Club

• Arsenal initially led as the club with the most goals scored by its players during the 2026 World Cup. • This early lead has since been challenged, with two other clubs catching up and Paris Saint-Germain trailing closely behind. • Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) also held a brief, unexpected lead in the goalscoring tally before being overtaken.

Activist group GetUp! claims responsibility for incident, saying ‘we thought the occasion deserved some honesty’Australian federal police are investigating a protest incident during Pauline Hanson’s speech at the National Press Club, after political activist group, Get Up, claimed responsibility for the stunt.In a statement on Wednesday afternoon, the National Press Club said it had referred the incident to police after concluding none of its own staff were involved. Continue reading...

One Nation leader uses the platform to rail against multiculturalism, the climate change “hoax” and the mediaA nationally televised address to the National Press Club was perhaps the clearest proof yet of Pauline Hanson’s arrival in the mainstream of Australian politics.The One Nation leader used the platform to rail against multiculturalism, the climate change “hoax” and the media in a speech that was interrupted by a protest highlighting her opposition to wage rises for the lowest-paid workers. Continue reading...

One Nation leader denounces high immigration levels, Islam, transgender rights, the ABC and the Guardian in inflammatory addressFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastPauline Hanson has declared Australia cannot be multicultural and must exist as a “monocultural society”, warning high migration had caused the country to lose its identity and national values.In an inflammatory address to the National Press Club in Canberra, the One Nation leader pledged to axe SBS and overhaul the ABC if she wins the next federal election, including imposing a licence fee for metropolitan households to watch the public broadcaster. Regional services would be protected. Continue reading...

Tender documents show plans for store beyond the range of Chinese missiles, report says. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action.The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to reports this morning. Continue reading...

Funding for extracurricular activities comes as ministers prepare to introduce social media restrictions for under-16sThe government has announced a £132.5m funding package for after-school clubs as ministers prepare to introduce expected restrictions on social media use for under-16s.The programme is designed to expand access to enrichment activities in schools, with funding for clubs ranging from music groups and debating societies to engineering and sports, in what ministers describe as an effort to give children alternatives to time spent online. Continue reading...

• Serena Williams' return to tennis was cut short at the HSBC Championships after her doubles partner, Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw due to a knee injury. • The pair won their first doubles match in straight sets on Tuesday, but Mboko suffered a left knee injury during a singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday. • Tournament organizers confirmed Thursday morning that the 19-year-old Canadian athlete is officially ruled out of the doubles competition.

• Manchester City has set a new record for the most players from a single club participating in a World Cup, surpassing Barcelona's previous mark of 17 players. • The record-breaking number of City players was facilitated by the tournament's expansion from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 edition. • Key Manchester City representatives include Rodri, who will play for Spain, and Tijjani Reinders, who will represent the Netherlands.

• SK Hynix has joined Asia’s "trillion-dollar company club," joining Samsung Electronics and Taiwan’s TSMC as market valuations soar. • The surge is driven by the global AI boom, which has pushed South Korea’s Kospi stock market to record highs. • Experts warn of potential "short-circuits," citing the risks of boom-bust cycles and the South Korean economy's heavy reliance on just two major chipmakers.

• The European Producers Club met in France to elect its leadership board for the 2026-2027 term to strengthen the voice of independent production. • Re-elected board members include Carlotta Calori, Carlotta Cà Zorzi, Gudny Hummelvoll, Dariusz Jablonski, Marc Missonier, and Friedrich Radmann, joining existing members such as Ed Guiney and Anita Juka. • The organization is prioritizing strategic industry campaigns, most notably the "Europe needs Cinema, Cinema needs Europe" initiative.

Qayyum Balogun chased and attacked after gig ended in Grafton Street area following clash between rival groups, police sayA brawl in the heart of Dublin’s tourism district led to a nightclub promoter being chased and stabbed to death.It happened at about 3am on Monday after a gig ended in the Grafton Street area of the city centre that is popular with tourists. Continue reading...

As Trump’s approval ratings dip and gas prices rise, Democrats see an opening with Rob SandRob Sand, the best-known Democrat in Iowa, appears on podcasts to discuss his love of hunting, begins rallies by having the audience sing America the Beautiful and has a tendency to criticize the country’s two-party political system.Now, Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump, and Democrats believe his candidacy for governor could be the breakthrough needed to win key Iowa offices in the November midterm elections. Continue reading...

There is hope that a change to building regulations could resurrect music clubs, which have been hit by rising rents, social shifts and noise disputesA move by the German government to reclassify nightclubs to distinguish them from amusement and adult entertainment facilities could give a much-needed boost to the country’s struggling nightlife, industry advocates say.Under a fundamental change to building regulations approved by Friedrich Merz’s cabinet last week, nightclubs will be formally recognised as providing cultural and artistic value, making it more difficult for developers to evict venue operators in favour of new construction. Continue reading...

Suggestion the Luce EV should be stripped of prancing horse logo shows strength of feeling from Ferrari fansFor passionate enthusiasts, Ferraris are not merely cars but works of art. The emotion stirred by their classic red curves is, they say, akin to standing before a Michelangelo sculpture, while the sound of the engine revving evokes a sensation comparable to listening to the music of Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini.Which is why the sight of the Italian carmaker’s first fully electric car, the Luce EV, unveiled this week, left many fans aghast. Continue reading...

• Premier League clubs have achieved a perfect record in the Europa League and Conference League over the last two seasons, winning all 21 knockout ties. • This dominance is attributed to the league's immense financial resources, which may have made success in these secondary competitions inevitable. • The trend raises questions about whether English clubs have become "flat-track bullies" who can defeat lower-budget teams but struggle to replicate that success in the Champions League.

