exit

One minute, Senegal were cruising into the last 16 of the World Cup.

The next, they were left wondering how another dream had slipped through their grasp.

Manager Pape Thiaw’s side led 2018 semi-finalists Belgium 2-0 with only four minutes left of normal time, after goals from Habib Diarra and Ismaila Sarr.

But after outplaying their opponents, they somehow “found a way to lose the game”, as ex-Republic of Ireland skipper Roy Keane put it on ITV.

Romelu Lukaku’s 86th-minute goal sparked hope for Belgium and three minutes later, captain Youri Tielemans headed in an equaliser from Leandro Trossard’s cross – the pair were earlier seen having a heated argument – to force extra time.

Then came the controversial penalty, awarded for Lamine Camara’s challenge on Tielemans following a video assistant referee (VAR) review, and converted by the skipper himself 125 minutes in.

It condemned Senegal to further agony, having already endured the pain of being stripped of their Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title earlier this year.

“Football is just crazy. I couldn’t call any of this game,” former England striker Dion Dublin told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Late drama, controversy, history and heartbreak – this last-32 tie had everything and here, BBC Sport attempts to make sense of it all.

The United States is expected to formally notify its North American partners that it will not extend the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), triggering the pact’s sunset review process and beginning a potential 10-year countdown to its expiry in 2036. While the move does not immediately terminate the agreement, it opens a prolonged period of negotiations during which the three countries will seek to resolve disputes over automotive rules, regional manufacturing, market access and measures to prevent Chinese goods from benefiting from preferential trade provisions.

The decision reflects the Trump administration’s push to reshape North American trade around greater US manufacturing content and stricter supply chain rules rather than preserving the agreement in its current form.

Sunset clause launches a decade of negotiations

The notification activates the USMCA’s sunset review mechanism, requiring annual consultations if no agreement is reached to renew the pact for another 16 years. Rather than ending the agreement immediately, the process creates a structured but uncertain negotiation period that could last until the agreement expires in 2036 unless the three countries reach a revised deal.

The review mechanism is intended to keep the agreement under continuous assessment but also introduces long-term uncertainty for businesses operating across North America.

Washington pushes for tougher automotive rules

The United States is seeking significant changes to the agreement’s rules of origin, particularly in the automotive sector. Washington wants a substantially larger share of vehicle components to be produced in the United States while increasing overall North American content requirements to reduce dependence on Asian supply chains.

The proposals form part of a broader industrial strategy aimed at strengthening domestic manufacturing, creating more US jobs and preventing third-country producers, particularly China, from indirectly accessing preferential North American trade benefits.

US and Mexico lead negotiations while Canada remains sidelined

Current negotiations are taking place primarily between Washington and Mexico, with Canada playing a more limited role amid ongoing bilateral trade disputes with the United States.

The narrower negotiating format highlights differing priorities within the three-country partnership and raises questions about whether a comprehensive trilateral agreement can be achieved without parallel negotiations involving Ottawa.

Trade policy reflects broader supply chain strategy

The proposed revisions extend beyond traditional tariff issues and reflect a wider effort to reorganise North American manufacturing. By tightening content requirements and strengthening origin rules, the United States aims to encourage companies to relocate production closer to home while limiting opportunities for Chinese manufacturers to circumvent trade restrictions through regional supply chains.

This shift illustrates how trade policy has become increasingly intertwined with industrial policy and national economic security objectives.

Businesses face prolonged policy uncertainty

The activation of the sunset clause is unlikely to disrupt trade immediately, but it introduces a prolonged period of uncertainty for manufacturers, exporters and investors whose operations depend on integrated North American supply chains.

Companies may delay long-term investment decisions until greater clarity emerges on future tariff structures, production requirements and the overall direction of regional trade policy.

Future Outlook

Negotiations are expected to intensify over the coming months as the United States continues pressing for stricter manufacturing rules and stronger regional content requirements. While Mexico appears willing to negotiate toward shared industrial objectives, Canada’s future role remains less certain given unresolved bilateral trade disputes.

Unless the three countries reach a mutually acceptable compromise, the USMCA could remain under annual review for the next decade, prolonging uncertainty for businesses while reshaping North America’s manufacturing landscape. The outcome of these negotiations will likely determine not only the future of the trade agreement but also the competitiveness of regional supply chains and the balance between economic integration and national industrial policy.

With information from Reuters.

The United States’ head of homeland security said he “danced a happy dance” when Iran were eliminated from the World Cup.

Iran missed out on qualifying from the group stage on goal difference after having a stoppage-time winner against Egypt disallowed for a marginal offside.

Coach Amir Ghalenoei said his team were the “most oppressed” at the tournament amid the backdrop of the country’s conflict with the US and Israel.

Iran’s training base was switched from Arizona to Tijuana in Mexico before the World Cup began and they faced travel restrictions throughout.

Despite Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Egypt, Iran still had a chance of qualifying as one of the eight best third-placed teams.

But their elimination was confirmed when Algeria and Austria played out a dramatic 3-3 draw on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin said: “I’m just glad they’re done, and they’re not coming back.

“I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave the US soil, and I might’ve sung a song or two or maybe even danced a happy dance.”

He added: “There wasn’t a single team that we had to spend more time dealing with than Iran.”

