The Burkina Faso Military has announced that it has deposed President Roch Kabore, seizing control of the country and dissolved the government. In a televised broadcast on Monday, the army said it had taken over the government, suspended the constitution and the National Assembly, as well as closed the country's borders. The announcement, signed by Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was read by another officer on the state television, noting that the takeover had been carried out without violence and those detained are in a secured location.

President of Burkina Faso, Roch Marc Kabore has reportedly been detained at a military camp by mutinying soldiers, following gunfire around the presidential residence in Ouagadougou on Sunday night. The report of his detention came on Monday, a day after soldiers staged mutinies at several army barracks, and later several armoured vehicles of the presidential fleet riddled with bullets holes and abandoned in the street. Kabore's whereabouts are unknown as of the time of this report and the government has denied seize power by the army.

The Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Wali has applauded the Nigerian government for its leadership role in curbing maritime crimes following the country’s first-ever successful prosecution of piracy, first in Africa.

At least 22 people, comprised of 10 children, 10 men, and two women, have died in Pakistan’s popular hill station Murree after heavy overnight snowfall caused traffic jams that trapped tourists in their vehicles, with many freezing to death when temperatures fell to -8c (17.6F) and some likely dying due to asphyxiation from car fumes. Thousands of vehicles had to be pulled from the snow, interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said, but more than a thousand were still stuck in the area on Saturday. Murree, 28 miles (45km) north of the capital of Islamabad, is visited by more than a million people annually. Roads into the city are often blocked by snow in winter.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced the appointment of Mr. Haitham Al-Ghais as the organization’s Secretary-General which would take effect from August 1, 2022. Al-Ghais would replace Nigeria’s representative, Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo as OPEC’s Secretary-General when his second term tenure ends by July 2022. This was made known in a statement during a Special Meeting on Monday via video conference.

Hundreds of people were killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced after the strongest typhoon hit Philippine’s central and Southern Provinces. The Super Typhoon Rai, with winds of about 195km/h (120mph) sent about 400,000 people running for safety when it hit the country’s south-eastern islands. The death toll from Typhoon Rai has surpassed 300, with humanitarian workers reporting “complete carnage”, as the disaster left homes, hospitals and schools “ripped to shreds.” Military airplanes and naval vessels were dispatched on Monday to deliver aid to areas devastated by the powerful storm. The death toll is expected to increase further as search and rescue operations continue after they were initially hampered by power and communication outages. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana while speaking to reporters on Monday said, "We are still assessing the damage, but it is huge." "The first thing we are doing is address the food and water (supplies) and medical care of the injured."

The United States has on Monday unveiled a new US quarter coin, featuring late poet and activist, Maya Angelou, making her the first Black woman to appear on the US coin. The Maya Angelou quarter is the first in the American Women Quarters Program, which includes featuring prominent women in American history. The Mint Deputy Director, Ventris Gibson noted that other quarters in the new series will be rolled out later in the year and through 2025, adding that “It is my honor to present our nation’s first circulating coins dedicated to celebrating American women and their contributions to American history,”

British Socialite, Ghislaine Maxwell has on Wednesday been convicted of luring and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by late American millionaire, Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell was found guilty on five out of six counts including the sex trafficking of a minor and the enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts., facing life imprisonment. The victims were teen girls as young as 14 years old in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein's homes in Florida, New York, and New Mexico.

Canada has on Friday announced that it has lifted the ban on foreign travellers from Nigeria and nine other countries with effect from December 18, however, reimposing testings following the spread of the new Omicron Variant of the COVID-19. In a press conference, the Health Minister, Jean-Yves Duclos made the announcement, saying the ban announced in November was placed to slow the variant and buy some time from Canada.

The British Royal Family has announced that it has stripped Prince Andrew, The Duke of York, of his military affiliations and royal patronages, as he faces trial over sexual abuse allegations. In a statement, the royal family said "With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronages have been returned to the queen." The royal family noted that the prince will be defending his case in court as a private citizen.

Pope Francis has appointed a Nigerian Priest of the Catholic Diocese of Abia State and Apostolic Nuncio to the Antilles, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, as the Permanent Observer of the Holy See, the Vatican to the United Nations Office and Specialised Institutions in Geneva.

Austria has returned to a full national lockdown as protests against new restrictions aimed at curbing Covid-19 infections spread across Europe. Rioting broke out at the Hague on Saturday over the Dutch government’s new coronavirus measures. Video from the scene shows riot police deploying water cannons and charging groups of demonstrators. Tens of thousands of people protested in the capital Vienna ahead of the lockdown. They brandished national flags, and banners with inscription “Freedom”. Infection rate has risen sharply on the continent, prompting warnings from the World Health Organizations (WHO). According to officials, the lockdown will last at least 10 days but could extend to 20.