Dhaka, Bangladesh | AFP | Bangladeshi twins conjoined at birth have gone home nearly a year and a half after being separated in the country’s first such successful operation, a doctor said Tuesday. Two-year-old sisters Tofa and Tahura, joined at the spine and at the rectum, underwent a gruelling nine-hour …
Read More »Morocco king meets Gabon president Bongo in hospital
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Morocco’s King Mohammed VI on Monday visited Gabon’s President Ali Bongo at a military hospital in Rabat where the Gabonese leader is recovering from an illness, an official source said. During the visit, the king said he was pleased about the state of Bongo’s health …
Read More »Nigerian president denies rumours surrounding his ill health
Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday quashed a rumour stemming from his ill health that he had died and been replaced by a lookalike impostor from Sudan, his spokesman said. “It’s real me, I assure you. I will soon celebrate my 76th birthday and I …
Read More »This heelless running shoe allegedly prevents injuries
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Looking at the new running shoes unveiled by Spanish start-up FBR you would be forgiven for thinking it incomplete, but the missing heel in the sole is actually by design. Athletic trainer Franc Beneyto came up with the idea for a heelless running shoe five …
Read More »Did you know? The difference between green and black tea
The difference between green and black tea Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Both green and black tea come from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis tea bush. Whether these tea leaves end up green or black depends on how they are processed or in other words how they are ‘finished’ …
Read More »Woman eats only noodles for weeks, ends up in the hospital
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A young university student who ate only instant noodles for three weeks straight in order to save money for Singles Day – China’s version of Black Friday – ended spending all of her savings on medical bills after her unusual diet made her sick. Instant …
Read More »Protests as Sri Lanka cuts tax on sugary drinks
Colombo, Sri Lanka | AFP | Sri Lanka Saturday slashed a tax on sugary drinks in a controversial reversal of an anti-diabetes policy that attracted immediate criticism. The finance ministry ordered an immediate 40 percent reduction in the levy as part of a package of tax cuts launched by the …
Read More »Niger reports sharp drop in new AIDS infections
Niamey, Niger | AFP | The number of new AIDS infections in Niger dropped by more than two thirds between 2012 and 2016, the health ministry said Saturday, in a statement marking World AIDS day. Health Minister Idi Illiassou said new infections in the four-year period under review fell from …
Read More »Now, Gabon president in Morocco to convalesce
Rabat, Morocco | AFP | Gabon’s President Ali Bongo arrived in Morocco on Thursday to convalesce after a month’s treatment at a Saudi hospital for an illness that has not been officially revealed. The 59-year-old leader of the oil-rich West African state had been in hospital in Saudi Arabia since …
Read More »Measles cases rise 30 percent worldwide
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | Measles cases worldwide jumped more than 30 percent last year compared to 2016, with increases recorded in wealthy European countries like Germany where vaccination coverage has historically been high, the UN said Thursday. The World Health Organization said the worrying trend of resurgent measles cases …
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