KANSAS CITY, USA: Lionel Messi’s Argentina face Egypt for a place in the World Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday as the maestro looks to reclaim the lead in a fiercely contested Golden Boot race. The defending champions meet the African nation, spearheaded by Mohamed Salah, in Atlanta for the right to »»»

Dangote Cement Plc (NGX: DANGCEM), Nigeria’s largest cement producer, has raised its dividend by 50% after a strong 2025 performance, approving a record payout of NGN753.8bn ($550mn) to shareholders. Shareholders approved the dividend at the company’s annual general meeting in Lagos, lifting the pa»»»

Dubai: Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has come under fire after a social media post about the French national football team during the 2026 FIFA World Cup triggered widespread criticism and debate online. On July 6, Bachchan shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) commenting on the racial m»»»

SEATTLE: Co-hosts the United States were thrashed 4-1 byBelgiumon Monday and were eliminated from the World Cup following FIFA's controversial decision to allow forward Folarin Balogun to play despite a red card suspension. Belgiumtook an early lead through Charles De Ketelaere in the ninth minute.»»»

France star Kylian Mbappe on Monday condemned a Paraguayan senator over racist remarks she made following Paraguay’s loss to France in the round of 16 at the World Cup. Mbappe called Celeste Amarilla, a senator from Paraguay’s Liberal Radical Party, a “despicable woman” who was “unworthy” of servin»»»

SEATTLE: The United States’ hopes for a deep World Cup run at home ended when Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and assisted on another goal, helping Belgium expose the Americans’ defensive liabilities in a 4-1 win Monday night that earned a quarterfinal berth. While the US was boosted by the prese»»»

Waltham, United States: Kylian Mbappe on Monday labelled a Paraguayan senator "despicable" and "not worthy of her position" after she racially abused the France captain on social media after the World Cup last-16 clash between the countries at the weekend. Mbappe's reaction came after Celeste Amari»»»

RABAT: Morocco’s counterterrorism ‌agency said on Monday it had foiled attack plots targeting sensitive sites and public security by a cell ​loyal to Daesh’s affiliate in the Sahel. Ten suspects were arrested in coordinated operations in the cities of Agadir, Taroudant, Casablanca, Hajjeb, Tetouan,»»»

Doha: The State of Qatar condemned the terrorist plots that sought to undermine public order and expose the safety of individuals and property to serious danger in the sisterly Kingdom of Morocco. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs renewed the State of Qatar's firm stance in rejecting violence and ter»»»

Rabat: The Moroccan authorities announced on Monday that they had foiled high-stake and advanced terrorist plots that were intended to compromise public order and the security of people and property. According to a statement from Morocco's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations, security personn»»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed the UAE's strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist plots foiled in the Kingdom of Morocco. The plots sought to seriously undermine public order and the security of persons a»»»

Doha: Qatar's Shura Council has approved a draft law on state property in its amended form and a new traffic bill before concluding the first ordinary session of its second legislative term, corresponding to the council's 54th annual session. Meeting at the Tamim bin Hamad Hall under the chairmansh»»»

Moroccan authorities said on Monday they had arrested 10 people, including a minor, involved in foiled "terrorist plots" across several cities. The kingdom's Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) said in a statement carried by state news agency MAP that the suspects were linked to the Is»»»

DOHA: The Shura Council has approved a draft law on state property in its amended form and a new traffic bill before concluding the first ordinary session of its second legislative term, corresponding to the council's 54th annual session. Meeting at the Tamim bin Hamad Hall under the chairmanship o»»»

DOHA: The Shura Council has approved a draft law on state property in its amended form and a new traffic bill before concluding the first ordinary session of its second legislative term, corresponding to the council's 54th annual session. Meeting at the Tamim bin Hamad Hall under the chairmanship o»»»

RIYADH: As the Round of 16 got underway at this World Cup, the official Saudi Pro League account announced there were 11 players still representing the league remaining in the competition. Four teams had one SPL player each, while three had two or more players in their squads. Two of those four tea»»»

Linevo, the award-winning product, is an innovative glass railing system that offers a completely different approach to architectural design, featuring a continuous glass surface with no visual interruptions and no visible profiles. The solution integrates existing technologies, such as laminated g»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 underway, African teams have delivered one of the most memorable performances in the tournament’s history. With 10 nations representing the continent in the expanded 48-team format, CAF teams shattered records by sending a staggering nine into t»»»

