48 hours in pictures, 2 August 2026

This aerial picture shows the passenger ship Mutiara Sentosa 2 catching fire in the waters off Madura island, East Java, on August 2, 2026. Five people have been found dead, 41 are missing and 225 were rescued after an Indonesian ferry caught fire while at sea on August 2, search and rescue officials said. (Photo by FRIDA PERKASA / AFP)

Greek firefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia, on August 2, 2026. Greece on August 2, 2026, faced multiple fronts and a growing damage toll after a week of wildfires devastated over 12,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land, experts said. Porto Germeno and other villages were evacuated when the fire broke out on July 31, but local authorities say scores of homes were damaged or destroyed. Hit hard by the climate crisis like the rest of the Mediterranean region, the country is plagued by wildfires every summer due to high temperatures, frequent heatwaves, and drought. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

Britain’s artistic swimmers Isabelle Thorpe and Ranjuo Tomblin compete in the mixed duet technical swimming final event during the LEN European Aquatics Championships, at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in Saint-Denis, northeastern suburbs of Paris, on August 2, 2026. (Photo by Sébastien BOZON / AFP)

Hindu devotees take part in rituals, 2 August 2026, during the Theemithi fire-walking ceremony at the Shri Anantha Muthumariamman Temple in New Modder, Benoni. The ceremony marks the conclusion of the 10-day annual Aadi Muthumariamman fire-walking festival, during which hundreds of devotees fulfil sacred vows as an expression of faith, courage and devotion to Shri Anantha Muthumariamman. The festival features daily prayers, colourful processions, devotional music, Vedic chanting, sacred homams, elaborate alankarams and other religious observances, with worshippers gathering to seek the blessings of Shri Muthumariamman. Picture: Michel Bega/The Citizen

Sri Lankan Army personnel patrol on a military tank outside the Mahara Prison complex on the outskirts of Colombo on August 2, 2026. At least one inmate was killed and another six were taken to hospital after a riot at a prison outside Sri Lanka’s capital on August 1, police said. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

A girl plays in a fountain to cool off in Seoul on August 2, 2026. South Korea registered its highest temperature since records began more than a century ago on August 2, as authorities warned people to “immediately” stop all outdoor activities in affected areas. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

Candice Desilets, Yana Auger and Diane Desilets during the high-tea celebration at Glenda’s Restaurant on August 01, 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Desilets is the first South African ballerina to graduate from The Vaganova Ballet Academy. (Photo by Gallo Images/Wessel Oosthuizen)

A sea of colour fills Durban’s Golden Mile as women in vibrant saris take part in the annual Durban Beach Sari Stroll at the promenade in Durban yesterday. The Stroll celebrates the rich Indian heritage, culture and diversity. Dating back to 2010, the event has grown from a cultural celebration into a platform that reaches across all
South Africa’s communities, bringing people together and promoting social cohesion, inclusivity and unity through shared cultural experiences. Photo:Rajesh Jantilal

A follower of the Mouride Brotherhood prays next to the mausoleum of Serigne Fallou Mbacke, the second caliph of Mouridism, inside the Grand Mosque of Touba during the Grand Magal, an annual religious pilgrimage commemorating the departure into exile of the brotherhood’s founder, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, in Touba on August 2, 2026. Millions of followers traveled to the holy city of Touba for what is considered one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, commemorating the exile of the founder of Mouridism, Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba, also known as Serigne Touba. In 1895, French colonial authorities exiled Serigne Touba to Gabon, concerned about his growing influence. He briefly returned to Senegal in 1902 before being exiled again to Mauritania from 1903 to 1907. He then returned to Senegal, where he remained until his death in 1927. The number of pilgrims increases every year, with more than 6.5 million attending in 2025. A recent study by Cheikh Ahmadoul Khadim University (UCAK) and Alioune Diop University of Bambey (UADB) estimated that the Grand Magal generates 629.6 billion CFA francs (about USD 1.11 billion) for the Senegalese economy. (Photo by PATRICK MEINHARDT / AFP)

Veterans of the Russian Airborne Forces celebrate Paratroopers’ Day in Saint Petersburg on August 2, 2026. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP)

Daughters Anke and Leilah van Dyk holding a wreath join hundreds of cyclists gathered opposite the Moses Mabhida stadium over the weekend to honour Wessel van Dyk, a local rider who was killed last week when a vehicle allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road struck him head-on during a training ride near Moses Mabhida Stadium.

Kwazulu-Natal’s cycling community organised a memorial ride and an emotional tribute held in his honour that ended near the crash site. Friends held a short prayer church group describing van Dyk as an all-well-liked figure in the local cycling community, saying his death had renewed concerns about road safety on routes popular with cyclists. Both his daughters laid a wreath at the site of the accident .

Cyclists familiar with the area said the stretch had been the scene of previous collisions involving riders, despite parts of the route being designated for cycling during certain hours. PHOTO:RAJESH JANTILAL

Relatives and friends wait by a fence topped with barbed-wire for the return of people who had previously crossed into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, at Morocca’s Bab Sebta border crossing on the outskirts of Fnideq on August 2, 2026. As many as 60,000 migrants entered Ceuta in recent days, mostly swimming around the small border post that juts into the Mediterranean Sea, in an unprecedented surge that prompted an international crisis for Spain. The mass crossing into the tiny Spanish territory resulted in at least 67 deaths, according to Spanish authorities, and led to clashes with Moroccan police on the shared border. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

A diver jumps from a 22-metre-high bridge into the White Drin River during a traditional high diving competition near the town of Gjakova on August 2, 2026. (Photo by Armend NIMANI / AFP)

Skechers Head of Retail Atul Pandey (L) poses for a photograph with South African men’s national cricket team captain Temba Bavuma at Fourways Mall in Johannesburg on 1 August 2026, ahead of the announcement naming Bavuma as a brand ambassador for Skechers South Africa. Picture: Nigel Sibanda/The Citizen

Crew members of Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy ship Kunlun Shan wave as their ship prepares to dock at Tanjung Perak Port in Surabaya on August 2, 2026, in response to an invitation from the Indonesian Navy. (Photo by JUNI KRISWANTO / AFP)

French firefighters work with a truck to extinguish a fire at a 500-square-meter warehouse at the Safe company site in the Gandrange industrial zone in the Moselle department, northeastern France on August 2, 2026. The Moselle prefecture ordered residents of Amnéville and four neighboring municipalities—totaling 30,000 people—to shelter in place due to a fire at a warehouse classified as a “low-threshold” Seveso site. “As a precautionary measure, residents of Gandrange, Amneville, Vitry-sur-Orne, Clouange, and Rombas are asked to shelter in place until further notice,” the prefecture stated in a press release. The fire involves a 500-square-meter warehouse at the Safe company site in the Gandrange industrial zone. (Photo by ROMEO BOETZLE / AFP)

A firefighting helicopter drops water over a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northwest of Athens in the region of Viotia, on August 2, 2026. Greece on August 2, 2026, faced multiple fronts and a growing damage toll after a week of wildfires devastated over 12,000 hectares of forest and agricultural land, experts said. Porto Germeno and other villages were evacuated when the fire broke out on July 31, but local authorities say scores of homes were damaged or destroyed. Hit hard by the climate crisis like the rest of the Mediterranean region, the country is plagued by wildfires every summer due to high temperatures, frequent heatwaves, and drought. (Photo by Angelos TZORTZINIS / AFP)

Tibetans take part in a peace march protesting China’s law on “Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress”, in Chennai on August 2, 2026. (Photo by R. Satish BABU / AFP)