The 23rd FIFA World Cup kicks off today with a match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa. The tournament, organised jointly by the USA, Canada and Mexico, will be the biggest World Cup in history – featuring 48 teams for the first time and comprising 104 matches played over 39 days.more

The riots in Northern Ireland are “racist hooliganism”, said Hilary Benn, the UK Minister for Northern Ireland, on Sky News today. He stressed that the unrest is being fuelled by online posts, often written by people living abroad.more

A player in Belgium won €174,984,088 in the EuroMillions draw by matching five numbers and two stars. This is a national record, the Belgian National Lottery announced. The winner's name was not released.more

UK’s Defence Secretary, John Healey, has resigned. In his resignation letter, which he published today on X, he cited a lack of funding for defence as the reason for his decision. He stressed that these funds are needed to “protect the country in the face of growing threats”.more

Nearly 49-year-old Portuguese coach Marco Silva replaced Jose Mourinho as head coach of Lisbon club Benfica on Wednesday. The former "Eagles" coach took over as head coach of Real Madrid on Tuesday.more

The incidence of allergies and asthma is increasing in Europe. Without the introduction of modern therapeutic solutions, the problem will only worsen, says Marek Jutel, head of the Department of Clinical Immunology at the Medical University of Wrocław.more

New powers should be used to seize control of empty homes in London and allow councils to use them for social housing, say MPs. They stressed that there are between 542,000 and 1.2 million empty homes in England, many of them in the capital.more

Yesterday, Dublin outlined the priorities for its upcoming presidency and announced that it would focus on economic competitiveness, security and the protection of EU values. On 1 July, Ireland will take over the six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union from Cyprus.more

Transport chiefs in London were plunged into a “cover-up” storm over a sharp rise in cycling casualties. The number of fatalities and serious injuries among cyclists in 2025 was 1,196, a jump of 20.3% on the 994 in 2024, and a record high since at least 2017.more

The 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will get underway at 4 pm on Saturday at the Circuit de la Sarthe. In the most prestigious Hypercar category, Robert Kubica will be driving for the privateer team AF Corse; last season, he secured victory, beating, among others, two Ferrari works teams.more

In 2025, Polish employees worked an average of 38 hours a week, the fifth-highest figure in the European Union, according to the Polish Economic Institute. Self-employed individuals work longer hours per week than employees.more

Londoners can immerse themselves in a plush purple paradise this summer as a 110-acre lavender farm prepares to open its gates this month.more

The general meeting of the Polish Social and Cultural Center (POSK) will be held on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Pursuant to the POSK Statute and Bylaws, members meet once a year to adopt a report for the past year and elect officers for the new term: the Chairperson, the Council, and the Audit Committee. This year's elections are stirring strong emotions among the Polish community in London.more

Billions of pounds are owed to water, broadband, and energy companies by customers - the majority of whom are unaware that support is available. More than £7bn in bills and charges was owed by March last year, the UK's spending watchdog said, but estimates suggest that total has grown since.more

Middle-aged Londoners are at the same risk of dying in a heatwave than pensioners, the London Mayor’s office is warning. Women may also be more vulnerable than men to high temperatures.more

English club West Ham United, which has been relegated from the top flight, has officially announced that it will not be renewing Łukasz Fabiański’s contract. The 41-year-old goalkeeper was part of the squad last season but made only one Premier League appearance.more

Britons are no longer just moving abroad to escape the weather – many are looking for higher wages and a lower cost of living. A report found two-thirds of people in the UK who moved abroad did so to offset high prices, while one in five moved to save money. more

Two police officers were mistakenly identified by internet users as the officers responsible for arresting Henry Nowak, who was bleeding profusely. The false information was confirmed by the Grok chatbot, and Elon Musk called for them to be held to account. NASK has issued a warning about the potential for disinformation on Grok and the X platform.more

Russia is building new military bases along its border with NATO and expanding existing facilities with the aim of stationing 115,000 troops in the area once the war with Ukraine is over, according to reports today from public broadcasters in Scandinavia and the media in Estonia.more

The British government wishes to cooperate with its European partners, Downing Street stated on Tuesday in a statement sent to PAP in response to the Polish Prime Minister’s remarks. Donald Tusk had earlier commented on Poland’s absence from Sunday’s meeting in London with the President of Ukraine.more

Serena Williams, 44, and Canada’s Victoria Mboko have advanced to the second round of the doubles at the WTA tournament on the grass courts of London’s Queen’s Club. They defeated the third-seeded pair of American Nicole Melichar-Martinez and New Zealander Erin Routliffe 7–6 (7–2), 6–2.more

In Sweden, 52.1 per cent of the population would vote against the introduction of the single European currency, whilst 28.7 per cent would vote in favour, if a referendum were held on the matter – according to the results of a poll by Statistics Sweden (SCB) published today.more

London is suffering from an exodus of young families which has caused a remarkable drop in the number of primary school pupils, new figures show. They are being particularly driven out of Inner London by sky-high property prices, exorbitant rents, and limits on housing benefit.more

Kyrgyzstan carriers have been removed from the EU's "blacklist," but Algerian airline Air Express has been added, EC spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen announced. Currently, the list includes 154 airlines.more

A 30-year-old man was charged yesterday with a knife attack in north Belfast, local police said. Protests broke out in the city, and demonstrations took place. Participants in one of the demonstrations set a bus on fire.more