Smoking Shisha: harmless hobby or dangerous drug?

The hotel chain Marriott has said bookings at its South African locations have been hit by new Covid-19 travel restrictions, but that they have "not seen a huge number of cancellations as yet". President Cyril Ramaphosa has criticised the travel bans imposed on his country and its neighbours after the Omicron variant was first identified there. Marriott's EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) President, Satya Anand, told FRANCE 24 that the company is hopeful the effects will merely be temporary.

A three-part documentary plunges viewers into the creative process as The Beatles record their final studio album and prepare for an iconic rooftop performance. "Get Back" has seen director Peter Jackson applauded for handling the sort of archive material that has gone down in pop history.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said a preliminary agreement remains "possible" as international negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme have just resumed in Vienna in an attempt to salvage the 2015 agreement. But there is "little time left" according to Grossi, and Tehran must guarantee more transparency to the IAEA, in Iran's own interest.

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.

President Roch Marc Christian Kabore has vowed to improve the fight against terrorism following protests in Burkina Faso. However, many people feel that these are empty words and have been calling for his resignation.

The Turkish lira is in free fall — with devastating consequences for people in the Syrian region of Idlib. 46-year-old Khadija needs two jobs to provide for her family.