If Scotland lose and finish with three points, there are a number of results they will need to look out for – they will want as many groups as possible with two teams finishing on fewer than three points.
In Group A, if Mexico beat the Czech Republic and South Korea beat South Africa, that would leave the team in third on one point.
The next best scenario would be a big South Africa win to leave South Korea in third with three points and a poor goal difference.
Wins for South Africa and the Czech Republic would spell bad news for Scotland, leaving the third-place finisher on four points.
One of the few games that take place before Scotland face Brazil that has a bearing on where Scotland could finish comes in Group B.
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Qatar meet three hours before Scotland play and, if they draw, both sides will have two points.
In Group D, Australia and Paraguay are second and third respectively and meet in their final game. The losers would end the group with three points, while a draw would leave both sides on four.
On we go to Group E. Ecuador and Curacao have one point apiece and play Germany and Ivory Coast respectively. Failure to win would mean whoever finishes third cannot better Scotland’s tally of three points.
In Group F, Scotland will be hoping second-placed Japan beat third-placed Sweden convincingly. A point for Sweden, though, would leave the third-placed finishers on at least four points.
The key fixture in Group G as far as Scotland are concerned is Egypt v Iran. A win for Egypt will ensure the team finishing third will have fewer than three points.
It is the same situation in Group H where Scotland fans will be rooting for Spain to beat Uruguay so the third-placed team can only finish on two points, while in Group I, a draw between Senegal and Iraq would mean the team in third will have just one point.
In Group J, Austria and Algeria – second and third respectively on three points – meet in their final group game, so Scotland would not want that to end in a draw.
DR Congo and Uzbekistan are vying for third place in Group K.
A win for Uzbekistan would give them three points but, with a goal difference of -7, they would need a big win against DR Congo and for Scotland to lose badly to move above them in the standings.
In Group L, a point or more for Croatia against Ghana could be bad news for Scotland as it would again leave the third-place finishers with four points.
A big win for Ghana, and Panama not beating England, would be Scotland’s ideal scenario from a mathematical point of view.
Published On 24 Jun 202624 Jun 2026
France has confirmed its first Ebola case in the country during the current outbreak, as a doctor returning from a humanitarian mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo tested positive, French health authorities said.
In a statement on Wednesday, the French Health Ministry said the healthcare worker was operating in one of the areas where the virus was circulating.
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“The patient is being treated at a leading healthcare facility, following strict biosafety protocols,” the ministry said. “All precautionary measures, including the patient’s isolation, were implemented upon arrival in France, with transfer to the hospital under secure conditions to prevent any risk of contamination,” it said.
An epidemiological investigation is under way to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient. They will be contacted by health authorities to self-isolate for 21 days, the statement added.
Since May, the northeastern Ituri province of the DRC has been the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 260 people and infected more than a thousand so far in the central African country. Cases have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
On May 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern”.
Most previous Ebola outbreaks in DRC were caused by a virus called Ebola Zaire, but this outbreak is caused by a different strain called Bundibugyo, for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments.
The first places to be investigated in a national independent inquiry into grooming gangs will be Oldham, Bradford and Keighley, and London.
The Statutory Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, which will be chaired by Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, will compel individuals and institutions to explain what they “did or did not do to protect children from being sexually abused”, the organisation said.
The review will also examine if changes have been made in places where there have been past reviews, such as Oxford and Rotherham.
Abuse survivor Fiona Goddard, who resigned from the inquiry in October 2025, said it had been “a long fight”.
“Bradford has evaded inquiries for many, many years and it’s time that the full truth about what happened comes out,” she said.
Goodard left the panel over concerns that two of the shortlisted chairs had backgrounds in policing and social services.
Keighley and Ilkley MP Robbie Moore, who called on the government to include Bradford in the inquiry, said it marked “a significant turning point”.
“This inquiry must seek the truth – however horrific it may be. And bring about justice to those who have been failed for far too long,” he said.
On the Shelf
The Last Human Bear
By Greg Sarris
Heyday Books: 384 pages, $30
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Before her death in 1993, Mabel McKay — one of the last living dreamers of the Pomo Indian people — shared a prophecy while driving through the Sonoma hills. One day, this paradise would burn.
“Everything is going to go dry. Everything will burn. That’s my latest vision,” she said, gesturing to the idyllic landscape.
Startled, writer Greg Sarris asked what could be done to stop it.
“You live the best way you know how,” McKay replied.
Since her passing, Sonoma County experienced the most destructive wildfires in California history in 2017, only for another, more destructive fire to surpass it a year later. “She always used to say, ‘Whether you believe it or not, it’s true,’” Sarris recalls.
McKay and her visions are the inspiration behind Sarris’ latest work. His first novel in 28 years, “The Last Human Bear,” is loosely based on the spiritual leader McKay, whose wisdom and companionship served as a refuge to Sarris during a tumultuous childhood in Sonoma County.
On a Monday morning in California, Sarris sits in his sleek office at the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria in Rohnert Park. Sarris, 74, has served as chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for more than 30 years. In his office, diplomas and academic certificates crowd the walls. A framed poster for the 2023 film “Joan Baez: I Am a Noise” hangs nearby — she’s a close friend. Behind him, an American flag ripples in the distance outside the window, blurred by the summer heat.
Just up the road sits a multibillion-dollar tribe-owned casino, Graton Resort & Casino — a project the writer oversees. “I had never been in a casino. I have a PhD in modern thought and literature from Stanford,” says Sarris.
