Global Pulse

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  • Chemist Warehouse owner confirms talks to buy UK health giant Boots

    Chemist Warehouse owner confirms talks to buy UK health giant Boots

    One of Australia’s largest pharmaceutical powerhouses has launched a potential game-changing expansion into the United Kingdom’s retail health market, after confirming it has entered early-stage negotiations to acquire British health and beauty chain Boots in a deal valued at approximately $14 billion Australian dollars.

    In an official statement filed with the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) this week, parent company Sigma Healthcare – which completed its $34 billion merger with Australian retail pharmacy brand Chemist Warehouse only last year – confirmed that “preliminary discussions” are underway regarding the sale process for Boots, the UK’s biggest independent pharmaceutical chain by market share.

    “Sigma continuously reviews opportunities that would create value for shareholders and has engaged in preliminary discussions in relation to the sale process,” the statement read. A subsequent spokesperson for Chemist Warehouse also clarified that talks remain in the very early stages, and no final agreement has been reached regarding a potential transaction.

    Per reporting from the Financial Times, Boots’ current owner, US-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has received expressions of interest from multiple retail groups across North America and Australia. Alongside Sigma Healthcare, Canadian supermarket giant Loblaws and national pharmacy operator Shoppers Drug Mart are also listed as potential bidders for the iconic British brand. Industry analysts expect the final sale price to land around $10 billion US dollars, equal to $14.3 billion Australian dollars.

    Founded 177 years ago, Boots is a staple of British high streets, operating roughly 1,800 physical locations across the UK and employing more than 50,000 people. The brand has become a household name for both pharmaceutical products and general health and beauty retail, making it a high-value target for global retailers looking to break into the UK market.

    If Sigma completes the acquisition, the purchase would mark the company’s second major investment in the UK in less than six months. Back in May, the Australian group purchased a 75% controlling stake in British pharmacy operator Greenlight Healthcare, which runs 22 community locations, in a move that first brought the Chemist Warehouse brand into the UK market. Beyond the UK and its home market of Australia, Sigma already maintains a presence across New Zealand, Ireland and the United Arab Emirates’ Dubai, as part of its ongoing global expansion strategy.

    Shortly after the announcement of preliminary talks, Sigma Healthcare’s shares took a notable dip on the ASX, falling more than 7% to close at $2.72 AUD per share, as investors reacted to the news of the potential large-scale acquisition.

  • Insider tour of the Sagrada Familia reveals 5 divine enigmas and hidden treasures

    Insider tour of the Sagrada Familia reveals 5 divine enigmas and hidden treasures

    Barcelona’s iconic Sagrada Familia basilica has captivated visitors and worshippers for decades with its dreamlike sandcastle-inspired spires, intricately carved stone foliage that mimics nature, and a light-drenched kaleidoscopic interior filled with untold secrets. Even those who attend services regularly at Antoni Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece still find themselves stopped in their tracks by new details that slip past unnoticed on first, or hundredth, view. Ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s highly anticipated papal Mass scheduled for Wednesday night, the basilica’s Catalan rector Josep Turull — who has overseen parish activities here for eight years — gave The Associated Press an exclusive private tour to highlight some of the site’s most underappreciated hidden treasures. As Turull puts it: “We say that one of the elements of the Sagrada Familia Basilica is that you never exhaust it. I have spent the last eight years as its rector, and each day I discover something new.”

    ### Mysteries Carved Into the Basilica’s Façades
    Every intricate detail woven into the Sagrada Familia’s multiple elaborately decorated façades carries intentional meaning, ranging from straightforward religious imagery to cryptic puzzles that reward close observation. The stark Façade of the Passion, which faces west, was designed by Gaudí to embody the agony of Christ’s final days. Its angular, contorted figures with strained bodies are intentionally harsh and unforgiving, “as if made of bones,” in Gaudí’s own words. Decades after Gaudí’s death, sculptor Josep Subirachs added subtle playful touches to soften the unrelenting misery of the narrative: Gaudí himself is carved above the central entrance, gazing across at Christ as he carries his cross toward Calvary. Next to the iconic scene of Judas betraying Jesus with a kiss sits a Sudoku-style numbered grid, a “magic square” that adds up to 33 — Jesus’s age at crucifixion — in every direction, a subtle reminder of the inevitability of Christ’s sacrifice. Further along the façade, tucked into the scene of Peter denying Jesus, a tiny square labyrinth carries its own message: Turull explains it symbolizes the need to hold fast to faith when one feels lost in life.

