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Manjula Patel serves traditional Gujarati vegetarian dishes at her popular restaurant, Manju's.

Newly-wed Robert Kaweesi, from Birmingham, has been missing in Uganda since Wednesday.

That's all from the BBC Africa Live team until Friday morning Nairobi time, but in the meantime you can keep up with the latest stories on the BBC News website.

Plus you can listen to the Africa Today podcast.

Here's a reminder of our wise words of the day:

And we leave you with this picture by South African artist Sthenjwa Luthuli:

Favour Nunoo
BBC News Pidgin

A Ghanaian farmer is in a distressed state after accidentally cutting part of his testicles and damaging his penis while sleeping.

Kofi Atta has been in hospital since the accident happened at the beginning of this month.

The 47-year-old told BBC News Pidgin that he is still raising money for surgery that doctors say he needs.

But how did the accident happen?

Speaking from hospital, Mr Atta said: “I was sitting in my chair when I dozed off. In my sleep I dreamt that I was cutting some meat in front of me."

Somehow he then acted out his dream in real life.

“I don’t remember how I picked up the knife."

He recounted that neighbours responded to his screaming for help in his sleep. When they entered his home they saw that he was alone in the room and bleeding.

Patience Atuhaire
BBC News, Kampala

Image source, Justine Katantazi

Police in Uganda are searching for a British citizen who is suspected to have drowned in the River Nile on Wednesday evening.

The 48-year-old tourist had travelled with his family on holiday to the north-west of the country. Incidents of tourists drowning in the Nile in Uganda are uncommon.

The family of six tourists and a driver had checked into a lodge on the banks of the Nile in Pakwach, before going swimming in the river, his wife Justine Katantazi has told the BBC.

Robert Kaweesi, a British citizen of Ugandan origin, is said to have jumped into the river to rescue his 12-year-old son, who had got into trouble.

The son, only identified as Lucas, was rescued by bystanders, but Mr Kaweesi is still missing, a regional police spokesperson said.

Tourist lodges normally advise visitors to be cautious about swimming in the river.

A spokesperson for the UK's foreign ministry said that they are supporting the family and in contact with local authorities in Uganda.

The couple had travelled on holiday with their four children, Ms Katantazi said.

She described her husband as a happy and jolly man.

Zeinab Mohammed Salih
Journalist

Image source, AFP

The police in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, have fired tear gas at thousands of protesters who took to the streets to demonstrate against the military junta.

Young men and women carried the Sudanese flag as well as large pictures of those who had been killed in previous protests. They chanted “no to military rule” and “civilian government is the people’s choice”.

They also burned tyres and threw stones at the police.

The authorities closed one of Khartoum's bridges that links to an area of the city containing the military headquarters. That was where people gathered in 2019 before the coup against President Omar al-Bashir.

This protest is part of the build-up to a planned general strike on 24 August.

Last October, the army seized power from a civilian-led government that was supposed to run the country for a transitional period before elections following Bashir's 30-year rule.

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Emergency services in Algeria are continuing to try to put out forest fires in the north and far east of the country, which have killed at least 38 people and injured more than 200 others.

Officials say that 11 children are among those who have died in the fires that have been ravaging the region for the past few days.

Eyewitnesses say that many of those killed were in an animal park when they were surrounded by flames.

The authorities fear that the fires may again spread because of fierce winds in the area.

Juneydi Farah
BBC News

Renowned Somali poet Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame Hadraawi has died in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, aged 79.

Hadraawi was widely regarded as the greatest living Somali poet - dubbed by some as the Shakespeare of Somalia.

Born in 1943 in Togdheer, he was known to Somalis by his nickname Hadraawi, meaning "the master (or father) of speech".

The poet had been ill for some time.

Hadraawi wrote the lyrics to more than 200 epic poems and the lyrics to more than 70 songs.

His early work was broadcast across the region and in the 1970s he wrote poems that were critical of Somali President Mohamed Siad Barre's government.

He ended up being imprisoned for five years for the work. After his release, he went into exile in Djibouti, but continued his political criticism through a series of poems that were memorised and widely recited.

After the collapse of Somalia's central government in 1991, Hadraawi led a caravan for peace, which tried to promote understanding and reconciliation across the Somali regions and the diaspora.

