FIFA wanted football, not politics — but the 2026 World Cup is both

FIFA President Gianni Infantino frequently touts keeping politics out of sports. But is that even possible? The reality is that football and politics have always been deeply connected.

 

Personality Cult Building 101: With Donald Trump

The administration changed the federal hiring process last year and now asks job applicants to write essays about their favorite Trump administration policy or executive order.

To my future orange master and his sycophants: King Chitolini's executive order banning mail in ballots is the best thing since you created the words fake and fake news.   

You"ll be able rig elections; I mean ensure elections are free and fair. Dead people will no longer be able to vote for your policial enemies. The Oval Office will be yours until die from an overdose of McDonald's. Don 'adderall' Jr. can succeed you. 

What a fantastic time to be alive. 

 

Merriam-Webster points out that usage of the word “fake” dates back to the 15th century. Even giving Trump the benefit of the doubt and assuming he actually meant to take credit for the term “fake news,” the claim still doesn’t hold up. Merriam-Webster points to specific citations of that phrase in the late 1800s. 

 

Love & Rockets - Resurrection Hex (Deep Dish Luv 'N' Dub Mix) (12" Vinyl HD)

 

‘We are afraid’: Christians in Jerusalem warn of escalating violence

 

Jerusalem has long been a symbol of coexistence between religions - but many Christians now say that reality is under pressure. Reports of harassment and violence are increasing, and critics say not enough is being done to address it. We examine the situation on the ground and the broader forces shaping it.

Beyond satire: India’s viral cockroach movement

 When India’s chief justice called young, unemployed people “cockroaches”, he could never have imagined that the slur would be turned into an online satirical movement: the Cockroach Janta Party. The CJP quickly went viral, quickly racking up tens of millions of followers. The movement reflects Gen Z’s frustration with unemployment, education systems and the shrinking space for free expression in India.

Starbucks sales tumble in South Korea over 'Tank Day' backlash

Before there was a Tiananmen Square in China, there was Gwangju in South Korea.

The CEO for Starbucks Korea was immediately fired after this debacle, and two very public apologies have been made, but sales continue to plummet. It could well turn out that Starbucks is finished in South Korea.

ource: Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean retail tycoon Chung Yong-jin on Tuesday issued his second apology in two weeks as Starbucks’ local operation faces a backlash over a recent marketing campaign that was widely perceived as mocking victims of a bloody military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980.

Chung, chairman of Shinsegae Group, which owns a 67.5% stake in Starbucks Korea, bowed three times during a televised statement as he pleaded for forgiveness from the families of democracy activists killed by the country’s former military dictatorship and from the broader public.

The coffee chain sparked public outrage when it attempted to promote a large size of tumbler it calls a “tank” by declaring May 18 to be “Tank Day.” That’s the anniversary of a democratic uprising in the southern city of Gwangju that was brutally suppressed by troops, tanks and helicopters, killing or injuring hundreds.

The campaign compounded outrage by using the slogan “Thwack it on the table!,” which many read as a reference to a notorious 1987 police statement that attempted to cover up the torture death of student activist Park Jong-chol. Police claimed that Park died suddenly after investigators “hit the desk with a thwack.” 

Turkish police fire water cannon at protesters after opposition leader ousted

 

Riot police in Turkey have fired a water cannon and teargas to break up a rally called by the ousted opposition leader Özgür Özel days after a court dismissed him from office. Özel called the lunchtime rally in İzmir as Turkey was poised to shut down for the four-day Eid al-Fitr holiday, which begins on Wednesday.

On Sunday, riot police had battered their way into the main opposition CHP’s headquarters in the capital, Ankara, firing teargas and beating party members before throwing them out, Özel said. A shock court ruling last Thursday overturned a 2023 party primary that elected Özel. It was the latest in a string of moves against the CHP, Turkey’s oldest political party, which scored a win over Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ruling AKP in 2024 local elections and has been rising in the polls.