    ### Living Nature Atop the World’s Tallest Church
    When the Tower of Jesus Christ was completed in October 2022, the Sagrada Familia claimed the title of the world’s tallest church, and following his Mass on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV will step outside the basilica to bless this iconic new addition. The soaring spires of Gaudí’s design are packed with natural imagery: from the rooster that marks Peter’s denial to reptile-shaped gargoyles and overflowing cornucopias of fruit that crown each tower. Most surprisingly, the heights are also home to living, breathing wildlife: a breeding pair of peregrine falcons and their offspring have made the St. James Tower their nest for more than 20 years. The falcons do double duty, keeping the nuisance pigeon population under control and restoring a natural ecological cycle that broke down when the species disappeared from Barcelona in the 1970s. The Sagrada Familia was selected as an ideal reintroduction site because it was one of the falcons’ last remaining nesting spots in the city before their local extinction, and the population has thrived here ever since. Turull notes that the swift predators “recover the cycle of natural life” in the heart of central Barcelona, fitting perfectly with Gaudí’s philosophy of drawing inspiration from the natural world.

    ### The Spiritual Heart Underground: Gaudí’s Final Resting Place
    For the more than 4.5 million tourists that visit the Sagrada Familia each year, jostling for photos of the colored light pouring through stained-glass windows and following guided tours of the main nave, the basilica’s “spiritual heart” is easily overlooked. To find it, visitors must slip through a unassuming side entrance and descend a short staircase to a small, quiet underground chapel. Here, the noise of tourism fades away, leaving space for small groups of worshippers to gather for silent Mass. It is also here that Antoni Gaudí — a devout Catholic who dedicated more than 40 years of his life to the Sagrada Familia — is buried in a simple, discreet tomb in a wall nook. Gaudí died exactly 100 years before Pope Leo XIV’s visit, killed instantly when he was struck by a streetcar in 1926. Today, worshippers and visitors come to the crypt to ask for Gaudí’s intercession, leaving candles at his tomb out of trust that their prayers will be answered. The Vatican is currently in the late stages of the canonization process for Gaudí: Pope Francis declared him venerable in 2025, and the Vatican is now reviewing a claimed miracle attributed to his intercession. If confirmed, Gaudí will be beatified, followed by canonization as a saint after a second verified miracle. The basilica has invited Pope Leo XIV to pray at Gaudí’s tomb during his visit, though it remains unconfirmed whether he will do so.

    ### Small Surprises: A Natural Holy Water Basin and a Papal Changing Room
    Even on the path to and from the crypt, small details reflect Gaudí’s obsession with integrating nature into his design. Before ascending back to the main level of the basilica, Turull pauses at a large, genuine seashell brought to Barcelona from the Philippines, set in hand-wrought iron and mounted on a column to serve as a holy water basin. It is a quiet example of Gaudí’s core design philosophy: “Gaudí always takes nature as an example,” Turull explains.

    Higher up in the basilica, up a winding staircase, a sunlit private changing room prepared specifically for Pope Leo XIV holds two intricately designed oak cabinets crafted by Gaudí himself, which hold the basilica’s most precious clerical relics and vestments. One of the most treasured pieces already stored there is the chasuble worn by Pope Benedict XVI when he consecrated the Sagrada Familia in 2010. For his visit, a brand-new chasuble is being hand-sewn at a local workshop specifically for the Mass, featuring custom details tied to the newly completed Tower of Jesus Christ and the historic occasion. Turull is keeping the full design under wraps for now: some details, he says, are meant to be a surprise for the day.

    This report includes contributions from AP videojournalist Hernán Muñoz.

  • Former Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop’s explosive ANU resignation letter revealed

    Former Liberal deputy leader Julie Bishop’s explosive ANU resignation letter revealed

    A bombshell resignation letter from Julie Bishop, Australia’s former foreign minister and ex-chancellor of the Australian National University (ANU), has pulled back the curtain on a bitter regulatory conflict that has plunged the country’s top national research institution into deep governance turmoil. Bishop stepped down from the university’s highest ceremonial and governance post last month, capping a six-year tenure defined by growing friction and widespread backlash over a controversial $250 million austerity program. The text of her May 7 resignation letter, submitted to ANU Pro-Chancellor Larry Marshall and tabled before a recent Senate estimates hearing, pulls no punches in its criticism of external overreach.

