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

A reminder of today's wise words:

Click here to send us your African proverbs

And we leave you with a picture of the winners of Mr and Miss Kibera, a beauty competition in Kenya's largest informal settlement in the capital, Nairobi.

Nigerian-American comedienne Yvonne Orji has been making a name for herself on US television and in comedy clubs across the US.

BBC Focus on Africa's Leslie Goffe went along to see Yvonne Orji perform at a comedy club in New York recently.

After the show she shared her parents reaction when she told them she was dropping out of medical school to become a comedienne.

Image source, Afolabi Aigoro

Several people have been killed in an explosion at a gas retail shop in Nigeria's commercial capital, Lagos, eyewitnesses have told the BBC.

This was the second gas explosion in Lagos today after an explosion in Magodo area killed at least two persons and seriously injured eight.

The latest explosion was suspected to have been caused by excessive heat on the cylinders locked up in the shop in the city's Badagry area, the eyewitnesses added.

The director of Lagos Fire Service, Rasaq Fadipe, confirmed the incident, saying his men promptly responded to a "distress call" and brought the situation under control.

Mr Fadipe said he could not comment on the number of casualties, as he had not been fully briefed about the incident and investigations were still under way.

See earlier post for more details

Image source, Getty Images

Members of South Africa's radical opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), have once again stormed clothing chain H&M at the Mall of Africa, near Johannesburg, TimesLive reports., external

The move is part of its ongoing protest against the fashion chain for advertising a brand with a controversial picture of a black child, which was interpreted to be racist.

The picture, which H&M apologised for several days ago, had shown a young black boy modelling a green hoodie with "coolest monkey in the jungle" written on it.

The company was widely criticised on social media for the advertisement.

On Saturday, EFF members stormed H&M stores in Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town leading the fashion chain to the close 17 stores, IOL reports. , external

Meanwhile‚ the foundation of the late anti-apartheid activist, Ahmed Kathrada, said the H&M management and marketing division should undergo anti-racism and diversity training so that "there can be a change of attitude within the company around issues related to race".

Spanish police in the Canary Islands say seven African migrants have died trying to reach the island of Lanzarote.

Five people were found dead in a drifting inflatable boat and two others died trying to swim to shore.

Image source, EPA

About 20 survivors are being treated for hypothermia by local medical services.

Lanzarote is about 150km (93 miles) from the Moroccan coast.

Nigerian theatre producer Bolanle Austen-Peters has has been working on a musical about renowned Afrobeat musician Fel Katu, with a focus on his 27 wives.

She tells the BBC's In The Studio programme that Fela Kuti's works was the inspiration for Fela and Kalakuta Queens.

She says that it just occurred to her that "nobody ever talks about the 27 wives".

Watch her story below:

Mary Harper
Africa editor, BBC World Service

The main opposition party in Equatorial Guinea says one of its supporters has died in prison after being tortured.

Citizens for Innovation said Santiago Ebee Ela was detained earlier this month in the capital Malabo.

The party says more than 200 of its members have been arrested in the past few months.

There has been no word so far from the authorities.

Equatorial Guinea said it thwarted an attempted coup last month, led by mercenaries who attempted to cross the border from Cameroon.

Image source, AFP

A mining company operating in Lesotho says it has dug up the fifth largest diamond ever discovered.

The company, Gem Diamonds, says the stone weighs 910 carats - and is about the size of two golf balls.

It was found in northeast Lesotho at the Letseng mine, which is known for the size and quality of the diamonds it produces.

The gemstone may be worth more than $40m (£29m) due to its very high quality.

Image source, Getty Images

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has said that he will protect the country's water supply whilst seeking peace with Sudan and Ethiopia, two countries it has been rowing with over territory and the use of the Nile, news agency AFP reports.

Mr Sisi said in a speech on state TV that he would seek peace with the neighbouring countries, adding that "Egypt will not go to war with its brothers".

Egypt fears Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam will affect water supply to the country which almost entirely depends on the Nile.

It has long maintained that it has historic rights to use the Nile, and to veto projects on the world's longest river.

Egypt also had a contentious row with Sudan over Halayeb triangle, which lies near the Red Sea in a mineral-rich border region. Both countries claim ownership of the territory, which Egypt currently controls.

Last May, Sudan banned imports of Egyptian agricultural and animal products. It recalled its ambassador from Cairo on 4 January for "consultations".

Mr Sisi said in his TV address that the country would strengthen its military, adding:

Mr Sisi said his message was directed at Egyptians as well as "our brothers in Sudan and in Ethiopia so that the issue becomes clear for them."

The Egyptian president announced last week that the country is building a massive wastewater treatment and desalination plant to cope with potential shortages.

Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry visited the Ethiopian capital last month for talks on the Renaissance Dam project on the Blue Nile.

The hydroelectric dam is designed to produce 6,000 megawatts of power - the equivalent of six nuclear-powered plants.

The construction began in 2012 and was initially expected to commission it in 2017. But Ethiopian media reports say only about 60 percent has so far been built.

Image source, Getty Images

Ghana's foreign ministry has denied reports that it has summoned the US ambassador to the country over the derogatory remarks made by President Donald Trump against African countries and Haitians.

Media reports had said, as we reported earlier, that Foreign Affairs Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey had summoned the US envoy over the comments that referred to Africa as a "shithole":

Farah Yussuf
BBC Monitoring

Image source, FACEBOOK

Acclaimed Somali singer Khadija Abdullahi Daleys has died in Toronto, Canada. She was 81.

Somali information minister Abdirahman Osman announced Daleys’ passing on his Twitter account.

She rose to fame in 1952 when she became the first Somali artist to sing on the state-run Radio Mogadishu, Mr Osman said.