Philadelphia: Les Bleus kept yet another clean sheet in their victory over Paraguay and their reliable back line could prove key to their hopes of winning the tournament. Discussions about France tend to focus on their in-form attack of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise, but it would»»»

DPA Philadelphia France superstar Kylian Mbappe said “we know how to play dirty football too” and praised his team for keeping it cool and not falling for Paraguay’s attempts to provoke fights and fouls. “They thought we’d come out to play in tuxedos, that we’d just come out to pull off fancy moves»»»

Damascus, July 5 (SANA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates held a joint workshop at its headquarters in Damascus with an official delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates of the Kingdom of Morocco. During the workshop, the two sides»»»

Philadelphia: Tournament favourites France will go into their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco with their confidence further bolstered by the manner in which they saw off Paraguay on Saturday, as Didier Deschamps' team showed they are happy to "get their hands dirty" as well as play brillian»»»

RIYADH: When Ismael Saibari clutched the back of his right thigh just 22 minutes into Morocco’s FIFA World Cup round of 16 clash against Canada, alarm bells started ringing. In a tournament where the Atlas Lions’ glaring weakness had been converting golden chances, losing their top scorer was the l»»»

Los Angeles, United States: England face Mexico in a World Cup blockbuster at the Estadio Azteca on Sunday [Monday, July 6, 3am, Qatar Time], while Erling Haaland and Norway bid to ambush Brazil as the battle for quarter-final places heats up. A day after France and Morocco sealed their places in t»»»

Global alternative payments platform Pay10 has officially entered the European Union after securing an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence from the National Bank of Hungary (Magyar Nemzeti Bank), a milestone that positions the company among only three EMI licence holders in the country and a»»»

Philadelphia: Paraguay coach Gustavo Alfaro said his side had "fought like lions" in their 1-0 World Cup defeat at the hands of France on Saturday. "France couldn't find the answers, and it took a bit of individual skill and a penalty given by VAR to make the difference which their football had not»»»

HOUSTON: The end result was as expected, but for 45 minutes the performance was not. After a quintessential game of two halves, Morocco became the first African team in history to twice reach the World Cup quarterfinals, yet it was not the easy game against Canada that many fans anticipated. When t»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA World Cup entered the knockout stage with 32 teams still dreaming of glory. Over 16 matches played across the United States, Canada and Mexico, football’s biggest names were forced to fight for survival, big nations were sent home, and several nations celebrated the greatest v»»»

Doha, Qatar: Brazil’s pursuit of a record-extending sixth FIFA World Cup crown faces its biggest examination yet when they meet Norway in a Round of 16 clash at the MetLife Stadium, New York New Jersey, today at 11pm Qatar time. A quarter-final against either co-hosts Mexico or 1966 champions Engla»»»

PHILADELPHIA: Kylian Mbappe converted from the spot for his ‌19th World Cup goal and seventh of this tournament as France outlasted Paraguay to reach the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory on Saturday in a steamy round of 16 encounter. With ​the penalty, earned by substitute Desire Doue’s slaloming r»»»

Philadelphia, United States: France needed a second-half Kylian Mbappe penalty to break down a stubborn Paraguay side on Saturday, winning a niggly World Cup last-16 clash 1-0 to set up a quarter-final showdown with Morocco. Paraguay's efforts to get under the skin of France's superstars worked for»»»

DPA Houston Azzedine Ounahi scored a brace as ruthless Morocco reached the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday with a 3-0 victory over Canada who became the first host nation to go out. Man of the Match Ounahi opened the scoring for the African champions and 2022 semi-finalists in the 50th minute,»»»

Houston Morocco advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 3-0 victory over Canada on Saturday at Houston Stadium in the opening match of the Round of 16. Morocco continued its impressive tournament run after finishing second in Group C with seven points, earned through victori»»»

Houston: Canada became the first of the co-hosts to exit the World Cup as a clinical Morocco won 3-0 to reach the quarter-finals on Saturday in Houston. The 2022 semi-finalists Morocco will face title favourites France or Paraguay as the business end of the tournament in North America approaches. A»»»

