US news | The Guardian

Years of unremitting disasters have convinced me not to go to sleep with hope in your heart. But that footballing victory took me back to more innocent timesWhen I went to bed on Sunday, football commentators were killing time waiting for the England match by talking about Donald Trump, Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Folarin Balogun's red card, waived for the US because of reasons. None of the available words - unacceptable", cheaty", absolutely stinks" - covered it. There's no chance of Trump's US playing nicely in an international tournament, especially when it's hosting most of it. Does the US just get the trophy, whatever happens? Do they fashion two trophies, one for the winner and one for most winning host?It was all a big deal for geopolitics, but for the more immediate matter of how to take seriously a competition in which there were no longer rules, it wasn't the end of the world. Whatever happened, it definitely wouldn't end in a showdown between the US and the UK, fixed in advance by a president determined to celebrate 250 years in style. Because, by tomorrow, I thought, England would be out. If we've learned anything from the past decade, it's not to go to sleep waiting for news. Whatever the dawn breaks over will be bad.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Parts of 2018's Golden Generation still remain, but there are more than enough good players in this Belgian side to give the US headaches Predict the winner | Daily podcast | Download our appThe whiff of unfulfilment lingers around Belgium. The Golden Generation - and the fact it never quite achieved what it might have done - has dominated coverage of their last three tournaments. This perhaps isn't quite fair - either on those who were part of that group or those who have followed.Beating Brazil in the quarter-final to reach the semi-final in Russia 2018 was a fine achievement, but that side featuring Vincent Kompany, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne then lost 1-0 to France in the semi. The squad was good enough to win a tournament, but that was as close as they came. Courtois, Lukaku, De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and the right-back Thomas Meunier have all endured since 2018. The 2026 Belgium squad is not, as 2022 felt, the Golden Generation redux, just a little bit older and a little bit more tired. A new wave is emerging and, while the likes of Leandro Trossard, Youri Tielemans, Jeremy Doku and Charles De Ketelaere may not have quite the star quality of the previous generation, they're still decent players - perhaps not World Cup winners, but certainly not to be dismissed. And remember, this is Belgium, a country of just under 12 million; it's not realistic to think it can consistently produce potential world champions.This is an extract from Soccer Desk: World Cup edition, a newsletter from the Guardian US that will run regularly during the tournament. Subscribe for free here. Continue reading...

Seaplane carrying eight people made hard landing' and was towed back to dock, according to the fire departmentA seaplane made a rough landing in New York City's East River on Sunday, alarming bystanders and resulting in two minor injuries, according to city authorities.The seaplane carrying eight people made a hard landing" at about noon, according to the New York City fire department. The plane made it upright and was towed back to dock, the department said. Continue reading...

Carroll was awarded damages after New York jury concluded Trump sexually abused her, then defamed her after she publicly described the attackDonald Trump's latest attempt to delay payment of a $5.8m judgment for defaming a magazine columnist whom a jury determined he sexually abused has been emphatically rejected by a federal court judge.In a single-sentence 4 July order, US district Judge Lewis Kaplan denied the president's request for more time to pay the civil judgment owed to E Jean Carroll, who was awarded the damages after a New York jury concluded that Trump sexually abused her in 1996 - then defamed her after she publicly described the attack in 2019. Continue reading...

US president rings bell from White House and showcases initiative that gives children a $1,000 investment accountDonald Trump rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) from the White House to mark the first trading day for Trump accounts, a government initiative that provides children with a $1,000 investment account.The US president hosted leaders from the NYSE and the Nasdaq stock exchange at the Oval Office for a press conference on Monday morning. It is the first joint opening of the exchanges, and the first time the bell had been rung at the White House. Continue reading...

The city's tourism board estimated 750,000 visitors would visit over the course of the World CupAs Seattle's month-long role as a host city for the Fifa Men's World Cup draws to a close with a knockout match between the United States and Belgium, local match-day scenes, business boosters and media dispatches have projected an image of a sports-fueled boom town.On match days, hordes of locals and visitors have packed the city's waterfront and official watch parties, shattering public-transit records and buoying nearby beer sales. Local soccer-focused mainstays like the George & Dragon Pub have reported incredible" increases in business. And, pointing to positive reporting by the Guardian and other international newspapers, Seattle's business lobby says the city has performed very, very well on the world stage". Continue reading...

