Madrid, Spain | AFP | Lionel Messi stole the show with two free-kick goals in a blistering display as Barcelona maintained their lead at the top of La Liga with a thumping 4-0 derby win over Catalan rivals Espanyol. The Argentine superstar curled home two sensational set-pieces and set up …

Miss World | 2018 Continental | WINNERS Belarus | Europe Mexico | Americas Uganda ?? | Africa Jamaica | Caribbean Thailand | Asia and Oceania Mexican volunteer crowned Miss World as Quiin Abenakyo does it for Africa Sanya, China | AFP | Miss Uganda Quiin Abenakyo crowned a superb performance Saturday at …

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP |  Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday refused to sign off on plans to overhaul the country’s electoral laws, judging that new rules would cause “disruption and confusion” so close to an election. Africa’s most populous nation goes to the polls to elect a new president …

Paris, France | AFP |  Congo Brazzaville has emerged as a strong contender to host next year’s rearranged Africa Cup of Nations, according to a senior official in the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Constant Omari, a vice-president of CAF, also said that the dossier of Guinea, hosts-designate of the …

Blantyre, Malawi | AFP |  Malawi’s parliament has approved steps to draft a bill for the legalisation of marijuana for medical use, which could be ready for scrutiny as early as next week. Deputies agreed to let independent deputy Boniface Kadzamira draw up the bill. It would propose licensing farmers …

Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | AFP |  Equatorial Guinea’s army chief-of-staff, who was only appointed to the post in October, has been sacked by the president, state television has reported. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who has ruled the oil-rich country with an iron fist for 39 years, fired Colonel Ruslan Hermes …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson says that President Donald Trump repeatedly wanted to violate the law, describing him as “undisciplined” and uninterested in details. Tillerson, who was fired in March, made no attempt to deny his poor relationship with Trump during a …

Vienna, Austria | AFP | OPEC members and 10 other oil producing nations, including Russia, agreed Friday to cut output by 1.2 million barrels a day in a bid to reverse falls in prices in recent months. Energy ministers reached the deal — which takes effect from January 1 but …

Washington, United States | AFP | Former FBI director James Comey, sacked by President Donald Trump in 2017, testified Friday before US lawmakers for the first time in over a year, but this time out of the camera glare. The hours-long Capitol Hill grilling comes amid turbulence at the White …

Beijing, China | AFP | China launched a rover early Saturday morning destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing’s ambitions to become a space superpower. The Chang’e-4 lunar probe mission — named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology — …