NEWS ANALYSIS

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 …

Washington, United States | AFP | Artificial intelligence and automation will lead to job losses in “virtually all occupational groups” over the coming decades in the United States, but the overall impact on employment will be “muted,” a prominent think tank study said Thursday. “Almost no occupation will be unaffected by …

ANALYSIS: Bitcoin is often confused with blockchain which is the technology on which the cryptocurrency is based Kampala, Uganda | Morris Borris Atugonza | A blockchain is a database that is shared across a network of computers. Once a record has been added to the chain it is very difficult to change it. …

Washington, United States | AFP | Two years after Hillary Clinton failed in her historic bid for the White House, a record number of women are already racing to oust Donald Trump in 2020 — and are banking on American voters being ready this time around to help them smash the …

  Washington, United States | AFP | From a young gay mayor who launched his candidacy Wednesday, to high-flying female US senators and charismatic military veterans, a crowded field of Democrats jockeying to challenge Donald Trump in 2020 has already emerged — and is sure to grow. All told it will …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Mohsen al-Khayami has for years watched sadly as his once lucrative craft business dwindled and fellow artisans deserted the ancient art known as Khayamiya, or tentmaking, for better paying jobs. The 68 year-old, a master of one of Egypt’s most traditional crafts, has been handstitching the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as the Democratic Republic of Congo’s new president Thursday after an election fraught with delays and doubts. Here is a recap. – Two-year delay – After being postponed three times, the elections go ahead on December 30, 2018 to chose …

Lagos, Nigeria | AFP | In the Ago Egun Bariga area of Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, there is no road, no electricity, no running water and no rubbish collection. Now that high grass has blocked access to the water, there is no work either. The people of Ago Egun Bariga have …