London (AFP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announces an upcoming ban on social media for all children under the age of 16, saying the platforms are “making children unhappy.” Starmer has said the upcoming ban was influenced by the experience of Australia, which in December became the first nation to ban people under 16 from social media.
Aarberg (Switzerland) (AFP) – President of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party Marcel Dettling expresses disappointment after 55 percent of the country’s voters rejected their proposal to cap the country’s population at 10 million by 2050, according to early projections. “Hundreds of thousands of people in the countryside, who wanted a solution today, have simply been crushed by the cities,” Dettling tells AFP in Aarberg.
(AFP) – Israel’s government press office releases footage that shows what it says is a drone striking in Israeli territory as a cloud smoke rises from the area. The authorities say the drone was fired by the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. The Israeli military earlier said three drones, suspected to have been launched by Hezbollah, struck northern Israel in separate incidents, causing no casualties.
Edinburgh (AFP) – Scottish fans in Edinburgh celebrate victory in their first football World Cup game in 28 years, having stayed up until the wee hours to watch their team play in Foxborough, Massauchusetts. One fan watching describes the game between Scotland and Haiti as “nervy”, while another says “the three points is massive… Loved every second of it.”
Belfast (AFP) – Thousands of people attend an anti-racism rally in the Northern Irish city of Belfast after two days unrest sparked by a video of a stabbing which went viral on social media platforms, showing a man straddling another lying in the street, slashing him with a knife. A Sudanese man appeared in court on 10 May charged with the attempted murder of Stephen Ogilvie, who remains in hospital. Speaking to AFP at the march, one protester says: “I wanted to stand up for our community, just everyone in the community. It’s terrible what has happened to that fella who got attacked but at the end of the day… other people of other colour shouldn’t be getting blamed.”
English Channel (United Kingdom) (AFP) – British forces intercept a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet in the English Channel. According to a statement by the Ministry of Defence, it is the the first UK-led operation of its kind, in which the vessel SMYRTOS was boarded by Royal Marine Commandos and specially trained law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency. The vessel will now be moved to an anchorage off the south coast of England and monitored.
Tijuana (Mexico) (AFP) – Police and forensic personnel stand around a car, in front of the Iranian national team’s base camp in Tijuana, Mexico, a day after the beginning of the 2026 World Cup. IMAGES
Besançon (AFP) – Clinging to his mother’s fur, with bright eyes and downy ears, a baby greater bamboo lemur — a critically endangered species — makes his first outing at Besancon Zoo, where he was born in early May.
La Laguna (AFP) – During a historic visit to a reception centre in the Canary Islands, Pope Leo XIV warns against the “silent shipwreck” facing migrants after their arrival to a new country. He urges that people “recognise their gifts and offer them to the community”.
Tanegashima Space Center (AFP) – Japan’s flagship H3 rocket carrying six small satellites successfully lifts off following a failed launch in December due to engine failure. The satellites loaded onto Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)’s rocket include Tokyo University of Science’s “Umitsubame”, which observes the Earth and other targets with a high-performance camera, and Shizuoka University’s “Shiraito”, which is testing space debris capture technology.
Okomu (AFP) – An orphan baby forest elephant rescued after wandering out of Nigeria’s Okomu National Park is being raised by wildlife carers from the conversationist NGO ANI in the hope of returning him to the wild, highlighting efforts to protect one of the country’s last remaining elephant populations. The breed, smaller and more elusive than their savannah cousins, are endangered and their population has collapsed in recent decades largely because of habitat loss and poaching. The National Park Service of Nigeria also played a part in this tiny calf’s rescue.
London (AFP) – David Hockney, whose paintings captured the world in brilliant colour, has died aged 88. Considered one of the most influential and defining figures in contemporary art, he was a pioneer in the pop art movement in the 1960s. The globally renowned painter and master draughtsman kept painting, experimenting and exhibiting right up until his death.
