A Tasmanian devil named Mary has been found in an "unstable condition" more than two weeks after escaping her enclosure, an Australian wildlife park says u.afp.com/SzQR 📸 Illustration

Japan puts the heat on suspected ice cream cartel. Summer is coming, a boom time for ice cream makers, but Japanese authorities have raided six major firms on suspicion of colluding to raise prices u.afp.com/SzQr

Trap, neuter, release: Jakarta battles cat-astrophic stray numbers. Jakarta is home to one of the biggest urban stray cat populations on Earth - numbering as many as 1.5 million by some counts -- about one for every 10 human inhabitants of the sprawling Indonesian capital u.afp.com/SzQQ

New Asian pop and folk categories announced by music's Grammy Awards u.afp.com/SzMF

German court bans McDonald's from claiming in advertising in the country that it will be climate neutral from 2050 u.afp.com/SzQ4

Flushed, sweating, and beaming with joy, burnt-out professionals are deeply engrossed in a traditional Indonesian children's games in Jakarta. The 'Playing Community', a group of about 500 members that gathers every Friday after work to cavort their cares away, began in 2024

G7 leaders will discuss on Wednesday the security risks posed by AI and social media on the last day of a summit dominated by Trump. The summit has so far focused on the war with Iran and efforts to pressure Russia into brokering peace with Ukraine u.afp.com/SzQ5

The first tankers carrying Iranian oil exited a US blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, a tracking website said on Wednesday, two days before Washington and Tehran launch talks on an agreed peace deal still scant on details u.afp.com/SzQY

Messi scored a hat-trick for Argentina to equal Miroslav Klose's all-time record of 16 goals at World Cups as the defending champions swept Algeria 3-0. France defeated Senegal 3-1, with Mbappe scoring twice, while Haaland struck his first World Cup goals as Norway beat Iraq 4-1 u.afp.com/SzQG

BREAKING Reigning champions Argentina beat Algeria 3-0 as Lionel Messi equalled Miroslav Klose's all-time record for goals at World Cups when he scored a hat-trick

BREAKING Lionel Messi has equalled Miroslav Klose's all-time record for goals at World Cup tournaments when he netted for the 16th time in Argentina's opening match against Algeria. He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, sending the massed ranks of Argentine fans in Kansas City wild

BREAKING Iranian oil tankers have exited the zone in the Gulf blockaded by the US Navy, the TankerTrackers website says, calling it the country's "first crude oil exports in two months"

US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia's southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show and officials confirmed to AFP u.afp.com/SzQJ

Russia says one of its warships fired warning shots at a yacht making a "dangerous approach" in the Channel. The incident involved the Russian frigate Admiral Grigorovich and a UK-registered yacht around 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight u.afp.com/SzMv

BREAKING Lionel Messi becomes the first player to appear in six World Cup tournaments as he starts for Argentina in their opening match against Algeria in Kansas City

Trump ballroom cost soars to $600 million, with more than half coming from taxpayers, The Washington Post reports u.afp.com/SzQk

BREAKING Erling Haaland scored a brace on his World Cup debut as Norway defeated Iraq 4-1 in their Group I match to make a winning return to the tournament 28 years after their last appearance

In the crystalline waters off Kenya's coast, coral reefs are thriving -- evidence of a rare good news story in the battle to protect oceans from the ravages of climate change. A new study finds that around a third of the world’s coral reefs are ‘climate-resilient.’ u.afp.com/SzMB

France's Corentin Moutet left British TV viewers stunned with a foul-mouthed outburst after his victory over Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard at Queen's Club. Moutet said the 'F' word seven times in a remarkable on-court BBC interview. u.afp.com/SzM2

One of President Donald Trump's pet beauty projects for Washington was supposed to make the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool look blue, like part of the US flag. Enter Mother Nature. Algae have proliferated in the water, turning it a swampy green. u.afp.com/SzMC

It's game over for fans of discontinued video games after the EU admitted defeat and said it cannot stop publishers making them unplayable. It was responding to a petition backed by a million people asking for older games which still have fans to remain available. u.afp.com/SzMD

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as France launched their bid for a third World Cup crown with a 3-1 victory over Senegal in Group I. Bradley Barcola was also on target as Les Bleus secured all three points for Didier Deschamps' side.

US law enforcement said it had foiled an alleged plot to attack the White House during a crowded mixed martial arts event attended by President Donald Trump. One of those arrested was a 19-year-old in Ohio after his mother alerted police. u.afp.com/SzMR

SpaceX shares surged again, lifting Elon Musk's rocket company above Amazon into fifth place in market value as a record-breaking IPO gives way to a torrid buying frenzy. The company now has a market capitalization of around $2.8 trillion. u.afp.com/SzME

US President Donald Trump said he had accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's offer of dinner this week at the Versailles palace of the Sun King Louis XIV. ‘Versailles is not gold leaf. It's the real deal. And I said, I'd like to do it,’ Trump said. u.afp.com/SzMh

France supporters gather in New York's Times Square ahead of their opening World Cup match against Senegal, with Sports Minister Marina Ferrari taking part in the celebration and predicting Les Bleus will make it to at least the semifinals.

