At the start of a U.N. conference on desertification in Ivory Coast, President Alassane Ouattara has said the country wants to raise $1.5 bln to revive forests and land in the world's top cocoa producer.

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

The COP15 conference is meeting to address issues of land degradation, advancing deserts and deforestation. Experts and activists hope that this will not be just another high-level conference with no concrete results.

While the majority of Swedes are in favor of joining NATO, there are others who even took to the streets in protest. They warn the decision is rushed and that Sweden should better stick with its tradition of neutrality.

DW’s Emmanuelle Chaze visited a school camp in a western Ukrainian town. There, locals have mobilized resources and manpower to give displaced children a safe haven.

Young Ukrainians who experienced the war have been invited to meet the powerful at the World Economic Forum and reflect on what they saw. They are committed and looking to the future, reports Manuela Kasper-Claridge.

Striking school cooks in Ghana want a year's backdated salary and an increased feeding grant. Caterers blame soaring prices on the war in Ukraine. Millions of children will not be fed until the issues are resolved.

A teenager shot dead 19 children at an elementary school in the small city of Uvalde, officials said. US President Joe Biden called for stricter gun laws, asking when "are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?"

Many users on social media are spreading baseless rumours that the Texas school shooter was transgender. Many users also erroneously claim that mass shootings "resumed" under Joe Biden and that there were none or fewer shootings under President Donald Trump. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

The local paper in Uvalde, Texas publishes its first issue since the shooting that killed 19 children and their teachers: an all-black front page with the date of the massacre. Despite the shooting, US gun lobby the NRA is going forward with its annual convention in Texas this weekend. We also look at reactions in the British papers to the long-awaited Sue Gray report on lockdown parties at Downing Street. Plus, we find out new information on how Covid-19 can change our sense of smell.

Police in the US town of Uvalde, Texas are facing questions over why it took an hour to neutralise the gunman who murdered 19 small children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. The tragedy comes amid increasing calls for greater gun control measures. Among the demands of campaigners are a ban on assault weapon sales, as well as universal background checks and so-called red flag laws. Pastor Mike McBride, director of the LIVE FREE gun violence prevention campaign with the Faith in Action network, joined us on Perspective to tell us more.

The first family will meet with community and religious leaders, as well as those who lost their loved ones to the violence that left 21 people — including 19 children — dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.