The pre-dawn blaze destroyed many stalls where clothes, shoes and vegetables were sold
More than 70 people were injured in the blaze, which broke out in the middle of the night destroying many properties.
Gikomba is one of the largest open-air markets in the city and fires there are frequent, leading to speculation about possible arson attacks, The Standard newspaper says.
However, the cause of the current fire is not yet known.
The St John Ambulance service said the fire broke out at 02:30 local time (23:30 GMT on Wednesday) and spread to apartments and market stalls before being contained after about 90 minutes.
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Image captionRiot police are at the scene where traders have gathered to view the damage
Some of the victims were burned while others inhaled poisonous fumes as they tried to salvage their property.Hospital officials said there were four children among the dead.
End of Twitter post by @SulweFM
Pictures from Reuters news agency showed people searching the wreckage and ash.
The injured have been rushed to different hospitals across the city.
One woman told the BBC she is still searching for her sister. "When I got to the scene, the fire had already spread to her house," said Millicent Achieng.
"She told me she was inside her flat and there was so much smoke that she couldn't move. Her child was with her."
Ms Achieng said she pleaded with the security guard to open the gate to building, but he refused - saying he had been instructed by the landlord to lock it to "keep looters out".
Image captionMillicent Achieng is desperately searching for her sister
Ms Achieng said she tried to reach her sister unsuccessfully by phone several more times.
"Now calls aren't going through," she said. "At dawn I asked my brother to go look for her in the hospitals but he couldn't find her. We don't know if my sister is among those who were burned beyond recognition."The market is well known for the sale of second-hand clothes, shoes and vegetables, and also has timber yards which were damaged in the blaze.The blaze is believed to have broken out in one of the timber yards.
Ethiopia is a rising star among anti-gay countries in Africa as it continues to push for new legislation to further crackdown on LGBTQ community. The country is a place where homophobia thrives and discrimination against sexual minorities are state-sponsored.
The bill proposed by the Council of Ministers on March 2014 and rejected a week later by the parliament due to condemnation of the international community is a very good example of the hostility towards LGBTQ people in this most populous African nation.The short-lived bill was intended to significantly changes the country’s Pardon and Amnesty Law and tight the already harsh anti-LGBTQ law to make it impossible for sexual minorities to exercise their fundamental human rights. The bill put the homosexual act on the list of offences considered “non-pardonable,” along with terrorism and other serious crimes.
In Ethiopia, homosexuality is illegal, carrying a maximum sentence of imprisonment up to 25 years. lesbians, bisexuals, gays, and transgendered citizens are often stigmatized, discriminated against, and subjected to numerous human rights violations and attacks.According to the Pew Global Attitudes Project (2007), attitudes toward the homosexual members are overwhelmingly negative in this country. According to the report of this organization, 97% of Ethiopians believe that homosexuality is a very harmful way of life that society should not accept and that people who are engaged in such relationships should be punished.
Ethiopian government officials have been well-known for denouncing homosexual acts and LGBTQ communities for many years. The government has made clear that the nation has no place for these members of society, stating that their options are either to change who they are or suffer in prison.Ethiopian society, known for its conservative values, is a deeply religious, very traditional and deeply collectivistic. Its two primary religions, orthodox Christianity and Islam, have a strong control over the population and have established moral standards for millions. The teachings of these two religions are incongruent with such modern ways of life as personal freedom and adaptability to societal change.
The Ethiopian Orthodox church, a conservative form of Christianity, teaches that the homosexual act is a sin, immoral, an illness, repulsive, strictly forbidden and must be legally punished. It goes without saying that this belief has been inflicting fear for years.The 2012 pro-gay conference scheduled to be held in the capital Addis Ababa by a human right group was the first attempt to stir open conversation in a society that is at odds with its LGBTQ community members. However, the effort finally failed due to the outcry of different religious groups. As the date of the conference approached, these religious organizations set their differences aside and protested together against the conference, calling the organizers “missionaries of evil.” Their protest resulted in the cancellation of the conference which could have brought so much good.
It was during this time that Abune Paulose, who once termed homosexuality “the pinnacle of immorality,” said that, “People who act in this manner have to be dumb, stupid like animals. We strongly condemn this behaviour. They have to be disciplined and their acts discriminated against. They have to be given a lesson.”
