FIFA chief Infantino confirms Iran playing in US at World Cup

President Donald Trump said Thursday he may pull US troops from Italy and Spain due to their opposition to the Iran war, a day after proposing a similar reduction in Germany.

"Yeah, probably, I probably will. Why shouldn't I?" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked if he would consider reducing American troop numbers in Spain and Italy too.

"Italy has not been of any help to us and Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible."

Trump said on Wednesday that Washington was "studying and reviewing the possible reduction" of US troops in Germany, saying he would decide in a "short period of time."

As of December 31, 2025, there were 12,662 active-duty US troops in Italy and 3,814 in Spain. In Germany there were 36,436.

The US leader has been bitterly critical of NATO allies for failing to help with the US-Israeli operation against Iran or with keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for oil tanker traffic.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni lacks "courage" on Iran, Trump told Italian daily Corriere della Sera earlier this month, in a surprising attack on a formerly close right-wing ally.

Last week, a report said that the United States was considering trying to suspend Spain from NATO over its refusal to support military operations against Iran.

Trump has also lambasted Madrid for failing to increase defense spending.

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Brazil's Congress on Thursday overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's veto of a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of his arch-rival Jair Bolsonaro, the second major defeat for Lula in as many days.

Former president Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced last year to 27 years behind bars for coup plotting over his attempt to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to Lula.

The left-wing Lula had attempted to block a subsequent push by the conservative-majority Congress to reduce Bolsonaro's term to a little over two years. 

But lawmakers on Thursday overrode his veto of a law changing how prison sentences are calculated.

The opposition carried the vote by a large majority of 318 to 144 in the Chamber of Deputies and 49 to 24 in the Senate.

The vote represents another major setback for Lula, who is campaigning for a fourth term, after the Senate on Wednesday rejected his pick for Supreme Court justice, Jorge Messias.

It was the first time in decades that the president's candidate for a seat on the top court was rejected, underscoring the deep divisions in Brazil five months before presidential elections.

- Brasilia rioters to benefit -

Former army captain Bolsonaro served a single term as president from 2019 to 2022.

His coup trial was seen as a test of Brazilian democracy.

The law on his early release benefits not just the right-wing firebrand.

It also favors Bolsonaro's co-accused in the coup trial as well as dozens of people imprisoned over 2023 pro-Bolsonaro riots in Brasilia.

On January 8 that year, Bolsonaro supporters vandalized government buildings in scenes reminiscent of the January 2021 US Capitol riots by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Bolsonaro has denied all the charges against him.

He and his supporters, including Trump, have argued he is the victim of a left-wing judicial "witch hunt."

Last month, he was moved to house arrest to recuperate after being hospitalized with bronchopneumonia.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled as football's power-brokers met in Vancouver on Thursday.

Iran's participation at this year's World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.

Infantino, who has repeatedly stated that Iran will be at the World Cup, underscored that stance at the start of his address to delegates as FIFA's 76th Congress got under way in western Canada.

"Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino said. "And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America."

Infantino's remarks drew swift support from close ally US President Donald Trump, who told reporters in the Oval Office he was "OK" with Iran's participation.

"Well, if Gianni said it, I'm OK," Trump said. "I think let 'em play." 

Iranian officials had floated the idea of shifting their group games from the United States to Mexico, but that proposal had already been nixed by Infantino.

In a further twist last week, Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have floated the idea of Italy taking Iran's World Cup place.

The US government later distanced themselves from that proposal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran's footballers would be welcome.

But the tension surrounding Iran's World Cup participation rumbled into the build-up to Thursday's summit.

Iran's delegation was the only absentee from the 211-member congress as Thursday's meeting got under way after a clash with Canadian border officials earlier this week.

Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.

Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj -- a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers.

Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible."

Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona, during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

- Infantino election boost -

FIFA supremo Infantino went into Thursday's summit with his organization under fire over skyrocketing ticket costs for the World Cup, which one supporters group has branded a "monumental betrayal" of fans.

Infantino brushed off those criticisms in his address, insisting that all revenues from the World Cup -- estimated between $11 and $13 billion -- would be pumped back into football development.

"There are expensive tickets, yes, (but) there are also affordable tickets," Infantino said. "And what is important is that all the revenues that we generate from the world go back to the entire world and finance football in all of your countries."

Infantino's close ties to US President Trump have also come under scrutiny. 

Advocacy group Fairsquare filed a formal complaint in December arguing that Infantino had breached FIFA rules concerning political neutrality by awarding Trump the inaugural "FIFA Peace Prize" during last year's World Cup draw.

