Lionel Messi set a World Cup record with his 17th and 18th goals, and defending champion Argentina advanced to the knockout stage with a 2-0 victory over Austria on Monday.
Messi had a golden opportunity to break the record in the ninth minute, but went wide to the right on a penalty kick. Almost 30 minutes later, Messi caught Alexander Schlager leaning the wrong way after Thiago Almada let Facuno Medina's pass go by him directly onto Messi's left foot.
Full Story
After a first round of U.S.-Iran talks in Switzerland on ending the Middle East war, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a "de-confliction cell" with Lebanon "to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations" there.
Under U.S. pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in April in Washington, and a fifth round of negotiations is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Full Story
Trading is mixed early Monday and oil prices edged lower on fresh optimism over progress in U.S.-Iran negotiations.
Futures for the S&P 500 inched back 0.1% before the opening bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were unchanged. Nasdaq futures ticked up 0.1%.
Full Story
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday after fewer than two years in office in a term characterized by policy U-turns and deep public unpopularity.
"Every decision I have taken has been about putting the country I love first. That is why I will resign as leader of the Labour Party," Starmer said as he choked up in an emotional speech outside 10 Downing Street.
Full Story
Lionel Messi. Kylian Mbappé. Erling Haaland.
It's a very starry Monday for the World Cup.
Full Story
Iran took another step toward advancing in the World Cup on Sunday, but once again the off-the-field play dominated the conversation.
At the match's conclusion, at least one attendee wearing a pre-revolutionary flag shirt was detained for trying to run onto the pitch. And afterward, though demonstrations were quieter than Monday's, an Associated Press reporter observed a fan who got into a scuffle with protesters being loaded into an ambulance.
Full Story
Egypt's players danced on the field while their red-clad fans celebrated in the stands. The Pharaohs finally got their first World Cup win.
Mohamed Salah scored the go-ahead goal and Egypt went on to defeat New Zealand 3-1 on Sunday night.
Full Story
France gritted its teeth Monday for a week of record-busting temperatures, sweltering under a grueling heat wave that combines daytime highs above 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) and sleep-robbing sweaty nights.
The national weather service, Meteo France, said that most of the country — the largest in the European Union and second most populated — is entering what is described as a "plateau" of unrelenting heat-wave conditions that isn't forecast to start easing before Friday at the earliest.
Full Story
An explosion tore through Qatar's key natural gas export terminal Sunday night as workers tried to resume operations there after Iran bombed it during the war, causing a fire that hurt at least 54 people as another 18 were still missing hours later.
The blast at the Ras Laffan industrial area could cause further chaos in global energy markets, particularly as Qatar remains one of the world's top natural gas producers. Qatar shut down its production after Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz meant it couldn't get shipments out to its clients.
Full Story
The dust has barely settled in Tyre after weeks of Israeli airstrikes on the ancient city along Lebanon's Mediterranean coast.
Despite the relative calm, life remains largely at a standstill.
Full Story