Iran were only permitted to enter the US the day before their first two matches and had to leave on the same day as the game, under the terms of their visas.

Those restrictions were eased for their final group game in Seattle, allowing them to arrive two days early, but they again had to return to Tijuana after Saturday’s match.

Iran coach Ghalenoei said that the US, co-hosts of the World Cup with Canada and Mexico, had “treated us very unfairly” and that his squad had been given “less than half” the training window it needed to prepare.

Iran captain Mehdi Taremi added: “This kind of tension undermines the joy of the World Cup. I felt the tension from the first moment we arrived.”

Kerr signs with the NWSL champions until 2030, returning to the US league after six years spent with Chelsea in England.

Australian striker Sam Kerr has signed with Gotham ⁠FC, the ⁠reigning champions of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States, the club announced after the iconic player ended her dazzling career with Chelsea, which saw her ⁠win five Women’s Super League titles.

Kerr, who was a free agent, signed the contract on Monday that will see her play in New York through the 2030 season. She previously played ‌in the city between 2015 and 2017.

The all-time leading regular-season goal-scorer for the North American league recorded ⁠116 goals across all competitions with Chelsea and was the 2023 Ballon d’Or runner-up.

“This club was an important part of my journey, and to come back at this moment, with everything Gotham has built, is really special. The ambition here is clear, and I’m looking forward to helping this team ⁠compete for trophies and create more ⁠history,” Kerr said in a statement.

The signing is a fine coup for the NWSL, which saw several players exit for opportunities in Europe ⁠last year, and brings one of the game’s brightest talents to the ⁠biggest sports market in the US.

“Sam is one of the defining players of her generation and a game-changing talent who has consistently delivered at the highest levels of ‌world football,” Yael Averbuch West, the president of football operations for Gotham, said.

“Bringing Sam back to Gotham is ‌a ‌landmark moment for our club, and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Kerr played 119 career regular-season games (113 starts) across her seven seasons with three ⁠teams in the NWSL, including three years with Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC) from 2015 to 2017.

After playing the 2018 season with the Chicago Red Stars, Kerr played a season for the Perth Glory ⁠in her native Australia (2018-19) before returning to Chicago in 2019. She joined Chelsea in the Women’s Super League in late 2019.

Despite her six-and-a-half-year absence, her 77 regular-season goals are still an NWSL record. In 2017, she won the Golden Boot and MVP awards with Sky Blue FC after a season in ‌which she scored 17 goals in 22 games.

Kerr will debut for Gotham after the NWSL’s transfer window opens on July ⁠14. Gotham host the Washington Spirit on July 15 in the Queens Classic in New York.

Failure in Group A brought fan anger to boiling point.

It started with a promising 2-1 win over the Czech Republic but then a team containing Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in of Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae lost 1-0 to Mexico. It left the Taeguk Warriors needing a point against South Africa to secure second.

Hong, who also led the team to a group-stage exit at the 2014 World Cup, left captain and talisman Son on the bench and the team slumped to defeat, with former Tottenham Hotspur defender Lee Young-pyo describing it on television as “the worst match by a Korean football team in the 21st century”.

After the game, a reporter asked Hong if there had been an outbreak of food poisoning in the camp or something similar, as there could be no explanation for such a performance. To make matters worse, South Korea had to wait more than three days in their training camp to discover whether they would squeeze through into the last 32 as one of the best third-placed finishers or go home.

The camp had not been an especially happy place as earlier in June, media personnel were overheard on camera mocking Son’s military record. The former Tottenham star won exemption from the country’s 21-month mandatory military service by being part of the team that took gold at the 2018 Asian Games. In return, the players boycotted domestic media duties for a number of days.

Son turns 34 in July and it would not be a surprise if he soon calls time on his international career. There will be no public return to South Korea as the welcome ceremony planned at Incheon International Airport was cancelled. The captain and the players have, however, escaped most of the public ire with the focus on how the sport is governed in the country.

South Korea’s dismal World Cup first-round exit has prompted fury at home, and calls for a complete overhaul at the top have not been silenced by coach Hong Myung-bo’s resignation.

South Korea, World Cup semifinalists as cohosts in 2002, limped out of the tournament after failing to squeeze into the knockout rounds as one of the top eight third-place finishers.

They had the last 32 within their reach only to suffer a shock 1-0 loss to lower-ranked South Africa.

Their early exit prompted coach Hong to quit on Sunday and cast doubt over the international future of captain Son Heung-min.

It also earned the team a rebuke from the country’s president, Lee Jae Myung, who pointed the finger at “incompetent people” and apologised to the nation.

The president’s comments reflect public anger that has reached a boiling point after years of simmering discontent with South Korean football chiefs.

Former captain Park Ji-sung said, “We may have expected this outcome years ago.

“We have to look back and ask ourselves why things have come to this,” the former Manchester United player said after the team’s elimination was confirmed.

“Even after spending a decade learning how to prepare for the World Cup and develop Korean football, we have forgotten those lessons once again.”

South Korea was expected to emerge from Group A that included cohosts Mexico, South Africa and Czechia.

They started with a 2-1 win over the Czechs but lost 1-0 to Mexico before bowing out against South Africa.

The team were expected to arrive home on Tuesday morning, but local media reported that the Korea Football Association (KFA) were not planning to organise an event to welcome them back.

