Abdourahmane Dia
BBC Afrique

The son of a businessman born in the PK5 Muslim district of Central African Republic's capital Bangui has been elected speaker of parliament. 

The country has been divided and the former Seleka rebels, mainly Muslims, have been fighting the anti-Balakas, a mostly Christian militia.  

Abdou Karim Meckassoua is considered a moderate and seen as someone who can help boost reconciliation efforts promised by President Faustin-Archange Touadera.    

Image source, Getty Images

The BBC's Janet Onyango has been taking pictures and speaking to people affected by the building demolition that's going on in Kenya's capital, Nairobi (see 11:09 entry).

It was sparked by last week's building collapse which killed more than 30 people.

The authorities say that they gave people a week's notice, but this resident told Janet that she only found out about the demolition yesterday.

The man on the right told Janet that he has no money to move. He said he has three children all at school, and he does not know where he will go next. 

And here's a short film of the demolition of the first building:

Every day readers suggest an African proverb which we put at the start of the live page.

But some days it is not immediately clear what the proverb means. 

And that's when we turn to you on Facebook to explain it to us., external

Today is one of those days.

Here's the proverb:

Kunda Kwesha from Serenje in Northern, Zambia says it warns about taking advantage of the vulnerable.

But Ajee Holyman in Oyo, Nigeria has an entirely different interpretation - saying it means "know your place".

So that's cleared that up!

Image source, Getty Images

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to send your proverb.

In recent years, South Africans have been experiencing frequent power cuts as the state-owned energy company, Eskom, has struggled to produce enough electricity.

But that is a thing of the past - at least according to government tweets of comments made by President Jacob Zuma, who's on a visit to Eskom's headquarters:

Mr Zuma also said that Eskom is a source of pride for the people:

The Democratic Republic of Congo has slashed its 2016 budget by 22%, reports the Reuters news agency. 

Reuters adds that it is because of lower commodity prices, according to a budget proposal document.

South Sudan's new water minister in the recently formed national unity government has alleged that he was thrown out of a cabinet meeting because of his bow tie.

Mabior Garang de Mabior posted this picture of himself on his Facebook page, external:

Image source, Mabior Garang

The caption he posted read: "Arriving home after-being kicked out by [President] Salva Kiir from the first sitting of the council of ministers for being inappropriately dressed."

So he changed his tie and posted this:

Image source, Mabior Garang

He wrote: "After coming home and changing my bow tie at the advice of the First Vice President Dr Riek Machar... I returned to the council of ministers meeting... only to be harassed and barred from entry by Salva Kiir's bodyguards."

Mr Mabior - who is aligned with the former rebel leader Mr Machar - then makes a political point: "They should understand that this unity government will not be business as usual...change is here."

The unity government was sworn in last week in line with a peace deal aimed at ending the civil war that began in December 2013.

Image source, Reuters

The first trial for sexual offences is getting under way in Cologne over alleged attacks on women in the city on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.

A 26-year-old Algerian is charged with attempted sexual assault and theft.

He is accused of being part of a group of 10 men who surrounded and groped a woman in the main railway station in the early hours of New Year's Day.

The large-scale sexual assaults and robberies by men of North African and Arab appearance shocked Germany.

More than 1,000 criminal complaints were filed, hundreds of them alleging sexual assault, after women reported being surrounded by groups of men.

Read more on the BBC News website.

Janet Onyango
BBC Africa, Nairobi

The authorities in Kenya's capital, Nairobi, have begun demolishing residences considered not fit for human habitation in the same area where a building collapse killed more than 30 people.

The first structure that was targeted was a network of eight low-rise buildings with an estimated 600 people living there.

People were warned a week ago to vacate but many were seen taking their possessions out this morning. 

Other buildings lined up for demolition are marked with a red cross.

A British woman who became famous in Nigeria after making YouTube videos in Nigerian Pidgin is making her debut in her first Nollywood film today.

She's known as Oyinbo Princess, and in one of her most watched YouTube videos she tells a story in Pidgen of her days as an air hostess. 

She says  that when she bent over to get some drinks some Nigerian men started talking about her backside in Pidgin. She stayed quiet for a while until whispering a response in Pidgin.    

She told Sahara Reporters last year, external that she lives in Britain and she started learning Nigerian Pidgin from song lyrics by groups like PSquare.  

