Ahead of Nigeria's elections, voters help electoral authorities test out a new system meant to head off vote rigging. Also, we hear from Hamitraoré, an Ivorian activist trying to hasten FGM's end by bringing discussions about its impact into the open. Finally, Tunisians frustrated by a stagnant economy find new ways of doing business, both above board and on the black market.

Buckingham Palace has announced that Queen Elizabeth has tested positive for COVID-19

The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November. The WHO has listed it as a ‘variant of concern’ and said it could take several weeks to know if there are significant changes in transmissibility, severity, or implications for Covid vaccines, tests, and treatments. Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Hong Kong, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada are countries where the new COVID-19 variant has also been detected.

The move is part of measures to hit the brakes on a wave of new COVID infections in Germany. Meanwhile, APEC leaders have agreed to cut tariffs on COVID vaccines. DW has the latest.

A US envoy said North Korea's recent weapon tests were "concerning and counterproductive." Last week, the isolated nation carried out tests of a new type of ballistic missile launched from submarines.

Capable of traveling more than five times the speed of sound, a new generation of missile systems are being designed for speed, stealth and surprise. Russia is already working on developing its own weapons system.

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

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

Emergency responders and engineers in Britain say they have successfully tested "the world's first jet suit paramedic". The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) worked with Gravity Industries to test their jet suit in the hilly Lake District, where mountain rescuers can often take around an hour to arrive if a helicopter isn't required.

The World Health Organization plans to make 120 million rapid-diagnostic coronavirus tests available for people in lower- and middle-income countries. The tests are fast, simple and cheap — but are they reliable?

Here is why you should pick a copy of The Guardian on Sunday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on the newsstands on Sunday.⁣

Here is why you should pick up a copy of The Guardian on Tuesday. Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on the newsstands on Tuesday.