Thousands of people honored the veteran leader after he was killed in clashes with rebels. His death has pushed Chad into political unrest and alarmed Western powers over losing a key ally.

While in Nigeria, we think of shaving a widow's head as a strange funeral tradition, but these four traditions make that pale into nothing.

The US Central Command releases aerial footage showing US strikes on three positions along the Syria-Iraq border. At least seven fighters belonging to Iran-backed armed groups were killed, sparking immediate calls for revenge and fears of a new escalation between Washington and Tehran.

A number of rocket attacks have been carried out against US military and diplomatic targets. According to the extremist monitoring group SITE, they were carried out by pro-Iranian militias.

Protesters gather at an Iraqi hospital where at least 52 people have died and several others wounded in a massive fire that engulfed a coronavirus isolation ward. The fire broke out at the Al-Hussein hospital in the southern city of Nasiriyah late Monday.

The blaze in the southern city of Nasiriya has been brought under control. The death toll is expected to rise and the fire may have been caused by an oxygen tank explosion.

Aerial images show the aftermath of a fire which enveloped a Covid isolation unit and killed 64 in southern Iraq. The deadly blaze at Al-Hussein Hospital in the provincial capital Nasiriyah, which medics said was fuelled by the explosion of oxygen canisters, was the second such fire in Iraq in three months.

For the first time in 20 years, child labour has increased around the world. Last year, 160 million youngsters were working, or 8.4 million more than in 2016. The Covid-19 crisis and resulting rise in poverty are often responsible. In Iraq, the number of children forced to work has increased steadily in recent decades due to conflict, forced displacement and economic challenges. Our correspondents Jack Hewson and Lucile Wassermann went to meet some of those who are trying to stem the scourge of child labour.

Iraqis mourn relatives who died in a massive fire which engulfed a coronavirus isolation ward of Al-Hussein hospital in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, as they take part in their funeral in the central city of Najaf. The devastating blaze Monday evening, which medics said was fuelled by oxygen canisters exploding, was the second such tragedy in Iraq in three months.

The president outlined a "new phase" of US involvement in Iraq, which will still involve "dealing with ISIS." By the end of 2021, the US combat mission in the country will be over, almost two decades after it began.

More than 10 people are reported to have died and at least 50 injured. State media blamed the attack on the 'Islamic State' (IS) militant group, which has revived its campaign of violence in Iraq.

Funerals were held for victims of an attack on a Muslim convoy on the outskirts of Nigeria's Jos state, which left at least 22 people dead.