That's all from the  BBC Africa Live  page this week. Keep up-to-date with what's happening across the continent by listening to the Africa Today podcast  or checking the BBC News website.

A reminder of our African proverb of the day: 

Click here to send us your African proverbs

And we leave you with this picture of boys competing in a team dance battle in Goma, the main city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, from our collection of  top shots from across the continent this week

Image source, .

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

The advocacy group Amnesty international is calling on Tunisian authorities to stop harassing independent journalists.  

It comes after the lengthy interrogation of Sami Gharbia, the founder of Nawaat, a popular news website in the country, over a story it published based on governemnt leaks.

The story was about secret plans by the presidency to pass an amendment to a controversial bill that would grant a pardon to allegedly corrupt former officials who worked under the deposed President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, if they give back a sum of money to the state.

There have been increased complaints by local journalists in recent months about the state’s alleged attempts to meddle with their work. 

Amnesty International says Mr Gharbia was questioned and intimidated for six hours. 

His interrogators allegedly tried to uncover the source of the leaked report, as well as information on writers who contribute to the news site.

Image source, AFP

The US soldier who was killed during an operation in a village approximately 64 km (40 miles) west of the capital, Mogadishu was a Navy Seal, an elite military unit,  the Reuters news agency reports quoting an anonymous US military source. 

It is unclear if the other two soldiers who were wounded are from the same unit. 

A statement from US Africa Command said that the soldier was part of an unit advising the Somali National Army. 

Reuters reports that US troops, alongside Somali special forces were hunting for Abdirahman Mohamed Warsame, known as Mahad Karate, a top al-Shabab commander near the Shabelle river. 

"Warsame played a key role in the Amniyat, the wing of al-Shabab responsible for assassinations and the 2 April, 2015 attack on Garissa University that resulted in 150 deaths," according to the Rewards for Justice website, which is run by the US State Department.

An al-Shabab spokesman said their base had been attacked but the US forces retreated, claiming it had inflicted heavy causalities on them.

Residents of Darusalam village said the gunfire lasted for around 10 minutes. 

"Last night, helicopters hovered over us and we were scared. Then late at night, there was fighting," resident Mohamed Hassan told Reuters.  

Read: Who are Somalia's al-Shabab?

Image source, Image copyrightAFP

People in Ethiopia have been celebrating Patriots' Day today, marking the return of Emperor Haile Selassie to the capital, Addis Ababa, and the defeat of the Italian occupying force.

The emperor went into exile in 1936 after the Italian invasion the year before.

The League of Nations - the forerunner to the United Nations - failed to support Ethiopia in the face of Italian aggression.

But in the fight to liberate Ethiopia, the patriots were backed by British and other allied forces.

Shingai Nyoka
BBC Africa, Harare

Comedy has taken centre stage for the first time at Harare International Festival of Arts.

A new crop of funny men and women are using the art form to push boundaries in a way few can do outside of comedy without being arrested.

In one of the acts, Zimbabwean Doc Vilakazi - a young comedian - openly lampoons the President Robert Mugabe:

Denigrating the president or the army can land a person in jail.

But top Zimbabwean comedian Carl Joshua told me there is more tolerance for political comedy now. 

He said that it took a long time to get to this point with shows being shut down before they even happened.

But now, he added, ministers are humorous in their response to being attacked.

Football's world governing body Fifa has backed Ghanaian player Sulley Muntari who was booked by a referee in an Italian Serie A match after complaining about racist abuse from opposition fans.

It is not clear exactly why the referee made the decision, but Muntari then received a second booking for leaving the pitch and has been suspended for one match.

In a statement Fifa says it "would like to express full solidarity with Muntari. 

"Any form of racism on or outside the field is totally unacceptable and has no place in football."

Ghana's FA has also tweeted a reaction today to the weekend's incident:

The online business magazine Quartz Africa, external has released its annual list of African Innovators:

Quartz Africa editor Yinka Adegoke says "we’ve identified more than 30 Africans who aren’t waiting for help from the outside. The influence of their work goes well beyond their immediate community and will ultimately impact millions of lives".   

There are 33 names on the list including: 

• Nicole Amarteifio, creator of the very popular online series An African City exploring the lives of five women who have returned from abroad to live in Ghana's capital, Accra.
• Temie Giwa-Tubosun, creator of LifeBank which "helps hospitals and doctors find and order blood types through its marketplace app" 
• Chid Liberty, who established fairtrade label Liberty & Justice which "provides work and education opportunities for Liberian women vulnerable to unemployment"   

French voters will on Sunday head to the polls to choose between centrist Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen as their next president. 

Our resident presidents give their take on who will be best for France: 

Nigeria's presidency has tweeted three pictures of President Muhammadu Buhari's first public appearance in more than a week. 

Mr Buhari attended Friday prayers at the mosque in state house grounds after he uncharacteristically missed the service last week. 

There has been a lot speculation about Mr Buhari's state of health since he returned from seven weeks of medical leave in the UK in March.

Three African elite athletes will attempt to run the marathon (26 miles 385 yards, 42.195 km) in under two hours in a project being sponsored by sports giant Nike. 

Olympic marathon champion Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, Eritrean Zersenay Tadese, the half-marathon world-record holder, and Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa, a two-times Boston Marathon winner – will be trying to do shortly before dawn on Saturday, the UK Guardian reports. , external

Image source, Getty Images

Kenyan Dennis Kimetto's current world record, set in 2014, stands at 2:02:57.  