Silence, Frustration And Denial
Ethiopians deny the fact that there are gays, lesbians, and transgendered human beings in their society, believing that it is a western way of life. Millions still think homosexuality is a result of sickness and demonic possession. Although researches have demonstrated that there are a growing number of LGBTQ community members, many still dismiss these revelations, consider LGBTQ rights as a non-issue, and their narrative as a western conspiracy.
The hostility towards LGBTQ community is extreme and very concerning. Because of this, many are forced to live by hiding their sexual orientation or fleeing the country. Even talking about having a same sex relationship is very dangerous.
The silence in this society is overwhelming. People do not talk about homosexuality. The media has no appetite to cover such issues or discuss the subject, let alone ordinary citizens. The issue is pushed aside even by Ethiopian human right defenders, political activists, and human right groups. Very few agree that the rights of these community members should be respected, yet they are afraid to talk about it in public.
The consequences of the hostility, silence, criminalization and discrimination are far -reaching, and go far beyond frustration in the LGBTQ community. The mainstream narratives of religious groups and the government have caused many members to believe they are sick and mentally disturbed.
Rush, 26, is one of the very few Ethiopian gays who bravely came out and shared his story with the world. He left his country and started a new life in South Africa during the final months of 1998. In his recent interview withGlobal Gayz, he stated that many are brainwashed in Ethiopia. He said, “Yes, when I came to in South Africa, I thought homosexuality was a disease or abnormality, but now I understand that it is natural, so we all must come to understand this.”
The Ethiopian Constitution guarantees the right to equality and recognizes the importance of protecting people’s human rights. It clearly states that all persons shall be equal before the law and shall be entitled to equal protection under the law without distinction of any kind related to race, nation, nationality, color, sex, language, religion, political or social origin, property, birth or any other status. However, other articles of the constitution, including Article 34, open the door to other laws which redefine and violate this fundamental right. As a result, laws such as the criminal code undermine this right and allow discrimination against LGBT members of the community on the basis of sexual orientation.
Ethiopia’s criminal code defines marriage as a legal contract entered or as an engagement between a man and woman and sees other forms of relations as illegal. According to this law, homosexual acts are punishable by up to 15 years in prison, or 25 years if an offender “uses violence, intimidation or coercion, trickery or fraud, or takes unfair advantage of the victim’s inability to offer resistance.” Ethiopia is also a member of several treaties and conventions, including the ICCPR, ICESCR, CEDAW, and CAT. These treaties enshrine the rights of all people to non-discrimination and equality before the law. As a member of the United Nation and human rights treaties, Ethiopia has the obligation to respect and protect these rights. However, the country has proven that it does not have the wish to uphold these standards.
Image copyri Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa has survived an apparent bomb attack in the city of Bulawayo.
Video footage from White City Stadium appears to show an explosion happening close to Mr Mnangagwa as he was leaving the stage having addressed supporters.He was not hurt, his spokesman said. But senior officials are among those injured, Zimbabwe media say.
President Mnangagwa came into power last November, ousting his former mentor Robert Mugabe.The president was in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, to campaign for his Zanu-PF party ahead of nationwide elections taking place on 30 July.The elections are the first in Zimbabwe since Mr Mugabe was ousted after 37 years in power.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba issued a statement recalling: "There have been multiple attempts on the president's life over the past five years."The Zimbabwe Herald newspaper reported that Vice-President Kembo Mohadi had suffered leg injuries in the bomb blast, but there is no confirmation.The paper described the explosion as an assassination attempt.
Other senior officials are also said to have been injured, as well as some of their bodyguards.
Facts About President Mnangagwa
Known as "the crocodile" because of his political shrewdness - his Zanu-PF faction is "Lacoste"
Received military training in China and Egypt
Tortured by Rhodesian forces after his "crocodile gang" staged attacks
Helped direct Zimbabwe's war of independence in the 1960s and 1970s
Became the country's spymaster during the 1980s civil conflict, in which thousands of civilians were killed, but has denied any role in the massacres, blaming the army
Accused of masterminding attacks on opposition supporters after 2008 election
Says he will deliver jobs, and seen as open to economic reforms
Italy's right-wing populist Interior Minister, Matteo Salvini, has prompted a new outcry by saying he wants a census of the Roma community that would lead to non-Italians being deported.
