NEWS ANALYSIS

New York, United States | AFP | Top-ranked defending champion Novak Djokovic fought through shoulder pain to reach the third round of the rain-hit US Open on Wednesday while Roger Federer shook off another slow start to advance. Djokovic, winner of four of the past five Slam titles and 16 in …

Mekele, Ethiopia | AFP |  Yonas Getu Molla started chewing khat as an architecture student, when he and his friends would munch on the leafy stimulant late into the night to help them study. When they closed their books, their heartbeats racing, they would seek out depressants like vodka and cannabis …

They make space for overlooked people and cultures | Beth Perry and Rike Sitas | Cities all over the world are facing major crises – from failing services and mounting inequalities, to climate emergencies. And arts and culture have a surprisingly critical role in tackling these kinds of urban challenges. …

Auckland, New Zealand | AFP |  All Blacks selectors backed star centre Sonny Bill Williams to help achieve an unprecedented World Cup treble in Japan but dumped veteran prop Owen Franks from their 31-man squad on Wednesday. The axing of 108-Test stalwart Franks was the major surprise, although the defending champions …

Warsaw, Poland | AFP | US President Donald Trump, fresh from hob-nobbing with his G7 partners at a glitzy French resort town, will on Sunday attend sombre commemorations in Warsaw of the outbreak of World War II 80 years ago. Trump will be the first US head of state to come …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan is Wednesday due to announce the members of a new cabinet faced with a mountain of challenges after months of unrest, including rebuilding the economy and ending internal conflicts. Newly-appointed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok will name his key picks from nominees put forward by the …

New York, United States | AFP |  Rafael Nadal launched his tilt at a fourth US Open title Tuesday with a swift defeat of John Millman as other leading seeds in his half of the draw tumbled out in the first round. Four players in the world’s top 10 — Dominic …

Washington, United States | AFP | US President Donald Trump is not afraid of surprises but could he take one of the biggest shifts of all in his foreign policy — easing sanctions on Iran? Washington is widely skeptical that Trump will shift course on Iran, with his hawkish advisors long …

London, United Kingdom | AFP | Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson Tuesday to lead Britain out of the EU without a divorce deal, and threatened otherwise to fight his Conservative party “in every seat”. “Given where we are, no deal is the best deal,” Farage told …

Biarritz, France | AFP |  Like Superman disguised as the mild-mannered Clark Kent, Donald Trump showed his tamer side at the G7 — but the maverick showman expected by the world didn’t take long to burst back out. Before the summit in France’s Biarritz, speculation was rife over how Trump might …