作者： admin

The end for Nagelsmann? Germany suffer their ‘next football nightmare’

Four-time World Cup champions Germany have crashed out of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the round of 32, falling to a historic penalty shootout defeat against underdog Paraguay that has sent shockwaves through global football and left the future of German head coach Julian Nagelsmann hanging by a thread.

Once a consistent powerhouse expected to challenge for major tournament titles, Germany’s fall from the upper echelon of men’s international football has been laid bare by this latest early exit. Including their history as West Germany, Germany hold four World Cup triumphs and another four runner-up finishes, alongside three European Championship titles from six final appearances. But since their last World Cup win in 2014, the four-time champions have now suffered two group-stage eliminations and one knockout-round exit in three consecutive World Cup tournaments.

Coming into the match, Paraguay ranked 41st in the FIFA global rankings, compared to Germany’s 10th place, and few gave the South American side a chance against the European giants. But Paraguay’s deep, organized, and resolute defensive block frustrated Germany from kickoff at the Boston venue, despite the four-time champions holding 75% of possession. Former Brighton and Ipswich Town forward Julio Enciso gave Paraguay a surprise opening lead, which held until Arsenal midfielder Kai Havertz leveled the score with a glancing header early in the second half.

Controversy struck moments later, when a headed goal from German defender Jonathan Tah was ruled out by VAR for an alleged foul by a teammate in the build-up, a decision that German observers have widely labeled as incorrect. The match stayed level at 1-1 through extra time, forcing a penalty shootout – a scenario Germany had never lost in World Cup history, with four previous shootout wins from four attempts.

That perfect record fell apart quickly. Havertz saw his opening penalty saved by Paraguay goalkeeper Carlos Gill, and Newcastle forward Nick Woltemade followed with another saved attempt. Though Paraguay squandered two spot-kicks of their own to throw Germany a lifeline, Tah blasted his effort over the crossbar, allowing Paraguay defender Jose Canale to convert the decisive penalty and seal a 4-3 shootout win for the underdogs.

The result leaves Paraguay advancing to the last 16, where they will face the winner of the round of 32 match between France and Sweden on Saturday. For Germany, it is another devastating early exit that has already sparked widespread calls for Nagelsmann, who took over as national team head coach in September 2023, to step down. The young coach, who won the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich in 2022, only led Germany to a quarter-final finish when the nation hosted Euro 2024, and his position is now under extreme pressure.

Germany began their 2026 World Cup campaign with promising results, thrashing first-time qualifiers Curacao 7-1 before coming from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 to secure top spot in their group, even falling 2-1 to Ecuador in the final group match with their knockout place already secure. But the manner of the defeat to Paraguay has left Nagelsmann fighting to keep his job, with social media already flooded with calls for former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to replace him.

Speaking after the final whistle, Nagelsmann acknowledged the disappointment of the result, admitting that Germany no longer belong in the conversation of global football’s first-tier nations. “When you exit the World Cup after you play Paraguay it is very bitter. It is very hurtful,” he said. “This is the third elimination in a row, so we are not part of the first-class teams any more.”

Reactions from former German players and pundits have been scathing, with most agreeing Nagelsmann must face consequences for the result. “If you consider the whole tournament, the way we played, it is a deserved loss,” former Germany defender Arne Friedrich told BBC Radio 5 Live. “Nagelsmann has to face the consequences. It is very disappointing, but that is sport. I would definitely say the journey continues without Nagelsmann.”

Former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger added to the criticism on BBC One, saying: “It’s hard to explain how Germany got into this tournament with so many problems. It’s unacceptable. It doesn’t look good for Nagelsmann. In the last few months, he hasn’t dealt with situations well. With the expanded World Cup format, to go out so early would be tough to take for any big nation.”

Even before the Paraguay match, Nagelsmann faced criticism over his tactical approach, with Klopp – who was working as a pundit for German television during the tournament – saying Germany used “wrong methods” in their defeat to Ecuador. That warning was not heeded, as Paraguay’s deep defensive block and physical intensity again left Germany unable to break through.

Nagelsmann has repeatedly said he will not step down voluntarily, stating after the match: “I’m not someone who runs away. If we’re going to do a survey today in Germany, people are not going to speak about me positively obviously. I did feel the support in the stadium. I don’t think everyone in Germany will agree with me staying on and continuing as manager of the team. I’m not going to step back only because we are eliminated. If the DFB [German Football Association] want me to continue, I am going to continue. I know how the industry works and a lot of people now want me to leave. I want to continue if the German FA wants me.”