However Infantino received a huge boost to his hopes of securing re-election as the head of world football on Thursday after receiving pledges of support from the African and Asian regional confederations.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both said they will back Infantino if, as expected, he stands for a fourth term in 2027.

The African and Asian confederations account for 101 votes in FIFA's presidential election out of a total of 211.

Infantino has already secured support for re-election from South American football's ruling body CONMEBOL, which is worth a further 10 votes.

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The Iranian film crew behind "Roya", which recounts the torment and trauma of a political prisoner in Tehran's Evin prison, urged the Iranian people "not to be forgotten" at the film's German premiere.

Director Mahnaz Mohammadi, 51, likened the "existence of the Iranian people today" to the unbearable life endured by the film's imprisoned protagonist, Roya.

Mohammadi, in an interview with AFP on Wednesday at the screening at a Berlin cinema, said Iranian prisoners are being put to death every four to six hours in the country "without justice".

She said she had been forced to witness several hangings while imprisoned in Iran herself.

The film, which opens with a lengthy sequence of physical and psychological torture inflicted on Roya, was already presented at the prestigious Berlinale film festival in February.

It is set to be released in German theatres on May 7.

Most of "Roya" was shot primarily in Georgia, although some scenes were clandestinely filmed inside Iran.

It is based primarily on Mohammadi's own experience. The filmmaker and human rights activist was imprisoned "six or seven times" over the past two decades, including in Tehran's infamous Evin prison.

The film "is just a glimpse of what is happening in Iran at the moment", insisted the film's Iranian producer, Farzad Pak, at the premiere.

Iranian authorities executed at least 1,639 people in 2025 -- the highest figure since 1989 -- according to recent reports from the NGOs Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), who warn that the trend could worsen if the Islamic Republic "survives the current crisis".

"Thousands of people are in prison, and they are in line for execution," Pak said. "Please do not forget about Iran."

"Just watching this film, especially now, is so important because so many people just going through this war and forgetting about what is happening there in the prisons," actress Maryam Palizban told AFP.

A total of 21 people have been executed and more than 4,000 arrested in Iran for political or what authorities describe as national security reasons since the start of the conflict, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday.

Mohammadi told AFP that the people still in Iran that she has heard from are "tired" but "the people are still hoping for the day after the Islamic Republic".

For them, Mohammadi said, the hope of one day seeing the end of the regime means "we can bear it, we can stand it".

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(The Center Square) – Camp Mystic owners have agreed to suspend camp operations this summer after being called to do so by state lawmakers and parents whose daughters were swept away from cabins and survived or died in them during last summer's Hill Country flood.  

The decision was announced Thursday, 48 hours after the second day of legislative hearings into the camp concluded in Austin. A bipartisan joint Texas Senate and House investigating committee overseeing a state legislative investigation heard evidence and testimony about multiple failures at Camp Mystic during and after the flood event. The all-girl’s camp in Hunt, Texas, licensed by the state at the time, is where 25 campers and two counselors died July 4. 

Multiple wrongful death lawsuits have been filed against the camp alleging gross negligence. A lawsuit filed against the Department of State Health Services is also ongoing, alleging it wrongfully granted the camp’s operating license last year despite the camp not being in compliance with state laws and regulations. Three state investigations into the camp are ongoing: one by the state legislature, one by DSHS and a criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers.  

On Monday and Tuesday, state lawmakers and parents called for DSHS to suspend Camp Mystic’s license and prohibit its owners, members of the Eastland family, from having anything to do with the care of children. 

By Thursday, the owners, members of the Eastland family, announced they had informed DSHS they were withdrawing their application for a summer 2026 camp license.

“No administrative process or summer season should move forward while families continue to grieve, while investigations continue and while so many Texans still carry the pain of last July’s tragedy,” they said in an emailed statement. “We recognize that no statement and no decision can undo that loss or ease the burden carried each day by parents, siblings, loved ones, survivors, first responders and our beautiful Kerr County community.”

The family said it made the decision in order to “remove any doubt that Camp Mystic has heard the concerns expressed by grieving families, members of the Texas House and Senate investigating committees and citizens across our state. Respect for those voices requires that we step back now.

“Camp Mystic will continue to fully cooperate with all ongoing investigations, comply with every lawful requirement and continue supporting recovery and healing efforts. Today is not about camp operations. It is about respect for the families, accountability to the public and reverence for the memory of the lives lost.”

