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Ukraine and nine other countries including UK issue joint statement as leaders meet Volodymyr Zelenskyy in ParisUkraine and nine other countries including the UK, Germany and France are to build a shared protection programme for Europe against ballistic missiles, using Kyiv’s experience in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion for more than four years.“Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” the 10 nations said in a statement on Monday as leaders met the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for talks in Paris. Continue reading...

• The Singapore men's tchoukball team won their first-ever Asia Pacific Championship title, marking a historic milestone for the sport in the country. • In the same tournament, the Singapore women's team delivered a strong performance to secure the bronze medal. • These results highlight Singapore's growing dominance and competitive edge in tchoukball within the Asia Pacific region.

• Several high-profile transfer stories are emerging, including Mohamed Salah's high financial demands deterring Saudi clubs and Bayern Munich rejecting Real Madrid's interest in Michael Olise. • Barcelona has reportedly agreed to sign Karim Adeyemi, while Arsenal and Liverpool are competing for RB Leipzig defender Lutsharel Geertruida. • Manchester City and Tottenham are considering hijacking Francisco Trincao's €50m (£42.6m) move from Sporting to Saudi side Al-Ahli.

Political leaders in both countries rebuke Mariano Rajoy after he writes team ‘does not have any French players’The former Spanish conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy is facing growing accusations of racism after writing in a World Cup newspaper column that the French national team “does not have any French players”.Rajoy, who was in office from 2011 to 2018, pondered Spain’s looming semi-final showdown with France in an article for the online newspaper El Debate on Friday. Continue reading...

Government to launch consultation after Everton’s deal with Stake.com went ahead amid warnings from Gambling CommissionMinisters are poised to launch a crackdown on unlicensed casinos sponsoring British sports teams, amid criticism that a delay to the proposals has opened the door for offshore gambling firms to strike lucrative deals with Premier League clubs.Progress with plans to kick unlicensed gambling operators out of football has stalled since February, when the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said a review would begin in spring. Continue reading...

• The World Cup 2026 quarter-finals commence this Thursday, featuring matchups between France vs Morocco, Spain vs Belgium, Norway vs England, and Argentina vs Switzerland. • France enters the knockout stage as the tournament favorite according to the Opta Supercomputer, following three group stage wins and a dominant 3-0 victory over Sweden in the round of 32. • Despite their strong start, France's momentum is under scrutiny after a less convincing round-of-16 win against Paraguay.

• New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon detailed the strategic partnership between India and New Zealand in an exclusive interview with The Indian Express. • Luxon identified economic, defense, security, and people-to-people ties as the three primary pillars supporting the relationship between the two nations. • The Prime Minister highlighted a global geopolitical "inflection point," noting a shift from a rules-based multilateral system to a power-based multipolar system.