NEWS ANALYSIS

Luanda, Angola | AFP | Angolan state-owned oil company Sonangol rode the commodities boom that drove the country’s extraordinary growth after civil war ended in 2002, but today it symbolises a national economic crisis. The Luanda-based company has increasingly been in focus since Isabel dos Santos, the billionaire daughter of …

Rajoy, the under-estimated survivor who wore his rivals down Madrid, Spain | AFP | Spain’s conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy won back power Saturday, at the age of 61, after a war of attrition against younger rivals who under-estimated his resistance after 35 years in politics. Just like in 2005 …

Paris, France | AFP |  Protestants form a branch of the Christian faith that broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation 500 years ago. Pope Francis has nonetheless strengthened ties with several Protestant denominations, and his trip to Sweden to take part in events marking the anniversary …

Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Sex, drugs and death are the star attractions of the November 8 elections in California, there being little doubt that Hillary Clinton will carry the heavily Democratic state. Should actors in porno movies be required to wear condoms? Abolish the death penalty or …

Beijing, China | AFP | Chinese Communist chief Xi Jinping’s ascension to the highest title in the party hierarchy formalises his position as its pre-eminent figure, analysts said, making him the country’s most powerful leader in a generation and inviting comparisons with Mao Zedong. The ruling party’s declaration that Xi …

Des Moines, United States | AFP | A political earthquake triggered by a fresh FBI email probe rocked Hillary Clinton and her White House campaign Friday, but they weren’t even on the ground to feel it hit. Clinton and her team were on her plane, gliding toward the next campaign …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP |  Ivory Coast heads to the polls Sunday for a referendum on a new constitution their president insists will heal a nation beset by violent turmoil, but which the opposition says is dangerously anti-democratic. Given that President Alassane Ouattara’s political foes have called for a …

The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  Complex diverse political agendas are driving African nations to quit the International Criminal Court, with leaders seeking to cloak the move by reigniting age-old anger at the West, analysts say. Gambia’s announcement that it would be the third country to withdraw from the court …

Dakar, Senegal | AFP | The Gambia has become the latest African nation to announce its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, accusing the war crimes tribunal of “persecuting” Africans. The shock move announced late Tuesday was condemned by rights groups as a “drastic blow” for victims of serious crimes …

Five questions and answers on the ICC The Hague, Netherlands | AFP |  The Gambia has become the third country in just a matter of weeks to announce it plans to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC). The shock announcement will be a personal blow to the tribunal’s chief …