AFCON 2019: A quick guide

More than 10 million Africans died when the king ruled over the Congo from 1885 to 1908. Now, Antwerp has become the first Belgian city to remove a statue of Leopold II — but not for the reason that activists had sought.

French football fans descend upon the Stade Oceane to watch PSG face Le Havre in one of the first matches open to the public in months. The French government has set a limit of 5,000 people in stadiums due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. PSG stars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe are back on the pitch.

The US president has made good on a threat to send more federal troops to combat unrest in major US cities. "Operation Legend" will see hundreds of agents deployed to Chicago and other urban centers.

German cities and towns are struggling with water shortages. Climate change is making it more difficult for municipalities to reach the groundwater they rely on.

Germany's biggest cities have collected more than €3 million in penalties from violators of coronavirus restrictions. Munich and Hamburg, which have been hit hardest by the pandemic, have doled out the most fines.

Millions of students in Cameroon return to school for the first time since March. We look at the changes made to keep them safe. Also, DR Congo is bracing for heavy downpours as the rainy season kicks off. Our correspondents report on how authorities and residents are trying to avoid a repeat of last year's flooding. And we discover a new magazine focused on showing African capitals in a new light. The founder of OFF TO tells us more about her bilingual review that gives a voice to locals about how they see and experience the cities they live in.

Two cities in the Amhara region have been struck by rockets fired by forces from the neighboring Tigray region, the government has claimed. Hundreds of people have been killed so far this month in a spiraling conflict.

Paris and Zurich have risen to join Hong Kong at the top of a list of the world's most expensive cities to live in. The ranking is compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which looks at the cost of 138 everyday goods across more than 130 countries.

As Hamas rockets continue to rain down on Israel, Israel is vowing to push on with its air strikes against the group's positions in the Gaza Strip. But this time, the conflict is also spilling over into so-called "mixed" towns and cities within Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling for an end to the "savagery" of violent clashes between Jewish and Arab neighbours. We discuss this latest troubling aspect to the conflict with Alain Dieckhoff, a research professor at Sciences Po University specialising in Israeli politics and society.

Police in Germany disbanded pro-Palestinian rallies as Middle East tensions intensify. Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the country "will not suffer" antisemitic protests.

Delhi's chief minister says the capital's COVID situation is "under control" but appealed for caution. "It is important to bring the economy back on track," he said.

Coastal cities are on the "frontline" of the climate crisis, with swelling oceans redrawing the map and putting hundreds of millions at risk. That's the warning of an unpublished draft report by the UN's climate science advisory panel, seen exclusively by AFP, the most extensive compendium to date of the urgent climate threats facing the planet.