People in Beijing share their views after a decision announced by the International Olympic Committee that next year's Winter Olympics in the city will be held without fans from overseas. "I think this measure is for the safety concerns and is acceptable," says a pedestrian at Beijing Olympic Park.

We take a look at the jabs, jokes and frenzy over Facebook's seven-hour outage. But first, the French press is widely covering a damning report about paedophilia in the French Catholic church. We also find out about the uncertain, perilous fate of a tanker off the coast of Yemen.

A district judge ordered Texas to suspend its law that imposes a near-total ban on abortions. The ruling comes after a challenge brought by President Joe Biden's administration.

Street begging is illegal in Lagos and carries a fine of around ₦15,000 and up to three months’ imprisonment. With authorities linking crime to the growing number of beggars, the Lagos state government set up a special team to stop panhandling in Nigeria’s most populous state. But these measures have not deterred beggars from thronging the streets of Lagos.

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.⁣⁣

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.

Twitter buys out group chat app Sphere

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.

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."