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Seattle, Washington, USA downtown skyline at twilight with Mount Rainier. As many as 10mn visitors will head to 11 US cities this summer, helping turn the FIFA World Cup 2026 into the largest sporting event in history. While US host cities like Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco are world-famous, lesser-known US cities are primed to host soccer fans. In Kansas City, Missouri, for instance, Café Corazón owner Dulcinea Herrera says that people underestimate the Midwestern city of 500,000. Herrera and other local business owners are preparing for 650,000 visitors for FIFA World Cup 2026. White House World Cup Task Force executive director Andrew Giuliani calls it “a tremendous privilege” to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 during the year the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, and says the federal government is working with host cities to ensure a safe and welcoming tournament. “Hosting the world during this historic year … gives us a chance to show the very best of America — our hospitality and our innovation — while also showcasing the America spirit of which we’re so proud of,” Giuliani said. Atlanta, famous for peaches, pecans and Southern hospitality, the Georgia state capital is a cultural and economic hub of the South. It boasts the country’s busiest airport and was home to famed Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Atlanta is home to numerous industries, including aerospace and financial technologies, as well as soft drink giant Coca-Cola. The Midwestern city called Kansas City straddles parts of two US states — Kansas and Missouri — and is known as the “City of Fountains,” as it has more in use than any other US city. Its famed Power & Light District boasts eight blocks of restaurants where visitors can sample the famous barbecue. New York, famous for skyscrapers, Broadway theatre and the lights of Times Square will host the FIFA World Cup 2026 finals at a stadium in neighbouring New Jersey. New York offers museums, libraries, walks in Central Park and the iconic Statue of Liberty. Known for the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is a city of steep hills, scaled by streetcars and packed with colorful row houses. It’s the northern hub of California’s Silicon Valley, a centre of technological innovation. San Francisco will be ready to host six FIFA World Cup 2026 matches. Qatar will play their inaugural match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, and their base training centre is located in Santa Barbara. Known for a drizzly climate, a pedestrian-friendly downtown and a thriving entrepreneurial spirit, Seattle will offer international visitors the chance to sample seafood at Pike’s Place Market and take in a view of the entire city from the Space Needle. Seattle’s pioneering companies include airplane manufacturer Boeing, software developer Microsoft, and Starbucks, which operates in 85 countries. The city, where the US National Team will make an early-round appearance, plans nine “fan zones” for the FIFA World Cup 2026, each offering big screens, food and live entertainment. Qatar will play their final group stage match at Lumen Field in Seattle. Related Story Source link
The Arab League, Arab Labour Organization, Arab Council for Childhood and Development, and AGFUND called for stronger protection of children in Palestine and across the Middle East, while praising the outcomes of the 2025 Global Social Development Summit in Doha.In a joint statement marking the World Day Against Child Labor on June 12, the organizations warned that ongoing conflicts, displacement, poverty, and economic hardship are increasing child labor across the Arab region.They highlighted the severe humanitarian situation facing Palestinian children, particularly in Gaza, citing deprivation of food, shelter, education, and healthcare, and called for urgent international action to protect their rights.The organizations also welcomed the Doha Political Declaration and the Marrakesh Global Framework for Action Against Child Labor, stressing that ending child labor is both a moral and development imperative.They further called for decent employment opportunities, stronger enforcement of child protection laws, and enhanced digital safety measures for children. Source link
President Donald Trump said yesterday that the US military secretly helped 100mn barrels of oil pass through the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran largely closed in response to US and Israeli attacks.“Last month, I directed our Great U.S. Military to execute a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships through the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, claiming the US “controls” the waterway. “Today, I am pleased to announce that this effort has resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market,” he said, adding that more than 200 commercial shipshad gone through. The United States began a military operation — dubbed Project Freedom — to escort ships through the strait in early May, but scrapped it after just a day in what Trump described as a bid to end the Middle East war, which Washington and Israel launched on February 28. Source link