In 2014, angry fans pelted the team with Korean candies – seen as a deeply offensive insult – when they returned from the World Cup in Brazil, where they went out in the group stage during Hong’s first spell as coach.

‘Message to change’

Hong has been a lightning rod for criticism since he returned to the job in July 2024, five months after his predecessor, German World Cup-winner Jurgen Klinsmann, was axed.

The KFA came under fire for the process that led to Hong’s reappointment, with questions asked over its transparency and fairness.

Hong, who was regularly booed by fans, did himself no favours at the World Cup by dropping star player Son for the South Africa game, in which South Korea needed only a point to progress.

Hong admitted afterwards that he was struggling to understand what had gone wrong, as the nation nervously waited for results in other games to decide their fate.

Lee Chun-soo, a member of the 2002 World Cup team, said he “felt pathetic and frustrated rooting for Uzbekistan” against the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the hope that the result would send South Korea through.

“This is a message to change,” Lee said on his YouTube channel. “Everyone should be ready to step down.”

South Korean fans reserved a sizeable chunk of their anger for KFA President Chung Mong-gyu.

Chung said before the World Cup that he would quit after the tournament, blaming his “lack of virtue” following fierce criticism of his 13-year tenure.

The 65-year-old, who is in his fourth term as KFA president, came under fire for trying to pardon former players who were banned for life for match-fixing.

Chung and Hong might not be the only ones to bow out, with captain Son yet to comment on his future.

The skipper, who turns 34 next month, had previously hinted at retiring from international football.

Former captain Park said South Korea needed to learn from the past.

“It’s unfortunate that this kind of cycle keeps repeating,” he said.

“We must dream of and shape a better future, and move forward step by step so that we don’t repeat these mistakes.”

Knockout matches begin with South Africa vs Canada as Iran exit, Africa make history and hopes for Messi-Ronaldo final rise.

The knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on Sunday with South Africa taking on Canada in the first round of 32 tie.

With the group stage complete, the full knockout bracket is now set. Nine African nations have reached the round of 32, Iran were eliminated after Algeria’s late qualification and the draw has left the door open to a Lionel Messi vs Cristiano Ronaldo final.

Here’s the full round of 32 schedule, the South Africa vs Canada prediction and the latest World Cup news:

What is Sunday’s schedule?

• South Africa vs Canada at Los Angeles Stadium, California, in the United States at noon (19:00 GMT).

What are the predictions for South Africa vs Canada?

This will be only the second meeting between South Africa and Canada. The sides’ only previous encounter ended in a 2-0 win for Bafana Bafana in a friendly in Durban in 2007.

Canada, however, will be looking to end another unwanted record. They have lost both of their previous competitive matches against African opposition, falling 2-0 to Cameroon at the 2001 Confederations Cup before a 2-1 defeat to Morocco at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Despite that history, the Opta supercomputer shows Canada as the clear favourites. They won 55 percent of 25,000 pre-match simulations while South Africa triumphed in 20 percent. The remaining 24.9 percent of its calculations ended level after 90 minutes, which would send the tie to extra time and potentially penalties.

Overall, Canada are given a 67.8 percent chance of reaching the quarterfinals, compared with 32.2 percent for South Africa.

When and where will the other knockout matches be played?

Monday

• Brazil vs Japan: (noon/17:00 GMT) at Houston Stadium, Texas, in the US
• Germany vs Paraguay: (4:30pm/20:30 GMT) at Boston Stadium, Massachusetts, in the US
• Netherlands vs Morocco: (7pm/01:00 GMT on Tuesday) at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico

Tuesday

• Ivory Coast vs Norway (noon/17:00 GMT) at Dallas Stadium, Texas, in the US
• France vs Sweden (5pm/21:00 GMT) at New York/New Jersey Stadium in the US
• Mexico vs Ecuador (7pm/02:00 GMT on Wednesday) at Mexico City Stadium in Mexico

Wednesday

• England vs Democratic Republic of the Congo (noon/16:00 GMT) at Atlanta Stadium, Georgia, in the US
• Belgium vs Senegal (1pm/20:00 GMT) at Seattle Stadium in the US state of Washington
• USA vs Bosnia and Herzegovina (5pm/00:00 GMT on Thursday) at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, in the US

Thursday

• Spain vs Austria (noon/19:00 GMT) at Los Angeles Stadium
• Portugal vs Croatia (7pm/23:00 GMT) at Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada
• Switzerland vs Algeria (8pm/03:00 GMT on Friday) at BC Place Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Friday

• Australia vs Egypt (1pm/18:00 GMT) at Dallas Stadium
• Argentina vs Cape Verde (6pm/22:00 GMT) at Miami Stadium, Florida, in the US
• Colombia vs Ghana (8:30pm/01:30 GMT on Saturday) at Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, in the US

What else is happening?

Is Iran eliminated from the 2026 World Cup?

Yes. Iran have been eliminated from the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Team Melli’s hopes depended on the final Group J match on Saturday between Austria and Algeria. A draw was the only result that could have knocked Iran out, and the 3-3 score meant that Algeria moved above Iran in the ranking of third-placed teams.

Algeria finished third in Group J on four points, enough to take the final available place among the eight best third-placed teams, which advanced to the round of 32.