How does an accomplished author find himself at the helm of a multibillion-dollar casino enterprise? It’s a question that still puzzles Sarris. “I told them if we can raise our people and become a platform for social justice and environmental stewardship to benefit Indian and non-Indian alike, I’ll do it.”
Before his stint as a reluctant casino mogul, Sarris was a prolific author and university professor at UCLA and Sonoma State. In 2023, he was appointed a regent of the University of California by Gavin Newsom. Over the course of his career, he published six books, and his novel “Grand Avenue” became an HBO original film in 1996.
From early in his career, Sarris wanted to depict Indians as he knew them, rather than as Hollywood depicted them. “We’ve been erased by Hollywood, because the idea of Indians has always been Plains Indians or Southwest,” Sarris explains. “It’s easier for Americans to access Buffalo Bill.”
Greg Sarris’ new novel “The Last Human Bear.”
(Josh Edelson / For The Times)
“California Indians have always been left out of the picture,” says Sarris.
“The Last Human Bear” is Sarris’ latest attempt to revive the legacy of California’s Native history. The novel follows Mary Hatcher, a Pomo Indian in Sonoma County, from Prohibition through the 21st century. It’s told in the first person through Hatcher’s compelling voice as she narrates the horror and heartbreak of her lifetime over the course of a century, echoing William Faulkner’s literary style, which influenced Sarris.
‘California Indians have always been left out of the picture,’ says Sarris.
“I’m curious why you want to know about me,” reads the first line. The novel unfolds like an oral storytelling tradition, driven by a voice that Sarris painstakingly crafted, evoking his conversation with McKay. “The voice comes. I have to call it, almost like a spirit,” says Sarris. “I wanted it to feel like an oral story.”
Hatcher — a Pomo shape-shifter who dodges prejudice by passing as Mexican in the novel — is a thorny protagonist, often cunning, scheming and unforgiving. “An American Indian woman is as richly complicated as anybody else. I wanted to show this rich and complicated character who’s negotiated a history that she’s showing you,” says Sarris.
Acclaimed Northern California writer and activist Rebecca Solnit, who has authored 17 books and is a friend of Sarris’, says that she was fascinated by his ability to evoke so many aspects of female life in “The Last Human Bear.” Solnit was especially moved by Sarris’ rendering of California’s tragic history. “It’s shocking, given how rich California’s Indigenous cultures were — 99 different language groups, mythologies, belief systems and linguistic traditions. Every North American Indigenous language family is represented in California. It’s weird how this history has been erased, and how horrific what happened was.”
Climate change and ongoing ecological disasters have made Indigenous perspectives more vital than ever, the author argues. “I think Indigenous people have been hugely influential in giving us a point of view in which we were never separate from nature,” she says. According to Solnit, Sarris’ novels are part of a broader resurgence of interest in Native culture.
In the early chapters of the “The Last Human Bear,” the protagonist gets a job on a ranch by posing as Mexican, since Indians were forbidden from working as housekeepers. What follows is a tale of tension, deception and a forbidden love that sours, reminiscent of Brontë novels.
Sarris hopes that the novel illuminates an uncomfortable history of Sonoma County that remains largely invisible, looming beneath the soil of wine country. The novel offers “a history of this county that a lot of people haven’t seen,” says Sarris.
“There were more Indian people right where we’re sitting per capita than anywhere else in the entire New World outside Mexico City, which was the Aztec capital,” says Sarris. “The genocide was so horrendous.”
Identity, revenge and a search for home are themes that arise throughout the novel — subjects Sarris knows well in his own life.
Greg Sarris feeds chickens at an organic farm across the street from Graton Resort & Casino, which he heads, in Rhonert Park.
(Josh Edelson / For The Times)
In 1952, Sarris’ teenage mother gave him up for adoption, her family hoping to evade the embarrassment of their Jewish daughter becoming pregnant by a Native American Filipino man. Sarris grew up in a white family in Santa Rosa alongside three siblings. His adopted father, George Sarris, became abusive, causing Greg to flee the house with his adopted mother’s blessing. “God bless her. She let me go out and live on ranches and run with other people to get away from him.”
It was in these formative years that Greg became acquainted with Native American people in Santa Rosa, always feeling a mysterious pull toward them. It was these years that also shaped his sensibility as a writer. “I was a lost kid on the streets, so I was always paying attention to everyone, listening, and people would tell me stories.”
Native Americans lived on the fringe of town, often practicing healing ceremonies that were frowned upon by white Catholic families in the suburbs Sarris explains. “When I was 15, I met Mabel McKay, who I wrote the book about. I knew she did some of those strange things that I heard about, but I liked her,” he says. “I had no idea that I was related to these people. I thought I was a mixed-blood Mexican or Spanish.”
At age 30, Sarris uncovered the identities of his birth parents and learned of his Native heritage. He learned his birth mother was buried in a pauper’s grave at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Santa Rosa, with “nothing to mark her grave but an upside-down horseshoe that has her name in it.” In the opening pages of the novel, a dedication to her: Bunny Hartman.
Excitedly, Sarris presented proof of his Indian heritage to McKay, his trusted confidant. “I thought it was a big deal that I had Indian blood,” says Sarris. He showed McKay a photo of his father, which she met with indifference. Naturally, Sarris was disappointed. “She told me something later: ‘You’re never any more Indian than your experience.’”
Questions surrounding the legitimacy of Sarris’ heritage haunted him for decades and ultimately informed the novel. Being adopted by a white family, only to be shunned by the Native community, perpetuated his lifelong feeling of being an outsider. “I keep thinking maybe I just got in with this group of people and my Indian relatives so that I would feel rejected again,” he says. “We gravitate towards what we know as home emotionally.”