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the United States was readying a second day of attacks on Iran, citing President Trump’s pledge earlier to “hit them hard again today.”The strikes, Hegseth said, are intended to get Tehran to make peace on terms agreeable to Trump, who said earlier in the day that Iran was taking “too long to negotiate.” “If we need to negotiate with bombs, we’ll negotiate with bombs,” Hegseth told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. “And we’re very good at it. Nobody better in the world.”Earlier President Donald Trump threatened further escalation following one of the most significant exchanges of hostilities in two months. “We’re going to be attacking them, attacking them very hard,” Trump told reporters at the White House, saying the strikes were coming. The US and Iran have traded fire several times since a tentative ceasefire took hold in early April, even as negotiators have sought an end to the three-month-old war. Trump has repeatedly said a deal is close, though there has been no sign of a breakthrough. In the latest such incident, the US military targeted air defenses and radar sites around the Strait of Hormuz after a US attack helicopter was downed near the strategic waterway. Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. A US official said there was no significant damage. Iran said the US had violated international law by striking reservoirs that supplied drinking water to 10 villages. “This is not collateral damage — it is a calculated war crime and a flagrant violation of human rights,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghei said.Trump, who has threatened before to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure, did not say whether the coming strikes would target power plants and bridges. The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security committee, Ebrahim Azizi, warned in response that the “war won’t be limited to the region.”Despite the belligerent language from both sides, there were signs of continuing diplomatic efforts. A delegation from Qatar, which has been mediating between the US and Iran, landed in Tehran yesterday to hold talks on the latest developments, Iranian media reported.The war has killed thousands and disrupted roughly one-fifth of the world’s supply of oil and natural gas, sending prices sharply higher. Iran has blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US has maintained its own blockade on Iranian ports. Oil prices rose nearly $3 following Trump’s threat of escalation, to $94 per barrel. Trump said vessels carrying 100mn barrels of oil have defied Iran to travel through the strait as part of a secret military mission. He said oil prices would be much higher without the effort. Separately, the US military said it disabled an oil tanker transporting Iranian crude in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday for a second consecutive day. Fighting in a parallel war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon has continued. Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 13 people yesterday, Lebanese security sources said, whileHezbollah claimed fresh attacks against Israeli forces. Tehran’s demands include an end to Israel’s attacks in Lebanon, the lifting of sanctions on Iran, the release of billions of dollars in frozen assets, and recognition of its control of the strait. Trump says Iran must end its restrictions on shipping through Hormuz. He also says any peace deal must ensure Iran cannot develop a nuclear weapon.Iran denies any such ambition. The UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors passed a US-backed resolution yesterday telling Iran to declare its remaining enriched uranium stocks and let inspectors verify them. Iran branded the resolution as “political”. Source link
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in Kuwait announced temporary closure of the country’s airspace effective as of Thursday morning.Thursday flights will be diverted to alternative airports until the threat subsides, as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and security of air navigation and passengers.This measure was taken due to the Iranian attacks on Kuwait and the potential risks to civil aviation in the region, the Directorate said in a statement.The Directorate affirmed that it is continuously monitoring the developments in coordination with relevant authorities in Kuwait, assuring the airspace will reopen, and air traffic will resume as soon as the situation is resolved and the threat has been eliminated, as assessed by the relevant authorities.The Directorate urged all passengers and airlines to follow official updates and adhere to all relevant instructions and guidelines. Source link