Iran, who had been holding the last qualifying spot, were, therefore, eliminated in the group stage.

Africa set a new World Cup record

African teams have enjoyed their best ever men’s World Cup campaign.

A record 10 African nations qualified for the expanded 2026 tournament, and nine have reached the round of 32, the most from the continent in a single World Cup.

Those who qualified are: Algeria, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa.

Tunisia are the only African side eliminated so far.

The success builds on Africa’s growing influence on the world stage after Morocco’s historic run to the 2022 semifinals. With more nations now consistently challenging football’s traditional powers, the continent is enjoying its strongest World Cup showing yet.

Messi vs Ronaldo final?

A potential knockout clash between superstars Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo remains a possibility – but only if both captains lead their teams all the way to the World Cup 2026 final.

With the round of 32 bracket now confirmed, Argentina and Portugal are on opposite sides of the draw, ruling out the quarterfinal meeting many fans had anticipated. That means football’s two greatest modern rivals can face each other only if both reach the final on July 19.

The bracket has sparked widespread reaction on social media, where fans have been sharing predictions, memes and hopeful scenarios for one last meeting between the two icons, who are both playing in their sixth World Cup.

A double strike from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard against New Zealand carried Belgium to top of Group G, ahead of Egypt on goal difference.

Belgium defeated New Zealand 5-1 to book their place in the knockout rounds of the 2026 World Cup on Friday, eliminating the All Whites from the tournament. The result secured the European nation’s first win of the World Cup, as they finished on top of Group G in Vancouver.

A double strike from Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard and goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Saelemaekers carried Belgium into the last 32 in first place ahead of Egypt on goal difference.

Egypt claimed the runners-up spot after a 1-1 draw with Iran in Seattle. The Iranians finished third in the group and face an anxious wait to know about their knockout fate.

Belgium dominated a lopsided first half and had alarm bells ringing in the New Zealand defence early on when Trossard’s angled shot cannoned off the inside of the upright only to be cleared off the line by Tyler Bindon.

Belgium looked poised to take the lead moments later when Jordanian referee Adham Makhadmeh pointed to the penalty spot after Trossard’s shot hit the arm of covering defender Finn Surman.

But VAR sent Makhadmeh to the monitor to take another look at the decision, which was subsequently overturned and New Zealand breathed again.

Yet Belgium did not have long to wait before the breakthrough and again it was Trossard who proved to be in the right place at the right time, bundling home from close range after De Bruyne’s corner sowed panic in the six-yard box.

Trossard effectively made the game safe five minutes into the second half, controlling a rebound in a crowded area to volley home past New Zealand goalkeeper Max Crocombe at the near post.

De Bruyne then stroked home an elegant low finish in the 66th minute to make it 3-0, a crucial goal which saw the Belgians leapfrog over Egypt into first place on goal difference.

Yet there was to be a dramatic end when New Zealand’s Elijah Just volleyed home a consolation strike from the edge of the area to make it 3-1.

That could have been potentially costly, with the goal suddenly bumping Belgium down into second place.

But Lukaku nodded home his team’s fourth in the 86th minute with his first touch just a minute after coming on as a substitute to return Belgium to the top of the table.

Saelemaekers completed the scoring with a shot from the edge of the area.

Veteran MS NOW anchor Alex Witt is leaving the news network, which is moving away from live programming on the weekends.

The new weekend programming strategy announced Friday is a cost-saving measure that will give parent company Versant more resources for a new direct-to-consumer streaming offering that makes MS NOW available to consumers without a pay-TV subscription. The company is also looking to expand its live event business.

According to a memo from MS NOW President Rebecca Kutler, “The Weekend: Primetime,” a live discussion program launched last year, will have its final airing Saturday.

One of the program’s co-hosts, Antonia Hylton, will take over Witt’s midday shifts later this year. Hylton’s co-hosts Ayman Mohyeldin, Catherine Rampell, and Elise Jordan, will remain with MS NOW and continue to appear on other programs.

Kutler said job losses from the moves are minimal and encouraged staffers who lose their current roles to apply for 40 current job openings at the company with more on the way. MS NOW has been staffing up its news operation since separating from NBC News last year.

MS NOW changed its name from MSNBC in November. The network, along with other Comcast-owned cable channels, were spun off into Versant in January.

Weekends have long been a ratings weak spot for MS NOW, which while a distant second to Fox News, has seen audience growth in 2026 and remains ahead of CNN. The network has started to rely on podcasts such as “Pod Save America, from Crooked Media to fill some hours. The episodes have performed strongly enough for MS NOW to try similar deals with outside podcast producers.

“Throughout the summer, we will expand our taped strategy and announce new content partnerships,” Kutler said in her memo.

With the changes, MS NOW will still have 20 hours of live programming each weekend and will be staffed to handle breaking news.

Witt joined the network formerly known as MSNBC in 1999, long before it began its strong tilt toward progressive political commentary. Over the years, Witt’s weekend newscast became one of the few programs on the network that delivered straight news without opinion.

Kutler called Witt “a beloved longtime member of our MS NOW family” and “a continued, trusted, and steady presence for our audiences.”

While Witt works through the summer, Hylton will anchor the 11 a.m. weekday time period, which will eventually be handled by former NBC News White House correspondent Peter Alexander.

