Integrity of World Cup is questioned as Trump, FIFA defend actions surrounding Balogun suspension<\/p>\n
GENEVA (AP) \u2014 Soccer leaders questioned the World Cup\u2019s integrity on a chaotic and unprecedented day in the event\u2019s modern history Monday.<\/p>\n
The furor centered on a phone call that President Donald Trump made last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino to make the case that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun should not have been suspended for Monday\u2019s matchup with Belgium because of a red card in a game last week. FIFA lifted the suspension and cleared Balogun to play.<\/p>\n
The decision appeared to be the first time since 1962 that punishment for a World Cup offense was suspended in the tournament, increasing scrutiny on Infantino\u2019s control of FIFA and his close association with Trump.<\/p>\n
European soccer body UEFA said FIFA \u201ccrossed a red line\u201d and called Sunday\u2019s decision by FIFA\u2019s disciplinary committee \u201cunprecedented, incomprehensible and unjustifiable.\u201d Infantino denied having a role in the decision. Trump called it a \u201chorrible\u201d call and took credit for getting FIFA to review the foul, but said he did not demand an outcome.<\/p>\n
The Belgian Football Association said it informed the U.S. Soccer Federation it was contesting Balogun\u2019s eligibility.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
As quake rescue effort winds down, Venezuelans are left alone to recover their dead<\/p>\n
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela (AP) \u2014 When the high-rise where Noel M\u00e1rquez lived with his family crashed to the ground and burst into flames in Venezuela’s twin earthquakes, M\u00e1rquez, who happened to be at his girlfriend\u2019s apartment, raced home and called out for his mother, grandparents and siblings. Only his 17-year-old brother, his legs pinned under columns that required heavy machinery to lift, responded.<\/p>\n
M\u00e1rquez and his father, who also survived, spoke through layers of concrete, hearing Leonel suffer, shout for help and inhale suffocating smoke as he waited for a crane to remove the columns crushing him. But it never came. After several hours, Leonel’s cries gave way to silence, M\u00e1rquez said.<\/p>\n
But even that, terrible as it was, was not what disturbed him the most. The worst, M\u00e1rquez said, was trying to recover his families’ tangled remains with little more than his bare hands and a saw. He sliced off limbs to free the corpses of Leonel and his mother but was forced to abandon his sister, who was eight-months’ pregnant, grandmother and other relatives beneath the ruins \u2014 and with their bodies, the hope that if he couldn’t save them, he could at least give them proper burials.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unfair. It\u2019s inhumane, everything that is happening,\u201d 26-year-old M\u00e1rquez said from the overflowing makeshift morgue at La Guaira port. “We couldn\u2019t get my brother out because we didn\u2019t get a response from the state … and after 11 days, we are still requesting a crane.\u201d<\/p>\n
M\u00e1rquez is one of countless Venezuelans who, after days of torment, has been left alone to search, if not for signs of life, then for loved ones\u2019 remains \u2014 and for some semblance of closure. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Russia’s missile and drone attacks on Ukraine kill at least 22<\/p>\n
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) \u2014 Russia unleashed waves of missiles and drones at Ukraine early Monday, killing at least 22 people in attacks that exposed widening gaps in the country\u2019s air defenses more than four years into Moscow’s full-scale invasion, authorities said.<\/p>\n
All of the ballistic missiles launched by Russia struck their targets, underscoring Kyiv\u2019s need for more U.S.-made Patriot interceptor missiles \u2014 a point Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will likely reiterate at a NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, this week. <\/p>\n
Fifteen people were killed in the capital of Kyiv, which was Russia’s main target, and 56 were injured, according to administrative head Tymur Tkachenko. Another seven people were killed in the wider Kyiv region and 29 were injured, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.<\/p>\n
Emergency workers searched for survivors in the rubble of residential high-rises in two locations that suffered direct hits.<\/p>\n
Moscow has stepped up attacks on Kyiv in retaliation for Ukraine\u2019s recent long-range strikes, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. Those Ukrainian attacks have caused severe fuel shortages and put pressure on President Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Former officer describes finding a ‘sniper pad’ on nearby rooftop after Charlie Kirk assassination<\/p>\n
PROVO, Utah (AP) \u2014 A former campus police officer testified Monday that he found an apparent \u201csniper pad\u201d on a rooftop near where Charlie Kirk was assassinated, as prosecutors sought to convince a state judge they have enough evidence to put a Utah man on trial for murder.<\/p>\n
Former Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Bagley said he witnessed Kirk’s shooting while the conservative activist was speaking to a crowd of thousands last year. Soon after, Bagley went to a nearby gravel rooftop, where it appeared someone had been lying prone with a clear sightline to Kirk’s location, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like a sniper pad,\u201d Bagley said, adding, “you\u2019ve got markings of elbows, knees and feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
