Barcelona arrive in South Africa for friendly match

FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman urges to avoid "living in the past" ahead of the first Liga match of the post-Lionel Messi era on Sunday 15 August against Real Sociedad.

A ceremony takes place on the same street in the heart of Barcelona where a van ploughed over dozens of people in 2017, leaving 16 dead and 140 injured. Two of the attack's perpetrators were sentenced to 53 and 46 years in prison earlier this year.

Barcelona reinforces security to prevent a party frenzy once the coronavirus-related curfew is lifted in the Catalan capital. Citizens have voiced mixed reactions.

South Africa's top court denies an application by Jacob Zuma to rescind his 15-month jail sentence. In a scathing rebuke, it accuses the former president of "litigious skullduggery". Also, virologists believe that a new treatment approved by the US FDA is a cure against Ebola. And more than 400 trucks sent by the UN to the Tigray region of Ethiopia have disappeared. The World Food Programme says that's having a direct impact on its humanitarian response in the area.

The ex-apartheid fighters locked the ministers in a hotel room after failed talks over a compensation deal. Police arrested a total of 56 people after the incident.

The ex-apartheid fighters locked the ministers in a hotel room after failed talks over a compensation deal. Police arrested a total of 56 people after the incident.

The Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, is set to become the first state hospital in Africa to perform robotic-assisted surgery, following the launch of the state-of-the-art Da Vinci X-I surgical robot.⁣⁣ The four-armed robot will aid surgeons in carrying out complex surgeries on patients in a less invasive and shorter period of time.⁣⁣

Ansu Fati's second half strikes helps Barcelona to a 1-0 victory away to Dynamo Kyiv.

South African papers vent their frustation over travel bans imposed after the country detected a new coronavirus variant. For l'Humanité, the Omicron variant is proof that "vaccine access for all is a global emergency". Other French papers examine the crisis in Guadeloupe and Martinique, puzzled by a proposal to give the territories more autonomy. Plus, a snow storm strands 61 people in a UK pub - a reminder that some lockdowns can be fun!

Blaming South Africa for the new COVID-19 variant is wrong. A global crisis needs a global response, says DW's Sertan Sanderson. Instead of finger-pointing and isolation, there should be more solidarity.

A fire erupted at the South African parliament in Cape Town on Sunday, with media coverage showing flames coming from the roof of the building and a plume of smoke that could be seen from some miles away. It wasn't immediately clear if anyone was in the building. The fire was on the third storey of the building and initial reports indicated that it started in the office space and spread towards a gym, said Jean-Pierre Smith, a Cape Town mayoral committee member responsible for safety and security.

Fire reignites at South African Parliament a day and a half after flames first broke out. A man is due in court this week in connection to the devastating blaze. The Sudanese army's power has grown following the resignation of civilian transitional PM Hamdok over the weekend. Generals now have sole governing authority as fatal tensions continue to deepen. And Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey dies aged 77, after spending a life defending his country's endangered wildlife.