The week in pictures: Syria protests, Céline Dion on stage and Quito wildfires

Tanker trucks blocked by protesters against rising fuel prices near Tal Tamr, Syria, on September 16, 2026. © Baderkhan Ahmad, AP

From protests against rising fuel prices in Syria to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s EU charm offensive to Quito’s wildfires and Céline Dion’s return to the stage, FRANCE 24 looks back at the week's most striking pictures.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney poses with Terry Reintke, leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament, in Strasbourg on September 17, 2026. Carney has embraced the prospect of his country becoming the EU's first associate member. Pascal Bastien, AP

A woman votes at a polling place during the Russian parliamentary elections in Donetsk, in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, on September 18, 2026. © Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters

French President Emmanuel Macron (centre), King Abdullah II of Jordan (left), and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (right) meet at Les Invalides in Paris on September 17, 2026. © Thibault Camus, AP

Smoke rises above residential neighbourhoods during a forest fire, while residents play football in the foreground, in Quito, Ecuador. © Karen Toro, Reuters

Traders at the New York Stock Exchange at work on September 16, 2026, following the Federal Reserve's decision to raise interest rates. © Jeenah Moon, Reuters

A Palestinian Civil Defence team searches for survivors in the rubble of a Gaza building that was heavily damaged by Israeli strikes on September 16, 2026. © Jehad Alshrafi, AP

Employees unload water tanks at the Al-Firdaws camp, which houses Yemeni displaced persons near Aden, on September 17, 2026. Abdulnasser Alseddik, AP

R. Scott Gemmill (centre) and the cast of “The Pitt” accept the award for Best Drama Series at the 78th Emmy Awards on September 14, 2026, in Los Angeles. Chris Pizzello, AP

Céline Dion at the opening concert of her “Céline Dion Paris 2026” residency at the Plénitude Arena in Nanterre on September 12, 2026. © Aurelien Morissard, AP

Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote (centre) attends the opening ceremony for the initial public offering of the Dangote Refinery at the Nigeria Stock Exchange in Lagos on September 14, 2026. © Sunday Alamba, AP

Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé obscures a T-shirt bearing a message of solidarity with the residents of Ceuta on September 15, 2026. The French footballer explained that his gesture was meant to display solidarity with the migrants in the Spanish enclave in North Africa. © Omar Arnau Cerezo, Reuters