Ordinary people came to me in a dream and it’s a reflection of a life I want to live – Cobhams

Egypt's combative sport of tahtib (stick-fighting), popular at weddings and dating back at least 5,000 years, has become a modern martial art that enthusiasts hope will eventually make it to the Olympics.

Five days a week, Thiago Soares Pestana plays video games like a professional athlete in Rio de Janeiro's Vigario Geral favela thanks to charitable project AfroGames.

Bitter Portugal fans in Coimbra can't hide their disappointment after being knocked out of Euro 2020 by Belgium. "Portugal could have played better, but it's too late now," says one supporter, while another adds, "it's like we were scared... even though it's our team that everyone should fear."

Senegalese children dream of being famous football players

One year after singer Akon laid the first stone of the $6 billion futuristic city he plans to build in his native Senegal, the site remains grassland. Construction of "Akon City," a project due to feature ultramodern twisting skyscrapers, was already meant to have begun near the Atlantic Ocean village of Mbodiene. But building work is yet to start, prompting residents who were hoping for jobs to wonder about its future.

Libya’s national team slid in the ranks in the group stage for the World Cup qualifiers after suffering a 3-0 defeat against Egypt on Monday. Fans packed squares in the country’s east and west, heartbroken as a defeat on the home front was sealed by a third goal from Ramadan Sobhi in the second half. Egypt scored twice near halftime in Benghazi through Ahmed Fotouh and Mostafa Mohamed, the team’s second straight win over Libya at the start of new coach Carlos Queiroz’s tenure.

"It has always been my dream to succeed at Barca," Fati says

The publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, has won the 2021 Ladies Tiffany Circle/Red Cross Courage to Dream Award. The award was given to the humanitarian, film producer, publisher and chairperson of The Guardian Group at the Asian World Film Festival for her philanthropic efforts and exemplifying the mission of the Red Cross. The Asian World Film Festival (AWFF), founded by Kyrgyz public figure Sadyk Sher-Niyaz, brings the best of a broad selection of Asian world cinema to Los Angeles to draw greater recognition to the region’s wealth of filmmakers and to strengthen ties between the Asian and Hollywood film industries.

Millions of domestic workers in Africa continue to work under sometimes appalling conditions with very little pay. Trade unionists are now calling to integrate them into the formal sector.

More than half of India's population doesn't have access to clean drinking water. Contaminated water is not only disastrous for people's health and the environment, it is also estimated to cost the country more than half a billion euros annually. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged to bring clean drinking water to all households by 2024, by investing €45 billion. But can he deliver? Our correspondents report on the ambitious Jal Jeevan Mission.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Thursday.

Nigeria, Algeria and Niger are renewing efforts to implement a decades-old plan, as they look to benefit from EU efforts to wean itself off Russian gas. But is there enough political will and funding for the project?