After a chorus of criticism he said his only aim was to protect Roma children.
Since Mr Salvini's League party came to power this month with the anti-establishment Five Star movement, he has focused heavily on immigration.
Last week he refused to allow a charity ship carrying 629 migrants into Italy.
Mr Salvini has tried to limit the number of migrants entering Italy by blocking charity ships that rescue people off the Libyan coast.
His remarks on Roma (Gypsies) were eventually rebutted by his fellow deputy prime minister and leader of Five Star, Luigi di Maio, who made it clear that a census was unconstitutional.
How did Salvini cause offense?
The interior minister told a local TV channel he had asked officials to "prepare a dossier on the Roma question in Italy at the ministry because nothing has been done since [ex-minister Roberto] Maroni and it's chaos".There would be a survey to see "who [they are], how [they live] and how many of them there are, re-doing what was called the census". "We'll have a register," he said.Those Roma who had no right to stay in Italy would be deported but "as for the Italian Roma, unfortunately you have to keep them at home".Italy's new populist government has as part of its programme a plan to deport 500,000 migrants.An association that promotes Roma rights immediately pointed out that any census based on ethnic background was against Italian law and political opponents expressed horror at the idea. Jewish groups said the plan evoked memories of Mussolini's 1938 race laws.Paolo Gentiloni, the centre-left prime minister who led Italy for two years, tweeted: "Refugees yesterday, Roma today, tomorrow guns for all. How exhausting it is being bad."
The League leader then clarified his position, insisting he was not proposing a register after all. No fingerprints would be taken, merely a survey of Roma camps to protect the thousands of children prevented from going to school.Mr Di Maio welcomed Mr Salvini's clarification, saying he was glad that the minister had denied plans for a register. "If something is unconstitutional, it cannot be done."
Who are Italy's Roma?
They number between 130,000 and 170,000 and around half have Italian citizenship. Many come from Romania and the former Yugoslavia and live in camps on the outskirts of big cities.Italians have an overwhelmingly negative view of Roma, according toa survey published in 2016 by the Pew Research Center.Some 82% of those questioned were unfavourable to Roma, far higher than other European countries.
Mr Salvini has long campaigned against the Roma community and has in the past called for their camps to be bulldozed. Two months ago he said if many of them worked harder and stole less, and educated their children in school rather than in theft, "that would really be a party".In answer to Mr Salvini's proposals, the 21 July Association that supports Roma rights said the numbers and details of Roma were already known.The Italian Roma community had been in the country for at least half a century, it said, while the few Roma who had no papers were in effect stateless so could not be deported anyway.Roma filmmaker Luciano Casamonica said the interior minister could say what he liked but he and his family had been in Italy for seven generations.
US rapper XXXTentacion, who quickly rose to fame with two consecutive hit albums, has been killed aged 20.
He was leaving a motorcycle dealership in south Florida on Monday when an armed suspect shot him.
Police in Broward County said XXXTentacion, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
He was often described as one of rap's most controversial artists and was facing domestic violence charges.
The rapper, who first found an audience by uploading songs to the website SoundCloud, had been hailed as a breakthrough talent and tributes have been pouring in from hip-hop luminaries in the wake of his death.
The county sheriff's office said that Onfroy was leaving the dealership shortly before 16:00 local time when two armed suspects approached.
At least one of them shot him before both fled the scene in Deerfield Beach, which is 43 miles (69km) north of Miami, in a dark-coloured SUV.
A witness told celebrity news website TMZ that multiple shots rang out outside the dealership.
The rapper, whose hit songs include SAD! and Moonlight, quickly rose to prominence following the release of his debut album 17 last August.
His follow-up ? debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart in March and has been listened to hundreds of millions of times online.
The album tackled subjects such as depression and was praised by some of rap's most high-profile stars.
But his short career was plagued by allegations of domestic violence. He was facing 15 felony charges at the time of his death, including aggravated battery of a pregnant woman.
From tough upbringing to number one
XXXTentacion had a troubled upbringing and was expelled from middle school for fighting, but he channelled his energy and fury into music.
