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  • Uncertainty clouds the forecast on whether wildfire smoke will affect the World Cup final

    Uncertainty clouds the forecast on whether wildfire smoke will affect the World Cup final

    EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — As the highly anticipated World Cup final between Spain and Argentina approaches Sunday, a shroud of uncertainty from distant Canadian wildfires hangs over the match, with hazy conditions and unpredictable air quality threatening to disrupt one of soccer’s biggest global stages.

    Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino acknowledged Friday that the acrid scent and visible haze from the wildfires, which have spread across large swathes of the eastern U.S., are impossible to miss, but his team is working to tune out the disruption. “For a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible,” Merino said. “Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup.”

    At present, the full impact of the smoke on Sunday’s match remains unclear. The World Health Organization projects that air quality in East Rutherford, the host city for the final, will improve to the “moderate” range by game day. However, that forecast is complicated by incoming weather and shifting wildfire activity.

    A controversial misstep last week amplified concerns over team safety: Spain held a full outdoor practice in East Hanover on Thursday, when local air quality fell into the hazardous range. Environmental and health experts have criticized the decision, noting the session should have been moved indoors. Requests for comment sent to FIFA and the Spanish Football Association asking whether an indoor practice was considered or logistically possible went unanswered.

    Air quality did show measurable improvement across the region on Friday, forecasters say, but shifting conditions could change the outlook rapidly. Up to 1.25 inches of rain is expected to fall across northern New Jersey on Saturday, but a second mass of smoky air is projected to move in behind the storm system.

    “If the fire intensity really picks up again through Saturday, it’s possible it puts more smoke into the atmosphere that then might quickly follow that rain event,” explained Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. “Following that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it’s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday.”

    Beyond the disruption to the match, health experts warn that wildfire smoke poses significant risks to attendees and athletes alike, a threat amplified by rising global temperatures that have driven larger and more intense wildfire seasons across North America. Multiple medical studies have confirmed that wildfire smoke contributes to tens of thousands of premature deaths annually, impacting nearly every organ system in the human body.

    Within hours of smoke exposure, particulate matter can trigger severe asthma flare-ups and increase emergency ambulance dispatches. Medical researchers explain that smoke irritates the body, triggering widespread inflammation that targets a person’s pre-existing vulnerable areas, setting off a cascade of immune system responses that can lead to serious cardiovascular and respiratory complications. As a general rule, Parrington noted, public health guidance advises limiting strenuous outdoor activity when pollutant levels are high, a warning that carries extra weight for at-risk attendees with pre-existing conditions.

    White House officials confirmed Friday that former President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino later that day to discuss the situation. Senior members of the White House FIFA Task Force, including executive director Andrew Giuliani, have been in ongoing talks with soccer’s governing body to monitor the wildfire impact and coordinate preparations, according to an anonymous official familiar with internal discussions.

    Sunday’s final is expected to draw roughly 80,000 fans to the open-air MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, the shared home venue of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets. Organizers have not yet announced any plans to postpone, move, or modify the match schedule as of Friday’s update.

    This report was assembled with contributions from SNTV videographer Davidde Corran (East Hanover, N.J.), AP White House reporter Seung Min Kim, AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein (Washington, D.C.), and AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno (Austin, Texas).

  • Schalke signs former Germany winger Robin Gosens on loan from Fiorentina

    Schalke signs former Germany winger Robin Gosens on loan from Fiorentina

    Fresh off earning promotion back to Germany’s top-tier Bundesliga, FC Schalke 04 has announced a high-profile loan signing of 32-year-old former German national team winger Robin Gosens from Italy’s Serie A club ACF Fiorentina. The deal, confirmed by the Gelsenkirchen-based club on Friday, includes a pathway to a permanent transfer at the end of the loan spell if pre-agreed performance and league conditions are met.

    German football outlet Kicker has detailed the two key clauses tied to the permanent move: Schalke must successfully avoid relegation and retain its Bundesliga status for the 2025-26 season, and Gosens must hit a specified threshold of first-team appearances for the club across the loan term.

    Schalke’s sporting director Youri Mulder expressed overwhelming enthusiasm about the acquisition, framing Gosens as a transformative addition for the newly promoted side. “We’re delighted that Robin Gosens has chosen us,” Mulder stated in the club’s official announcement. “We’re getting a player of immense quality and a true leader for our squad. Over the past few years, Robin has demonstrated his commitment, mentality, and an unwavering drive for success at both club and international levels.”

    A versatile left-sided player capable of playing both wing and full-back, Gosens brings more than a decade of top-flight experience across three major European leagues to Schalke. He earned 24 caps for the German men’s national team, with his most recent international appearance coming in 2025.

