The World Cup of adverts: How brands are competing to entertain, not simply sell
Almost six minutes into Nike's frenzied recent football-themed advert, Norwegian superstar striker Erling Haaland finally leaps into life.
· Paul Glynn
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Newest first · UTC+11:00Matt Canavan rejects calls for seat-sharing agreement with One Nation
Nationals leader says he supports Pauline Hanson’s ‘fire the liar’ fundraising campaign but will not sign up to a joint election strategy
· Krishani Dhanji
MILF party loses Cotabato mayor in pre-election setback
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· Herbie G
Canada proposes social media ban for children under 16
The Canadian government has proposed a bill that would ban social media for children under the age of 16, with potential exemptions for platforms that demonstrate “sufficient safeguards.”
· RT
'There's a World Cup happening?' Are Americans excited about the tournament?
Will Americans catch World Cup fever?
· Bbcsport
South Korea get off to winning start after rallying from goal down to beat Czechia
South Korea rallied from a goal down to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and make a winning start to their World Cup Group A campaign, much to the delight of their fans and the sizeable local Mexican support they enjoyed in a festive Guadalajara.
· Reuters
S. Korea opens World Cup campaign with 2-1 win over Czechia
South Korea opened its 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Czechia in a Group A match at Estadio Guadalajara in Mexico on Friday (Korean time).
· Lee Sun-young
NATO country asks Ukraine to add self-destruct function to stray drones
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta has urged Ukraine to program its maritime drones to self-destruct if they veer into the country’s territorial waters.
· RT
Trump Republican goes all in on the president in upstate New York GOP primary
Anthony Constantino, a Republican candidate for Congress, stands next to the large “Vote for Trump” sign on the roof of his printing company, Sticker Mule, in Amsterdam, New York, Thursday, April 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Hill)
· Michael Hill
Trumps Iran-Krieg – und die Zinsfalle
Gordon Repinski und das POLITICO-Team nehmen Euch mit durch die Hauptstadt - kurz, präzise, hintergründig. Montags bis freitags ab 5 Uhr.
· Rixa Fürsen
Spencer Pratt responds to questions as LA mayoral vote count drags on at snail’s pace
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· Daniel Farr
Jailed South Korea ex-president gets 30 more years for sending drones into North
A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in jail for sending drones into North Korea.
· Yvette Tan
Julian Quinones carries Saudi Pro League form into World Cup with opening goal in Mexico win | The National
Mexico's Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup, carrying on his fine form from an outstanding Saudi Pro League campaign.
· Steve Luckings
With British politics in chaos, the Liberal Democrats are getting election-ready
LONDON — The Liberal Democrats have already selected a raft of prospective parliamentary candidates in their target seats for Britain’s next general election, as part of a wider move to ready the centrist party for a potential return to government.
· Sam Francis
Are voters hopelessly divided or universally angry?
Stories driving the day in Brussels and beyond.
· Sarah Wheaton, Dionisios Sturis, Saga Ringmar
Newsroom edition: Are the Liberals already surrendering to One Nation? – Full Story podcast
One Nation’s predicted primary vote is ahead of both the Labor government and Coalition opposition for the first time, marking a new level of popularity for a party that has sat at the fringe of Australian politics for decades and sparking a flurry of questions about whether Pauline Hanson could actually become prim…
Lee's approval rating falls below 60 pct amid ballot shortage controversy: poll
SEOUL, June 12 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung's approval rating fell below 60 percent for the first time in four months amid negative public sentiment over ballot shortages reported during last week's local elections, a poll showed Friday.
· Yi Wonju
Far-right surge puts Merz’s coalition on the clock to deliver
BERLIN — In Friedrich Merz’s telling, it’s not just his chancellorship that’s on the line — but the future of the German republic.
· James Angelos, Nette Nöstlinger
The EU has new migration rules. What does that mean?
BRUSSELS — After years of political deadlock, false starts and dead ends, a major overhaul of EU migration policy kicks in on Friday.
· Hanne Cokelaere
The alternative World Cup rankings
Congratulations to Sweden on winning this year’s World Cup … and also to France, Qatar, Uruguay, Norway, New Zealand and Switzerland for the same thing.
· Hanne Cokelaere, Paul Dallison
What’s the point of political protests?
POLITICO’s weekly political series lifting the curtain on how Westminster really works.
· Sascha O'Sullivan
Hanson scoffs at Albanese’s scepticism of One Nation fundraising, releases audit
Pauline Hanson has weaponised the prime minister’s scepticism of her fundraising success to accuse Anthony Albanese of lying again as she released an audit that said the money brought in by her attack campaign was legitimate.
· Brittany Busch, Emily Kaine
Do not use my music, Ariana Grande tells White House
US pop star Ariana Grande has asked the White House not to use her music, after it did so in a social media video promoting its immigration policies.
