NEWS ANALYSIS

Doha, Qatar | AFP | Gjert Ingebrigtsen admits he is a dictator but one who produces results as three of his sons — Jakob, Henrik and Filip — will contest Monday’s 5,000 metres final at the World Athletics Championships. The youngest of the Norwegian family trio, 19-year-old Jakob — who …

Buea, Cameroon | AFP |  Hi-tech promoters had big dreams for Silicon Mountain in Cameroon, where a broad plateau was seen as perfect for startup ventures, but their hopes have been shattered by a separatist struggle. Entrepreneurs in the tech village wanted to launch new technologies and make Cameroon a market …

New York, United States | AFP | From his New York skyscraper, President Donald Trump should have felt on top of the world. Instead, scandal over his alleged shakedown of Ukraine’s president for dirt on an opponent has brought him to the lowest point of his presidency — and at …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Berlin boxer Zeina Nassar’s fighting spirit has won her plenty of titles, but her battle to wear the hijab in the ring has also made her an equal opportunity champion. Today, the 21-year-old, who discovered female boxing by watching online videos as a teenager, is a …

New York, United States | AFP |  A downbeat Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed as a “joke” the grounds laid out for the impeachment inquiry into him, as Democrats stood firm in accusing the US president of a “mafia-style shakedown” of his Ukrainian counterpart. Trump denied claims he abused his …

United Nations, United States | AFP | Iran’s president on Wednesday closed the door on meeting Donald Trump despite last-minute European efforts to ease tensions as the United States again ramped up punishing sanctions. French President Emmanuel Macron had shuttled between his US and Iranian counterparts over two days at the …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Egyptian authorities have arrested more than 1,000 people, rights groups said Wednesday, broadening a crackdown that has seen prominent critics detained after rare protests calling for the ouster of general-turned-President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The wave of arrests comes ahead of a “million-man march” Friday called for …

New York, United States | AFP | As an impeachment storm rages in Washington, to say that Donald Trump’s tete-a-tete with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was hotly anticipated would be the understatement of the week. And it delivered: their appearance before the media in New York was tense, bizarre and …

Zurich, Switzerland | AFP |  Heidi and Super Mario may not seem to have much in common but anime and video game aficionados will detect the signature style of Japanese character designer Yoichi Kotabe in both. Far from the Swiss Alps, the cherished 19th-century storybook character Heidi has played an unlikely …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Since ascending to power in 2014, Egypt’s general-turned-president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has imposed himself as an uncontested leader, stamping out opposition despite criticism by rights groups. His government has taken no chances and arrested over 600 people after hundreds of Egyptians protested his rule last week. …