“I didn’t grow up on a reservation. I’m fair-skinned,” he says. “Being adopted, it feeds into that feeling of not being good enough,” he says, adding: “Illegitimacy is a medicine in the end.”
In the Native American literary community, Sarris has often felt excluded from discourse. When in doubt, he reminds himself of his involvement with the tribe. “Who among them have done this much for their people?” he asks. “Who among them has given this much time and sacrificed a writing career for their people?”
Jane Fonda, the two-time Academy Award-winning actress and activist, struck up a friendship with Sarris through a shared cause. “We met during the campaign to secure health and safety setbacks that would finally prevent oil wells from being drilled within 3,200 feet of a community. Greg and the federated tribes helped us win that fight against Big Oil,” Fonda explained in an email.
“I can tell from his books and my time with him that he embodies indigenous wisdom and beliefs,” Fonda says. “I see Greg Sarris as a man who embodies the best of two worlds — the mercantile culture of Western civilization and the indigenous world that knows we are part of nature and interdependent with it. It’s a rare and valuable combination.”
Greg Sarris, who holds a PhD in literature from Stanford, inside the casino he works for to help fund his tribe’s future.
(Josh Edelson / For The Times)
The Graton Resort & Casino, launched by Sarris over 12 years ago, now plays a vital role in supporting the Pomo Indian community. “I promised early on: roof over everyone’s head, an insurance policy in every pocket and a college degree paid for,” he says. “We give $2.5 million a year in perpetuity to the University of California, so that all California Indians can go to the University of California tuition-free.” The casino has funded theater programs, youth writing intensives and revenue sharing with neighboring tribes.
On the car ride to the casino, Sarris is riffing on his friendship with Grateful Dead member Mickey Hart, who bought Sarris a quarter horse as a gift. In the casino, Sarris eagerly greets his employees with a friendliness that betrays his repeated insistence that he’s a reclusive writer. He points out blown-glass flower sculptures, an embellishment he once saw at the Four Seasons in Paris. He walks past the baccarat room, where he hosts high rollers from Beijing, whom he boasts, “play $100,000 in a hand.”
Early on, news of the casino’s construction caused waves of controversy across Sonoma County — some of which resulted in death threats against Sarris’ life. Concerns that a casino would invite debauchery into the county circulated, which Sarris points out is ironic for a community predicated on wine: “Beyond whether gambling is right or wrong, what is implicit is their privilege and elitism,” says Sarris. “People were getting scared because these brown people, who were the poorest in Sonoma County, are suddenly going to have power.”
Admittedly, Sarris says their newfound wealth has not been without repercussions in the tribe. “People who have been traumatized with generational poverty are the most vulnerable to the lure of materialism,” he says.
In the final chapters of “The Human Bear,” the protagonist, at the end of her life, recalls: “Human Bears often like to even the score before they die.” Revenge is futile, she concludes. “If I was going to avenge our people, I would have to poison nearabout all of history.”
Sarris recalls a similar epiphany he had speaking with McKay. He explains Pomo Indians believed that each action had a consequence. “Ethnographers always said we’re a culture predicated on black magic and fear. No, we were cultures predicated on profound respect for the complexity of all life,” says Sarris.
Then, white men came and seemingly bent the laws of natural order. “The Kashaya Pomo word for white people was ‘miracles’, because they came in and killed everything and did all these things. Nothing could come back to them,” says Sarris.
He explained to McKay that he thought of the white man’s fate differently. “Look, there’s no water. There’s no air. Everything’s poison,” he says, gesturing around him to this vast, broken world. “It’s all come back. It just took time.”
Connors is a culture journalist from Sonoma County. She covers books, food, entertainment and offbeat Los Angeles. She’s currently at work on a book of essays about tourism in all its forms.
PEOPLE are only just realising that there is a secret cabinet in plane toilets.
The cupboards hold essential products to help passengers in need.
Sanitary products are hidden behind airplane mirrors for flyers that have been caught short by an unexpected period.
Mum-of-two Tatti Sorokina took to Instagram to share her positive experience of the plane cupboard.
She filmed herself opening the mirror in the airplane toilet to reveal a cabinet of sanitary towels.
Some commenters were quick to qualify the video, with one writing: “Usually, passengers should not open this in the bathroom,
“But you can always come to the flight attendants and ask for products.”
Tatti replied: “I actually asked a flight attendant. She showed me this and told me that I could open it and take as much as I need.”
Flight attendant Joselin Lora works for Delta Air Lines and has previously shared a similar video.
She explained: “For those who fly Delta, especially the ladies, on some planes there’s a button under the mirror where if you press it, it’ll open.
“And in the mirror you will find amenities of your needs like a pad.”
She added that on other planes, it can be a “pull-out box on the walls”.
If you find yourself in the same situation, let a flight attendant know and then you will be able to grab what you need.
5 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris
Tokyo isn’t one city. It’s many cities, and each is its own universe.
Occasionally — at a certain subterranean bar big enough for only seven people, or a sushi counter on the fifth floor of a random office building — I feel as if I’m stepping into another time or dimension.
Finding your way to any of the millions of restaurants, cafes, bars and shops (some are micro-businesses in an alley in a village in the city) can be like figuring out a many-layered puzzle. Like Tokyo, each experience is dense.
Use these handy dining guides for all of your summer travel, near and far.
