Airplane crash in Portugal kills five people

Africa Initiative for Governance and the Nigeria Economic Summit Group partnered with Nigeria's Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 to develop the Nigeria COVID-19 Incidence and Response Tracker and Dashboard which reveals the resource requirements across all 36 states in Nigeria and the FCT. Ofovwe Aig-Imoukuede, Director, Africa Initiative for Governance joins CNBC Africa for more.

The Covid-19 pandemic is pushing Africa into its first recession in a quarter of a century, with GDP forecast to shrink by up to 5 percent. The World Bank's private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation, has outlined a $1.5 billion facility for Africa's business community, with a focus on small and medium sized companies. Sergio Pimenta, Vice President for the Middle East and Africa of the IFC, tells FRANCE 24 that those firms in turn have a "significant" role to play in combatting the virus.

Here are a few reasons to pick up a copy of The Guardian on Thursday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.⁣

COVID-19: Private school teachers narrate lockdown experience

With restaurants and cafés closed due to the pandemic, an alternative is emerging among Brussels hoteliers: transforming bedrooms into private dining rooms, so guests can enjoy an evening "as if at a restaurant" but in compliance with the law.

Watch The Nutmeg, The Guardian's football show for the best analysis and commentary every Monday and Friday on YouTube and tv.guardian.ng.

US President Joe Biden calls for a ban on military style weapons and large ammunition clips in private hands. "We should also ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines," says Biden at a White House event to unveil a series of measures against what he called the "epidemic" of gun violence.

CBN eyes increased private sector investments in healthcare infrastructure

The UN Security Council accuses Russian mercenaries of human rights violations in the Central African Republic. Western mercenaries and companies also operate in Africa — often in a highly opaque manner.

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, have arrested a Nigerian woman based in Brazil, Mrs. Anita Ugochinyere Ogbonna, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, with 100 pellets of cocaine concealed in her private part and handbag.

The state is supposed to protect families. But not all children are safe at home. A study shows that children who experience sexual violence at home rarely get help.

India may ban the use of all cryptocurrencies, barring a few exceptions, if the government’s bill to "regulate" virtual money is cleared by parliament. The central bank plans to issue its own digital currency.