NEWS ANALYSIS

Paris, France | AFP | During the years of ultra cheap money, companies loaded up on debt but now the concern is whether they will be able to handle the mountain of debt as interest rates rise. Until last year, companies basked in the sun of low interest rates while …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Much responsibility for shaping DR Congo’s post-election future now lies with a former oil executive who made a stellar rise from political obscurity. The man in the middle is Martin Fayulu, who insists that electoral fraud has cheated him of the presidency of sub-Saharan …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Felix Tshisekedi, whose victory in the DR Congo’s presidential election was confirmed by the country’s top court on Sunday, is the son of a veteran opposition leader but has never held high office or even a managerial role. Known to friends as “Fatshi”, the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  Key dates in the post-independence history of the Democratic Republic of Congo: – End of Belgian rule – On June 30, 1960, the Belgian Congo becomes independent. Power is shared between Joseph Kasa-Vubu, the president, and his prime minister, Patrice Lumumba. Rivalry between the …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | The planned second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un needs to make tangible progress on Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons if it is to avoid being dismissed as “reality TV”, analysts say. Their summit in Singapore in June was undoubtedly …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Britain’s lack of an upper age limit for driving was in the spotlight on Friday as 97-year-old Prince Philip recovered after being involved in an accident that flipped his car. An experienced pilot and carriage racer, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband has never been one for …

Melbourne, Australia | AFP | Rafael Nadal hopes home fans will still love him after he broke their hearts by completing an Aussie hat-trick at the first Grand Slam of the year. The Spanish world number two has only faced Australians so far at Melbourne Park — and sent all three …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Kenya’s security response to the Islamist assault on the Dusit hotel complex in Nairobi shows the numerous lessons learned since a chaotic intervention when the Westgate mall was attacked in 2013, according to analysts. The swift reaction, under a single chain of command, with the …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP |  The outcome of the presidential election in Democratic Republic of Congo lies in the hands of the Constitutional Court, where the declared runner-up Martin Fayulu has filed an appeal. Here are the figures which lie at the heart of his claim: – Election board …

Mission, United States | AFP | In Mission, Texas, the construction of part of a long-promised wall on the border with Mexico to stem the tide of undocumented migrants is already in progress. Among the many who will be affected? Butterflies. Mission, located in the lower Rio Grande Valley, is …