    At the heart of Bishop’s anger is what she describes as repeated, unlawful interference by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) in core ANU Council functions, including the appointment of senior leadership, the selection of a new chancellor, and the confirmation of ministerially appointed council members. In the letter, Bishop argues that TEQSA’s regulatory overreach has severely undermined her ability to carry out her legal and statutory responsibilities to the university. She accuses the regulator of effectively seizing control of ANU’s governing structures under what she calls coercive threats to impose legally invalid new conditions on the university’s operating registration.

    Bishop’s frustration boiled over after the full ANU Council refused to take coordinated action to push back against TEQSA’s encroachment. She writes that the regulator’s repeated interventions have fractured both the council and the wider ANU community, creating a regulatory regime that is disproportionate, unnecessary, and entirely without legal grounding, with ramifications that stretch across Australia’s entire higher education sector. Even amid her scathing rebuke, Bishop closed her letter with a note of encouragement for ANU students, affirming her belief that the institution has the potential to rank among the world’s top universities and urging students to seize the opportunities an ANU education provides.

    The crisis extends far beyond Bishop’s departure, with multiple other ANU Council members having resigned in recent months over overlapping governance concerns, and senior opposition figures are now demanding full transparency from both the ANU leadership and the federal government. Liberal Senator Maria Kovacic has called for rigorous scrutiny of the allegations, noting that multiple high-profile, experienced figures including a former state supreme court chief justice have felt forced to step down over governance failures. Kovacic also pointed to troubling inconsistencies between the claims laid out in the resignation letters and testimony ANU representatives gave during the Senate estimates hearing, saying these contradictions demand clear, public answers. She added that blame for the institution’s cultural and governance problems should not be unfairly shifted onto any single individual.

    Bishop’s letter also details the sharp escalation of TEQSA engagement that coincided with ANU Council’s controversial cost-cutting push. Bishop notes that in her first four years as chancellor, she received just one formal communication from TEQSA. But between late 2024 and early 2025, that number jumped to nearly 60 separate requests for input, which Bishop describes as persistent, unreasonable, and arguably vexatious. She also criticized the independent legal counsel ANU Council obtained to assess TEQSA’s authority, noting that the advice itself confirmed that acquiescing to TEQSA’s demands would amount to handing over core council functions in a direct violation of the ANU Act, the federal legislation that governs the institution’s operation. Andrew Metcalfe, ANU’s acting chancellor, defended the council’s actions during his own Senate estimates testimony, acknowledging that grave governance concerns exist but insisting all decisions were made lawfully and in the best interests of the university.

    The other released resignation letters lay bare the depth of dysfunction at the highest levels of ANU leadership. Tanya Hosch, an Indigenous business leader and activist who stepped down from the council, apologized to ANU staff and students for the harm caused by months of sustained controversy. She also cited a persistent failure by the council to prioritize Indigenous voices in institutional decision-making, writing that she cannot accept that non-Indigenous leaders should have full control over setting the rules for Indigenous participation in governance. “I had hoped my departure from ANU could be under far more respectful terms,” she added.

    Wayne Martin, a former Supreme Court chief justice and retired council member, described the council’s dealings with TEQSA as farcical, echoing Bishop’s accusation that the regulator has usurped the council’s core governance role and been allowed to take complete control of the institution’s leadership. Senior former public servant Padma Raman, another resigning member, wrote that trust within the council had withered completely over the past 18 months, and constant unapproved leaks had created an unsustainable working environment that made it impossible to commit sufficient time to council duties. Raman called for the entire remaining ANU Council to resign or be removed to clear the way for a fresh start for the iconic Australian institution.

  • Messi scores on a penalty as Argentina beats Iceland 3-0 in its final World Cup tune-up

    Messi scores on a penalty as Argentina beats Iceland 3-0 in its final World Cup tune-up

    AUBURN, Alabama (AP) — The soccer world breathed a collective sigh of relief Tuesday as Lionel Messi confirmed he is fully prepared to compete in his sixth FIFA World Cup, shaking off a recent muscle injury to mark his return with a penalty goal in Argentina’s final pre-tournament friendly. The reigning world champion’s captain entered the match off the bench, playing the final 20 minutes of Argentina’s 3-0 rout of Iceland, just days out from the global tournament kicking off and his 39th birthday.

