Chad frees rebels ahead of national peace-building talks

This Wednesday is International Wetlands Day. Worldwide, wetlands cover 12.1 million km². But more than 30 percent have been lost over the past 50 years, despite them playing a crucial role in mitigating the impact of climate change. One example is the Mangroves National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's the only marine park in the country and it's home to a wide variety of plants and rare animals, including sea turtles. But the park is increasingly threatened by poaching and illegal logging. The construction of a deep water port in the vicinity has also sparked controversy. Our correspondents report.

India is expected to launch a digital version of its currency, the rupee. The plan for the sovereign-backed digital currency comes as the popularity of cryptocurrencies is on the rise.

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

One of Nigeria's five authors of her National Anthem, Professor Babatunde Ogunnaike is dead. Professor Ogunnaike emerged as one of five, whose words and phrases were combined to form the national anthem.

For a long time, many saw Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a comic actor who stumbled into the presidency. During the confrontation with Russia, however, the 44-year-old has matured into a respected statesman.

In an interview with FRANCE 24 on Monday, former US national security adviser and retired lieutenant general Herbert Raymond McMaster said that Ukraine can win the war with Russia, remarking that President Vladimir Putin had already lost the conflict in a sense by not winning outright.

The NSU, Hanau, the Breitscheidplatz Christmas market — these names evoke memories of terrorist attacks in Germany's recent past. As leaders meet to commemorate the victims, some say more needs to be done to help them.

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

The coalition fighting in Yemen said Houthi hit several economic facilities in Saudi Arabia. This comes days after the rebels rejected a GCC invitation for talks on the conflict.

Yemen's Houthi rebels say they carried out several attacks on Friday, the largest being on an oil storage and shipping facility in Jiddah. Sunday's F1 Grand Prix there will go ahead as scheduled, say organizers.

Rebels from the M23 groups have attacked army positions near Democratic Republic of Congo's border with Uganda and Rwanda, a local official and a witness have said.

Pakistan's lower legislative chamber has been dissolved after a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan was blocked. The country will hold fresh elections in 90 days unless the Supreme Court rules otherwise.