And we leave you with Kenya athletes taking part in the men's 3,000m steeplechase Olympic trials today in Eldoret.
US embassy in Ivory Coast removes gay men photos
We reported yesterday that gay men in Ivory Coast had been attacked after the US embassy in Abidjan shared photos of them signing a condolence book for the victims of the recent attack on a US night club in Orlando.
The embassy has now removed the photos from its website and from social media, expressing "deep regret" that the six photographed men were abused and forced to flee their homes, the Reuters news agency reports.
The photo had been captioned: "LGBTI community signing the condolence book".
Get Involved: Are Lagos churches and mosques too noisy?
News that Nigeria's Lagos State has shut 70 churches and 20 mosques in an attempt to reduce high noise levels has had a mixed reaction on the BBC Africa Facebook page.
God bless Lagos state government... this is a major move... and other states should follow... and I believe they should pass a law that all religious organisations must pay their tax like every other organisation cause these churches are making a lot of money."
Have you ever been in a neighbourhood where churches had to keep you awake all night because of a vigil - and when you thought you'll get a little sleep, mosques just pop up them speakers 🔊 too for morning call to prayer?
Noise-making is Nigeria's second national sport, that's after corruption."
Let the people sing and pray! this is nice side of life. you will be noise free when you die."
Noisy how? Are they not praying? Is people's noise more harmful than that of a generators, vehicles or industries? Nothing like that and I condemn it in a strongest term possible!! Barbaric act."
When will Nigerian government or Lagos state governor shut down our generators because they know we are living in darkness though to their inability to provide Nigerians with electricity."
And some Zambians said they would welcome such a move:
Even in Livingstone - too much noise from churches. Whoever brought noise in churches in the guise of praise. Eish! I wouldn't want to worship a God who entertains noise as a form of praise."
I would be happy if that was done here in Zambia... It seems they cannot pray without sound systems..."
Guinea bans illegal foreign fishing vessels
BBC Africa, Conakry
Guinea has banned all international fishing activities in its waters.
It comes a day after leading think-tank the Overseas Development Institute recommended such a ban, saying West African countries could create more than 300,000 jobs by awarding more fishing and exporting rights to national fleets.
The rule will come into effect at midnight.
Maritime Minister Andre Loua said that illegal fishing by foreign ships denied the nation of vital foreign exchange earnings and reduced fish stocks.
However, corruption in the fishing industry here is also a big problem.
Fishermen I have spoken to fear only the big fishing establishments will benefit from the ban.
Zambian men rally against sexual violence after viral video
BBC Africa, Lusaka, Zambia
A Facebook page called JusticeforNagaad has been created days after a video of a Zambian woman being brutally assaulted emerged on social media – with men in particular posting photos holding the sign “#Stop Violence Against Women”.
The video shows a woman being kicked, punched and then sexually assaulted as several men watch. The abuse continues when she passes out.
This morning, police confirmed that the woman who was filmed has been found.
Police deputy spokesperson Rae Hamoonga said that officers were also looking for the perpetrators.
Kenyan students remember Nigerian author Elechi Amadi
BBC's Ferdinand Omondi has just been to a literature class at the University of Nairobi where students have been discussing the works of Nigerian author Elechi Amadi, who died yesterday at the age of 82.
As an author Elechi Amadi has helped to uplift African culture and expose it to the world."
Our reporter says Amadi's first novel, The Concubine - which was published in 1966 - has often been on Kenya's curriculum, particularly in the 1970s and 1990s.
UN peacekeepers prepare to leave Liberia
Africa editor, BBC World Service
The UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia is preparing to hand back responsibility for security to the country's army and police tomorrow.
The mission was first deployed in 2003, after two civil wars in which hundreds of thousands of people were killed.
For more than a decade, the blue helmets have been a familiar sight in the capital, Monrovia, and elsewhere.
By and large, the UN troops have provided stability - at a time when few Liberians trusted their own security forces.
From now on, though, the Liberian military and police will be in charge.
Some in Liberia are nervous - the memories of those civil wars are still very fresh.
