20 French departments under “reinforced surveillance”: PM

Anti-racism campaigners were physically attacked and far-right Eric Zemmour put in a headlock as the presidential candidate's campaign got underway.

France's 2022 presidential race "heats up a notch" after Valérie Pécresse becomes the right's first-ever female candidate and far-right Eric Zemmour holds a "sickening" first political rally. European papers hail Pope Francis for "forcing Europe to face its contradictions" in its failure to help refugees. There's anger and disgust in the US after a Republican poses with guns, just days after a school shooting. Finally, French oysters are to get vaccinated... against herpes!

France's small business minister is to outline details of compensation for the nightclub and events industries, after the announcement that clubs would be forced to close for four weeks from this Friday due to rising coronavirus cases. French nightclub owners have said they feel unfairly targeted by the measures, after already having to shut for 16 months until July of this year. Also today, we look at the latest twist in the debt troubles facing the Chinese property developer Evergrande.

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.

A whistleblower issues a "damning account" of the UK's withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying tens of thousands of Afghans were left behind to die. Meanwhile, there's disappointment in the US after the Justice Department closes an investigation into the 1955 lynching of Emmett Till. Plus: Angela Merkel marks her last day in office, Berlin techno DJs apply for World Heritage status and the French city of Rouen votes on replacing a Napoléon statue with one of a woman.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologised on Wednesday for a video showing his staffers joking about reports of a party in Downing Street during the COVID lockdown, saying he was furious but that he had been assured there was no party.

French authorities have released a Saudi man they detained after mistaking him for someone else who is wanted over his involvement in the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's wife, Carrie, has given birth to a baby girl, his office said.

PM Narendra Modi has framed cryptocurrencies as a domain that needs to be closely policed, warning they present a risk to young people. DW talked to economist Eswar Prasad about how Modi could regulate the sector.

The three laws were passed last year, with the government saying they were essential for the modernization of Indian agriculture. But that led to furious protests from farmers fearing for their livelihoods.

After being on hold for months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, French archaeological missions are back in Egypt, where many treasures are waiting to be discovered. Exploring the city of Luxor is a dream for many archaeologists, who each day hope their painstaking work will yield fresh treasures. A few kilometres from the Valley of the Kings, Isabelle Régen and her team are studying one of the most fascinating tombs discovered in the country. Our France 2 colleagues report, with FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot.

The leader of the UK's opposition Labour party said on Sunday (December 12) that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had broken the public's trust over COVID-19 regulations, making him "unfit for public office." Speaking on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show, Keir Starmer said Johnson posed a risk to public health following reports that parties were held at Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas lockdown when such festivities were banned.