Prominent German football journalist Raphael Honigstein said the result will almost certainly end Nagelsmann’s tenure, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “If I want to be cynical and sarcastic, all we would have earned is a right to get absolutely destroyed by France. You can get knocked out, but you can’t get knocked out against Paraguay at this stage in this manner. That is why this is not going to be a defeat without repercussions and an aftermath. If you look at the whole tournament, it just wasn’t enough. Germany has been poor. There were too many big calls not coming off for Julian Nagelsmann. It is going to be very hard for him to survive this. I think it will be over for him, I am afraid.”

Analysts and former players have begun questioning the long-term direction of German player development, pointing to a shift in priorities that has eroded the nation’s once-vaunted winning mentality. Hitzlsperger explained: “For a long time, player development in Germany has been all about passing, style of play and being tactically innovative but there’s one element that maybe we didn’t focus on enough, and that is having a bit of edge. We’ve lost that aura that made teams fear us. Other teams respect us but they don’t fear us any more. We’re no longer as difficult to beat, and we lack the physical presence we once had.

“For many years, Spain have been the team everyone wants to copy. It took many years but when we won the World Cup in 2014 we had great players but also a winning ethos. Now it seems we just focus on nice football. We need to start addressing this at academy level. What is football all about? It’s about winning, of course. The best example is Argentina: they have that perfect combination of being a team who can be nasty to play against but at the same time they have players who can create something out of nothing. We don’t have a Lionel Messi, of course, but we should be closer to where those top teams are.”

29 6 月, 2026
O Tsinghua – the long and winding road leads me to your door

Opening with a lyrical verse from The Beatles’ *The Long and Winding Road*, this personal narrative weaves together the curious biology of steelhead trout, a cross-cultural educational journey, and the centuries-long pattern of Fujianese diaspora migration to tell a story of unexpected belonging and success.

To biologists, *Oncorhynchus mykiss* is a species of fish defined by remarkable adaptability. Some members of the species, known as resident rainbow trout, spend their entire lives in the small rivers and streams where they hatch. Feeding on insects, snails, and leeches, these homebound fish grow to modest sizes, boasting delicate mottled olive-green backs, silvery flanks, and a soft pink stripe along their sides. They are a favorite among fly fishermen, who relish the quiet challenge of coaxing these cunning, beautiful trout to bite a carefully presented dry fly or nymph.

But for other *Oncorhynchus mykiss*, the call of the open ocean proves irresistible. These anadromous variants, called steelhead, leave their birth streams as juveniles and venture into the open ocean to feed. Exposed to rich supplies of baitfish and krill, their growth explodes exponentially: anabolic hormones trigger a full physical transformation, their flesh turns a deep blood-red from krill carotenoids, and their bodies mature into large, powerful fish with gunmetal-gray backs and chrome bellies. By the time they return to freshwater to spawn, they resemble salmon in every meaningful way, prized by anglers for their brutal, acrobatic fights that test skill and endurance. This dual nature of *Oncorhynchus mykiss* – a single species that can choose between two entirely distinct life paths – becomes a powerful metaphor for the journey at the heart of this story.

Four years ago, the author, a Fujianese diaspora native, made an unconventional and widely questioned choice: he encouraged his son, Han Feizi Junior, a student at an English-dominant international school in Hong Kong, to apply to Tsinghua University, with no backup plan. At the time, this decision stood far outside the norm for graduates of Han’s school, who almost universally pursued degrees at Western institutions from Ivy League schools to Oxbridge. Mainland Chinese universities, even Tsinghua – one of the most prestigious in the country – were rarely considered by Hong Kong international school graduates.

Critics and concerned family friends were quick to question the plan: Han’s Mandarin was only functional, his academic profile fit the mold of a typical Western university applicant, and non-gaokao international and diaspora students at top mainland universities often carried a stigma of being less prepared than their peers who survived the gaokao, China’s grueling national college entrance exam. Many Han’s age applying to Tsinghua from Hong Kong were recent transplants from the mainland, with native-level Mandarin and academic foundations built in the mainland system. But the author saw the choice as an opportunity: Han would not only earn a degree in computer science, he would gain fluency in Mandarin and a first-hand understanding of modern Chinese society – a rare combination of skills in an increasingly interconnected world. Even the author, though, concedes he was partially guessing at the outcome, with no clear idea of what lay ahead for his son.

The journey did not start smoothly. After two weeks of COVID-19 quarantine, Han’s mother dropped him off at Tsinghua’s gates, and his first year was marked by struggle. The family feared they had made a catastrophic mistake. But gradually, things shifted: Han’s Mandarin improved in leaps and bounds, he grew accustomed to the academic rhythm of Tsinghua, he formed close personal relationships, and he began to lean into his strengths – strong organizational skills and disciplined time management – that set him apart. Professors welcomed him into their research labs, he published his first academic paper in an artificial intelligence conference, and by his senior year, he moved across campus with the confidence of any long-time student.