Iraq reiterated its call for an end to all forms of escalation and tension in the region and urged the use of dialogue and diplomacy to address conflicts and resolve disputes.President Nizar Amidi emphasized during a meeting of the Iraqi Presidency – the Council of Ministers, the Council of Representatives, and the Supreme Judicial Council – that the continuation of conflicts threatens the security and stability of the region’s peoples and negatively impacts the global economy, energy security, and international trade.The meeting also affirmed its rejection of the use of Iraqi territory to attack any country or harm the security and stability of the region’s nations. It stressed the importance of strengthening relations and understandings with the Arab and Islamic world in a way that serves common interests and enhances regional stability.The meeting emphasized that restricting the possession of weapons to the state is a fundamental pillar for strengthening the rule of law and upholding state authority, stressing that all military and security decisions must remain exclusively under the control of the state. Source link
Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif al-Mannai with Team Qatar drivers Abdulla al-Khelaifi, Julian Hanses and Frenchman Giuliano Alesi and Iron Lynx Team…
England’s Gus Atkinson (left) and England’s captain Ben Stokes leave the field for lunch on the second day of the four-day Test match against Zimbabwe at…
Former England captain Michael Vaughan (right) seen with cricket pundit Jonathan Agnew. Michael Vaughan has backed Ben Stokes to retain the England captaincy despite being investigated for breaking the team’s curfew. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced they were looking into Stokes’ involvement in a nightclub incident on Monday morning following England’s win in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. England team-mate Gus Atkinson and Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa were also involved. Media reports on Tuesday suggested Stokes may resign as Test skipper.The second Test against New Zealand at the Oval gets under way in a week’s time.But former England captain Vaughan said Stokes had sufficient “credit in the bank” to avoid being sacked.”Yes, Ben Stokes broke a curfew,” Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph.”Yes, he made a mistake. But is that a sacking offence as England’s Test captain? I do not think so. ‘STOKES HAS A LOT OF CREDIT IN THE BANK'”Stokes has a lot of credit in the bank for all he has done for England as captain and all-rounder. There is no way that those making the big decisions at the England and Wales Cricket Board have the same credit in the bank.”I do not see how you can tell Stokes he is not captain anymore just for going over the curfew by a couple of hours after a win.”He added: “A short suspension would be fine, but this is not a big enough incident over which to lose the captaincy.”It is the latest controversy concerning the England team after the tour of Australia where the side faced allegations of a drinking culture during a 4-1 Ashes series loss.A physical confrontation with Auvaa is understood to have led to a member of ECB security staff being struck.If Stokes is stripped of the captaincy, vice-captain Harry Brook – already the skipper of England’s white-ball teams – could lead the hosts next week.Brook was fined and censured for late-night drinking and clashing with a nightclub bouncer before captaining England in a one-day international in Wellington in October — an incident that led to the midnight curfew. Related Story Source link
American champion Quinn Simmons of Lidl-Trek won stage four of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes on Wednesday when a breakaway group made it home just ahead of a charging peloton at the thermal spa resort village of Montrond-les-Bains.With his long red hair and beard and decked out in his stars and stripes US road champion jersey, Simmons has been a regular and easily recognisable feature in breakaway attempts, and this was his first win in France and third at World Tour level.’You never know when your last chance to win in the national jersey is, you have to earn it back every year, and I'm so proud to race in it,’ said Simmons, whose escapes on the Tour de France last year brought him to public attention.The 25-year-old's efforts ended in a stage win after the peloton were bamboozled by a prolonged acceleration in the escape party who hit high speeds over the final kilometres.’I've never won a sprint before, so that's pretty cool,’ said Simmons, who described the win as payback for his efforts training in Colorado.Also part of the break that formed on the second of six modest climbs along the 167km route was Finn Fisher-Black of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, who finished second, and third-placed Matteo Vercher of TotalEnergies.Belgian Wout Van Aert won the sprint behind the break for fourth, just a few seconds adrift, while the overall leader's yellow jersey remains with Frenchman Alex Baudin of EF Education-EasyPost.Ineos Grenadiers pair Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley are second and third at 12sec, while pre-race favourite Paul Seixas is 10th at 1min.The race formerly known as the Criterium du Dauphine is one of the final stage events before the Tour de France and a major form indicator for the Grand Boucle in July.Thursday's stage five is a relatively flat ride but at 195.8km is the longest on the eight-day race that culminates with a brutal Sunday finale over four giant peaks.On the weekend, the race will end up the Plateau de Solaison in the French Alps, where a 11.3 kilometres climb at an average gradient of nine percent awaits any pretender to the title. Source link