The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has been seen in public for the first time since he took control of the group in 2016, officials have said. His appearance may ease rumors of his death.

Hendrik Wüst, the premier of North Rhine-Westphalia, called coal "uneconomical." The state has the largest lignite, or "brown coal," field in Europe.

Cleopatra Kambugu, a Ugandan activist who advocates for sexual and gender minorities, has made history as the first transgender person in the East African country to have her new gender recognised by the government. She is fighting to have transgender people counted on the national census next year.

The Taliban government leader asked for international aid and access to about $10 billion in funds frozen after the insurgents took over the country in August. The UN is warning half the country could starve this winter.

Indian government forces have killed the head of a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-administered Kashmir. Noor Mohammad Tantray, head in the Kashmir valley of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, was killed in a gun battle after being trapped in a house near the city of Srinagar on Monday evening. The 47-year-old, a mere three feet tall, took over the group in Indian Kashmir in 2016.

Uganda has deployed soldiers into the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, as part of a joint operation with the Congolese military. The troop movement followed bombardments against posts held by the Islamist ADF.

He's a relative political novice, but Péter Márki-Zay believes he can unseat one of Europe's longest-serving leaders: Viktor Orban. For the first time ever, all of Hungary's opposition parties have united to choose one candidate for the spring 2022 election via a primary. Márki-Zay, the mayor of Hódmezővásárhely (population 44,000), emerged as the winner in the second round run-off. He tells FRANCE 24 why he is standing and how he would lead Hungary.

Chinese private investment in Uganda is growing while Westerners are losing appetite to put money to work in the country, President Yoweri Museveni told Reuters, pledging to step up efforts to tackle corruption which has made slow progress. Museveni, in power since 1986 and one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, said Uganda was working to sign a number of deals with Chinese private sector lenders in sectors from agro- and fertilizer-processing, minerals processing or textiles.

The leader of the UK's opposition Labour party said on Sunday (December 12) that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had broken the public's trust over COVID-19 regulations, making him "unfit for public office." Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Keir Starmer said Johnson posed a risk to public health following reports that parties were held at Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the European Union to act swiftly, as concern grows over Russia's military buildup on the border to Ukraine. Coming up with a sanctions policy after an invasion would be too late, he said.

In this special edition, we're in Spain, which is listed as one of the world's top 15 countries in fighting gender discrimination. It is also a pioneer in the field of gender violence. So how did a once traditionally Catholic nation that spent years under dictatorship now become a world leader in promoting equality? In seeking to find out, Annette Young speaks to the Secretary for Equality, Ángela Rodríguez, and other activists as to why the nation is pursuing such a progressive path.

In this special edition, we're in Spain, which is listed as one of the world's top 15 countries in fighting gender discrimination. It is also a pioneer in the field of gender violence. So how did a once traditionally Catholic nation that spent years under dictatorship now become a world leader in promoting equality? In seeking to find out, Annette Young speaks to the Secretary for Equality, Ángela Rodríguez, and other activists as to why the nation is pursuing such a progressive path.