Today in Pictures, July 17, 2026

Smoke from wildfires in Canada engulfs New York, anti-migrant unrest in South Africa, and other photos from around the world in Today in Pictures.

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TOPSHOT - People sit near the Brooklyn Bridge as wildfire smoke from Canada causes hazy conditions on July 16, 2026 in New York. Out-of-control wildfires were raging Thursday in the Canadian province of Ontario, prompting evacuations and sending dangerous smoke billowing into the United States where millions of people were exposed to the unhealthy air. US states near the Canadian border including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois were particularly choked, as forecasters predicted the Northeast including New York would also see air quality continue to deteriorate. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) — People sitting near the Brooklyn Bridge despite wildfire smoke from Canada causing hazy conditions in New York City on July 16.
PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - People look out from the CN Tower as smoke from wildfires in northern Ontario blankets the city, causing poor air quality, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on July 15, 2026. Toronto had the worst air quality of any major city in the world on Wednesday, the Swiss firm IQAir said, as Canadian authorities urged people to stay indoors. Toronto edged out New Delhi and the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa as wildfire smoke turned the skies a hazy yellowish-grey in Canada's largest city. (Photo by Cole BURSTON / AFP) — People looking out from the CN Tower as smoke from wildfires in northern Ontario blankets the city, causing poor air quality, in Toronto, Canada, on July 15.
PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - Volunteers and relatives of victims search for their loved ones amid debris of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, La Guaira state, Venezuela, on July 16, 2026. The death toll from last month's devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela has surpassed 4,800, while 16,740 people were injured and nearly 21,000 were made homeless the government reported on July 15. (Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP) — Volunteers and relatives of victims searching for their loved ones amid debris of a collapsed building in Caraballeda, Venezuela, on July 16. The death toll from June's devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela has surpassed 4,800, while 16,740 people were injured and nearly 21,000 were made homeless, the government said on July 15.
PHOTO: AFP

A Palestinian woman inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house that was pre-warned by the Israeli military to evacuate before the strike was carried out late on Wednesday, in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY — A Palestinian woman inspecting the site of an Israeli strike on a house. Residents were pre-warned by the Israeli military to evacuate before the strike was carried out late on July 15 in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, on July 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS

TOPSHOT - Villagers collect spring water with bottles at Gunung Batur village in Cilegon, Banten province, on July 17, 2026, after struggling to access groundwater at their homes in part due to the impact of El Nino, which has brought a prolonged dry season and triggered extreme drought, threatening food security in various regions of Indonesia. Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the country's dry season will be more intense and prolonged than average -- in part due to the El Nino weather pattern heightening risks of wildfires and droughts. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / AFP) — Villagers collecting spring water with bottles at Gunung Batur village in Cilegon, Indonesia, on July 17, after struggling to access groundwater at their homes in part due to the impact of El Nino.
PHOTO: AFP

Palestinian man, Hamas Al-Hdabi, mourns holding the body of his father, Sohail, who was killed in an Israeli strike, as Hamas sits inside a car during the funeral, in Gaza City, July 16, 2026. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY — Palestinian Hamas Al-Hdabi holding the body of his father, Sohail, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 16.
PHOTO: REUTERS

TOPSHOT - Children react after being confronted by protesters during an anti-migrant protest in Alexandra on July 16, 2026. Protest organisers and participants have vowed to continue holding demonstrations every Thursday as part of an ongoing anti-migrant campaign. (Photo by EMMANUEL CROSET / AFP) — Children reacting after being confronted by protesters during an anti-migrant protest in Alexandra, South Africa, on July 16.
PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - The pack of riders (peloton) cycles in Decize during the 12th stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 181 km between Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours and Chalon-sur-Saône in central France, on July 16, 2026. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP) — The peloton in Decize during the 12th stage of the 113th edition of the Tour de France cycling race in central France, on July 16.
PHOTO: AFP

TOPSHOT - A Railway Protection Special Force (RPSF) personnel walks through the coaches of an Indian Railways' hydrogen-powered train at a depot ahead of its launch in Haryana's Jind on July 16, 2026. India launched its first hydrogen-powered train July 17, joining a small group of nations testing the technology as part of efforts to decarbonise rail transport and cut dependence on fossil fuels. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP) — A Railway Protection Special Force personnel walking through the coaches of an Indian Railways' hydrogen-powered train at a depot ahead of its launch in Jind, India, on July 16.
PHOTO: AFP

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