In pictures


Europe

Unprecedented wildfires swept across France and Spain, youth-led protests in India forced the country’s education minister to resign and Andy Burnham became the United Kingdom’s new prime minister. FRANCE 24 looks back at some of the week’s most striking images.

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Beachgoers rest on the beach of Moutchic on the shore of Lake Lacanau in southwestern France on July 24, 2026, as clouds of smoke rise into the sky from the Gironde wildfire. © Maximilien Lamy, AFP
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham holds a pint of beer during a visit to the Hare Inn in Harlow, east of London.
Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham holds a pint of beer during a visit to the Hare Inn in Harlow, east of London, on July 23, 2026. © Richard Pohle, AFP

Spain's forward Ferran Torres raises the trophy as players celebrate on a stage at Cibeles Square in Madrid one day after winning their second World Cup.
Spain’s forward Ferran Torres raises the trophy as players celebrate on a stage at Cibeles Square in Madrid on July 20, 2026, one day after winning their second World Cup. © Oscar del Pozo, AFP

Indian security forces stop members of India's Congress party as they shout slogans during a protest inside the party headquarters in support of the Cockroach Janta Party movement.
Indian security forces stop members of India’s Congress party as they shout slogans during a protest inside the party headquarters in support of the ‘cockroach’ party’s ongoing movement demanding educational reforms, in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, on July 24, 2026. © Dar Yasin, AP

Smoke from a wildfire is seen near the town of Albendiego, in the Guadalajara province north of Madrid, on July 22, 2026.
Smoke from a wildfire is seen near the town of Albendiego, in the Guadalajara province north of Madrid, on July 22, 2026. © Pierre-Philippe Marcou, AFP

Children cool off in a public water playground at a park in Edogawa district of Tokyo on July 23, 2026, during a heatwave.
Children cool off in a public water playground at a park in Edogawa district of Tokyo on July 23, 2026, as temperatures in Japan reach 40C. © Phil Fong, AFP

A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft flies past flames burning a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France during a wildfire.
A French Civil Security Canadair CL-415 aircraft flies past flames burning a forest surrounding Cotignac, southeastern France, on July 23, 2026, during a wildfire. © Thibaud Moritz, AFP

A truck carrying Nubian giraffes is parked as Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers prepare for their translocation from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve northwestern Uganda.
A truck carrying Nubian giraffes is parked as Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) rangers prepare to move them from Murchison Falls National Park to Ajai Wildlife Reserve in northwestern Uganda, on July 21, 2026. © Hajarah Nalwadda, AP

Health workers disinfects an ambulance at Ebola Treatment Center at Bunia General Hospital in Ituri, Congo, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Health workers disinfect an ambulance at the Ebola Treatment Center at Bunia General Hospital in Ituri, Congo. © Dirole Lotsima Dieudonne, AP

Spectators stand on bales of hay during the 17th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, starting in Chambéry and ending in Voiron France, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.
Spectators stand on bales of hay during the 17th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, starting in Chambéry and ending in Voiron, France. © Mosa’ab Elshamy, AP

Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, climbs the Galibier pass ahead of Belgium's Remco Evenepoel, centre, during the 20th stage of the Tour de France cycling race.
Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, climbs the Galibier pass ahead of Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel, centre, during the 20th stage of the Tour de France cycling race on July 25, 2026. Thibault Camus, AP

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