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Beijing (AFP) – “The UK has failed to fulfil its obligations under relevant international law” says Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, placing the blame for the violent outbursts at an October demonstration outside the Chinese Consulate in Manchester squarely at Westminster’s door. According to Wenbin, a member of Consulate staff “temporarily lost consciousness” after being attacked during the protest.

Brussels (AFP) – French President, Emmanuel Macron, stands by his decision to visit Qatar to support France’s World Cup team, saying he’s “totally comfortable with it”, despite allegations linking the Gulf monarchy to corruption in the European Parliament. Macron was in Qatar on Wednesday night to watch France’s semi-final victory over Morocco before flying to Brussels to attend an EU summit.

London (AFP) – Images show nurses in front of London’s St Thomas’ Hospital amidst unprecedented walkouts. Up to 100,000 nurses around the UK are staging a one-day strike as a “last resort” in their fight for better wages and working conditions. IMAGES

Casablanca (Morocco) (AFP) – They may have fallen just short of reaching the World Cup final, but Moroccans on Wednesday hailed their team’s historic run as it ended with a 2-0 defeat to reigning champions France. Fans expressed pride in the Lions of the Atlas.

James Collins, 73, is one of Ireland’s last remaining Traveller tinsmiths, a traditional craft passed from generation to generation but lost today. “My father done it and his father before him done it. It run the generations and then it all just died out,” he explains. Today, only two are left — in large part due to the arrival of different materials: “the plastic came in and that’s when the plastic took over.” N°32W482R

New Delhi (AFP) – Ten years ago the brutal gang-rape and murder of a young woman on a Delhi bus horrified the world and shone a spotlight on high rates of sexual violence in India. But a decade after the assault, many women are still scared to travel at night in India’s capital, a sprawling metropolis of 20 million people.

Paris (AFP) – French supporters wave tricolour flags and let off flares to celebrate the win over Morocco which put Les Bleus into the World Cup final.

Hanoi (AFP) – In a small corner of a once grand villa in the heart of Hanoi, Nguyen Manh Tri surveys the home he has loved since childhood but is now giving up as its foundation cracks, roof crumbles and staircase buckles.

Marseille (AFP) – French fans celebrate in the Old Port (Vieux-Port) of Marseille after the holders qualified for their second consecutive World Cup final, beating Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Paris (AFP) – France supporters celebrate in the streets of Paris after the holders qualify for their second consecutive World Cup final, beating Morocco 2-0 in the semi-finals.

Brussels (AFP) – Riots break out in Brussels after France beat Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup semi-finals, with riot police deployed to disperse the crowd using water cannons and tear gas.

Paris (AFP) – Football fans gathered in Paris to watch the World Cup semi-final celebrate as France defender Théo Hernandez opens the score against Morocco in the 5th minute.