In the last few days the head of the armed forces has tried to reassure the people, saying his troops would defend Liberians, and insisting the army was peace-loving and law-abiding.
And although they are handing over responsibility for security, the UN peacekeepers will not disappear entirely.
A small force will stay on, at least in the short term - perhaps until after next year's elections, though this has not been decided yet.
One senior UN official described the remaining peacekeepers as an insurance policy.
Anger over Malawi's mice-eating 'joke'
Malawi's president has sparked anger by saying people should eat mice to cope with a nationwide food crisis - but one minister says he wasn't being serious.
Peter Mutharika told a rally that the government was doing everything it could to solve the problem of food shortages, the UK-based Nyasa Times reports.
He's then quoted as saying:
But why should Malawians die with hunger when we have different things to eat? You should be eating mice, grasshoppers as well as cassava
Human rights activist Billy Mayaya, who leads the Right to Food Network, described the remarks as "disgraceful", and other social media users accused the president of being out of touch.
A spoof version of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's logo has also gone viral, replacing the usual three maize cobs with a picture of a mouse and a grasshopper.
The Democratic Republic of Congo may be one of the richest countries in the world in terms of mineral wealth but eight out of 10 Congolese people live in extreme poverty.
Fighting over huge mineral deposits in the eastern region have led to ongoing conflict in the area, perpetrated by both Congolese and foreign militia.
The BBC's Maud Jullien went to the south-eastern province of Katanga, where artisanal miners are complaining of forced expulsions at the hands of the presidential guards. Watch her video report:
Analysis: Elechi Amadi, a literary giant
BBC Africa, Abuja
Elechi Amadi hails from the first generation of Nigerian writers, in the league of Chinua Achebe, JP Clark, Cyprian Ekwensi and Christopher Okigbo.
Many of them attended the prestigious College Umuahia or University of Ibadan, which shaped their literary prowess.
Amadi is best known for his first novel The Concubine - which focuses on love in a southern village and how it came into conflict with traditional life.
He will best be remembered for the way he portrayed life in rural Nigeria and for the multiple narratives and convoluted plots.
Amadi was an officer in the Nigerian military at a turbulent time, the 1967-1970 civil war, when the military put down an attempt to create an independent state in the east.
It spawned Amadi's only non-fiction work, Sunset at Biafra, which detailed his experiences during the war. Though many books have been written on the conflict, his work stands out for its accuracy, neutrality and conciseness.
His other works of fiction include, The Great Ponds and The Slave.
The writer also made headlines in 2009 when he was kidnapped by gunmen in his hometown in southern Nigeria, being rescued 23 hours later.
Cameroon footballer's doctor charged with manslaughter
A Romanian doctor has been charged with manslaughter for making no attempt to resuscitate Cameroonian footballer Patrick Ekeng, who died of heart failure last month.
Ekeng, 26, collapsed shortly after coming on as a substitute for Dinamo Bucharest in a league game and died after hospital staff were unable to resuscitate him.
The Bucharest prosecutor's office quoted forensic scientists as saying 95% of people with similar heart problems survive cardiac arrest if defibrillation is administered within 60 seconds.
Even if among Patrick Ekeng's causes of death were the cardiac problems he suffered from, by her unjustified inaction Elena Duta removed any chance of survival."
Callers whose conversations are cut off prematurely will get a text notification and thereafter receive airtime compensation worth one minute, though this will be limited to Safaricom-to-Safaricom calls.
The Communications Authority of Kenya, the body that regulates the mobile industry, says all three of the country's phone operators - Airtel, Safaricom and Telkom - have all fallen short of providing a quality service to their customers.
Ethiopia to push for permanent African seats at UN
BBC Africa, Addis Ababa
Ethiopia says it will push for Africa to have permanent seats with veto powers at the UN Security Council following its election to serve in the top UN organ from next year.
Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom, who arrived back from New York this morning, says the council as currently constituted does not adequately address the concerns of the continent.
Africa currently has only three non-permanent positions on the Security Council.