This past June 27, Han Feizi Junior graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in computer science. The experiment worked far better than even the author had hoped. Far from the stigma that sometimes follows non-gaokao admits, Han gained everything the author promised: he achieved functional fluency in Mandarin and a deep, lived understanding of Chinese culture, exactly as the author predicted. He leaves as a perfectly bilingual, bicultural graduate with a strong quantitative background and proven research experience – exactly the rare, in-demand talent the author dreamed he would become, even if Han has no interest in following his father into investment banking.

The author goes on to draw a parallel between the anadromous life cycle of steelhead and the centuries-long migration pattern of the Fujianese people. One of China’s most widely dispersed diaspora communities, Fujianese can be found across every corner of the globe, from running small-town Chinese takeout restaurants in the United States to leading massive multinational business networks across Southeast Asia. But many have followed the anadromous path: leaving their adopted homes to return to their Chinese roots, just as steelhead return to their birth streams to spawn. The author’s own family carries this tradition: his great-grandfather, a patriarch, returned to Fujian from Indonesia after World War II to help rebuild the country, following in the footsteps of iconic Fujianese returnee Tan Kah Kee, founder of Xiamen University. Later generations left China again to build lives abroad, and now the great-grandson has returned to study at one of China’s top universities – part of a growing wave of diaspora youth choosing mainland higher education.

Closing the narrative, the author echoes two iconic meditations on paths home. Paul McCartney’s verse reminds readers that the long and winding road always leads back to where you belong, while Lu Xun’s famous observation on hope and roads notes that roads do not exist until many people walk them, turning an untrodden path into a clear way forward. For this anadromous graduate, and for a growing number of diaspora youth, the road to Tsinghua – once little-traveled – has become a well-worn path to success and belonging.

29 6 月, 2026
Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill bests German ‘idol’ Manuel Neuer in World Cup shootout stunner

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In one of the most stunning upsets in recent World Cup history, 26-year-old rookie goalkeeper Orlando Gill steered massive underdog Paraguay past four-time tournament champion Germany in a tense Round of 32 penalty shootout, sending the football powerhouse packing earlier than expected and cementing his name in World Cup Cinderella lore.

Gill, who stepped onto the World Cup’s global stage for the very first time this tournament, admitted he entered the knockout-round opener starstruck even as he acknowledged Paraguay’s status as heavy 5-to-1 underdogs against the favored German side. But when the final whistle of extra time sent the match to penalties, the 6-foot-6 shot-stopper, who plies his club trade with Argentina’s San Lorenzo, outperformed German legend and long-time world-class keeper Manuel Neuer to secure Paraguay’s spot in the Round of 16.

Gill’s path to this upset victory started in the group stage, where he notched clean sheets in a 1-0 win over Turkey and a scoreless draw against Australia, though he conceded four goals in a group-stage matchup with the United States. Against Germany, the underdog was thoroughly outplayed for most of 120 minutes of regulation and extra time: Germany held more than double the possession that Paraguay managed, and put 21 shots on goal compared to Paraguay’s seven. Even Gill described the relentless German pressure as something out of a nightmare.

“It was like a horror movie. Germans were popping up everywhere. Even I still can’t believe it,” Gill said in a post-match interview.

Standing opposite Gill was Neuer, a 30-plus year veteran competing in his fifth World Cup, who led Germany to its 2014 World Cup title, finished third in 2014 Ballon d’Or voting behind Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, and claimed two Champions League titles and 13 Bundesliga championships with Bayern Munich. Gill made clear he holds nothing but respect for the German icon, who he called an idol.

“Neuer is a world-class goalkeeper. I shared a shootout with him, and he managed to save a penalty, too. I have nothing but respect for an idol like him,” Gill said.

Gill only made one notable misstep in regulation, letting in Kai Havertz’s 54th-minute equalizer to force extra time. A late German would-be game-winner in the 12th minute of extra time was ultimately disallowed after VAR review found Waldemar Anton interfered with Gill before Jonathan Tah could put the ball in the net.

When the match moved to penalties, Gill seized the moment to earn his man of the match honors. He gave Paraguay an immediate advantage by stopping Havertz’s first spot kick with a quick deflection off his right arm. After Paraguay converted its first three penalties to jump to a 3-2 lead, Gill notched a second save, this time stopping Nick Woltemade’s attempt. That left Paraguay needing just one successful conversion from its final two kicks to win, but the underdogs stumbled: Antonino Sanabria sent his kick wide left, and Neuer stopped Fabian Balbuena’s attempt to force sudden death.

