Brussels, Belgium | AFP | Tighter measures to fight crime and terrorism in the European Union took effect on Friday as the 28-nation bloc seeks to improve security by sharing information more efficiently. New rules that strengthen the Schengen Information System (SIS) should help border guards and law enforcement agencies, …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri says the time has come for star playmaker Eden Hazard to make up his mind as to whether he will sign a new contract. The 27-year-old Belgian — who has been at Chelsea since 2012 — is a target for …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | An Egyptian court has sentenced a 25-year-old woman to three years in prison for “sexually harassing” a monkey in the country’s north, state daily Al-Ahram reported Friday. A court in Mansoura city charged Basma Ahmed with “inciting debauchery” and “committing an obscene act in public”, …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese police fired tear gas at hundreds of worshippers who staged demonstrations after Friday prayers in several cities, including Khartoum, as opposition groups urged more anti-government protests. Angry crowds have taken to the streets in Khartoum and other cities since December 19 after a government …

Paris, France | AFP | The “yellow vest” anti-government protests that have rocked France will be held on Saturday and New Year’s Eve, and continue into 2019, several sources in the movement said Thursday. “The yellow vests are still mobilised,” said Laetitia Dewalle, one spokeswoman of the protest movement which …

Washington, United States | AFP | The US government partial shutdown was set to stretch deep into next week after legislators failed Thursday to make a breakthrough in the row over President Donald Trump’s demand for a US-Mexico border wall. After convening for just a few minutes following the official …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Key dates in the post-independence history of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where presidential elections will be held on Sunday: – End of Belgian rule – On June 30, 1960, the Belgian Congo becomes independent. Power is shared between Joseph Kasa-Vubu, the president, and …

Paris, France | AFP | Africa’s second largest country, the Democratic Republic of Congo is rich in raw materials and minerals but cursed by deadly violence, insurgencies, graft and poverty. After repeated delays, presidential elections are due to be held on Sunday, although electoral authorities have postponed the vote until …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | One of the world’s powder-keg countries faces a crunch test on Sunday when Democratic Republic of Congo heads into elections marred by delays, clashes and fears of polling-day chaos. The vote crowns two years of turmoil, sharpening worries that the fragile giant of central …

Liverpool, United Kingdom | AFP | Halfway towards ending a 29-year wait to win the Premier League, the next seven days will test Liverpool’s title credentials to the fullest, starting with Arsenal’s visit to Anfield on Saturday. For a long time a new year visit to Manchester City on January …