    Messi’s injury scare came in late May, during his last club appearance for Inter Miami, where he picked up muscle fatigue and a minor strain in his left hamstring that kept him out of action in the weeks leading up to Argentina’s pre-World Cup warm-up slate. The injury had sparked widespread concern among soccer fans worldwide about whether the Argentine legend would be at full fitness for what is widely expected to be his final World Cup campaign.

    Coming on in the 70th minute of the tune-up match, Messi needed just two minutes to find the back of the net. After Argentine forward Lautaro Martínez was fouled inside the Icelandic 18-yard box, Messi stepped up to take the penalty and rifled a left-footed shot high into the net to seal the three-nothing win. The goal pushes Messi’s all-time record for Argentina to 117 international strikes, keeping his status as the nation’s leading goal scorer intact.

    Argentina, which enters the tournament chasing its fourth World Cup title following victories in 1978, 1986, and 2022, will kick off its 2026 campaign against Algeria on June 16 in Kansas City. The South American giants are drawn in Group J alongside Austria and Jordan. Tuesday’s clash marked just the second meeting between Argentina and Iceland. The two sides first faced off at the 2018 World Cup, where the European underdogs earned a 1-1 draw – a match remembered for Messi missing a late penalty that would have given Argentina the win.

    For up-to-date coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, follow AP’s full coverage hub at: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

  • AFL general manager Greg Swann flags a reinforcement to the goal review system

    AFL general manager Greg Swann flags a reinforcement to the goal review system

    The Australian Football League (AFL) has locked in a concrete timeline to deliver long-awaited upgrades to its contentious goal review system, with high-performance new cameras set to launch before this year’s final series gets underway. AFL football chief Greg Swann confirmed the rollout plans in a recent media interview, addressing a string of controversial high-profile decision errors that have sparked widespread debate around the current system throughout the 2024 season.

    Two major incidents have put the AFL Review Centre (ARC) under intense public and fan scrutiny this year. First, a delayed free kick call involving St Kilda player Rowan Marshall prompted early incremental adjustments to protocols. Just weeks later, umpires failed to detect a clear goal scored by Geelong’s Ollie Dempsey, a mistake that amplified calls for systemic overhauls. Swann noted that the Dempsey non-call stemmed more from umpires failing to initiate a full review than a flaw in the ARC infrastructure itself, but he nevertheless acknowledged the urgent need for technical upgrades to the current camera setup.

    “By August, ahead of the final round of regular season matches and leading into finals, we will roll out an entirely new suite of cameras,” Swann told SEN radio. “This upgrade should deliver faster processing and far sharper image definition, which will make the whole review process more efficient.”

    Swann explained that common public criticism of the ARC often centers on how long reviews take, but added that the current system’s limitations are rooted in outdated hardware. With only 10 to 11 cameras currently covering goal mouth action, review officials often need to cross-check multiple angles to reach an accurate decision, a process slowed by the current hardware’s 50 frames per minute shutter speed. The upgraded cameras will boost that rate to 250 frames per minute, enabling clearer, faster analysis of contested goal line scenarios.

    “I’ve looked at plenty of plays where one angle clearly shows the ball was touched, while another shows it missed by more than a meter,” Swann explained. “Getting the call right always takes time, but the new faster cameras will cut down that delay significantly. We may even introduce a formal time cap for reviews down the line, but one thing is certain: we don’t want reviews stretching out to 50 seconds anymore.”

    Beyond the ARC upgrades, Swann also addressed growing scrutiny around umpiring decision-making, including a recent high-profile incident where Carlton forward Harry McKay took 41 seconds to complete a late-game set shot against Essendon, well in excess of the nominal 30-second rule. The incident reignited debate around how the game’s shot clock rules should be enforced.

    Swann explained that current protocol requires players to begin moving toward the ball within 30 seconds of being given the all-clear to take a set shot. In McKay’s case, the forward initiated his walk at the 29-second mark before taking extra time to line up his kick from 60 meters out, finishing with a total time of 41 seconds. Swann acknowledged that an early hurry-up call may have been warranted, but added that enforcement ultimately falls under individual umpire discretion.

