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  • How Paris appeals court ruling could upend Marine Le Pen’s 2027 presidential bid

    How Paris appeals court ruling could upend Marine Le Pen’s 2027 presidential bid

    PARIS (AP) — A high-stakes ruling from Paris’ appellate court is scheduled for Tuesday in the long-running embezzlement case against far-right French leader Marine Le Pen, a decision that carries the power to upend the lineup for France’s 2027 presidential election and determine if one of the country’s top presidential hopefuls will appear on the ballot.

    Le Pen, 57, was first convicted in March 2025 alongside other senior members of her National Rally (formerly the National Front) party. The lower court found the group guilty of systematically misappropriating European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016, using money earmarked for EU parliamentary assistants to pay full-time party staff. The initial conviction handed Le Pen a suspended prison sentence and an immediate five-year ban from holding public office — a penalty that has been in effect since March 31, 2025. Le Pen has consistently denied any intentional wrongdoing and is pushing for the appeals court to overturn her conviction, clearing the way for her fourth presidential bid. If she is barred from running, her 30-year-old long-time protégé Jordan Bardella is widely expected to step in as the National Rally’s nominee, a shakeup that would fundamentally rearrange the race to succeed outgoing President Emmanuel Macron.

    For Le Pen, the most favorable outcome is a full acquittal. During her five-week appeal trial held earlier this year, the presidential contender admitted to what she called “a mistake,” acknowledging that some employees compensated through EU assistant funds did carry out work for the party. But she stressed that she honestly believed this arrangement complied with existing rules and never made any attempt to conceal the hiring structure. She also faulted European Parliament officials for failing to flag the practice as problematic at the time it was occurring.

    Le Pen’s lead defense attorney Rodolphe Bosselut framed the stakes clearly to the three-judge appellate panel, telling the court that his client had placed her entire political career in their hands, asking: “is the work of her life going to end here, or can it be rebuilt?” Even if Le Pen secures an acquittal, prosecutors retain the right to challenge the ruling by bringing the case to France’s highest judicial body, the Court of Cassation.

    A second plausible outcome sees the appeals court uphold Le Pen’s conviction but reduce the public office ban to two years or less — or eliminate the ban entirely. Because the ban has already been in effect since March 2025, a penalty of two years or less would expire before the first round of the 2027 presidential election, scheduled for April. That said, Le Pen’s path to the ballot would not automatically clear even in this scenario. Any remaining prison sentence, electronic monitoring requirement, or other judicial restrictions would create crippling barriers to a national campaign. Le Pen herself has already indicated she would choose not to run under such circumstances.

    “If I’m allowed to be a candidate but am effectively prevented from campaigning freely, then you understand that wouldn’t be possible,” Le Pen explained in a recent interview with French broadcaster LCI. “I can’t be dependent on a judge to authorize me to go hold a campaign rally or to visit a market.”

    In the harshest likely outcome, the appeals court could side with prosecutors, who have requested a four-year prison sentence (three of which would be suspended) and reimpose the five-year ban on holding public office. Though prosecutors did not explicitly ask for the ban to take immediate effect as the lower court did, the appellate court retains the authority to order that. Le Pen could still appeal the ruling to the Court of Cassation, but it remains uncertain whether the high court would suspend the sentence while it reviews the case. The Court of Cassation has previously stated that if it takes up the appeal, it will aim to issue a ruling before the 2027 election, but timing remains a critical concern for Le Pen.

    The presidential hopeful has stressed that she cannot delay her decision to run, noting that presidential campaigns require months of advance preparation. France’s election process is already set to begin formal organization in September, with campaigning accelerating in early 2026. Candidates are also required to collect endorsements from 500 elected officials to qualify for the ballot, a requirement that makes last-minute candidate replacements extremely difficult.

    Le Pen argued that prolonged legal uncertainty, even if she ultimately wins a ruling in her favor at the Court of Cassation, would sink her campaign. “If I’m prevented from running but the Court of Cassation rules in my favor three or four months later, it will be too late to conduct a proper presidential campaign,” Le Pen told RTL radio last year, explaining that she would not risk damaging her party’s chances by delaying a decision.

