New York police are investigating a bizarre mystery involving groups of people emerging from the city's manholes in recent weeks. Video recorded on 29 May shows seven people climb through a manhole at the intersection of Bedford Avenue and Lynch Street in Brooklyn.The NYPD, to make sure there was not a threat to the public, sent their highly trained Emergency Services Unit officers into the sewer system to make sure nothing nefarious had been left behind by the individuals - nothing was found," the New York City police department told NBC in a statement on 1 June
In the first of a new series of dispatches, fans in US, Mexico and Canada tell us that they want visitors to have a good time but are angry about ticket prices, Fifa's priorities and a lack of long-term thinking from politiciansThe 2026 World Cup features 104 matches in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the USA, from Vancouver to Mexico City and San Francisco to Boston. Before, throughout and after the tournament we'll be hearing from fans in those cities about their experiences - some shared and some different - in our My World Cup" series. Here some of our correspondents share their first thoughts. Continue reading...
by Sam Levine in New York and Robert Tait in Washingt on (#761N3)
Bill Pulte, who does not have any national intelligence experience, is nicknamed Little Trump' among someDonald Trump's decision to appoint Bill Pulte as the acting director of national intelligence has set off alarm bells in Washington, as a staunch Trump loyalist with little government experience who has shown an eagerness to retaliate against the president's political rivals will now sit atop the US intelligence apparatus.Pulte, whose grandfather started PulteGroup, a major residential homebuilder, had no government experience before Trump appointed him to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), an under-the-radar regulator that oversees the government lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Shortly after arriving at the agency, he began to gut it, firing sizable chunks of the boards of both and appointing himself as chair. Pulte had no government experience before being appointed to the role and does not have national intelligence experience. Continue reading...
US president says head of Federal Housing Finance Agency will serve as acting director days after Gabbard exits roleDonald Trump has tapped a close ally to serve as the country's top intelligence official, days after Tulsi Gabbard announced her exit from the role.The US president said that Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), and heir to a home construction company fortune, will serve as acting director of national intelligence. Continue reading...
Police say four found dead in a home in Muscatine and two were shot elsewhere in apparent domestic-related dispute'A mass shooting in Iowa on Monday, in which six people were killed by a man who then took his own life, is being investigated as a so-called family annihilation" in which the murderer and victims are closely related.Police in Muscatine, about 50 miles (80km) south-east of Cedar Rapids, said 52-year-old Ryan Willis McFarland fatally shot four people at a home in the city, then killed himself on a riverfront trail as officers spoke to him. Continue reading...
State attorneys general argue $1bn deal to terminate major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York is unlawfulSix states sued the Trump administration on Tuesday over its decision to cancel of a major offshore wind lease off the coast of New York.In March, federal officials announced they would pay nearly $1bn in taxpayer dollars to French energy firm TotalEnergies in exchange for the company killing plans to erect two offshore windfarms off New York and North Carolina. TotalEnergies agreed to terminate the projects and pledged not to develop any new offshore wind projects in the United States, while investing hundreds of millions of dollars in oil and gas projects. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#761H4)
Former US first lady says she has sat at every powerful table' and not met a single white man with such doubtsWhite men do not have to worry about impostor syndrome, according to Michelle Obama, who said she had sat at every powerful table there is" and not found one who admitted feeling such self-doubt.The former US first lady told SXSW London that she wanted to demystify" what it was like to sit in elite meetings, which she said were often populated by people from diverse backgrounds who felt like outsiders. Continue reading...
It could be the puff of steam from a manhole or a horse wandering into view - whatever the moment', the iconic US photographer has always had a camera in hand to capture it Continue reading...
Democrats decry president's most brazen act of self-dealing yet' and vow to challenge fund in CongressDonald Trump is reconsidering whether to keep pressing for a $1.8bn fund to compensate his allies, a person familiar with his thinking said on Monday, as the justice department paused the program to comply with a court order.Trump's anti-weaponization" fund has faced legal setbacks since it was announced two weeks ago. The idea has also faced a mounting political backlash from Republicans concerned by a lack of oversight and the possibility of payouts to participants in the January 6 2021 riot at the US Capitol. Continue reading...
