AFP UK

Sussex (Sierra Leone) (AFP) – Along the coastline of Freetown, the gradual disappearance of mangroves directly threatens the communities that depend on oyster farming to make a living. The activity, deeply rooted in local culture and which has enabled generations of women to make a living, is now under threat as mangrove forests deteriorate under pressure from human expansion. “In the past, the mangroves were full of oysters. There was no need to go into the water to get any,” osyter farmer Millicent Turay tells AFP. “But today, when you look at the river, you can’t see them anymore.” N°A8UE4WE

New Delhi (AFP) – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that the “objectives” of the military campagin have been “achieved.” The top diplomat’s comments come hours after he said the US and Iran could strike a bargain to end the regional war as early as Sunday.

Barranquilla (Colombie) (AFP) – Colombian right-wing presidential candidate Abelardo de la Espriella of the Defensores de la Patria party holds his campaign rally in Barranquilla. Colombians prepare to select a successor to leftist President Gustavo Petro on May 31. IMAGES

Washington (États-Unis) (AFP) – A heavy police presence is in place around the White House following an incident near the North Lawn. The US Secret Service says a gunman was shot and killed by agents, according to a statement, after shots were reported in the area. IMAGES

Washington (États-Unis) (AFP) – Police and security forces swarm the White House after shots were fired in the area. US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran. IMAGES

Bunia (DR Congo) (AFP) – As the World Health Organization raises the risk from the deadly Ebola outbreak to the highest level for the Democratic Republic of Congo, people in the eastern city of Bunia express concern. “I grew up here in Bunia. I’ve never seen a person with Ebola recover,” taxi driver Gratien Scojo tells AFP.

Mecca (Saudi Arabia) (AFP) – With temperatures soaring during hajj, extreme heat remains the main challenge facing pilgrims in Mecca after over 1,300 died in 2024. “I had planned to perform all prayers inside the Grand Mosque, but I was unable to perform the prayers that coincide with when the sun is up,” says one pilgrim.

Tyre (Lebanon) (AFP) – “I don’t know what happened, it felt like doomsday,” says Wisam Baroud, a resident of the southern Lebanese city of Tyre, recounting the moments after an Israeli evacuation warning was issued before a strike. Israel struck a range of targets across south Lebanon on Saturday despite a ceasefire as Hezbollah said its backer Tehran had pledged not to abandon the militant group.

Tehran (AFP) – Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei tells state TV that his country is “in the final stages of finalising a memorandum of understanding” with the US. The remarks come following a visit to Iran by Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, who has been acting as a mediator between Tehran and Washington in efforts aimed at ending the war.

Helsingborg (Sweden) (AFP) – US President Donald Trump leaves heads spinning as NATO foreign ministers gather in the Swedish city of Helsingborg after he announced he would send 5,000 troops to Poland, in an apparent reversal of Washington earlier calling off the planned deployment. The shift is welcomed by NATO chief Mark Rutte and Poland’s foreign minister, but fuels concerns about a lack of coordination between the United States and its allies.

London (AFP) – England’s men’s national football team manager Thomas Tuchel says he does not “fear” leaving big name talents, such as Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold, out of his squad for the World Cup, though he admits the decisions were “very difficult”. England are among the favourites to win the tournament, 60 years after they won their only major international trophy.

Nuuk (AFP) – Greenlanders march against US President Donald Trump’s desire to control the vast Arctic island, after the inauguration of the US consulate’s new premises in the capital, Nuuk. “We have always lived in Greenland. It has always been our land. So there is no one who can buy us,” says participant Solveig Kramer. “We are not for sale.”