  • NATO chief may have to match his made-for-Trump sales pitch to keep a summit on the rails

    NATO chief may have to match his made-for-Trump sales pitch to keep a summit on the rails

    As NATO prepares to convene its critical summit this week in Ankara, Turkey, the alliance’s top leader faces one of its most daunting existential tests: holding onto the commitment of the United States, the bloc’s military and political backbone, amid shifting demands from U.S. President Donald Trump that threaten to unravel decades of collective security.

  • As war grinds on, Ukrainian climbers build a new outdoor culture inspired by Yosemite

    As war grinds on, Ukrainian climbers build a new outdoor culture inspired by Yosemite

    Nestled atop a jagged granite bluff overlooking a winding river, just a two-hour drive west of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, hundreds of people gathered last week for a unique celebration of outdoor adventure, music, and human connection. This was the 2024 Stoned Climbers festival, Ukraine’s largest outdoor gathering that merges rock climbing with live performances, held in the scenic Zhytomyr region. In a country weathering more than two years of full-scale war, this volunteer-led event balances the joy of ordinary leisure with constant, quiet reminders that conflict remains just over the horizon.

    By day, attendees spread across the landscape: experienced climbers scaled the steep cliff face, casual visitors cooled off in the nearby reservoir, and many tried their hand at stand-up paddleboarding on calm waters. When twilight fell, the forest came alive with sound, as live rock bands and electronic DJs took to the main stage, music drifting through the pine trees to the campground below. Unlike the 2023 iteration of the festival, when attendees watched Russian drones and missiles pass overhead en route to targets in Kyiv, this year’s event passed without enemy aircraft breaching the sky above the campsite. Still, air raid alert notifications pinged on attendees’ phones throughout the weekend, and off-duty soldiers blended quietly into the crowd of climbers and music fans. All profits from this year’s festival are donated to a fundraising campaign supporting Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, tying the event directly to the national war effort.

    The festival traces its roots back to 2023, when a group of 15 climbing-obsessed friends launched the gathering after bonding over their shared love of Yosemite Valley’s iconic climbing culture. The U.S. national park is widely viewed as the birthplace of modern rock climbing, where a distinct counterculture grew around backcountry camping, van life, and multi-month expeditions up the valley’s famous granite walls.

    “We realized climbing could be much more than just a competitive sport,” explained Dmytro Isaienko, 39, one of the festival’s co-founders. “It’s about a specific way of life — rooted in nature, camping, and time spent on the rocks.” The group set out to challenge the widespread belief that rock climbing is an exclusive hobby reserved for elite, professional athletes. Their first gathering in 2023 drew roughly 150 guests; this year, attendance surged to more than 500, the vast majority of whom are beginners or casual amateur climbers.

    Organizing any large public event during wartime brings unique challenges, but Isaienko says the conflict has also given the festival a deeper, more critical purpose. Creating shared, safe spaces where Ukrainians can gather, learn new skills, and connect with one another has become a vital tool to sustain mental and emotional well-being through the strain of prolonged war. “You need to get away from the war for a while,” he said. “Leave Kyiv and come spend some time here together, a little longer than usual.”

    On the rock face below the cliff top, patient instructors work one-on-one with complete beginners, walking them through fastening harnesses, chalking their hands, and spotting the next handhold on the granite. Every time a first-time climber pulls themselves to the top of the 25-meter cliff, spectators, fellow climbers, and instructors erupt in cheers and applause to celebrate the small victory.

    Among this year’s first-time attendees was 21-year-old Liliia Karpach, who traveled from the western Lviv region to attend her first Stoned Climbers festival. “I decided to come because it had been a very long time since I’d climbed on real rocks,” she said. “I also wanted to meet the community in person and get to know new people.” Karpach noted that climbing is as much a mental practice as it is physical exercise, and encouraged others to give it a try: “If you’re really nervous about coming on your own, invite some friends. Even if neither of you knows how to climb, you’ll have a good time together.”

