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• The 2026 World Cup is introducing a new format featuring 48 competing nations, marking the largest expansion in the tournament's history. • For the first time, the competition will include a "round of 32" as the initial stage of the knockout phase. • This structural change significantly alters the path to the final, allowing more teams to advance beyond the group stages.

• Binance's application for a bloc-wide crypto license in Greece failed last week, prompting the exchange to shift its application efforts to France. • The move comes as all crypto firms must obtain a license under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation by July 1 to avoid penalties. • Customers in Poland, Italy, Spain, and France have already received emails instructing them on how to withdraw their funds from the platform.

• The U.S. Department of Justice seized nearly 400 internet domains used for the unauthorized streaming of FIFA World Cup Finals matches in violation of copyright laws. • Enforcement actions specifically targeted servers and domains in Peru and Bulgaria, which are identified as major hubs for online piracy. • Additional disruptions were carried out in Croatia, Romania, Poland, and Colombia through ICHIP-supported operations.

• Montgomery County leaders have condemned a series of Supreme Court rulings issued on Thursday that roll back Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants. • James Percival, general counsel at the Department of Homeland Security, praised the rulings as victories for the rule of law, asserting that TPS was always intended to be temporary. • The court's decisions also make it easier to remove lawful permanent residents who commit crimes and bar individuals from applying for asylum if they have not entered the U.S.

• Nigeria is facing persistent insecurity driven by Boko Haram insurgency, banditry, and widespread kidnapping, particularly across the Northern region. • The author argues that military action alone is insufficient to achieve lasting peace and advocates for a balanced strategy. • This proposed approach combines law enforcement with dialogue, social inclusion, education, and economic development to address the root causes of violence.

Buttigieg calls anonymous tip ‘politically motivated’ and says separation from his kids was among his ‘darkest hours’Pete Buttigieg, the former US transportation secretary, said on Friday an anonymous and baseless accusation of child abuse led child protective services to investigate his family.In a Substack post published on Friday, Buttigieg described the incident – which resulted in him being separated from his four-year-old twins – as “among the darkest hours of my life” and likened the accusation to “swatting”, the practice of calling police with a false report of an emergency to trigger a law enforcement response. Continue reading...

• The U.S. advance goods trade balance reported a deficit of $105.8 billion, significantly wider than the $85.0 billion deficit analysts had expected. • Published by the Census Bureau, this monthly report provides an early estimate of exports, imports, and the overall goods deficit before the full FT-900 figures are released. • The larger-than-expected deficit matters as it serves as a key indicator of domestic consumption and global trade health, potentially influencing market sentiment and economic forecasts.

• US wholesale inventories rose by 0.3% in May 2026, aligning exactly with market expectations. • Retail inventories grew at a faster rate of 0.6% during the same period, suggesting a divergence in stock accumulation between the two sectors. • This upward revision in wholesale inventories is expected to provide a modest boost to Q2 GDP estimates, as inventory growth contributes positively to overall economic growth.

• NASA's Perseverance rover has detected the most complex organic chemistry ever found on Mars within mudstones located in the Jezero Crater. • This discovery follows similar findings by the Curiosity rover in Gale Crater, situated over 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) away. • The presence of organic-bearing materials in two distinct locations suggests that the raw ingredients for life and environments capable of preserving them were widespread across the planet.

Sarah B Rogers speech at conference in London included far-right memes and conspiracy theories about ‘Da Yookay’ Claims by a senior official in the Trump administration that British police were making thousands of “freedom of speech” arrests have been rejected by the UK government.Sarah B Rogers, who has become the public face of the US state department’s hostility to European liberal democracies, was accused by MPs of echoing far-right memes and conspiracy theories during a speech at an international rightwing conference in London. She also referenced the death of Henry Nowak and a recent incident in which a child was thrown into a zoo’s crocodile pit. Continue reading...

• The 2026 World Cup group stage continues on Friday, June 26, with critical matches determining the Round of 32 bracket. • Key matchups include Erling Haaland's team facing France, while Uruguay battles Spain in a high-stakes game to avoid elimination. • Cape Verde is positioned as a tournament underdog, needing a result to either secure second place in Group H or qualify via a third-place knockout slot.