Sports scientists have been working with the team to see if a sub-two-hour marathon is humanly possible.

Nike says its Zoom Vaporfly Elite shoes, which use a special carbon-fibre plate, external in the soles make runners 4% more efficient than Nike’s previous fastest marathon shoe, boosting their running economy.  

Also, the event will be held on the Monza Formula One track in Italy, selected for optimal temperature and wind levels.

And everything has been worked out so that the athletes record the fastest time possible:

The result will however not be registered under the rules International Association of Athletics Federations. 

The Guardian describes the attempt as  "one-third science experiment, two‑thirds PR masterstroke and shoe advert for Nike, which has ploughed millions into the exercise".

There's been a lot of reaction on our Facebook page to a post about President Muhammadu Buhari's rare public appearance today (see earlier story).

Lawal Jidda was very pleased:

Muktar Abdullah is praying for the president:

But Ifeanyi Ekwealor is less impressed:

And others are sceptical that the video shot by our reporter today is real.

Frankgentle Prince unleashes President Trump's favourite insult: 

South African footballer Benni McCarthy says he had to overcome racist abuse while playing in Holland and Spain, but that fans in England would insult his mother, but not the colour of his skin.  

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has appeared in public for the first time in more than a week, according to a tweet from one of his aides.

The short video shows him chatting with people after leaving Friday prayers in the mosque in state house.

There have been concerns over the president's health as he has barely been seen since returning from seven weeks of medical leave in the UK where he was being treated for an undisclosed illness.

He has also missed the last three cabinet meetings and did not appear for Friday prayers last week.

But his advisers have said that he was resting and working from home.

BBC Monitoring
News from around the globe

Throughout the campaign, Algerian officials insisted on the importance of a high participation in the election as a key to national stability. In the event, only 38% of voters turned out.

But they were up against a social media movement which called on Algerians to boycott the vote.

It culminated in a viral video entitled Mansotich – “I will not vote” - which argued that the Algerian government does not work in the interests of ordinary Algerians. 

It was viewed over 3.5 million times on YouTube:

Another video by Anes Tina, entitled a “message to MPs” carried a similar message:

Mansotich has quickly become a political slogan and hashtag adopted by frustrated Algerians as a means of expressing their grievances.

Politicians initially accused the activists of being manipulated by “obscure powers”.

But when asked about voter turnout during the announcement of results, Interior Minister Noureddine Bedoui said: “This demonstrates the strength of our youths and the solidity of our society, by guaranteeing their rights [to protest]”.

The death of the American soldier in Somalia comes just three days after, external the newly-appointed head of the US task force for the Horn of Africa Brig. Gen. David J. Furness visited Mogadishu.

At the time he said "we are committed to working with partner nations to help Somalia stand strong against this violent extremist organisation".

Image source, US Government

In April, the US said it was sending dozens of troops to Somalia to train forces fighting Islamist group al-Shabab.

It was the first time regular US troops were deployed in Somalia since 1994, although some counter-terrorism advisers were already there.

In 1993, 18 US special forces personnel were killed in the incident dramatised in the Hollywood film Black Hawk Down.

The death of the soldier announced today is thought to be the first time the US has officially acknowledged the death of one of its service personnel in Somalia.

Basketball's governing body Fiba has changed headgear rules to allow players to wear the hijab. 

Rachida Belaidi, the captain of Algeria's national women's team, tells BBC's Focus on Africa programme that the ruling is long overdue and will "help Arab sport": 

Here is the complete statement, external from US Africa Command on the death of the US soldier in Somalia:

A US soldier has been killed and two others injured in Barii town, 64 km (40 miles) west of the Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, a statement from US Africa Command says, external.

It adds that the soldiers were part of a unit advising the Somali National Army forces.

CNN quotes a US official saying they were part of the "airstrikes and ground missions against terror". 

In March, US President Donald Trump relaxed some of the rules for preventing civilian casualties in Somalia when counter-terrorism air strikes are carried out, laying the ground for an escalating campaign against militant Islamists in the country.   

Rana Jawad
BBC North Africa correspondent, Tunis

An election marked by voter apathy, driven by low confidence in politicians and struggling economies, is hardly a new trend in this region.  

Algeria’s ruling FLN, and its traditional allies, have retained their majority in parliament, and with that, the people’s distrust in their abilities to bring about change. 

It’s not just about the future leaders: It’s also about bread, jobs, and the ability of the state to deliver socio-economic reforms with minimum damage to the livelihoods of its people.  

Algerians have long lost confidence in their politicians to do that.  

Like other oil-based economies in Africa, the drop in oil prices in recent years had crippling effects.  

The country’s new legislators were hoping for a high voter turnout because they needed a strong mandate from their electorate for the inevitable spending cuts and reforms that are coming.  

Now they will have to work a lot harder on building bridges and trust.

Image source, Reuters

Valerie Bony
Ivory Coast, BBC Afrique

Ivory Coast wildlife officials with the help of South African specialists have been moving a two-and-a-half tonne rhinoceros to a protected forest.

The rhino is a descendant of four white rhinos that were given to former President Felix Houphouet Boigny by South Africa.

In the Ivorian civil war, which broke out in 2002, their park was invaded by armed men, part of their enclosure was destroyed and they escaped. 

The four adults died but the baby rhino survived. 

For almost 15 years it lived between two villages, among the inhabitants, but last year it killed a village chief, kicking him by accident. 

So for its security and that of the villagers it is now being transferred, also the rhino’s horns were cut off so he would not be killed by poachers.