    For 24-year-old instructor Andrii Lamei, helping new climbers build that confidence is the most rewarding part of the festival. While belaying a young first-time climber through the most challenging section of her ascent, he talked her through each movement step by step, helping her steady her nerves. As she climbed higher, her movements grew steadily more sure, and when she finally reached the top, Lamei encouraged her to pause before descending to take in the view. “Look around,” he shouted up to her. “Enjoy the moment. You made it.”

    Lamei says climbing is more than a hobby for Ukrainians navigating the stress of wartime: “Climbing helps you work with stress. It helps you manage stressful situations in everyday life.” Like most Ukrainian men of military age, Lamei is barred from leaving the country under wartime travel restrictions, so he cannot yet fulfill his dream of climbing iconic destinations abroad. “I want to go across the border to visit Yosemite, to visit Norway’s mountains, but I can’t,” he said. “But maybe this is how I’m forced to enjoy what I have here.”

    For Isaienko, that attitude is exactly what makes gatherings like Stoned Climbers so vital for Ukraine right now. While many Ukrainians have put large parts of their lives on hold during the war, he says the growing climbing community taking shape around the Zhytomyr cliffs proves that new traditions can still emerge even amid conflict. “This is a festival for everyone,” he said. “Including people who have never tried climbing before.” And every time another first-time climber reaches the top, the roar of applause rising from the base of the cliff makes clear that little by little, this community of resilience is growing.

  • Paraguay gets physical in a heated World Cup loss to France in steamy Philadelphia

    Paraguay gets physical in a heated World Cup loss to France in steamy Philadelphia

    PHILADELPHIA — The final 2026 FIFA World Cup match hosted at Lincoln Financial Field, the home stadium of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, will be remembered far more for its brutal physicality than its on-pitch flair, after France edged Paraguay 1-0 in a tense Round of 16 knockout clash marred by unsportsmanlike contact and post-match friction.

    Paraguay, known colloquially as La Albirroja, adopted a bruising, physical playing style that drew comparisons to the hard-hitting bone-crunching contact common in the NFL games held at the same venue. While Eagles head coach Nick Siranni would likely approve of such aggressive intensity, the French side, Les Bleus, was left frustrated and sore by the constant foul play.

    France midfielder Manu Koné summed up the chaotic experience of playing against Paraguay’s approach, noting he had never encountered a match with so many unregulated hard challenges. “I mean, cheap shots, shoves in the back. So, yes, it was complicated,” Koné told reporters after the final whistle.

    Much of Paraguay’s aggressive attention focused on French star forward Kylian Mbappé, who ultimately netted the match’s only goal from a 70th-minute penalty that carried France into the quarterfinals. Multiple Paraguay players targeted Mbappé through unmarked, off-the-ball contact throughout the first half: in the 35th minute, Andrés Cubas dragged Mbappé to the ground in the attacking third, sparking a mass confrontation between both squads. Before halftime, Matias Galarza caught Mbappé with an off-the-ball challenge that sent the French star sprawling across the turf. In the 77th minute, Juan José Cáceres kicked Mbappé sharply on the right shin. Shockingly, none of these hard fouls drew a yellow card from the match officials.

    In a striking turn of refereeing, France received all three of the yellow cards issued during regulation play. Paraguay only picked up a single yellow card after the final whistle, when one of its staff and players argued with the referee over calls.

    Paraguay’s aggressive game plan did not catch France off guard, Mbappé said after the match. “We knew what kind of match it was going to be. We can also get our hands dirty. We know how to do it. We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were expecting us to show up playing fancy pretty football, but we were ready. Even at that kind of game, we were better than them,” the star forward added.

    Temperatures ran as high off the pitch as they did on it, with the match played in scorching Philadelphia heat. After the final whistle, tensions boiled over when players from both sides converged at the center circle for a post-match shouting match. Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill threw a football directly at Mbappé’s back, an action he later defended by saying he had tried to shake Mbappé’s hand and lost his temper when the French star did not acknowledge him.

    Gill defended La Albirroja’s tactical approach, saying the squad had planned from kickoff to impose itself physically on France. “From the very first moment, we set out to make our presence felt on the pitch — to play hard. If the ball gets through, the man doesn’t. And, honestly, I think the team handled itself well,” Gill said.

