Does Nigeria have a debt problem?

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.

Christmas in Bethlehem is usually a festive and colorful season. This year, festivities in the Palestinian town are set to return — but the COVID pandemic is still casting a shadow on the celebrations.

Some 100,000 abortions take place every year in Spain. In theory, terminations are a right under Spanish law but in practice, many women face obstacles when they choose to terminate a pregnancy. The medical establishment itself is often hostile to the prospect of performing abortions, and doctors working in the field say they are stigmatised by their pro-life colleagues. Our correspondents report.

Low COVID-19 vaccination rates in Africa Cup of Nations host Cameroon and a fourth wave of the coronavirus across much of the continent could make for sparsely-attended matches when the soccer finals kick off on Sunday. Cameroon announced last month that it would require spectators at Africa's premiere soccer competition to be fully vaccinated and show a negative test result before entering stadiums.

Hundreds of thousands of devotees have congregated on the banks of the Ganges to mark Makar Sankranti, amid soaring COVID-19 infections.

Many schools in Germany are reopening their doors. Schools are hot spots for coronavirus transmission — and the number of cases is rising rapidly nationwide.

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.⁣

The hype around NFTs is reaching critical mass, with more and more companies and public figures joining the frenzy each day. In this edition of Tech 24, we explore why this might be the case, despite the technology itself being almost eight years old – the first NFT was created back in 2014. We also delve into the controversial world of play-to-earn gaming, which relies on NFTs. It promises money for playing, but does it deliver? Our Technology Editor Peter O'Brien has been finding out.

Shunned in the Global North due to privacy and security issues, Huawei is a front-runner in Africa. But the Chinese giant's data collection methods may also appeal to authoritarian regimes as a way to cling to power.

Lawmakers in Nepal voted in favor of the $500-million grant by Washington for new road and power projects. But its opponents say the US move undermines Nepal's sovereignty.

As he began his annual State of the Union address, US President Joe Biden asked lawmakers to stand and salute ordinary Ukrainians amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden also warned Russian leader Vladimir Putin that dictators have to pay a price for their aggression. We spoke to Martin Quencez, a research fellow and deputy director of the Paris office of the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He told us how Biden's speech was still very much addressed to a US audience, eight months ahead of the US midterm elections.

Ukraine's former finance minister has told FRANCE 24 that any company doing business with Russia is indirectly financing the war in Ukraine. Natalie Jaresko was in office from 2014 to 2016, when Russia annexed Crimea and conflict was raging in the eastern Donbas region. She described the current situation facing Ukraine as an "economic strangulation of the country" and called on global firms to stop any operations in Russia.