People have been sharing their condolences online:

Listen to a programme made by the BBC's Mary Harper about the poet.

We reported earlier that US Senator Chris Coons is in Kenya for meetings with Deputy President William Ruto - who was declared the winner of last week's presidential election - as well as his main rival, Raila Odinga, who disputes the result. A meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta was also arranged.

The US Embassy in Nairobi has now tweeted that the senator and Mr Ruto have met.

They discussed "the US-Kenya strategic partnership, promotion of peace and security in the region, and ways to strengthen [the two countries'] economies".

As deputy president, Mr Ruto still has official duties to perform, but in the tweet there was no mention of Mr Ruto's victory or the dispute around it.

The deputy president tweeted that "the talks touched on the just concluded elections in the country".

The US has not yet congratulated Mr Ruto on his win. Earlier in the week, the US Embassy in Nairobi did note that he was declared the winner and praised the electoral commission and Kenyans for the peaceful and orderly voting process.

Senator Coons has also met Mr Odinga to discuss "shared democratic values", according to the US embassy's Twitter account. Again, there was no mention of whether the election was discussed.

The senator also met President Uhuru Kenyatta in what was described as "a courtesy call".

Kalkidan Yibeltal
BBC News, Addis Ababa

Billene Seyoum, speaking for Ethiopia’s prime minister, has denied accusations by Tigrayan forces that they were being targeted by federal troops.

On Wednesday, Tigrayan spokesperson Getachew Reda accused the government in Addis Ababa of undermining efforts to find a peaceful solution to the country’s civil war by “taking provocative actions against our forces”.

But speaking to journalists on Thursday Ms Seyoum said the accusations were “deflections” and a way to avoid engaging in peace talks.

Efforts to bring the warring parties together to end the 22-month conflict in Ethiopia’s north have reportedly shown progress in recent months. But in the past few days the two sides have exchanged strong words with the Tigrayan forces accusing the government of deliberately delaying talks.

But Ms Billene said the government is “willing to engage anytime… and come to a conclusive agreement on an immediate ceasefire”.

Image source, Getty Images

The Dubai-based Emirates airline has said it will suspend flights to Nigeria from the start of September as it has been unable to repatriate its money from Nigeria.

The problem has arisen because Nigeria has restricted access to foreign exchange, the Reuters news agency reports.

The government has not yet commented.

In a statement, Emirates said it had “made considerable efforts to initiate dialogue with the relevant authorities for their urgent intervention to help find a viable solution.

“[It is] regrettable there has been no progress.”

Flights will stop from 1 September “to limit further losses and impact on our operation cost”.

In June, the International Air Transport Association said that Nigeria was not handing over $450m (£370m) owed to various airlines, Reuters says.

Emirates said it could reconsider its decision “should there be any positive developments in the coming days”.

Affected travellers can get refunds for their tickets, it added.

Kenya's President-elect William Ruto and his main rival in the recent election Raila Odinga are scheduled to meet US Senator Chris Coons who is on a five-country Africa visit.

The US has not yet congratulated Mr Ruto following the official declaration that he had won last week's election. Mr Odinga has said he does not recognise the result.

Senator Coons and his delegation will also meet with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The senator arrived in the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday night and will hold talks with the three leaders on "health, security, and economic prosperity", the US embassy said.

The delegation will also meet conservationists, health providers and organisations working to empower girls.

The trial of a former businessman suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the genocide in Rwanda will start on 29 September, a court has ruled.

Eighty-seven-year-old Félicien Kabuga appeared at a court in The Hague for a pre-trial hearing.

He was detained in France two years ago after escaping arrest for more than two decades.

In the 1990s, Mr Kabuga was president of the radio station Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines, which broadcast calls for the killing of Tutsis.

He stands accused of genocide, incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity.

He will be tried in a court that is the successor to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which finished its work in Tanzania in 2015.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda led to the killing of 800,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus.

Chris Ewokor
BBC News, Abuja

Image source, AFP

Power has been restored in Nigeria after a nationwide blackout due to a workers' strike over pay.

Africa’s most populous nation was plunged into darkness on Wednesday after the workers shut down the national power grid.

The electricity workers’ union had said it wanted to compel the government to honour an agreement from 2019 to pay former employees of a state-owned electricity company.