Tehran says Israel's operation in Lebanon is violation of existing ceasefire with US, throwing wrench in planned peace talks - key US politics stories from Monday 1 JunePeace talks planned between the US and Iran are in limbo yet again, sparked by the Israeli offensive in Lebanon.The Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said unequivocal violation of the ceasefire on one front is a violation of the ceasefire on all fronts" and the US and Israel would be held responsible. A news agency aligned to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Tehran was suspending its participation in talks designed to end the blockade of the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...
Revocation of access newest attempt by Trump's defense department to restrict reporting on military affairsJournalists may no longer enter the Pentagon's press office, which has been designated as a classified space amid growing moves to restrict press access to the defense department.This is the most transparent war department in history. No amount of spin from the Fake News media will change that," Jose Valdez, the acting defense department press secretary, said in a social media post. The Pentagon Press Office has been redesignated as a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility due to speechwriters from the Office of the Secretary of War sharing the facility." Continue reading...
Fans of the Hollywood icon set a new world record as 1,034 people descended on the California desert town to celebrate what would have been her 100th birthday. It was the largest ever gathering of people dressed as Marilyn Monroe Continue reading...
Ohio-based slider chain introduces Southwest Veggie Slider permanently after customer feedback for meatless optionVegetarians have a new reason to celebrate: White Castle has added a permanent meat-free option to its menu.On Monday, the Columbus, Ohio-based slider chain announced the launch of the Southwest Veggie Slider, featuring a crispy brown rice crust and a smoky chipotle- and barbecue-inspired veggie patty made with sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, red bell peppers, onions and carrots. Continue reading...
by Richard Luscombe and Lex McMenamin in Trenton on (#760RY)
Dozens reportedly arrested for defying curfew at Delaney Hall in Newark amid hunger and labor strikes at facilityOn Monday afternoon, over an hour south of Newark, a few dozen protesters outside the New Jersey state legislature in Trenton condemned Democratic governor Mikie Sherrill's decision to send in the state police to Delaney Hall, the Newark immigration detention center that has seen more than a week of chaotic and often violent clashes.Across the street, two people silently held a giant NO CONCENTRATION CAMPS" sign. Members of local chapters from Indivisible, a national movement behind the No Kings protests, held handmade posters reading Gov Sherrill, stop lying about Delaney Hall" and NJ Staties were the aggressors" - a reference to Sherrill and state attorney general Jennifer Davenport's calling the anti-ICE protesters violent". Continue reading...
New York mayor refused to attend as other Democrats drew rebukes for marching with Israel's far-right finance ministerAs they have done for decades, prominent members of the Democratic party establishment marched on Sunday in New York City's annual Israel Day parade. Perhaps more noteworthy, however, was who was missing.Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City, refused to attend, citing his opposition to the Israeli government, which he has accused of committing genocide in Gaza. Continue reading...
Robert Garcia became the lead contender in Tuesday's primaries for congressional district 42 after redistrictingThe conservative California community of Huntington Beach, known for banning the Pride flag from city property and fighting the state over pandemic and housing policy, could soon be represented by a gay, Democratic congressman.Robert Garcia, an incumbent two-term Democratic LGBTQ+ congressman, immigrant and Donald Trump critic, is considered the leading contender in Tuesday's primary race for the US House seat. Thanks to a successful restricting effort that redrew California's voting maps to favor Democrats, Huntington Beach is now part of Garcia's congressional district 42. Continue reading...
by Hosted by Carter Sherman . Produced by Suzanne Gab on (#7612V)
Last summer, Wisconsin comedian Charlie Berens started getting messages from people in his state about plans for a major datacenter in their community. When Berens dug in, he was shocked to discover the impact the datacenter would have on local residents. So he responded with comedy. The video he posted online about the datacenter went viral, and Berens has been on the frontlines of the fight against datacenters ever since. Carter Sherman speaks to Berens about how he is using his comedy as a tool for activism
Split decision deals blow to Trump administration's anti-diversity agenda, calling the ban arbitrary, and based on animus'Transgender troops can remain in the US military, but the armed services can continue to block their enlistment, an appeals court ruled on Monday in a split decision with potentially significant consequences for the Trump administration's anti-diversity agenda.The divided, majority opinion by a three-judge panel of the US court of appeals for Washington DC is expected to be challenged by the government. And the case is ultimately likely to reach the US supreme court. Continue reading...
