Politicians are holding the nation to ransom – Emir Of kano

On the eve of the highly anticipated clash between England and Germany, several lawmakers have spoken out in criticism of both the UK government and UEFA over the number of fans allowed to attend Euro 2020 matches.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣ ⁣

Just weeks before a general election, German politicians are worried that large numbers of Afghan refugees might make their way to Europe. The wave of mostly Syrian refugees who came in 2015 still haunts German politics.

Politicians and rights activists are reacting to film footage showing migrants being violently forced back into Bosnia from EU member Croatia. But no one is taking responsibility.

The killing of British MP David Amess during a constituency meeting has caused international dismay and drawn attention to a dangerous trend: Politicians worldwide are in increasing danger of their lives.

They're nicknamed the gorillas – or bodyguards – of the French Republic. The police officers of the force's Protection Unit are in charge of the security of French and foreign dignitaries but also candidates for France's presidential elections, as well as other figures who require special protection. We take a rare look at the strenuous selection process policemen and women have to go through before taking on the job. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's James Vasina.

For decades, African politics has been synonymous — not always fairly — with presidents overstaying their welcome. We’re all too familiar with the dictators and the strongmen (and yes, it’s always men). The constitutional coups. The third terms and the fourth terms — and the fifth and sixth and seventh.

Fabien Truong is a sociologist, author, and associate professor at the University of Paris. A former schoolteacher, he spent a decade following the lives of around 20 of his students, charting their progress from the time they took their end-of-school exams to when they finished their higher education. Those 10 years took in the riots that rocked France back in 2005 to the terror attacks of January 2015. He gives us his take on the French presidential election campaign, as seen from the suburbs.

They are old, they are male - and they don't plan to leave anytime soon. Africa is very familiar with leaders who regularly switch up the rules to stay in office. But when they overstay their term, how can Africans get their leaders to finally step down?

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.

In a UN Security Council briefing, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert said the streets in Iraq could "boil over" if political leaders were unable to end a political stalemate that has gripped the country for over seven months.

Secret recordings of politicians have cast a negative light on the government and opposition parties amid worsening political turmoil in the South Asian country. Who is the ultimate beneficiary of these audio leaks?