Ghastly Abuja accident leaves many casualties

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.

On the 23rd of January, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the rice pyramid in Abuja. The unveling came with a lot of criticisms with industry players saying that the pyramid doesn’t match up with the present reality. Weeks after the showcase, the rice pyramids are now disappearing.⁣ ⁣

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⁣.⁣

Delaying players and officials of your country’s national women’s football team for over three hours at the airport after a two-hour flight from Abidjan, following a hard-fought 1-0 win against their Cote d’Ivoire counterparts, on the pretext of conducting Covid-19 tests, is not how to welcome heroes back home.

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.

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

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.⁣⁣

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.