Aïnouz was born and raised in Brazil, but his father hails from the mountains of Kabylia, in Algeria. In early 2019, the filmmaker travelled to the region for the very first time, a trip that he documents in his latest film "Mariner of the Mountains".

At least 42 people, including 25 soldiers, have reportedly died as large-scale wildfires broke out in Tizi Ouzou province, east of the country’s capital, Algiers, as seen on Tuesday. The fires engulfed both forests and residential areas, while firefighters were battling the blazes with water cannons. Some local volunteers assisted them in tackling the fire.

Cameroon holds the draw for the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. After the coronavirus scuppered the football event last year, the Central African nation is set to host the CAN in January and February last year. As Cameroon battles with the war against Boko Haram, separatist conflict in English-speaking areas and the health crisis, the financial benefits and morale boost offered by the competition can't come soon enough.

The two North African countries have been at loggerheads for decades, mainly over the disputed Western Sahara region. Algeria said its neighbor had committed "hostile actions," while Morocco refuted those claims.

Algeria's disgraced former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika was buried in a low-key funeral as he left a mixed legacy.

Algeria said this was a "civilized way" of handling the Moroccan tensions that reignited last year. Morocco did not give an immediate response to flying ban.

French armed forces have reported that flights over Algerian airspace have been cancelled. On Saturday Algeria recalled its diplomat in Paris over comments Emmanuel Macron made.

Today we debunk photos shared on Facebook claiming to show "Russian ships arriving in Algeria to support Mali". Also, a slip of the tongue by the French Polynesian president Édouard Fritch is ripe for manipulation. Our team fact-check two stories circulating on social media, that should not be taken at face value.

Droves of armoured vehicles are patrolling the streets of Limbe in Cameroon's conflict-torn South West Region ahead of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) soccer finals starting on Jan. 9 that separatist militants have vowed to disrupt. Cameroon is hosting the tournament in six cities, but security is potentially most at threat in Limbe, a city on the tropical Atlantic coast whose surrounding region has been rocked by armed attacks since war broke out in 2017.

Tonight, multiple attacks in northwestern Nigeria have left dozens dead this week, we have the latest with our correspondent Sam Olukoya. In Ethiopia it's orthodox Christmas. Finally with AFCON just 2 days away, our team in Cameroon soaks up the atmosphere.

Soccer fever sweeps Cameroon as the Africa Cup of Nations prepares for kick off on Sunday. The tournament's first match takes place in the capital Yaounde between Burkina Faso and host country Cameroon, which is hosting the tournament for the first time.