The reversal comes two days after the Eastlands remained defiant about continuing to operate despite the ongoing criminal investigation and their ongoing appeal with a court order demanding that they not destroy evidence and tear down cabins where campers died. 

On Tuesday, Britt Eastland was adamant that the camp would continue operating and that parents would thank them for doing so in five or 10 years, The Center Square reported. The Eastlands also maintained that they would appeal if DSHS denied their license, also saying they sought to gross $4 million this summer. 

They have also maintained they are in full compliance with the law, which state lawmakers openly rejected. State Sen. Charles Perty, R-Lubbock, and others pointed to 22 deficiencies in their current DSHS application, including not having an evacuation plan, The Center Square reported. State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, asked them if they understood the trauma they were causing others by stating in their application that they planned to have swimming, snorkeling and canoeing in the river this summer where campers drowned.

State Sen. Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham, expressed exasperation with Mary Liz Eastland, the camp’s registered nurse and camp’s health officer, who as of Tuesday still had not reported the deaths of 27 girls as required by law. State law requires that state licensed facilities and state licensed medical professionals report deaths within 24 hours. 

A Camp Mystic mother and Austin surgeon whose daughter survived the flood pointed to multiple potential medical violations Eastland allegedly committed, both legally and ethically, according to medical duty of care standards, The Center Square reported. 

In response to the camp withdrawing its license application, Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement, "Camp Mystic will remain closed for 2026. The DSHS continues working with the Texas Rangers to investigate Camp Mystic. The results of that investigation will be made public as soon as possible."

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who'd been demanding DSHS pull the camp's license, said, "At the conclusion of heartbreaking testimony from the families of Heaven’s 27 two days ago, I was hopeful the Eastland family would consider withdrawing their 2026 Camp Mystic license application for this summer. I am thankful to hear that, today, the Eastland family withdrew their application. Given the tragic circumstances, this is the correct decision to protect Texas campers and to allow time for all investigations to be completed."

Honda’s trackside racing boss Shintaro Orihara said Thursday that he is confident they have found solutions to the power unit problems that undermined Aston Martin’s start to the 2026 F1 season.

Excessive vibrations made it extremely uncomfortable for two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll to drive their cars in the opening three races before the five-week break caused by the Iran war. 

But, speaking in Miami ahead of Sunday's Miami Grand Prix, Orihara said he believed that hardware changes would reduce the problems and make life easier for the drivers. 

Alonso completed the Japanese Grand Prix, in the final race before the enforced break, but had failed to finish in Australia or China and Stroll has yet to finish a race this year due to pain from vibrations associated with the new hybrid power units.

"We have made good progress with the vibration," Orihara said. "Good on the battery side and it is good for the vibrations for the driver so we are keen to see how these counter-measures work here on the track.”

The big-spending Canadian-owned, Silverstone-based team is bottom of the championship after the opening races and welcomed the enforced break as a chance for Honda to carry out extensive testing back at their Sakura factory. 

"We applied the countermeasures and checked the vibrations and now we have a lot of data, so we are hopeful," Orihara said ahead of the weekend, where several tweaks to the rules for the new hybrid era are to be introduced. 

These changes were welcomed by the drivers on Thursday as good first steps towards improved safety and spectacle for drivers and fans, but unlikely to have much effect on the teams' performances.

Most of the top teams, other than leaders Mercedes, have brought major upgrade packages to Miami.

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The United States on Thursday slapped sanctions on the Democratic Republic of Congo's long-serving former president Joseph Kabila, backing allegations he has assisted Rwandan-linked rebels who have seized vast parts of his country. 

It is the latest action by the United States to punish Rwanda or its supporters for violations in a peace deal, which President Donald Trump had announced with fanfare as he met the two countries' leaders in December.

"President Trump is paving the way for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and he has been clear that those who continue to sow instability will be held accountable," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement reported first by AFP.

"Treasury will continue to use its full range of tools to support the integrity of the Washington Accords."

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said that Kabila has offered "financial and political support" to groups that are "the principal drivers of violence and instability in the region."

Kabila succeeded his assassinated father as president of the vast and long-troubled nation in 2001, staying in power until 2019 after extending his term beyond the constitutional limit.

After going into self-imposed exile, he re-emerged last year in Goma, the key eastern city that had come under the control of Rwandan-based M23 fighters as they mounted a lightning offensive.

