England set for World Cup warm-up friendlies in Florida heat

From bistro counters to luxury hotels, the humble Parisian ham sandwich or "jambon beurre" has undergone a dramatic luxury makeover. 

Once the no-frills lunch of hurried, cash-strapped workers, the humble ham and butter baguette has in recent years become a gourmet classic.

When he was a student in the 1970s and "completely broke", restaurateur Gilles Caussade's lunch would be a sandwich made "with day-old bread, butter spread and scraped straight off and a token slice of ham", eaten standing at a cafe counter. 

Forty years later when he took over one of those timeless Parisian bistros, Le Petit Vendome, in a chic street between the Louvre and the Opera, Caussade made a bold choice: change absolutely nothing -- especially not its stonking "jambon beurre" sandwich. 

From the Formica tables and the wine measured with a string, right down to the well-worn wooden board used to assemble the sandwiches, everything stayed.

Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Meta's Mark Zuckerberg to bankers, students and tourists have all come since for a sandwich -- at just 6.50 euros. 

Last year Time Out magazine crowned it the "best sandwich in the world".

Social media then sent demand soaring. Barriers now manage queues spilling onto the narrow pavement and a dedicated payment terminal keeps pace with the roughly 400 sandwiches sold daily from morning until midnight.

- Half a baguette -

Caussade said his jambon beurre rests on "five secrets that are no longer secret". 

"First, half a baguette with two crusty ends -- otherwise it's too dry. Then churned Normandy butter in a block, always unsalted. Salt on cured meat is salt on salt, it makes no sense," he said. 

"Top quality products, 99 percent from Auvergne" in rustically rural central France. "Then the fact it's made to order because a refrigerated sandwich just can't taste like this. The bread gets soggy, the butter hardens. 

"And finally, generosity," he added.

For a trio of American women in beige trenchcoats who waited 15 minutes to order, the experience lived up to the hype.

"My daughter saw it on TikTok and we had to come," said tourist Lauren Davies. "I get it, for Parisians this is what a hot dog is to New Yorkers." 

- Sophisticated -

The upward climb of the worker's sandwich shows no signs of slowing. In 2024, star pastry chef Cedric Grolet sparked an online uproar when he introduced a truffle "jambon beurre".

At the Ritz Paris, patissier Joris Theysset said he "fully embraces" the concept, offering what may be the city's most expensive jambon beurre at 15 euros.

"A traditional 'Parisien' is usually 60 percent bread and the rest filling. We decided to reverse that," he told AFP.

His version features a rich, flaky bread shaped like a horseshoe, filled with Prince de Paris ham -- made artisanally in the capital -- fine shavings of Comte cheese, mustard-infused butter and slender gherkins.  

"The idea is to elevate a symbol of French and Parisian cuisine using all the Ritz's expertise and premium products, while staying true to childhood memories," he said.

From Coco Chanel's little black dress to the jambon beurre, the French philosophy that true sophistication comes from simplicity still holds. 

We have come a long way "from the 1970s when, with industrial sandwiches and declining bakery quality, things weren't great," said Alain Roussel, known as Alain Miam Miam, another Parisian ham sandwich legend. 

From his popular stand at a bustling food spot on the edge of the Marais district, he sells 300 to 400 made-to-order sandwiches daily, overflowing with fresh ingredients in rustic bread.

"With organic bread, high quality but controlled costs," and a 13.50-euro price tag, the retiree has found his own recipe for success.

dar/jlo/frd/liu/rh/fg

England's final two World Cup warm-up friendlies will likely take place in sweltering Florida heat after the Three Lions' schedule was finalised on Thursday.

Thomas Tuchel's men will take on New Zealand on June 6 in Tampa Bay before facing Costa Rica four days later in Orlando.

Both games will kick off at 1600 local time (2000GMT) as England aim to acclimatise for punishing conditions once the competition gets underway.

Tuchel's squad will then head to Kansas City, where they will be based at the Soccer Swope Village for the duration of the tournament.

The Missouri city was the English Football Association's preferred location, despite two of their group games and several potential knockout matches being on the east coast of the United States.

England begin their quest for a first major tournament win since 1966 against Croatia in Dallas on June 17.

The side ranked fourth in the world then face Ghana in Boston and Panama in New Jersey.

kca/ea

An animal welfare charity has revealed it rescued more than 250 dogs from one UK home, with a photo of the scene prompting "disbelief" and false claims that the image was generated by artificial intelligence.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) said the more than 250 poodle-cross breeds were found at the property in an undisclosed location earlier this year.