They accused the government of failing to address staff welfare issues.

The workers, under the National Union of Electricity Employees, called off the strike on Wednesday night after a meeting with the government.

They have threatened to resume the strike in two weeks if their demands are not addressed.

Nigeria’s power sector (electricity generation and distribution) was fully privatised in 2013; but corruption and inefficiency have ruined any progress.

Incessant power cuts have forced many Nigerians, including entrepreneurs to rely mostly on petrol or diesel-powered generators to power their homes and businesses.

Samba Cyuzuzo
BBC Great Lakes

Image source, AFP

The European Union and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature in the Democratic Republic of Congo have accused M23 rebels of shelling and "significantly" damaging a hydropower plant at a national park.

The rebels are said to have used heavy weapons to shell Virunga National Park during deadly clashes with the army on Tuesday in Rutshuru territory in eastern DR Congo.

In a statement on Twitter, the EU in DR Congo said it condemns the M23 for “sabotage on a public facility that gives electricity to habitants in North Kivu”.

The EU - which funds the construction of hydropower plants around Virunga park - called on the M23 to “immediately lay down the arms and vacate occupied area”.

Since June, M23 rebels have been occupying areas bordering the park, which is home to endangered mountain gorillas.

The Congolese Institute of Conservation cited local people, external as saying that two heavy artilleries came from a M23 position 5km (3 miles) away to hit the plant causing “significant materials damage”.

The institute said none of their employees was harmed as they were evacuated when the clashes broke, but adds that “there were many victims in surrounding villages”.

The rebels have denied attacking the facility, saying that nature conservation facilities “are not military targets” of their attacks.

The group's head of its political wing, Bertrand Bisimwa, released a statement, external saying the institute's allegations were "made-up" to absolve the army and its allies from “their horrendous act”.

Local media say six people were killed during the Tuesday clashes.

Nigerian musician Buju BNXN will have questions to answer after boasting on Twitter of how he spat on a police officer's face, police have said.

The musician, whose real name is Daniel Benson, has since deleted the tweet.

A spokesman of Lagos state police said the star "will surely answer for his assault on a police officer".

Benjamin Hundeyin also said in a tweet , externalthat the police officers involved would also be investigated if it turns out they misbehaved..

Local media outlets report that the musician was involved in an altercation with police officers on Wednesday afternoon - which may have led to the tweet.

A video of the confrontation has been circulating on social media.

Image source, Getty Images

A former businessman suspected of being one of the masterminds behind the genocide in Rwanda is set to appear in court on Thursday in The Hague.

Eighty-seven year old Félicien Kabuga was detained in France two years ago after escaping arrest for more than two decades.

In the 1990s, Mr Kabuga was president of the radio station Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines, which broadcast calls for the killing of Tutsis.

He stands accused of genocide, incitement to commit genocide and crimes against humanity. He will be appearing in a court that is the successor to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which finished its work in Tanzania in 2015.

The 1994 genocide in Rwanda led to the killing of 800,000 Tutsis and thousands of moderate Hutus.

Read more:

• Rwanda genocide: How Félicien Kabuga evaded capture for 26 years

Cat Wiener
BBC World Service Newsroom

Image source, AFP

At least one person has been killed in Guinea during a day of protests against the ruling military junta.

Reports from the capital, Conakry, say a teenage boy was shot dead by the security forces as the motorcade of the military leader Col Mamady Doumbouya passed through the city.

An opposition group says a second young man was also shot.

Police deny this.

Clashes broke out during the day, as demonstrators hurled stones at officers, who retaliated with tear gas.

Several people were arrested.

Guinea's military, which seized power last September, has banned all demonstrations. It has pledged to move to civilian rule within three years.

BBC World Service

Image source, Reuters

Relations between France and Mali have continued to deteriorate, with the west African country accusing its former colonial power of supplying arms and intelligence to anti-government militants.

In a letter to the UN Security Council, Mali's Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop says France has violated its airspace on multiple occasions and delivered arms to Islamist fighters in an attempt to destabilise his country.

France categorically rejects the accusations.

Relations between the two countries have broken down following two coups and a decision by Mali's military rulers to work closely with mercenaries from Russia.

On Sunday, France said all its soldiers had now left Mali, where they had been fighting Islamist militants for nearly 10 years.