AFP UK

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.

Tours (France) (AFP) – As temperatures across Europe soar above 35C, people in France cool off in lakes and rivers, despite widespread bans over safety fears. 40 people have drowned in heatwave-related incidents in the space of five days, according to the French Interior Ministry. “There are very few freely accessible, easy or free ways to cool down, and that is a concern for us,” says one swimmer, adding: “Measures will need to be put in place, but at the moment there do not seem to be many, which is somewhat worrying”.

Foxborough (United States) (AFP) – England and Ghana supporters reacted differently outside Boston stadium after a 0-0 draw, with English fans frustrated by their team’s inability to break down Ghana’s defense, while Ghana fans celebrated a disciplined and organized performance.

Hong Kong’s subdivided flats are being phased out after a law to regulate them came into effect in March. Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the wealthy finance hub to resolve its housing woes which are the result of decades of pervasive inequality, an acute housing shortage and eye-watering rents. AND SOUNDBITES

Moskau (AFP) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Europe is becoming “a major threat to international peace and security”, by providing military support to Ukraine. In recent months Moscow has grown increasingly critical of Europe’s role in supporting Ukraine and trying to stop US President Donald Trump pushing Kyiv to accept a Russia-friendly peace.