NEWS ANALYSIS

Athens, Greece | AFP |  As the longest-serving prime minister of the Greek bailout era, and also the youngest in 150 years, Alexis Tsipras found himself applying unpopular austerity cuts dictated by the country’s creditors after a stunning policy U-turn in 2015. But over four years, his government also sought …

Belo Horizonte, Brazil | AFP |  Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino scored the goals as Brazil beat arch-rivals Argentina 2-0 on Tuesday to qualify for the Copa America final. Jesus and Firmino netted a goal apiece in each half to give Brazil a victory which ensured Lionel Messi’s frustrating wait …

Lyon, France | AFP |  She was determined to give the credit to other members of her team, but Alex Morgan stepped up on the big occasion with the winning goal against England to take the United States through to the final of another women’s World Cup on Tuesday. The …

Athens, Greece | AFP |  Greece is holding its first post-bailout general elections on Sunday after a campaign focused on middle-class tax complaints, the Macedonia name deal and security. Here are profiles of the two main contenders: – Tsipras: leftist austerity PM – On the back foot after four nearly …

Athens, Greece | AFP |   Greeks head to the polls on Sunday in a snap ballot that could bring an end to Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s leftist government. Here are five things to know about the vote, the third in Greece since May following European and local elections. – Greeks …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US trade war truce with China which could ease sanctions on Huawei has prompted a backlash from lawmakers over national security concerns amid confusion over how the deal may impact the Chinese tech giant. In the weekend agreement with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping …

Dublin, Ireland | AFP |  When the other new members of the European Parliament take their seats in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Barry Andrews will be sitting at home, unable to attend because of Brexit. Basking in the sun in Dublin, the 52-year-old Irish politician is on an unwanted holiday as he …

Paris, France | AFP |  A welcome temperature drop came to western parts of Europe on Sunday, after almost a week-long heatwave, but hundreds of Spanish firefighters and soldiers continued to battle three major blazes. France too had to contend with fire in the south of the country — and some …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudanese protest leaders called for a one-day nationwide “civil disobedience” campaign on July 14, in an announcement on Monday a day after they organised mass protests against the ruling generals that rocked the country. The move, which aims to increase pressure on the ruling generals …

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP |  Iraq is establishing a financial “loophole” to continue buying vital gas and electricity from Iran despite US sanctions, AFP has learned, mirroring a European mechanism that came into effect Friday. The “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) would allow Iraq to pay for imported Iranian energy in …