    Crafting a one-size-fits-all hard rule for set shot timing has long proven tricky for the league, Swann noted, especially when accounting for variable game conditions. In windy venues like Tasmania or Ballarat, or for elite long-distance kickers like McKay, forcing a player to rush a shot from outside 50 meters can have an unfair impact on game outcomes. “It’s a really nuanced issue. This is the first blatantly obvious instance of this scenario we’ve had this year, so we’re not rushing to make knee-jerk changes. But we will continue monitoring similar situations for the rest of the season to decide if further adjustments are needed,” he said.

    Despite the ongoing scrutiny of key decisions, Swann reaffirmed the league’s confidence in the overall quality of umpiring across the 2024 competition.

  • Salt: integral ingredient of sumo stars’ art

    Salt: integral ingredient of sumo stars’ art

    Next weekend, the streets of Paris will host a rare showcase of one of Japan’s most ancient and culturally significant martial traditions: professional sumo wrestling. While audiences will focus on the power and ritual of the competing rikishi (sumo wrestlers), an unexpected, unsung star of the two-day landmark event – the first major sumo tournament held in France since 1995 – is entirely homegrown: 200 kilograms of specially prepared Guerande salt harvested from France’s Atlantic coast.

    For sumo, a sport deeply intertwined with sacred Shinto religious traditions, salt is far more than a random ceremonial accessory. It is a non-negotiable foundation of the sport, and no official tournament can proceed without it, according to David Rothschild, lead organizer of the Paris event.

    Sumo competition is structured around a sequence of time-honored rituals rooted in Shinto spiritual beliefs. Each gesture carries deep symbolic meaning: when wrestlers clap their hands at the start of the pre-bout ceremony, they are calling on divine spirits to witness the match. The stamping of their feet is a deliberate act to drive malevolent demons from the ring. And the scattering of salt serves the critical purpose of purifying the dohyo – the 4.55-meter-diameter wrestling ring – clearing the space of any bad fortune that could bring injury, curses, or misfortune to the competitors.

    Before every match, each rikishi throws a large handful of salt onto the dohyo in a practice that has become one of sumo’s most iconic and recognizable images. Throughout the tournament, the clay surface of the ring is kept dusted with a thin layer of salt, with yobidashi (ring announcers) regularly sweeping and replenishing the layer to maintain its purity. For the two-day Paris event, that adds up to a total need of 200 kilograms of salt for all the rituals and preparations.

    When organizers reached out to Meredith and Gautier Ferard, third-generation salt producers based in the coastal French town of Le Croisic, the unusual large order caught them by surprise. “It’s definitely not the kind of request we get every day,” Meredith Ferard told reporters. “But I thought, why not take it on?”

    The organizers provided extremely specific requirements for the custom salt to meet sumo’s unique needs. “They asked for a bright white salt, and above all, a very fine grain to avoid damaging the soft skin on the wrestlers’ feet,” Meredith explained. Natural sodium chloride crystals naturally form sharp, cubic shapes, and for wrestlers who carry massive body weights, walking across coarse, sharp grains could cause painful cuts and abrasions over the course of the tournament.

    To meet these specs, the Ferards processed their 2024 summer-harvested fleur de sel through a months-long custom preparation process: after harvesting, the salt was stored, dried, dehumidified, sieved multiple times, and finally ground by hand to achieve the perfect fine texture.

    While supplying salt for a sumo tournament is an unusual departure for their small business, Meredith notes that salt – often called “white gold” for its cultural and economic value across human history – carries sacred meaning in many global traditions, just as it does in Shinto.

    “For us, this connection to sacredness is already part of our daily work,” she said. “My office looks out over the salt marshes that have been shaped by human hands for 2,000 years. Our product is entirely natural, entirely handmade. So it feels completely natural that our salt would take on this sacred role for the sumo tournament. I just hope it meets everyone’s expectations, that the wrestlers are happy with it, and that it fulfills its ceremonial purpose for their bouts.”

  • Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 people, official says

    Pakistani airstrikes in Afghanistan kill at least 13 people, official says

    Cross-border hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan have flared once again, with Afghan officials confirming that a new round of airstrikes launched by Pakistan left at least 13 people dead and 14 others injured this Wednesday. The strikes hit three eastern Afghan provinces: Khost, Kunar and Paktika, according to a statement from Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesperson for the ruling Taliban administration. Among the casualties confirmed by Mujahid were 11 children, one adult woman and one elderly man, marking a heavy toll on civilian communities in the border region.

    As of Wednesday, Pakistani authorities had not issued any immediate public confirmation or response to the claims of the airstrikes.

    The latest escalation comes against a backdrop of months of sustained deadly conflict between the two neighboring nations, a crisis that erupted in late February and has already claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. The current cycle of violence traces back to a cross-border assault carried out by Afghan forces, which was launched in retaliation for earlier Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan territory.

    At the core of the long-running dispute is Pakistan’s repeated allegation that the Afghan Taliban administration allows anti-Pakistan militant groups to operate from Afghan soil. Islamabad specifically points to Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, as the main threat. The TTP is a separate organization from the Afghan Taliban that rules Afghanistan, but maintains close ideological and operational alliances with the Kabul-based government. The Afghan Taliban seized full control of Afghanistan in 2021, coinciding with the chaotic final withdrawal of U.S.-led international military forces after two decades of intervention. The Taliban government in Kabul has consistently denied Pakistan’s accusation that it harbors militant groups targeting Pakistan.

  • Texas teen sentenced to 35 years for killing fellow student at track meet

    Texas teen sentenced to 35 years for killing fellow student at track meet

    A teenage defendant from North Texas has been found guilty of murder following a racially charged trial that gripped national attention over questions of school safety and self-defense. Nineteen-year-old Karmelo Anthony was convicted by a Collin County jury on Tuesday for the 2025 fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf at a Frisco high school athletics event, when both teenagers were 17 years old. He was ultimately sentenced to 35 years behind bars.

    Under Texas state law, minors as young as 17 can be charged and tried as adults for felony homicide offenses, a statute that allowed the case to proceed in adult criminal court. Prosecutors built their case over the course of the trial with testimony from nearly 24 witnesses, relying heavily on firsthand accounts from student witnesses who were present at the scene. The most harrowing testimony came from Collin County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Ventura, who detailed the fatal injury: a large, deep chest wound that penetrated Metcalf’s heart, causing immediate death. Multiple student witnesses for the prosecution uniformly identified Anthony as the initial aggressor in the confrontation that led to the killing.

    In contrast, the defense team mounted a self-defense argument, painting Anthony as a high-achieving student with no prior violent history who acted only to protect himself during the altercation. Defense witnesses highlighted Anthony’s academic standing — he held a perfect 4.0 GPA — and his standing in the school’s track and field program, where he had been nominated for team captain by his coach, Adam Linwood.

    After less than three hours of deliberation, the jury returned a guilty verdict, rejecting the option of a lesser manslaughter conviction that would have carried a maximum 20-year prison sentence, an alternative that had been explicitly offered to jurors by Judge Roach. The case has drawn ongoing controversy over racial dynamics in the Texas criminal justice system: the civil rights group Next Generation Action Network, which organized advocacy on behalf of Anthony, pointed out that not a single member of the trial jury was Black, raising questions about impartiality in the verdict. The killing, which occurred on a public high school campus during a school-sponsored event, has also reignited national conversations about youth violence and gaps in safety protocols at U.S. secondary schools.

  • Messi set to return as Somali referee says World Cup dream over

    Messi set to return as Somali referee says World Cup dream over

    As the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off this week across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the build-up to the historic expanded tournament has been marked by a mix of anticipation for Lionel Messi’s return and mounting off-field disruptions, ranging from a dashed referee’s dream to violent social unrest.

    Messi, the 38-year-old Argentine icon who led his nation to a historic third World Cup title in Qatar 2022, is in line to make his first pre-tournament appearance against Iceland in an Alabama friendly on Tuesday, as he works to regain full match fitness following a late-May hamstring injury sustained while playing for club side Inter Miami. With Argentina’s opening group stage clash against South Africa (originally referenced as the 16th opening match context adjusted to 2026 timeline) looming, Messi started on the substitutes’ bench for the warm-up fixture, his first involvement in any of the national team’s preparation matches after the injury sidelined him for weeks.

