NEWS ANALYSIS

Colorado Springs, United States | AFP | At tens of thousands of kilometers above the Earth, a Russian satellite slowly approached the French-Italian satellite Athena-Fidus in October 2017, a move France later denounced as “an act of espionage.” What is less widely known is that just a few days before …

Paris, France | AFP | Frenchman Guillaume Faury took over as CEO of European aerospace giant Airbus on Wednesday, looking to benefit from the current troubles of rival Boeing and limit potential disruption from Brexit and US President Donald Trump’s trade threats. The 51-year-old will replace Tom Enders, who is …

Why they tell us more about the community the students live in than what they know ANALYSIS | CHRISTOPHER TIENKEN | Every year, policymakers around the world make life-changing decisions based on the results of standardised tests in schools. These high-stakes decisions include, but are not limited to, student promotion …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir came under mounting pressure Tuesday as three Western nations pushed for a political transition plan following weeks of unprecedented protests against his rule. Bashir, who has ruled Sudan with an iron-fist since sweeping to power in an Islamist-backed coup in 1989, has …

Algiers, Algeria | AFP | Algerian lawmakers appointed a regime stalwart as interim president Tuesday, dismaying protesters seeking sweeping change after the resignation of Abdelaziz Bouteflika who ruled the country for two decades. The selection of upper house speaker Abdelkader Bensalah as Algeria’s first new president in 20 years followed constitutional …

Brussels, Belgium | AFP | European leaders were grudgingly preparing to postpone Brexit on Tuesday, after Prime Minister Theresa May made last-ditch visits to Paris and Berlin to beg for more time. May asked to be given until June 30 to arrange Britain’s orderly departure, but EU leaders fear that won’t …

New Delhi, India | AFP | Stern, sharp and shrewd, Narendra Modi fought his way off the streets to become one of India’s most popular and polarising prime ministers. There is no middle ground between admirers and adversaries of the man — now running for a second term as leader …

Washington, United States | AFP |  Between 3.6 percent and 7.6 percent of US boys reported having sexual intercourse before the age of 13 in a study published on Monday, but the prevalence varies widely by race, ethnicity and geographic location. The study in the latest issue of JAMA Pediatrics …

  Washington, United States | AFP | The resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen underscored the failure of President Donald Trump to halt uncontrolled immigration, one of the key promises of his presidency. More than two years after he took office, tens of thousands of mostly Central Americans travel across …

Paris, France | AFP |  As thousands of protesters in Khartoum demand President Omar al-Bashir resignation, demonstrators have called for the Sudanese military to back them. So far the army has not intervened, but agents of the powerful National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) and riot police have cracked down …