• Premier League clubs have achieved a perfect record in the Europa League and Conference League over the last two seasons, winning all 21 knockout ties. • This dominance is attributed to the league's superior financial resources, which may make their success in these specific competitions inevitable. • The trend raises questions about whether English clubs are "flat-track bullies" who can defeat lower-budget teams but struggle to replicate that success in the Champions League.

Imitation versions of Shakhtar and Zorya in RussiaUkrainian FA urged Uefa to take action last yearUefa is yet to take action against the integration of clubs from illegally occupied parts of Ukraine into Russia’s football system despite being urged to do so by the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) last year.Imitation versions of Shakhtar Donetsk and Zorya Luhansk, two of the most successful clubs in Ukraine’s Premier League, have been competing in Russia’s fourth tier since its season began in March. They have joined the Crimea-based sides Rubin Yalta and FC Sevastopol in group 1 of the regionalised Football National League 2B, meaning a quarter of the teams in their division purport to represent areas of occupied Ukraine. Continue reading...

• Crystal Palace won the Conference League title on Wednesday (27) after defeating Spain's Rayo Vallecano 1-0 in the final held in Leipzig, Germany. • This victory reinforces English dominance in the competition, as Premier League clubs have now won three of the five Conference League editions. • The win sets the stage for Arsenal, who will face PSG in the Champions League final in Budapest, Hungary, this Saturday (30).

• The S&P 500 and Nasdaq reached record closing highs on Tuesday, driven by strong investor optimism surrounding artificial intelligence. • Micron Technology notably joined the $1 trillion market capitalization club, contributing to the broader tech rally. • Market gains occurred despite geopolitical tensions and anxiety regarding Middle East peace talks and recent U.S. strikes on Iran.

• Fenerbahce club officials have condemned the EuroLeague following "unacceptable organization scandals" during the Final Four event in Athens. • Thousands of fans reportedly faced significant logistical issues and organizational failures before the game even began, overshadowing the team's defeat. • The situation highlights critical failures in event management and fan safety during one of the most prestigious stages of European basketball.

• North Korean team Naegohyang won the Asian Women's Champions League on Saturday, marking the first time a North Korean sports team has visited South Korea in eight years. • The victory secures the team's qualification for next year's FIFA Women's Champions Cup, a global tournament featuring champions from six continental confederations. • This event is significant as it represents a rare athletic exchange between the two nations and demonstrates the competitive strength of North Korean women's football.

Moves comes against backdrop of challenge by prime minister, Narendra Modi, to country’s traditional elitesIndia’s government has ordered one of the country’s most exclusive private clubs to vacate its premises in two weeks, underscoring the long-running push of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, against entrenched elite institutions.The ministry of housing and urban affairs directed the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its sprawling site in the heart of New Delhi by 5 June, citing urgent public interest requirements, including defence and security infrastructure. Continue reading...

• Inner Mongolia Nongxin, a Women’s Chinese Basketball Association side, was banned for three years on Wednesday and stripped of its 2023-24 runners-up finish after a match-fixing investigation. • The CBA said former general manager Guo Jiajie and player Zou Qijia were banned for life, while head coach Yang Zan and rival Shanxi executive Ma Jun received three-year suspensions effective May 20, 2026. • Court documents cited by the league said the officials sought “illegitimate benefits” and were involved in “attempted bribery of non-state functionaries,” underscoring the scale of the scandal.

• Gamba Osaka beat Al-Nassr to clinch Asian glory in the second-tier continental tournament, with Devdiscourse reporting that Turkish forward Deniz Hammat scored the decisive goal. • The match was described as one in which Al-Nassr controlled much of the play but could not convert pressure into a title, while Osaka held firm when it mattered. • The result is significant because it adds another major continental trophy for Japanese club football and ends Al-Nassr’s title push.

• Buriram United secured a 4-3 aggregate victory over Johor Darul Ta'zim in the ASEAN Club Championship semifinals on Wednesday, advancing to the final despite JDT winning the second leg 2-1 at Chang Arena in Thailand. • Buriram's first-leg dominance proved decisive—they won 3-1 at Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Johor Bahru with only three shots on target, establishing an insurmountable lead that JDT could not overcome despite their best efforts in the return fixture. • Kingsley Schindler scored an emphatic 98th-minute goal to secure Buriram's progression, marking JDT's first victory over the Thai club after five previous defeats in head-to-head matchups.

• Chrigor emerges as Selangor's pivotal player after scoring a brace in the first leg of the ASEAN Club Championship semifinal against Thép Xanh Nam Định. • The Malaysian club holds a 2-1 aggregate lead heading into the second leg on Wednesday in the 2025-26 Shopee Cup. • Known as the Red Giants, Selangor aims to secure a final berth, with Chrigor looming large against the Vietnamese side.

• The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hopes to keep politics separate from sports when women's clubs from North and South Korea face off in the AFC Women's Champions League semifinals on May 20 at Suwon Stadium, 30 km south of Seoul. • The match is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time, pitting the two Korean teams against each other in a high-stakes encounter. • AFC officials emphasized maintaining focus on football amid historical tensions between the divided nations.

Owner of Japan nightclub says ‘This is a response to a year of insults directed at us – as a country – by the United States’A Mexico City nightclub has gone viral for charging Americans a nearly $300 cover charge, while citizens from any other country pay just $20 for access, and Mexicans and other Latin Americans pay only $14.The Instagram announcement from the nightclub Japan in the Roma Norte neighborhood has been liked over 26,000 times and received more than 200 comments, mostly supporting the policy as part of a broader revolt in the capital against what many see as a US takeover. Continue reading...