The world's oldest animal welfare organisation, the RSPCA took in 87 of the rescued canines, while the remainder went to another charity, the Dogs Trust.

The RSPCA said the "shocking" case was just the latest example of its staff discovering large numbers of pets needing rescuing from a single home.

It responded to 4,200 incidents last year across England and Wales that involved at least 10 animals at the same address -- a 70-percent rise since 2021.

Cases involving dozens and even hundreds of animals were "on the rise", and can be linked to mental health struggles, the cost-of-living crisis, or breeders operating with poor practices, the charity said.

The RSPCA said people had incorrectly suggested the image of the rescued poodle-cross dogs was fake, after it was posted on social media and caused "disbelief among the general public".

It showed dozens of the dogs, many in poor physical condition, crammed into the dilapidated living room of the home.

The charity has had to respond to dozens of comments from concerned people.

"This shocking image is the reality of many multi-animal cases and the situation our frontline officers seem to be confronting more and more," RSPCA Superintendent Jo Hirst said Wednesday after the photo went viral.

"We understand that people are so aghast they don't believe what they are seeing," she added in a statement. "But this photo is not AI -- it's real."

The RSPCA has not revealed further details about the case, including the location of the home, because the people involved were considered "extremely vulnerable", it said.

The numbers and living conditions of the dogs had rapidly grown out of control amid extenuating family circumstances, according to the charity.

Hirst said it was "the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed".

"Over-breeding can take over, and conditions can spiral out of control," she added.

jj/jkb/jhb

Defending champion Rory McIlroy saved par on the first hole to begin his opening round Thursday at the 90th Masters while rivals made hot starts at a firm and fast Augusta National.

The world number two, who completed a career Grand Slam by taking his first green jacket last year, is trying to join Tiger Woods, Nick Faldo and Jack Nicklaus as the only back-to-back Masters winners.

McIlroy, a five-time major champion, sent his tee shot at the first hole under pine trees left of the fairway, then was short of the green but bounced onto the putting surface and sank a five-foot par putt.

McIlroy said before the start he relished "being free in my swing and in my thoughts" on the first tee before challenging the lightning-fast Augusta greens.

"It's going to be a tough test," McIlroy said. "The wind is going to be up. Greens are going to get firm. It's certainly not going to be a birdie-fest.

"It's going to require patience. It's going to require more of a mental grind maybe."

World number three Cameron Young, who won last month's Players Championship, opened with a bogey, playing alongside McIlroy.

Patrick Reed, the 2018 Masters champion, seized the early lead at three-under par.

The American sank a six-foot birdie putt at the first then holed out from off the green at the second for eagle.

A pack on two-under included Kurt Kitayama after birdies at the par-three sixth and par-four seventh.

Spain's Jose Maria Olazabal, the 1994 and 1999 Masters champion, birdied the par-five second and par-three third holes then parred his way through the front nine.

The 60-year-old Spaniard, among the first players on the course, sank a birdie putt on the second hole and curled in a 30-foot birdie putt at the third.

England's Tommy Fleetwood birdied the second and third holes.

Ireland's Shane Lowry, the 2019 British Open winner who sank the trophy-clinching putt for Europe in last year's Ryder Cup, began with back-to-back birdies but fell back with a double bogey at the par-three fourth.

Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 and 2024 US Open champion, made a bogey at the second.

The American won LIV Golf titles last month at Singapore and South Africa and pressed McIlroy in last year's Masters final Sunday group before sharing fifth.

Alongside DeChambeau were England's Matt Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, and compatriot Xander Schauffele, the 2024 British Open and PGA Chamoionship winner.

World number one Scottie Scheffler, a four-time major champion, launches his quest for a third Masters crown in five seasons at 1:44 p.m. (1744 GMT) in the penultimate group alongside fellow American Gary Woodland, who two weeks ago won his first title since the 2019 US Open, and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre.

Spain's Jon Rahm, the 2021 US Open and 2023 Masters winner, is also among the afternoon starters, going off alongside Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, a 2024 Masters runner-up in his major debut, and American Chris Gotterup at 1:08 p.m.

js/jc

The European Union will not be able to compete in the global artificial intelligence race by hurting companies in other countries, US envoy to the EU Andrew Puzder told AFP on Thursday.

The EU will next month unveil plans to boost Europe's tech sector and cut what it describes as an overreliance on foreign firms, especially US tech giants.

The measures will cover the cloud, AI and semiconductor sectors. Many European companies and governments rely on US cloud providers, dominated by Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

"Europe will not be able to pull itself into the AI economy by bringing other people down," Puzder said in an interview at the US mission to the EU in Brussels when asked about the plans.