He quickly became the most popular artist in the genre known as SoundCloud Rap, defined by its languid, hazy beats and wide-ranging influences.
His surging popularity was noted by the music industry and, by October 2017, he had scored a distribution agreement reportedly worth $6 million (£4.5m).
But his career was already being overshadowed by his legal problems. Fans were apparently unswayed, sending his latest album to number one in the US.
Tributes quickly poured in on social media, including from music star Kanye West. "I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here," he posted on Twitter.
In scenes that would have seemed impossible a few days ago, members of the Afghan Taliban have been embracing Afghan security forces amid a three-day ceasefire called to mark Eid.
President Ashraf Ghani has extended the government's ceasefire and called on the Taliban to do the same.
The government has also released some Taliban militants from jail.
But 25 people died in a suicide attack on one gathering of Taliban and government officials in Nangarhar.
Taliban members and local residents were among the victims of the attack, province spokesman Attaullah Khogyani told the BBC, adding that 54 people were wounded.
The Islamic State group, which is active in the area, said it carried out the attack, according to Reuters news agency.
President Ghani wants the Eid ceasefire to lead to a longer peace. Eid al-Fimarks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
In a televised address, Mr Ghani said Taliban members could now receive government assistance like ordinary citizens.
He did not mention the attack in Nangarhar.
Earlier this month the Taliban denied that they were in secret talks with the Afghan government.
Mr Ghani has also confirmed the death of the commander of the Pakistani Taliban, Maulana Fazlullah, in a US drone strike in Afghanistan on Thursday.
Extraordinary scenes
For many Afghans these are extraordinary scenes. The two sides were fighting each other just a few days ago. The unprecedented development has raised hopes of permanent peace in the war ravaged country.
Neighbouring Pakistan is considered key in starting the peace process as many Afghan Taliban leaders are believed to be living inside the country.
However Islamabad accuses Kabul of harbouring Islamist insurgents who have carried out several violent attacks inside Pakistan in the past.
But the reported killing in Afghanistan of Mullah Fazlullah, one of Pakistan's most wanted militants, could address some of Islamabad's security concerns.
What has been happening?
Tolo News posted video of a militant embracing an Afghan soldier in Kunduz in the north of the country.
The Taliban announced the three-day halt to hostilities earlier this month, days after a unilateral ceasefire lasting until Wednesday was ordered by the government.
It is the Taliban's first ceasefire since the government they ran was toppled by the 2001 US-led invasion.
President Ghani has now said the government ceasefire will be extended and has called on the Taliban to extend its ceasefire, which is due to end on Sunday.
The US said US forces and coalition partners would honour the government's ceasefire extension and said it supported Mr Ghani's offer of peace talks with the militant group.
In February Mr Ghani offered peace talks "without preconditions" and recognition of the Taliban as a legitimate political group if they respected the rule of law.
How have ordinary Afghans reacted?
Residents have been expressing their surprise and delight.
"I could not believe my eyes. I saw Taliban and police standing side by side and taking selfies," Kunduz resident Mohammad Amir told Reuters.
"It was the most peaceful Eid. For the first time we felt safe. It is hard to describe the joy," said Qais Liwal, a student in Zabul in southern Afghanistan.
Crowds whistled and shouted as they welcomed Taliban fighters in various cities, Reuters reported.
In Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan they offered fruit and sweets to the militants.
Tens of thousands of Afghans have been killed since the US-led invasion drove the Taliban from power in 2001.
How does the Pakistani Taliban leader's death fit in?
In Pakistan, Interim Prime Minister Nasir-ul Mulk has said the killing of the Pakistani Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah in a US drone strike was a significant development in the fight against terrorism.
It follows a phone call from Mr Ghani confirming the militant's death.
The phone call is seen as an attempt to gain Pakistan's confidence and boost co-operation in Afghanistan's fight against militants, many of whose leaders live in Pakistan.
Fazlullah was linked to a number of attacks including a school massacre in Peshawar in 2014 that killed more than 150 people.
He also ordered the attempted murder of schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head on a school bus aged 15.
The Pakistani Taliban said at the time that they had shot her because she was "pro-West" and "promoting Western culture in Pashtun areas".
