NEWS ANALYSIS

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In a grainy black-and-white photograph, two young Nigerian Army officers play draughts, their faces a study in concentration. Behind them, another man looks on. The old image is said to have been taken before Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha came to public prominence …

Washington, United States | AFP | Longtime Donald Trump advisor Roger Stone is the 34th person indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller as part of the investigation of possible ties between the US president’s election campaign and Russia. The ongoing probe by the former FBI director has led to six …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | The World Economic Forum wrapped up on Friday, closing out a week of panels, parties and sub-zero temperatures with more serious talk dominated by climate change and gloom over slowing growth. Here are some of the top quotes on key issues over the past week. – …

Caracas, Venezuela | AFP | By declaring himself acting president, Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido sparked a leadership battle with the head of state, Nicolas Maduro. As the power struggle rages, here are details about both men’s most powerful allies: – Maduro – THE MILITARY: Maduro’s most significant domestic backing …

  Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will renew the “greatest rivalry” in modern tennis when they collide in a mouth-watering 107th Australian Open final on Sunday. The top two players in the world have 31 Grand Slam titles between them and each can claim another …

Vatican City, Holy See | AFP | Pope Francis on Thursday warned against the “disinformation” and “targeted distortion of facts” to be found on the Internet and social networks’ “manipulation of personal data”. The Internet “is a source of knowledge and relationships that were once unthinkable,” the Argentine pope said in …

Davos, Switzerland | AFP | The annual business rendezvous in Davos is a hothouse of insider tech jargon, but this year’s buzzword of “digital transformation” could translate into profound and painful changes for companies and workers. Whether through robots, automation or artificial intelligence, the impact of the transformation is heaping …

Paris, France | AFP | Venezuelan oil output has plunged by more than half in 30 years but the country still sits on the world’s biggest crude reserves, so any political changes will ripple worldwide. The country holds 17.9 percent of proven oil reserves, ahead of Saudi Arabia at 15.7 percent, …

Washington, United States | AFP | Information warfare is amplifying major worldwide threats like climate change and nuclear warfare, endangering the future of civilization, US experts said Thursday as the symbolic Doomsday Clock stayed at two minutes to midnight. The manipulation of facts, fake news and information overload — along with …

Paris, France | AFP | After a stellar playing career that saw him win countless club and international honours, Thierry Henry’s hopes of enjoying a managerial golden touch suffered an ignominious start after his suspension on Thursday as Monaco coach. Henry was removed from his coaching duties after he failed …