The Japanese word for hospitality is omotenashi. But its meaning goes far beyond just customer service. Even the translations “wholehearted, selfless hospitality” or “flawless care” don’t cover all of the philosophies that make up omotenashi: magokoro (“true heart” or “sincere feeling”), ichigo ichie (“one time, one meeting”) and kuuki wo yomu (“reading the air”). The last refers to the intuitive ability to anticipate guests’ needs before they ask — an idea rooted in tea ceremony, which is rooted in Buddhism. It’s hard to grasp that level of selflessness.
Here are some of our favorite places to lose yourself in Tokyo. — Betty Hallock
Heath Mall basement, Shop No. S09, Chungking Mansions, 44 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong
The giveaway that Lima should be on every food lover’s wish list is not just that it is home to the reigning No. 1 restaurant in the world according to the most recent World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking. Maido in Lima’s famed Miraflores neighborhood, a longtime magnet for fine dining, is where chef Mitsuharu “Micha” Tsumura is transforming Peru’s traditional Nikkei cuisine, integrating the flavors of the Amazon in his own blockbuster style.
But it’s what’s happening one neighborhood over, just about three miles away in Lima’s Barranco district that make Peru’s capital more than a stopover for a single splurge meal on your way to Machu Picchu. The epicenter of the food lover’s Barranco is the garden-lush culinary complex, Casa Túpac, home to Virgilio Martinez’s Central, named to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ “Best of the Best” list after its No. 1 ranking in 2023, and to Pía León’s Kjolle, the current 50 Best’s No. 9 restaurant in the world.
Use these handy dining guides for all of your summer travel, near and far.
Beyond those walls, several other food hubs have emerged. There is the growing constellation of Barranco restaurants that chef Juan Luis Martínez runs with his wife, designer Michelle Sikic. Their Mérito is currently No. 26. on the World’s 50 Best list; Demo is a morning-to-night cafe with beautiful breakfast dishes; and more recently they opened Clon, with accessibly priced a la carte expressions of Martínez’s Venuezulan-Peruvian cuisine.
A few short blocks away are Ricardo Martins’ pair of restaurants, Siete, a romantic spot with beautiful food and cocktails, and La Perlita, devoted to the chef’s nostalgic take on criolla cuisine. Then there is the venerable Canta Rana, run by an Argentine devoted to soccer and ceviche, and, more recently, the Chilean and American partners who created a mecca for coffee and chocolate lovers.
This is just a hint of the culinary activity happening in one of the world’s great food cities.
It’s puzzling, then, why the Michelin guide doesn’t waive its requirement that tourist boards or local governments pay a fee to have its inspectors visit the city. On the other hand, Lima is doing just fine without Michelin stars.
See for yourself with your own visit to Lima. The suggestions that follow are a delicious way to begin your adventure.
Yes, you should visit Mexico City. Don’t overthink it and don’t delay. Despite excessive tourism and rising gentrification fears, the seething capital of Mexico — 25 million souls strong — remains a top-tier international destination for any committed food lover. And the intensity of its dining scene seems to be only growing.
Sure, a wave of privileged remote workers oozing dollars and euros may have dampened the vibe for Mexico City natives, leading to protests. The post-pandemic issues of housing displacement and rising costs for locals are serious challenges that political leaders must address. Yet time and again, on every visit, the resiliency and passion that original defeños have for their gastronomical paradise proves to be boundless.
Use these handy dining guides for all of your summer travel, near and far.
I have traveled to Mexico City regularly since 2002 and lived there for nearly a decade. I won’t feel slighted if you prefer the dining advice of current residents, or from any of the numerous local dining guides online. But one thing about me, I have an aversion to hype, and tend to avoid the city’s contemporaneous food magnets where the ratio of foreigners to locals is too out of whack. (No, the Michelin-starred taqueria was never extraordinarily better than any others in its bracket.) Where my native friends go, I go.
Here are highlights of my top, top, top recommendations from my L.A. Times restaurant guides on Mexico City, plus a few more favorites. My goal here is to distill down your options for a concentrated, food-centric visit, from nostalgic jewels beloved by hardscrabble chilangos to the celebrated shrines of high-end chefs reaping the bounties of the Valley of Mexico.
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark called out officials following her team’s 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday. She was one of five players assessed technical fouls amid a fourth-quarter dustup that also involved former teammate DeWanna Bonner.
Clark was called for a personal foul at the 7:57 mark in the fourth quarter after getting tangled up with Bonner, who was trying to post up near the free-throw line. The two exchanged some words before things escalated as their teammates got involved. Clark appeared flabbergasted when she learned she received a technical foul for clapping while her teammate Myisha Hines-Allen and the Mercury’s Alyssa Thomas were in each other’s faces.
Bonner, Thomas, Hines-Allen and Fever guard Sophie Cunningham were also assessed technical fouls for their actions during the scuffle. Hines-Allen was later ejected from the game after earning another technical foul for pushing Thomas after being called for a foul in the very next play.
This marks Clark’s fifth technical of the season so far. Players who rack up eight technical fouls in a season must serve a one-game suspension.
“It’s ridiculous. I got a tech for clapping,” Clark said after the game. “We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game that I’m going to be suspended for if I’m going to get technicals for clapping.
“If any technicals should be taken away, it should be that one,” Clark added. “I don’t understand it at all. … I’m going to play with emotion. I’m going to play with passion. And if they’re going to give me a technical foul for clapping, then so be it. That’s their choice.”
Caitlin Clark reacts during Monday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Phoenix Mercury.
(Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
This was not the first time this season the two-time All-Star has been seen clapping toward other players or officials during a game. None of the previous occasions resulted in Clark receiving a technical foul. The star guard has been receiving more attention this season for her behavior during games outside of her play. The Fever reportedly plan to appeal the technical foul.