    France head coach Didier Deschamps offered a scathing rebuke of Paraguay’s tactics, arguing the aggressive approach had no place in elite international football. “They pull out every trick in the book. It’s not the kind of football that draws people to the stadium. Each team played the way they want. But there were insults from the other bench that I could do without,” Deschamps said.

    Verbal altercations also broke out on the pitch during play, with Mbappé and Galarza caught in a heated shouting match at one point. At multiple junctures during the match, observers joked that the referee could have used American football-style penalty flags to keep up with the constant foul play that went unpunished.

    For France, the messy result was still a win that keeps their World Cup title hopes alive. “We fought a battle,” French defender William Saliba said after the match. “We won the battle.”

  • Albanians take to the streets in protest for the 35th night in a row

    Albanians take to the streets in protest for the 35th night in a row

    TIRANA, Albania — For the 35th straight night, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Albania’s capital city on Saturday to escalate their demands for sweeping political change, calling for Prime Minister Edi Rama to step down immediately, his government to be replaced on an interim basis, constitutional amendments to be drafted, and systemic corruption to be rooted out from national institutions.

    Unconfirmed media footage captured tens of thousands of protesters marching along Tirana’s central boulevard, making their way toward the city’s iconic Skanderbeg Square to rally. No independent observers have released an official count of the crowd size, as of press time.

    What began as a localized movement opposing a luxury coastal resort development on protected natural land—linked through business connections to Jared Kushner, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor—has over five weeks grown into a broad, sustained anti-government and anti-corruption uprising that has captured national attention. Throughout Saturday’s march, demonstrators chanted slogans including “New Albania” and “Edi Rama, resign.”

    The demonstration was layered with deliberate political symbolism tied to Albania’s modern history. Protesters erected a large bust of Prime Minister Rama before pulling it to the ground with a thick rope, an act deliberately echoing the 1991 toppling of Enver Hoxha’s statue that marked the end of decades of communist rule in the country, an event Albanians commemorate every February 20. The protest fell on Rama’s 62nd birthday, prompting demonstrators to carry mock cement birthday cakes, a biting reference to the large-scale construction projects that have defined Rama’s tenure and sparked widespread criticism of environmental destruction and corrupt land dealings. The crowd also sang an ironic rendition of “Happy Birthday” directed at the prime minister.

    Many marchers carried bright pink flamingo balloons, a nod to the local flamingo population that conservationists warn faces displacement and extinction due to the approved coastal resort construction. The ongoing movement has since been widely nicknamed the “Pink Flamingo Revolution” by participants and observers alike.

    After two hours of peaceful rallying in the square, a large contingent of protesters marched to a nearby local police station, demanding the immediate release of activists arrested during a previous demonstration held near the Albanian parliament on Thursday. Tensions escalated at the station when protesters smashed glass windows on the building, prompting police to deploy a water cannon to clear and disperse the gathered crowd.

  • Moment of destiny for France’s Le Pen in verdict to decide her future in presidential race

    Moment of destiny for France’s Le Pen in verdict to decide her future in presidential race

    France is holding its collective breath this week, as a Paris appeal court prepares to deliver a ruling that could reshape the trajectory of the country’s 2027 presidential election and redefine the future of its largest nationalist political force, the National Rally (RN).

    The case stems from a 2025 guilty verdict handed down to RN leader Marine Le Pen, who was found guilty of orchestrating a scheme to misuse European Parliament funds. At the original trial, courts confirmed that Le Pen knowingly oversaw a system where Paris-based RN staffers posed as parliamentary assistants working in Brussels and Strasbourg, drawing salaries from the EU budget at a time when the party faced chronic cash shortages. Alongside a two-year home imprisonment sentence with electronic monitoring, the original ruling imposed an immediate, five-year ban from holding public office— a provision that went into effect immediately, even before the appeal process, putting Le Pen’s presidential ambitions directly at risk.

    Ten additional convicted RN officials have also joined Le Pen in her appeal, and after four months of closed-door deliberations, the court will announce its decision on Tuesday. The outcome will not only decide Le Pen’s political future but also trigger a cascade of consequences for France’s upcoming election.

    Current polling places the 57-year-old nationalist leader in a strong position to win the presidency, which would mark the RN’s first capture of the Élysée Palace in the party’s history. If the appeal court upholds the original five-year ineligibility sentence, Le Pen will be barred from running, and her decades-long push for the presidency will end in defeat. A full acquittal would clear her path to the ballot immediately, an outcome legal observers consider highly unlikely. The most hotly debated possibility is a modified middle-ground sentence, such as a reduced two-year ban from office. In that scenario, the ban would expire on March 31, 2027, just two weeks before the first round of the election, theoretically allowing Le Pen to stand. However, if the court also maintains a one-year electronic monitoring order, Le Pen has already stated the restriction on her movement would make campaigning impossible.

    If Le Pen is ruled ineligible, the RN’s candidacy will automatically pass to 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, the party’s current president. Polls currently show Bardella is also a frontrunner in the race, but political analysts note his relative youth and limited executive experience could become liabilities once formal campaigning begins.

    Uncertainty around the ruling extends beyond the initial appeal verdict. Even if Le Pen is cleared to run, either side can take the case to France’s highest court, the Cour de Cassation, whose ruling would not come until January 2027. This creates a scenario where Le Pen could launch her campaign, only to be barred months later, throwing the entire election into chaos.

    These overlapping contingencies have sparked widespread speculation over Le Pen’s private expectations. In a recent pre-verdict television interview, Le Pen struck a measured tone, saying, “Whatever happens, I’ll still be alive. Whatever happens, I will continue the fight for my ideas,” leading some to suggest she has already prepared to hand over the campaign to Bardella. But another prevailing theory, particularly common in government circles, argues that judges will be reluctant to deny French voters the chance to cast ballots for such a popular candidate, and will adjust the sentence to allow her to run.

    No matter the outcome, the verdict will transform the 2027 election. Le Pen and Bardella represent distinct strands of French nationalism: Le Pen positions herself as a cross-spectrum candidate with strong appeal to working-class voters, while Bardella leans toward traditional right-wing economic liberalism, a shift that has won him quiet support from top French business leaders. While both figures insist on their mutual loyalty and frame their differences as complementary strengths that could help the RN finally break through to win the presidency, a handover from the veteran leader to the untested younger candidate would push the RN into uncharted political territory. For now, all eyes are on the Paris court, as France waits for a decision with unprecedentedly high political stakes.

  • Kylian Mbappé scores again and France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Paraguay

    Kylian Mbappé scores again and France reaches World Cup quarterfinals with 1-0 win over Paraguay

    PHILADELPHIA — On a sweltering July 4 marked by the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, France secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup held in the United States, booking the defending runners-up their fourth consecutive quarterfinal berth thanks to a milestone penalty from Kylian Mbappé.

    From kickoff, players battled more than just their opponents: an extreme heat warning was in effect for the full 90 minutes, with temperatures peaking near 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit). Organizers added scheduled hydration breaks to cool competitors down — a adjustment that has drawn criticism for slowing match tempo, but proved indispensable on this steamy, humid afternoon. Sprinklers doused the Lincoln Financial Field grass during breaks and halftime, while more than 68,000 spectators packed into the stands flooded the shaded concourses at halftime to escape the brutal sun.

    Paraguay, fresh off a stunning upset victory over Germany in a penalty shootout to reach the round of 16, set up a deeply physical, defensively compact block to frustrate the high-scoring French side. Les Bleus, who had netted 13 goals in their first five tournament matches, could find no breakthrough in the first half, with tempers flaring repeatedly. Paraguay’s Andrés Cubas brought down Mbappé in a rough challenge that sparked a brief scuffle between both squads, and Matías Galarza later sent Mbappé crashing to the turf with a sharp elbow to the body.

