Africa highlights: Mugabe - 'I'm still boss', Celine Dion applauds Gabonese mimic

A video by Nigerian singer Peter Okoye, one half of the R&B duo P-Square team, is trending on social media in Nigeria.

He released it this week to ask forgiveness from fans for a bitter quarrel with his twin brother and singing partner Paul.

But he tells them not to worry as P-Square is now back together.

The story of a Malawian HIV-positive man paid to have sex with girls as young as 12 years old has shocked Malawi's President Peter Mutharika, he has told the BBC's Anne Soy.

Not that he had never heard of the practice of "kusasa", when families in southern Malawi pay sex workers to take their daughters’ virginity, but because he thought country had left such a harmful practice in the past. 

It would seem the president was also embarrassed after the BBC feature about Eric Aniva, a sex worker known in Malawi as a "hyena", went viral.

BBCCopyright: BBC

Mr Mutharika personally ordered for his arrest, we reported yesterday. 

Read: The man hired to have sex with children

There's still a lot of interest on social media in the music star Koffi Olomide, who was detained in DR Congo days after he was deported from Kenya for allegedly kicking one of his dancers. He denies the assault. 

Fans have been sharing this image of the singer, posted on his Facebook page with the appeal to his supporters to post it on their social media accounts as an expression of support.   

Koffi OlomideCopyright: Koffi Olomide

Our reporter in Kinshasa, Poly Muzalia, says he will remain in custody at a police station for the next four days until he appears before a judge, who will decide whether to charge the rumba star over the kicking incident, which was filmed and went viral.

UBA, one of Nigeria's biggest banks, has denied any link to the recent coup attempt in Turkey.

The denial follows allegations in one of Turkey's pro-government newspapers that the bank was used to move funds for the plotters.

Quote Message: UBA is aware of the on-going spurious media speculation linking our institution to recent events in Turkey. In the light of this, we believe it is necessary to categorically state that UBA has no involvement in or connection to these accusations, which are clearly false.

UBA is aware of the on-going spurious media speculation linking our institution to recent events in Turkey. In the light of this, we believe it is necessary to categorically state that UBA has no involvement in or connection to these accusations, which are clearly false.

Quote Message: We remain focused and firmly committed to delivering on our strategy to build Africa’s premier banking institution." from Charles Aigbe UBA's head of communications

We remain focused and firmly committed to delivering on our strategy to build Africa’s premier banking institution."

EPACopyright: EPA

The album 22 Strings, by Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita, won this year's Songlines Music Awards in the Africa and Middle East category.

BBC Africa's Manuel Toledo met him recently as he was touring Europe with the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, presented by Africa Express and asked him why 22 strings when koras - the West African harps - are usually known as 21-string instruments.

We reported on Monday that Nigerian canoe slalom athlete Johny Akinyemi was stranded at Germany's Frankfurt airport while on his way to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He had missed his connecting flight meaning he was already late for training and it was looking doubtful that he would be able to compete at the Olympics. 

But the canoeist wasn't stuck in Frankfurt without a paddle, so to speak, as he has tweeted that he has finally made it to Brazil:

Patron Palushang has always loved to make musical instruments. 

And even though he had to flee from his home in the Democratic Republic of Congo, he kept on making guitars. 

He told BBC Outlook started his own business in a camp for displaced people in Malawi, earning himself the title "Refugee Guitar Maker":

Indonesia has confirmed it will execute 14 people on death row for drug crimes in the coming days, including citizens of Nigeria and Zimbabwe.

UN human rights officials have expressed concern over the planned executions, urging Jakarta to put an end to "unjust" capital punishment.

They will be executed at Nusakambangan prison island.

The prisoners have been notified of the plans for their executions, in accordance with Indonesian law, and could be put to death as early as Friday.

Read the BBC News story for more

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

The capital of Kenya, Nairobi, is sometimes called the city in the sun.So it may be surprising to learn that it has had an ice rink for a decade.It may be even more surprising to learn that there is an ice hockey team trains at the rink and they are aiming to qualify for the Winter Olympics in 2018.   

Watch them play:

The US is earmarking $127m (£97m) to provide food, seeds and other emergency assistance to millions of people in southern Africa at risk from the effects of changing climate conditions.   

AFPCopyright: AFP

The drought caused by El Nino weather phenomenon has put about 18 million people in six southern African countries, including Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi, at a "heightened risk" of hunger over the next three to six months, USAid says.

The money from the US development agency is part of a $300m commitment to the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) to try to insulate farmers and communities against drought and to safeguard some of the recent development gains. 

These include rolling out new technologies such as solar power, more sophisticated irrigation systems and changed farming techniques, designed to make farmers more resilient to increasingly erratic weather patterns. 

Countries such as Zimbabwe - once the breadbasket of Africa - already face a one million tonne food deficit.

Experts say without preemptive action the economy and healthcare sectors are likely to be hardest hit - proving more costly to restore in the long run.

