South African leaders divided over finance minister’s sack

Prime Minister Andrej Babis' Cabinet met on Thursday to tender their resignation. The move follows the coalition agreement between center-right parties after last month's elections.

Crowd problems put future of French football at risk, says minister

Thousands across Sudan have protested a deal between military and civilian leaders to reinstate Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was ousted in a coup. The main opposition bloc now rejects any power-sharing with the military.

Health Minister Jens Spahn has stressed there's an alternative to Germany's homegrown BioNTech-Pfizer jab. He had come under fire from medical groups for limiting supplies in order to use up the country's Moderna stock.

As Covid-19 infections rise around the EU and some member states impose new restrictions, FRANCE 24 speaks to Greece’s Tourism Minister about the continent’s next steps. We also discuss irregular migration on the European Union's external borders - including those of France and of Greece.

South African papers vent their frustation over travel bans imposed after the country detected a new coronavirus variant. For l'Humanité, the Omicron variant is proof that "vaccine access for all is a global emergency". Other French papers examine the crisis in Guadeloupe and Martinique, puzzled by a proposal to give the territories more autonomy. Plus, a snow storm strands 61 people in a UK pub - a reminder that some lockdowns can be fun!

Turkey's Finance Minister, Lutfi Elvan, has resigned amid another plunge in the value of the country's currency, the lira. He is being replaced by his deputy, Nureddin Nebati, who supports President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's controversial economic policies. The lira has lost almost half of its value this year as Erdogan has pushed for low interest rates, despite rising inflation. Also today, we look at how some French parents are choosing to rent toys for their children, instead of buying new ones.

Blaming South Africa for the new COVID-19 variant is wrong. A global crisis needs a global response, says DW's Sertan Sanderson. Instead of finger-pointing and isolation, there should be more solidarity.

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly granted an interview to FRANCE 24 and RFI in Dakar, Senegal. Parly slammed a "disinformation campaign" aimed at creating "anti-French discourse" in Africa's Sahel region, as France reorganises its military presence there. The minister said she did not believe Russian Wagner Group mercenaries were in the Malian capital Bamako, but added that "that does not mean the current Malian authorities are not planning to bring them there". The arrival of Russian mercenaries in Mali would be "simply unacceptable", she said.

Burkina Faso's Prime Minister Christophe Joseph Marie Dabire has resigned amid an escalating security crisis that led to street protests calling for his ouster. President Roch Marc Christian Kabore accepted Dabire's letter of resignation on Wednesday.

The Yemen civil war has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The Houthi-backed foreign minister Hisham Sharaf tells DW his "government" will not stop fighting until the Saudi-led coalition withdraws.

Italian ex-interior minister Matteo Salvini has gone on trial in Sicily, accused of preventing a migrant boat from docking in August 2019. The right-wing politician denies kidnap and dereliction of duty charges. Prosecution witnesses include Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who was on board.