A military court last year sentenced Kabila to death in absentia for treason and other charges over his role with the rebel group, a move that effectively blocks him from returning to Kinshasa to seek any political comeback.

But Kabila still has major business interests inside the country, despite efforts by the government to seize them, meaning his allies could risk the wrath of US sanctions if they continue to work with him.

The Treasury Department said it was believed that Kabila was living in Goma.

It said that he returned "with the intent to destabilize" the country and that he provided financial support to the M23's political arm. 

It also charged that he had tried to encourage DRC armed forces to defect and encouraged attacks against them.

- Disappointment in Washington -

Trump had voiced hope for a peace deal that would give the United States privileged access to the rich minerals in the eastern DRC. 

But M23 troops kept advancing even after the accord, leading the United States to condemn Rwanda and slap sanctions in March on the Rwandan military.

Rwanda has denied direct support to the M23 and has demanded that the Kinshasa government crack down on Hutu militants in the country linked to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda against Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Rwanda -- in an earlier effort to crush Hutu extremists after the genocide -- had helped bring to power Kabila's father, Laurent Kabila, who in 1997 toppled Mobutu Sese Seko, the dictator who had ruled for decades over the country then known as Zaire.

Joseph Kabila has blamed his successor, President Felix Tshisekedi, for problems in the country and said it was wrong to blame the unrest only on the M23.

"Any attempt to find a solution to this crisis that ignores its root causes — at the top of which lies the governance of the DRC by its current leadership — will not bring lasting peace," he wrote in South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper last year.

Kabila had enjoyed warm relations early in his tenure with the United States but the relationship deteriorated over his human rights record, attempts to stay in power and opening of mines to China. 

The US sanctions block any assets Kabila has in the United States and would make financial transactions with him a crime in the United States.

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The international jury of the upcoming Venice Biennale Art Exhibition resigned Thursday in a row over the organisation's decision to allow Russia to participate in this year's event.

The resignations came a week after the jury said it would exclude countries from awards if the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for war crimes against their leaders -- meaning Russia and Israel.

The exhibition is due to open on May 9. 

The organisers of the event -- the world's top international art exhibition -- said in March that they would allow Russia to take part but the decision has been strongly criticised by Ukraine and the EU.

Critics argue Russia's participation will provide a prominent platform for soft power flexing.

Brussels warned it could cut funding, while the Italian government -- which has supported Ukraine in the war -- stressed the Biennale was acting "entirely independently" of Rome's wishes.

Following the resignations, the Biennale said it has "decided that the award ceremony of the 61st International Art Exhibition, previously scheduled for May 9, will take place on Sunday November 22".

It also said it would hand out two awards, one which could be won by any one of the "National Participations included in the 61st Exhibition, as per the official list, following the principle of inclusion and equal treatment".

Visitors to the Biennale would be able to vote for the awards, it said.

- 'Artistic freedom' -

The decision was "consistent with the founding spirit of La Biennale, based on openness, dialogue, and the rejection of any form of closure or censorship," it said in a statement.

"La Biennale seeks to be, and must remain, a place of truce in the name of art, culture, and artistic freedom," it said.

Belu-Simion Fainaru, a sculptor representing Israel this year, told Italy's ANSA news agency after the jury resigned that "artists must be treated in a fair and non-discriminatory fashion, and judged on their work not their passport". 

The resignations came a day after the culture ministry dispatched inspectors to the Biennale over the case, according to Italian media reports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeated Thursday that her government "does not agree with the decision" made by Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco.

"I would not have made that choice myself", she told a press conference, but "the Biennale is an independent body".

The Venice Biennale is an international cultural organisation started in 1895 that presents major cultural festivals and runs its flagship art exhibition and architecture exhibition on alternating years.

Participating countries set up pavilions in Venice, and the art biennial typically attracts more than 600,000 visitors over its seven-month run.

In the days after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Biennale banned anyone linked to the Russian government from attending that year's edition.

Russia was also absent at the next event in 2024, but is on the list of national participants for the 2026 exhibition.

Artists from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus -- a close ally of Moscow that allowed its territory to be used in the invasion -- will be in Venice, as will others from Iran, Israel and the United States.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino reiterated that Iran will play their World Cup games in the United States as scheduled on Thursday as he kicked off the global football body's summit in Vancouver.

Iran's participation at this year's tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States has been shrouded in uncertainty since the eruption of war in the Middle East in February following strikes by the United States and Israel.

Infantino, who has repeatedly stated that Iran will be at the World Cup, underscored that stance at the start of his address to delegates in Vancouver.