The clock is running down on the most consequential deadline the crypto sector has faced in Europe.

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From the start of July, the transitional window under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) closes for good, and companies that have not secured authorisation must either stop serving European customers or wind down altogether.

MiCA is the EU’s first comprehensive law for the crypto industry, bringing exchanges, brokers and digital wallet providers under the kind of formal oversight that has long applied to banks and other financial firms.

It replaces a fragmented mix of national rules with a single rulebook spanning all 27 member states: a company licensed in one EU country earns a “passport” to operate across the bloc, but in return it must meet standards on how much capital it holds, how it is run, how it safeguards customers’ funds and how it prevents money laundering.

“What emerges is a genuine single market replacing the old patchwork of 27 national regimes,” Yamal Kalaf, co-founder of MiCAR Whitepapers Europe, which advises crypto businesses on MiCA authorisation, told Euronews.

Since the core rules took effect at the end of 2024, existing operators have been allowed to keep operating under older national registrations, but that concession was temporary.

Crypto firms need European licences but many are behind

The scale of the looming shake-out is striking.

According to the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), which confirmed in April that there would be no extension, only around 210 firms had obtained full authorisation by May, out of more than 1,200 that previously held national crypto registrations across the EU.

That points to a conversion rate of well under a fifth, leaving the vast majority of the old market without a licence as the cut-off arrives in a few days.

Speaking to Euronews, Roshan Dharia, CEO of distressed-investment firm Echo Base, explained that “the low conversion rate suggests that a meaningful portion of the market has concluded that obtaining and maintaining a MiCA licence is not economically viable within its current operating model.”

National regulators have warned that firms operating beyond the deadline without the new licence face enforcement action. France’s markets watchdog has also cautioned that continuing without authorisation could expose companies to criminal prosecution.

ESMA has told unlicensed providers to prepare orderly wind-downs, including transferring customer assets to authorised platforms or self-custody wallets, and to notify clients in advance so they can move funds safely.

“What we will see after 1 July is a smaller, more institutional market with real passporting. That is not a market in retreat. That is a market growing up,” Miguel Zapatero, Head Counsel at Crossmint, told Euronews.

Crossmint is a crypto infrastructure provider whose licensed rails let developers build wallets, custody and payment products.

A market reshaped around licensed rails

Plenty of familiar names have already cleared the bar.

Coinbase has been authorised in Ireland and Kraken in Ireland and Luxembourg. At the same time, the banking app Revolut secured its licence from Cyprus’s regulator late last year, allowing it to offer crypto services across the EU.

For these firms, the new rules promise a reward as unlicensed rivals retreat, the survivors stand to absorb their departing customers.

“MiCA is a genuine regulatory identity shift, not a registration exercise,” Gal Arad Cohen, partner at law firm S. Horowitz & Co, told Euronews.

The most prominent casualty so far may be Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.

According to Reuters, which cited two people familiar with the matter, Binance is set to lose permission to serve EU clients because its licence application to Greece’s market regulator, the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, is poised to be rejected.

Without approval in any member state, the exchange would be unable to operate across the bloc from July onwards.

Speaking to Euronews, Patrick Mollard, CEO at Fipto, a blockchain-based payments company for businesses, referred to the Binance case by stating that “scale earns you no shortcut to a licence, and that is precisely the point.”

Binance has pushed back, saying it has worked constructively with regulators for 18 months and believes its application met MiCA’s requirements. The company added that it understood the Greek authority had completed its review and found the filing compliant.

The company has promised a further update before 30 June.

The episode has also reputedly taken on a political dimension.

French crypto publication The Big Whale reported, citing unnamed sources, that ECB President Christine Lagarde had opposed Binance’s bid for a Greek MiCA licence.

Euronews could not independently verify the report, and neither the ECB nor the Greek government has publicly commented on the allegations.

The Big Whale also reported that Binance is exploring a potential MiCA application in France after the setback in Greece, a claim that neither Binance nor French regulators have publicly confirmed.

Binance did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Euronews.

A shake-out for smaller crypto firms

Beyond the biggest names, the deadline is expected to push smaller crypto apps and brokers towards licensed custody providers. Rather than building their own MiCA-compliant systems, many are likely to rely on authorised firms to hold customer assets.

“We will see consolidation and transfer of clients as the deadline will not be met by all currently operating entries,” Floortje Nagelkerke, partner at law firm Norton Rose Fulbright, explained to Euronews.

The result, analysts suggest, will be a smaller, more concentrated European market, with fewer players, higher barriers to entry and a clear advantage for those holding a licence, but stronger consumer protections.

“People who hold crypto in the EU after 1 July will, on balance, hold it on safer rails,” Miguel Zapatero, Head Counsel at Crossmint, concluded.

MINNEAPOLIS — Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker exited the game against the Minnesota Twins on Monday in the top of the second inning because of lower back spams, the team announced.

He drew a walk in the second inning, advanced to second on Tommy Edman’s single and was replaced by pinch-runner Alex Call soon after.

Tucker jogged off the field into the dugout, his hand on his right side as he talked to hitting coach Aaron Bates.

Tucker, in his first season with the Dodgers after signing a four-year deal worth $240 million this winter, entered Monday with a .705 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, on pace for his worst offensive year by that measure since his 2018 rookie season with the Houston Astros.

