NEWS ANALYSIS

Geneva, Switzerland | AFP |  Several hundred thousand purple-clad protesters blowing whistles, banging pots and pans and brandishing feminist slogans filled the streets of Swiss towns and cities on Friday, as women across the country went on strike for equal pay. “I love badass women” and “Eliminate the patriarchy” figured …

Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP |  Fearing persecution after being outed as gay, Aniz Mitha fled Malawi. Leaving behind his well-off Muslim family and four-year-old son, he headed for South Africa, where he became a sex worker to survive. “The laws that we have in Malawi are incriminating. I wanted to …

Omdourman, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s veteran opposition leader Sadiq al-Mahdi called on Friday for an “objective” international investigation into last week’s deadly crackdown on protesters, after the ruling military council rejected such a probe. Mahdi’s call was backed by top US envoy Tibor Nagy, who urged an “independent and credible” …

Pebble Beach, United States | AFP | Gary Woodland drained a 50-foot birdie put at his final hole on Friday to cap a six-under par 65 and take a two-stroke US Open lead over former champion Justin Rose at Pebble Beach. Woodland’s tee shot at his final hole, the par-four ninth, …

Sao Paulo, Brazil | AFP |  A brace from Philippe Coutinho handed hosts Brazil a winning start to the Copa America on Friday in a 3-0 victory over Bolivia as the absence of superstar Neymar was quickly forgotten. Barcelona’s Coutinho scored from the penalty spot early in the second half and …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Maurizio Sarri is set to return to Italy to take the vacant managerial role at Juventus and bring the curtain down on a fretful one-year stay at Chelsea. Sarri met his targets by returning Chelsea to the Champions League via a third-placed finish in the …

Abidjan, Ivory Coast | AFP |  “Cover your goods,” Diakaria Fofana, a doctor of public health, warns food vendors as a thick cloud of insecticide spray wafts down a street in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s economic capital. Men in protective clothes, goggles and masks are disgorging plumes of mosquito-killing chemicals in a …

Dijon, France | AFP | “Classic chemotherapy was awful… but with this treatment, I feel hope,” says French pensioner Jacques Braud, who is undergoing treatment for stomach cancer with a new form of therapy dispersed by aerosol. Several hours before going into theatre, Braud is waiting in his room, looking surprisingly …

Libreville, Gabon | AFP |  Here’s your new job: You have to protect the country’s precious tropical forests. You have to stop illegal logging and fight the entrenched corruption backed by powerful forces which goes with it. By the way, you are a committed environmentalist — and you are foreign-born. This …

Oakland, United States | AFP |  From the ashes of an epic playoff failure last year, the Toronto Raptors made a pair of risky moves and wound up winning the first NBA title in their 24-season history. The Raptors defeated defending champion Golden State 114-110 Thursday to capture the best-of-seven …