NEWS ANALYSIS

Paris, France | AFP |  A welcome temperature drop came to western parts of Europe on Sunday, after almost a week-long heatwave, but hundreds of Spanish firefighters and soldiers continued to battle three major blazes. France too had to contend with fire in the south of the country — and some …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP |  Sudanese protest leaders called for a one-day nationwide “civil disobedience” campaign on July 14, in an announcement on Monday a day after they organised mass protests against the ruling generals that rocked the country. The move, which aims to increase pressure on the ruling generals …

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP |  Iraq is establishing a financial “loophole” to continue buying vital gas and electricity from Iran despite US sanctions, AFP has learned, mirroring a European mechanism that came into effect Friday. The “special purpose vehicle” (SPV) would allow Iraq to pay for imported Iranian energy in …

Nouakchott, Mauritania | AFP |  Ex-general Mohamed Ould Ghazouani was declared the official winner Monday of presidential elections in Mauritania that opposition candidates claim were unfair. The Constitutional Council, the final authority on Mauritania’s founding law, rejected an opposition challenge and confirmed the CENI electoral commission’s announcement that Ghazouani had …

Cairo, Egypt | AFP | Liverpool star Sadio Mane scored twice after having a penalty saved as Senegal defeated Kenya 3-0 in Cairo Monday to book an Africa Cup of Nations last-16 place. The Champions League-winning forward had a timidly-struck first half penalty saved by Patrick Matasi before making amends with …

Paris, France | AFP |  The Netherlands stand one step away from their first ever women’s World Cup final thanks to a core of players aiming to conquer the world after taking Arsenal back to the top in England. Vivianne Miedema’s thumping headed opener in their 2-0 quarter-final win over Italy …

A look at the bloc’s state and DRC’s intention to join Kampala, Uganda | IAN KATUSIIME | The decision by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to apply to join the East African Community (EAC) may seem like a coup for the bloc but on closer scrutiny it may compound …

Porto Alegre, Brazil | AFP |  Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal says the reigning Copa America champions are focused on making history ahead of their semi-final against Peru. The 2015 and 2016 champions are aiming for a third continental title in a row, a feat only achieved once before by Argentina …

Seoul, South Korea | AFP | North Korea on Monday hailed the weekend meeting between leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in the Demilitarized Zone as “historic”, as analysts said Pyongyang was looking to shape the narrative to its own agenda. The two leaders agreed to “resume and …

Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Sudan’s protest leaders blamed ruling generals Monday for deadly new violence as three blood-stained bodies were found a day after the first mass rallies since a June crackdown on demonstrators. State media reported that seven people were killed as tens of thousands rallied to demand a …