Madrid, Spain | AFP | Santiago Solari came through the dress rehearsal with flying colours but now for the real thing. Real Madrid’s stroll past Melilla from Spain’s third tier in the Copa del Rey was a particularly kind opening assignment, the type of which Julen Loptegegui must have longed …

Berlin, Germany | AFP | Arjen Robben has admitted that Bayern Munich are some way from their best form as they head into what he says is a must-win game for the Bundesliga champions at Freiburg on Saturday. The Dutch winger said that he and his team mates needed to …

United Nations, United States | AFP | The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for an end to the decades-old US embargo on Cuba, adopting a resolution by an overwhelming majority and rejecting US moves to criticize Havana’s human rights record. It was the 27th time that the 193-nation assembly …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury scare as League Cup holders Manchester City moved into the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win against Fulham on Thursday. There was concern for De Bruyne after the City midfielder limped off with what appeared to be a knee …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling has verbally agreed a new five-year contract with the Premier League champions, according to reports on Thursday. Sterling has developed into one of England’s most exciting players since joining City from Liverpool in 2015 and the new deal is …

Yaoundé, Cameroon | AFP | A Cameroonian anglophone separatist leader was in court Thursday, in his first public appearance since he was extradited from Nigeria in January, amid spiralling violence in English-speaking areas. Sisiku Ayuk Tabe, who wants Cameroon’s two anglophone regions to separate from the French-speaking part of the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | The Democratic Republic of Congo presidency has undue influence over two bodies tasked with overseeing elections, a research group said Thursday, warning the country risked “a new cycle of conflict”. The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) and Constitutional Court have been subject to “politicisation”, …

Monaco, Principality of Monaco | AFP | Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani says Paris Saint-Germain’s team of dazzling individuals including Neymar and Kylian Mbappe need to work more as a team if they are to win the Champions League. In an exclusive interview with AFP, Cavani said the importance of winning …

Hodeida, Yemen | AFP | Over seven million children face a serious threat of famine in Yemen and ending the country’s war will not save all of them, the UN children’s agency said. “Today, 1.8 million children under the age of five are facing acute malnutrition, and 400,000 are affected …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Supporters of President Joseph Kabila on Thursday denounced alleged cheating in an opinion poll that placed two opposition leaders well ahead before a presidential election due on December 23. Results of the national poll, released on Tuesday, tipped Felix Tshisekedi, president of the main, …