Officials twice halt Bulgaria-England Euro qualifier over racist chants

England supporters who gathered in London to watch the Euro 2020 final say they're "gutted" about the team's defeat to Italy on penalties, but "proud of them" for getting so far in the tournament.

Gareth Southgate condemns the "unforgivable" racist abuse aimed at the three England players who missed penalties in Sunday's Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy. Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were the victims of sickening social media taunts in the aftermath of the 3-2 penalty shoot-out loss at Wembley.

Rashford missed a penalty along with teammates Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka in the 3-2 shoutout. Rashford responded in a lengthy statement on social media in which he apologised for his penalty miss in the shoot out. The forward wrote: "All I can say is sorry. I wish it had of gone differently." He also said messages of support daubed on a defaced mural of his face left him "on the verge of tears".

A mural commissioned by London's City Hall celebrates England's football team, who reached the finals of the Euro 2020 championship, showing Gareth Southgate, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling next to the slogan 'You did us proud'. One of the artists who created the piece, street artist 'Mr Meana' of the MurWalls collective, says the work highlights 'the importance of getting racism out of football' in the wake of racist comments about the team online.

With the Metropolitan Police investigating racist abuse directed at three of England's black football players after the team's loss last Sunday in the Euro 2020 finals against Italy, AFP takes a look at racism in football and what can be done to tackle the abuse off the pitch.

The decision to ditch most coronavirus restrictions is being strongly criticized by some medical professionals who have been at the forefront in the fight against COVID.

The changes apply to those with a vaccine approved by the US or in Europe. Arrivals will still need to test negative before departing for England.

Protest party ITN edged out the conservative GERB in the latest vote, but was not able to form a government. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev will also be running for reelection.

Vaccinated travelers arriving from from low-risk countries will no longer have to take PCR tests. England has also removed eight countries from its red list.

Ecuadorian police have seized 2.5 tons of cocaine in two separate operations. A ton of was bound for Europe. They have also arrested five suspects.

People on the autism spectrum often face discrimination and other challenges in everyday life. In Bulgaria, activists are working to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

As Bulgaria heads to the polls on November 14, foreign-educated nationals who have returned are trying to drive badly needed reforms and tackle the country’s dominant problem — corruption.