Clark led all scorers with 24 points while also dishing out nine assists in the Fever win, while Kelsey Mitchell added 22 points. For the Mercury, Kahleah Copper led with 20 points, while Thomas had 19 points, five rebounds and nine assists.
Bonner, a two-time WNBA champion, had signed a one-year contract with the Fever last season. She played in just nine games before parting ways with the team and eventually rejoining the Mercury, where she started her career. Fever fans could be heard booing Bonner at various times during Monday’s game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Fever coach Stephanie White said that Clark has to be aware of her technical fouls and that “there are some that we could do without.”
“There are natural things that happen that the energy of the game creates when you do get those,” White said. “But there are some that we can be a little bit more in control of. So, yes, we’ll continue to remind her, and I think she has to have an awareness.”
She also brushed off the incident as something “that … happens” in “a competitive sport.”
“As a group, we have to be able to have our moment and then regroup and play with poise and composure. It can’t continue to go on,” White said.
Dallas Wing guard Paige Bueckers and Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün are among the other players who have been assessed technical fouls this season for clapping after a play. Neither incidents involved taunting players from the opposing team, and both of those techs have reportedly been rescinded.
North Korea has revealed its largest-ever warship that leader Kim Jong Un says can carry nuclear-capable missiles. The 5,000-metric-ton destroyer is part of the country’s growing navy, which is set to expand sharply over the next five years.
Published On 24 Jun 202624 Jun 2026
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Here’s a look at the viral moments and on-field controversies as well as the biggest players, best performances, goals and more.
Published On 24 Jun 202624 Jun 2026
Cristiano Ronaldo joined the party, Lionel Messi set a new record, Iran once again displayed their fighting spirit and Turkiye were shown the door.
The second round of the 2026 World Cup group stage had a fair amount of drama.
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Al Jazeera breaks down the key moments:
Unlike other high-profile strikers at the tournament who came out all guns blazing from the get-go, Ronaldo needed some time to open his account. But his two goals in Portugal’s 5-0 thrashing of Uzbekistan on Tuesday were enough to silence the critics as the 41-year-old became the first player in history to score in six World Cups.
Age is just a number for Messi, who is celebrating his 39th birthday on Wednesday. His apparent last dance is bringing out the best in him as the Argentinian has set a new record for the most World Cup goals at 18 – a figure that is sure to increase with La Albiceleste now the number one favourites to add back-to-back World Cups to their trophy cabinet.
Is Messi “Mr Argentina”? It’s hard to argue otherwise with all five of the team’s goals scored by him. That also makes him the leading Golden Boot contender with one goal more than France’s Kylian Mbappe.
FIFA has come under criticism for a series of issues this tournament, but one thing it’s got spot on is the scheduling of Argentina, France and Norway games on the same day. For the second time in a row, fans were treated to back-to-back goals galore on Monday as Messi started the party with a brace before Mbappe did the same, and Erling Haaland topped it off with another double.
Back at the World Cup after 28 years, Norway celebrated their round of 32 qualification in typical fashion: bringing out the famous “Viking row”. With the squad sitting in rows resembling those of a Viking longboat, captain Martin Odegaard began beating the drum to a joyous climax as thousands of Norwegians in the stadium also joined the fun.
It took Egypt an incredible 92 years to register their first World Cup win, so it wasn’t a surprise that they celebrated in style. Shortly after beating New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday, the Egypt squad was pictured on the streets of Vancouver with fans, singing and dancing to music blaring from a huge speaker. Mohamed Salah, nicknamed the “Egyptian King”, was the centre of attention yet again, held up on the shoulders of a teammate, as he grooved to the tunes.
While Asian teams enjoyed a great run during the first round of the group games, only one team – Japan – built on the momentum. After a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in the first match, Japan thrashed Tunisia 4-0 in the next fixture on Saturday, collecting four points – the highest by an Asian team so far. According to Opta’s supercomputer, Japan have a 20.8 percent chance of reaching the quarterfinals and 9.41 percent probability of making the semifinals.
Despite travel restrictions imposed on them by the United States for their first two World Cup games, Iran have remained unbeaten with two draws. That keeps them alive in the knockout race, and with the squad now allowed to fly into the US from Mexico two days before their next match instead of one as was the case earlier, Iran can better prepare for their final group game on Saturday against Egypt in Seattle. A win would see them through while a draw might also suffice, depending on other results.
From Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz to Hakan Calhanoglu and Merih Demiral, Turkiye is filled with talent across all departments. But none of them could turn around Turkiye’s fortunes as they crashed out of the tournament after losing to Paraguay on Saturday. The early exit crushed the hopes of millions of Turkish fans, who waited 24 years to see their team return to the World Cup.
For years, Christian Pulisic has been the poster boy of the USA team, but the cohost nation proved that they can get the job done even in the influential winger’s absence. With Pulisic ruled out with a calf injury, Alex Freeman scored one, and the USA benefitted from a Cameron Burgess own goal as they sailed into the knockouts with a 2-0 victory on Friday against Australia.
Paraguay midfielder Miguel Almiron made history, albeit for the wrong reasons, when he became the first player to be sent off at the 2026 World Cup for covering his mouth. Almiron – also handed a one-match ban – covered his mouth during a confrontation with Turkiye’s Mert Muldur. The straight red handed to him follows a new rule under which players are not allowed to cover their mouths to disguise what they are saying during confrontations with infringements leading to instant dismissals.
BROOKLYN Beckham has taken yet another swipe at his parents David and Victoria.
After missing out on seeing his dad getting honoured with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, and failing to publicly acknowledge his family on Father’s Day, Brooklyn has shared a gushing post about his wife.