The foreign minister said the priority would also be to tackle global terrorism and the migration crisis.
Earlier this week, four African presidents, including Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, called for the implementation of a 2005 continental agreement that seeks to have an overhaul of the entire UN system with the continent getting two permanent seats on the UN Security Council.
Kenyan cartoonist mocks the firing of president's press team
Kenyan cartoonist Gathara has reacted to conflicting news about the fate of President Uhuru Kenyatta's communication team, which has reportedly been disbanded.
Pictures of the aftermath of a bomb attack that killed 18 people in the outskirts of Somalia capital, Mogadishu (see earlier post) are coming in.
Eyewitnesses say the bus was being escorted by a military vehicle, which escaped undamaged.
It is unclear whether the government car was the target of the blast.
So far no-one has said they were behind the attack.
Coptic priest 'shot dead in Egypt's Sinai'
An Egyptian Coptic priest has been shot dead in the North Sinai city of El-Arish, the AFP news agency reports.
Raphael Moussa, 46, was killed instantly when a man shot him in the head while he was standing next to his car, a church spokesman is quoted as saying.
Security officials said more than one gunman was involved in the shooting and they had followed the priest, who had attended a church service earlier, and opened fire when he emerged from his car, AFP reports.
It is not clear who carried out the attack.
Militants active in Egypt's Sinai peninsula have pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State group.
South Africa's anti-racism song 'too expensive'
BBC Africa, Johannesburg
South Africa’s Arts and Culture Department has released an anti-racism song called No Love, No Life to unite the country.
It is composed by Mzwakhe Mbuli, who has been dubbed “The People’s Poet” and known for his recitation of anti-apartheid poetry in the 1980s.
He says nobody is born a racist:
There is no DNA for racism, there are no genes, love has no colour and love transcends all boundaries.”
Other artists featured in the song include Mbongeni Ngema, and Thokozani Langa.
The late Miriam Makeba’s voice was also digitally used in backing vocals.
More recently a guest house owner in Sodwana Bay said he would not accept black people as guests.
Migrants die as dinghy sinks off Libya
At least 10 people drowned and more than 100 others were rescued when an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized 32km (20 miles) off Libya.
Those who died were all women, Italian reports said.
The latest migrant tragedy came as the Italian navy raised to the surface a boat that sank with the loss of more than 700 lives:
The April 2015 sinking was the worst loss of human life since the influx of migrants began in 2013.
More than 64,000 migrants and refugees have crossed the Mediterranean to Italy since the start of this year, according to UN figures, including more than 16,000 in June alone. Most of the arrivals have come from African countries.
RIP Elechi Amadi. (1934-2016). Thank you for blessing us with the classic novel - The Concubine.
Lagos cracks down on noise
Authorities in Nigeria's Lagos State have shut 70 churches and 20 mosques in an attempt to reduce high noise levels.
About 10 hotels, pubs and club houses were also closed.
Lagos has a population of around 20 million, with correspondents saying noise - from the beep of car horns, to the Muslim call to prayer and the singing in churches - being its soundtrack.
In August, the authorities closed 22 premises after residents complained about the noise emanating from them.
Ivory Coast's 'baby hero' professor
This Ivorian professor, pictured with a baby on this back, has mothers across Africa in awe - as it's not image you often see on the continent:
The photo has been widely shared on social media, with many praising him as a hero.
Honore Kahi offered to take the baby as he was crying and preventing the mother from sitting in class.
He said his students were surprised, began to laugh and then took pictures:
But the professor who teaches at Bouake University, told the BBC that being a mother should not stop women getting an education, adding that women should not be discouraged by people's perceptions of what they should be able to do.
The Law Society of Kenya has asked the government to produce a missing lawyer alive or dead.
Willie Kimani has been missing for a week now.
He was last seen in a taxi on the outskirts of the capital, Nairobi, shortly after he had left the court with a client last Thursday.
The taxi driver and client are also missing.
The police have not yet commented on the disappearances.