In the first round of sudden death, Tah sent his penalty over the crossbar, and Jose Canale beat Neuer to slot home the game-winning kick, sealing the historic upset.

Gill, who will next face the winner of the France vs. Sweden matchup on Saturday in Philadelphia, spoke of the result as proof that small underdog nations can compete with soccer’s powerhouses. “It showed that you shouldn’t speak too soon. This proves that Paraguay is capable of achieving great things. The opportunity was bound to come sooner or later,” he said. “Now, with a cool head, I’m going to sit down and analyze what we’ve achieved. We managed to hold on until the 120th minute, and luck was on our side during the shootout.”

For Germany, the shocking exit extends a more than decade-long streak of knockout-stage disappointment. The four-time champions have now exited in the group stage of the past two World Cups, and fell in the Round of 32 in this tournament, having not won a knockout match since their 2014 World Cup final victory.

“You talk about expectations: It is 11 or 12 years and we have come up short. It’s not enough for German football,” Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann said after the defeat.

Midfielder Nadiem Amiri acknowledged the squad has a talented core of young players that could deliver results in future tournaments, but said that was little comfort in the immediate aftermath of the upset.

“But in the moment to think about the future is, I think, the wrong decision. I feel for everybody, very sad. It was a shocking end from the game. At the moment, it’s very difficult to find the right words,” Amiri said.

29 6 月, 2026
A rare explosion seriously injures 3 in Monaco as the suspect flees into France

The small Mediterranean principality of Monaco, a haven known for its elite and low-crime environment, was shaken by a rare and violent act of terrorism on Monday night, when an explosive device detonated at the entrance of a residential building near the French border, leaving three people seriously injured. Local authorities confirmed the attacker fled across the border into France after the blast, and a multi-jurisdictional manhunt is currently underway.

According to initial statements from top government officials, the explosion was reported at approximately 9 p.m. local time. The three injured victims — two adults and one child — were rushed across the border for emergency medical treatment at hospitals in France. Christophe Mirmand, Monaco’s Minister of State, the highest-ranking official in the principality’s government, told reporters that the suspect managed to leave Monaco on foot immediately after the attack, and investigators have already identified the individual through cross-referencing video surveillance footage from both Monaco and the adjacent French town of Beausoleil.

Multiple French and Ukrainian media outlets have named one of the injured as prominent Ukrainian construction magnate Vadym Iermolaiev. Ukrainska Pravda, a leading Ukrainian news outlet, added context to the attack noting that Iermolaiev was placed under Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 due to his documented business and political ties to Russia.

Prince Albert II, Monaco’s ruling sovereign, quickly issued a public statement condemning the attack, describing it as “an odious act”. He confirmed that all of the principality’s law enforcement and security agencies have been fully mobilized to support the investigation and shore up public safety across the country. Mirmand added that the motive behind the attack remains unconfirmed, and investigators are currently working through all possible leads to determine what drove the attack.

French national law enforcement has also confirmed that local police units are actively involved in the search for the suspect, providing full logistical and investigative support to Monaco authorities. A senior French police official declined to share additional details about the ongoing operation, citing the active status of the investigation.

29 6 月, 2026
Chinese tycoon sentenced to 30 years in US jail

A once-prominent Chinese property billionaire who built a new public profile as a vocal critic of the Chinese government after fleeing to the United States has received a 30-year federal prison sentence for orchestrating a decade-long billion-dollar criminal fraud conspiracy.

Guo Wengui, also known by his aliases Miles Guo and Ho Wan Kwok, fled China for the U.S. in 2017 while facing domestic corruption investigations linked to his real estate empire. Once in the U.S., he rebranded himself as an opposition figure, cultivated a large, loyal online following among overseas Chinese communities, and forged high-profile connections with anti-China political figures including former Trump White House advisor Steve Bannon.

After a lengthy trial, Guo was convicted on multiple felony counts: racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and money laundering. Prosecutors laid out that between 2018 and 2023, Guo raised more than $1 billion from his thousands of trusting followers through fake investment projects and fraudulent cryptocurrency ventures. Instead of using the funds for political advocacy or legitimate business activities as he promised, the prosecution proved Guo diverted nearly all of the money to sustain an extravagant personal lifestyle, including a 50,000-square-foot luxury mansion, a $1 million custom Lamborghini, and a $37 million private yacht.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in a Manhattan federal courtroom, which was filled with Guo’s supporters during the proceeding. In her remarks, Judge Torres emphasized that Guo deliberately exploited the specific beliefs of his supporters, many of whom were seeking political change in China, to line his own pockets.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Sean S. Buckley reinforced the core message of the ruling. “Rather than being satisfied with the many legitimate opportunities afforded to him, Guo exploited the trust that thousands had placed in him for his own greed,” Buckley said. “Today’s sentence shows that fame and wealth do not place you above the law, and that fraudsters who victimise families to enrich themselves will be met with significant consequences.”

