AFP UK

(AFP) – Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem says Israel has “no option” but to unconditionally withdraw from the Lebanese areas it occupies. His televised speech is made as Shia Muslims across the country mark Ashura, a day of mourning for the death of Hussein, a key figure in Shia Islam. Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the war in the Middle East on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the killing of Iran’s supreme leader in US-Israeli strikes. Israel responded with airstrikes and an invasion that Lebanon says have killed more than 4,200 people.

Margate (AFP) – A passing van offers armed police an impromptu lift as they chase down a fleeing suspect in the Thanet area of Kent, in bodycam footage shared by police from June 2026. Armed police were responding to reports of a serious assault when the suspect fled.

Peking (AFP) – China says it is ready to provide “what help it can” to Venezuela after two massive earthquakes killed at least 32 people and injured hundreds. “China is willing to provide what help it can in an appropriate manner according to the needs of the Venezuelan side,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun tells a news briefing.

Schukowski (AFP) – President Vladimir Putin boards three passenger plane models being developed by Russia. After the inspection in a hangar of an aviation research institute in Moscow region, Putin meets with officials and says all three models were of “solid” quality. Aviation in Russia was one of the worst-hit industries when manufacturers left Russia following the start of Moscow’s offensive on Ukraine in 2022 and the introduction of economic sanctions by Western countries in retaliation.

Sofiytsi (AFP) – “When the countryside starts being fed by the city, you can write off the whole country,” says Emil Deliev, as he leads his cows out to pasture in the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria, where small dairy farms are disappearing one after the other. Bulgaria has seen its production fall in recent years, with rising production costs eating too much into profit margins. Milk production has been particularly hard hit — a paradox for a country whose name and reputation are closely linked to yoghurt.

La Guaira (AFP) – Survivors describe a ‘devastating’ night after Venezuela was hit by two powerful earthquakes causing entire buildings to collapse. In La Guaira, near the capital Caracas, local residents gather outside a destroyed building, saying they can hear the cries of people stuck. “We thank God that we’re still alive, but there are people right now who are suffering,” says one resident.

Brüssel (AFP) – EU Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova confirms that the EU is “ready to step in” to help in Venezuela after two heavy earthquakes left at least 164 people dead and nearly 1,000 injured. “Our partners are already on the ground. Red Cross is already carrying [out] the rescue operations,” says Hrncirova.

Paris (France) (AFP) – France experienced its hottest night from Wednesday to Thursday since measurements began in 1947, the national weather agency said, breaking a record set earlier in the week. The extreme temperatures have prompted dozens of Parisians to seek cool air in the middle of the night, with some choosing to sleep under the stars at the the Buttes-Chaumont park.

Chacao (Venezuela) (AFP) – Residents and people gather aorund a collapse building in Chacao municipality, Caracas, after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Venezuela. Police and emergency services are on site. IMAGES

Miami Beach (United States) (AFP) – Scottish football fans take over Miami beach, donning kilts and playing bagpipes, on the eve of their World Cup match against Brazil. The match will be the country’s last of the Group Stage, having won against Haiti and lost to Morocco. This will be the fifth time Scotland and Brazil meet in the World Cup group stages, with Scotland winning one and drawing one of their previous meetings. The Scottish side is determined to qualify for the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history.

London (AFP) – Reigning Formula 1 World Champion Lando Norris comes face-to-face with his first-ever Madame Tussauds London figure ahead of the British Grand Prix. Posing with the figure, the 26-year-old McLaren driver says it being in his home of London “is the perfect place”.

Moscow (AFP) – Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesperson, says that nuclear weapons are the “only” bulwark preventing the world from slipping into a global war, amid fears of a fresh multi-country arms race. The last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, New START, expired in February, releasing restrictions on the world’s two largest nuclear powers.