How hero fighter jet pilot Abayomi Dairo survived bandit shut down

Traditionally, growing avocados requires lots of water. But entrepreneurs in Nigeria are attempting to grow them in a new water-saving and sustainable way by using drip irrigation systems and recycling water.

On GirlZOffMute, we're in Nigeria with the nine-year-old, multi-talented artist Lisa Ebube Nnabuihe, aka Little Lisza. Apart from composing her own songs, she remixes those of famous Nigerian musicians. But which of her remixes is her favorite? And why does Lisa take such pride in her Igbo culture? Listen to what she told our teen reporter who is also a Hollywood star – Angel Onyi Unigwe.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Wednesday⁣⁣⁣

French troops leave a key base in Timbuktu, handing it over to the Malian military. We explain how this marks a turning point in France’s wider Sahel mission. Also, Kenya's High Court suspends a mandatory Covid-19 vaccination order, saying it violates the constitution. Finally, Congolese rumba wins UNESCO World Heritage status. FRANCE 24 shows you how the music and dance tradition jumped from Africa to Cuba to the world.

Sudanese security forces have shot dead at least 14 anti-coup protesters and wounded dozens more, in the bloodiest day since the military seized power on 25 October. The fatalities in Khartoum on Wednesday raised to 38 the death toll from unrest since the military seized power, a pro-democracy doctors' union said.

Many Facebook groups based in Mali and Nigeria began sharing a video of a helicopter on December 9, claiming it showed an aircraft delivering weapons to terrorists. In Mali, the posts often accused the French government of operating the helicopter, while posts coming from Nigeria laid the blame on the Nigerian government. In reality, the video is from neither one of these countries – it was filmed in the Central African Republic during a routine supply drop.

Fighting between Ethiopian government forces and militants from the Tigray region has now lasted a year. The conflict threatens to widen as military clashes spread beyond the region.

The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami was berated by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) over plans to deduct about $418 million from the federal account to pay private contractors and firms allegedly owed by the 36 states and local governments over the Paris Club refund.⁣

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Saturday.⁣⁣

On December 19, 2016, Islamist attacker Anis Amri drove a stolen truck through a crowd in central Berlin, killing and injuring dozens. Five years later, the background to the attack remains unclear.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣⁣