Trump: US envoys enroute to Doha for ‘perhaps important’ Iran meeting
NewsFeed President Donald Trump said US negotiators are heading to Qatar for what he called a ‘perhaps important’ meeting. The talks follow recent attacks that strained the Strait of Hormuz ceasefire. The US and Iran have until about mid-August to reach a permanent peace deal. Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Mourners light candles after deadly German shelter shooting
NewsFeed Residents lit candles on Monday evening near the site of a shooting that killed six staff members at a women and children’s shelter in Stade, Germany. Police say the shooter’s motive was related to a family dispute. Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Police hunt for suspect after three wounded in Monaco blast
Ukrainian oligarch reported to be among injured in explosion at residential building in the Mediterranean principality. By AFP and Reuters Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026 Police in Monaco and neighbouring France are hunting for a man suspected of detonating a makeshift bomb in the centre of the wealthy Mediterranean principality, which seriously injured several people, officials said. Three people, including a teenager, were hurt in the explosion that struck at about 9pm local time (19:00 GMT) on Monday in a residential building in Monaco, according to authorities in the micro-state on the French Riviera, known as a haven for billionaires and their luxury yachts. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list According to the AFP news agency, Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Yermolaiev was one of those wounded. Monaco’s Minister of State Christophe Mirmand initially told AFP that the blast appeared to be “an attack”, but later dropped the term, describing it as a “deliberate explosion”. A couple in their 50s or 60s suffered life-threatening conditions, while a 13-year-old who was “very likely related to the couple” suffered less serious injuries, Mirmand said, without disclosing their identities. The explosive device apparently contained bolts and buckshot, Mirmand said. “This is the first time in history, to my knowledge, that such an act has taken place in the principality,” he said. A source close to the investigation who asked not to be named told AFP that one of those wounded was Yermolaiev. Yermolaiev, a multimillionaire Monaco resident, has been subject to sanctions from Kyiv since December 2023, which Ukrainian security services reportedly said stemmed from his alcohol business activity in Russian-occupied Crimea. Advertisement Monaco’s public prosecutor, Stephane Thibault, said a suspect had left a bag or package in the building’s lobby before leaving. French newspaper Le Figaro said video surveillance images showed a man dropping a backpack at the entrance of a residential building shortly before the explosion. Monaco’s Prince Albert II described the incident as a “heinous crime” and “a shock to the entire Monegasque community”. An aide to French Minister of the Interior Laurent Nunez said police were working “to find the perpetrator, who has fled”. An AFP photographer at the scene saw a heavy police presence with access to the area cordoned off, while a helicopter circled overhead. Adblock test (Why?)
Enzo Maresca appointed Man City manager to succeed Pep Guardiola
Former Blues manager inks a three-year deal at Manchester City and succeeds Pep Guardiola, who stepped down in May. By Reuters Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Manchester City have appointed Enzo Maresca as manager to replace departing coach Pep Guardiola next season, the Premier League club announced on Monday. The Italian joins City following a mid-season exit from Chelsea, with the London club saying they had reached an agreement with the Manchester club over a compensation package. British media reported the fee to be about £17 million ($22.5 million). Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Maresca, who has signed a three-year contract, brings familiarity with City’s set-up, having previously coached the club’s youth team. He was also the senior side’s assistant coach under Guardiola during City’s 2018-19 treble-winning season. “Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” Maresca said in a statement. “The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special and I want to thank them for showing faith in my ability. “I cannot wait to start coaching the players. I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City.” Managerial journey The 46-year-old Italian’s managerial journey began at Parma in 2021, where he lasted 14 games, winning only four times. He was appointed Leicester City boss at the start of the 2023-24 Championship season and guided them back to the Premier League as champions. His success in the East Midlands earned him a move to Chelsea, where he was charged with steering a young but expensively assembled squad back to the Champions League. Maresca led Chelsea to victory in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup during his 18-month spell at Stamford Bridge [Kai Pfaffenbach/Reuters] Abrupt departure at Chelsea Maresca guided Chelsea to a fourth-place finish and lifted both the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup, but his relationship with the club’s owners deteriorated and he left midway through his second season at Stamford Bridge. Advertisement Chelsea said in a statement on Monday that Maresca had expressed a desire to leave in the middle of his contract after being informed of the opportunity to succeed Guardiola at Manchester City. “It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate,” Chelsea said in a statement. “In December 2025, our Head Coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.” City also confirmed they held confidential talks with Maresca last year, while he was still at Chelsea. The Italian acknowledged his departure disrupted Chelsea’s season, with the club eventually finishing ninth after parting ways with his successor Liam Rosenior and turning to caretaker Calum McFarlane. “I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish,” Maresca said in a statement on the Manchester City website. “I was treated well by everyone at Chelsea and together we achieved great success and memories that I will always treasure.” Chelsea have since appointed Xabi Alonso as manager. Pep Guardiola was Man City boss for 10 years and became the most successful manager in the club’s history [File: Lee Smith/Reuters] Replacing Guardiola Maresca now faces the daunting task of replacing 55-year-old Guardiola, whose decade-long spell transformed City into English football’s dominant force. “City is an incredibly well-run football club. Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful,” Maresca said. “For a manager, that is a dream situation. It provides the consistency I need to do my job effectively.” Guardiola, who announced his departure in May, led City to a dazzling array of silverware, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown. The Spaniard won the League Cup and FA Cup in his final season to cap a remarkable tenure at the club, but missed out on leading his side to another dramatic Premier League title victory. Adblock test (Why?)