    The deadlock finally broke in the 70th minute, after a video assistant referee review ruled Paraguay’s Diego Gomez tripped Mbappé inside the penalty area. The French star stepped up to the spot, used a signature stutter-step to wrong-foot goalkeeper Orlando Gill, and slotted home his 19th career World Cup goal. The milestone puts him just one goal behind all-time career World Cup scoring leader Lionel Messi of Argentina, with both players tied on seven goals in this year’s tournament to lead the race for the Golden Boot, the award Mbappé won at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

    France had multiple chances to extend their lead late in the match: Mbappé missed a clear breakaway opportunity, Manu Koné saw a blistering top-corner strike pushed away by Gill, and the Paraguay shot-stopper pulled off two more sharp saves to deny Mbappé in second-half stoppage time. But the early second-half penalty proved enough to see France through.

    The match carried extra cultural context, held in the birthplace of American independence on the exact 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. Fans filled the stadium parking lots for pre-match tailgates, many draped in U.S. flags or wearing patriotic Uncle Sam hats far more than at any other Philadelphia match of the tournament. Pre-match entertainment featured performances from Idina Menzel, hip-hop icons The Roots and DJ Jazzy Jeff, blending World Cup soccer action with Independence Day celebrations.

    France will next face Morocco in the quarterfinals next Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Entering that matchup, Didier Deschamps’ side remain undefeated in this year’s tournament with a 5-0 record, having outscored all opponents 14-2 so far. Les Bleus won the 2018 World Cup title before falling to Messi’s Argentina in a penalty shootout in the 2022 final, and they remain one of the favorites to lift the trophy in 2026.

  • Kylian Mbappé of France scores 19th career World Cup goal, 1 behind Golden Boot rival Messi

    Kylian Mbappé of France scores 19th career World Cup goal, 1 behind Golden Boot rival Messi

    PHILADELPHIA — The 2026 World Cup Round of 16 delivered another iconic chapter for men’s football on Saturday, as France captain Kylian Mbappé inched closer to an all-time World Cup scoring record with a match-winning penalty that secured Les Bleus a 1-0 victory over Paraguay and a spot in the tournament’s quarterfinals.

    The 70th-minute strike marked Mbappé’s 19th career World Cup goal, pulling him just one goal behind all-time record holder Lionel Messi of Argentina. Messi, who notched his 20th career World Cup goal in Argentina’s 3-2 win over Cape Verde 24 hours earlier, also holds the unique record of scoring in eight consecutive World Cup matches, a streak still active through this year’s tournament.

    Mbappé’s winning goal broke a tense scoreless deadlock that had been marked by aggressive physical play from the Paraguayan side. After a VAR review, referee officials awarded France a penalty when Paraguayan defender Diego Gomez was judged to have tripped Mbappé inside the 18-yard box. The French captain used a stuttering run-up to wrongfoot goalkeeper Orlando Gill, slotting the ball into the net for his seventh goal of the 2026 tournament. With the finish, Mbappé leveled Messi atop the Golden Boot race for the tournament’s top scorer.

    The physicality boiled over into tension in the first half, when Paraguayan midfielder Andrés Cubas took Mbappé down with a hard tackle, triggering a brief scuffle between both squads. Later, Matías Galarza caught Mbappé with a right elbow to the chest, sending the French star crashing to the turf. Tempers flared again after the final whistle: after Mbappé declined Gill’s offer of a post-match handshake, the Paraguayan goalkeeper threw a match ball at Mbappé’s back as he walked away.

    In post-match comments, Mbappé acknowledged the physical nature of the contest, noting that France was fully prepared to match Paraguay’s aggressive style of play. “We knew what kind of match it was going to be. We can also get our hands dirty, we know how to do it,” the captain said. “We know how to play ugly football. Guess they were thinking we were going to show up in tuxedos, but we were ready. Even at that kind of game, we were better than them. That’s their style of football. There’s no right or wrong way to play the game. They tried to beat us that way, but we won.”

    France head coach Didier Deschamps praised his captain’s performance and leadership both on and off the pitch following the win. “I’ve said from the first day that he had the spirit. He gave all the athletic efforts,” Deschamps said. “He’s a great top-notch player on the pitch. But when he speaks, he speaks for the entire group.”