The US president's war of choice has accomplished nothing and cost the world greatlyDonald Trump claims to have mastered the Art of the Deal, but he has just given us a master class in negotiating incompetence. I would love to see an Iranian government that no longer represses its people, menaces its neighbors, or can build a nuclear weapon. Trump has set back all of these efforts. His cabinet of sycophants offered little resistance as he naively bombed first and faced reality later.Trump is reviewing and tinkering with a proposed memorandum of understanding (MOU) drafted by American and Iranian diplomats with the aid of Pakistan and Qatar. It would continue the current ceasefire for 60 days while a more permanent peace accord is negotiated. The precise contours of this preliminary agreement are not known, but its gist seems clear - and is a profound embarrassment for Trump. His unprovoked war of choice has accomplished all of nothing. A new approach is urgently needed. Continue reading...
Remains of Los Alamos employee Melissa Casias found alongside handgun in case that stirred online speculationAuthorities in New Mexico have identified human remains which they recently discovered as those of a Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) employee who had been missing for more than a year.In a statement released over the weekend, state police said the remains belonged to Melissa Casias, a 53-year-old resident of Taos, New Mexico, who was last seen walking eastbound along a state highway on 26 June 2025. Continue reading...
The Canadian fourth seed and the former Wimbledon runner-up both won through in straight sets but Madison Keys was defeated by Diana ShnaiderPotapova, having lost five games in a row, makes advantage on the Kalinskaya serve, a pair of backhands, one cross then another down the line, seizing the break to trail 4-6 1-0. Neither player is really at it here, meaning the match is there for whichever of them can stay composed.On Chatrier, Svajda is improving, surviving to break points for lead 2-1 in set two, having lost the first 6-2. If he can attack Cobolli's second serve and backhand, he might yet make an impression in this match. Continue reading...
Attorney general Keith Ellison says gesture at convention was an act of profound cruelty' to George Floyd's familyThe Minnesota Republican party's decision to hold a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd, has angered the state's attorney general - who was the lead prosecutor in the case.Keith Ellison, a Democrat, said Saturday's gesture at the state Republicans' annual convention in Duluth was an act of profound cruelty" to Floyd's family and disrespectful" to Minnesota's law enforcement personnel. Continue reading...
Peters, a conspiracy theorist convicted after 2020 election, served less than a quarter of her nine-year sentenceTina Peters, the former clerk convicted of participating in a scheme to chase election conspiracy theories promulgated by Donald Trump, was released from prison on Monday after the president successfully pressured Colorado's Democratic governor into commuting her sentence.Peters' release was confirmed by the Colorado corrections department. The state agency said it would have no more information about the 70-year-old. Continue reading...
Miami-Dade county officials agreed to pay HRP Group more than double the price for land on Fisher Island to protect fuel depot used by the cruise industryA three-way tug-of-war erupted in recent months over ownership of a property on Fisher Island - one of the wealthiest zip codes in the United States - that sits in Biscayne Bay opposite the skyline of downtown Miami. When TransMontaigne Partners, a Denver-based global energy company, put the parcel on the market in May 2024, interest ran high because that land represented the last remaining piece of real estate available for development on the island.The eventual winner of the bidding war was a Chicago-based developer called the HRP Group, which purchased the property for $180m in late September last year. The developer then announced ambitious plans to build condominium towers on the property at an estimated cost of $2bn. Continue reading...
