Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority provide insight into zone attractiveness

Adunni Abdul says using charcoal and firewood causes her chest pain - but amid a price rises for liquified petroleum gas, she has little choice to go back to such fuels despite the environmental and health risks.

The Kremlin seemed to distance itself from a threat made by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko amid a standoff with the European Union.

Five persons have lost their lives while a number of persons yet to be ascertained injured in a gas explosion at Odekunle Street, Papa Ajao, Mushin, Lagos, on Tuesday morning.⁣⁣ The fire incident was said to have been caused by a woman frying bean cake (Akara) close to a gas cylinder.⁣ Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service are currently at the scene of the explosion.⁣⁣

The benchmark price for natural gas in Europe continued to rise in early trading on Wednesday, after spiking by 18 percent on Tuesday. The move comes after Germany's energy regulator temporarily suspended certification for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that would link the country to Russia. Gas supplies in Europe have been under pressure for months, with prices rising sharply for consumers since the summer. Also, we look why factories in China are experiencing a shortage of workers.

The US has announced it will release 50 million barrels of oil from its strategic reserves, in coordination with several major consumer nations including China and India.

Police have used tear gas to disperse a crowd protesting gender-based violence in Istanbul. Many of the protesters called on the government to resign.

Three weeks after the Santa Barbara wellhead failed, it is still blasting water, gas and oil across Nembe in Nigeria's Delta, littering the shoreline and water with yellow-brown clumps of waste as cleanup crews and booms struggle to contain it. Santa Barbara wellhead owner Aiteo Eastern E&P, the petroleum minister and Nigeria's president have all promised that specialist workers would quickly stop the spill. But experts say the difficulties containing it are a reminder of how the once-fertile, fish-filled creeks, mangrove swamps and waterways that crisscross Nigeria's Delta became some of the most polluted areas on the planet amid decades of energy exploration.

Police fired tear gas at protesters as they burned tires and ransacked a government building in Ouagadougou. Citizens of the capital of Burkina Faso are upset about jihadist violence and a recent attack.

Thousands of Sudanese protest across the country in a show of anger over a government deal that reinstated the prime minister but gave the military majority control. Also, Gambia's president wins re-election, but the opposition is crying foul. One competitor has since accepted the result, but two others are refusing to. Finally, protesters take to South African beaches in opposition to oil and gas exploration by energy giant Shell. Activists say the project endangers marine animals and tourism.

Africa's abundant sunshine is ideal for renewable energy production. But the continent relies heavily on crude oil. Experts warn that the economy will continue to suffer if governments don't wean themselves off of oil.

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

Captain Sunil Kumar Nandeshwar admitted he had been drinking alcohol as cargo ship Wakashio ran aground in July 2020, spilling more than 1,000 tons of fuel into the Indian Ocean.