Ahmed Umar, 20, from Somalia, tells the BBC why he decided to leave Mogadishu, the capital city of his native country, to try and reach Europe:

In South Africa 56 former gold miners are attempting to hold the gold-mining industry to account.

A court has begun hearings to determine if miners suffering from debilitating lung diseases can proceed with a class action lawsuit. They say they contracted the illnesses at work.

Thom Pierce is a photographer who went to meet some of the miners. He's been speaking to the BBC's Newsday programme.

The internal organs of an Angolan activist who is on hunger strike after being detained are "in a critical condition", according to the Africa Report, external website.

Luaty Beirao, who is also a well-known musician, was arrested with 14 others in June for allegedly plotting the overthrow of the president.

Image source, Africa Report

The Angola researcher for Human Rights Watch, formerly a BBC Africa journalist, tweets that another group of activists have also been detained:

Researchers at Tanzania's Sokoine University, external are training rats so that they can be used to detect land mines and tuberculosis - using their extraordinary sense of smell.

These rats from Tanzania have been used to eradicate land mines in Angola Mozambique and Cambodia

The BBC's Robert Kiptoo filmed one rat as it was being trained (there is no commentary):

Researchers say the rats can detect mines buried up to 30cm underground, and that they are more efficient than conventional metal detectors. 

BBC Monitoring
Janet Onyango

An Egyptian cargo plane carrying food for the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) crash-landed last night in Arbiska, outside the town of Afogye, in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region. 

The plane reportedly ran out of fuel after it was unable to land at Mogadishu airport because the airport was closed. 

According to Somali news sources, all 6 crew survived the crash and were rescued.

Kayode Fayemi, the former governor of Ekiti state, is the second prospective Nigerian minister to be vetted by the Senate.

He's currently answering questions from the senators, external:

Image source, LegisTV

Mr Fayemi has been defending his record, according to tweets from the Senate:

BBC Monitoring
Janet Onyango

Imperial Bank Ltd, a commercial bank with 25 branches in Kenya and Uganda, has been put into receivership by Kenya's Central Bank, over what it describes as "unsafe or unsound business practices". 

Receivership means that the running of the bank will now be handed over to an outside body.

Twitter users have been posting the Central Bank's statement on the decision:

Kenya's Central Bank ordered the Dubai Kenya Bank to be placed under receivership in August, shortly before demanding its closure.

Twitter users are concerned that this could be a trend:

In the Central African Republic up to 10,000 children have been part of rebel groups on both sides of the conflict.

In April, both sides signed a landmark agreement to release all the children in their ranks - so far just under half have been freed.

The BBC's Stephanie Hegarty has spoken to three children released in July, who are trying rebuild their lives as fighting continues around them:

Gideon Baah has taken an unusual route to international footballing success.

The Ghanaian, who now plays club football in Finland, got his big break from a football TV show called MTN Soccer Academy.

Christopher Opoku, a football reporter who worked on the show, has been telling Newsday more about Gideon's journey:

In January, 15-year-old Nigerian schoolgirl Victoria Yohanna was in the hands of Boko Haram, after being kidnapped in one of the group's deadliest raids in the north-eastern town of Baga.

Between 150 and 2000 people were killed - there was a big difference between official and local estimates. 

Unlike so many others, Victoria managed to escape her captors, and this afternoon, she will be speaking, external in the UK's House of Lords about her ordeal at the hands of the group. 

Victoria is one of several Christians giving testimony at the events, which is raising awareness about religious persecution across the world. 

Boko Haram targets both Christians and Muslims. 

Nigeria's Senate will be vetting 10 of the ministers proposed by President Muahmmadu Buhari.

This will be the president's first cabinet since coming to power at the end of May.

Clashes between police and students in Maseno University in the west of Kenya has left one student dead, Kenya's Daily Nation, external reports.

The trouble began after police allegedly shot at a vehicle being used in a student political campaign, the newspaper reports.

A later report from TV network KBC says that two students died in the clashes. 

Image source, Daily Nation

Nigeria's Senate is due to start going through the list of President Muhammadu Buhari's proposed ministers, once the second batch of names has been read out.