Five killed in shooting at German youth centre
NewsFeed Five people were killed in a shooting at a youth welfare centre in Stade, northern Germany. Police arrested two people, including the suspected gunman, and said there is no ongoing threat to the public as investigators work to establish the motive and full circumstances of the attack. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
JD Vance’s 2028 strategy is starting to take shape
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Vice President JD Vance denied that there was an “intense rivalry” between him and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. And yet, reports and speculations about tensions between them continue to emerge, with the Rubio camp allegedly spreading rumours that Vance was thinking about pulling out of the presidential campaign before it even starts In response, perhaps, during the past two weeks, the vice president has stepped out of his routine public persona that usually avoids controversy to make bold statements critical of Israel. Rubio, on the other hand, has continued to hold the party line of unconditional support for Israel. While Vance has led efforts to negotiate a peace deal with Iran, which have rattled Israel, Rubio has spearheaded efforts to pressure the Lebanese government into an agreement on Israel’s terms. By becoming the face of Republican scepticism of Israel and clashing with his likely presidential election rival Rubio, Vance appears to be charting his own way to the presidency – one that distances the vice president from what increasingly seem to be unpopular foreign policy positions. Rubio, until recently, had been on the upswing, assigned ever-more important responsibilities by Trump. He has been a leading voice within the administration for a hawkish approach that has encompassed military action from Venezuela to Iran, outweighing the counsel of the more isolationist Vance. When it comes to Israel, Rubio has made a point of being as public and proactive as possible in his support for that country and its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, supporting his appeal for the US to enter the war with Iran, and even going so far as to put his name on determinations leveraging claims of national security threats to deport foreign students critical of Israel. Advertisement While the bulk of his public statements have been directed at the Netanyahu government, it is hard not to read some of Vance’s recent comments as being directly responsive to Rubio’s actions not only abroad, but at home as well. As Vance put it, “…pro-Israel people in the United States make two critical mistakes. One, on the one hand, is not delineating between America’s interest and Israeli interests because they’re not the same. But the second is always conflating criticism of a particular government with Jew hatred, because if everything is Jew hatred, then nothing is Jew hatred.” But, if Vance is creating space between himself and Rubio (including, apparently, by eschewing the increasingly weaponised terminology of “antisemitism”), it must also be the case that there is a political case for his doing so. That case has yet to be tested on the Republican side, where the political elites well beyond Rubio continue to move in lockstep with Israel’s Netanyahu. But Vance, as ever, is reading the base. The same polls that show an absolute collapse of Democratic grassroots support for Israel also show an unmistakable weakening of that support in the Republican base, with one recent survey finding that 57 percent of Republicans under 50 now hold negative views of Israel. Despite the inability of Republican elected officials to rally support behind their criticism of Israel (neither of the two most visible examples, Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie will re-enter Congress next year), the demand signal for more frank conversation has propelled right-wing commenters like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens to ever-greater prominence. Looking into the social media landscape, Republican questioning of the Israel relationship – particularly under the banner question of whether it represents “America First” or “Israel First,” is inescapable. Which is not to say it will be an easy path. As sitting vice president, Vance must defer to Trump; while the latter is currently frustrated with Netanyahu, there are no guarantees that the relationship will not warm up between now and 2028 – or that if Israel elects a new leader this autumn, that that person would not be able to rebuild much of Israel’s political capital in Washington. And similarly, if Vance’s stance on Israel helps him capture the “America First” – which is no easy task given the cohesion within that movement of the Christian Zionist camp that remains strongly pro-Israel – he may then have to contend with a Democratic competitor who seizes the Israel-sceptic mantle more credibly. Advertisement Or not. It is still early, but the favoured nominee on the Democratic side appears to be California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose few forays into commentary on Palestine and Israel have quickly been walked back to appease the pro-Israel backers of the party establishment. Indeed, the Democrats will have their own complicated, and likely ugly, battle to fight when it comes to Israel. What does appear