A major buzzword in Europe today is competitivity and how the EU can better compete against Chinese and American rivals, but Puzder questioned whether the EU was focused more on boosting itself or on hampering foreign rivals.

"Is it making Europe more competitive or making other people less competitive? One is a good plan. The other is a bad plan," Puzder said.

He said the United States "would love Europe to partner with us as we face off against China in this AI race" but took aim at the EU's moves against US tech.

"To partner with us, they have to have access to the data centres and the hardware stack -- and you got to stop punishing the companies that are trying to bring those things to you," Puzder said.

The EU has fined US companies billions of euros for violations of digital competition and online content rules in recent years.

It has been one of the biggest points of contention between Brussels and Washington, but Puzder struck a conciliatory tone after last week's announcement of a "dialogue" between the EU and United States.

The EU last week said the two sides would tackle tensions over digital issues through talks, which Puzder echoed, though he said the process had not yet started.

"I would like us to stop talking at each other and start speaking with each other," he said.

raz/ec/cw

Donald Trump's ambassador to the EU denied in an AFP interview Thursday that the US leader or his vice president were "meddling" in Hungary's election by endorsing nationalist incumbent Viktor Orban.

Speaking two days after JD Vance travelled to Budapest to stump with Orban, US envoy Andrew Puzder noted that both Trump and his vice president had "been very vocal on their support" for the Hungarian prime minister.

Trump last month pledged his "complete and total" support for Orban's bid to secure a fifth term on Sunday.

But the ambassador pushed back at the charge that the visit by Vance -- who railed against Brussels "bureaucrats" he accused of pushing for Orban's ouster -- amounted to interference.

"I do not believe that what the vice president or the president did was meddling in the Hungarian election," Puzder said, adding of Vance: "I think he was careful not to be coercive, or make economic threats, or do the kinds of things that could be coercive."

The EU leader with the closest ties to both Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Orban faces an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule in Sunday's vote.

His conservative rival Peter Magyar -- well ahead in the polls with three days to go -- warned ahead of Vance's visit against any US attempt to tip the scales, while also pushing back at the narrative casting him as the candidate of Brussels.

"No foreign country may interfere in Hungarian elections," he wrote on X Tuesday, adding: "Hungarian history is not written in Washington, Moscow, or Brussels."

- 'A good ally' -

Trump's administration has embraced as part of its national security strategy the promotion of hard-right forces in Europe -- casting migration and "woke" values as a "civilisational" threat to the Old Continent.

Pressed on why Washington has swung in so hard behind Orban when his conservative challenger Magyar espouses many of the same policy positions -- particularly on Ukraine -- Puzder suggested it came down to a tougher line on migration and "family values."

"I think on immigration, he's been very consistent that his position is much closer to the president's," he said of Orban.

Ultimately, Puzder said, Trump "feels that prime minister Orban is a good ally."

Orban's warm relationship with the United States -- whose top diplomat Marco Rubio also visited in February to boost his reelection bid -- stands in stark contrast to his fraught relations with EU partners.

Since coming to power, the Hungarian nationalist has increasingly locked horns with Brussels, which accuses him of quashing dissent and eroding the rule of law, and has frozen billions of euros in funding.

The closest ally in the bloc to Putin's Russia, Orban has defied consensus on Ukraine, stymying sanctions and blocking billions of euros in aid for Kyiv's war effort.

Raising the stakes in the run-up to Sunday's vote, the European Commission demanded an explanation from Hungary Thursday over media reports it had been feeding Moscow "direct-line" access to strategic EU information.

ec-raz/ub/st

The Middle East conflict is exacerbating tensions over the humanitarian supply of medicines in Africa, a sector already severely impacted by funding cuts, with nonprofits warning of emptying shelves.

Rising fuel costs and the logistical difficulty of transport through the Strait of Hormuz are affecting the delivery of medication to crisis and conflict zones in Africa, where the situation is already dire following US aid cuts.

"By the end of April, some of our medicine stocks will be depleted," Rodrigue Alitanou, director of operations for medical NGO Alima, told AFP from his office in Dakar.

Alima, which operates in 13 African countries, is sounding the alarm.

"If this goes on for a month and a half, two months, the warnings we are sounding will transform into direct impacts on the continuity of our activities," he said.

Africa imports more than 70 percent of medication and more than 90 percent of pharmaceutical ingredients.

Alitanou is concerned about rising import costs due to soaring fuel prices.

