NEWS ANALYSIS

Abuja, Nigeria | AFP | President Muhammadu Buhari vowed Friday on the eve of troubled elections that Nigerians would be able to vote in security, despite a week-long postponement and violence in the north of the country. In a televised address, Buhari promised “adequate security measures are in place” for the ballot. “You will be …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | British Prime Minister Theresa May will have a chance to speak to fellow EU leaders at their summit with the Arab League, but she should not expect a Brexit breakthrough, an EU source said Friday. Arab and European leaders will meet for two days from Sunday in the Egyptian resort …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Premier League club Chelsea have been banned from signing new players in the next two transfer windows as punishment for breaking rules on registering under-age players, FIFA said on Friday. It means the club — who immediately said they would appeal the decision — …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday handed the world’s top Catholic bishops guidelines to shape the debate at a landmark Vatican summit on tackling clerical sex abuse. “As a help, I would share with you some important criteria formulated by the various episcopal commissions and …

Beijing, China | AFP | A propaganda app that puts China’s powerful President Xi Jinping in anyone’s pockets has become a hit in the country — with a helpful nudge from Communist Party officials. Millions have downloaded the app, which tracks the amount of time users spend browsing inspirational quotes from …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its first folding handset as part of an effort to rev up demand in the slumping smartphone sector. The South Korean giant’s Galaxy Fold, unveiled at a San Francisco event, services as a smartphone with a 4.6-inch display and unfolds …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Profiles of key suspects in last month’s terror attack in Nairobi point to the worrying rise of a new generation of Kenyan jihadists, analysts say. Police are hunting Ali Salim Gichunge, the suspected mastermind of the January 15 attack on the Dusit hotel and office complex …

Paris, France | AFP | Air France-KLM, which was badly hit last year by strikes and management upheaval, reported on Wednesday that its annual net profits rose by 150 percent to 409 million euros ($463 million). “The strong performance of our front-line teams and continued cost control helped partly offset the …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s High Court on Friday issues a potentially historic ruling that could roll back colonial-era laws penalising same-sex relationships. Here is a selection of quotes illustrating the situation of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in sub-Saharan Africa: “Worse than pigs and dogs.” – Former Zimbabwean …

Mumbai, India | AFP | Suraj Nachre works long hours and regularly misses meals but he treasures his job as a driver for a food delivery startup — working in a booming industry that highlights India’s expanding apps-based gig-economy. The 26-year-old is one of hundreds of thousands of young Indians who, …