    Gosens’ career path traces back to his birthplace of Emmerich, a German town on the border with the Netherlands, where he was born to a German mother and Dutch father. He moved across the border to join the youth academy of Dutch top-flight club Vitesse Arnhem just before his 18th birthday in 2012, kicking off his professional career in the Eredivisie. After a breakout spell with Heracles Almelo, he earned a move to Italy’s Atalanta BC in 2017, where he first rose to global prominence under manager Gian Piero Gasperini. Atalanta’s iconic 3-4-3 formation played to Gosens’ relentless work rate, allowing him to thrive in both overlapping left-back and attacking left winger roles.

    Following his successful stint at Atalanta, Gosens moved to Inter Milan, before returning to the Bundesliga with Union Berlin in 2023, his first spell at a German club. He joined Fiorentina in 2024, and now returns to the Bundesliga just one year later to link up with newly promoted Schalke.

  • Trump’s envoy greeted by protests in Venice on latest stop of super yacht diplomacy tour

    Trump’s envoy greeted by protests in Venice on latest stop of super yacht diplomacy tour

    VENICE, Italy — A planned coastal diplomacy tour celebrating the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence has sparked fierce public pushback in Venice, where billionaire U.S. Ambassador to Italy Tilman Fertitta docked his 117-meter superyacht on Friday to confront widespread demonstrations against his visit.

    Fertitta, a hospitality industry tycoon who was sworn into the ambassador post in 2025, launched the so-called Coastal Diplomacy 250 tour, which will cover 13 Italian coastal regions over its route. The excursion, which travels aboard Fertitta’s private luxury yacht *Boardwalk* — a vessel outfitted with two helicopter landing pads, dual swimming pools, a full-service spa, and a professional gym — aims to highlight the long-standing historical, economic, and cultural ties between the United States and Italy, the ambassador wrote in a social media statement ahead of the trip.

    But for many local Venetians and activist groups, the visit of a billionaire ambassador on a private superyacht comes off as a tone-deaf display of excessive American wealth and overreach at a moment of deep unease with the Trump administration’s foreign policy. Many Italian critics argue the current U.S. administration has destabilized the post-World War II international order that has guaranteed European stability for decades.

    The activist groups organizing the protests against Fertitta’s stop are the same organizations that led demonstrations against last year’s high-profile wedding of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez in Venice, a event that amplified local anger over overtourism and the commercialization of the historic city. On July 4, U.S. Independence Day, protest organizers unfurled a massive banner matching the exact length of Fertitta’s *Boardwalk* that read “Venezia non si USA” — a deliberate wordplay that translates to “Venice is not for the taking” while directly referencing the United States. Protesters say the size of the banner was meant to symbolize what they call the “dimensions of [Fertitta’s] arrogance.”

    Stella Morion, one of the protest organizers, told reporters that the visit is an insult to a city already buckling under the weight of unregulated mass tourism. “It’s arrogant to think he can do what he wants in a city that is ever more sold to the single culture of tourism,” Morion said. She added that protesters also extend their opposition to the Trump administration’s global agenda, specifically pointing to U.S. military strikes on Iran that organizers argue have driven sharp spikes in global energy prices, worsening Italy’s ongoing cost-of-living crisis.

    “It is the umpteenth slap in the face of a city and all of the people in Venice who struggle to reach the end of the month due to an increase in prices caused by Trump’s war,” Morion said.

    Fertitta has not responded to requests for comment on the protests or the tour. The ambassador, who built his multi-billion dollar fortune in the hospitality sector through a portfolio of restaurants, hotels, and casinos, also owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets. His official biography lists his personal net worth at $11.3 billion, placing him among the 100 wealthiest people in the United States per *Forbes* rankings.

    Before arriving in Venice, Fertitta completed stops in multiple southern and central Italian coastal locations. The tour began in the Sicilian port of Cefalu, where his family traces its ancestral roots back to 1566, and included a meeting with Sicily’s regional governor in Palermo. He also stopped at the Calabrian port of Le Castella, sailed along the Puglia coastline, and traveled up the Adriatic Sea to reach Venice.

    Details of Fertitta’s scheduled meetings during his Venice stop have not been released to the public, but local officials confirm he is expected to attend the city’s iconic Redentore festival on Saturday. The annual event commemorates the end of a devastating 1576 plague outbreak, and concludes with a famous fireworks display over St. Mark’s Basin.

    The controversial visit comes amid a documented cooling of relations between Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and former U.S. President Donald Trump, who has launched a series of public social media attacks against Meloni. Once viewed as a key European political ally for Trump with aligned policy positions on issues including immigration, Meloni notably declined to attend the official 250th anniversary of U.S. independence celebrations hosted at the U.S. Embassy in Rome, signaling the ongoing rift between the two leaders.

  • With Deschamps stepping down after 14 years, France needs a new coach and Zidane is in pole position

    With Deschamps stepping down after 14 years, France needs a new coach and Zidane is in pole position

    PARIS (AP) – This Saturday, France national men’s football team will face England in the World Cup third-place playoff in Miami, a match that will mark the end of Didier Deschamps’ 11-year tenure as Les Bleus’ head coach. For both sides, the bronze medal match is a hollow consolation prize, coming after crushing semifinal eliminations that cut short each team’s dreams of lifting the sport’s most coveted trophy. The outcome marks a underwhelming close to Deschamps’ reign, after widespread expectations that his star-stacked squad would compete for a second world title under his leadership. In the wake of his departure, football legend Zinedine Zidane is widely tipped to be confirmed as the new head coach by the French Football Federation in the coming days.

    Deschamps’ legacy with the French national team is defined by both historic glory and lingering debate. As a manager, he led France to a World Cup victory in 2018, a gut-wrenching penalty shootout loss in the 2022 World Cup final, and an early semifinal exit against Spain in this year’s tournament. Over his 14 years at the helm, Deschamps claimed only one major senior trophy – the 2018 World Cup – after falling to Portugal in the 2016 UEFA European Championship final on home soil. Critics argue that this trophy haul underdelivered given the elite talent Deschamps had at his disposal, a group that included global stars such as Kylian Mbappé, Paul Pogba, Antoine Griezmann, 2022 Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema and Ousmane Dembélé. Supporters, however, point out that Deschamps delivered consistent high-level results for Les Bleus throughout his tenure. Regardless of differing takes on his legacy, the next France head coach will face enormous pressure to live up to Deschamps’ track record, and few candidates carry the prestige and profile to match the role better than Zidane. Widely regarded as France’s greatest ever player, and a coach with three Champions League titles to his name during a trophy-laden spell at Real Madrid, Zidane looks like an ideal fit for the job.

    Ironically, Deschamps and Zidane have been linked to French football glory for decades, despite their wildly contrasting playing styles. When France claimed its first home World Cup title in 1998 and followed it up with a Euro 2000 crown, Deschamps was the hard-working, tireless defensive captain who anchored the midfield, while Zidane was the magical creative playmaker who drove the team’s attacking threat and produced the iconic moments that lifted the side to glory.

    France’s 2-0 semifinal defeat to Spain exposed clear tactical gaps in Deschamps’ game plan that have fueled calls for a new approach. Pinned back by Spain’s relentless, fluid possession play, France was completely overrun in central midfield, its pressing system failed to generate any disruption, and its vaunted attack was effectively neutralized – with Deschamps unable to adjust with an effective alternative strategy to turn the tide. This has long been a core criticism of Deschamps from detractors, including former France teammate Christophe Dugarry, who have repeatedly argued that Deschamps’ pragmatic, defensive-focused approach stifles creative freedom in midfield. For Zidane, who made his name as one of the most creative playmakers in football history, a shift to a more expansive, attacking style is widely expected. That could open the door for technically gifted young talents such as Michael Olise or Rayan Cherki to earn increased opportunities in central playmaker roles, or a tactical shift that sees Dembélé drop into a deeper playmaking position, a role he has excelled in at Paris Saint-Germain.

    One of the most anticipated potential changes under Zidane would be a return to the national squad for Benzema, who shares a close personal and professional bond with Zidane from their time together at Real Madrid. The pair won three consecutive Champions League titles between 2016 and 2018, and Zidane was widely credited with developing Benzema into a complete, ruthless goalscorer who would go on to claim the Ballon d’Or in 2022. At 38, Benzema’s age is cited as a barrier to a return to international football, but Zidane may well see an outside role for the veteran, following in the footsteps of 39-year-old Lionel Messi, who turned back the clock to lead Argentina to glory in this tournament. Benzema could thrive in a more withdrawn attacking role, where his elite technical skill and passing vision would create space for younger, faster forwards, an outcome that would draw a sharp contrast with Deschamps, who excluded Benzema from the national squad for nearly six years over his alleged involvement in a blackmail scandal involving former teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema was eventually recalled for Euro 2020, where he finished as France’s top scorer with four goals, and formed a lethal attacking partnership with Mbappé as France won the 2021 UEFA Nations League. Their relationship fractured permanently ahead of the 2022 World Cup, when Benzema was sent home from the squad with a thigh injury, a sequence of events Benzema has publicly disputed. While recalling Benzema would be a bold decision for Zidane, it remains firmly on the table.

    A key question surrounding Zidane’s potential appointment is his readiness for the high-pressure role of France manager, given he has not held a coaching position since departing Real Madrid for a second time in 2021. On the flip side, the five-year break from the scrutiny and stress of top-tier management leaves Zidane refreshed and hungry for a new challenge. If confirmed, Zidane’s first match in charge of France will be an away Nations League fixture against Turkey on September 25, followed by a trip to Belgium three days later. French fans will get their first look at Zidane as head coach at the Stade de France on October 2, when Les Bleus face Italy. That match carries extra narrative weight: Zidane’s final appearance as a France player also came against Italy, in the 2006 World Cup final, where he opened the scoring with a cheeky Panenka penalty before being sent off in extra time for a infamous headbutt on Italian defender Marco Materazzi. France went on to lose the final on penalties, but the French public never held the incident against their beloved “Zizou”, whose deep connection with the nation remains as strong as ever.

  • How a young Alabama man has become a leading — and booming — opera voice

    How a young Alabama man has become a leading — and booming — opera voice

    MUNICH, Germany — Three decades ago, a small-town American teenager with a blue-collar background and a childhood knack for imitating country star Conway Twitty had no idea he would one day become one of the most celebrated Wagner singers of his generation. Today, 37-year-old bass-baritone Nicholas Brownlee stands at the pinnacle of the global opera world, his name tied to one of Richard Wagner’s most iconic roles: Wotan, the conflicted king of the gods in Wagner’s monumental Ring Cycle.

    Brownlee’s journey to operatic stardom began with youthful overconfidence. Freshly falling in love with opera, he was desperate to test his developing voice against Wagner’s demanding repertoire, even when his college teacher warned him he wasn’t ready. Early on, he brought a lighter excerpt from Wagner’s *Tannhäuser* — Wolfram’s beloved “Song to the Evening Star” — to Thomas Rowell, his voice professor at the University of South Alabama. Rowell laughed off the attempt, noting Brownlee’s powerful natural voice was still a young, unrefined instrument not ready for the heavy demands of Wagnerian repertoire.

    Nearly 20 years later, Brownlee smiles at the memory, acknowledging his early overambition. That same relentless drive — what he describes as “a fire in my belly that burns brighter every day” — is what pushed him to the top of his field, where he now headlines major Wagner productions across Europe.

    Brownlee recently made his highly anticipated debut as Wotan in *Die Walküre*, the second installment of the full Ring Cycle at the Bavarian State Opera, directed by Tobias Kratzer. He had already earned acclaim for the same role in *Das Rheingold*, the opening work of the cycle, and critics have hailed his performance with the highest praise. German outlet *Merkur* critic Markus Thiel described Brownlee as “a heroic baritone straight out of a textbook, with a powerful, resonant voice, a force of nature.” Writing for *Platea Magazine*, Carlota Moseguí praised both his vocal control and dramatic presence, noting he “possesses all the qualities to become the definitive Wotan of his generation.”

    Up next, Brownlee will take the title role in *Der Fliegende Holländer* (The Flying Dutchman) at Bayreuth, Germany’s legendary “Wagner shrine” dedicated exclusively to the composer’s works. His coming season is packed with Wotan performances across the globe: *Siegfried* in Munich, *Die Walküre* in Buenos Aires, *Das Rheingold* in Barcelona, two additional Ring operas in Frankfurt, and two full Ring cycles back in Munich next summer.

    For Rowell, who still remains a close friend and even officiated Brownlee’s wedding to mezzo-soprano Jennifer Feinstein, watching his former student rise to such heights feels surreal. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing to have a student who goes that far, especially from a small regional state university like ours,” Rowell said. “I have to pinch myself. I’m enjoying it vicariously.”

    Many in the opera world warn that frequent performances of heavy Wagnerian repertoire risk damaging a singer’s voice, but Brownlee says he has no such concerns. “I don’t think you’re supposed to say this, but no, not really,” he admitted. “We like to put this big stamp on Wagner and say ‘Be Careful!’ But he noted that the demands of each role are distinct enough to prevent vocal burnout. He does plan to add more variety to his future schedules, including a return to one of his favorite non-Wagner roles: Baron Scarpia in Puccini’s *Tosca*. Longer-term goals include two iconic Verdi roles: the scheming villain Iago in *Otello*, and the boisterous comic lead Falstaff. “I want to flex a different muscle,” Brownlee explained. “I talk fast, I’m a bubbly, fun guy, but what I do on stage is so serious all the time. Boy it would be fun to just be a jolly fat guy!”

    Brownlee’s unlikely path from a working-class small town outside Mobile, Alabama, to international opera stardom began with unexpected roots: his first performance success came as a child doing Conway Twitty impressions for his large extended family, just to win attention. He did not discover classical music until high school, when his choral director sparked his interest. When he enrolled in college, he originally planned to study conducting, until Rowell heard him sing and persuaded him to join the Mobile Opera chorus.

    “I went in the first day and I hated it,” Brownlee recalled. “I said, this is in Italian, who cares? That’s for stuffy elite people, not for us blue-collar fellas.” Curiosity got the better of him, however, and he agreed to watch the final emotional scene of Verdi’s *La Traviata* from backstage one night. When the dying heroine Violetta gasped her final line “O, gioia!” and collapsed in her lover’s arms, Brownlee found himself weeping uncontrollably — even though he did not understand a word of the Italian libretto. That moment changed the course of his life.

    From that point on, Brownlee dedicated himself to voice training, studying and completing apprenticeships across the United States before moving to Germany to continue his career. He twice competed in the Metropolitan Opera’s prestigious National Council Auditions: in his early 20s, he made it to the New York semifinals but did not advance to the finals, a setback he calls a “great lesson.” Coincidentally, one of the winners that year was Ryan Speedo Green, who will sing Wotan in the Met’s upcoming new Ring Cycle. Brownlee returned to the competition in 2015 and took home one of the top prizes, and major accolades have followed ever since: in 2025, he won best male singer at the International Opera Awards and received the coveted Richard Tucker Award, given to the most promising American opera singer.

    Unusually for an American opera star, Brownlee has built almost his entire career in Europe, and remains largely unknown to mainstream audiences in his home country. He and Feinstein currently live in Germany with their two daughters, and are in the process of applying for German dual citizenship. “I can perform anywhere in Europe and be home in two hours to see my girls,” he explained. “In America that’s just not something you can do.”

    Though Brownlee has put down roots in Europe for now, major American opera companies are increasingly eager to bring him across the Atlantic. This past spring, he sang the prophet Jochanaan in Richard Strauss’s *Salome* at Chicago’s Lyric Opera, where general director John Mangum called his performance “absolutely thrilling” and said Brownlee is “definitely going be at the top of our list” for future Wagner productions. At the Met, general manager Peter Gelb heard Brownlee sing Wotan during the recent Munich run of *Die Walküre* and said he was “blown away,” confirming that the company will offer Brownlee major roles in upcoming seasons.

  • Germany and France initiate nuclear cooperation as Europe seeks greater security independence

    Germany and France initiate nuclear cooperation as Europe seeks greater security independence

    COLOGNE, GERMANY — In a landmark shift for European defense cooperation, the leaders of Germany and France announced Friday that German conventional military forces will take part in a French-led nuclear deterrence exercise before the end of 2025, marking the first time Berlin has agreed to join such a partnership amid widespread uncertainty over long-term U.S. security commitments to the continent.

    Speaking alongside French President Emmanuel Macron following bilateral talks at Germany’s Norvenich Air Base near Cologne, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz confirmed the historic move, breaking with decades of refusal by previous German administrations to pursue formal nuclear cooperation with Paris. Merz emphasized that the new partnership is designed to complement, rather than replace, Germany’s long-standing commitments to NATO’s existing nuclear sharing arrangement, where the U.S. stations tactical nuclear weapons on German soil, with German fighter jets certified to deploy the weapons in the event of a large-scale conflict.

    “The world we live in today requires new answers,” Merz told reporters, noting that Germany will contribute only conventional military assets to the upcoming exercise for now. “We are proceeding step by step. It may be that this will result in a new doctrine for European deterrence, but it is far too early to draw that conclusion today.”

    For his part, Macron framed the expanded cooperation as a critical boost to European collective security, arguing that diversified, advanced deterrence capabilities create essential strategic uncertainty for potential adversaries. He said Germany will take a “vanguard role” in European deterrence efforts, adding that structured, visible cooperation on nuclear preparedness confuses potential opponents far more than a diffuse, uncoordinated approach.

    Macron outlined that the partnership will include sharing specialized military practices, joint training initiatives, capacity-building exchanges, and closer trust-building among military personnel and technical experts, though he declined to disclose specific operational details, noting that “Complete and absolute transparency is not necessarily the most effective strategy when dealing with adversaries on European soil.” He also confirmed that Germany will not be required to provide financing for France’s nuclear deterrence infrastructure as part of the agreement.

    The announcement comes on the heels of a symbolic preliminary joint exercise held Thursday, where French Rafale jets — the platform designed to deliver France’s nuclear weapons — and German Eurofighter fighters carried out a joint in-flight refueling drill to mark the launch of the new cooperation framework.

    The initiative traces back to an announcement Macron made in early March, where he unveiled plans to expand France’s national nuclear arsenal and formally invited European partners to deepen cooperation on nuclear deterrence. The proposal emerged against a backdrop of growing unease across Europe over the long-term reliability of U.S. defense guarantees for the continent.

    France has been the only nuclear-armed member of the 27-nation European Union since the United Kingdom left the bloc in 2020, and a broad coalition of European nations have already signaled interest in joining the initiative, including the UK, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. Germany’s participation is seen as a major boost for the program, as Berlin is currently implementing a €100 billion rearmament plan aimed at building Europe’s most powerful conventional military force by 2039.

    Friday’s agreement also marks a key step toward repairing and reinvigorating bilateral Franco-German defense ties, which suffered a setback in June when the two countries’ ambitious $100 billion joint next-generation fighter jet program collapsed. That initiative was intended to replace the existing Rafale and Eurofighter fleets used by France, Germany, and Spain by 2040.

    Both leaders are moving quickly to lock in progress on the new partnership in the coming months, as Macron approaches the end of his second and final presidential term, with growing uncertainty over whether his successor will maintain the same level of commitment to deepening European integration and defense cooperation. The report was contributed by Claudia Ciobanu from Warsaw, Poland, and Samuel Petrequin from Paris.

  • 10 songs to get hyped for the World Cup final

    10 songs to get hyped for the World Cup final

    As the World Cup’s decisive final match approaches on Sunday, soccer fans across the globe are gearing up for the big game — and no pre-match celebration is complete without a carefully curated set of anthems to fuel excitement. No matter which side you’re rooting for, whether you’re backing Argentina to make history or cheering on Spain’s rising young squad, The Associated Press has assembled a 10-song collection that has something for every viewer, with all tracks available to stream in full on Spotify.

    Leading off the lineup is this tournament’s official World Cup anthem, *Dai Dai*, the 2026 collaboration between Colombian global superstar Shakira and Afrobeats legend Burna Boy. Blending the artists’ distinct musical identities, the track merges infectious Latin rhythms with Afrobeats cadences to create a truly global, multilingual listening experience. After the opening chorus, the two artists trade verses in a dynamic back-and-forth before uniting for a rousing closing duet centered on themes of unity and competitive triumph. Shakira emphasized the unifying power of soccer in an interview with the AP, noting: “Fútbol is a thing that unites so many cultures and people of different walks of life. The big responsibility of making a World Cup song is that you’ve got to make a song that represents people’s feelings, emotions, and passion.”

    Next on the list is the genre-bending collaboration *DNA (More Than A Game)*, which brings together an unexpectedly electric lineup of legendary tenor Andrea Bocelli, EDM pioneer David Guetta, *KPop Demon Hunters* singer-songwriter EJAE and award-winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion. Performed across three languages — English, Italian, and Korean — the track delivers a surprisingly powerful anthem with a core message of collective empowerment. “’Cause it’s more than just a game / it’s our DNA,” Bocelli and EJAE harmonize on the catchy chorus. Bocelli told the AP that stepping outside his usual performance style brought a refreshing new energy to the project: “It’s a kind of music very, very far from the scores that I’m used to performing in general, but sometimes it’s very nice to do something different and to discover new atmospheres. It’s very happy, the song. I think it gives happiness.”

    No roundup of iconic World Cup anthems would be complete without Ricky Martin’s 1998 global hit *La Copa de la Vida (The Cup of Life)*, released for that year’s tournament in France. The Spanglish mambo-pop smash remains the gold standard for World Cup theme songs, thanks to its unmistakeable soccer-centric lyrics, driving horn section, and relentless Eurodance-club energy that still gets crowds on their feet decades after its release.

    For Spain supporters, the playlist opens with a selection of fan favorites closely tied to the team. Up-tempo merengue-pop track *Despechá* from Rosalía has become a go-to celebratory track for La Roja, played after every goal and final whistle victory. With the 2010 World Cup champions advancing to this year’s final, fans can expect to hear this track blaring over stadium speakers once again. The 1967 Latin pop classic *Mi Gran Noche* from legendary Spanish singer Raphael is another staple of Spanish World Cup celebrations, with its big band brass arrangement and infectious cheerful chorus earning it cross-generational appeal that has kept it popular for more than half a century. Rounding out Spain’s themed entries is *La Roja Baila*, the 2016 official European Championship anthem from former Spanish defender Sergio Ramos, flamenco-pop star Niña Pastori and hit producer RedOne. While Spain’s 2016 tournament run ended in disappointment, the track’s catchy, cheery call-and-response chorus still remains a favorite chant for fans.

    For fans backing Argentina, the playlist highlights the tracks that have become the soundtrack to the team’s deep tournament run. *La Cumbia de los Trapos*, the 2000 hit from Argentine cumbia band Yerba Brava, first became the country’s unofficial anthem during their 2022 Qatar World Cup victory, and it has retained that status for this year’s tournament. Written as a soccer anthem from its inception, the high-energy track takes its name from the “rags” that fans wave as flags in Argentine stadiums. *Matador*, the iconic 1993 (2008 remastered) hit from ska-samba-reggae-rock group Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, is another staple played every time Argentina finds the back of the net. While its driving brass section and chant-along chorus make it a perfect party track, the song also carries a deeper meaning: it is a public condemnation of Argentina’s late-1970s and early-1980s military dictatorship. Modern Argentine duo Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso round out the Argentine selections with their 2024 track *Dumbai*, a playful, hook-driven genre-blending number that captures the joy of matchday celebration.

    Closing out the playlist is another Shakira classic, widely considered the greatest World Cup anthem of all time: *Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)*, the official 2010 South Africa World Cup anthem featuring South African group Freshlyground. Built around a soca-influenced beat and drawing inspiration from Cameroonian band Golden Sounds’ 1986 track *Zangaléwa*, the song exemplifies what makes a great World Cup anthem: it lifts up regional musical traditions and shares them with a global audience, all while delivering an unforgettable, catchy hook that has kept it popular for 15 years.

  • Germany’s fastest sprinter Owen Ansah faces an anti-doping process

    Germany’s fastest sprinter Owen Ansah faces an anti-doping process

    BONN, Germany — One of Germany’s most decorated track and field athletes, history-making sprinter Owen Ansah, is at the center of an ongoing investigation by the country’s national anti-doping body that could result in a competition ban, over allegations he did not comply with required doping testing protocols.

    Ansah, who made history earlier this year as the first German sprinter to break the 10-second barrier in the men’s 100-meter event, will remain eligible to compete during the investigation, which the National Anti-Doping Agency of Germany (known commonly as NADA) has labeled a standard “results management process.”

    In an official announcement released Friday, NADA confirmed the probe is being conducted under anti-doping regulations that explicitly prohibit athletes from evading, declining, or failing to complete mandated out-of-competition or in-competition doping tests. This rule has resulted in lengthy competition bans for athletes across a wide range of sports in previous cases. Most recently, former Wimbledon singles champion Marketa Vondrousova was handed the maximum four-year suspension, the standard penalty for a first offense under this rule, just last month after she refused to submit to a test.

    Unlike some anti-doping cases that trigger an immediate provisional suspension, NADA confirmed that no mandatory temporary ban is in effect for Ansah at this stage of the investigation.

    The 25-year-old runner shaved enough time off his personal best to set a new German national record of 9.98 seconds in the 100-meter just last month, and he has been widely ranked as a legitimate medal contender for both the individual 100-meter and men’s 4×100-meter relay events at the upcoming European Athletics Championships, set to kick off next month in the United Kingdom.

    As of Friday, Ansah had not issued any public statement or responded to requests for comment on NADA’s confirmation of the investigation.

  • Danish police officer and 2 others shot, including suspected perpetrator

    Danish police officer and 2 others shot, including suspected perpetrator

    A violent shooting incident in northern Denmark has left three people injured, including a Danish law enforcement officer and the suspected attacker, regional authorities confirmed Friday.

    The outbreak of gunfire unfolded in the city of Nørresundby, located within Denmark’s North Jutland region, according to official updates. Søren Pejtersen, a public information spokesperson for North Jutland Police, announced in an official Facebook post that all three victims sustained life-threatening serious injuries.

    Initial response protocols were triggered not by reports of gunfire, but by an emergency call about a structural fire in the city’s industrial zone, Danish public broadcaster DR detailed. Emergency dispatch received the alert at 1:39 p.m. local time, which translates to 11:39 GMT, and uniformed officers were immediately dispatched to the location to contain the blaze.

    When responding officers arrived at the scene, they were immediately met with a barrage of gunfire from an unknown assailant, the police statement confirmed. Out of self-defense and to neutralize the threat, the responding officers discharged their weapons and returned fire on the suspect.

    As of Friday afternoon, key details surrounding the incident remain under active investigation. Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the wounded police officer was hit by the suspect’s gunfire or struck by accidental friendly fire from fellow officers. Additionally, the identity of the third injured person and the circumstances of their shooting have not been clarified, leaving many core questions unanswered for the public.

