Spain leave it late to book semifinal date with France

LOS ANGELES, United States 

Mikel Merino scored in the 88th minute from a rebound yielded by backup Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens, and Spain advanced to the World Cup semifinals with a 2-1 victory.

Merino was the late hero for the second straight match for Spain, who advanced to face tournament favourite France in the semifinals on Tuesday in Dallas.

He came on in the 86th minute and scored from his second touch of the match, charging into the box and pouncing after Lammens spilled a Pau Cubarsi shot from outside the area.

The Arsenal forward also scored as a substitute early in injury time to secure Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal in the last-16.

Lammens, the Manchester United keeper, was forced into the match in the 71st minute after longtime Belgium keeper Thibaut Courtois left with an apparent thigh injury.

Belgium desperately pressed for an equaliser in the final minutes, but Aymeric Laporte volleyed their best chance out of the box.

Fabian Ruiz scored the opening goal in the 30th minute for Spain after Courtois had parried a shot from Dani Olmo from Pedro Porro’s cut-back from the right of the area, but Belgium forward Charles De Ketelaere scored the first goal allowed by Spain in the entire World Cup in the 41st minute.

His header from Timothy Castagne’s cross from the right ended a record streak of 649 minutes without conceding at the World Cup.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 11/7/2026

 

South African president welcomed by Macron at start of visit to France

PARIS,  France 

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was welcomed by his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the presidential palace in Paris on Friday.

Discussions between the two men were due to focus on ways of strengthening political, economic, and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting also provides an opportunity to discuss regional security, including conflicts in Africa, and broader global issues countries.

Ramaphosa’s three-day visit come less than a month after South Africa was removed from the guest list for the G7 summit in Évian.

The presidency initially said he had been excluded because “sustained pressure from the United States”, a claim Ramaphosa later said was incorrect.

According to the French presidency, his visit to France this weekend is intended to reinforce the longstanding partnership between the two countries.

Ramaphosa will also co-chair discussions at UNESCO focused on quality education and meet with French business leaders.

On Sunday, he will take commemorations marking the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delvile Wood in northern France during which over 2,500 South African soldiers died.

US and Iran trade attacks as Khamenei is buried

WASHINGTON, United States 

The United States and Iran again traded strikes in exchanges that continued into Thursday, as observers reported a "dramatic" drop in the number of ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz.

Thousands of mourners gather for the burial of Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the Imam Reza Shrine on July 09, 2026 in Mashhad, Iran.

The US says it hit 90 military targets, some near the Strait. Iran says 14 people have been killed in the past two days.

State media also reported that targets near the Bushehr nuclear power plant were hit, citing the deputy governor of the province. The US has not commented on the latest strikes.

Iran said it targeted US assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar in response. Later on Thursday, Tehran launched more strikes on sites in Kuwait, Jordan and Iraq, state-linked media reported.

Separately, huge crowds gathered as Iran's late supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was buried after six days of funeral events.

The "body of the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution was buried in the memorial hall of the shrine of Imam Reza," state broadcaster IRIB reported, according to AFP.

With crowds waiting outside and listening to prayers, the flag-covered coffin was carried into the shrine of Imam Reza in his home city of Mashhad in eastern Iran.

There was no sign of his son and successor Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since he was reportedly seriously wounded in the same attack that killed his father.

The crowds was Iranian flags, while some were pictured holding signs carrying death threats directed at US President Donald Trump.

Khamenei was killed on 28 February during the first hours of US and Israeli strikes against Iran.

Iran's foreign ministry denounced the latest US strikes as a "grave war crime", describing the US administration as "evil and psychopathic"

Bridges and a railway route connecting Tehran to the city of Mashhad, where the late supreme leader's funeral is being held, were also damaged, the foreign ministry said.

Iran's health ministry said 14 people had been killed and 78 people injured across five provinces.

Gulf nations reported Iranian attacks following the US strikes, with explosions in Bahrain's capital Manama, Kuwait intercepting missiles and drones, and Qatar issuing a security alert.

Later on Thursday, explosions were heard in Iran's southern port of Konarak, with a local official telling Iran's official news agency a navy site was attacked by an "enemy".

Mbappe and Dembele net as France beat Morocco to reach World Cup semifinal

BOSTON, United States 

Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were on target as France surged past Morocco 2-0 to book their place in the World Cup semifinals.

Mbappe curled in his eighth goal of the tournament on 60 minutes on Thursday before Dembele doubled Les Bleus’ lead six minutes later to settle a clinical victory at the Gillette Stadium outside Boston.

The win sends the 2018 champions into a last-four showdown against either Spain or Belgium in Arlington, Texas on Tuesday.

African champions Morocco had been tipped to pose a serious threat to France’s hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup final.

But Didier Deschamps’ men were always in control against a limited Morocco side who failed to register a single shot on goal until an 83rd-minute free-kick by Azzedine Ounahi was parried away by France goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France, though, struggled to find a breakthrough, and missed the opportunity to take the lead on 28 minutes when Mbappe saw a penalty saved by Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.

Mbappe had won the penalty after being brought down by Noussair Mazraoui but was forced to wait several minutes before being allowed to take the kick after a protracted VAR check.

Morocco managed to hold out to half-time, but it was always only a matter of time before France’s relentless pressure paid off.

The breakthrough came on the hour mark, with Mbappe bending a brilliant right-foot shot past Bounou from the edge of the area.

Paris Saint-Germain star Dembele made the game safe in the 66th minute, striding forward menacingly from midfield before steering a low finish into the bottom corner.

France now await the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 10/7/2026

 

Ebola death toll in the DR Congo rises to 600 with over 1,700 confirmed cases

KINSHASA, DR Congo 

Officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday that the death toll in the current Ebola outbreak has increased to 600.

These figures were released just three days after the toll surpassed 500, highlighting the rapid spread of the disease.

Also on Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention described the outbreak as the “fastest growing ever”.

"Unfortunately the virus is still ahead of our response. It's moving faster than deploying the resources to control the situation," its head of emergency preparedness said.

The news comes as the DRC’s health ministry said new cases have been reported in parts of the country that were previously unaffected.

In addition, confirmed cases have now reached over 1,700 amid continued community transmission.

The outbreak of the deadly haemorrhagic virus has been concentrated in 37 health zones in Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.

But suspected cases have now been recorded in Kisangani in Tshopo province and in Haut-Uele, signalling the continued spread of the disease beyond the epicentre in Ituri.

Efforts to contain the virus have been hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centres and medical staff, and an ongoing conflict in the east of the country.

The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak currently has a case fatality rate of 34 per cent, based on data provided by the country’s health authorities.

It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus which has no approved vaccine or treatments for the moment. Two potential treatments went on trial in the DRC on 2 July.

By the time the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in May, the virus had already been spreading undetected for weeks.

EAST AFRICA NEWSPAPERS 9/7/2026