Morocco sacks coach Vahid Halilhodzic just three months ahead of the World Cup, the third time Halilhodzic has been fired by a national team after they've qualified for World Cup finals.

At least 26 people have died with several dozen injured amid separate forest fires raging across drought-hit northern Algeria. Most of the fatalities were near the border with Tunisia.

French President Emmanuel Macron has kicked off a three-day visit to Algeria with economic ties on the agenda, as well as a bid to reset often tense relations between Paris and Algiers. Also in this edition: Angola's ruling party edges closer to an election win after the tightest presidential race in decades. Finally, in Senegal, hundreds of plastic recycling plants are to be built to crack down on pollution.

A political spat between Morocco and Tunisia continues after being sparked over the weekend by Tunis's hosting of the head of the Polisario Front. But first, a report released by a crisis monitoring organisation suggests that Russian mercenaries in Mali target civilians in well over half of their operations. The report also accuses Wagner fighters of also attacking non-military targets in Central African Republic. Finally, we take a closer look at Egypt's centuries-long tradition of wine making.

Nigeria and Morocco sign a deal to build the world's longest offshore gas pipeline. When it’s completed in over 20 years’ time, it will connect 15 West African nations and eventually lead on to Europe's shores.Tensions simmer between Mali and Ivory Coast as Bamako continues to detain 46 Ivorian soldiers. The military junta ruling Mali has told other nations to stay out of its business.

Unflattering terms were used at a German Football Association human rights congress aimed at "intensifying the discussion" ahead of the World Cup. One speaker in particular made waves with an impassioned personal plea.

Nigeria and Morocco sign a deal to build the world's longest offshore gas pipeline. When it’s completed in over 20 years’ time, it will connect 15 West African nations and eventually lead on to Europe's shores.

The 22-member Arab League summit is being hosted in Algeria this year. Even as the league continues to support the Palestinian cause, many members have normalized ties with Israel.

The World cup, now just under a week away, is the world's most-watched sports competition. But between accusations of corruption and rights abuses in this year's host country Qatar, the 2022 World Cup is arguably among the most controversial.

Qatar has been heavily criticized for its human rights record. Who is performing at the opening ceremony for the World Cup is still unclear. Rod Stewart said "it's not right to go there," but Jung Kook will perform.

While Nigeria will not be featured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, several players of Nigerian origin will be adorning the national colors of other countries at the World cup.

After years of scrutiny off the pitch, Qatar opened the most controversial World Cup ever with a listless performance on it. The hosts have tried a different way to build a team but were picked off by Ecuador on Sunday.