"Let me start by the outset, confirming straightaway that of course Iran will be participating at the FIFA World Cup 2026," Infantino said. "And of course, Iran will play (in) the United States of America."

Iranian officials had floated the idea of shifting their group games from the United States to Mexico, but that proposal had already been nixed by Infantino.

In a further twist last week, Italy-born US special envoy Paolo Zampolli was reported to have floated the idea of Italy taking Iran's World Cup place.

The US government later distanced themselves from that proposal, with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying Iran's footballers would be welcome.

But the tension surrounding Iran's World Cup participation rumbled into the build-up to Thursday's FIFA Congress.

Iran was the only absentee from the 211-member congress as Thursday's meeting got under way after a clash with Canadian border officials earlier this week.

Officials from the Iranian football federation (FFIRI) abruptly left Canada after landing in Toronto, abandoning their onward trip to Vancouver.

Iranian media said FFIRI president Mehdi Taj -- a former member of Tehran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- and two colleagues flew home after being "insulted" by Canadian immigration officers.

Canada, which designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2024, said Wednesday that individuals linked to the force were "inadmissible."

"While we cannot comment on individual cases due to privacy laws, the government has been clear and consistent: IRGC officials are inadmissible to Canada and have no place in our country," Canada's immigration agency said in a statement.

Iran, who are due to be based in Tucson, Arizona during the World Cup, face New Zealand, Belgium and Egypt in Group G.

The Iranians open their World Cup campaign against New Zealand in Los Angeles on June 15.

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Trainer Todd Pletcher hopes his early favorite Renegade can overcome the dreaded inside post on Saturday to capture the 152nd Kentucky Derby.

"We're going to be on pins and needles like everyone else just hoping everything goes smoothly," Pletcher said this week at Churchill Downs, where Renedgade will break from the first post with Puerto Rican jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. in the irons.

Renegade was priced at 4-1, even though Ferdinand, 40 years ago, was the last Derby winner to break from the No. 1 gate.

Pletcher said the switch to a single 20-horse gate -- rather than two side-by-side gates -- has not greatly improved the chances of ending that drought, as he has reason to know.

"I still think it's a tough spot," said Pletcher, who has now had three Derby runners draw the inside post.

In 2021, his Known Agenda finished ninth and Mo Donegal was fifth in 2022.

"The break becomes so critical," said Pletcher, who saddled Derby winners Super Saver in 2010 and Always Dreaming in 2017. "Mo Donegal, he didn't break well, and he got shuffled way back.

"Known Agenda was, like, 11th at one point after breaking and then got shuffled all the way back to 18th. He was never able to recover from that," added Pletcher, who admitted that when he learned, while in flight to Kentucky, that Renegade had drawn the first post he "reached for the air-sickness bag".

Renegade owner Mike Repole is chasing a first Kentucky Derby winner, having come up empty with eight prior runners in the first jewel in US flat racing's Triple Crown.

Renegade confirmed his status as a contender with a victory in the Arkansas Derby last month.

Trainer Brad Cox's Commandment and Further Ado were both priced at 6-1. Commandment will start from the sixth post under jockey Luis Saez. Further Ado drew the 18th post and will be ridden by John Velazquez.

Cox's Fulleffort, coming off a victory in the Jeff Ruby Stakes, was scratched on Thursday with a hind ankle injury and was replaced in the field by the also-eligible Ocelli -- who is seeking a maiden win.

Silent Tactic, trained by Mark Casse, was ruled out on Wednesday with a "very, very slight" foot injury.

"The timing's poor, but it's not a big deal and that's the most important thing," Casse said, indicating the horse would be pointed at the Preakness on May 16.

- Baffert seeks record-breaker -

The Triple Crown will conclude with the Belmont Stakes on June 6, although neither the Preakness nor Belmont will be run at their historic venues.

The Preakness will be run at Laurel Park in Maryland as Pimlico Race Course undergoes renovations while the Belmont will be run at Saratoga for the third and final year due to renovations at Belmont Park.

Only 13 horses have completed the coveted treble, most recently trainer Bob Baffert's American Pharoah in 2015 and Justify in 2018.

Baffert has two chances to win a seventh Kentucky Derby and break a tie with Ben Jones for the most of any trainer. He sends out Litmus Test and Potente.

Trainer Riley Mott has his first Derby runners in Albus and Incredibolt while his father Bill Mott, who saddled last year's Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty, seeks a  repeat with Chief Wallabee.

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