Ondo State Government Gives Clarification On NURTW, RTEAN Suspension

The Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon has been filled with drama but not that many onlookers. The government is aiming to try and fill up empty stadiums as supporters prefer fan zones. But first, one protester is killed in Sudan as two top US diplomats arrive in the country to try to speak to all sides involved in the deepening crisis. And in a major step for the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in Africa, South Africa has opened a new vaccine plant, the first on the continent to cover the entire process from start to finish.

One week after a massive volcanic eruption, Tonga is in the midst of a massive cleanup operation. Contaminated water resources have led to a shortage of drinking water supplies and debris is damaging aid ships at sea.

Johnson and Sunak visit a hospital in show of unity amid government crisis

After what authorities said was a coup by drug dealers aiming to kill President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, a new spate of violence against critics of the government is compunding the feeling of insecurity in Guinea-Bissau.

FRANCE 24 spoke to Sir John Sawers, the former head of Britain’s secret intelligence service. Sawers, who headed the MI6 between 2009 and 2014, said that if Russia’s President Vladimir Putin decides to take military action against Ukraine, it would be in his interest to limit an invasion to eastern Ukraine. But, he cautioned: “There is no doubt that Russia has the capability to carry out a full invasion, take over Kiev, and install a puppet regime.”

In an exclusive interview with FRANCE 24 and its sister radio station Radio France Internationale (RFI), Mali’s Prime Minister Choguel Maiga said that since 2012, French authorities have tried to divide his country by fueling autonomy claims in the north. Maiga said it is clear Paris has never deemed the ruling junta government as legitimate, and claims it was “preparing a plan” to overthrow it.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday.

Just over two weeks on from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Catherine Nicholson is joined by Polish MEP Roza Thun und Hohenstein and German MEP Helmut Scholz to discuss the European response to the crisis. The reception of refugees in the EU is a pressing issue; earlier this week the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced €100 million for immediate humanitarian help. MEP Scholz calls for a "clear answer" from the EU on how to help people in need, while questioning the militarisation of the response. To what extent should Europe help the Ukrainian military against the Russian army? And how can escalation be avoided as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continues to plead for more help?

Human Rights Watch says that Mali's military has killed dozens of people in its crackdown on extremists. Jihadist groups are also accused of ramping up violence since December. Abuses on both sides may amount to war crimes. Plus, women from sub-Saharan Africa who live in Tunisia often struggle to be accepted and many migrants face racism. And we take a look at Uganda's only licensed cannabis farm, which grows only for export as use of the crop is still illegal in the country.

European papers celebrate the "courageous" visit to Kyiv made by the Polish, Czech and Slovenian leaders. Cartoonist Patrick Chappatte illustrates the double standard in the welcome offered to Ukrainian refugees versus those from countries like Syria, which is marking the 11th anniversary of its civil war. France's interior minister says the government will consider "autonomy" for Corsica. Plus, Burkina Faso's Diébédo Francis Kéré wins architecture's top prize in a first for Africa.

Aid convoys have yet to reach Ethiopia's war-ravaged Tigray region almost a week after the government announced a humanitarian truce.

Leaders are asking Russian speakers in Germany not to heed "the cynical and trivializing disinformation campagin led by Russian state media." The statement came a day after a pro-Russian rally in Berlin.