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King Mohammed VI of Morocco has pardoned more than 650 people convicted of various crimes, some of them terrorist-related.

The move marks the 70th anniversary of an event known as the Revolution of the King and the Nation.

The occasion is intended to highlight the country’s liberation from colonialism.

Twitter/VariousCopyright: Twitter/Various

The Egyptian authorities arrested then released a journalist who published articles accusing officials of involvement in smuggling cash, weapons and gold to Zambia.

The allegations by Karim Asaad followed the seizure by Zambian officials of a chartered aircraft at Lusaka airport.

It was said to be carrying more than $5m (£3.9m) in cash as well as pistols, ammunition and over 100kg of suspected gold.

Documents - purportedly from a Zambian investigation - had allegedly named several Egyptian army and police officers as suspects.

Egypt’s national press union says Mr Asaad was the 24th journalist to be detained in the country.

Mr Asaad works for the news site Matsda2sh. Colleagues of Mr Asaad have accused security forces of assaulting his wife and child during his arrest on Saturday.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Libya's central bank has been become a single institution again, nearly a decade after it was split in two owing to the country's civil war.

It had been divided - like the country's government - into rival branches in the east and the west.

Its division made it difficult for Libya to have a coherent monetary policy and contributed to the sharp fall in its currency, the dinar.

Libya has been plagued by violence and political chaos since the overthrow and killing of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Junior Hassen/InstagramCopyright: Junior Hassen/Instagram

A popular Tunisian rapper has illegally emigrated to Italy amid a deepening economic crisis in the North African country.

Junior Hassen, whose songs have been viewed close to 15 million times on YouTube, made the potentially deadly boat crossing to Sicily last week.

News outlet Mosaique FM said the rapper had reached the southern Italian city of Palermo after travelling with a group of migrants from his hometown, Sousse.

Social media users have circulated footage that they believe shows Hassen, real name Hassen Sassi, crossing the Mediterranean on a small boat with other Tunisian migrants. But the footage has not been independently verified.

Tunisia's dire economic crisis has pushed many people to take desperate measures in hopes of better lives abroad. Earlier this year, a Tunisian football club suspended its activities after 32 of its players emigrated to Europe.

Tunisia has become the main departure point for African migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. Tunisians in growing numbers have also opted for sea journeys on the world's deadliest migration route.

Courtesy of the artistCopyright: Courtesy of the artist

Tunisian rapper FBK is first and foremost a writer, who started writing poetry at about the same time she began rapping:

Quote Message: I remember it was during Eid al-Adha. I was impressed by the sight of a sheep being sacrificed. I was sitting on a chair, saying poetic lines about it. I kept adding lines until I found myself writing a whole poem.

I remember it was during Eid al-Adha. I was impressed by the sight of a sheep being sacrificed. I was sitting on a chair, saying poetic lines about it. I kept adding lines until I found myself writing a whole poem.

Quote Message: Sometimes circumstances inspire me to write a poem, sometimes a rap song. It depends on my mood, and the situation I’m in."

Sometimes circumstances inspire me to write a poem, sometimes a rap song. It depends on my mood, and the situation I’m in."

FBK gets her inspiration from nature, from her own experiences, and from those of her friends.

Some of her songs are very personal, like Césarienne. In it she talks about how she came into the world:

Quote Message: I was born prematurely at only seven months, by C-section, and that for me has become a springboard to face any challenges."

I was born prematurely at only seven months, by C-section, and that for me has become a springboard to face any challenges."

Other songs tackle more general topics such as the sexist attitudes women in Tunisia face.

The track Kaabi was inspired by some of the negative comments FBK received on social media in because of her decision to become a rapper:

Quote Message: Comments like: 'What are you doing?', 'Go and wash the dishes', that sort of thing. So I took a pen and a sheet of paper and I wanted to reply to those comments, spontaneously.

Comments like: 'What are you doing?', 'Go and wash the dishes', that sort of thing. So I took a pen and a sheet of paper and I wanted to reply to those comments, spontaneously.

Quote Message: I released the song, and in the end the number of views was impressive and I was very happy. I felt that strength and success came from the negative."

I released the song, and in the end the number of views was impressive and I was very happy. I felt that strength and success came from the negative."

FBK is also alive to the political context – and potential – of rap in Tunisia, saying:

Quote Message: The revolution opened up doors, especially for rappers. Now we can express our opinions on the political situation, on the social situation. This was forbidden before.

The revolution opened up doors, especially for rappers. Now we can express our opinions on the political situation, on the social situation. This was forbidden before.

Quote Message: But now we have the opportunity to express ourselves, we have to try as hard as we can to make our voices heard - to try to change what's happening, even just a little bit."

But now we have the opportunity to express ourselves, we have to try as hard as we can to make our voices heard - to try to change what's happening, even just a little bit."

You can hear the full interview with FBK online here: BBCworldservice.com/thisisafrica

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Libyan medical sources say clashes between two powerful armed factions in Tripoli have killed 27 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Violence broke out late on Monday after the Special Deterrence Force (SDF) seized a commander of the 444 Brigade.

It subsided after the commander was released on Tuesday evening.

The fighting shattered months of relative calm in Tripoli.

A 2020 ceasefire has brought a measure of peace to Libya but entrenched factionalism constantly threatens to upset it.