Tanker truck explosion in Mali leaves at least seven dead

In Mali, a bizarre plastic monster roams the streets. But it's no demon — rather contemporary artist Zol, who uses his otherworldly costume to draw attention to plastic pollution.

Protesters in the Solomon Islands called on the prime minister to resign as riots took place for a second day. Australia said it would send a peacekeeping force to the Pacific nation seized by inter-island tension.

Police have used tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting gender-based violence in Istanbul. Many of the protesters called on the government to resign.

Today we debunk photos shared on Facebook claiming to show "Russian ships arriving in Algeria to support Mali". Also, a slip of the tongue by the French Polynesian president Édouard Fritch is ripe for manipulation. Our team fact-check two stories circulating on social media, that should not be taken at face value.

Militants killed at least 31 people in central Mali on Friday (December 3) when they fired upon a bus ferrying people to a local market, local authorities said - the latest deadly attack in a region racked by violent insurgency. The bus was attacked by unidentified gunmen as it travelled its twice-weekly route from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 10 kilometres (6 miles) away, said Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass.

At least 38 inmates were killed and dozens more injured in a fire on Tuesday at the main prison in Burundi's capital Gitega, the country's vice president said. Twelve died of asphyxia as they tried to flee the burning buildings and 26 died of severe injuries, Vice President Prosper Bazombanza told reporters at the Gitega Prison after the fire. Video Credit: Sos Médias Burundi

Thousands of Sudanese protest across the country in a show of anger over a government deal that reinstated the prime minister but gave the military majority control. Also, Gambia's president wins re-election, but the opposition is crying foul. One competitor has since accepted the result, but two others are refusing to. Finally, protesters take to South African beaches in opposition to oil and gas exploration by energy giant Shell. Activists say the project endangers marine animals and tourism.

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.

The Day's Laila Harrak spoke to historian Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, about the latest war between Israel and Hamas and what could lie beyond their cease-fire.

A massive fire in Burundi's capital kills at least 38 people; Benin's opposition candidate is sentenced to 10 years in prison for treason; and we go to DR Congo where those suffering from HIV/AIDS are hesitant to seek treatment because of stigma.

For almost a decade, international forces in Mali have been trying to help fight Islamist groups that threatened to take over the country in 2012. But today, the government still only controls the capital and a small area around it. DW's Fred Muvunyi reports.

Governments have set their eyes on the world's largest tech companies. But why has Big Tech come under so much fire? And how did it get so "Big" in the first place?