Author: France 24

Paris Saint Germain midfielder Fabian Ruiz, who started ahead of Pedri, gave la Roja the lead in the 30th minute, capitalizing on a rebound off a Thibaud Courtois save. Belgium though brought it back level 11 minute later with a powerful De Ketelaere header, therefore ending Spain’s remarkable run of 649 minutes without conceding at a World Cup. The second half was tough for Belgium; especially after their star keeper Thibaud Courtois broke down in tears when he suffered what seemed to be a thigh injury and was taken off the pitch in the 77th minute. Manchester United goalie Senne…

Victor Wembanyama committed his long-term future to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, signing a reported five-year, $252 million rookie maximum contract extension after telling fans: “I’m here to stay. Whatever it takes.”

Italy’s second biggest bank, Unicredit, is closing in on a takeover of Germany’s second biggest bank Commerzbank after saying it secured 47.6% of the lender’s shares on Wednesday. The move is facing widespread opposition in Germany, notably from the federal government, which has a 12% stake in the company. Also, new “freedom fuel” filling stations are appearing across the United States, offering cheaper petrol and receiving strong backing from the White House.

Paris has been hosting its autumn-winter couture collections amid simmering temperatures, with celebrities sporting parasols and fans as they watch the shows. Fashion journalist Alice Pfeiffer tells us why “Blazymania” has taken hold, as Chanel’s new artistic director continues his winning streak with designs inspired by Coco Chanel herself. At Dior, Jonathan Anderson presents an accessible, floral collection, while Pierpaolo Piccioli draws stars including Cynthia Erivo, Demi Moore and Teyana Taylor to the front row for his Balenciaga debut.

Israel has warned the United States of an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate Donald Trump, adding to tensions after fresh US strikes on Iran cast further doubt over ceasefire efforts. FRANCE 24 correspondent Noga Tarnopolsky says it is unclear how seriously Washington views the alleged threat, adding that the timing of the revelation raises questions over whether the US deliberately allowed the intelligence to become public.

Morocco posed little attacking threat in the first half, spending much of it in a low block as they sought to withstand France’s relentless pressure. Kylian Mbappé won a penalty in the 28th minute after being fouled by Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui. Following a lengthy and controversial VAR check lasting more than three minutes, his spot-kick was comfortably saved by Yassine Bounou. The first half ended goalless, but the pattern of the match had already been established: Morocco failed to register a single shot on target. Mbappé made amends in the 60th minute with a superb curling effort that beat…

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.