Former chancellor Sebastian Kurz is facing allegations that he used state money to pay for flattering polls to boost his image. Kurz has denied any wrongdoing.

The lockdown starting Monday is expected to last 10 days and a vaccine mandate is set to start in February. Data shows the seven-day incidence rate in the country at around 1,000 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

Austrians went back into lockdown after fierce protests over the weekend, for a period of at least 10 days and potentially 20. Elswhere, German logged its highest seven-day incidence of the pandemic. DW has the latest.

After 11 months it was closed to traffic, the Toyota-Murtala Mohammed Airport Road link bridge has opened to traffic. Repair works commenced on the damaged bridge after six months of closure and it was meant to open to traffic by the end of September but the government further delayed reopening to carry out additional work.

Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) and Guardian TV’s Victor Odogwu sat down with Eleanora Boyo, the founder of House of Eleanora Foundation to talk about gender and disability-based violence, as well as other issues affecting Persons Living With Disabilities (PLWDs).

Austria's ex-Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced he is stepping back from politics. His successor, Alexander Schallenberg, has also announced his resignation.

'One of the world's greatest humanitarian and human rights crises' is unfolding in Ethiopia, Laetitia Bader of Human Rights Watch warns in an interview with DW. Her organization and Amnesty International have confirmed reports of atrocities being committed in western Tigray.

Kurz will work as a "global strategist" at the California-based venture capitalist firm after resigning amid graft allegations. The former chancellor is under investigation for suspected bribery and breach of trust.

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 has brought a "tidal wave" of new cases, according to the WHO. France has seen record numbers of positive cases – as have several other EU states. This week, President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to "piss off" the unvaccinated, limiting their access to certain social spaces like restaurants and cinemas as a means of convincing more of them to get their jabs. Meanwhile, more and more EU member states seem to be moving towards making vaccination mandatory. Austria is set to become the first EU country to make the jabs obligatory, as of February – with the measure valid until 2024.

Austria raises alarm over pandemic's impact on children

This Wednesday is International Wetlands Day. Worldwide, wetlands cover 12.1 million km². But more than 30 percent have been lost over the past 50 years, despite them playing a crucial role in mitigating the impact of climate change. One example is the Mangroves National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's the only marine park in the country and it's home to a wide variety of plants and rare animals, including sea turtles. But the park is increasingly threatened by poaching and illegal logging. The construction of a deep water port in the vicinity has also sparked controversy. Our correspondents report.

In Kenya, the African Medical and Research Foundation is fighting against female genital mutilation. Over four days, over 400 girls aged 8–15 undergo training sessions as per Maasai culture — paving an alternate way into womanhood.