The famous family have been feuding for more than a year, with Brooklyn even issuing a brutal social media rant where he said he has no wish to reconcile with his parents.
Despite the rift, David mentioned his kids in his speech at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, and also shared a heartfelt tribute with snaps of Brooklyn on Father’s Day, which reportedly left him “furious”.
But Brooklyn is in his own bubble with wife Nicola Peltz, and has now gushed how he “gets to do life” with her in yet another backhanded swipe directed at his family.
Taking to Instagram to mark a milestone with his wife, Brooklyn shared a smiley black and white photo of them and wrote a heartfelt caption.
“6 years ago I asked my best friend to marry me,” he began.
“You are my girl, my beautiful wife, and my whole heart.
“Every day with you feels like the best adventure, and I still can’t believe I get to do life with you.
“You make everything brighter, funnier, sweeter, and more magical just by being you.
“I can’t wait to keep laughing, dreaming, and staying young with you forever.
“I love you more than words, Nicola,” he concluded.
Nicola commented on the post swiftly, writing: “I couldn’t possibly love you more. You’re my world, my rock and my soulmate.
“I love you a million times over and I love being your wife. Thank you for loving me so perfectly. My forever.”
Flocking to the comments, many fans were supportive of the pair.
One person wrote: “Awwww Happy Anniversary beautiful soulmates.”
While another penned: “Well done for putting your wife first, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors. Glad you are making each other happy.”
But others appeared to slam Brooklyn while supporting his mum and dad amid the rumbling family feud.
“Is that all you do all day, talk about how much you love your wife? We’ve all heard it by now,” said one.
“Team Posh all the way. Respect your parents,” penned a second.
This comes after both David and Victoria both marked Father’s Day by sharing snaps of all of their children – including Brooklyn.
But Brooklyn was left disgruntled by the posts which included him.
An insider told The Sun: “He’s fuming about it.
“He’s asked them to leave him alone and they just keep posting him.
“It just brings the whole thing up all over again. He wishes they’d leave it and leave him alone.”
The feud is rumbling on despite it being five months since Brooklyn unleashed his nuclear attack on his parents via an Instagram statement.
In a scathing statement, Brooklyn told how he grew up with “overwhelming anxiety” having been “controlled” by his parents most of his life.
His initial statement read: “I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private.
“Unfortunately my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me with no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.
“I do not want to reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.”
He then went on to recall the night of his wedding and how his mother danced in an “inappropriate way”.
Brooklyn also sent his parents David and Victoria a legal notice warning they can now contact him only via lawyers.
The extraordinary “desist” letter also instructed them not to “tag” him on social media.
WITH the warm weather staying, you don’t need to fly away to experience a destination that feels like abroad.
El Murrino Beachside Kitchen sits on East Cliff Beach, between Bournemouth and Boscombe Piers in Dorset.
One recent visitor claimed the bar has “Mediterranean beach vibes”.
Another added: “The food was tasty and the atmosphere was like being abroad in Spain.”
A third agreed: “The sun was shining and the music made it feel like we were in Ibiza for the afternoon.”
Others even compared it to Miami, saying it feels like being on holiday abroad.
Read more on travel inspo
It doesn’t matter what time of day you visit as the kitchen serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Breakfast options include American pancakes for £8 and then when it comes to lunch or dinner you can grab a burger, salad, fish and chips or pizza for £14.
Even your four-legged friend won’t be left out with doggy ice cream available for £3.50 a tub.
And of course there are plenty of tipples on offer including cocktails for £9 or a pint for £6.50.
If you want to elevate your experience, there is the option to book a VIP Cabana for £75.
The cabana can be used by up to 10 people and includes two pizzas and four drinks or a bottle of wine or prosecco with your booking.
Each booking lasts two and a half hours.
If you don’t fancy booking a cabana there are plenty of picnic-style tables as well, surrounded by sand.
And during the summer months, you can also catch a live DJ session at the beach bar.
The beach bar is open each day until 11pm and makes for the perfect pitstop when exploring Bournemouth’s beaches.
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The FIFA World Cup has yet to provide a meaningful boost to U.S. economic activity, with business surveys, card spending data, and airline passenger traffic showing little evidence that the tournament is supporting demand, according to Pantheon Macroeconomics.
June business
THE biggest hotel guest faux pas have been revealed – including jumping the breakfast buffet queue, washing undergarments in kettles and stealing from rooms.
Other frowned upon acts include reserving pool chairs with towels for long periods, leaving rooms excessively messy and being loud in the hallways late at night.
Smoking or vaping in hotel rooms is also considered a no-no, as are putting the incorrect number of guests on the reservation and leaving alarms or phones to ring without turning them off.
While not reading reviews when booking and not collecting or cashing in rewards points are also viewed unfavourably.
In response, Hotels.com, which commissioned the research, is offering holidaymakers £100 in ‘Hotels.comCash’ for future trips after staying for 10 eligible nights through its rewards programme.
Melanie Fish, travel expert and spokesperson for the global marketplace, which has also teamed up with William Hanson for a ‘Grand Etiquette Hotel’ guide, said: “Small tweaks can make a world of a difference.
“Taking the time to check reviews or making the most of rewards can turn a good trip into a great one, and help your travel budget stretch further, too.”
Researchers found the vast majority (90 per cent) consider themselves to be considerate guests – although 39 per cent think residents have become less respectful in recent years.
Other divisive acts include hanging damp laundry on the balcony, not leaving a review after staying and being rude to staff.
Sneaking extra guests in and constant public displays of affection around the pool are also frowned upon by hotel guests.
