Author: France 24

Les Bleus advanced to the World Cup semi-finals for the third consecutive time on Thursday. Didier Deschamps’ side struggled for the first 45 minutes against Morocco’s defence before making the breakthrough in the second half thanks to Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé (2-0). They will face Spain or Belgium for a spot in the final.

As the World Cup quarterfinals get under way, the race to number one between Nike and Adidas heats up. India and Australia sign a new uranium deal. And, OpenAI rolls out its newest model GPT-5.6 Sol to the general public.

Best known her power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart” that topped the charts in 1983, Bonnie Tyler, the gravelly voiced, Grammy-nominated Welsh pop star has died. She was 75 and passed away in hospital in Portugal from an illness, after undergoing emergency intestinal surgery in May. Her signature voice was actually the result of an accident after not resting enough following an operation to remove nodules on her vocal cords.

The United States and Iran are continuing to trade strikes on July 9 for a second straight day. after President Donald Trump said the ceasefire between the two countries was “dead”. According to Iran’s health ministry, the two days of US attacks have killed at least 14 people and injured more than 70. In response, Tehran said it had resumed its targeting of US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.

Egypt has filed a formal FIFA complaint after its controversial World Cup exit against Argentina, accusing officials of “double standards” and demanding the removal of the referee and his team. Egypt led 2-0 before Argentina’s dramatic comeback, with controversy surrounding a VAR decision that ruled out a crucial Egyptian goal. The defeat has fuelled viral claims of Argentina favouritism and a “rigged” World Cup designed to benefit Lionel Messi’s squad.

The IMF has cut its global growth forecast for the second time this year, flagging “uncertainty and risks” brought on by the war in Iran. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez responds to threats from Donald Trump that the US will cut off all trade with his country. And, the heatwave is putting France’s power system is under pressure.

Manon Kerjean explains why the animated feature In Waves, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s adaptation of a bestselling graphic novel, has been moving audiences to tears. We also take a look at Stéphane Demoustier’s dark summertime thriller The Heat and enjoy the behind-the-scenes comedy of La Comédie Française, set inside France’s most prestigious theatre. Finally, 20th-century cinematic visionary Jacques Tati is back in the spotlight with a retrospective of his quirky, forward-looking films, now being screened in newly restored 4K versions.

Both supporters of the Iranian regime and members of the opposition have been sharing AI-generated images of funeral services held in early July for Iran’s late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – killed during a US-Israeli strike on February 28.

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, June 25: UK papers discuss the Nottingham maternity care scandal. Next: is there going to be another heatwave in Europe this summer? Also: the Euclid telescope took extraordinary photos of the Milky Way. Finally, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s upcoming wedding is getting both Swifties and gamblers excited.

Trailing 2-0 with 15 minutes to go, Argentina came from behind to beat Egypt 3-2 in the World Cup round of 16. Argentina will face Switzerland in the quarter-finals.