Bolton to plead guilty charges that he unlawfully retained sensitive national security information in agreement that includes $2.25m fineSign up for the Breaking News US emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.John Bolton, former national security adviser to Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty on Friday to charges that he unlawfully retained sensitive national security information. Continue reading...

Plus, World Cup fever, EU referendum 10th anniversary, feeling the heat in Westminster and cancerHard to believe, but in my 12 and a half years as the Guardian’s political sketch writer, I am about to embark on my seventh prime minister. There was a time when we Britons took the piss out of the Italians for their rapid turnover of prime ministers. Now the laugh is on us. Continue reading...

• The USMNT utilized a rotated starting XI for their final World Cup group-stage match against Türkiye. • Weston McKennie was highlighted as an influential presence in the midfield, while Sebastian Lletget earned a high rating for providing two critical goals or assists. • Performance varied across the squad, with some players struggling in the first half due to early yellow cards before stabilizing in the second half.

Shabana Mahmood has demanded Mike Tapp be sacked over call for care worker exemption to migration rulesUK politics live – latest updatesAn extraordinary public row between the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, and one of her junior ministers has escalated after he said he “won’t be intimidated” in response to calls by her for him to be sacked.Mahmood demanded on Thursday that the migration minister, Mike Tapp, should be fired for writing an unauthorised article in the Times calling for overseas care workers to be exempt from controversial changes to the immigration rules. But Keir Starmer has so far not sacked Tapp for apparently breaking the rules around ministerial conduct. Continue reading...

About 40 members of staff looked at information of boy, three, who ended up in zoo enclosureAbout 40 members of hospital staff accessed the medical records of a three-year-old boy hurt in a crocodile pit, prompting an investigation, it has been reported.Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) has referred itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and is investigating whether all the workers had a legitimate reason for looking at his information. Continue reading...

• The South Korean Kospi index plunged 8%, triggering a trading halt due to extreme market volatility. • The crash is attributed to the introduction of leveraged funds linked to blue-chip stocks last month, which have amplified price swings. • High market concentration is a key driver, with the top five stocks making up nearly 70% of the index, including Samsung and SK Hynix.

• South Korea's Kospi index plunged more than 8% on Friday, marking the steepest weekly decline for the market in over three months. • The crash was driven by a massive sell-off in chipmakers and U.S. tech shares, leading investors to liquidate recent gains. • The volatility was so severe that it triggered a circuit breaker, temporarily halting trading to stabilize the market.

• On Thursday, June 25, the US Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration's effort to strip Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians. • This legal victory allows the administration to remove protections for these individuals, who were previously legally residing in the US and shielded from deportation. • The ruling is significant as it empowers the administration to block asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border and tighten overall asylum policies.

Police allege the Rooty Hill care home resident was administered an unknown substance by her daughterAn 84-year-old woman who was found dead in an aged care home was allegedly administered an unknown substance by her daughter.Emergency services were called to Our Lady of Consolation aged care home in Rooty Hill in Sydney’s far west around 11.35pm on Thursday. Continue reading...

China’s leader wants to promote his alternative to the current world order, and his efforts are being assisted by a capricious US Xi Jinping meets Bangladesh’s new prime minister on Friday, the latest in a wave of world leaders to visit Beijing this year as the Chinese leader builds his influence and economic ties, and seeks to “shift the balance of power” away from the west.Xi’s meeting with Tarique Rahman comes less than two weeks after the Chinese leader welcomed Myanmar’s military chief-turned-president, Min Aung Hlaing, in Beijing. Continue reading...

5.6-magnitude California tremor, 7.2-magnitude temblor in Japan and two quakes in Venezuela all struck within hoursA 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck a rural part of northern California on Wednesday. Hours later, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit the northern coast of Japan and two powerful earthquakes rocked Venezuela in a devastating mass casualty event.The tremors happened in the span of eight hours, prompting online speculation over whether they were related. Continue reading...