Authorities claim Tyrin Johnson, 20, pulled gun on officers controversially deployed at instigation of TrumpNational guard soldiers on patrol in Memphis shot and killed a man that authorities in the Tennessee city said turned and pulled a gun on the troops during a chase.The shooting took place at about 4am on Sunday as the soldiers responded to a report of gunfire. Continue reading...

Millions gather in streets and officials appear in public at Tehran funeral of Ali Khamenei in show of defiance. Plus, origin of mysterious space balls' in Australia revealedGood morning.Iran's week of mass funeral processions for the former supreme leader Ali Khamenei has seen public calls for the killing of Donald Trump. Khamenei was killed along with other members of his family on February 28, the first day of the US and Israeli war against Iran.Who made the direct call for the killing of Trump? During part of the ceremony, the poet Mohammad Rasouli said: I swear by your blood; Trump's murder is our responsibility. Why is the most bastard man in the world still alive? ... Why should we not kill the man who killed our imam? It would be a disgrace if we did not."Where is the new supreme leader? Appointed 10 days after his father's death, Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared in public or recorded any audio message for three months. His absence was made more conspicuous when his brothers, Mustafa, Massoud and Meysam, stood alongside one another beside their father's coffin.What did Gimenez say? He said: [TPS] is meant to safeguard those who are either fleeing countries that are failed states and are at risk of going back to them or countries that really can't handle them right now, as is the case with Venezuela that has suffered a natural disaster."What did the court decide? The ruling gave the green light to plans to end TPS for more than 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. TPS allows people to live and work in the US if the Department of Homeland Security deems their home countries unsafe due to war or natural disasters. Continue reading...

These systems will soon be able to track our public and private lives. But we can make the policy choices to reject itIn the near future, AI-powered surveillance systems will be able to track everything we do in public, and much of what we do in private. And if we do something wrong - shoplift, litter, jaywalk, you name it - the system will notice, retain it, tie it to your official government record, communicate that fact to you, and provide real-time alerts to any relevant authorities ... and maybe also to the general public.Think of these systems as automated speed cameras, but on steroids. Only they'll enforce not just speed limits, but any other rule you can imagine. And you won't receive a ticket weeks later by mail; you'll be informed about and fined for your violation immediately. Continue reading...

Babies exposed to higher levels of neurotoxin more likely to have difficulty controlling impulses later, research showsExposure to common air pollution may cause childhood obesity because it affects children's ability to control impulse, new first-of-its-kind peer-reviewed research finds.Particular matter 2.5 (PM2.5) is a neurotoxin that has been linked to obesity, and Mt Sinai researchers say they have for the first time identified impulse control as a potential pathway. The study found that babies exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 during their first year of life were more likely to develop difficulties with controlling impulses later in childhood. Continue reading...

New report details slew of ventures between private equity and nonprofits and calls for greater government oversightA watchdog group is calling for greater government oversight of joint ventures between private equity firms and non-profit healthcare providers, arguing that the arrangements could present risks" to patients, payers and employees".In a new report, Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP), a vocal critic of the industry, detailed more than 500 joint ventures between private equity and nonprofit healthcare providers - ranging from rural hospitals to major religiously affiliated health systems to hospice care providers. The group argued those risks could include extraction of profit and a decline in quality of care. Continue reading...

Workers proud of their efforts to grow renewable energy say US president pursuing personal vendetta' at their expenseDonald Trump has blamed everything - from national security" issues, the deaths of birds and whales, and cancer - in his decades-long campaign against windfarms. But as the Trump administration continues to undermine the industry, what worries workers most are their jobs.Since taking office for the second term, Trump has issued an executive order aiming to halt all wind-energy leases and permits, attempted to issue stop-work orders on wind projects under construction, and paid more than $2.6bn in settlements to buy out wind energy leases. And hundreds of workers have been affected. Continue reading...

The president has made dangerous inroads in his push toward autocracy. Yet the prospects for his success are dimmingHow do we commemorate America's democracy as Donald Trump undermines it? By embracing his opposition. The United States was founded by breaking from a monarchy. Trump wants to become king. An imperfect yet powerful system of checks and balances is being deployed to prevent him. The resistance is worth celebrating.This is hardly the first challenge to US democracy. The early nation had no rights for Black people and no vote for women. It survived Jim Crow, the McCarthy era, and the war on terror". Yet there is no denying the seriousness of the threat posed by Trump. Continue reading...