Focus on casino operator is sharp departure from media for Diller as markets remain volatileMedia mogul Barry Diller's People Inc said on Monday it had proposed to buy MGM Resorts, valuing the casino operator at more than $18bn.The offer comes just weeks after Diller, the digital media company's chair, told shareholders in a 28 April letter that People would sharpen its focus on its MGM stake, calling the stock wildly undervalued". Continue reading...
The neighborhood that makes America's clothes has been buffeted by ICE raids and post-Covid problems - but leaders say hope is on the horizonDowntown Los Angeles's fashion district, the largest apparel manufacturing hub in the United States, is a neighborhood in freefall. While 83% of clothing cut and sewn in the United States is made here, the district has suffered in recent years as visitation and sales have plummeted.I went from making $2,000 a day to making now $500, sometimes $700," said Fernando Carmona, who owns the women's dress store AP Design by Rocca. He added that rent for his store was $8,250 a month. Continue reading...
Most families have little saved for retirement - and face unfair shame for it. It's time to cut the bootstrap rhetoricWhat does it cost to age with dignity?It's an urgent question as the youngest baby boomers approach 65 and their adult children prepare to take on their care.Day programs. Day programs for elders, like those for kids, are a fantastic community resource. Publicly funded transportation can take elders to a center designed with their joy and capacity in mind. My dad went to one such program and it was a balm; he sang karaoke, he saw the on-staff nurse when needed, and I was able to get some work done without him joining my Zoom calls. What's more, according to recent estimates, the median day program costs $100 a day v about $200 for assisted living and more than $200 for in-home care. Day programs, vastly underfunded in most states, are a great way to keep elders ageing in place, prevent loneliness, and make sure family caregivers don't burn out or have to quit their jobs.Worker-owned home healthcare. There's a care workforce shortage for good reason; too many of these jobs aren't good jobs. One small but growing part of the home healthcare market consists of worker-owned cooperatives, where professional caregivers are the leaders of their own organizations - setting hourly rates, vacation and sick leave policies, and training approaches. These organizations are shown to have far better worker retention than traditional care companies and, of course, it's a boon to family caregivers to know that the person taking care of their loved one feels empowered and will stick around.Public long-term care insurance. Washington is the first state in the country to create public long-term care for its full-time workers, WACares. By contributing a small amount (0.58%) from wages to the fund, Washingtonians earn a long-term care benefit (up to $36,500) for when they need it. This could be a test case for other states that want to be humane places for people to age.Courtney E Martin has a weekly newsletter called Examined Family. Her most recent book is Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America From My Daughter's School Continue reading...
The Trump administration may be deporting the US citizen infants born to unaccompanied girls formerly held at the San Benito ICE facilityRepresentative Maxine Dexter has a lot of questions. Why were all of the pregnant, unaccompanied minors in the US rounded up and sent to San Benito, a tiny town on the Texas border with Mexico? Are they given appropriate medical care, given their high-risk conditions and Texas's abortion ban? And most importantly: where are the girls - and their infants - now?Dexter, a Democratic congresswoman from Oregon and a former critical care physician - one of the few doctors now serving in Congress - detailed these questions in an 8 May letter to refugee and health officials after visiting the San Benito facility and, she said, being blocked from speaking with any of the children. She still hasn't gotten answers. Continue reading...
Sergino Dest scored the US's opener on Sunday thanks a collection of little actions from his teammatesThe United States men's national team has undergone considerable change from one window to the next throughout Mauricio Pochettino's tenure. And it makes some sense; the Argentine had plenty of first-hand assessments to conduct, limiting the core group's ability to iron out patterns of play and forge partnerships.Still, amid all that turnover, Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest were expected to remain the first-choice options at full-back (or wing-back, depending on the system) for the 2026 World Cup. Both had been essential in the 2022 cycle, after all, and continued to fare well when healthy for their club teams (Fulham for Robinson, and PSV for Dest). That when healthy" caveat has worked overtime throughout Pochettino's nineteen months in charge, though, with Dest suffering a torn ACL just before the 2024 Copa America and Robinson missing for much of last fall due to knee issues. Continue reading...
