Syrian army declares recovery of last rebel bastion in Eastern Ghouta

Thousands take part in massive protests in Sudan's capital. Dozens are arrested as anger mounts against the country's military. In Ethiopia, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his army is making significant gains as he calls on Tigrayan rebels to surrender. And African fashion pays tribute to world-renowned designer Virgil Abloh, who died this weekend at the age of 41.

India is pulling out all the stops to avoid a repeat of the devastating wave of delta-fueled infections earlier this year, by ramping up testing while stepping up screening and surveillance of international travelers.

Japan has stopped new bookings onto incoming flights after identifying the first cases of the Omicron strain of Covid-19. The country has also tightened its quarantine requirements for all arriving passengers, and extended a ban on non-citizens coming from ten countries in southern Africa. Travel companies have seen their shares tumble in recent days as governments tighten border rules in response to the new strain. Also today, Australia's economy feels the pinch from the recent lockdowns.

Indian government forces have killed the head of a Pakistan-based militant group in Indian-administered Kashmir. Noor Mohammad Tantray, head in the Kashmir valley of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) group, was killed in a gun battle after being trapped in a house near the city of Srinagar on Monday evening. The 47-year-old, a mere three feet tall, took over the group in Indian Kashmir in 2016.

England chalked up their biggest ever competitive victory with a 20-0 humiliation of Latvia in a Women's World Cup qualifier as Ellen White broke the Lionesses's scoring record on a busy night for the scorekeeper at the Keepmoat Stadium on Tuesday. White bagged a hat-trick to take her tally to 48 from 101 caps for England, beating Kelly Smith's mark by two goals. Ten different players found the back of the net in a one-way encounter with 21-year-old Lauren Hemp striking four times for her first goals with England.

Today we debunk photos shared on Facebook claiming to show "Russian ships arriving in Algeria to support Mali". Also, a slip of the tongue by the French Polynesian president Édouard Fritch is ripe for manipulation. Our team fact-check two stories circulating on social media, that should not be taken at face value.