1. THE ART OF ENGAGING STAFF WITH DIGNITY – Treat every member of staff, from the cleaner to the manager, with genuine respect and an open ear.
2. HALCYON HALLWAYS (AND THE VIRTUE OF SILENCE) – Corridors are not thoroughfares for celebration, but shared spaces requiring a degree of restraint.
3. LIBATIONARY LESSONS – A well-enjoyed drink need not become a public performance. Moderation is key, particularly in shared spaces where one’s behaviour is on quiet display.
4. ON BURNING EMBERS AND BETTER JUDGEMENT – Hotel rooms are designed for comfort, not combustion. Lighting a cigarette indoors undermines both the space and the experience for future guests.
5. HOUSEKEEPING IS NOT AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY – Keeping your space in reasonable order (not pristine, but certainly not chaotic) ensures that housekeeping can do their job efficiently.
6. LAVATION GENTILITY – The kettle, charmingly utilitarian as it is, exists for hot drinks only. Incredulously, some people attempt to use it for laundry.
7. BORROWING, OWNERSHIP, AND OTHER DANGEROUS ASSUMPTIONS – Hotels provide generously, but not without limits. Slippers and toiletries may accompany you home; larger items most certainly may not.
8. MARSHALLING ONE’S MORNING REPAST – The breakfast buffet is not a free-for-all, but a civilised ritual governed by the simple act of queuing.
9. THE FOLLY OF FLAG PLANTING BY TOWEL – Placing a towel on a sun lounger at dawn and vanishing until mid-afternoon is a practice best left unadopted.
10. LOYALTY, AND WHY IT GETS ONE FURTHER – By consolidating bookings and collecting rewards, one quietly accumulates tangible benefits.
Those polled were also asked which nationalities they consider to be the gold standard for politeness – and which ones they perceive to be rudest.
Japanese tourists came top for being the most considerate, followed by Sweden in second place, with U.K. respondents placing themselves third.
At the other end of the scale, Americans are regarded as the most impolite, just beneath those from Germany, according to Hotels.com research conducted through OnePoll.
William Hanson said: “Better hotel etiquette doesn’t just benefit others, it can directly enhance your own stay.
“At the heart of my guide is the idea that small, thoughtful behaviours add up to big rewards: from a better night’s sleep and improved service to savings on future trips.”
In the first round of Tuesday night’s NBA draft, the Lakers made a trade with the New York Knicks, acquiring Cameron Carr, who the Knicks had selected with the 24th overall pick in the first round.
The Lakers then took guard Sergio De Larrea from Spain with the 25th pick and traded him to the NBA champion Knicks, along with cash considerations. The Lakers went to Spain recently to watch De Larrea work out.
Lakers president of basketball operations Rob Pelinka didn’t talk about the trade because the NBA had not made it official as of late Tuesday night. Carr was in New York at the draft, but he also didn’t speak with the media.
In need of athletic wing players on a team that could have up to nine free agents, the Lakers got one with 21-year-old Carr.
The 6-foot-5 Carr averaged 18.9 points per game at Baylor, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. Carr shot 49.4% from the field and 37.4% from three-point range.
Most NBA draft boards had projected Carr to be selected between 15th and 21st in the first round. But he slipped to the Lakers, who like the idea that Carr is so athletic, is a three-and-D player with a 7-2 wingspan and has a 42.5-inch vertical.
He set a record at Baylor during his sophomore year with 642 points during the 2025-26 season. That ranked him fifth in program history, regardless of class.
Carr has been compared to Knicks wing player Mikal Bridges, a two-way player who just won the championship with New York.
The draft will continue Wednesday with the second round, but the Lakers don’t have a pick.
The Lakers needed to add a player such as Carr because they have so many roles to fill.
LeBron James is a free agent and is looking for a contract from the Lakers. Austin Reaves is expected to opt out of his deal that will pay him $14.8 million. The Lakers can pay Reaves the most, a five-year deal for $241 million. Marcus Smart, the best defender on the Lakers, has a player option for $5.3 million. People around the NBA expect him to opt out and sign a deal for more money. Rui Hachimura is an unrestricted free agent and will have many teams after him. Luke Kennard is a free agent and will have a few teams after him because of his three-point shooting.
So, essentially, the Lakers need players on their roster and Carr is a player that the Lakers felt fell to them when so many draft boards had him going earlier.
June 24 (UPI) — The United States has sanctioned five Cuban state companies and the wife of Raul Castro‘s son, as the Trump administration continues to apply economic pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Three of the companies blacklisted by the State Department on Tuesday are associated with Grupo de Administracion Empresarial, which the United States initially sanctioned during the first Trump administration on accusations of being a Cuban military-controlled umbrella enterprise with interests sprawling throughout the island nation’s economy.
The two other entities hit are accused of operating in Cuba’s mining sector with foreign investment from Australia as well as working in collaboration with Russia.
Annalie Lilliam Rueda Cadero was sanctioned for being the wife of Alejandro Castro Espin, the son of Raul Castro, Cuba’s former head of state. Alejandro Castro was sanctioned by the Trump administration earlier this month.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a social media statement that he was sanctioning GAESA network entities for diverting Cuba’s money and assets and the two other companies for exploiting its mineral and metal reserves.
“The situation in Cuba is devolving as the island’s corrupt, brutal and anti-American Communist regime continues to prioritize its own total control over the freedom, opportunity and basic well-being of the Cuban people,” he said.
Sanctions generally freeze U.S.-based property or interests in property under the control of those designated while threatening foreign businesses with secondary sanctions for doing business with them.
