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US President Donald Trump confirms he spoke to FIFA before they suspended Folarin Balogun's one-game red card ban. The 25-year-old striker, who is the US's top scorer at the tournament with three goals, was shown a straight red card for a foul on Bosnia-Herzegovina defender last week. There are now warnings that football's integrity may be at stake as the ban was overturned. We hear from a former top FIFA executive who thinks football's governing body has got it badly wrong.

Also on the programme: a new insight into a puzzle from the start of the universe; and why an ancient Greek epic speaks to us today as Homer's Odyssey has its global movie premiere in London.

(Photo: US footballer Folarin Balogun practising in Seattle Credit: Imagn Images via Reuters/Steven Bisig)

Adam is on the verge of giving up, and Alice is determined to salvage something from the wreckage.

The Ukrainian Air Force says a shortage of interceptor missiles meant none of the 23 ballistic missiles fired by Russia at Kyiv on Sunday night were shot down. It was the second large-scale deadly Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital in a week. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to take "strong decisions" at this week's Nato summit to provide Kyiv with air defences. Also, huge crowds fill the streets of Tehran for the funeral procession of Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Three of his sons prayed beside his coffin at the Grand Mosalla mosque but Motjaba, the son who succeeded him as supreme leader, did not make an appearance; President Trump has been justifying his intervention in FIFA's decision to lift a one-match ban on Folarin Balogun, America's top scorer at the World Cup. Speaking to reporters in the White House, Mr Trump said it was unfair to take out one of the US's best players, and all that he had done was ask FIFA for a review. As fighting intensifies in Sudan's civil war, the UN Human Rights council has ordered an urgent investigation into allegations of abuses in and around the city of El-Obeid.

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Photo: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the site of an apartment building damaged during overnight Russian missile and drone strikes in Kyiv on the 2nd of July.

Credit: Reuters

All but two African teams have been eliminated from the World Cup. Out of the 10 African teams participating when the tournament kicked off in the US, Canada and Mexico, Egypt is at the round of 16, preparing to face Argentina. Morocco has advanced to the quarter-finals having defeated Canada.

And it's the rainy season in West Africa, and recent flooding has caused more than 78 deaths in cities in Ghana, Ivory Coast and Togo. We explore the impact of climate disasters on mental health.

Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Keikantse Shumba and Blessing Aderogba

Senior Producer: Bella Twine

Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi

Editors: Charles Gitonga and Maryam Abdalla

Europe's second biggest low cost airline accepted bid after months of wooing. If the deal goes through, the new owners Clearlake will take the business private.

NATO to discuss a proposed Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, aimed at boosting lending to member nations to pay for a ramp up in defence.

And US rock band Metallica are funding work apprenticeships as part of their current stadium tour of Europe.

Ukraine’s President Zelensky calls on allies for air defence help after more than seventeen people are killed in Russian ballistic missiles strikes on and around the capital Kyiv.

Also in the programme: the World Cup red card row ramps up as Belgium appeals FIFA’s decision to suspend a match ban on Team USA's top striker, which followed a phone call to FIFA’s boss by President Trump; and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese apologises to singer Kylie Minogue after comments he made on a podcast.

(IMAGE: An explosion in Vyshneve, Kyiv region, Ukraine, July 6, 2026, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in this still image obtained from a social media video / CREDIT: Social media verified via REUTERS)

Fans also have their say & TUV Cllr Ron McDowell and commentator Chris Donnelly discuss.

Finn and Catherine give you some tips on how to remember new words.

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FIFA suspends a one-game ban imposed on a USA star footballer given a red card, after a reported phone call from President Trump. The decision to allow Folarin Balogun to play against Belgium at the next World Cup fixture has been condemned. Also: wildfires force evacuations across southern Europe; a report on how Russia's war in Ukraine is affecting Crimeans; we meet the Nigerian women taking security into their own hands; why men are more likely to "hit the wall" in a marathon; and the mysterious space balls on Australian beaches.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: [email protected]

Photo: Referee Raphael Claus looks on after showing a red card to Folarin Balogun of USA during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match USA against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Credit: BENJAMIN FANJOY/EPA/Shutterstock

From her secluded mountain cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, USA, best-selling author Karin Slaughter crafts stories which keep millions awake at night. She tells Lucy Collingwood how she works best – at her bespoke ‘cockpit’ desk, a couple of intense weeks at a time, where she juggles the tv-adaptation of her book The Good Daughter and her latest thriller The Secrets We Hide.