NEWS ANALYSIS

  Rome, Italy | AFP | Chinese President Xi Jinping sought Friday to allay Western unease over his new Silk Road initiative by emphasising the vast infrastructure project’s two-way nature as he kicked off a whistlestop European tour in Rome. Italy has rolled out the red carpet for Xi, who …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Prime Minister Theresa May returns to Britain on Friday vowing to make “every effort” to win over MPs opposed to her EU divorce deal, hours after securing a delay to Brexit from European leaders in Brussels. The embattled premier faces daunting odds to persuade recalcitrant …

Hong Kong, China | AFP | As millions of people in Asia choke under polluted skies, authorities have turned to water-dispersing drones and outdoor air purifiers to improve air quality, while companies have tried to cash in by selling everything from canned air to lung-purifying teas. According to the World …

Mumbai, India | AFP | Transgender mystic Zoya Lobo turns over three oracle cards, studies them for a minute and looks up. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will definitely win India’s general election this summer, she proclaims. Clairvoyant Larra Shah also predicts a victory for Modi owing to his “extremely powerful …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP |  Defending champions Cameroon are among 21 countries hoping to fill one of 10 places up for grabs this weekend in the final 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The Indomitable Lions will be among the 24 finalists in Egypt this June provided they avoid …

WARRAQ ISLAND, Egypt | AFP | Residents of a Cairo island with lush fields and unpaved roads, a world apart from Egypt’s traffic-choked metropolis, are determined to stay put as judges rule on their possible expulsion. Accessible only by ferry, the island of Warraq stands in sharp contrast to the …

San Francisco, United States | AFP | After finding that exposure to the weedkiller Roundup was a “substantial factor” in one man’s cancer, jurors in California must now grapple with the question of just how culpable the product’s manufacturer, agriculture giant Monsanto, was in his illness. “It’s not a popularity …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | The party of ailing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said Wednesday it supports protesters’ calls for change while backing his call for dialogue to overcome the country’s political crisis. The National Liberation Front (FLN)’s statement comes after cracks emerged within two other pillars of Bouteflika’s regime, key …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | A dogged but isolated Prime Minister Theresa May headed back to Brussels on Thursday to beg for more time to deliver her Brexit plan, but EU leaders are likely to refuse her request for a three-month postponement. Instead, as the 28 heads of government meet for …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | The EU could approve Britain’s request for a short delay to Brexit but only if British MPs next week vote through the withdrawal deal they have twice rejected, European Council president Donald Tusk said Wednesday. “I believe a short extension will be possible but it …