The United States has long imposed a blockade and sanctions on Cuba, but the economic punitive measures have starkly increased during the second Trump administration, exasperating the power and energy shortages in the country, causing blackouts. The supply shortages have forced more than 100,000 people, including 11,000 children, to wait for surgeries, according to the United Nations.
Tuesday’s designations come under an executive order Trump signed in May permitting the sanctioning of those operating in Cuba’s energy, defense, mining and financial services sectors, as well as those complicit in human rights abuses or corruption related to Cuba working or for providing services to the Havana government.
Trump has been increasing the political and economic pressure on Cuba since ousting Venezuela’s authoritarian leader in January, declaring a national emergency with respect to the island nation early this year.
Since signing the sanctions-related executive order in May, he has used it at least five times to designate Cuba-related entities and individuals.
Cuba’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez, accused the Trump administration on Tuesday of increasing its sanctions regime against Havana, because Havana continues to prove it is “stronger, more capable and efficient than it expected.”
He accused the Trump administration of collectively punishing the Cuban people.
Ernesto Soberon, Cuba’s United Nations ambassador, accused the United States of lying about employing sanctions due to human rights abuses by Havana.
“No government, no person with even a shred of common sense — and certainly not the people of #Cuba, who are suffering the humanitarian impact of the U.S. economic war — can believe that the tightening of the blockade, the energy siege and the newly announced sanctions are intended to support the Cuban people,” he said on social media.
“Anyone who has doubts should ask the parents of the more than 12,000 children currently awaiting surgery in Cuba as a result of the U.S. government’s genocidal policy.”
EXPLAINER
Iran and the US clash over nuclear inspections and Hormuz as negotiators push for a final deal within 60 days.
Published On 24 Jun 202624 Jun 2026
Iran and the United States have offered conflicting accounts of key issues as negotiators work towards a final agreement within a 60-day window. Differences remain over nuclear oversight and the implementation of any deal, underscoring the challenges facing both sides.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran would not be allowed to charge tolls in the Strait of Hormuz under a final agreement, stressing that the strategic waterway must remain open to international shipping.
Meanwhile, Iran rejected US claims that it had agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country after President Donald Trump said Tehran had accepted the “highest level” of monitoring. The conflicting statements highlight the gaps that negotiators are still trying to bridge.
Here is what has happened:
HARRY Styles has some tricky steps to negotiate in his £30million mansion project — restoring a rotten staircase.
The former One Direction singer is paying experts to return the 300-year-old feature to its former glory as he turns three properties into one huge home.
The staircase revamp could delay the renovation project, which is slated for completion by October 2027.
A source said: “Harry doesn’t do anything by halves.
“This is a very ambitious project so there are bound to be stumbling blocks.
“The staircase is the latest snag but it’s a lovely period feature and he’s going to get the very best craftsmen to make it as good as new.
“It will take a while because it has to be taken apart piece by piece, restored and then put back in place, so it could well affect the deadline.”
In planning documents, Harry’s team say the condition of the 1734 staircase has deteriorated and it had some “poor-quality repairs” over the years.
He has appointed heritage carpentry experts to assess the best way to restore the feature.
Harry, 32, who is dating US actress Zoe Kravitz, 37, is merging the Georgian and 18th-century properties in Hampstead, North London.
The extensive renovation project includes high-end amenities such as a basement cinema, pool and gym.
The development has faced opposition previously from neighbours concerned about disruption and blocked light.
Despite the staircase issue, Harry had a spring in his step while in cut-off jeans in London after his weekend shows at Wembley.
1: Messi opener v Algeria
Another list topped by the Argentina maestro. Collecting the ball 30 yards out, Messi advanced to the top of the D before whipping a beautiful left-footed shot into the top corner.
2: Mbappe second v Senegal
One touch to set himself, a quick glance up and then a thumping effort from 30 yards out past Edouard Mendy – some strike.
3: Balogun second v Paraguay
Folarin Balogun showed pace, power and then composure to take a touch inside the covering defender before bending the ball into the top corner with his left foot.
4: Reyna’s fourth v Paraguay
Late in the game, the Paraguay defence backed off and USA midfielder Gio Reyna took full advantage, moving into the penalty box before nonchalantly curling the ball into the far corner with the outside of his right boot.
5: Ayari’s opener against Tunisia
Yasin Ayari set Sweden on their way to a comprehensive win with a rasping shot from 25 yards that arrowed into the corner.
6: Vinicius Jr’s equaliser against Morocco
With Brazil labouring, a moment of brilliance brought them level. Vinicius Jr collected the ball on the left side of the box, cut back on to his right foot and bent an unstoppable shot into the far corner.
7: Mahmic’s volley against Switzerland for Bosnia
A moment to remember for Ermin Mahmic as he lashed a volley into the Switzerland net after a corner was only punched out to the edge of the box. Not a bad way to score your first international goal.
8: Olwan’s goal for Jordan v Austria
With the defence backing off, Ali Olwan ran from the halfway line to the penalty area before expertly curling the ball in off the post to give Jordan their first World Cup goal.
9: Munoz’s flicked volley against Uzbekistan
Colombia got up and running with this brilliant Daniel Munoz effort. Having timed his run to perfection, the Crystal Palace wing-back stretched to meet Luis Diaz’s deep cross and lift a volley past the goalkeeper.
10: Nmecha’s combination with Wirtz for goal v Curacao
Felix Nmecha fired Germany in front after playing a lovely one-two with Florian Wirtz. The pass meant Nmecha didn’t have to break stride before curling the ball around a Curacao defender into the bottom corner.
