The billion-euro Franco-German project for a new fighter aircraft is in a "very decisive phase," says German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

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.⁣

The Central African Republic's dry season is coming to an end and recent heavy rains over the capital Bangui led to power and water shortages for 10 days. But for hundreds of thousands of the city's residents, this was nothing new. The company that supplies running water to Bangui was created in 1970, when it served some 100,000 people. The city's population has since grown to 1.5 million people, very few of whom have daily access to running water. Our correspondent Clément Di Roma reports.

Five hospitals in the United Kingdom have installed new machines from a Cardiff-based company which melts items made of polypropylene, such as face masks, separating out impurities to make plastic blocks recycled into chairs, buckets or 3D-printed items.

The president outlined a "new phase" of US involvement in Iraq, which will still involve "dealing with ISIS." By the end of 2021, the US combat mission in the country will be over, almost two decades after it began.

Following the devastating floods in western Germany, many winery owners in the Ahr Valley are facing financial disaster. Now special wine bottles soiled with mud are being sold to stave off ruin.

"NeuralHash" technology makes it possible to detect child sex abuse images uploaded to the cloud. Privacy advocates fear technology invites political mission creep, especially in authoritarian states.

Water shortages and volcanic ash are making life tough for banana farmers on the island of La Palma, where life has been heavily disrupted since the La Cumbre Vieja volcano began erupting in September.

Amid projections that a staggering 97 percent of Afghan households could fall below the poverty line by the middle of next year, the United Nations Development Programme has launched a $670 million trust fund to provide economic relief. Also, Evergrande makes a key debt payment and shares for Snapchat's parent company plunge as the application faces tighter privacy restrictions on iPhones.

Despite several steps in a positive direction, India's efforts are widely seen as a long way from the drastic measures needed to respond to the climate emergency.

As Russia and China attempt to master sophisticated technologies, the head of MI6 is set to warn that "unlike Q in the Bond movies, we cannot do it all in-house."

The Netherlands has become the first European country to enact a strict lockdown over Christmas. Omicron infections are spreading rapidly across the country. All nonessential businesses have been closed until at least mid-January.