· Harry Sekulich
Russia not looking for conflict – top NATO general
Russia has no plans to attack NATO territory, the bloc’s senior military commander has said, despite warnings from some European officials that members should prepare for a potential armed clash with Moscow.
· RT
The separate ballot in LA that you probably haven’t heard of
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· Caleb Jasso
Chris Mason: Dissent fizzes again at the top of the Labour Party
After the spray of resignations, fury and anger a month ago following Labour's calamitous election results, the Makerfield by-election campaign had put a temporary cork in the bottle of the party's dissent.
· Chris Mason
Thai Princess Bajrakitiyabha dies after more than three years in coma, palace officials say
Thailand's Princess Bajrakitiyabha, who has been in a coma for more than three years, has died, the royal household has announced.
· Jonathan Head
Alaska election officials take steps to disqualify second Dan Sullivan from Senate primary
In this image provided by Karen Dillman, Alaska Senate candidate Dan Sullivan, one of the challengers to the incumbent senator, also named Dan Sullivan, poses for a photo on a hike, Sunday, June 7, 2026, on Kupreanof Island, near Petersburg, Alaska. (Karen Dillman via AP)
· Becky Bohrer
"It Was Like Two Bucks": Homeless Residents Say They Were Paid To Vote In Los Angeles Mayoral Race
Shocking videos posted on social media show multiple homeless Skid Row residents claiming they accepted cash payments ranging from $2 to $5 in exchange for voting for Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and city councilwoman Nithya Raman in last week's mayoral election.
· Tyler Durden
Election handicapper shifts three Senate races toward Democrats – but GOP still favored to hold majority
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· Victor Nava
From near death to World Cup hero - Jimenez's tears for Mexico
Three red cards shown as Mexico beat South Africa in World Cup opener
· Bbcsport
Poland presses Ukraine to drop street name honoring Nazi collaborator
Polish officials from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have urged the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to rename a street honoring Stepan Bandera, the nationalist leader whose movement was responsible for the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles during World War II.
· RT
No final agreement on deal with US – Iran’s Foreign Ministry
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s leadership had approved a preliminary peace deal.
· RT
More than 50 Iranian military bases damaged in US strikes since start of war, satellite images show
More than 50 Iranian military bases, including the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), have been damaged by US-Israeli attacks since the war began, satellite images show.
· Paul Brown
Air India crash families' year-long battle to identify remains of victims
Miten Patel remembers the day hospital staff in Ahmedabad drew two vials of his blood to help identify his parents.
· Azadeh Moshiri
'I've never been this good' – revolutionary immune reset puts lupus in remission
An experimental treatment that resets a malfunctioning immune system has put the disease lupus into remission in early UK trials.
· James Gallagher
Three red cards - are referees getting tough at this World Cup?
Three red cards shown in opening game of World Cup
· Bbcsport
Why the economics makes this the craziest world cup ever
Football World Cups are rarely completely politics-free but never has the beautiful game navigated a geopolitical high-wire act of this kind. The main host is at war with a participant, whose team must commute in on match days from another country.
· Faisal Islam
'I spent uni savings on getting my teeth fixed' - how NHS dentist shortage is costing a fortune
Last summer Deacon Galloway was busy getting ready for university. His grandparents had been putting money away to help him with the costs, but then he faced an unexpected bill.
· Nick Triggle
Meningitis B vaccine to be offered to a million young people
A million young people in England, Wales and Scotland will be offered a vaccine to help protect against meningitis B.
· Smitha Mundasad
My friends always want to split the bill equally, how do I say no?
One friend orders two cocktails. Another "just wants to try" that £16 truffle arancini starter. But you stuck religiously to tap water. So when the waiter places the card reader on the table at the end of the night, you are facing a social minefield.
· Yasmin Rufo
McTominay travels separately in Boston as precaution
Scott McTominay has become a key figure in Scotland's side
· Bbcsport
1 in 5 Americans believe aliens are already among us, out-of-this-world poll says
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· Natalie O'Neill
Girl, 14, charged with attempted murder after Manchester school knife attack
A 14-year-old girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after a knife attack at a school in Manchester on Tuesday, counter-terror police have said.
· BBC News
Trump says deal to end Iran war is close after calling off strikes
US President Donald Trump has claimed an initial agreement aimed at ending the war with Iran is close after posting that he had cancelled strikes on the country.
· Olivia Ireland
(EDITORIAL from Korea JoongAng Daily on June 12)
Another election blunder by the NEC
· Chae Yun-hwan
Warfare vs welfare: EU leaders push forward with military buildup at cost of citizens
The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them also implementing ma…
· RT
Three red cards shown as Mexico beat South Africa in World Cup opener
Three players are sent off as World Cup co-hosts Mexico defeat South Africa in a dramatic opening match at a packed Azteca Stadium.
Armed forces minister quits after Healey exit as defence funding row deepens
The armed forces minister has followed former Defence Secretary John Healey in quitting the government in a dispute with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer over funding for the military.
· Joshua Nevett