by Michael Sainato in Toledo and Dearborn on (#760KW)
Workers who voted for Trump and Republicans in recent elections are now being hit with offshoring and the impacts of tariffs - but can Democrats sway them?Brenda Davis, a retiree who worked at Ford in Ohio for more than 20 years, was dismayed to learn that a new Buick she bought from General Motors was manufactured entirely in China. Foreign vehicles are strongly discouraged from parking lots at autoworkers' facilities, as they serve as a reminder of the ongoing threat outsourcing poses to their livelihoods.Morgan Hughes, who currently works at the General Motors assembly plant in Springfield, Ohio, is worried about the impact tariffs have had on her plant's dwindling workload and its recent sale to a different owner, as concerns over a plant closure have loomed over the factory for years. Continue reading...
More than 120 groups issued warning to 10 million visitors about serious rights violations' under TrumpWith the Fifa World Cup just two weeks away, immigrant rights advocates in the 11 US host cities are mobilizing to protect fans and residents from immigration enforcement activities this summer.In Los Angeles, a labor union representing more than 2,000 hospitality workers at SoFi Stadium is threatening to strike if agents do not stay away from the venue, which is expected to draw about 70,000 fans per match. Continue reading...
Physical and mental health aren't easily separated, especially at our age. And the president is showing many concerning signsI do not wish Trump ill. While he hasn't shown a shred of compassion for anyone other than himself, this doesn't justify any of us lacking compassion for him.It's also in the interest of the US and the world that he be physically and mentally able to discharge the duties of his office.Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. ... I like his brother Louis much better than I like him, because Louis is all MAGA. He gets it, and Leo doesn't! ... Leo should get his act together as Pope, use Common Sense, stop catering to the Radical Left, and focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician. It's hurting him very badly and, more importantly, it's hurting the Catholic Church!Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now in the US and in the UK Continue reading...
James Talarico got the opponent he - and the Democratic party - wanted, but flipping Texas blue means winning blue-collar voters, not blue-blooded donorsTexas could become the hottest battleground state in the country, if the results of both Republican and Democratic primaries are anything to go by.Democrat James Talarico, a progressive Presbyterian seminarian, will face off against Trump's favored candidate, the scandal-plagued attorney general, Ken Paxton. The matchup has liberals salivating. Paxton, dogged by corruption charges, impeachment hearings and an affair that left his marriage in tatters, is considered by some in his own party as the worst possible top-of-the-ticket" candidate. Meanwhile, Talarico, a fresh-faced, clean-cut millennial, who quotes scripture to justify his progressive beliefs, seems like the perfect foil, at least according to Democratic party leaders. 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...
For years the NBA has wondered what would happen if it had a giant who could do everything. The San Antonio Spurs star has given us an answerThe NBA season began with serious questions about Victor Wembanyama's ability to last the distance in the playoffs. Could this brilliant ectomorph, a blend of rare height and even rarer skill, stand up to the rigors of a deep postseason run? Would his slim body snap under the intensity of professional basketball's sternest tests? The results are in: Wembanyama will this week lead the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals. At just 22 years of age, basketball's next superstar has arrived: slightly ahead of schedule, but with every part of his brilliance emphatically affirmed.Wemby" landed in America as the NBA's No 1 overall draft pick in 2023, an alien in both stature (his official height is listed as 7ft 4in, though many claim he may be as tall as 7ft 6in), nationality (French), and foreign-language proficiency (fluent in English, despite never having lived outside his home country). Sure enough, The Alien" quickly became his nickname. But the flood of tears with which he greeted his team's defeat of Oklahoma City in Saturday night's Game 7 of the Western Conference finals revealed a different side to this outlier of outliers: the human side. More than his freakish physique or the sheer absurdity of the spectacle he presents on court, towering over established giants of the game like some basketballing Burj Khalifa, it's Wemby's humanity that makes him such a compulsively interesting and watchable star. He is the alien who longs to be among us. Continue reading...
