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  1. UN fears Libya violence could reverse progress

    Mike Thomson

    BBC World Service News

    Joint forces affiliated with Libya's Government of National Unity assemble inside the closed Tripoli International Airport, as they deploy on the outskirts and entrances of the capital Tripoli on 25 July. At least 16 people were killed and 52 wounded in fighting between armed groups in Tripoli, the health ministry said on 23 July, following the latest politically driven violence to hit the Libyan capital.
    Image caption: Soldiers linked to the UN-backed government in Tripoli respond to clashes in July

    The UN says it’s deeply worried about ongoing clashes between armed groups in Libya and the threats to use force to solve the country’s political crisis.

    Libya has been emmeshed in political stalemate for months after the country’s eastern-based parliament appointed a new prime minister, despite the fact there was already a prime minister in post in Tripoli who was refusing to cede power without an election.

    There have been several recent shoot-outs between armed supporters of both men, which the UN fears could reignite wider conflict after two years of comparative peace.

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  2. Teen who rescued children from Algeria wildfire dies

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News

    A wildfire
    Image caption: More than 40 people have died in the wildfires

    A teenage girl is being hailed as a hero on Algerian social media after she succumbed to serious burn injuries sustained while rescuing children from the recent wildfires.

    Dounia Bouhelassa,18 was a scout leader.

    She is believed to have rescued dozens of children from a park in the city of El Kala, east of the country.

    The little scouts with their leader Dounia were engulfed in flames while walking in the woods last week.

    Eight scouts were injured in the incident.

    Dounia died while being treated at a hospital in her home city of Constantine.

    More than 40 people have died and 200 others injured in the wildfires that have hit the north east of Algeria.

  3. Video content

    Video caption: Beirut: Large part of grain silos collapses 2 years after blast

    Rotting grain ignited in the summer heat, leaving a fire burning in the silos for weeks, officials say.

  4. Egypt hosts Arab summit with Nile Dam row on agenda

    BBC World Service

    A view of Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
    Image caption: The mega dam has caused a row between Egypt and Ethiopia

    Egyptian media are reporting that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is hosting a five-nation Arab summit in the Mediterranean coastal city of New Alamein.

    The leaders of Bahrain, the UAE, Iraq and Jordan are said to be attending.

    Among the topics expected to be discussed are the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya, the latest round of Israel-Gaza fighting earlier this month and Egypt and Sudan’s dispute with Ethiopia over its Renaissance Dam on the Nile.

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  5. Former Tunisian minister stages protest in airport

    Ahmed Rouaba

    BBC News, Tunis

    A former Tunisian minister has for the last eight days staged a protest at the country's main airport, Tunis cartage airport, after he was stopped from leaving the country.

    Human rights activists have expressed concerns over his condition after he was pictured sleeping on a bench.

    Nouredine Mkhademi was about to take a flight to Qatar last week when he was stopped by the police.

    The former religious affairs minister is an opponent of President Kais Saied.

    He explained in a video shared on social media that he was not given a reason for stopping him from boarding a plane and was "not aware of any court case against him or any legal reason".

    The interior ministry wrote on Facebook that the former minister was banned from travelling due to a court order.

    However, lawyers defending him say their client never received any warrant informing him of the ban.

    Mr Mkhademi has been visited by politicians, academics and human rights activists who raised concerns about his and his family's health.

  6. At least 43 dead in Algeria wildfires - police

    BBC World Service

    Smoke in forest
    Image caption: Firefighters intervened to try and temper the blazes

    Algerian police say at least 43 people are now known to have died in wildfires that raged for days in the north of the country.

    More than 30 fires were put out over the weekend, but with some still burning, casualties are expected to rise further.

    More than 1,000 families have been evacuated from the worst affected areas, which includes the El Tarf region near the border with Tunisia.

    Thirteen people have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in starting the fires.

  7. Nine killed in Algeria fuel tanker crash

    A map of Algeria

    A collision between a bus and a fuel tanker in south-east Algeria has left nine people dead, according to the civil defence.

    Six other people were injured in the weekend crash in the Illizi area.

    The civil defence in its statement on Sunday did not identify the cause of the crash.

    Speed is the main cause of road accidents in the North African country, according to a government road safety agency.

    Algeria recorded more than 3,000 traffic fatalities in 2021.

  8. Firefighters say Algeria wildfires under control

    BBC World Service

    A view of burnt forestland after wildfires in El Taref, Algeria on August 18, 2022
    Image caption: Algeria's wildfires have killed at least 37 people

    Firefighters in Algeria say they have brought under control the wildfires that have killed at least 37 people, including five members of the same family.

    A spokesman said 16 blazes were still being tackled but those in the worst-affected areas - the eastern Al-Tarf region near the border with Tunisia - were no longer a threat.

    Locals complain that the government continues to be ill-prepared for the summer wildfires which are becoming more common.

    At least 90 people were killed in blazes last year.

  9. Algerians continue to battle deadly forest fires

    BBC World Service

    Burnt trees and a bus are pictured following a wildfire in El Kala, in Al Taref province, Algeria, August 18

    Emergency services in Algeria are continuing to try to put out forest fires in the north and far east of the country, which have killed at least 38 people and injured more than 200 others.

    Officials say that 11 children are among those who have died in the fires that have been ravaging the region for the past few days.

    Eyewitnesses say that many of those killed were in an animal park when they were surrounded by flames.

    The authorities fear that the fires may again spread because of fierce winds in the area.

  10. At least 26 dead in Algeria forest fires

    A general view of the wildfire in Setif, Algeria on August 17, 2022.
    Image caption: Firefighters fought to contain several blazes on Wednesday

    At least 26 people have been killed and dozens more injured in forest fires that have devastated northern Algeria.

    Kamel Beldjoud, the country's interior minister, said 24 died in El Tarf, near the border with Tunisia, as well as a mother and daughter in Setif.

    Firefighters, supported by helicopters, were still trying to contain several blazes on Wednesday evening.

    Reports say some 350 residents have been evacuated in various provinces.

    Helicopters are being used to dump water on the flames.

    Algeria suffers from wildfires every year, but the problem has been exacerbated by climate change.

    A Russian water bomber plane chartered by the Algerian authorities has broken down and is not expected to be in service again until Saturday.

  11. Egypt central bank governor quits amid inflation rise

    BBC World Service

    Tarek Amer
    Image caption: Tarek Amer's resignation has been described as a shock decision

    The governor of Egypt's central bank, Tarek Amer, has resigned more than a year before the end of his second term in office.

    The move - which triggered a sell-off of government bonds - comes one day before the monetary policy committee is expected to raise interest rates.

    Inflation stands at nearly 15%, three times what it was only a year ago.

    Mr Amer said he was stepping down to give others the opportunity to continue the successful development under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who accepted his resignation.