Guo has consistently maintained his innocence throughout the legal process, claiming all raised funds were dedicated to his political activism work. His legal team has not yet announced whether they will appeal the conviction and sentence.

29 6 月, 2026
Warming climate, pollution and unplanned growth push Kashmir’s lakes toward disappearance

Against the snow-capped backdrop of the Himalayan mountains, the iconic shikara wooden boats glide gracefully across Srinagar’s Dal Lake each morning, a postcard-perfect image that has drawn tourists to Indian-controlled Kashmir for generations. But behind this picturesque facade, one of South Asia’s most celebrated natural landmarks is quietly dying — and it is far from alone. A toxic combination of unregulated pollution, unplanned residential and agricultural encroachment, invasive vegetation, and climate-driven warming is pushing Dal Lake and hundreds of Kashmir’s other natural lakes toward irreversible collapse, with devastating consequences for local ecosystems, livelihoods, and the region’s core tourism economy.

Official government data underscores the scale of the crisis. A 2025 Indian government analysis found that since 1967, 315 of Kashmir’s 697 recorded natural lakes have vanished entirely, while another 203 have shrunk dramatically in surface area. Dozens of water bodies once mapped as full-year lakes have been reduced to shallow seasonal marshes, and many have been completely paved over or converted to farmland to accommodate the region’s growing population.

Dal Lake, which anchors Srinagar’s tourism sector and has long been the cultural heart of Kashmir, is among the fortunate few: it receives consistent, funded restoration attention from local authorities, a luxury most other Kashmir lakes do not get. Even so, the work of keeping the lake clear of choking invasive weeds and accumulated waste is a grueling, seemingly futile battle for the frontline workers tasked with its protection.

“We are afraid to touch the water with bare hands,” explained Ghulam Rasool, a weed cleaner employed by the local Lake Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA), during an on-site interview in May 2026. “Whenever we need to clean something by hand, we wear gloves, because without them our hands quickly develop painful allergies. Sometimes it feels impossible to keep up. Sewage drains flow directly into the lake, and water streams coming down from the mountains bring all kinds of waste — diapers, plastic bottles, every sort of garbage you can imagine.”

Every day, dozens of cleaners like Rasool work alongside heavy excavators to pull tons of weeds and solid waste from Dal Lake’s waters, with mounds of cleared debris visible along the lake’s shoreline. The root of the invasive weed problem, LCMA officials explain, lies in the untreated human waste that still flows into the lake. While more than 75% of Srinagar’s population is connected to a municipal sewage treatment system, thousands of unregulated homes built along the lake’s banks remain unconnected, flushing nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich waste directly into the water that fuels explosive invasive weed growth.

Encroachment by residential construction and agricultural land has also chipped away at Dal Lake’s boundaries for decades. Where open water once stretched, small farm plots and illegal structures connected by rickety wooden footbridges are now commonplace, with cattle grazing openly on reclaimed land that was once part of the lake. The same pattern plays out across nearly every major lake in the region, including Wular Lake, Kashmir’s largest freshwater body located 40 miles northwest of Srinagar.

Climate change has supercharged this slow decline, scientists warn. The Himalayan region is warming at a rate faster than the global average, amplified by the region’s high elevation. This rapid warming has triggered earlier spring snowmelt, reduced overall winter snowfall, and brought more frequent extreme rainfall events, all of which disrupt the steady flow of water that feeds Kashmir’s lakes. Glacial melt has also increased the volume of sediment carried downstream into lakes, filling them in faster and reducing their overall depth over time.

“While glacial melt can deliver a short-term increase in water flow, over the long term it erodes the natural water storage system that sustains rivers and lakes through dry summer months,” noted Sher Muhammad, a glaciologist with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, based in Kathmandu. Irrfan Rashid, an environmental scientist at the University of Kashmir, added that climate change has upended nearly every core sector of Kashmir’s economy. “It has impacted hydropower generation, tourism, and even our high-value apple and saffron farms, all hit by erratic extreme weather in recent years,” he said.

For fishing communities that have relied on Kashmir’s lakes for centuries, the damage is already catastrophic. At Wular Lake, which historically acted as a natural flood buffer for the Jhelum River, 45-year-old fisherman Abdul Rasheed says his daily income has plummeted from roughly 1,000 rupees ($11) per day just a decade ago to just 100 to 200 rupees ($1 to $2) per full night of fishing. The lake has grown so shallow that navigating fishing boats through dense patches of invasive vegetation is nearly impossible, and decades of encroachment have reduced its total surface area by 45% since 1907, according to a 2007 analysis by conservation group Wetlands International. The same report warned that Wular’s degradation increases flood risk across the entire Kashmir Valley, because the lake can no longer absorb excess overflow from the Jhelum during monsoon season.