    Saturday’s result cemented another historic milestone for Mbappé: he is now the only men’s player in World Cup history to score at least three knockout-stage goals across three different World Cup tournaments. He also holds a key advantage in the Golden Boot race should he remain level with Messi at the end of the tournament. Under FIFA rules, the first tiebreaker for tied goal tallies is number of assists, and Mbappé currently holds a 2-0 lead over Messi in that category. If assists remain level, the second tiebreaker goes to the player who has played fewer minutes throughout the tournament. Norway’s Erling Haaland and England’s Harry Kane trail the two superstars, sitting on five goals each heading into the quarterfinal round.

  • US players and coach Mauricio Pochettino represent the diversity of America on July Fourth

    US players and coach Mauricio Pochettino represent the diversity of America on July Fourth

    SEATTLE — Fresh off throwing the ceremonial first pitch alongside his full squad at a Seattle Mariners baseball game fewer than 24 hours earlier, United States men’s national soccer team head coach Mauricio Pochettino had an unexpected set of birthday wishes to share Friday. Instead of marking forward Folarin Balogun’s 25th birthday, the 54-year-old Argentine-born coach turned his attention to the nation his side is representing at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which celebrated its 250th anniversary of independence on Saturday.

    Speaking to reporters Saturday while walking the training pitch at Husky Soccer Stadium, Pochettino smiled and offered a simple, warm greeting: “Happy birthday. It’s 250 years, no?” Since arriving for this summer’s tournament, Pochettino, who was raised in Argentina and maintains a residence in Spain, has fully immersed himself in American culture, joining thousands of elated fans in belting John Denver’s iconic folk anthem “Take Me Home, Country Roads” after every U.S. victory, while still making sure his squad never forgets his South American roots.

    U.S. captain Tim Ream, who returned to Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC after a long stint with England’s Fulham FC in the Premier League, noted the coach’s unwavering connection to his home. “He’s 200 percent Argentine,” Ream explained. “I think he’s obviously taken to the culture, and at the same time has added his bit of culture to us as well. The group is such a melting pot of staff, players. And, it’s just an incredible representation of who we are as people. But, he definitely won’t let us forget that he still is Argentine at the end of the day.”

    Pochettino is far from the only member of the U.S. camp with international roots that shape the team’s identity. Six of the 26 rostered players were born outside the United States, and others including Balogun grew up playing soccer in European academies. Balogun, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Nigerian parents and raised in London from a young age, was eligible to represent three different nations at the international level, but ultimately chose to commit his senior career to the U.S. “This is a unique experience for me,” Balogun said, “being in the World Cup in your home nation.”

    While soccer has long trailed American football, basketball and baseball in mainstream popularity among U.S. sports fans, new exclusive polling from Ipsos Sports shared with the Associated Press confirms this co-hosted World Cup has reignited passion among existing fans and drawn the curiosity of casual supporters across the country, even as the sport continues working to cement its place as a core part of American sports culture.

    On Monday, the U.S. will get a chance to build on that growing momentum when it faces off against Belgium in a Round of 16 knockout match at Seattle’s Lumen Field. A win would mark a historic milestone for U.S. men’s soccer: it would be the first time the nation has ever won two consecutive knockout matches at a World Cup, and would send the team to only its second quarterfinal appearance in tournament history, with the first coming back in 2002.

    For Ream, the moment represents more than just a game. “(An) opportunity to continue to inspire tens of millions of people, inspire kids,” Ream said. “It’s an opportunity for us to win another knockout-stage game in a World Cup.” That run will depend on contributions from across the team’s deeply diverse roster, which includes standouts like Weston McKennie and Sergiño Dest, both sons of U.S. service members, who bring unique backgrounds to the squad.

    Dest is confident the team has improved dramatically since a 5-2 warm-up loss to Belgium back in March, and says the U.S. is more than capable of pulling off an upset Monday. “Belgium is a great opponent,” Dest acknowledged. “But, we also see some opportunities for us to be able to win that game. ‘Cause we are also a great team at the moment. We grew a lot, as well, in this tournament. And, at the moment, it’s really difficult to beat us. So, it will be difficult for Belgium as well.”