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says ending the war in Lebanon is the "most important issue" in the peace deal with the US. ‘In our view, there are two parties to this memorandum -- one side is America and Israel, and the other side is Iran and Hezbollah.’

In eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, civilians are caught between a deadly Ebola outbreak and relentless militia violence, as insecurity stunts health services. 70,000 people now live virtually under siege in the Plaine Savo camp. u.afp.com/SzMs

Britain's defence ministry said it was "investigating reports of an incident in the Channel", as a UK defence source told AFP a yacht had reported a Russian warship firing warning shots. The incident apparently took place about 20 nautical miles south of the Isle of Wight just outside British waters

⚽ 🏆 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England defender Tino Livramento has been ruled out of the World Cup after suffering a calf injury and been replaced by Trevoh Chalobah on the eve of the team's opening match against Croatia ➡️ u.afp.com/SzMW

#BREAKING Russian warship fired 'warning shots' at yacht in Channel: UK defence source

🇮🇷 🇺🇸 🇮🇱 🚢 ☢️ 📉 Iran on Tuesday said talks with the United States on its nuclear programme and sanctions relief would likely begin later this week, as President Donald Trump's announcement that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen sent oil prices tumbling ➡️ u.afp.com/SzMq

🏏 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🇳🇿 Joe Root says he is taking the England captaincy on a "game-by-game basis" after replacing the exiled Ben Stokes for this week's second Test against New Zealand at the Oval ➡️ u.afp.com/SzMi

⚽ 🏆 🇦🇷 🇫🇷 Lionel Messi's Argentina and Kylian Mbappe's France, the two teams who contested a thrilling World Cup final four years ago, are set to roar into the 2026 tournament on Tuesday ➡️ u.afp.com/SzMk

🇧🇪 🛴 ⚡ Brussels to ban electric rental scooters from 2027 From 2027, Brussels will ban electric rental scooters from the streets of the Belgian capital. In 2025, there was a 26% increase in injuries related to the vehicles in the Brussels region, compared to the previous year, authorities said

⚽ 🏆 🇨🇻 Cape Verde fans rejoice after Spain draw in first World Cup match Cape Verde fans in Sao Vicente celebrated after the country held Spain to a 0-0 draw in Atlanta in the team's first ever World Cup game. European champions Spain had been expected to cruise past the debutants

⚽ 🏆 🇮🇷 Iran officials watch World Cup opener from Mexico Officials watched Iran’s opening World Cup match from Mexico, after being denied US visas. Iranian fans outside the Los Angeles stadium before kick off waved pre-revolutionary flags and flouted FIFA rules against political messaging

🎾 Serena Williams will play at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 after the American legend was given a wildcard to play the doubles event with her sister Venus on Tuesday. ➡️ u.afp.com/Szgh

🇺🇸 🇺🇦 US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that "Russia should make a deal" to end its war against Ukraine, after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the G7 summit in France. ➡️ u.afp.com/Szgn

🇨🇳 AI robot cleaners leave the lab for China's living rooms Beijing cleaner Lin Meiqiong found her work a little easier the day she was paired with an unlikely new colleague -- a tall, wheeled robot with AI-powered tidying skills.

Serena Williams will play at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 after the American legend was given a wildcard to play the doubles event with her sister Venus. 📸Jamie Squire Getty Images / AFP

🇬🇷 Greek fishermen struggle with invasive pufferfish With massive teeth and a voracious appetite, pufferfish are ruining Greek fishermen's nets and wreaking havoc on local fish stocks, with warming seas allowing the invasive species to spread through the eastern Mediterranean.

🇺🇸 🇦🇺 The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia's southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show and officials confirmed to AFP. ➡️ u.afp.com/Szg3

🇰🇷 In ageing South Korea, AI dolls care for the elderly In her tiny apartment in South Korea, where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike AI-powered doll she says she prefers to people.

🇺🇸 Eight people died when a US B-52 bomber crashed and erupted into a catastrophic fire shortly after takeoff at an air force base in California, officials said. ➡️ u.afp.com/Szgk

🇺🇦 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday joined a summit of the G7 group of leading powers seeking to up pressure on Russia to end the war against his country. ➡️ u.afp.com/SzYr

🪸 🐠 A new study presented at the Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa has found that 166,000 square kilometres of the world's coral reefs, around a third of the total, are particularly "climate-resilient", meaning they have the potential to survive through major ocean warming events. ➡️ u.afp.com/SzYV

🇫🇷 Rare baby bamboo lemur makes first appearance in French zoo Clinging to his mother's fur, with bright eyes and downy ears, a baby greater bamboo lemur -- a critically endangered species -- makes his first outing at Besancon Zoo, where he was born in early May.

📝 News consumers around the world are now turning more to social media and video platforms than traditional outlets for information, a respected report said Tuesday, warning that old-style business models are under threat. ➡️ u.afp.com/SzYb

🇳🇴 Chess legend and avid football fan Magnus Carlsen predicted on Tuesday that Norway would "hammer" Iraq in their World Cup opener -- and could go on to reach the quarter-finals. ➡️ u.afp.com/SzYL