HOUSTON: Morocco produced a patient and professional performance to sweep past World Cup co-hosts Canada 3-0 in their round-of-16 clash on Saturday. A second-half brace from Azzedine Ounahi and a late Soufiane Rahimi strike on the break saw the Atlas Lions overpower their opponents, who offered lit»»»

KANSAS CITY: Africa set a record by sending nine of its teams to the knockout rounds of the World Cup. Seven of them were knocked out in the first round. Ghana were the last African team to play in the Round of 32 on Friday night, and the white-clad Black Stars went down with a whimper in a 1-0 los»»»

LOS ANGELES: France are bracing for furnace-like temperatures when they face Paraguay in Philadelphia in the World Cup’s last 16 on Saturday as co-hosts Canada prepare for a daunting date with African giants Morocco in Houston. With a brutal heatwave roasting swathes of the United States as it cele»»»

Mexico City: Canada have already made World Cup history, while Mexico and the USA are also on course to beat their best ever runs in the tournament as home advantage has paid dividends. AFP Sports looks at how all three co-hosts have thrived while others have struggled with the sprawling tournament»»»

Los Angeles: France are bracing for furnace-like temperatures when they face Paraguay in Philadelphia in the World Cup's last 16 on Saturday as co-hosts Canada prepare for a daunting date with African giants Morocco in Houston. With a brutal heatwave roasting swathes of the United States as it cele»»»

DUBAI: Egypt have beaten Australia in a penalty shootout at Dallas Stadium to reach the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. It was their first-ever knockout stage win. They now join Morocco as the second African and Arab nation to reach the last 16 of this tournament. Egypt had been buoyed by the ne»»»

BOSTON, USA: The expanded 48-team World Cup has made giant-killings significantly more likely, according to experts, but the longer and more demanding tournament still favors the traditional heavyweight sides best equipped to sustain their level through five knockout rounds. FIFA expanded the tourn»»»

LISBON: Portugal ‌has asked the EU, Spain and Morocco to have extra firefighting aircraft ready in case wildfires worsen during the current heatwave, Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said on Friday. He said the unusual move was prompted not by a shortage of national resources, but by what he describe»»»

MUNICH: Bayern Munich on Friday announced Germany defender Nathaniel Brown has joined the club from Eintracht Frankfurt on a deal running until 2031. The defending Bundesliga champions paid a reported fee of 55 million euros ($63 million) to Frankfurt to bring Brown, 23, to the club, where he will »»»

Air Arabia Group has announced new opportunities for aspiring aviation professionals through an upcoming cabin crew recruitment drive across Jeddah and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, opening doors for candidates seeking to build a career in the aviation industry. The initiative is aimed at candidates seek»»»

African startups raised $1.44bn during the first half of this year, marginally surpassing the $1.42bn secured in H1 2025, as investors concentrated capital in fewer but significantly larger funding rounds despite a subdued global venture capital market. H1 2026 funding data show startups completed »»»

An Indian-founded global payments company has chosen Hungary as the base for its European expansion after receiving a key financial licence from the Hungarian National Bank (MNB). PAY TEN EU Kft., the Hungarian subsidiary of Pay10, has been granted an Electronic Money Institution (EMI) licence, all»»»

The school term is ending, the temperatures are rising and the airport is full. Peak summer has finally arrived. I’m still getting used to these sweltering weeks, despite growing up in Saudi Arabia (the UK has softened me up). I’m currently in the ‘how does it get even hotter than this?’ stage as w»»»

Vancouver: Switzerland moved into the last 16 of the World Cup with a controlled 2-0 win against Algeria on Thursday. The Swiss will face the winners of Friday's tie between Colombia and Ghana. The effervescent Johan Manzambi created the first goal in Vancouver, surging down the left wing before cr»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Portugal battled into the last 16 of the World Cup with a drama-filled 2-1 victory over Croatia on Thursday to set up a titanic showdown with European champions Spain. In another nerve-shredding World Cup classic, Goncalo Ramos headed Portugal into the lead in the fourth»»»

VANCOUVER: Switzerland moved into the last 16 of the World Cup with a controlled 2-0 win against Algeria on Thursday. The Swiss will face the winners of Friday’s tie between Colombia and Ghana. The effervescent Johan Manzambi created the first goal in Vancouver, surging down the left wing before cr»»»