“Now even a skilled fisherman comes home with no more than 1 kilogram of fish, when a novice could catch 4 kilograms when I was young,” said 55-year-old veteran Wular fisher Bashir Ahmed. Most local fishers, he added, doubt future generations will be able to make a living from the lake at all.

Local authorities acknowledge that the crisis demands far more funding and coordinated action than what is currently allocated, but say they are working with existing resources to slow degradation. The LCMA, established in 1997, brings together civil engineers, ecologists, forest officials, and law enforcement to address encroachment and pollution, but systemic change requires broader policy action and public buy-in to save Kashmir’s iconic lakes.

This reporting was supported by private foundation funding for AP’s climate and environmental coverage, with the AP retaining full editorial control over all content.

29 6 月, 2026
What do we know about the shooting in Stade, Germany?

A deadly shooting that left six people dead has rocked the quiet northern German city of Stade, prompting urgent law enforcement investigations and drawing widespread attention across the country. BBC correspondent Jessica Parker has been on the ground reporting from the site of the violence, delivering firsthand updates on the developing incident.

Local authorities have not yet released full details about the motive behind the attack or the identity of the perpetrator, but initial confirmation confirms that six lives have been lost in the shooting. Emergency services rushed to the scene immediately after the first reports of gunfire emerged, launching a rapid response to secure the area and provide aid to those affected.

Parker’s on-site reporting is bringing fresh details about the timeline of the incident and the current status of the investigation, as officials work to piece together what led to the outbreak of violence and inform the public of any ongoing safety risks. German political leaders have already issued statements acknowledging the tragedy, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and praising the quick action of first responders.

As the investigation continues, residents of Stade and communities across Germany are in mourning, with many waiting for additional information from authorities about the circumstances surrounding one of the deadliest shooting incidents in the country in recent years.

29 6 月, 2026
Les Mills, the New Zealand Olympian who founded a chain of gyms, dies at 91

WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The global fitness and sporting community is mourning the loss of Les Mills, the legendary New Zealand Olympian, former Auckland mayor and founder of the eponymous worldwide fitness brand, who passed away peacefully on Monday at the age of 91. No specific cause of death was shared in the official announcement posted to the company’s website.

Born in Auckland in 1934, Mills first discovered his passion for competitive sport at age 11, when he entered his first athletics event — a running race at a local community park. His athletic talent would carry him to compete for New Zealand in discus and shot put across four consecutive Olympic Games, and he claimed a total of five medals throughout his appearances at the Commonwealth Games. One of his most notable athletic achievements came at the 1966 Kingston Commonwealth Games, where he took home gold in the discus event. A year later, he set a New Zealand national shot put record of 19.81 meters that would stand unbroken for 44 years.

After an athletics scholarship brought him to the United States in the mid-20th century, Mills witnessed the rapid expansion of the emerging fitness industry and returned home inspired to launch his own gym facility. He opened the first Les Mills gym in Auckland in 1968, growing the domestic chain to 12 locations across New Zealand over the decades. Later, his son Phillip Mills expanded the brand globally, launching Les Mills International, which offers signature group fitness classes including the wildly popular BodyPump and BodyCombat programs. Today, these classes are taught by certified instructors in more than 100 countries around the world, cementing the Les Mills name as a household brand in global fitness.

Beyond athletics and fitness, Mills also left his mark on public service. He served as mayor of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest and most populous city, for two terms from 1990 to 1998. After retiring from competitive sports, he worked as a coach and sporting administrator across multiple disciplines, including track and field, weightlifting, and football. From 1974 to 1976, he served as national sports director for Papua New Guinea, where he helped build new athletic infrastructure and train local coaching staff across the Pacific island nation.

In a statement following his father’s passing, Phillip Mills reflected on his legacy: “Dad was immensely strong, driven, and always cared deeply for the less advantaged. He left a lasting impression on everyone he met, and his spirit lives on in gym workouts around the world, continuing to help people fall in love with fitness.”

Mills was predeceased by his wife Colleen in 2005. He is survived by his two children Phillip and Donna, daughter-in-law Jackie, four grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren.