The singer was once a member of the Waaberi Band, a well-known Somali music and dance troupe.

The minister did not disclose the cause of death of the singer’s death.

Privately-owned Radio Goobjoog said Daleys “was ill for some time and died in a hospital in Toronto”.

BBC Yoruba reporter Joshua Ajayi has been to the scene of the deadly explosion and fire at the Second Coming gas plant in Nigeria's commercial, capital, Lagos.

He sent us these photos from there:

At least 10 people have been killed in fierce fighting at an airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, forcing the suspension of all flights.

Rival militias clashed at Mitiga airport which has served as the main hub for civilian flights since the international airport was partially destroyed in fighting several years ago.

Tripoli has been riven by violence involving various armed groups since the uprising in 2011.

The clashes had died down to some extent in recent months as a number of groups currently aligned with the internationally recognised government have increased their hold on much of Tripoli.

Image source, AFP

Victor Kenani
BBC Africa, Nairobi

A man in Kenya has been charged with having unnatural acts with two goats belonging to his neighbour.

The 35-year-old man was accused of killings the goats immediately after committing the heinous act.

The prosecution presented the carcasses of the two goats as evidence before a shocked courtroom in Kangundo, east of the capital Nairobi.

The accused told the court he was tortured and beaten by police who arrested him.

The magistrate ordered the man be taken to hospital for treatment following the alleged beating and released him on $1,000 bail, or surety equivalent to the same amount.

The case resumes on 29 January 2018.

Kenyan law imposes a prison sentence of up to 14 years for anyone found guilty of bestiality.

Such cases are not new in the country. Last March, a man was jailed for 15 months for having unnatural act with a chicken in western Kenya, claiming he was too afraid to chat up women.

Image source, AFP

Perry During
BBC Pidgin

Authorities in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, have confirmed that two people died and eight others were injured in a fire which broke out at a gas station early this morning.

Firemen on duty at the station and people living in makeshift houses near the gas plant were among the causalities, Adeshina Tiamiyu, a top official at the city's emergency services, told BBC Pidgin.

Some of the victims were severely burnt.

The cause of the fire is unknown but an official statement will be available after a thorough investigation, he added.

The wounded are being treated at the Lagos Emergency Centre.

One survivor, believed to be the fire official on duty at the gas plant, has been transferred to another facility for further treatment.

African Union Commission chief Moussa Faki Mahamat has formally protested to the US about President Donald Trump's alleged use of the word "shithole" to describe African nations.

Mr Mahamat met the US' ambassador to the AU, MaryBeth Leonard, to express the pan-African body's indignation, and to stress the importance of "respect for a mutually beneficial partnership".

The AU official posted a tweet in French following the meeting:

See earlier post for more details

Emmanuel Igunza
BBC Africa, Nairobi

Local reports in Ethiopia say a court in the capital, Addis Ababa, has dropped charges against the leader of the opposition Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC).

Merera Gudina was arrested in December 2016 after arriving in the country from Brussels where he had attended a meeting with European parliamentarians.

He was accused of breaching the terms of a state of emergency that had been imposed following a massive wave of protests in the country.

Image source, AFP

Stephanie Hegarty
BBC Africa, Lagos

Image source, AFP

Nigera's militant Islamist group Boko Haram have released a video which claims to show some of the Chibok girls still in captivity.

In the video, a girl dressed in full niqab appeals to her parents to embrace Islam.

Dressed in a blue and white niqab, the young woman’s face is concealed, only her eyes can be seen as she recites prayers in Arabic and then switches to Hausa language.

"This is to you, our parents” she says, asking them to convert to Islam.

She said the girls are married to Boko Haram fighters now and don’t want to return home because they are being "well-treated".

It’s unclear whether she's being forced to speak. She's surrounded by about 10 other young women, most of whose faces can be seen. Their identities have yet to be confirmed.

One of them is holding a small baby and beside her, a little girl of about two years is playing.

It’s the second video Boko Haram have released in the past two days, the first claims to show a Nigerian air force jet shot down by the militants.

Stills of the video published online also show Abubakar Shekau, the leader of one faction of Boko Haram.

He's standing, holding a gun and refuting claims by the Nigerian army that he is seriously injured.

The videos were released through Nigerian journalist Ahmad Salkida, who has had exclusive access to Boko Haram for some time.

Of the 276 girls kidnapped in Chibok four years ago, 112 are still missing.

Read: Vigilantes fight Boko Haram

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Image source, Getty Images

Some clashes erupted in Tunisia overnight as anti-austerity protests continued, despite government pledges earlier that welfare support would be increased.

In the Kram suburb in the north of the capital Tunis, 12 people were arrested after confrontations with police, privately owned Mosaique FM, external radio reported.

The station said one of those arrested was a "dangerous takfiri" - a reference to Islamist extremists.

Clashes between protesters and police continued late into the night, with security forces using tear gas to disperse protesters who burned tyres in an attempt to block roads in the area.

Meanwhile privately owned Shems FM , externalquoted a security source saying "young offenders" had taken advantage of the situation to loot shops.

Protests were also reported in Feriana in the western Kasserine Governorate, where police used tear gas to clear the area, according to Shems FM.

The Interior Ministry said that a further 41 people had been arrested.

Read: What is Tunisia like?

South African comedian Loyisa Madinga has made his debut on US TV as an African correspondent for the Daily Show.

The show is hosted by another South African comedian, Trevor Noah.

Madinga's debut piece was about the ongoing leadership tussle in the governing African National Congress( ANC).

He interviews party members and asks if their newly elected leader Cyril Ramaphosa would be good for the ANC because "he is a billionaire."

Watch his piece below as shared by Comedy Central: