Why Lagos ban of Okada and Keke tricycles should be encouraged

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Friday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Friday.⁣⁣

After the European car industry moved much of its production into Eastern Europe, some believe the next step is Africa, both for production and a growing consumer market. Should Germany's eastern neighbors be worried?

Justice Department officials say the law is "plainly unconstitutional" and want it blocked until legal clarity is found on the matter. The court previously allowed the ban to go into effect.

A cocktail bar owner in Bangkok hopes fruity mocktails seasoned with Kratom, a recently decriminalised tropical herb, will help keep his business afloat amid a seven-month ban on alcohol service in the Thai capital. The city, once a popular nightlife spot, is under a curfew and bars, pubs and restaurants are prohibited from selling alcoholic drinks as part of coronavirus restrictions.

After the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, a petition calling for a ban on live firearms on Hollywood film sets has gathered more than 15,000 signatures.

Nigerian's in UAE are facing harsher times as restriction on work permits bites harder. Some of them spoke exclusively to The Guardian about what led to the current situation.

When you picture the French capital, you probably think of beautiful monuments, romantic cafés and pretty parks. But for many tourists in Paris, the city is just too dirty. Whether it’s the urine-soaked streets, ubiquitous dog poop or countless cigarette butts, the reality of everyday Paris is often at odds with the postcard version. Paris authorities pump a lot of money and manpower into keeping the city clean. So what's the problem? Could it be Parisians themselves? In this episode of French Connections Plus, Florence Villeminot and Genie Godula investigate the capital's filthy reputation.

In Ivory Coast, painters, photographers, designers and sculptors are choosing to settle in the city of Grand-Bassam, away from the urban chaos and air pollution of Abidjan. The historic UNESCO World Heritage city, located an hour from the economic capital, is attracting more and more designers in search of a more serene and affordable lifestyle. As the once-popular artisanal village of Grand-Bassam grapples with a drop in tourism, a new generation of artists from diverse backgrounds is reclaiming this historic cultural centre and breathing new life into it. Our correspondents report.

Every day, thousands of people move to the Nigerian city of Lagos. Many of them come from rural areas in the hope of finding work and a better life. But the swelling population is putting the city under intense pressure.

Six months ago, DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi placed North Kivu and Ituri – two provinces in the east of the country – under "a state of siege", effectively imposing martial law in a region that has been rocked by conflict for decades. Today, although the government claims that hundreds of armed militiamen have surrendered, massacres continue and security forces face mounting criticism. In the city of Beni, the justice system has ground to a halt and crime has soared. Our correspondents report.

Democratic Republic of Congo's environment minister said on Thursday (October 28) the country intends to ban all log exports and implement other measures to lessen threats to its carbon-absorbing tropical rainforest, a major bulwark against climate change. Home to a majority of the world's second-largest rainforest, Congo is under pressure to improve forest management and curb a high deforestation rate that has doubled in the last decade, according to U.N. figures. Environment Minister Eve Bazaiba announced the suspension of log exports to reporters in the capital Kinshasa, but did not say when it would come into effect.

The far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik party has called off a march on the capital, and the government has said allowing the party back into the political mainstream is in the "national interest."