    Saturday’s 250th independence anniversary gave the squad a chance to step away from training and celebrate the occasion together, with Ream and his teammates watching the city’s fireworks display from a rooftop bar overlooking Puget Sound. Ream noted that celebrating the Fourth of July in Seattle feels far different than marking the holiday in the U.K., where many fans do not understand the history of the holiday. “It’s a little bit different celebrating here than over there because obviously, in a lot of ways, a lot of people don’t actually know why we celebrate the Fourth, which is crazy to me, because they were a big part of why we celebrate the Fourth,” he said.

    For Ream, the team’s varied origins — spanning every continent and background — make it the perfect reflection of modern American identity. As the team looks to cap off the holiday weekend with a historic win, he summed up the squad’s ethos: “With all our different backgrounds, where we all have grown up, it’s a true representation of what America is. It’s a melting pot of people, personalities, of characters. It’s the perfect representation of what the U.S. is.”

  • A fast-moving wildfire near Greece’s Thessaloniki sparks evacuations as smoke blankets suburbs

    A fast-moving wildfire near Greece’s Thessaloniki sparks evacuations as smoke blankets suburbs

    On Saturday evening, a rapidly expanding wildfire erupted close to the suburban areas of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second-biggest urban center, forcing emergency evacuation orders for residents of three small northern suburbs, according to Greece’s national Fire Service.

    The blaze first ignited in a deep ravine nestled in a mountainous zone shortly after 8:30 p.m. local time (1730 GMT), and strong regional gusts pushed the flames across the landscape at an alarming rate before they reached the surrounding plains. Fire officials confirmed that while no residential properties have suffered damage so far, multiple commercial buildings have already been consumed by the fire.

    Emergency alerts were sent via text message to all residents of the three affected settlements — Anthoupoli, Filothei and Galini — ordering them to leave their homes immediately. Among the evacuated sites was a care facility housing 157 people with disabilities and special needs. Local government representatives reported that approximately 120 residents who were able to travel independently are now sheltered in a nearby municipal gymnasium, while the remaining 37 people with more intensive care requirements were relocated to a nearby psychiatric hospital that could accommodate their needs.

    By midnight, the Fire Service confirmed that law enforcement had taken a 76-year-old man into custody on suspicion of intentionally starting the wildfire. Officials noted that the suspect appeared to be intoxicated at the time of his arrest.

    For residents of central Thessaloniki, the wildfire presented a terrifying visible spectacle: orange flames were clearly visible on the horizon, and loud explosions could be heard as flammable materials stored inside the burning commercial structures caught fire and ignited. A thick, toxic blanket of smoke drifted across multiple suburbs and western districts of the city, reducing air quality dramatically.

    As of Sunday morning, roughly 115 firefighters and 38 fire engines were joined by dozens of volunteer first responders in the battle to contain the blaze. Aerial firefighting aircraft conducted initial water drops, but were forced to suspend operations once night fell, as fixed-wing and rotary aircraft do not conduct active firefighting after dark in Greece.

    Officials confirmed that there is currently no immediate risk that the fire will advance into the core of Thessaloniki, but firefighting command has kept all crews on high alert and additional resources have been dispatched to the region to reinforce containment efforts. Persistent strong winds across the area remain the biggest challenge to containing the spread of the flames.

    Greece, which faces long, hot, dry and regularly windy summer conditions, is one of the European countries most vulnerable to seasonal wildfires. Remarkably, the country avoided any major wildfire damage through the entire month of June this year. The first large-scale wildfire of the 2024 season broke out just this past Wednesday in central Greece, which claimed the lives of a father and his 12-year-old son before it was contained, and also required mass evacuation orders for multiple local communities. So far this summer, Greece has also avoided the record-breaking extreme heatwaves that have already engulfed most other regions of the European continent.

    Saturday saw multiple other active wildfires burning across the broader Thessaloniki region, including one on the Halkidiki Peninsula, one of Greece’s most popular coastal vacation destinations for both international and domestic tourists, and a second blaze near the northern city of Kilkis.