NEWS ANALYSIS

Blaj, Romania | AFP |  Ion, a 72-year-old retiree from Romania’s minority Roma community, says he is used to living without rights. “No matter where we go, to the town hall, to the police or to school, doors get closed,” says the former construction site worker, who lives on the outskirts …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Botswanan former president Ian Khama has accused the man he chose to succeed him of becoming an autocrat and threatening the country’s reputation as a beacon of stability in Africa. Khama, 66, last week left the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in a culmination …

Fez, Morocco | AFP |  In recent times the imperial city of Fez has been overlooked by tourists in favour of  Marrakesh, but now Morocco’s “spiritual” capital is bustling with visitors due to major renovations and low-cost flights. “It is an open air museum, with the largest pedestrian zone in the …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP |  Traffic jams on the snarled up roads of Nigeria’s megacity of Lagos are legendary, but a growing problem is also clogging up the waterways of Africa’s biggest city — water hyacinths. The spread of the invasive species of fast-growing plant is not only damaging transport links …

Madrid, Spain | AFP |  He only discovered Spain when he was 10, was picked by dictator Francisco Franco to succeed him but instead steered his country to democracy. On Sunday, former king Juan Carlos I retires from public life. “Such a long, full story, as if it were designed …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Steve Smith and David Warner will seek redemption on the biggest stage as they re-launch their one-day international careers for Australia against Afghanistan at the World Cup on Saturday. The star batsmen were both banned for a year for their roles in a ball-tampering scandal …

Madrid, Spain | AFP | Tottenham and Liverpool play for the biggest prize in club football on Saturday as the two Premier League teams go head-to-head in the Champions League final. Liverpool are aiming to win their sixth European Cup in Madrid while a surprise victory for Spurs would earn them …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis heads to Romania on Friday with a message of integration not just for its faith communities but for a post-election European Union, following nationalist gains. During the three-day trip to the mainly Orthodox country, which sits at the crossroads of Western and Eastern …

Beijing, China | AFP | A replica of the Palace of Versailles, medieval turrets, and spires rise across Huawei’s new campus in southern China, a monument to the telecom giant’s growing fortune — and the benefits of state aid. The fairytale-like facilities rest on land that was sold by the local …

  Madrid, Spain | AFP |  Alisson Becker became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper last summer just as Hugo Lloris was celebrating the peak of his professional career. While new signing Becker posed for pictures at Liverpool’s Melwood training ground, Lloris was still in the after-glow of the World Cup, five …