Documentary No Country for Mothers details how US moms lack support, paid leave and childcare help - and hopes to inspire push for actionWhen Reshma Saujani set out to make a documentary, she was clear from the outset: it would not be released on streaming platforms, or at film festivals.Instead, No Country for Mothers - a new movie about how moms across the US are being failed - is being screened by hundreds of the subject themselves, nationwide, in person. Continue reading...

Collegiate sports organization led by Charlie Baker banned trans athletes from women's sports after 2025 Trump orderThe president of the US's top administrator of collegiate sports on Sunday said his organization does not anticipate adjusting its rules on transgender athletes after a recent federal supreme court decision allowed states to ban them from participating in school athletics.In an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation, Charlie Baker, the NCAA president, alluded to how his organization in late January 2025 had effectively banned transgender athletes from women's sports by closing off those programs to athletes who were assigned male at birth or were taking testosterone therapy. There are no restrictions for participation in NCAA men's sports, which Baker referred to on Sunday as the open network". Continue reading...

A decidedly unremarkable Brazilian team had looked tentative at this tournament. A sixth World Cup title looks a long way offBrazil were 1-0 down. At first, a few yellow jerseys wandered up the aisles and out to the concourse, writing off the small fortunes they had invested in being here, never mind the chances of their nation lifting a sixth World Cup. Then it was a steady stream of Brazil fans heading to the exits.They knew how this was going to end. That Brazil would be eliminated here in the last 16, knocked out at the earliest stage since 1990. That they would have gone six World Cups without lifting the trophy, their longest title drought. Continue reading...

Little-known abroad, Andy Burnham has a chance to define a new era of US-UK relations. Should he seek to charm or bargain with the bully in the White House - or treat him like a poorly informed constituent'?If, as expected, Andy Burnham becomes the British prime minister later this month, one of his first telephone calls is likely to be with Donald Trump.Trump's mother was Scottish and he has a nostalgic fascination with Britain. But managing a relationship with the erratic, transactional and demanding US president has been a diplomatic minefield for Burnham's predecessors. Continue reading...

Has the success of the US men's team - and hosting the World Cup - finally made Americans fall in love with football? With Guardian US soccer correspondent Jeff RueterFor decades, the US has been unmoved by the charms of the beautiful game. As Guardian US soccer correspondent Jeff Rueter, a boyhood fan of the sport, explains, football in America was a ramshackle' affair - unloved, boring, a little alien.But, Helen Pidd hears, things are beginning to change. The US men's national team is thriving in the World Cup they are hosting, and Americans are being won over by travelling football teams and fans, from the Scots in Boston to Algerians in Kansas Continue reading...

The surprise move deeming the US striker eligible to play came after the American president reached out to the governing body to appeal for the changeDonald Trump has been conspicuous by his absence so far at the World Cup, but unusually he may have been making his presence felt behind the scenes with some quiet diplomacy.In addition to failing to attend a game, despite the USA's impressive progress to the last 16, Trump had not mentioned the tournament on social media since offering some bland recognition of record attendance figures on 28 June. All that changed on Sunday when he took to Truth Social to thank Fifa for its highly unusual decision to lift striker Folarin Balogun's ban from Monday's last-16 tie against Belgium. Continue reading...

Exit leaves primary voters to choose between progressive Abdul El-Sayed and centrist Haley Stevens in must-win seatMallory McMorrow, a Michigan Democrat, has dropped out of a contentious US Senate primary campaign, setting up a straight fight between the party's progressive and establishment wings - represented by Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official, and Haley Stevens, a congresswoman.McMorrow's retreat marks the end of a center-left bid to hold the seat being vacated this year by the Democrat Gary Peters. The three-way primary contest was a close one earlier in the campaign, but polls indicated that McMorrow's support had plunged in recent weeks, as El-Sayed raced past her and Stevens to emerge as the frontrunner for the party's nomination. Continue reading...

The sides meet Monday for a World Cup quarter-final spot, and the USMNT's main goal threat is able to play after a shock reversal. Here's what to knowAfter a few days of preparing for the World Cup's last 16 without their top scorer, the United States were dealt a surprise Sunday when Fifa rescinded Folarin Balogun's red-card suspension for Monday's match against Belgium.Belgium's own preparations have now been scuppered as they go from planning to face an alternative - likely either Ricardo Pepi or Haji Wright - to trying to contain one of the World Cup's most in-form forwards. Continue reading...