Tucker recently went nine games with a .303 batting average. But then he went hitless in the Dodgers’ two losses to the Baltimore Orioles last weekend.

“If we can get him back to being who he is, then we’ll bet on the results,” manager Dave Roberts said before the game, noting Tucker’s reputation for controlling the strike zone. “It’s not something that we might see tonight. But I think going here forward, that’s something that I think we’re going to see.”

Rushing exits too

Catcher Dalton Rushing was replaced behind the plate by Chuckie Robinson in the bottom of the third inning so the team could check Rushing for a possible concussion.

The Dodgers did not point to a cause for the concern, but Rushing did take a foul tip off his mask on Will Klein’s first pitch of the game.

The Dodgers already were down one catcher. Starter Will Smith has been sidelined for more than two weeks because of a neck injury. He did not travel with the team to Minnesota.

‘Too much change, but nothing really is changing for the better.’ Londoners shared mixed reactions to Keir Starmer’s resignation, voicing frustration over living costs, political turmoil and unfulfilled promises.

Keir Starmer is under intense pressure from his own Labour party to announce plans to step down as Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer could shortly announce a plan to step down, according to UK media reports, as his likely successor Andy Burnham is expected to be sworn in as a member of parliament.

Government ministers said the Labour leader was reflecting on his political future over the weekend.

Starmer could set out an exit timetable on Monday, conceding to pressure from his Labour Party to hand over the reins of power.

The threat to the British leader, which has been building for months, increased sharply on Friday when Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, decisively won a parliamentary election to return to Westminster, beating a candidate from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year.

That victory gave hope to Labour lawmakers that Burnham, a career politician known for his communication skills, could transform the fortunes of a party that has lost support under Starmer, whose popularity ratings have sunk.

If Starmer does announce his exit, he will be the sixth prime minister in a decade to stand outside 10 Downing Street and announce a premature departure.

The beleaguered leader “is expected to announce on Monday that he will step down as prime minister after overwhelming pressure from Labour MPs to make way for Andy Burnham”, The Guardian said.

The BBC said “signs are growing” that Starmer could set out a plan to resign on Monday, while newspapers splashed with headlines like “Game Over”.

But the widely expected change of leader is not without risk.

Beyond saying that the country needs fundamental change and to bring down the cost of living, Burnham has yet to make clear his approach to foreign affairs, the economy and defence.

Like Starmer, he could find he has little room to manoeuvre, hemmed in by bond market investors opposed to any additional government borrowing, and confronted by an angry electorate who believe the country is not working properly.

Starmer had pledged to fight

Starmer had said on Friday he would stand in any formal Labour leadership contest that sought to replace him.

While Starmer’s team believes his landslide national election win in 2024 gives him the mandate to stay in post until 2029, business minister Peter Kyle said on Sunday the prime minister was reflecting on “the political challenges that he faces in this moment”.

If Starmer does step aside, it is unclear whether Burnham would face a coronation or a challenge. Wes Streeting, who resigned as health secretary last month to protest against Starmer’s leadership, has said that he will run in a contest if there is one.

Burnham, if he succeeds, would become Britain’s seventh prime minister since the Brexit vote to leave the European Union, which took place 10 years ago this week.

That level of turnover – the highest in Britain in nearly two centuries – underlines the struggle of maintaining the support of voters angry at successive failures to improve living standards, public services and tackle undocumented immigration.

Bloomfield had been out of work since he was sacked as Luton boss in October 2025 when he was appointed at Oxford at a time when they were 23rd in the Championship, three points adrift of safety.

He came in after Rowett had overseen a dismal spell of one win in ten matches.

Bloomfield began his managerial career at Colchester United before taking over from Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe Wanderers in 2023.

After leading the Chairboys to the League One automatic promotion places amid the challenge of big-spending Birmingham City and Wrexham last season, he left the club to take over at Luton.

But Bloomfield was unable to prevent the Hatters from suffering back-to-back relegations to the third tier and was dismissed after an underwhelming start to the season, with the club 11th in the table.

Speaking after Oxford’s relegation was confirmed in April, Bloomfield said he was confident of keeping his job.

“I’ve enjoyed my time at the club. It’s obviously not been the outcome that we wanted for the season.

“We’ve been pleasantly content with some of the improvements we have made but ultimately we wanted to stay in the league.

“I’ve not given much thought to my job and the bigger situation and ultimately, as a manager or head coach, all you can do is focus on being the best you can be,” he said in April.

Oxford looked capable of pulling off a “great escape” in late February and early March when they won three games in a row to move up to 21st.

However, just two wins in the following eight matches saw them lose ground on the sides above them.

Relegation brought an end to a two-year spell in the second tier after they won promotion via the League One play-offs in 2023-24.

ATLANTA — A federal judge who was disciplined after an investigation found she had sex with a police officer in her chambers and attended a partisan event, then lied when confronted with the allegations, has recused herself in a fight over Georgia election records after the U.S. Department of Justice raised questions about her ability to be impartial.

The Justice Department sought to remove U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross from the case, citing her reported attendance at an event for Fulton County Dist. Atty. Fani Willis, who prosecuted President Trump. Ross filed an order Tuesday recusing herself, writing that she was doing so “out of an abundance of caution for the potential perception of bias.”

