Canada celebrates 150th birthday with British royals

Before the Taliban swept to power in Afghanistan, Kabul was a city with a vibrant nightlife and arts scene. But since then, there has been a radical transformation. Thousands of longtime Taliban fighters have poured into the capital, now working in round-the-clock security patrols. Meanwhile, financial disputes and quarrels between neighbours are being settled by Islamic judges. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris-Trent and Roméo Langlois report from Kabul.

Nigerians welcomed the return of a bronze sculpture from Cambridge University College on Wednesday (October 27) that was looted by British troops in 1897, setting a precedent that could pressure other institutions to return stolen artefacts to Africa. "We should be celebrating this, it should not be kept silent. This is part of our cultural heritage, we now have it," said Pius Reis, CEO of Black Innovations Africa.

The council's 15 member countries released the statement as Tigrayan rebels threatened to capture the capital, Addis Ababa, a year into the fighting. Twitter also has disabled the trends section on Ethiopia.

Vancouver Island, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, is home to immense cedars and firs, some of them 800 years old. It's here that an environmental battle is raging between the logging industry and defenders of the Fairy Creek forest. The fight over logging has gone all the way to British Columbia's Supreme Court and is resonating within Canadian society, with police accused of excessive force towards the environmental protesters. Our correspondents François Rihouay, Joanne Profeta and Laura McQuillan report.

Ecuador's President Guillermo Lasso deployed police and the military to "take control of all the country's prisons" after scores of inmates were killed in gang clashes.

Kabul residents on Tuesday said the first 100 days after the Taliban takeover had been difficult, expressing ongoing concerns about security and girls' education.

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.⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣

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

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

Since China imposed a security law on Hong Kong, more than 100,000 people have left. The UK has offered a special visa to its former colony, and 70% of Hong Kong's population is eligible. But for those who've fled, it's difficult to leave home behind.

Greece's new high-security refugee center on the island of Samos promises improved living conditions for asylum-seekers. But human rights organizations have reacted with dismay to a facility that so closely resembles a prison.

Doctors have accused security forces of firing live rounds at pro-democracy demonstrators and killing four of them.