Wakiso (AFP) – The Ghetto Kids, a Ugandan dance troupe made up of street children, speak of their excitement at being invited by music superstar Shakira to perform at the World Cup. The Colombian star last week announced on Instagram that the Ugandan kids were her first selection to join her for the half-time show of the World Cup final in the United States this summer.
Minami-Soma (AFP) – Japan’s thousand-year-old samurai horse festival has survived wars, earthquakes and a nuclear disaster. Now it’s battling a new challenge: climate change. Japan’s gruelling hot summers have prompted organisers to switch the date of the Soma Nomaoi to late May, giving the festival a new lease of life.
Kiew (AFP) – “It was a brutal strike,” says Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after Russia pummelled Ukraine on 1 June with hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles, killing at least 22 people, according to officials. “The current level of supplies for our air defence does not allow us to shoot down a significant share of the missiles,” Zelensky adds.
Tokio (AFP) – Severe tropical storm Jangmi moves towards Tokyo with heavy rains after battering southern and western Japan, swelling rivers and disrupting travel. As Jangmi rolled in from the south of the country, authorities urged around 370,000 people from Tokyo to western Shikoku island to evacuate. IMAGES
Los Garres (AFP) – Firefighters are battling a wildfire that broke out in the Spanish province of Murcia and has already destroyed 177 hectares of vegetation, according to the region’s emergency services. The regional president, Fernando Lopez Miras, says the emergency unit will remain on standby in case a rapid intervention is needed if strong winds cause the situation to deteriorate.
Tel Aviv (AFP) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will help to make Iran’s “terror regime” disappear, as talks to reach a peace agreement between the US and the Islamic republic appeared to stutter. “This terror regime which is destined to disappear from the world, and we will help it reach this goal,” Netanyahu says at an event marking the appointment of Major General Roman Gofman as the head of Israel’s Mossad spy agency.
Praia (AFP) – Cape Verde prepares to make history at its first-ever World Cup. Before heading to the United States, its players train across the volcanic archipelago, greeted by jubilant supporters. “This country is small but the dream is big,” said Silveria Nedio, director of a Praia football academy — words that seemed to speak for the nation.
La Havane (AFP) – Building of military-backed conglomerate GAESA in Havana, Cuba, as the island’s government denounces American “slander” against the army business, which is under US sanctions and dominates the island’s economy. IMAGES
Glasgow (AFP) – Scotland fans gather for a friendly match against Curacao, as excitement builds for a return to the global stage in the nation’s first World Cup for 28 years. An opener against Haiti in Boston will be a must-win in the eyes of the thousands of Tartan Army fans heading across the Atlantic for the World Cup, with the might of African champions Morocco and five-time winners Brazil to come in Group C. “Everybody loves the Tartan Army,” says Scotland fan Niall Fitzgerald, who is travelling to the US for the tournament. “That’s what we are taking to the World Cup, the party.”
(AFP) – Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he has ordered strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Iran-backed Hezbollah holds sway. “There will be no situation in which Hezbollah attacks our cities and our citizens while its terrorist headquarters in Beirut and in Dahiyeh remain off-limits,” he says in a video message.
Teheran (AFP) – Iran’s foreign ministry says that a ceasefire in Lebanon remains an “essential condition” for a deal with the United States, with Israel expanding its offensive in the country. Speaking in Tehran, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei also accuses the US of violating the ceasefire agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Madrid (AFP) – The popemobile to be used by Pope Leo XIV during his visit to Spain arrives in Madrid. The pontiff will be in Spain from 6 to 12 June, visiting Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. He is due to meet with Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, as well as inaugurating the tallest tower of the Sagrada Familia Basilica in Barcelona and meeting with organisations supporting migrants in the Canary Islands.