The Justice Department had sued Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger for seeking an unredacted statewide voter list, and Ross was presiding over that case.

“Both the Trump administration’s present and Willis’s past efforts have become heavily polarized,” Ross wrote, explaining that she “cannot discount” that an objective observer might interpret her attendance at an event sponsored by Willis’ campaign as support for the district attorney’s position, even if she only went to see former colleagues.

Ross received a “private reprimand” after a court investigation found that she had sex in the courthouse with a high-ranking uniformed police officer within earshot of staff, attended a partisan event and then initially lied to deny the allegations.

The investigation report says Ross went to an event hosted by a district attorney’s campaign. The judge said the district attorney had been a friend since 1999 and acknowledged having gone to the a private mixer held on the sidelines of the event to visit with former colleagues in the district attorney’s office.

Ross previously worked in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office and overlapped there with Willis there before Willis was district attorney.

Willis in August 2023 obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others, accusing them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. That case was ultimately dismissed in November.

Brumback writes for the Associated Press.

EXCLUSIVE: The Death in Paradise spin-off star opens up about cast changes in Beyond Paradise

Barbara Flynn thought she had lost her job after one week of filming the Death in Paradise spin-off.

The beloved actress, who portrays Anne Lloyd and has also appeared in Death in Paradise, has offered a glowing tribute to a guest star following their departure from the BBC drama.

The fourth series of Beyond Paradise concluded earlier this year, featuring Anne Lloyd stepping in to prevent Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) from being dismissed from his position. The episode additionally saw Zoe Williams bidding farewell to Shipton Abbott for travels abroad.

New arrival Mr. James Smith (Vincent Franklin) was also exposed by Anne for conducting an affair with a DI from Heston Morley station. Anne, who featured on a repeat broadcast of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh today, previously discussed filming alongside Vincent, describing the performer as “funny”.

She told Reach PLC: “We got on incredibly well. He’s a funny man, and we had enormous fun off-screen as well as on. He was a lovely addition and a bit of a mystery, and it’s going to all end in… not tears, but chaos or something.

“And, of course, because Anne decides to get much more involved than that, then there’s a real, there’s a real kind of shift,” reports the Express.

Reflecting on increased collaboration with Kris Marshall’s character, Barbara continued: “Well, they all find it difficult having Anne in the station.

“I mean, Humphrey is as polite as he could be. He was never rude, but he’s so in his head, and so Anne is constantly bemused by him, but at the same time, very fond.”

Kris similarly expressed his appreciation for working with Vincent, who portrayed his adversary, calling him a “genius actor”. During the repeat episode of Love Your Weekend, Anne chatted with Alan about the series and how she finds it “a joy” to go to work.

“It is lovely,” Barbara said, going on to heap praise on the show’s writers, “Tony Jordan and Tim Key are an amazing pair. Death in Paradise has such a huge following around the world, and I think it is just something pleasant.

“I said to Sally (Bretton) once, because most of my scenes are with her, who I absolutely adore, I said, ‘Look, Sal, here we are sitting on a bench on a beach’.

“We are at work, and we were doing yoga on a beach, and it was a complete delight.”

She went on to reveal that she broke her ankle after just one week of filming, which made shooting certain scenes particularly challenging. She added, “The rest of it was filmed of me from wheelchairs and crutches. I thought I’d lost a job after the first week, but they said, ‘No, no Barbara, we will wheel you up and down’.”

Beyond Paradise is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Coronation Street fans are worried that actress Sydney Martin is about to leave her role as Betsy Swain on the ITV soap after two years of melodramatic twists and turns

Coronation Street fans are worried that Betsy Swain is about to leave the ITV soap. The Speed Daal waitress, who has been played by Sydney Martin since 2024, has been through an awful lot during her two years in Weatherfield.

Just over a year ago, Betsy lost boyfriend Mason in a knife attack, was then shot by her own mother DS Lisa Swain, who faced no consequences for her actions, and was landed in a freak situation when her other mother Becky came back from the dead, having faked it as part of a corrupt police coverup.

Following on from all that drama , Betsy recently discovered a dead body that turned out to be that of Theo Silverton (James Cartwright) at the end of the much-hyped Murder Week.

In scenes set to air in the coming days, Betsy confides in best friend Laure (Cait Fitton) that she’s been offered a place at the London College of Fashion but she’s worried about leaving Dylan. It’s yet to be seen just how Dylan will react and, on top of that, Betsy explains that she is yet to inform her mother.

Fans of the world’s longest-running TV soap have instantly started to speculate that Sydney, who appeared in Assassin’s Guild before joining Coronation Street, is set to make a dramatic exit from the ITV soap.

Taking to X, one fan said: “betsy off to london? [sad face emoji],” whilst another posted a picture of Carla, Lisa and Betsy and said: “Don’t spilt them up please #corrie I think Lisa will take this hard and Carla will help both Betsy and Lisa to see it from each others perspective.

Another said: “You can just imagine Carla saying something like oh you’ll be fine Betsy in London I could tell you stories about what me and Michelle got up to, and Betsy saying something like and even to this day they involve the police.”