"An extra $2,000 in costs means 200 fewer children suffering from malnutrition will receive treatment," he said.

"We're already seeing it in Sudan, we're already seeing it in the DRC and it's starting to become apparent in most countries," he added.

- Mideast hub -

Situated at the crossroads between Asia, the world's leading producer of medicines, and Africa, the Middle East serves as the primary gateway for supplying the African continent.

Several humanitarian supply centres in Dubai's humanitarian free zone have seen their operations disrupted, affecting logistics transport to Africa.

In Dubai, the World Health Organization's (WHO) logistics hub, which supplies medicines to more than 150 countries worldwide, had to cancel shipments at the start of the conflict due to the closure of airspace and revise routes for delivering supplies.

"Supply lead times are lengthening because we cannot pass through the Strait of Hormuz and have to go via the Cape of Good Hope, particularly with cargo ships, so it is more expensive and adds 15 days to a month to the supply chain," said Damien Dubois, purchasing and inventory officer at MSF Supply, a supply centre within Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

A spokeswoman for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria told AFP it had observed "delays and cost increases" although the organisation had not yet identified any shortages.

Anne Senequier, co-director of the Global Health Observatory at the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), said that "at present we are not talking about a shortage of medicines due to the conflict, we are talking about an additional strain on an already fragile situation, with the risk of shortages emerging in certain vulnerable regions".

Those interviewed by AFP remain cautious regarding the ceasefire agreed Tuesday between the United States and Iran, with strikes continuing Wednesday in the Gulf and maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz still disrupted.

For Alitanou "this ceasefire is a first step, but it is not enough. Conflicts are ongoing in the Gulf states and continue to undermine our operations".

Agathe Lamouret, shipments coordinator at MSF Supply, said she believes "it's going to remain very unstable, especially as we don't know what will happen" after the two-week truce.

For his part, Christian Lindmeier, a WHO spokesman, said that "it will take several weeks to overcome the disruption caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz".

- 'Just-in-time' basis -

Africa, which is heavily reliant on imports, is particularly vulnerable to geopolitical upheavals, said Ines Alaoui, head of international health policy at France-based Coalition Plus, an organisation uniting international HIV health groups.

"On the African continent we operate on a just-in-time basis. We don't produce or stockpile more than is necessary," she said.

The organisations within Coalition Plus were already bearing the brunt of US aid cuts, with shortages of preventive medicines and antiretrovirals observed on the ground.

The new crisis is "further eroding healthcare", Alaoui said, adding "we fear that people living with HIV will have to stop their treatment".

For Senequier of IRIS, "the risk is that certain vulnerable groups will turn to counterfeit medicines, which will put their health at risk".

els/bfm/kjm

Jihadists in northeast Nigeria killed 18 troops including a brigadier general in an assault on a military base, local government and intelligence sources told AFP on Thursday, the second killing of a high-ranking officer in five months.

Violence is surging across the country's mostly Muslim north, with at least 90 people killed by gunmen in several remote villages, according to an AFP tally of tolls given by local, humanitarian and church sources.

Africa's most populous country has been fighting a jihadist insurgency for 17 years, since Boko Haram's 2009 uprising, which has seen the emergence of powerful splinter groups including Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

In an overnight attack, unidentified jihadists overran a military base and torched vehicles in Benisheikh, about 75 kilometres from Borno state capital Maiduguri, an intelligence source told AFP.

"Unfortunately, the brigade commander, Brigadier General O.O. Braimah, lost his life," Kaga Local Government Chairman Zannah Lawan Ajimi told AFP in a phone interview. 

Two intelligence sources confirmed Braimah's death to AFP.

His death follows the killing of Brigadier General Musa Uba by ISWAP in November. He was the highest-ranking military official to die in the long-running conflict since 2021.

"They overran the brigade," one of the intelligence sources said, giving the death toll as "at least" 18.

The second intelligence source said that "the terrorists killed several troops" and "burnt vehicles and buildings before they withdrew," without giving a toll.

Nigeria's military said that "insurgents attempted to breach the defensive perimeter of the military installation" but were "decisively engaged and forced to retreat in disarray".

The statement, from Major General Michael Onoja, a Defence Headquarters spokesman, said that the attack "resulted in the loss of a few brave and gallant soldiers", without disclosing a toll or who was killed.

- Rising jihadist violence -

Researchers have warned of an uptick of violence since 2025.

Borno capital Maiduguri has seen two suicide bombings since December -- the type of bloody, urban attacks reminiscent of the insurgency's peak a decade ago.