The testimony came as Kirk\u2019s parents, Kathryn and Robert, and widow, Erika, were in the courtroom for the first time since the case began, along with Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump\u2019s son.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for defendant Tyler Robinson. A five-day preliminary hearing that began Monday marks the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Mourners throng funeral procession in Tehran for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei<\/p>\n
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) \u2014 Mourners dressed in black flooded into Iran’s capital Monday for a procession as part of the funeral of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with throngs of people calling for the death of U.S. President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Khamenei’s flag-draped coffin, and those of his family members who were killed Feb. 28 in an airstrike at the start of the war launched by Israel and the United States, sat aboard a truck decorated to resemble the ornamental grating that surrounds the shrine of an imam. The massive turnout was encouraged by Iran’s theocracy as a sign of strength, and it came as the Islamic Republic negotiates with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war.<\/p>\n
Helicopter images aired on Iranian state television showed a massive crowd stretching from Tehran\u2019s Azadi, or Freedom, Square for kilometers (miles) down a multilane street of the same name. The crowd appeared to be larger than the one that turned out for the 2020 procession for the late Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani, which drew over 1 million people.<\/p>\n
Authorities offered no immediate crowd count as the truck crept down the street. People alongside the truck and elsewhere on the route carried placards, signs and banners calling for Trump’s death. <\/p>\n
\u201cToday that we are here for the funeral for our leader, it\u2019s a very tough day,\u201d mourner Fatima Hassan said. \u201cWe are not here to say goodbye to him. We are here for revenge. And we will take revenge.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
NATO chief demands allies present credible plans to reach defense spending targets<\/p>\n
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) \u2014 NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Monday demanded that members put forward \u201cclear, concrete and credible plans\u201d to reach the organization\u2019s defense spending targets at its annual summit in Ankara.<\/p>\n
Rutte spoke in the Turkish capital ahead of the two-day summit starting on Tuesday at a crucial time for the alliance, with the United States scaling down its security role in Europe. Washington has been pressing allies to shoulder more of the spending burden.<\/p>\n
The 32 nations agreed last year to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense \u2014 3.5% on their defense budgets and 1.5% on roads, bridges and ports so troops and equipment can move faster in times of conflict.<\/p>\n
Spain endorsed the goal but said it could fulfill NATO\u2019s security requirements without spending so much. Some countries are still struggling to meet the alliance\u2019s old target of 2% of GDP.<\/p>\n
Asked what would happen to members that don’t have a clear plan, Rutte said: \u201cIf one or two of them still have to be convinced, we have ways to do that.\u201d He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Rebounding AI stocks send the S&P 500 within 1% of its record<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A rebound for AI stocks lifted the U.S. market on Monday.<\/p>\n
The S&P 500 rose 0.7% and pulled back within 1% of its all-time high, even though the majority of stocks within the index fell. The strength for companies in the artificial-intelligence technology industry sent the Nasdaq composite 1.1% higher, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 155 points, or 0.3%, to a record. <\/p>\n
AI stocks have swung sharply in recent weeks on worries that their prices shot too high. Doubts are rising about whether all the dollars flowing into AI chips and data centers can possibly create enough gains in productivity and profits to make back all the investments. <\/p>\n
Broadcom was one of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 and rose 3.7% after announcing long-term agreements to provide silicon products to Apple. It was coming off two straight losses of more than 2% on Wednesday and Thursday at the end of last week, before Friday\u2019s holiday in advance of the Fourth of July. <\/p>\n
The global appetite for AI from investors will face an additional test later this week when SK Hynix, the South Korean maker of computer memory, plans to raise $28 billion by selling shares of stock that will trade in the United States on the Nasdaq. That would make it one of the biggest U.S. offerings ever, behind SpaceX\u2019s IPO from last month, which raised $75 billion.<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Clashes in Sri Lankan prison leave at least 25 dead, mostly inmates<\/p>\n
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) \u2014 Clashes broke out inside a prison in the outskirts of Sri Lanka\u2019s capital, killing at least 25 people, most of them inmates, and injuring more than 100, officials said Monday. <\/p>\n
The unrest at the prison in Negombo, about 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, started among inmates on Sunday, and when guards attempted to intervene on Monday, \u201cthey (inmates) started attacking the prison officials,\u201d prison spokesman A.C. Gajanayake said. <\/p>\n
