BBC Africa Live
Tara John

That's all from BBC Africa Live for now. You can 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 Friday's African proverb:

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

And we leave you with this photo from our selection of the best pictures from the week showing women in Ivory Coast celebrating a festival honouring the Ebrie people.

Image source, EPA

Mozambique's President Filipe Nyusi announced during a trip to Vatican City that the Pope planned on visiting the southern African country next year, to which the Pope replied: "if I am still alive", local media reports.

Their gag-filled meeting lasted 30 minutes.

According to the Catholic News Service's Rome correspondent, Junno Arocho Esteves, the Pope cracked a joke with Mr Nyusi, asking the Mozambican leader: "Do you know the difference between protocol and terrorism?".

"[I] was ushered away before hearing the punchline, but the answer is, 'You can negotiate with a terrorist,'" Mr Esteves said.

The two men also discussed relations between Vatican City and Mozambique.

"During the cordial discussions, the good relations between the Holy See and Mozambique and the valued contribution of the Catholic Church in several sectors of society were underlined, with reference to the Bilateral Agreement signed in 2011 to facilitate the activity of the Church in the country" the Vatican wrote in a press release, external.

BBC Monitoring
The world through its media

Al-Shabab militants have reportedly killed two civilians in Garissa County, in Kenya's north-east, the Star website reports.

They were killed after al-Shabab militants stopped a bus and ordered passengers to produce their identification cards.

Three passengers who were not ethnic Somalis were picked out, according to the Star.

"They were then asked to recite the Muslim Shahada [Islamic declaration of belief in the oneness of God] and the seven verses of Suratul Fatiha [the opening chapter of the Koran]," said a teacher who was in the bus.

One of those targeted managed to recite the verses and was set free, but the other two were killed.

Al-Shabab militants often ambush travellers and security forces in the coastal and north-eastern regions of Kenya.

On 29 August, the militants ambushed Kenyan security forces and reportedly killed five soldiers.

While parts of the commercial centre of Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, has been described as a ghost town (see earlier entry), in the wake of clashes between supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and some residents in the city, the western part of the city is very busy.

Thousands of OLF supporters are walking into Addis Ababa ahead of a rally welcoming back the movement's leaders from exile. They are being escorted by members of the security forces.

The BBC's Habtamu Tibebu has photographed some of them as they make their way into the city:

Security remains tight with a big police presence, especially at junctions to prevent further clashes, our correspondent adds.

Kennedy Gondwe
BBC News, Lusaka

Image source, Getty Images

Zambia’s President Edgar Lungu has hit back at reports suggesting the country's sovereignty is being eroded by China, saying that no amount of "propaganda" will end the country’s relationship with the East Asian country.

Zambia is highly indebted, with the government putting its current external debt at $9bn (£6.8bn).

Analysts speculate the figure is much higher, saying Zambia's debt to China alone is worth more than $5bn.

Concern has mounted following a report by London-based publication, Africa Confidential, which said China could seize some of Zambia's national assets if it defaulted on loan repayments.

The report said the country’s state broadcaster, ZNBC, was Chinese-controlled while discussions were under way for a Chinese company to take over the state-owned power company, Zesco.

Mr Lungu dismissed these suggestions when he opened parliament on Friday, saying Zambia shared the same relationship with China as it did with "Europe, America, India" and African nations.

He also dismissed reports that Zambia risked losing some of its assets:

Although Zambia has announced austerity measures to mitigate its rising debt levels, it is feared the country may continue borrowing after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) delayed a bailout package earlier this year.

Nigerian comedian Gordons D'Berlusconi took time at the end of his UK tour to share some Lagosian wisdom with BBC Africa.

Watch below:

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC Amharic Service, Addis Ababa

Police have fired tear gas in Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, to disperse people in the wake of clashes between supporters of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and some residents of the city.

Parts of Addis Ababa's commercial centre has become a ghost town with business centres, cafes, shops all closed. Police have surrounded the area.

One person died in a confrontation on Wednesday, according to the police. The clashes were sparked by objections to OLF supporters displaying the flag and colours of their movement.

They were also accused of replacing the Ethiopian flag.

The OLF is preparing to welcome its leadership back to the country on Saturday. The group was described as a terrorist organisation but that designation has been dropped as part of reforms brought in by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

Mr Abiy, who became prime minister in April, is the country's first Oromo leader in recent years.

OLF opponents believe that the movement wants to break up Ethiopia, creating a separate Oromo state.

Oromos make up the country's largest ethnic group and were behind a wave of protests in the last few years which challenged the government's authority.

There have been reports on local media that clashes have continued in some outlying parts of Addis Ababa.

The prime minister has appeared on state TV to urge the youth to stop fighting over petty differences, adding that the battle over flags could be settled through dialogue.

Image source, Daniel Getachew

Image source, AFP

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has postponed the mock inauguration of its opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, following a cholera outbreak that has killed around 26 people.

"The anniversary rally will go ahead at a later date to be advised and the venue will remain the same," the MDC said.

The mock ceremony was to coincide with the MDC's 19th anniversary rally at Gwanzura stadium in Highfield township - the epicentre of the outbreak.

Mr Chamisa says he was robbed of his victory by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the July election.

Ugandan opposition MP Kaps Fungaroo has complained that he is unable to access apps like Twitter on his official iPad because parliament is not paying the controversial social media tax.

The 200 Uganda shilling [$0.05, £0.04] per day tax on using social media apps came into effect in July. It inspired protests as some complained that it stifled the right to freedom of expression.