29 6 月, 2026
Sportsbooks say World Cup betting has surged past expectations, with US hype driving action

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, the first iteration of the tournament expanded to 48 teams and hosted across North America, is on track to become the highest-grossing sports betting event in U.S. history, with major sportsbook operators reporting wagering volumes that have already surpassed initial optimistic projections.Industry leaders note that a rare confluence of favorable factors laid the groundwork for the unprecedented betting activity. Unlike past World Cups held in distant time zones that forced most American viewers to watch matches overnight, this year’s tournament falls entirely within North American viewing hours, allowing fans to catch live games during daytime and early evening slots. Compounding this accessibility is the strength of the U.S. men’s national team, widely regarded as the most talented squad the country has ever fielded.After the U.S. claimed back-to-back opening wins to secure their group stage top spot, fan excitement and betting volume surged far beyond even the most optimistic forecasts from operators. Mark Bickerdike, head of soccer trading at Caesars Sportsbook, confirmed that total handle has already exceeded the company’s pre-tournament expectations. Johnny Avello, director of sportsbook operations at DraftKings, noted that the 48-team tournament’s wagering numbers already rival those of the annual NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, better known as March Madness — one of the most popular betting events on the U.S. sports calendar. “It could be the biggest event of the year when it’s all said and done,” Avello said. “March Madness takes place over three weeks and rakes in enormous amounts of money, but this is getting there. It blows the Super Bowl away — that’s a single game on a single day. This event is way bigger than that.”The U.S. team’s undefeated early run has only grown fan and bettor enthusiasm heading into the knockout stage. The Americans kick off their single-elimination campaign Wednesday night in Santa Clara, California against Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Christian Cipollini, trading manager at BetMGM Sportsbook, predicts the match will become the most heavily wagered-on soccer match in the company’s history. “In this World Cup, all three of our most bet-on games have been the three USA games,” Cipollini explained. “This game is shaping up to be a perfect storm: the USA looks very good, and there’s a tremendous amount of hype surrounding the team.”Heading into the knockout round, France, led by global superstar Kylian Mbappé, is listed as the tournament favorite by all three major operators, with defending champion Argentina — captained by Lionel Messi — close behind. The two sides are positioned on opposite sides of the knockout bracket, meaning a potential final would be a rematch of the 2022 World Cup title match, one of the most iconic finals in tournament history. At BetMGM, France holds 15.3% of all future bet tickets and accounts for 20.4% of total money wagered on an outright winner, just barely behind Spain, which holds 20.5% of the total handle, most of which was placed before the tournament began.But longtime sports handicapper Bruce Marshall warned against locking in a France-Argentina final just yet. “I could see seven or eight different teams winning this whole thing,” Marshall noted. “So any favorite at this stage doesn’t offer a lot of value.”As is typical for major international tournaments, U.S. bettors are flocking to long-shot underdogs, putting down small wagers in hopes of massive payouts. Bettors are increasingly putting small stakes on low-ranked teams with very long odds, a trend that creates unexpected liability for sportsbooks. “Bettors like to take a shot for a small amount of money and put it on those teams,” Avello said. “Of course, that risk is high for us because it doesn’t take much. A $5 bet on Congo would pay out $5,000. You take quite a few of those and the liability gets up pretty high.”Marshall highlighted Colombia (33-1 outright odds at BetMGM) and Switzerland (66-1) as underrated squads that offer strong betting value. “Colombia looks really dangerous, and they’re getting a lot of support,” he said. “They played their first couple of group stage games in Mexico, which were basically like home games for them. The one nobody’s talking about is Switzerland, and they’re one of these teams that remind me of a club side. I say that in positive terms because they’re very familiar with one another. A lot of these World Cup teams are sort of thrown together and haven’t played much with each other. Switzerland’s got guys who’ve played 80, 100 games together.”If the U.S. pulls off a historic deep run and ultimately wins the tournament, sportsbooks could face significant financial losses. The U.S. team’s odds have already shortened dramatically from 50-1 before the tournament to 25-1 at BetMGM, 30-1 at Caesars, and 33-1 at DraftKings. “If the U.S. would’ve limped into the knockout round, our liability probably wouldn’t be as high as it is,” Cipollini said. “But the fact that they’ve looked good, there’s a lot of people that think, ‘They do have a chance.’ It’s on home soil. It’s easy to talk yourself into something we all kind of want to happen.”In an unexpected off-the-wall trend, a 1997 episode of *The Simpsons* has driven a surge of bets on a potential tournament final between Mexico and Portugal, after some fans claimed the show predicted the 2026 matchup. The episode never mentions the World Cup or 2026, but that has not stopped bettors from placing wagers, leaving sportsbooks holding unexpected liability for the unlikely outcome. “We have got a liability on that,” Bickerdike confirmed.