    Off the pitch, the largest World Cup in tournament history has been plagued by repeated controversies in the final lead-up. One of the most heartbreaking stories comes from Somali referee Omar Artan, who saw his lifelong dream of officiating at the World Cup ended abruptly when U.S. border officials denied him entry and removed him from FIFA’s official officiating roster for the tournament.

    Speaking from Istanbul, where he was deported after being turned away at Miami International Airport, Artan described the devastating outcome. “I am very, very disappointed,” he told The New York Times. “I’m just simply a referee who’s trying to live his dream, the biggest dream of my life, to come to the World Cup.” Artan recounted that he endured an 11-hour interrogation by border agents, followed by several hours of detainment in a holding cell before being put on a flight back to Turkey. He insists all his documentation, including his visa, was fully valid—a claim that has been corroborated by a senior advisor to the Somali government speaking to AFP.

    Further unrest is unfolding in co-host Mexico, where organizers are working to contain the risk of disruption to Thursday’s opening match at Mexico City’s iconic Estadio Azteca. For hours on Tuesday, a massive teacher-led protest blocked a major avenue leading directly to the stadium, where Mexico will face Paraguay in the tournament’s curtain-raiser. The demonstration is the latest in a week of widespread industrial action across the capital, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has labeled a deliberate political provocation.

    “[It is] as if to say, ‘Look at how bad the situation is in Mexico,’” Sheinbaum told reporters. While police established a cordon to stop protesters from reaching the stadium grounds, the left-leaning president has repeatedly ruled out using violent police force to disperse the demonstrations, even as she confirmed that security for the opening match is fully guaranteed.

    In the United States, the final co-host, the national team is preparing for its opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday, with one senior player acknowledging the side needs to improve its comfort with the unwritten “dark arts” of elite soccer. Following a 2-0 friendly defeat to Germany over the weekend, head coach Mauricio Pochettino urged his squad to “learn to play right on the edge of the rules” — a sentiment echoed by midfielder Cristian Roldan at the team’s training camp on Tuesday.

    “I think that’s one thing that we can get better at, for sure,” Roldan told AFP. “I think being a little bit more savvy, understanding that being too honest at times is probably too much of a fault for us.” The reminder comes amid lingering tension between the U.S. and Paraguay, after a November 2025 friendly between the two sides ended in a full-time stoppage-time brawl.

  • ‘Iconic’ Australian BBQ chain goes out of business after almost 50 years

    ‘Iconic’ Australian BBQ chain goes out of business after almost 50 years

    After months of failed attempts to secure a rescue deal for the struggling outdoor living retailer, Barbecues Galore, one of Australia’s most recognizable home goods brands, is winding down operations permanently, putting approximately 500 workers out of employment.

    Founded in 1975 by Max Mason, the family-rooted chain built its reputation over nearly five decades selling barbecues, outdoor furniture and backyard leisure goods, becoming a household name across the country thanks to its iconic bright red branding. But mounting financial pressures pushed the company into voluntary administration in February this year, as leaders sought time to restructure and find a path back to sustainable operations.

    Receiver and administrator teams initially held out hope of avoiding full liquidation. They entered negotiations with property landlords and key suppliers to renegotiate more favorable commercial terms that would allow the chain to resume stable operations. However, those talks collapsed in recent weeks after failing to produce a viable rescue agreement, forcing administrators to announce a full wind-down of the business.

    Starting next week, all 62 company-owned locations will begin closing processes, while 27 franchise-operated stores will enter transitional arrangements ahead of their eventual shutdown. From June 16, the company will begin selling off all remaining assets to settle outstanding obligations.

    In an official statement, administrators confirmed that all employee entitlements, including unpaid wages, superannuation and accrued leave, will be paid in full to affected workers. For customers holding unused gift vouchers, the chain has set new redemption terms that remain in place through the end of June: customers must spend $2 of their own money for every $1 in voucher value to redeem their credits.

    Industry analysts have framed the collapse as a stark indicator of the challenges facing brick-and-mortar retailers in Australia’s current economic climate. Roger Montgomery, a prominent retail industry analyst, called the end of Barbecues Galore a “tragic final chapter” for a brand that embedded itself in Australian backyard culture. “If you can’t sell barbecues to Aussies, who can you sell them to?” Montgomery noted, underscoring how severe broader economic headwinds have become for even well-established, culturally resonant local businesses.