He told reporters that some inmates attempted to escape but were stopped. <\/p>\n
An official at the main state-run hospital in the area said seven prison officials and 18 inmates had died while another 43 were being treated for injuries. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Three other hospitals were also treating dozens of injured, he said. <\/p>\n
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara said the first clash erupted between two rival gangs connected to illegal drug trade. After the authorities restored order on Monday evening, Nanayakkara said the inmates who led the violence were transferred to two other prisons. <\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
A new ICE facility could speed up deportations for families and kids<\/p>\n
NEW ORLEANS (AP) \u2014 The Trump administration plans to open a 528-bed holding facility for migrant families and unaccompanied children next to an airport hub, positioning itself to speed up deportations.<\/p>\n
The location in Alexandria, Louisiana, would remove logistical headaches caused by wrangling children from foster homes and shelters across the country and not having anywhere to put them during final preparations for flight. Those obstacles were apparent last year when Guatemalan children were awoken at night and given almost no time to get to Harlingen, Texas, where they waited on an airport tarmac for hours.<\/p>\n
A federal judge prevented their deportation, but the chaotic episode illustrated the challenges authorities face because they don’t have anywhere to put families and children near the airport. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is calling the Alexandria facility a \u201cstaging area,\u201d not a detention center, and says people would only be there a few days at most.<\/p>\n
However, several immigration advocates expressed concern that children could be held at the new facility for weeks or months, which happened at other federal immigration holding sites. These advocates are also concerned about oversight, and say the facility represents a departure from how the government manages those children.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an expansion of the deportation system in ways we haven\u2019t seen before,\u201d said Leecia Welch, chief legal counsel at the nonprofit Children\u2019s Rights. \u201cThere\u2019s just so much that could go wrong with this facility.\u201d<\/p>\n
___<\/p>\n
Hamas dissolves its government in Gaza to transfer power to a UN-backed committee<\/p>\n
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) \u2014 The Hamas militant group said Monday it had dissolved its government in Gaza and is preparing to transfer power to a technical committee backed by the United Nations as part of a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal.<\/p>\n
Hamas did not say whether it planned to take the crucial step of disarming or handing over security to an international force, but described its decision as evidence of its commitment to Gaza\u2019s reconstruction after years of war.<\/p>\n
It was unclear if the move, announced by a lower-level official, would lead to any meaningful change on the ground.<\/p>\n
The Board of Peace, the new entity led by President Donald Trump with the mandate of governing and rebuilding Gaza, said it was aware of the Hamas announcement but would assess the impact based on \u201cactions, not promises.\u201d The board stressed in a statement on X that the technocratic committee must control all weapons in Gaza, as laid out in the ceasefire agreement.<\/p>\n
At a news conference Monday, Ismail al-Thawabta, general director of the Hamas-run Government Media Office, said \u201conly technical and professional staff\u201d would remain in their positions to run the Palestinian enclave\u2019s day-to-day affairs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Integrity of World Cup is questioned as Trump, FIFA defend actions surrounding Balogun suspension GENEVA (AP) \u2014 Soccer leaders questioned the World Cup\u2019s integrity on a chaotic and unprecedented day in the event\u2019s modern history Monday. The furor centered on a phone call that President Donald Trump made last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"guid":"987bc68c-f5aa-4a28-abc7-fb53e3509fb4","source":"The Associated Press","byline":"","published":"2026-07-05 21:04:13","updated":"2026-07-06 15:04:41","_infotelid":"","_prepressid":"","_multisite_post_sync":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1303,1304],"tags":[],"region":[1280,1305,1413,1301],"class_list":["post-6409","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-international","category-world","region-canada","region-nova-scotia","region-sydney","region-world"],"blocksy_meta":[],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6409\/ap-news-in-brief-at-604-pm-edt\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"AP News in Brief at 6:04 p.m. EDT","url":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6409\/ap-news-in-brief-at-604-pm-edt\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/infonews.ca\/inwheels\/news\/6409\/ap-news-in-brief-at-604-pm-edt\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":""},"articleSection":"International","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"The Associated Press"}],"creator":["The Associated Press"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"iNwheels","logo":""},"keywords":[],"dateCreated":"2026-07-06T04:04:13Z","datePublished":"2026-07-06T04:04:13Z","dateModified":"2026-07-06T22:15:23Z"},"rendered":"