Mr Fungaroo told parliament that he is unable to communicate with people on his iPad without those apps.

The office of the administrative head of parliament has responded by saying that the iPads were issued to cut printing costs. Instead of receiving physical copies of large reports, MPs now read them on their tablets.

The data contract with the service provider does not include the social media tax, but MPs are free to use their own devices to get on social media, it adds.

Image source, AFP

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has agreed to reduce an unpopular fuel tax which caused strikes and widespread anger when it came into force earlier in the month.

In a speech to the nation, the president proposed to halve the levy to 8%,

Mr Kenyatta said he had listened to Kenyans concerns over rising prices, the East African reports.

We previously reported that Mr Kenyatta had rejected a proposal, which would have postponed the tax for two years - signalling that the he seemed unwilling to scrap the unpopular fuel duty.

Jessica Nwankwo
BBC Igbo, Lagos

Two men alleged to have stolen the corpse of an elderly woman and held the body for ransom in south-eastern Nigeria have been arrested by the police.

Police from Oweri, the capital of Imo state, say the men stole the body from a hospital's mortuary, took it into the bush and demanded a ransom of 4m naira ($11,000; £8,400) from the hospital and the family of the deceased, according to the police.

The suspects, who are ex-convicts, were caught in a sting operation and the body has since been returned to the family.

The men were recently released from jail after serving six and 14 years respectively on kidnapping charges.

Pumza Fihlani
BBC News, Lagos

Comic book, science fiction and fantasy fans are in for a treat at Comic Con Africa.

The three-day event begins today at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and International Convention Centre in Johannesburg.

Organisers hope to attract comic book lovers from all over the continent as the convention offers a uniquely African experience.

Comic Con Africa features live performances, exhibition stands, science fiction films and of course collectibles such as figurines, clothing, gadgets, video games and loads more.

The line-up includes the creators of the local comic book, Kwezi. The 19-year-old titular character is a contemporary superhero that uses his powers to tackle social issues with the street savvy of any Johannesburg teenager.

Excitement has been building on Twitter about the event:

Image source, Getty Images

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has named a new cabinet after firing the previous one as the country faces a growing economic crisis, with annual inflation above 60%.

The size of the cabinet has been slashed from 31 ministers to 21.

The new ministers include: Abdullah Hamduk as finance minister, Ahmed Bilal Othman as interior minister, Khadr Mohamed Qasmallah as minister of water resources and electricity.

The petroleum and mining ministries have been merged and is now headed by Azhari Abdel Qader, while the foreign affairs, defence and presidential affairs ministers from the previous governments have kept their posts, Reuters reports.

Ministers are due to be sworn in later on Friday.

Ishaq Khalid
BBC Africa, Abuja

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari has appointed a new head of the country’s domestic spy agency, known as the Department of State Security (DSS).

A statement from Mr Buhari’s spokesman says the new spy chief, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, has experience in intelligence gathering, investigation, research analysis and conflict management.

The former head of the agency, Lawal Musa Daura, was sacked last month by Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, who served as acting president in Mr Buhari’s absence.

Mr Daura was a close ally of President Buhari.

The sacking followed a controversial blockade of the parliament by security operatives.

Since then a director in the agency, Mathew Seiyefa, has been heading the DSS as acting director-general.

Image source, Reuters

Read more: Heroes and villains of Nigeria's parliament siege.

Zimbabwe has set up a crowdfunding campaign to help its emergency response to a cholera outbreak, which has killed around 25 people.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube tweeted about the initiative on Thursday, providing the mobile payment account number of the finance ministry:

The waterborne disease was first detected last week in a township outside the capital, Harare, and is now spreading rapidly in the city, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.

"There are now 3,766 cases. The number of deaths is now 25," Health Minister Obadiah Moyo told journalists on Thursday, AFP news agency reports.

The decision to crowdfund has been met with a mixed response on Twitter:

Image source, Getty Images

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected a finance bill on Thursday, which would have postponed an unpopular 16% tax on fuel for two years. This had led to strikes and widespread anger.

The president will address the matter during a speech later today.

Parliament will also reconsider the bill "together with the reservations of the president" on 18 September, according to a gazette notice signed by the national assembly speaker, Justin Muturi, Reuters reports.

The levy on all petroleum products was introduced at the beginning of this month.

It is part of a government effort to boost revenue collection and to slim its fiscal deficit and secure a loan facility with the International Monetary Fund.

Watch: Fury in Kenya over new fuel prices

Our proverb of the day:

Image source, Getty Images

Click here to send us your African proverbs.

Welcome back to BBC Africa Live where we'll be keeping you up to date with news and events on the continent.

That's all from BBC Africa Live until Friday. You can 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 Wednesday's African proverb:

And we leave you with this picture from the funeral procession of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who has been buried in Accra:

Image source, AFP

An Ironman is one of sport's toughest challenges - requiring monster swims and bike rides and a marathon run - so just imagine wanting to do one after nearly losing your legs in a horrific chainsaw attack.

In March, Mhlengi Gwala was ambushed on an early morning training run in his native South Africa by three men who dragged him into bushes at gunpoint and tried to saw off his legs.

Remarkably, not only did the 27-year-old survive with both legs intact, he returned to running just four months later - with an iron will and an unbreakable spirit.

"I will do it soon, maybe after three or four years. As soon as I have fully recovered I will do it," Gwala told BBC Sport Africa.

"I won't sit in a house and lock myself in the doors because of them. I have to come out and do what I love."

Read more of Mhlengi Gwala's story on BBC Sport