NEWS ANALYSIS

Paris, France | AFP |  Belgium became the first team to qualify for the 2020 European Championship finals as Romelu Lukaku scored twice in a 9-0 thrashing of San Marino in Brussels on Thursday, while the Netherlands needed a late comeback to beat Northern Ireland. Lukaku took his record Belgium international …

Kampala, Uganda | LOUIS JADWONG & AFP | Kenyan ace Eliud Kipchoge looks set to become the first man to run Marathon’s 42.195 kilometres in under two hours today October 12, 2019 in Vienna. “This is about history,” he said at the pre-race press conference on Friday. “It’s about leaving a …

Paris, France | AFP |  Eritrea and Ethiopia ended decades of tensions in 2018 after a whirlwind peace process for which Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed received the Nobel Peace Prize Friday. Here is a recap of the tensions and reconciliation between the Horn of Africa neighbours. – Eritrea breaks …

  Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | AFP | Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed faces stark challenges on the very issues that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, and analysts say the coming months may tell whether he can translate this early applause into concrete success. The Nobel Committee cited …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP |  Britain and Europe’s top Brexit negotiators sit down together Friday to test what British and Irish leaders say might be a “pathway” to a deal. Technical talks on an agreement to govern Britain’s EU divorce are stalled, just days before what had been billed as a …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | “When I started, there was poop in bags everywhere,” said Ricky Ojwang, skillfully navigating a rubbish-strewn canal in Mukuru, a Nairobi slum where he’s worked to improve sanitation since 2012. “People would use bags because there were no toilets, and they would throw them out the …

  OBITUARY | By By Ronald Musoke |  When the 25th UN climate conference opens in Santiago, Chile, this December; the Ugandan delegation will be missing one usual member –Chebet Maikut. He died suddenly on Oct. 02— exactly two months to the next round of climate change talks scheduled for Dec.02-13. …

Oslo, Norway | AFP | Bookies have Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg as the name to beat ahead of Friday’s Nobel Peace Prize announcement, although experts say Ethiopian PM Abiy Ahmed or a representative of the free press are more likely. Speculation in Norwegian media on the eve of the announcement …

Tunis, Tunisia | AFP |  Ahead of Sunday’s presidential runoff vote, here is a recap of key developments in Tunisia since its 2011 revolution. – President flees – Demonstrations erupt in central Tunisia in December 2010 after the self-immolation of a fruit seller protesting police harassment and unemployment. After weeks of …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | As he prepares for more assaults on the peaks of marathon running, Eliud Kipchoge stays true to an austere lifestyle despite his fame and fortune. The Kenyan superstar, who holds the marathon world record and is reigning Olympic champion, hopes to become the first man …