Anne Soy
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Hospitals have begun the process of sacking striking doctors and evicting them from the premises. 

Kenya's public hospitals have been paralysed by the industrial action, which started in December, with doctors and other medical staff demanding better pay and improved working conditions. 

Image source, AP

But the sackings come as the Kenyan doctors’ union say they have now signed the documents needed to end their three-month strike.  

They are calling on the government do the same.

But the authorities say the deadline for accepting the 50% pay rise offer passed two days ago. 

Hospitals have begun carrying out disciplinary measures against doctors who have now been on strike for 95 days. 

The country’s top referral facility, Kenyatta National Hospital, has already sent home 12 doctors. 

Read more: The cancer patient and the medic

Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg

Bogus police cars involved in the brazen airport robbery on Tuesday evening have been recovered in a Pretoria township, the police say.

Thieves stole piles of cash after getting into a secure area of the country's main airport, OR Tambo in Johannesburg.

The head of South African Police Services (SAPS) General Khomotso Pahlane told a media briefing in Pretoria that two of the cars found had “fake police markings”. 

Mr Phahlane declined to confirm the amount of money that was stolen.

Sources said the amount, in different international currencies, could be in the region of $2m (£1.65m).  

Mr Phahlane promised that a high-level investigation currently under way will look into whether it was an inside job:

Image source, Getty

Residents of the Reiger Park suburb of South Africa's main city, Johannesburg, are continuing to protest despite police attempts to quell the demonstrations.

Earlier we reported that police shot and injured five people with rubber bullets as they were trying to break up a protest over local government services.

Police also arrested several people and according to local media, residents are outside the local police station, demanding their release:

The BBC's Newsday programme has been speaking to Times Live crime reporter Graeme Hosken about the robbery at Johannesburg airport on Tuesday.

He said his colleagues were able to gain access to the airport's cargo area yesterday, walking straight past security without being challenged and staying there for about an hour - something he said was "absolutely mind-blowing". 

Hosken said the police investigation was likely to focus on assistance the robbers may have received from people who worked at the airport and in the police.

The robbers had genuine airport photo ID access cards and their mocked-up police vehicles (which were not real police vehicles, as some outlets have reported) were fitted with genuine police badges, markings and radios.

Two of the vehicles have now been closely examined, having been recovered from east of Pretoria late yesterday.

Hosken said the cash taken from the airport had been destined for banks in London and elsewhere in Europe.

You can listen to the full interview with Graeme Hosken by clicking or tapping below. Listen from 31:16.

Time's running out if you want to apply for the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award.

There are just six days to go until applications close on 15 March at 23:59 GMT. 

The award recognises a rising star of African journalism and was established to honour Komla Dumor, an exceptional Ghanaian broadcaster and presenter, who died suddenly aged 41 in 2014. 

The winner will spend three months at the BBC headquarters in London, gaining skills and experience.

Click here for more details .

BBC World Service

Officials in Madagascar say five people are now known to have died from a cyclone that made landfall in the north-east of the island on Tuesday. 

They say about 10,000 people have had to leave their homes because of damage from Cyclone Enawo. 

Local media has reported that power supplies are also down in some areas. 

The emergency services are warning of the threat of flooding, including in the capital, Antananarivo. 

The storm has moved south but has diminished in strength. 

Aid agencies are providing shelter, water and other basic needs to those affected.

Image source, AP

After inaugurating a new president not long ago, Somalia is planning to launch new banknotes this year. 

The old ones are being taken out of circulation to tackle counterfeiting. It's a huge challenge: a huge percentage of the local banknotes are thought to be fake. 

Somalia's getting a helping hand from the International Monetary Fund. It's offering to help with the process of issuing the new notes. 

The BBC spoke to Nairobi-based financial analyst Ally Khan Satchu about the plans.

Sammy Awami
BBC Africa, Dar es Salaam

The Tanzania Electricity Company (Tanesco) has given its defaulters 14 days to pay their debts or risk being disconnected. 

The company's managing director, Tito Mwinuka, told a news conference in Dar es Salaam that ministries and other government institutions owe the company $2.3m (£1.9m) while the Zanzibar Electricity Corporation (Zeco) owes Tanesco $56.8m.