    By 3 p.m. local time (1300 GMT), police confirmed the situation was fully under control, with the active shooting threat fully resolved. However, official investigations into the motive, background of the suspect, and sequence of events are ongoing, per DR’s reporting.

    Visual content captured from the site of the incident shows a thick plume of black smoke rising from the industrial area, matching the original report of an active fire at the location. As of the latest official update, no additional details on the condition of the injured or progress in the investigation have been released to the public.

  • German politician faces calls to resign over surrogacy child

    German politician faces calls to resign over surrogacy child

    A leading German center-right politician is facing widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum, including members of his own party, over accusations of blatant hypocrisy after he confirmed he and his husband welcomed a child via a surrogate mother in the United States.

    Jens Spahn, 46, who currently serves as parliamentary group leader for the joint Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Christian Social Union (CSU) bloc, made the announcement Wednesday that his son Georg had been born through international surrogacy. “Georg is our greatest joy. This feeling is almost impossible to put into words,” Spahn told German tabloid *Bild*. His husband Daniel Funke later shared a photo of the couple walking with a pram on Instagram, captioning the post “We Are Family.”

    The controversy stems from Germany’s longstanding national ban on surrogacy, a policy that Spahn has repeatedly and publicly supported for years. Enshrined in the 1990 Embryo Protection Act, commercial and altruistic surrogacy within Germany carries penalties of up to three years imprisonment or significant fines. While German law does not criminalize raising a child born to a surrogate abroad, the CDU reaffirmed its unwavering support for the domestic ban as recently as this February, arguing the prohibition is necessary to prevent surrogacy from becoming a exploitative commercial industry.

    Critics have highlighted two key past positions Spahn has taken that contradict his recent personal choice: In 2020, while serving as Germany’s Federal Minister of Health, Spahn rejected a proposal from the free-market Free Democratic Party (FDP) to relax the country’s surrogacy ban. Five years earlier, in 2015, he wrote publicly that “as a gay man and a Christian I find it personally very hard to warm to the idea of a rented womb.”

    Spahn is not the first CDU politician to face this controversy: Earlier in 2025, fellow party member Hendrik Streeck also revealed he had become a father via a U.S.-based surrogate.

    Across Germany’s political landscape, figures from multiple parties have called out Spahn’s actions as a breach of political credibility. Greens parliamentary leader Felix Banaszak offered personal well wishes to the new parents but argued Spahn has an obligation to publicly address the significant ethical questions at hand, noting that surrogacy’s moral complexities are “not trivial.” His Green colleague Janosch Dahmen, the party’s health spokesperson, went further, emphasizing that the dispute is not about the child’s birth, but about political consistency. “Anyone who advocates for rules politically should be able to explain clearly why those rules apparently do not apply to them personally,” Dahmen said.

    FDP politician Henning Höne echoed the criticism, saying he cannot respect politicians who pass domestic laws only to “evade them internationally with money and contacts.”

    The most damaging rebuke has come from within Spahn’s own conservative bloc. Marion Rosin, a CDU member of the Thuringia state parliament and activist with the party’s Women’s Union, argued that “politicians who set standards for others must be measured by them too. If that credibility is gone, resignation is a matter of consequence.” Daniel Peters, a senior CDU politician in the northern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, went on the record to *Bild* stating that Spahn’s position as parliamentary leader is “no longer tenable and he must resign,” arguing it is fundamentally wrong for a lawmaker to disregard the legal framework he upholds politically by acting one way in private while supporting different rules for the public.

    Klaus Holetschek, a senior leader of the CDU’s Bavarian sister party the CSU, told Germany’s DPA news agency that while the party respected Spahn’s private choice and congratulated the couple, the bloc’s political stance remains unchanged: “what is banned in Germany remains banned – and we won’t waver on that.”

    Surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman carries and gives birth to a child for intended parents who cannot conceive on their own, is banned across multiple major EU member states including Germany, France, Italy, and Spain. Policy on the recognition of international surrogacy has shifted in recent months: France’s highest court, the Court of Cassation, ruled earlier in July 2025 that children born via surrogacy abroad must be legally recognized as the children of their intended parents in France. By contrast, Italy’s right-wing government led by Giorgia Meloni introduced a new law in 2024 that criminalizes Italian citizens pursuing surrogacy abroad, even in countries where the practice is legal.

    For many German couples, both same-sex and heterosexual who cannot conceive through traditional means, international surrogacy has become a common workaround for the country’s strict domestic ban.