29 6 月, 2026
What to know about the looming deadline on North American free trade

As the critical July 1 review deadline for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) draws near, all three North American nations are widely expected to miss the target without a final resolution to the trade pact’s future. This Wednesday will mark the first formal trilateral meeting between the countries’ top trade representatives since the mandatory review of the 2018 agreement launched earlier this year. Both Canada and Mexico have publicly pushed for a full renewal of the accord, but the United States has so far declined to lay out a clear official stance.

Recent remarks from former President Donald Trump, who originally negotiated USMCA to replace the 1990s-era North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), have deepened uncertainty: Trump has stated he believes the deal should “expire immediately,” arguing the U.S. would gain a stronger position without the trilateral pact. The agreement, which serves as the backbone of regional economic integration, currently supports $1.6 trillion in annual cross-border trade, enables integrated supply chains for core industries like automobile manufacturing, and sustains millions of jobs across the three countries. It also grants Canadian and Mexican goods exemption from most U.S. tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, a critical protection for North American exporters.

Public opinion in the U.S. leans heavily in favor of retaining the deal: a late 2025 Ipsos survey conducted by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs found that 75% of U.S. respondents view USMCA as beneficial to the American economy. Even so, negotiations have been tangled by tensions stemming from Trump’s existing tariffs, with Canada’s retaliatory trade measures adding extra layers of complexity to discussions. All three sides have already acknowledged that no final decision will come out of Wednesday’s meeting. Canadian officials have openly prepared for extended negotiations beyond the July 1 deadline, while Mexico and the U.S. have already scheduled a second round of bilateral talks for later this month.

In an official statement shared with the BBC, the office of Canadian Minister of U.S. Trade Dominic LeBlanc framed Wednesday’s gathering as a chance to build on the productive one-on-one talks LeBlanc has held with officials from both partner nations in recent weeks. “He is looking forward to continuing the work of supporting Canadian workers, farmers and businesses, on July 1 and beyond,” the statement read.

Since the review launched, the U.S. has held separate bilateral discussions with Mexico and Canada to address longstanding trade frictions. Many observers have noted Canada has fallen behind in visible progress, as Mexico and the U.S. have already held multiple formal negotiating rounds while U.S.-Canada talks were slower to materialize. But members of the trade advisory committee assembled by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney push back on that narrative, noting the list of U.S. demands for Canada is far shorter than the list presented to Mexico, and behind-the-scenes negotiations are advancing steadily.

Key U.S. demands for Canada include expanded market access for American dairy producers, the elimination of Canadian digital taxes on large U.S. streaming services, and the reversal of provincial alcohol boycotts that Canada put in place as a retaliatory response to Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs. For its part, Canada’s top priority remains removing the existing U.S. tariffs on core Canadian exports including steel, aluminum and automobiles. Carney has repeatedly emphasized Canada will not accept a deal that harms national economic interests, a position echoed by Canadian business groups. While the current trade uncertainty has already inflicted harm on Canadian companies, most industry leaders are willing to extend negotiations to secure a favorable outcome, according to Dennis Darby, president of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and a member of Carney’s trade advisory committee.

U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra revealed that a U.S.-Canada deal was nearly reached last October, but talks collapsed after Ontario ran an anti-tariff advertisement on U.S. television networks that angered Trump. “They were very, very close to having an agreement, and then you know, poof, it’s all gone,” Hoekstra told Canadian broadcaster CTV in an interview last week.

Even if no deal is reached by July 1, the existing USMCA will remain in effect until its scheduled expiration date in 2036. The three parties have three potential paths forward after the deadline: first, all three can agree to extend the deal for 16 additional years, pushing its expiry to 2042; second, if no consensus is reached, the agreement will move to an annual review process that will repeat until 2036; third, any one party can formally notify the others of its intention to withdraw, triggering a six-month waiting period before the exit takes effect.

Canadian business leaders overwhelmingly view a full U.S. withdrawal as the least likely outcome, even with Trump’s public criticism of the deal. “Everyone is hopeful that won’t be the case,” Darby said, adding that U.S. negotiators recognize the agreement has delivered mutual benefits to all three nations. Still, Darby noted that permanent annual reviews would be a bad outcome for Canadian business, as ongoing uncertainty would continue to disrupt investment and planning. Ultimately, most key players agree the final decision rests with Trump and Carney. Trump’s recent comments on the deal have been contradictory: he has both said he is “not looking to renew it” and claimed he is “open” to keeping the pact in place. While Carney acknowledged it is no secret that Trump is dissatisfied with USMCA, he noted U.S. negotiators have already accepted that the agreement’s core structure is sound. “What I have seen with the president is you’re not close to making a deal – and then you make a deal,” Carney told reporters recently.

29 6 月, 2026