Iringa, Tanzania | AFP | A pair of conjoined sisters are settling into campus life at a Tanzanian university, a first in a country where disabled people are often marginalised or abandoned at birth. Maria and Consolata Mwakikuti, 20, who are joined at the abdomen, have become minor celebrities in the …

N’Djamena, Chad | AFP | The Chadian government said Thursday that more than 50 people have died of cholera in Chad where authorities have since declared an outbreak. “We count 312 cases, including 52 deaths,” said health ministry secretary-general Hamid Djabar. Authorities declared a cholera outbreak on Monday, which put in …

Washington, United States | AFP | US efforts to train Afghanistan’s security forces are being hampered by slapdash instruction, shoddy oversight and governance failures, a watchdog warned Thursday as America sends thousands more troops to the war-torn nation. American assistance to the Afghan army and police has topped $70 billion since …

Frankfurt am Main, Germany | AFP | German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said Thursday it would invest $1 billion in an Alabama factory as it prepares for electric vehicle production in the United States. “We are significantly growing our manufacturing footprint here in Alabama… We will be able to quickly ramp up …

Paris, France | AFP | L’Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt, the world’s richest woman whose old age was clouded by dementia, has died at the age of 94, her family said Thursday. “Liliane Bettencourt died last night at home,” her daughter Francoise Bettencourt Meyers said in a statement. “My mother left peacefully.” …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Chelsea and Atletico Madrid announced Thursday that they had reached an initial agreement that would see Diego Costa return to the Spanish club. “Atletico de Madrid and Chelsea have reached an initial agreement for the transfer of Diego Costa,” the Spanish side said in a statement. …

Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah has appealed to Members of Parliament, Equal Opportunities Commission, and institutions of government and others to champion equal opportunities for all. “The future of our great nation among other things largely depends on the importance we attach on issues …

Paris, France | AFP | Premier League champions Chelsea are the subject of a FIFA investigation, reportedly for possible breaches over the signing of foreign youth players, world football’s governing said on Wednesday. “We can confirm that an investigation is ongoing,” a FIFA spokesperson told AFP. “However please note that we …

Paris, France | AFP | British scientists have used genome “editing” technology to reveal the role of a key gene in the early development of human embryos, a potential boost for fertility treatment. They used genome “scissors” called CRISPR-Cas9 to snip out a gene called OCT4 from fertilised eggs. OCT4 is …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Google is set to announce it is buying part of Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The deal for HTC’s smartphone design unit would give the US tech giant more control of its mobile handset hardware as it seeks to …