set of twin born holding hands.

US twin baby sisters born holding hands

A pair of US twin sisters who were born holding hands were breathing on their own after being removed from a ventilator, their mother has said.

Jillian and Jenna Thistlethwaite shared an amniotic sac and placenta, a rare condition known as monoamniotic birth.
"They're already best friends," said their mother, Sarah Thistlethwaite.
They were born on Friday in the US state of Ohio, grasping each other's hands when doctors lifted them up for their parents to see after delivery.
Monoamniotic birth occurs in only one in 10,000 pregnancies.
Ms Thistlethwaite, 32, was monitored for weeks at Akron General Medical Center in Akron, as monoamniotic twins are at risk from becoming entangled in each other's umbilical cords.
She told the Akron Beacon Journal newspaper that holding her children was "the best Mother's Day present ever".
"I can't believe they were holding hands," she said. "That's amazing."

Peace Deal in Sudan

South Sudan rivals Kiir and Machar agree on a peace deal

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar have agreed a peace deal after a five-month conflict.

The deal calls for an immediate truce and the formation of a transitional government ahead of the drafting of a new constitution and new elections.
The conflict in the world's newest state has left thousands dead and more than one million homeless.
A ceasefire agreed in January collapsed within days, with both sides accusing each other of restarting the fighting.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday's agreement "could mark a breakthrough for the future of South Sudan".
"The hard journey on a long road begins now and the work must continue," added Mr Kerry, who played an instrumental role in bringing together the two sides.

  Rebel and government forces have been fighting since December in the world's newest state

. The conflict has left thousands dead.The UN has accused both the South Sudanese government and the rebels of crimes against humanity, including mass killings and gang-rape.

The rivals signed the deal in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa late on Friday, after their first face-to-face meeting since the hostilities began.

South Africans go to the polls.

South Africa in post-Nelson Mandela elections

 

South Africans are voting in a general elections as the country marks 20 years since the end of white-minority rule.

The African National Congress (ANC) is tipped to win, returning President Jacob  Zuma  for a second five-year term.
These are the first elections since the death in December of Nelson Mandela, the country's first black president.
Correspondents say voting has begun smoothly with long queues and there is an air of excitement, especially amongst first-time voters.
Correspondents say police have been deployed to areas where there have been scene of violent protests and political tensions.

Ahead of today's voting more than 22,000 polling stations have been set up across South Africa  for  some 25 million registered voters who joined the queues earlier to vote.

The ANC is expected to win more than 60% of the vote, although opinion polls show there is disaffection with the country's leadership.But it is not clear whether this will translate into a significant swing for the opposition.

  

The ANC's main challenger is the Democratic Alliance (DA), the liberal pro-business party led by anti-apartheid activist Helen Zille and The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), launched last year by former ANC youth leader Julius Melema .

Those born after the end of apartheid in 1994 are casting their first national ballots, although only a third of those entitled to do so have registered to vote.  Many first-time voters are excited to be able to cast their ballots for the first time

More girls abducted in Nigeria

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More Nigerian girls kidnapped  by suspected Boko Haram militants

Suspected Boko Haram militants have kidnapped eight more girls in northeastern Nigeria.

The latest kidnapping happened on Sunday night in the village of Warabe, in Borno state. The girls taken were between the ages of 12 and 15.
On Monday, Boko Haram's leader threatened to "sell" more than 230 girls seized from their school, also in Borno, on 14 April.
The Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram has left thousands dead since 2009.
 Warabe, the site of the latest abductions, is a stronghold of the Islamist movement.
The gunmen arrived in two trucks and also seized animals and food from the village.
Communications are very poor in the area, which explains why the news took several days to emerge.

  Protesters have taken to the streets in Nigeria, calling for the girls taken on 14 April to be released

The village is also close to the Sambisa forest, where the first group of schoolgirls is thought to have been taken.
Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau released a video on Monday confirming that his group had abducted them.
There is mounting domestic and international anger at the Nigerian government's failure to find the girls.
The US called the kidnappings an "outrage" and said it was offering the Nigerian government assistance in trying to find the girls.
Boko Haram, which means "Western education is forbidden", has attacked numerous educational institutions in northern Nigeria.

OSCAR PISTTORIUS BACK IN COURT AFETR TWO WEEK BRAEK

OSCAR PISTORIUS IN COURT

  Oscar Pistorius could face life imprisonment if found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

South African athlete Oscar Pistorius "was broken" after shooting his girlfriend, his neighbour has said, as the murder trial resumed after a two-week break.

Johan Stander was the first person the athlete called after shooting Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year.
The South African Olympic sprinter denies intentionally killing her.
He says he shot through a toilet door while in a state of panic, fearing there was an intruder in his house.
The trial was adjourned on 17 April for an Easter break after Mr Pistorius and two expert witnesses had given evidence for the defence.

Mr Stander explains  that he thought Mr Pistorius' reactions showed that the shooting had been a mistake.

"I saw the truth that morning and I feel it," he told the court.
"He was desperate to save her [and] prayed to God."
Recent break-ins
The Paralympic athlete, 27, has a pen in hand and is listening intently to his neighbour as he testify in court.
Mr Stander, who lives about 350 metres from Mr Pistorius said he received a call at 03.18 on 14 February 2013.
He said the athlete told him: "I shot Reeva. I thought she was an intruder, please come quick."
Mr Stander said that when he and his family arrived at the house, they saw Mr Pistorius coming downstairs with Ms Steenkamp in his arms.
"I could see she had a head-wound," Mr Stander said.
"He was broken. He was screaming, he was crying, he was praying," he said, his voice breaking with emotion.
"It's not something I would like to experience again," he said.
"He asked us to assist him to take her to hospital."
Mr Stander also said there had been several recent break-ins in the private estate where he and Mr Pistorius live.

However, under cross-examination, he accepted that it was a safe place to live.

  The couple had been dating for just a few months when the incident happened in 2013

  Prosecutor Gerrie Nel accused Mr Pistorius of "tailoring his evidence" during his cross-examination

Before the Easter break, the athlete faced several days of cross-examination from the state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who accused him of using emotional outbursts "as an escape".
As well as neighbours, the athlete's defence team is expected to call on a ballistics expert.
A psychologist is also set to be called to speak about Mr Pistorius' disability and his acute sense of vulnerability.
The prosecution has sought to show a pattern of reckless behaviour by the athlete and has argued that a reasonable man would have checked before firing four bullets through a locked door.
If found guilty, the 27-year-old - a national sporting hero and double amputee dubbed  could face life imprisonment.
Ms Steenkamp, 29, was a model, celebrity TV star and law graduate.
If Mr Pistorius is acquitted of murder, the court must consider an alternative charge of culpable homicide, for which he could receive about 15 years in prison.
He also faces charges of illegally firing a gun in public and of illegally possessing ammunition, both of which he denies.
There are no juries at trials in South Africa, and his fate will ultimately be decided by the judge, assisted by two assessors.