Just like his mother before him, King Charles II is not only head of state of the United Kingdom, but also of 14 Commonwealth countries. For years however, rumours have been circulating that after Queen Elizabeth II passed away, several of those nations would announce their decision to become a republic. So is it true? Our international affairs editor and royal watcher Philip Turle investigates in this edition of Coronation Countdown.

Africa holds mineral wealth with diverse commodities that are sought after the world over. In the diamond industry, revenues elude local communities despite multilateral certification measures.

Kunle Adeyanju rode for 12,000 kilometres and through 13 countries to raise funds for eliminating polio. He also spent time sensitizing communities along the way from London to Lagos about the disease. GuardianTV sat with the rider to discuss how the long journey went through.

Addressing the global food crisis stemming from the pandemic and Russia's war on Ukraine, the assistant director-general of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said there will be no famine but definitely a food shortage for quite some time, especially for countries with low production capacity.

Last month, Giorgia Meloni, the president of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, strongly criticised EU defence policy, claiming that no country is meeting its defence spending commitments. FRANCE 24's Georgina Robertson and Sophie Samaille look at some defence spending figures to debunk this claim.

Coronavirus cases have hit global records. Some countries have tightened measures, while others are pushing to relax rules because of the omicron variant's perceived milder infections and high national vaccination rates.

The International Monetary Fund's executive board has approved the extension of $115 million in debt relief to 25 eligible low-income countries from January 11 to April 13 next year in an effort to help them ride out pandemic-induced headwinds.

The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November. The WHO has listed it as a ‘variant of concern’ and said it could take several weeks to know if there are significant changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada are countries where the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected.

Gbenga Okejimi, World Remit Country Manager (Ghana and Nigeria) speaks to Guardian TV on how World Remit is facilitating global remittances across Africa. WorldRemit is a cross-border digital payments service that provides international money transfer and remittance services in more than 130 countries and over 70 currencies.

Activists at COP26 tell the rich world to get its head out of the sand and keep its promises on climate change. Africa is paying an outsized price for pollution by developed nations. Also, Covid-19 has kept the border between DR Congo and the Republic of Congo closed for a year and a half. Those who depend financially on inter-country travel are barely hanging on. And Libya starts registering presidential candidates for a December election it hopes will bring stability.

Stopping deportations would "motivate even more Afghan citizens to leave their home." Afghan authorities have asked them to stop until October.

The global economy is heading for its strongest - but most uneven - recovery on record. The World Bank has warned that more international cooperation is needed to ensure more equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines to help developing economies rebuild. Franziska Ohnsorge, Manager of the Prospects Group at the World Bank, says that vaccinations and economic recovery will go hand in hand. Also in the show: French gyms prepare to reopen after a more than seven month closure.