Senegal’s ex-president Macky Sall, who is campaigning to become the next UN secretary-general, arrived in Dakar Friday for a brief meeting with his successor, a visit criticised by the former leader’s detractors.

The baby in the photo – which has now gone viral – was none other than Lamine Yamal, the Spanish wunderkind who at 16 was showing such promise that he was already being compared to the greats of the sport.

Algeria continues to battle intense wildfires amid high temperatures, with authorities saying they have mobilised significant resources to fight them.

On a rocky Cape Verde beach, Maria and Vania fill their buckets with black sand the moment that waves recede, transporting it on their heads to a stockpile where it will be sold illegally.

Favoured by the likes of Beyoncé and Aya Nakamura, Ivory Coast fashion is wooing the world stage, thanks in part to showcasing on social media.

Iranian state media are reporting that bridges, a train station, and an airport were among the sites hit, amid renewed airstrikes.

China launched a large-scale rescue operation after a landslide struck Pengshui County in Chongqing municipality on 17 July, burying part of a residential area and trapping an unknown number of people.

Pix of the Day, 17 July 2026

The Constitutional Court validated, on 16 June, five of the six candidacies: the incumbent President Carlos Vila Nova, running for a second term; former Prime Minister Jorge Bom Jesus; the parliamentary leader of the ADI, Nito D’Abreu; as well as jurists Miques João Bonfim and Eugénio Tiny.

This is part of a series of new measures to regain control over the gold sector to enhance its contribution to economic development.

India launches its first hydrogen-powered passenger train, NaMo Green Rail, boosting clean rail transport and cutting diesel emissions.

The US ultimatum for Rwandan troops to withdraw from eastern DRC expired on Wednesday but there’s been no let up in the fighting. Now thousands of displaced families in Uvira are seeing their hopes of returning home slip away.

The US ultimatum for Rwandan troops to withdraw from eastern DRC expired on Wednesday but there’s been no let up in the fighting. Now thousands of displaced families in Uvira are seeing their hopes of returning home slip away.

In an address to the nation, he made unverified claims that Beijing interfered in the 2020 polls which he lost.

Chile’s central coast has been hit by an exceptional storm surge that flooded homes and damaged infrastructure. Authorities are urging residents to stay away from the shoreline as dangerous sea conditions continue.

Twenty children and one adult were killed on Friday when their bus overturned in Uganda.

Eleven people killed in a fire at an Algerian orphanage were laid to rest on Thursday at a ceremony in Bakari, on the outskirts of Algiers.

At least 20 people were killed this week in three attacks by suspected jihadist fighters in eastern DR Congo, according to a report from RFI.

More than 1,000 speedcubers from 53 countries are competing in Arnhem, the Netherlands, from 16 to 19 July 2026. Events range from blindfolded solves to solving while wearing oven gloves.

Spain has deployed more than 400 firefighters and 19 aircraft to combat a fast-moving wildfire in the northeastern region of Aragon after flames swept across around 7,600 hectares by 16 July.

Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb speaks with survivors after a fire burning at an orphanage in the country’s capital has killed at least 11 people, including children, according to authorities.

A group condemning the repression under former President Macky Sall’s rule in Senegal has spoken out against his arrival in Dakar on Friday to meet the Senegalese Head of State, as part of his campaign to lead the UN.

Algeria is probing a deadly orphanage fire near Algiers, early on 16 July, that killed at least 11, injured 19 and struck amid a heatwave and nearly 1,000 recent blazes.

The Strait of Hormuz is once again the scene of fighting, with Iran and the United States States continuing to trade fire in the early hours of Thrusday. Both sides are using their own means to monitor the strategic waterway.

They covered sectors including the economy, security, migration, and defence, further strengthening strategic partnerships between the two countries.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed his Guinea-Bissau’s counterpart Fatumata Jau in Moscow on Thursday.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is on a two-day visit to Rabat as France hopes to cement their recent rapprochement.

In western Senegal, armed men on motorcycles took part in the 723rd edition of the “Miss de Diobaye” hunt, a centuries-old tradition believing to bring rain and protect the community.

The road condition determines whether food reaches markets, patients reach health facilities, and humanitarian aid reaches families in need.

Hundreds protest in Kyiv after President Zelenskyy dismisses Defence Minister Fedorov, a moderniser credited with slowing Russia’s advance.

A fire burning at an orphanage in Algeria’s capital has killed at least 11 people including children, authorities said Thursday, amid a heatwave that has sparked hundreds of blazes in the country’s north.

It says it has expanded its repatriation and reintegration efforts as the number of Zimbabeans requiring assistance continues to rise.

Mongolian throat singing is gaining new audiences worldwide, as artists like Batzorig Vaanchig blend the ancient nomadic tradition of khoomei with modern forms of entertainment, from cinema to video games.

Ivory Coast secures more than $80 billion in international commitments to finance its 2026–2030 National Development Plan

Russian missiles killed two people and wounded five, including a child, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 16 July 2026.

Scenes of joy erupted in Nigeria’s Oyo State on Wednesday, as rescued students reunited with their relatives after months in captivity.

Two journalists in Niger have been released from prison, their families and a court source confirmed Wednesday.

Wildfires burning across northern Algeria have killed a municipal worker who was taking part in firefighting, media reports said Wednesday.

A train crew was surrounded by wildfire flames near Armstrong, Ontario, Canada, on 13 July 2026. The Canadian National Railway crew escaped safely as more than 160 fires burned across the region.

A fire tore through an orphanage on the outskirts of Algiers early Thursday, killing at least 11 people and injuring 19 others, Algerian civil defence officials said.