certain, however, is that Israel will be a wedge issue in the upcoming election – and in the wake of the failed Iran war and increasingly unpopular attacks on free speech, both greatly driven by the government of Israel or its aligned lobbies, there is an opening here that Vance, given his competition with Rubio, would have been foolish to ignore. So is Vance’s public criticism of Israel – and pro-Israel voices within his own party genuine, or calculated? As Vance put it in his book Hillbilly Elegy, “I don’t believe in epiphanies. I don’t believe in transformative moments, as transformation is harder than a moment. I’ve seen far too many people awash in a genuine desire to change only to lose their mettle when they realised just how difficult change actually is.” Until now, little is harder in Republican politics than to go against the prevailing dogma on Israel. And while Vance has long demonstrated what might be termed isolationist tendencies, there is no reason to think that his recent comments represent an epiphany. Rather, like any politician, he is reading the tea leaves, and sensing an opportunity on the back of a change that is filtering across American public opinion. Vance may not be committed to driving that change. But he may be smart enough
Putin says Ukraine proposed halt to deep strikes
NewsFeed Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine has proposed a mutual halt to long-range strikes and a meeting with Kyiv’s leadership. But, though he says he is considering the proposal, he believes the deal would benefit Ukraine more than Russia. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Australian man charged with murder after Thai girl’s body found in suitcase
NewsFeed Australian national Simon Peter Carman has been charged with murder after the body of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla was found inside a suitcase. CCTV footage appears to show the pair entering a hotel together and Carman leaving hours later with only a suitcase. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Venezuelans angry with government as time runs out to rescue survivors
NewsFeed Four days after twin quakes left 1,450 dead and nearly 69,000 missing in Venezuela, residents and volunteers say they feel abandoned by the government as they race to save lives from the rubble. Published On 29 Jun 202629 Jun 2026 Click here to share on social media share-nodes Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)
Which teams are in World Cup last-32 knockouts, and what is the schedule?
All the qualified teams and match schedule for the round of 32 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which begins on Sunday. Published On 28 Jun 202628 Jun 2026 The round of 32 bracket of the 2026 World Cup is complete. After 72 group games featuring 48 teams, it’s time for the knockouts. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Below is the full list of qualified teams and the last-32 schedule: Teams in the round of 32 The top two teams from each of the 12 groups along with the eight best third-placed teams, have advanced from the group stage to the round of 32. They are: Group A: Mexico, South Africa Group B: Switzerland, Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina Group C: Brazil, Morocco Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay Group E: Germany, Ivory Coast, Ecuador Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Sweden Group G: Belgium, Egypt Group H: Spain, Cape Verde Group I: France, Norway, Senegal Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria Group K: Colombia, Portugal, Democratic Republic of the Congo Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana Cape Verde is the smallest nation to reach the World Cup knockouts [Phil Noble/Reuters] Round of 32 full schedule Sunday, June 28 South Africa vs Canada, noon (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium, California, United States Monday, June 29 Brazil vs Japan, noon (17:00 GMT) – Houston Stadium, Texas, US Germany vs Paraguay, 4:30pm (20:30 GMT) – Boston Stadium, Massachusetts, US Netherlands vs Morocco, 7pm (01:00 GMT on Tuesday) – Monterrey Stadium, Mexico Tuesday, June 30 Ivory Coast vs Norway, noon (17:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium, Texas, US France vs Sweden, 5pm (21:00 GMT) – New York/New Jersey Stadium, US Mexico vs Ecuador, 7pm (01:00 GMT on Wednesday) – Mexico City Stadium, Mexico Vinicius Jr and Brazil face Japan in a blockbuster round of 32 match [Paul Childs/Reuters] Wednesday, July 1 Advertisement England vs DR Congo, noon (16:00 GMT) – Atlanta Stadium, Georgia, US Belgium vs Senegal, 1pm (20:00 GMT) – Seattle Stadium, Washington, US USA vs Bosnia, 5pm (00:00 GMT on Thursday) – San Francisco Bay Area Stadium, California, US Thursday, July 2 Spain vs Austria, noon (19:00 GMT) – Los Angeles Stadium Portugal vs Croatia, 7pm (23:00 GMT) – Toronto Stadium, Ontario, Canada Switzerland vs Algeria, 8pm (03:00 GMT on Friday) – BC Place Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Friday, July 3 Australia vs Egypt, 1pm (18:00 GMT) – Dallas Stadium Argentina vs Cape Verde, 6pm (22:00 GMT) – Miami Stadium, Florida, US Colombia vs Ghana, 8:30pm (01:30 GMT on Saturday) – Kansas City Stadium, Missouri, US Lionel Messi and Argentina will start their 2026 World Cup knockout campaign against minnows Cape Verde [Paul Ellis/AFP] Adblock test (Why?)