Oregon man with extensive criminal record fired at three officers while speeding away from a traffic stop in 2025A man with the unusual name Loony Toon and a lengthy rap sheet has been given 20 years in prison after admitting that he shot at police officers in Oregon, according to authorities.The 43-year-old whose name calls to mind the classic television cartoon franchise Looney Tunes - as well as a colloquial term some invoke when describing an eccentric or irrational person - fired a gun at three officers while speeding away from a 20 June 2025 traffic stop in the community of Milwaukie, local prosecutors said in a statement on Thursday. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: What an unprecedented scheme reveals about an increasingly uninhibited leadership - and what it might mean for American democracyGood morning. It has been two weeks since details of a settlement in the case of Trump v the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) first emerged. An out-of-court agreement with the US president created a $1.8bn fund for the Trump administration to dish out at its discretion. In response, the outrage has been unrelenting.Critics argue the result stinks of cronyism and corruption, effectively a scheme for the Trumps to reward political friends while indirectly benefiting the family". There has been rare pushback from within Trump's own party: more than a dozen Republican senators have reportedly urged the administration to change course. YouGov polling found a majority of Democrats and Republicans oppose the fund.UK politics | A trove of government documents about Peter Mandelson contains no record of any measures taken to mitigate serious security concerns over his appointment as Washington ambassador, the Guardian has learned.Health news | A daily pill can double survival time in patients with the world's deadliest cancer, according to the results of a clinical trial that experts are saying is a gamechanger" and one of the biggest breakthroughs in decades.Lebanon | European leaders have condemned Israel's expanding incursion into Lebanon, after its military captured the medieval Beaufort castle and Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to push even deeper into the country.Employment | An Indian citizen who came to the UK to work as a care worker through the post-Brexit visa scheme has been awarded nearly 30,000, because his employer failed to give him a single day of work for a year.UK news | Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams was forced to sit in silence on stage at an event at Hay festival, after lawyers advised her not to speak because of ongoing legal action brought by Meta. Continue reading...
by Alexander Abnos, Ella Brockway and Paul Bellsham on (#760G7)
All you need to know about the 16 host stadiums in the US, Mexico and CanadaThe 2026 World Cup is the largest tournament ever, and as such it involves more stadiums in more countries than ever before. A total of 16 venues will play host to this summer's big games, and each has a story to tell about the past, present and future of sports in its city. Stadium names may look unfamiliar, as we are using the Fifa-approved names instead of the sponsored names that run afoul of the governing body's clean venue rules.Australia v Turkey, 13 JuneCanada v Qatar, 18 JuneNew Zealand v Egypt, 21 JuneSwitzerland v Canada, 24 JuneNew Zealand v Belgium, 26 JuneRound of 32, 2 July (1B v 3EFGIJ)Round of 16, 7 July (W85 v W87) Continue reading...
Georgia town's lawsuit against turning a warehouse into an immigration detention center could have a wide impact, experts say - key US politics stories from 31 May at a glanceSocial Circle, a small town in Georgia, is complaining that a proposed ICE megacenter" would violate the state's public nuisance" law - meaning it would harm the health, safety, and wellbeing" of the town's 5,000 or so residents.The town has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the plan, and aspects of the complaint show Social Circle is willing to pursue a new legal theory to defend their rights, to defend their town", said Adam Lauridsen, one of the plaintiff's attorneys. Social Circle is located in a county where nearly 75% voted for Trump. Continue reading...
by Alexander Abnos with Pablo Iglesias Maurer in Char on (#760CK)
Mauricio Pochettino used a mid-half water break to do an impromptu video session, adding yet another wrinkle to a controversial rule changeThe US men's national team's 3-2 win against Senegal means plenty in the context of the Americans' warm-up for the World Cup. But it was a seemingly throwaway moment midway through the first half that captured many observers' attention: Head coach Mauricio Pochettino, crouched on the ground by the US bench, motioning toward a laptop unsteadily held by an assistant, a group of players behind him rapt in attention.It was a new one for sure," a laughing US defender Mark McKenzie said of the scene, which more closely resembled what you might see during a time-out in the NBA than in any soccer match, let alone a top-class international on the eve of the World Cup. Continue reading...