Oyinbo Princess's film ATM will be released across Nigeria on 13 May.

While the search for human survivors of the building collapse in the Huruma district of Kenya's capital, Nairobi, the Red Cross has tweeted a picture an animal survivor found today. 

It's also tweeted this photo of the small colony of rabbits that were found earlier this week:

More than 30 people have died as a result of the collapse, but yesterday was a remarkable day with four people being pulled out alive.

The demolition of other buildings in the area that are not considered fit for human habitation is beginning today.

Catherine Byaruhanga
BBC Africa Uganda correspondent

Uganda's army is carrying out a review of its deployment in peacekeeping missions in Somalia and the Central African Republic which could see its troops withdrawn. 

According to army spokesman Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, a special committee has been constituted and its recommendations will be followed. 

This is not the first review but it is the first time a withdrawal has been considered. 

A highly placed source who requested anonymity told the BBC that President Yoweri Museveni had mentioned the possible end of both missions to foreign diplomats recently.

Uganda has played a crucial role in bringing relative stability to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, and surrounding areas. It supplies more than 6,000 soldiers to the African Union mission, making it the largest contingent.  

Image source, AFP

Barclays raised £603m ($876 million) on Thursday by selling a 12.2% stake in its African arm, reports the Reuters news agency.

The bank sold 103 million shares at 126 rand each (£5.80; $8.40).

So there is still a possibility that former Barclays' boss Bob Diamond's company could buy the remaining 50.1% of Barclays Africa.

That would end more than a century of involvement by the British bank in Africa.

Image source, Getty Images

We wrote earlier (see 09:02 entry) that the Reuters news agency is reporting that the US government is seeking to sell Nigeria attack aircraft to help in the fight against Boko Haram.

Garba Shehu, a spokesman for Nigeria's president, has told our BBC colleagues in Abuja that he is aware of the discussions with the US over the Super Tucano planes.

In the past, human rights issues have prevented the US from selling heavy weapons to Nigeria.

Image source, AFP

Protesters have burnt 22 schools in South Africa's northern Limpopo province in a dispute over district boundaries. 

The protesters say moves to include their neighbourhoods into a new municipality would delay efforts to get them better housing and water. 

The BBC's Nomsa Maseko reports.

A controversial businessman, Jacob Juma, was shot dead  last night by unknown gunmen in Nairobi. 

The country's largest newspaper, the Daily Nation, says, external: "His bullet riddled vehicle was found in a ditch. The vehicle had 10 bullet holes." 

Image source, Daily Nation

Mr Juma, @kabetes, external, had predicted on Twitter last December that he would be assassinated.

He had sued a state corporation seeking about $5m (£3.5m) in compensation for breach of contract. 

He had also sued the government in 2015 for revoking of his company's mining licence. 

He has also been a critical of the ruling Jubilee coalition on corruption matters and was supportive of opposition leader Raila Odinga. 

The Standard newspaper quotes, external the Nairobi police boss commenting on the death and saying: "We don't know the motive but this seems to be a pure murder."

His death is the top trend on Twitter in Kenya this morning: 

Prime Ndikumagenge
BBC Africa, Bujumbura, Burundi

There's a fuel shortage here in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, and in other parts of the country.

For nearly a week, filling stations have been running dry and there are queues at those places that still have supplies.

The minister of energy told the state broadcaster on Thursday that there should be no reason for any station not to have fuel because there is plenty of it in the country's stocks.

Yet the reality on the ground continues to show the opposite. 

Some here are speculating that wholesalers are unable to get enough foreign currency to import petrol.

The US government is hoping to sell up to 12 Super Tucano attack aircraft to Nigeria to help in the fight against Islamist militants Boko Haram, Reuters news agency reports.

An anonymous source within the administration is quoted as saying that the US also wants to provide more help with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The sale of the aircraft would need to be approved by the US Congress.

The Super Tucano is described by Reuters as a propeller-driven plane that can carry a range of weapons and can be used for attack and surveillance.

Nigeria's army has retaken a lot of territory in north-east Nigeria from Boko Haram in the last year. But the fight against the militants continues.

The seven-year insurgency, which has mainly affected north-eastern Nigeria as well as its neighbours around Lake Chad, has left some 17,000 people dead. 

Image source, AFP

Today’s African proverb:

Image source, AFP

Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to send your proverb.

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