NEWS ANALYSIS

Niamey, Niger | AFP | African leaders will meet Sunday in Niger for the African Union (AU) summit, to sign a landmark free trade agreement, and to discuss looming security and migration crises on the continent. In a “historic” moment for the 55-member bloc, according to its chairman Moussa Faki, heads …

Khunjerab , Pakistan | AFP |  Finishing nearly 5,000 metres above sea level after hundreds of kilometres winding past blackened glaciers and snow-capped peaks: a new Pakistani race presents a world-class challenge for cyclists — climbing towards the “Roof of the World”. The Tour de Khunjerab — its name a …

Athens, Greece | AFP | Greek voters are casting their ballots on Sunday in the country’s first national election of the post-bailout era, with leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s Syriza party expected to be ousted by the conservative opposition. Polling stations opened at 07.00 am local time (0400 GMT)and will close …

Lyon, France | AFP |  Led by the charismatic Megan Rapinoe, the United States are aiming to retain the women’s World Cup as they face European champions the Netherlands in the final in Lyon on Sunday. A sell-out crowd of close to 60,000 is expected for the showpiece game of the …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | After months of political uncertainty, Sudan has taken its first step towards a democratic transition, but getting the ruling generals to deliver on a power-sharing accord with protesters remains a challenge. “The only path forward is a negotiated deal between the two sides,” said Alan Boswell, …

Teresópolis, Brazil | AFP |  At just 22 years of age, a back-to-back Premier League title winner with Manchester City and having scored 17 goals in 34 matches for five-time world champions Brazil, it might seem absurd to say it, but Gabriel Jesus was under pressure coming into the Copa America. …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP |  The UN Security Council called Friday for a ceasefire in Libya as the death toll from a three-month offensive on Tripoli reached 1,000, including scores killed in an air strike that hit a detention centre for migrants. The council condemned the late Tuesday attack on the …

Electric scooters: not so eco-friendly after all? Paris, France | AFP |  E-scooters touted as zero-carbon urban transport are flooding city streets worldwide, but just how green they are remains an open question. The companies — from multinationals to local start-ups — distributing them insist the omnipresent two-wheel vehicles are a …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Crowds of jubilant Sudanese took to the streets of Khartoum on Friday to celebrate a landmark deal between protest leaders and the country’s ruling generals aimed at turning the page on months of political unrest. The power-sharing deal, reached in the early hours after two days …

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | AFP | Brazil will be looking to maintain their defensive invincibility against Peru in Sunday’s Copa America final, midfielder Casemiro says. The hosts have yet to concede a goal in the tournament, including when they thrashed Peru 5-0 in a group-stage match earlier in the competition. …