COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright AIIMS Image caption The twin boys were separated after 16 hours of surgery Surgeons in the Indian capital, Delhi, have separated twin boys who were conjoined at the tops of their heads. Two-year-old Jaga and Kalia underwent 16 hours of surgery, and are now in the intensive care unit, doctors said. A team of 30 doctors carried out the surgery - the first of its kind in India - at a state-run hospital. The boys were born with shared blood vessels and brain tissues, a very rare condition that occurs once in about three million births. The director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Randeep Guleria, told the Press Trust of India that the "next 18 days would be extremely critical to ascertain the success of the surgery". The twins, hailing from a village in eastern Orissa state, were joined at the head - a condition known as craniopagus. Even before the operation they had defeated the odds; craniopagus occurs in one in three million bir...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption The seizure of a South Korean boat comes amid rising tension over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's nuclear ambitions North Korea says it will release a South Korean fishing boat it seized six days ago for "illegally" sailing into its waters, state media report. The vessel and its crew will be released "at the military boundary in the East Sea", North Korean state news agency KCNA reported. The decision was made after the crew apologised for the "offence", it added. It comes at a time of heightened tension in the region with both sides running a series of military exercises. North Korea said the release of the fishing vessel, due later on Friday, follows an admission of wrongdoing from those on board, who it said had "repeatedly asked for leniency". An investigation, the North added, had "proved" that the fishermen had entered North Korean waters last Saturday. A South Korean gover...

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Police confronted protesters outside Cayenne's prefecture - the main administrative building Clashes erupted between protesters and police in French Guiana on Thursday night during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron. Petrol bombs were thrown and police responded with tear gas in the French overseas territory's main city Cayenne, amid anger over social deprivation. The territory in South America has 23% unemployment - more than double the rate of mainland France. A huge strike and road blockade gripped French Guiana earlier this year. On Thursday police arrested five protesters during clashes after a demand for an immediate meeting with Mr Macron had been rejected. In March protesters occupied the space centre at Kourou, used by France and the European Space Agency for launching satellites. Protesters complained that money was being poured into prestige space projects while the welfare of ordinary people in French ...

Image copyright AFP Image caption The vice-president is a collector of Michael Jackson memorabilia A French court has handed down a three-year suspended jail term to Equatorial Guinea's Vice President Teodorin Obiang for corruption. The 48-year-old, known for his lavish tastes, is the son of the oil-rich West African country's president. He was absent from the trial, where he was found guilty of embezzlement. His assets in France will be seized, including a mansion on Avenue Foch in Paris. He also got a suspended fine of 30m euros (£27m; $35m). Source: www.bbc.com 

Image copyright REUTERS Image caption Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson denied any wrongdoing Two white farmers in South Africa who forced a black man into a coffin have been sentenced to jail for more than 10 years each. Theo Martins Jackson and Willem Oosthuizen were convicted in August for attempted murder and kidnapping. They accused Victor Mlotshwa of trespassing on their land, beat him up, made him get into a coffin and threatened to burn him alive. Oosthuizen was jailed for 11 years and Jackson was jailed for 14 years. Africa Live: More on this and other stories The case has caused outrage in South Africa and highlighted racial tensions in some farming communities. Media caption Convicted SA farmers sadistic - judge Mr Mlotshwa only reported the matter after footage of the assault emerged on YouTube months later. In a court affidavit, Jackson and Oosthuizen said they did not mean to harm Mr Mlotshwa when the assault happened ...

Media caption Africa Editor Fergal Keane visits two very different Kenyan polling stations Kenya's electoral commission says fewer than 34% of registered voters took part in Thursday's re-run of the presidential election. The figure is sharply down on the initial poll in August, when nearly 80% of the electorate voted. Opposition leader Raila Odinga had called on his supporters to boycott the poll. Voting has been suspended until Saturday in four areas where opposition supporters clashed with police. Mr Kenyatta is seeking a second term. Mr Odinga has pulled out of the contest. Two people were reported killed in the violence, including a teenage boy shot by police during clashes in the opposition stronghold of Kisumu. Legitimacy of Kenya re-run unclear Kenya's controversial vote as it happened Some opposition supporters also prevented people from voting, despite Mr Odinga's calls for them to stay away. The BBC's Tomi Oladipo...