Another wondered if this meant some sort of spin-off was on the cards. In the past, the programme has done various spin-offs such as Just Rosie, which followed Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) on her quest for a modelling career, whilst a string of DVD releases like A Knight’s Tale and Out Of Africa were issued in the late 2000s.

Posing the theory, the fan wrote on X: “Is there any indication that Betsy going to London could be a limited summer off-shoot series like Hollyoaks Later where all the teens shared a summer house (obviously without the serial killer). But it will be Betsy’s adventures in the big city?”

It all comes after actress Sydney Martin, 24, was revealed to have been cast in a short film titled Favourite earlier this year. Filmmaker Georgia Leigh-Taylor said: “I’m so thrilled to announce the incredible Sydney Martin and the brilliant Isabelle Smith will be playing Mel and Ashley in my upcoming short film called Favourite.

“After graduating from the same acting school, Sydney and Izzy have both been working professionally in television since 2024, building exciting careers for themselves, taking on powerful storylines, and earning well-deserved recognition.

“Favourite is a dual-timeline drama exploring the lives of best friends Mel and Ashley both as teenagers, and as adults.”

Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream from 7am on ITV X.

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“Doctor Who” is going through another major regeneration.

The BBC announced Wednesday that it is not moving forward with a previously announced “Doctor Who” Christmas special. Last year, the broadcaster teased a “spectacular” special episode written by showrunner Russell T Davies for the 2026 holiday.

“After careful consideration, the BBC, Russell T Davies and Bad Wolf have collectively decided not to go ahead with the previously announced Doctor Who Christmas episode,” the BBC wrote in its latest update. “This decision was not taken lightly, and we know it will be disappointing for fans, but in order to set the show up for future series, it was decided that rather than bridge the gap with a one off special, we are choosing to push forward to invest in the long-term future of the show which ensures that when the TARDIS lands once more, it does so in all its glory.”

Whovians know that the Christmas Day specials are a longstanding tradition for the sci-fi series. Previous holiday episodes have marked the first full appearance of David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in 2005 as well as Ncuti Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor in 2023.

BBC’s plan now is to “put Doctor Who out to competitive tender” in order to “[secure] the next phase of the show for future generations” — meaning they are inviting potential producers to pitch their ideas for the next era of the long-running series. This also means Davies and producer Bad Wolf are parting ways with the franchise.

“And so GOODBYE from me to Doctor Who but HELLO to a big new future for the show,” Davies wrote in a Wednesday Instagram post, confirming his exit. “You’ll have to wait a bit longer for new Doctor Who… but you’ll be waiting for MORE Doctor Who than a one-off. So it’s worth it!”

Davies, who led the “Doctor Who” revival from its 2005 launch to 2010 before returning for his second stint in 2023, also said that he had not written a script for the previously planned Christmas special and “no actor was ever approached to play the next Doctor.”

“I’m as excited as anyone to see what comes next!” Davies added. “Will they keep the theme tune? Will they lose the blue box? Will they bring back the Drahvin?! It’s all up for grabs, which is so Doctor Who, exciting and unpredictable and new!”

Bad Wolf, which worked on the two seasons starring Gatwa as the Time Lord, also on Wednesday confirmed its exit on Instagram in a post thanking fans and those that joined them on this “incredible journey through Space and Time.”

“It has been a joy and a privilege to have been at the helm of the TARDIS alongside the brilliant Russell T Davies,” read the production company’s statement. “Doctor Who is – and always will be – a show that shines light into the darkness and it has been an absolute honour to have been its torch bearer for 26 episodes with the BBC and Disney+.”

The BBC in its announcement reiterated its commitment to “Doctor Who” and its future. It also shared that a previously announced animated “Doctor Who” series for CBeebies is currently in production.

This latest “Doctor Who” update comes during a tenuous time for the franchise. The series has faced low viewership, Disney+ exiting as the show’s co-producers and Gatwa ending his run as the Doctor. The most recent season concluded with a cliffhanger, with the Fifteenth Doctor regenerating into a form resembling Rose Tyler, the companion portrayed by Billie Piper.

Packer had initially considered retiring at the end of this season, although she had not shared these thoughts with others.

She said a conversation with England head coach John Mitchell, where he “posed a good couple of questions to me”, helped her refocus.

And with no contract on the table at Saracens, Packer had to act.

“I’m more of a proactive instead of a reactive kind of person,” she said.

“Now I’ve got [son] Oliver and a mortgage, so I got in touch with Harlequins just to see if the door was open.”

Before Quins head coach Ross Chisholm had met with Packer, he attended the Red Roses’ training and was impressed with the former England skipper’s attitude and impact on the group.

“We just had quite an open conversation,” Packer added.

“He said, ‘I really loved how you trained with the Red Roses [and] actually seeing you in training, you’re someone that would be a really good fit for Harlequins’.”

With Packer impressing for England in the Six Nations, picking up player of the match awards against Wales and Italy, she knew that, once the tournament concluded, she had to “make some life choices”.

As she returned to Saracens, it was made clear by head coach Alex Austerberry that there was still no new deal for her, so she decided it was time to move on.

And with her partner, fellow England World Cup winner Rosie Galligan, pregnant, and their son Oliver settled at a nearby school, there seemed one obvious option.

“The fact that Harlequins was only 20 minutes down the road, the fit just seemed to be perfect,” she said.