EPACopyright: EPA

President Robert Mugabe was subdued when he emerged out of his Zanu-PF headquarters to see the thousands of ruling party supporters.

He must be experiencing one of his most trying times.

For six days he has been silent on the subject of the war veterans, who last week urged him to step down, saying they were withdrawing their support for him.

It was a statement that must have rattled him as the usually buoyant 92-year-old did not look himself.

However, as provincial party chairperson after provincial party chairperson began relaying messages of solidarity, asking him to continue his rule, he looked more rejuvenated.

At that point, he smiled back, briefly had a chat with his wife before confidently walking to the podium to address the crowd.

His message was aimed at war veterans, who have divided into factions over the battle for succession within Zanu-PF, but most of those in the audience were from the party’s youth and women’s leagues.

He threatened to deal firmly with his detractors, punish wayward war veterans, warned foreign embassies not to undermine his government before preaching for unity within his party’s ranks.

By the end he looked more like a man in control of his destiny.

A video of a Gabonese teenage boy singing Celine Dion's The Power of Love has been viewed more than two million times on Facebook.

He was filmed by a friend of his sister at the bottom of the stairwell in the capital, Libreville.

The Huffington Post is among those saying he sounds exactly like the Canadian singer:

In less than a week, the 17-year-old was become a bit of a national star and was invited on Gabonese TV shows. 

But then last night, Samuel's vocal doppelganger Celine Dion herself, shared the video, saying, "Samuel, your talent is as big as your voice."  

Samuel told the BBC's Charles Stephane Mavaoungou that he used to sing during break times at school.

During one break he was belting out a tune and his classmates overheard and couldn't believe it was him singing.

"When they entered the classroom, they began to applaud," he said.

Burundi's government has dismissed a report by Human Rights Watch alleging that the ruling party's youth wing, Imbonerakure, has been carrying out gang rapes since April 2015 (see earlier reports). 

Presidential spokesman Willy Nyamitwe posted a series of tweets describing it as "a publication of falsehoods", adding that the allegations were not new. 

Translation: "#Imbonerakure is not a gang of rapists. @hrw's branding is dangerous and jeopardises its credibility. # Burundi"

Translation: "These false allegations are not new and have been denied. The lack of substance diminishes @hrw. # Burundi"

BBCCopyright: BBC

The supermodel Nykhor Paul has a big farm waiting for her in Akobo, South Sudan, which she could return to "if they stop the war right now".

She revealed this when asked if she would return to South Sudan on BBC Trending's Facebook Live interview.

She also compared what's been happening in South Sudan to the ‪#‎BlackLivesMatter‬ movement in the US.

 You can watch her answering anyone's questions from the live video.

Ghana’s Supreme Court has sentenced a radio presenter and two panellists who contribute to Montie FM, a radio station in the capital, Accra, to four months in prison for threatening to kill judges.

According to the court, the threats were made during a morning show just as the Supreme Court was about to deliver a judgement about irregularities in the voters' register.

One panelist threatened to kill the Supreme Court judges if they were biased in their judgement.  

The three were charged with contempt of court.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Earlier we reported that hundreds of people are at the airport in DR Congo's capital, Kinshasa, to welcome home veteran opposition leader Etiennes Tshisekedi.

Mr Tshisekedi is something of a myth in the DR Congo. 

The 83-year-old played a political role throughout the country's post-colonial history, famously standing up to former President Mobutu Sese Seko at a time when opposition parties were banned. 

He went on to become the runner-up in the 2011 presidential election against Joseph Kabila

He says he won that poll and many of his supporters consider him to be the country's rightful ruler. 

He left the country in 2014 for medical treatment in Belgium.

He's now expected to take part in an opposition demonstration this weekend and call on President Kabila to stand down in December.

Opponents suspect Mr Kabila will go against the constitution and try to extend his rule.  

It is expected Mr Tshisekedi's presence at the opposition demonstration will attract thousands and increase pressure Mr Kabila to hold a vote this year.

We have just heard from the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg that South Africa's public broadcaster has agreed to reinstate seven of the eight journalists it sacked.

We reported earlier that the broadcaster said it would appeal against yesterday’s ruling made by a labour court that journalists should get their jobs back.

They had been sacked after criticising SABC for banning footage of violent protests.

SABC argued it had taken the decision to maintain public order as the TV images might encourage others to join in.  

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has flown home from his team Borussia Dortmund's tour in China to attend the birth of his second child. 

He will miss a friendly against Manchester City on Thursday. 

Aubameyang has been linked with a move to Manchester City, but Borussia Dortmund's coach, Thomas Tuchel, says he is "totally confident" the striker will remain at the German club.

Zimbabweans are reacting to the news that the Zimbabwean stock exchange traded just $105 (£80) yesterday.

Newspaper publisher Trevor Ncube can't quite believe it:

This tweeter says the low trade levels tell a wider story:

Another tweeter says it is time for change:

And, to put it into perspective, is this comparison: