AFP UK

Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) – Cheering, jumping and hugging: jubilant Bosnia fans celebrate their national team clinching a spot in the 2026 World Cup. “The match was tense right up to the last second, but we knew in our hearts that we were going to win,” exclaims Teo Laic. Bosnia beat Italy 4-1 in a penalty shootout, marking disappointment for four-time champions Italy, who have failed to qualify for the past three World Cups.

Amsterdam (AFP) – Three same-sex couples get their marriages officiated in the Amsterdam city hall by mayor Femke Halsema in a ceremony to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the first legal gay marriage in the Netherlands. “This is a right that we have and that we need to protect,” says newlywed Eelke de Jong.

Canberra (AFP) – Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warns the country that the economic shocks from the Middle East war will last “for months”. “We are working to bring the price of fuel down,” he says in a rare address to the nation across television networks.

Zenica (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (AFP) – Thousands of Bosnian football fans celebrate in the streets of Zenica after their national team qualifies for the World Cup, beating Italy 4-1 in a penalty shootout. The Italian defeat means the four-time champions miss a third consecutive edition of the tournament.

Havana (AFP) – Cubans cautiously welcome the arrival of a Russian oil shipment, but some warn it will do little to ease the country’s energy crisis. The Russian Anatoly Kolodkin oil tanker has docked at Matanzas port after Washington gave Cuba a reprieve from a fuel blockade.

Doha (AFP) – Qatar warns that escalating tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and threats to Gulf energy infrastructure pose a serious risk to global energy security. “We saw the impacts of this today on global energy markets, not only in terms of prices, but also in terms of supply shortages affecting many countries,” says Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Elderly Lebanese people displaced by the conflict with Israel live in tents at Beirut stadium, struggling with reduced access to washing and toilet facilities, and fears over returning home. “We do not want to live only to be humiliated,” says Khoder Salem, a displaced person.

Thessaloniki (Greece) (AFP) – Greek farmers and cheese producers are facing an ongoing pox pandemic, threatening the production of feta, one of Greece’s premier exports. State vets have culled more than 480,000 of sheep and goats from August 2024 to early March because of the pandemic, mainly in central and northern Greece.

Belfast (AFP) – Austrian-American actor, bodybuilder and politician Arnold Schwarzenegger tells students to “pick the biggest goals” as he receives an honorary doctorate from Ulster University in Belfast for his contributions to public service, the arts, and environmental advocacy. Schwarzenegger first visited the university as a young bodybuilder for a competition, an experience he says was his first attempt at public speaking after being asked to address the crowd.

Paris (France) (AFP) – The Eiffel Tower lights up to celebrate Celine Dion’s 58th birthday and announce her official return to the stage. The Quebec-born singer is coming back after six years away from the public eye with a series of 10 concerts in September and October at the La Defense Arena in Paris.

New Delhi (AFP) – In India’s capital, Hindu “bhajan clubbing” is electrifying nightlife, with revellers dancing to traditional devotional songs reimagined through guitars and pounding drumbeats, transforming public venues into spiritual hangouts.

Jezzine (Lebanon) (AFP) – Ruins lie at a roadside after an Israeli strike killed three journalists in southern Lebanon, their channels and a Lebanese military source says. Israel says one of them, Ali Shoeib of Hezbollah’s Al Manar channel, was a Hezbollah militant, without providing any evidence. The strike came as Israel continued raids on southern Lebanon and Hezbollah said it had targeted Israeli forces that had entered border villages.