On Sunday, Tanzanian President John Magufuli directed Tanesco to cut off all those in long-term default, including the Zanzibar government.

This morning, Mr Mwinuka refused to comment on the situation regarding Zanzibar. 

The energy ministry recently said Tanesco had debts of $363m and the government had entered talks with the World Bank about a loan for the company "to reduce its arrears and improve its operations".

Tanesco has been relying on costly fuel oil or diesel plants during the dry season and many of its arrears are due to the costs of using private power and fuel suppliers. 

Image source, AFP

At least five people in South Africa have been injured by police firing rubber bullets to break up a demonstration.

Residents of the Reiger Park suburb of Johannesburg were allegedly trying to torch a councillor's house, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports.

They were protesting about the allocation of public housing to foreign nationals in the area. There have also been complaints about the local government's failure to provide basic services such as water and electricity. 

The police are at the scene monitoring the situation. 

The trouble comes after a number of recent clashes in South Africa between foreign nationals and locals.

The Ethiopian government has dismissed claims from a rebel group that hundreds of people have died from cholera in recent days.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) says in a post on its website, external that "more than 300 people have died from a cholera epidemic in the Ogaden during the last 72 hours".

But an Ethiopian government official has told the BBC that "the reports are simply false and deliberate fabrications".

The BBC's media monitoring service says that the ONLF, which has been fighting the government for years, tends to exaggerate reports that are critical of the authorities. 

Image source, AFP

The Kenya Medical Association has published a statement this morning, appealing to government and doctors' representatives to get together "one last time" in an attempt to end the three-month-long strike. 

Doctors' leaders yesterday said returning to work under an imposed order would be "career suicide".

A day earlier,  President Uhuru Kenyatta denounced the doctors' financial demands  as "blackmail".  

Nigeria has reportedly increased security along the road between the capital, Abuja, and Kaduna.

This comes after the temporary closure of Abuja's airport for repairs, with flights diverted to Kaduna.

Passengers now have to travel between the two cities by a road that is notorious for kidnappings.

Reports say police vehicles have been stationed at intervals of about 2km along the road. 

The government ordered the six-week closure of Abuja's airport for runway repairs. 

Most international airlines have said they will not fly to Kaduna because of security concerns.

But Ethiopian Airlines is flying there and on Thursday morning its official Twitter account retweeted a post praising the company:

Read more about the closure here.

Barcelona's heroics in the European Champions League somewhat overshadowed what happened in the other match last night, where Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a hat-trick.

Borussia Dortmund thrashed Benfica 4-0 to ease into the Champions League quarter-finals.

The hosts trailed 1-0 on aggregate from the first leg but Aubameyang levelled the last-16 tie after just four minutes with a header at the back post.

Dortmund took control after Christian Pulisic scored on 59 minutes.

The 18-year-old winger brilliantly chipped onrushing goalkeeper Ederson after being slid in by Lukasz Piszczek.

Aubameyang, who missed a penalty in the first leg in Lisbon, then swept in Marcel Schmelzer's low cross two minutes later before an unmarked Marc Bartra hit the post from a corner.

The Gabon striker completed his treble with five minutes remaining as he turned in Erik Durm's sublime pass.

BBC Sport has more.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, AP

The UN's representative in South Sudan has said the country's leaders are failing their people and neglecting their duty.

David Shearer said the politicians seemed more interested in their own intrigues than ensuring food and medical care reached a population beset by famine and civil war. 

He added that but for international aid tens of thousands more South Sudanese would be dead. 

But Mr Shearer repeated what the UN Secretary General had said on Wednesday that though there was localised fighting between ethnic groups, there was no signs yet of a genocide in South Sudan.

The South Sudanese government has raised the cost of a work permit for a foreign aid worker from $100 to $10,000. 

The BBC's Alastair Leithead has been speaking to people in the south-western town of Yei, who have been giving harrowing testimony of what they allege happened to them and their relatives at the hands of government soldiers. 

The army denies that civilians have been targeted in the conflict. 

Today’s African proverb:

Image source, Getty Images

Click here and scroll to the bottom to send us your African proverbs .  

Welcome to the  BBC Africa Live  page where we'll be keeping you up-to-date with news stories on the continent.