Haiti is a failed state', says Carlos Gimenez, congressman and Miami Cuban exile, after controversial court rulingCarlos Gimenez, a Republican congressman from Florida, broke with the Trump administration on Sunday, calling on the White House to reconsider its push to eliminate temporary protected status (TPS) for Haitian migrants.Returning some 350,000 Haitians to their chaotic, dangerous homeland following the US supreme court's ruling that the Trump administration can cut off temporary legal protections, would be a grave error, Gimenez said. Continue reading...

All the latest news from Sunday's live action at SW19

More than 20 states reported temperatures above 100F as heat dome sits over eastern US during holiday weekendAt least two dozen people have died amid the perilous climate crisis-driven heatwave that has scorched swaths of the US with record temperatures.As a huge heat dome sits over the county's eastern half, extreme heat gripped millions of people in the days leading up to the US's semiquincentennial on Saturday - and beyond it. More than 20 states experienced stifling temperatures more than 100F (38C), marring celebrations. And more than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts across the US on Sunday. Continue reading...

England endured a tumultous buildup to their match in Mexico City, while Trump thanked Fifa publicly for overturning Folarin Balogun of the USA's red cardKylian Mbappe has pulled level with Lionel Messi at the top of the Golden Boot charts. Both icons have seven after the Frenchman tucked away the winning penalty against Paraguay.Erling Haaland (5), Harry Kane (5) and Vinicius Junior (4) all have the chance to close the gap in the next 24 hours. And also look out for Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (4) creeping up on the rails. Continue reading...

Magazine invites readers to judge Vance's assessment' of Trump, whom he called cultural heroin' during first termThe Atlantic on Saturday republished a JD Vance essay that dismissed Donald Trump as cultural heroin" exactly 10 years earlier, bringing back to the fore his evolving from a critic of the president to his vice-president.In an editor's note, the magazine said it was republishing the essay on the occasion of its 10th anniversary - and the US's semiquincentennial - so that our readers can judge for themselves how well his assessment [of Trump] ... has stood the test of time". Continue reading...

Neo-fascist group Patriot Front parades banners, including Confederate flag, chanting Reclaim America' in US capitalHundreds of masked men carrying banners, including the Confederate flag, marched through Washington DC on the Fourth of July, the 250th anniversary of the US's inception.The group appeared to be led by Thomas Rousseau, founder of the neo-fascist, white supremacist organization Patriot Front. Members of the group wore white masks and gathered in front of DC's Union Station. They later marched towards Capitol Hill, WTOP reported. Continue reading...

With voters embracing leaders who brazenly monetise public office, experts say an ethical code is breaking downDonald Trump came to office in 2017 after decades of bankruptcies and business failures. Yes, he was rich, but his latest financial disclosure, published this week, suggests he will depart billions richer.In the first year of his second term, he made more than $2bn from Trump hotels, Trump golf courses, Trump cryptocurrency, Trump watches, Trump cologne, Trump Bibles and more. Continue reading...

Incident took place late in the evening on Independence Day, reports say, with woman said to be in critical conditionAt least eight people, including four children, were shot and wounded on Saturday during the Fourth of July holiday in New York City's Coney Island section, according to police.The shooting happened at about 10.35pm on the Brooklyn neighborhood's West 30th Street - not far from a boardwalk where a fireworks display had been set less than an hour earlier. Continue reading...

Though the Lake Tahoe region has rates higher than the state average, residents are addressing a shortage of servicesEvery year, about 2 million people come to the outdoor paradise of Lake Tahoe, which offers snowy ski slopes in the winter and sunny lakeside activities in the summer. At more than 6,000ft in elevation, the alpine community centers on the stunningly blue lake, which spans the California-Nevada border and is often called the jewel of the Sierra".But beneath this idyllic scenery lies something known as the paradise paradox". As in many US resort areas, the suicide rates in the Tahoe region, including the city of Truckee, are far higher than the state average - and these communities don't have enough resources to deal with the issue. Continue reading...

