NEWS ANALYSIS

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Zinedine Zidane stood for 29 minutes fielding questions but all of them really came down to two: Why now? And, what next? In a packed auditorium in the belly of the Santiago Bernabeu on Monday night, Raul and Roberto Carlos took their seats in the front …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | British MPs must decide on Tuesday whether to back Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal in a vote that could clear the way for Britain to leave the EU on March 29. As the scheduled departure date loomed nearly three years after Britons voted …

Alger, Algeria | AFP | Algeria’s ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced Monday he is dropping his bid for a fifth term in office, scrapping the upcoming elections altogether after weeks of protests against his candidacy. “Peacefully, we have overthrown the puppet!” people sang in Algiers following the president’s decision. Celebratory honking …

Pope Francis calls for an ‘all-out battle’ against the evil ANALYSIS | Gerard O’Connell | In his closing talk to the Vatican summit for the protection of minors on Feb.24, Pope Francis offered a wide-ranging analysis of the plague of the sexual abuse of minors in the world and the …

Washington, United States | AFP | House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, America’s most powerful Democrat, said in remarks published Monday that she does not support impeaching Donald Trump, arguing the Republican president is “just not worth it.” “I’m not for impeachment,” Pelosi told The Washington Post in a wide-ranging interview, the …

Turin, Italy | AFP | Juventus’ Champions League hopes are hanging on Cristiano Ronaldo pulling off another sensational comeback as the Italians trail 2-0 to defensive specialists Atletico Madrid going into the last 16, second-leg tie in Turin on Tuesday. “We didn’t expect to lose the first leg 2-0, but anything …

Port Harcourt, Nigeria | AFP | Nigeria’s election authorities announced the suspension of activities in volatile opposition-held Rivers State on Sunday citing violence and threats to its staff, as tensions rise in the wake of closely-watched regional elections. Counting is continuing across the country after Saturday’s elections for governors in 29 …

Tulu Fara , Ethiopia | AFP | Airlines in Ethiopia, China and Indonesia grounded Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets Monday as investigators recovered the black boxes from a brand-new passenger jet that crashed outside Addis Ababa a day earlier, killing all 157 people on board. The Nairobi-bound plane — the same …

Manchester, United Kingdom | AFP | “We are still not ready to fight for the latter stages, that is the reality,” Pep Guardiola’s reaction to beating Schalke 3-2 in the first leg of Manchester City’s Champions League last 16 tie was not that expected for the competition favourites. City manager …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Thousands of students and public transport workers went on strike in Algeria Sunday against Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term, as the presidency confirmed the ailing leader had returned from Switzerland. The plane carrying Bouteflika from Geneva — where he has been in hospital for …