On Wednesday, the US State Department said in a notice it was authorising "non-emergency US government employees" to leave Abuja "due to the deteriorating security situation".

While the insurgency is concentrated in the northeastern countryside, jihadists from Nigeria and the neighbouring Sahel have made inroads western Nigeria, where organised crime gangs known as "bandits" have been raiding villages and extorting farmers and artisanal miners for years.

The spate of attacks that have left 90 dead this week included an assault in Kebbi state that police blamed a local jihadist group known as Mahmuda, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda.

Kebbi sits on Nigeria's border with Benin and Niger and since 2025 has been targeted by a rising number of jihadist attacks.

Conflict monitor ACLED says there has been a surge in violence in the area carried out by militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

In nearby Kwara state, in October, fighters from the Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM claimed an attack after years of researchers warning that the jihadist conflict ravaging the Sahel risked spreading south towards coastal west African states.

In December, the United States, with Nigerian assistance, bombed northwest Sokoto state, targeting Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) fighters usually found in neighbouring Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso.

str-abu-tba/nro/sn/pdw

(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump says that increased military assets in the Middle East will remain in place and ready as the U.S. and Iran embark on negotiations, remaining on alert in case Iran violates the ceasefire.

“All U.S. Ships, Aircraft, and Military Personnel, with additional Ammunition, Weaponry, and anything else that is appropriate and necessary for the lethal prosecution and destruction of an already substantially degraded Enemy, will remain in place in, and around, Iran, until such time as the REAL AGREEMENT reached is fully complied with,” the president posted on Truth Social Thursday.

Trump is warning Iran if a deal isn’t made, the strikes will be more severe than the more than six weeks of attacks since the conflict began on Feb. 28.

“If for any reason it is not, which is highly unlikely, then the ‘Shootin’ Starts,’ bigger, and better, and stronger than anyone has ever seen before. It was agreed, a long time ago, and despite all of the fake rhetoric to the contrary - NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS and, the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE. In the meantime our great Military is Loading Up and Resting, looking forward, actually, to its next Conquest,” Trump wrote.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth shared a similar sentiment Wednesday during a Pentagon press briefing, signaling the U.S. is being cautious with Iran as negotiations are ongoing.

"We'll stay put, stay vigilant," Hegseth told reporters. "Our troops are prepared to defend, prepared to go on offense, prepared to restart at a moment's notice with whatever target package would be needed in order to comply." 

The military remains on alert as Vice President JD Vance, Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner will lead an American delegation in talks with Iran, set to begin over the weekend in Islamabad, Pakistan, with the first round scheduled for Saturday.

The talks come as the ceasefire appears shaky, with the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz becoming a flashpoint between Iran and much of the rest of the world.

Only six ships transited the strait in the first 24 hours since the ceasefire was announced, compared to an average daily of 140 ships, according to Reuters. Reports indicate only one ship contained oil, while the others were dry bulk carriers.

China's top diplomat told his North Korean counterpart on Thursday that Beijing was willing to step up exchanges and cooperation, Chinese state media reported, following their meeting in Pyongyang.

The two-day official visit by Wang Yi to the diplomatically isolated nuclear state -- his first since 2019 -- comes shortly after the neighbours resumed transport links that had been halted since the the Covid-19 pandemic.

China is North Korea's top trading partner and a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support.

During talks with North Korea's foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, Wang hailed the countries' "traditional friendship forged in blood", according to Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

"China is willing to work with North Korea to... enhance dialogue and practical cooperation at all levels and across various fields, (and) deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges," Wang told Choe, Xinhua reported.

Wang also said that the September meeting in Beijing between top leaders Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un provided "important strategic guidance for the next stage of development" in ties between the countries.

The foreign ministers "also exchanged in-depth views on current international and regional issues", Xinhua said, without elaborating.

Earlier Thursday, photos showed Choe greeting Wang on his arrival at Pyongyang's airport, walking with him on a red carpet before an enthusiastic crowd waving North Korean and Chinese flags.

While China has fully reopened its borders since the pandemic, North Korea has proceeded at a much slower pace.

Recent weeks have seen signs of a tentative reopening, though tourist visas to North Korea are still not being issued.

Prior to the pandemic, Chinese tourists made up the bulk of foreign visitors to North Korea, numbering roughly 350,000 in 2019 and providing a huge revenue stream for Pyongyang, according to specialist website NK News.

Air China restarted direct flights between the two capitals last week, ending a six-year pause initiated by the pandemic.

Last month, daily passenger rail services between Beijing and Pyongyang resumed.

pfc/mjw