Lagos pipeline blast kills 15, destroys several buildings – Nigerian officials

At least one person was killed and six people including children injured in an explosion in Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi on Wednesday, according to an official statement. Local media says the gas cylinder blast happened in a multi-story building in Lyari area the city. The police said the building was partially damaged.

A fact-checking media in Mali has identified false claims of child harvesting in Nigeria – so-called "baby factories". The claim that the images in question are recent is bogus, but a real phenomenon of child harvesting does exist in Nigeria. Also, a Canadian media dramatically claimed that the wife of Pfizer's CEO died due to the Covid-19 vaccine. In fact, she is alive and well.

#EndSARS protester, Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, who testified before a Lagos Judicial Panel on the alleged role of the military and the police in the Lekki shooting of October 20, 2021, has been attacked by hoodlums who left her with machete wounds. This was disclosed on Monday by members of the Joint #EndSARS at a press conference in Lagos. They added that Miss Ibe has been hospitalised following the attack and is responding to treatment.⁣ ⁣

An explosion rocked the southern outskirts of Belgrade sending a plume of cloud into the sky. At least two people were killed and over a dozen more were injured.

The Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has voted unanimously to retain the benchmark interest rate (MPR) at 11.5%, whilst keeping all other monetary parameters constant.

Nigeria has the second largest film output in the world, but many filmmakers struggle with low budgets and barely make a profit. But streaming platforms are giving a boost to African films.

Authorities in Nigeria reject the conclusions of an independent report that found that security forces were behind the death of 11 people at an anti-police brutality protest last year. Also, South Africa's president calls for solidarity between countries in the face of travel bans following the discovery of the Omicron variant. And on World AIDS Day we take you to Kenya, where the prevalence of HIV has fallen drastically in the past two decades, but the fight against new infections remains a daily battle.

In October, the Central Bank of Nigeria launched the hugely-anticipated eNaira, joining the small league of countries to own their digital currency. But it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the currency that, according to the CBN, offers more possibilities. What do you think about the eNaira? How would you describe your experience with the eNaira app?

Oil giant Shell will pay a Nigerian community $111m (£80m) over an oil spill more than 50 years ago. A spokesman said the payment would mark the "full and final settlement" to the Ejama-Ebubu community over a spill during the 1967-70 Biafran War. The company has maintained that the damage was caused by third parties.

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

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.

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