Les Rouges brought moments of joy to their nation. But there are plenty of questions around Canadian soccer as the tournament moves onIt was standing room only in Toronto's oldest bar, The Wheatsheaf, on Saturday lunchtime. For some, the wake had already begun. Nestled in the corner was a group of sullen Irish GAA fans, who had just witnessed Cork's demoralizing defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland Hurling semi-final. Resplendent in their red and white as they gazed despairingly into the middle distance, at least they had another team to root for.It was an odd scenario. Canada is co-hosting this tournament but, due to the team's second-place finish in the group stage, they were playing Morocco far to the south in Houston, Texas. But The Wheatsheaf was a sea of red and white as Canada fans gathered for the last-16 clash. Some guy even dusted off a vintage Manchester United 1999 jersey with Beckham' on the back. Anything for Canada. And that sense of collective patriotism soared when Wayne Gretzky - the once Great One now derided in his native land for cosying up to Donald Trump, amongst other curious missteps - popped up on TV screens and was booed mercilessly and enthusiastically by the crowd. Continue reading...

Paul Pelosi could face misdemeanor charges over crash that left car with major' damage, authorities sayThe husband of former House speaker Nancy Pelosi was involved in a hit-and-run car crash in California that left a parked vehicle with major" damage, authorities said on Saturday - and he could face misdemeanor charges.Paul Pelosi was driving his brown convertible on Friday in Yountville, a town in the heart of wine country, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, the Napa county sheriff's office said in a statement. No injuries were reported.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...

Incidents involving California state senator Scott Wiener and New York congressman Dan Goldman underscore Israel-Palestine conflict's role in US electionsTwo recent incidents involving US congressional candidates on opposite coasts have blown up into major controversies, underscoring how the Israel-Palestine conflict has transformed US elections - and illustrating how aggressive protest tactics can spark backlash that overshadows the issues activists meant to highlight.Scott Wiener, a gay Jewish state senator and trans rights advocate who is currently the frontrunner in the race to replace the longtime representative Nancy Pelosi in California's 11th district, said he felt forced to leave last week's annual trans pride march in San Francisco after a group of people ran up to him at a local park where the event was taking place, surrounded him and screamed at him over his positions on Israel's war on Gaza. Continue reading...

In dueling speeches this weekend, the New York mayor faced a nation of contradictions' while the president offered a stump speechIf Donald Trump's address on 3 July from Mount Rushmore will be remembered at all, it will be because that was the day of competing speeches, and competing visions, of the United States. Earlier on 3 July, the New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, delivered a speech that was about half as long as Trump's 28-minute address, but one that offered a far different assessment of the challenges facing his city and our nation.We see a city of contradictions within a nation of contradictions," Mamdani said, while seated at George Washington's desk and flanked by newly naturalized American citizens. We see the wealthiest country in the history of the world - one where children go to sleep hungry while the world's first trillionaire hungers for more."Moustafa Bayoumi is the author of the award-winning books How Does It Feel To Be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America and This Muslim American Life: Dispatches from the War on Terror. He is professor of English at Brooklyn College, City University of New York Continue reading...

The party colors are a surprisingly recent tradition. But do they really represent the diversity of Americans' beliefs?Color has long played a role in US politics.In 1867, US suffragists Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton adopted the yellow color of the sunflower - Kansas's state flower - during their campaign for women's voting rights in the state. By the 20th century, suffragists added white and purple to their political uniforms": white dresses, standing for purity and moral authority, became the most notable marker of the movement. Continue reading...

Experts say Ratepayer Protection Act posing as a consumer protection measure' and will raise prices on working peopleThe bipartisan Ratepayer Protection Act, designed to shield individuals from soaring electricity prices amid the datacenter boom, would fail to meaningfully protect the public from the centers' true costs, consumer advocates warn.The bill, backed by some in big tech such as Microsoft, moved through a House subcommittee in mid-June, and a vote in full committee scheduled for 1 July was delayed. Its measures are largely voluntary, meaning the state utility commissions that set electric rates can ignore the law altogether. Continue reading...

Michael Phillips says he suffers from micropenis - but he's now fundraised enough to increase his member's girthA US man who has staked the uncontested claim of having the smallest penis in the world says he has booked a procedure to enhance his member at least somewhat after soliciting the online public's financial support for that purpose.In a brief interview on Saturday, 38-year-old Michael Phillips described himself as really thankful and surprised" over the GoFundMe platform users who supported his campaign for help to pay for the procedure in question. Continue reading...