Isaac Okero, president of the Law Society of Kenya, told the BBC that lawyers are in shock:
"We are very alarmed about this development because it means that lawyers are becoming a target because of their work... [it] is an indication that the rule of law is beginning to crumble."
Mr Okero added that they suspect there could be a link between the lawyer’s disappearance and the case he was working on.
Mr Kimani - who worked for the International Justice Mission, a US-based legal charity - was representing a client who had lodged an official complaint about a police officer.
Disappearances have become common in Kenya.
South Africa approves beer buyout
South Africa's Competition Tribunal has approved the buyout of beer giant SABMiller by the world's top brewer AB InBev.
However, it set a range of conditions, including the sale of SABMiller's stake in Distell Group, and a guarantee that mo jobs would be lost in the first five years.
Belgium-based AB InBev's acquisition of SABMiller was valued at $121bn (£90bn) when it was announced in November, but it is now worth less because the value of the pound has plummeted following the UK's vote to leave the European Union.
Current exchange rates put the value of the acquisition at around $106.5bn, Reuters news agency says.
The protests led to an unprecedented debate about racial equality in the film industry - characterised on social media by the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite - and caused several Hollywood stars to boycott the awards ceremony.
But BBC Entertainment says should all of those invited do agree to join, the demographic of the membership would only slightly change from being mostly white, male and over 60.
Male membership would slip from 75% to 73% - white membership from 92% to 89%.
There are currently more than 6,000 members of the academy.
Deadly suicide blast near Cameroon mosque
A suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people near a mosque in northern Cameroon, military and local officials have said.
The bomber blew himself up as Muslims gathered under a tent in Djakana town after breaking their fast yesterday evening, Reuters news agency agency quotes an offcial, as saying.
A Cameroonian army officer said the bomber was a young boy, Reuters adds.
No group has said it carried out the attack but Nigeria-based militant Islamist movement Boko Haram often carries out cross-border raids.
The BBC's Abdinoor Aden is in Eldoret, the Kenyan town famous for producing long-distance runners, taking photos at the long-awaited Olympics trials.
The event is being held under a cloud caused by the doping scandal which has rocked world athletics. At one stage it had looked as if the country would be banned from Rio until tough anti-doping legislation hastily passed last month.
Officials from Kenya's anti-doping agency and the regional anti-doping organisation, Rado, are part of the team conducting the doping tests.
Some of the events taking place today include the 10,000m finals for women.
Africa Express makes music with Syrians
BBC Africa's Manuel Toledo has been in Denmark for the Roskilde Festival where last night he filmed and photographed the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians in a concert with Africa Express, a collective of musicians from around the world set up by British Britpop singer Damon Albarn:
Nigerians are mourning Elechi Amadi, a popular author who has died at the age of 82.
Known for his famous book The Concubine, he died on Wednesday after a short illness.
It pictured the culture of marriage and forbidden traditions and was originally published in 1966.
It has remained a recommended text, which is widely read in schools across Africa.
His other books include Sunset in Biafra, Peppersoup, The Slave and The Road to Ibadan.
A physics and mathematics graduate of the University of Ibadan, he joined the Nigerian army and continued serving in it during the civil war, despite coming from the Niger Delta, which was part of the breakaway state of Biafra.
When retired as a captain, he also worked as a teacher and held several political appointments in his native Rivers State.
Remote-controlled bomb hits Somali minibus
At least 18 people have been killed in a roadside bomb on the outskirts of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
They were travelling past Lafole in a minibus when a remote-controlled bomb went off, killing everyone on board.
Eyewitnesses say they were being escorted by a military vehicle, which escaped undamaged.
It is unclear whether the government car was the target of the blast.
It is not clear who is behind the attack.
But al-Shabab militants have repeatedly targeted both government officials and the public in Somalia.
There have used several tactics including drive-by shootings, grenade attacks and beheadings.
The group wants to overthrow the UN-backed government and to establish a Muslim Caliphate.
Today's African proverb is:
The old woman looks after the child to grow its teeth and the young one in turn looks after the old woman when she loses her teeth."