America's founding 250 years ago was a warning cry against leaders like Trump. Our past is a guide for how to handle our presentAs the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, marking the official birth of the new nation, it is worth remembering some of the reasons the document offers as just cause for making war on the British monarchy.No taxation without representation" is the slogan that is best known as the core complaint of the colonists, a reference to the colonists' objections to the 1765 Stamp Act and a series of taxes levied by the British crown thereafter over which Americans had no means of objecting in parliament. But such taxes were not the only provocation to war. Continue reading...

Would we get a 21st-century Gettysburg address? Or YMCA, gripes about his legal woes and boasting about Iran?The astronomer Carl Sagan once described Earth as a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot," he wrote.Donald Trump took the stage on Saturday night imagining himself the master of the universe, not the temporary custodian of a country born around the same time as the hot-air balloon. The last decade was proof that divine providence" had made Trump president for America's 250th anniversary of independence, his aide Stephen Miller posted on social media. Continue reading...

In late-night campaign-style speech in Washington DC, US president vows to take the US to new levels'Donald Trump has hailed the unmatched achievement and unlimited potential" of the US in a triumphalist address marking the country's 250th anniversary.In a late-night campaign-style speech in Washington DC on Saturday, the US president claimed his country was just getting started" as he vowed to take it to new levels". Continue reading...

In a political wasteland dominated by billionaires, war criminals and mega-corporations, the head of the Catholic church is a rare figure of moral leadershipWhat do Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu have in common? Answer: a chronic inability to tell right from wrong. The three leaders currently causing the most harm in the world share a predilection for violence, a chilling lack of compassion, and extraordinary self-regard mixed with paranoia. Yet the characteristic linking them most closely is their rejection of - or failure to grasp - basic moral standards. Worse, these men typically behave, in their public lives at least, in ways that are fundamentally immoral. And that's a problem for everyone. Their moral malaise is contagious.Ideas about what, in absolute terms, constitutes right and wrong are always contentious, as moral philosophers from Aristotle to Kant have shown. Pope Leo, leader of the world's Catholics, warned recently that we are living in a time when it is becoming difficult even to recognise what is truly good for everyone". Yet most people, most of the time, observe a personal moral code held in common with others. There is broad agreement, for example, that it's wrong to kill, steal, cheat and lie. In an ostensibly secular age, 76% of people worldwide identified with a religion in 2020 - a potent expression of individual and collective morality.Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentatorDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Canada battled hard but Morocco had too much quality as the co-hosts journey came to an endThe prize on offer today is a quarter-final against either Paraguay or France. There's a cheap strikethrough gag begging to be made there, and goodness knows we're cheap and jaded enough to usually do it. But nobody's taking anything for granted after Argentina's scrape with disaster against the heroic and inspired Cape Verde. Here's how last night's instant-classic antics went down in Rotterdam, where six of the Blue Sharks were born.It's the big pennant showdown ... and it's as good as a walkover for Morocco. Achraf Hakimi will hand over this uniquely shaped artefact that almost literally drips with beauty. The Arabic script translates as Royal Moroccan Football Federation, so there's no detail anywhere of today's fixture and opponent; unfortunately that's one point docked. However two bonus points are awarded for the sheer elegance of Arabic script. Total score: 11 out of 10. Continue reading...

Mt Olive Pickle Company says it was unaware image of flag was included in exhibit, and cites value of human dignity'A leading vendor of the US delicacy that is the pickle has withdrawn from the Great American State Fair in Washington DC after North Carolina's booth displayed a video containing a Confederate flag.The Mt Olive Pickle Company, which is located in eastern North Carolina and bills itself as the #1 bestselling brand of pickles, peppers and relishes in the US", told local news station WNCT it had been unaware that an image of the flag would be included in a video as part of the state's exhibit. Continue reading...

Our writers with the latest news and reaction as the last 16 stage beginsAustralia lost to Egypt on penalties in one of the more disastrous shootout cock ups. Changing goalkeepers is a bold move, especially when Mat Ryan made a right Shilton of himself.Jonathan Wilson was there. Continue reading...

Officials rescued seven other people after a sudden storm led to a boat sinking on Geneva LakeThree children died after a boat capsized on Wisconsin's Geneva Lake during inclement weather on the eve of the US's semiquincentennial celebrations, and seven other people had to be rescued by emergency responders, according to officials.A recreational motor boat with 10 passengers, including four children, sank on Friday afternoon as the boat attempted to navigate to safety as weather conditions deteriorated" amid an intense, sudden storm, the city of Lake Geneva police department said in a statement. Continue reading...