Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Kane trading blows in an electric race for the Golden Boot made plenty of headlines.

That in itself was a gift for Fifa, with the world’s most recognisable players all showing up and trying to outdo each other.

But the World Cup is not just about the star names, certainly at the group stage.

The colour and character of football from around the globe takes the focus.

We did not get any shock defeats in meaningful games for the big teams, like Saudi Arabia beating eventual champions Argentina four years ago.

But there were real stories.

Cape Verde, an archipelagic country in the Atlantic Ocean, may not have come to the World Cup expecting to qualify for the knockout rounds. And they were written off by many before they got on the plane.

After all, who could have imagined they would emerge from a group which included Uruguay and European champions Spain?

That Cape Verde could take a point off Spain, and stop them scoring too, was remarkable. Not just that, they then drew 2-2 with Uruguay, too.

The draw against Saudi Arabia in the final group game secured second placed in the group and a date with world champions Argentina in Miami on Friday.

Ok, they might have been the only team to finish in the top two on three points, but they did what they needed to do.

There could be no greater vindication of Infantino’s plan. Cape Verde were the poster boys.

Vozinha, their 40-year-old goalkeeper, is now a social media star thanks to his heroics against Spain.

Starting the game with 50,000 followers on Instagram, that shot up to five million after full-time. At the latest count, he has 16.7m.

And then his mother, who had been unable to attend the World Cup because of the high cost of obtaining a US visa, was able to fly in for the Uruguay game.

It is a story which only the World Cup can create for a player like Vozinha, who has spent his career in Moldova, Cyprus, Slovakia and the Portuguese second division.

South Korea has unveiled plans for about $1tn (£760bn) of investments to build out the country’s chip manufacturing and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities in the coming years.

It is part of the country’s so-called Three Mega Projects to develop new chip production hubs, data centres and robotics technology.

The plan is aimed at rejuvenating the economies of areas outside the capital Seoul, President Lee Jae-myung said on Monday.

It comes as regional rivals like Taiwan, China and Japan are investing heavily in chip factories and other technologies as the AI boom pushes up demand for semiconductors.

“We must secure the core elements of AI faster than any other country,” Lee said. “Semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centres are the triple axis for a great leap forward.”

Lee announced the plans in a televised event alongside the leaders of Samsung and SK Hynix, the country’s two largest chipmakers.

The companies are expected to build a semiconductor manufacturing hub in the south west of the country.

Lee also announced plans to build other AI infrastructure hubs outside of Seoul, where most of the country’s advanced factories are currently concentrated.

Earlier, Lee said in a statement that the project was a matter of “survival” for the country to address the decline in rural areas due to the concentration of industries in Seoul.

“Now, we must break this long-standing cycle of discrimination and marginalisation – not only for the sake of justice and equity, but also to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth,” he wrote.

Samsung and SK Group, which count the likes of AI chip giant Nvidia among their customers, have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the surge in spending on AI infrastructure.

US tech giants – including Google, Amazon and Meta – said they will spend $650bn into the technology this year.

SK Hynix’s stock market valuation topped $1tn in May, driven by the boom in AI data centres.

The surge in demand for chips to power AI has led to a global shortage of semiconductors, sending prices higher.

Last week, Apple and Microsoft raised the prices of some of their devices, due to higher costs of components.

But some investors have raised concerns about the huge amounts of money being poured into AI, which has triggered some shares to slide in recent days.

The US and Iran have agreed to ‘stand down for now’ after a weekend of skirmishes in and around the Strait of Hormuz, media reports say citing a US official

The US and Iran have agreed to “stand down for now” after an exchange of strikes in and around the Strait of Hormuz over the past few days, media reports say citing a US official.

“Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MoU [memorandum of understanding]. Both sides will stand down for now and vessels can move freely,” the official told The Hill on Sunday, referencing the 14-point MoU signed by both sides on June 17.

Iran has not commented on the reports that it has agreed to halt strikes.

The US struck Iran on Friday in response to a drone attack a day earlier on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes came shortly after US President Donald Trump called the drone attack a “foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement” in a Truth Social post. Asked by reporters whether the US would respond to the attack, he said: “You’ll find out.”

The US military carried out airstrikes on Iranian drone and missile storage facilities and coastal radar sites on Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

CENTCOM said Iranian forces hit the Ever Lovely, a Singapore-flagged ship, with a one-way attack drone as it exited the Strait of Hormuz.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre said a cargo ship was struck 7.5 nautical miles southeast of Oman’s port of Dahit on Thursday.

The Ever Lovely’s owner, Evergreen, said the vessel had been following the UKMTO’s recommended route through the strait when it was struck. “All crew members remain safe as does the vessel itself and all cargo,” it added.

This is a Breaking News story. You’ll be more likely to see our stories when any big news breaks in future by simply by clicking this link. You can also join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.

Rapper Skepta took to social media with a ‘sickening’ video of 13-year-old North West to urge her parents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to ‘protect your kids’

Skepta, a UK rapper, has urged Kim Kardashian and Kanye West to “protect your kids” in response to a video of their 13-year-old daughter North West being hugged by a man on social media.

The rapper took to X with the video, in which North was approached by an adult man at the Verements Menswear Spring/Summer 2027 show at Paris Fashion Week. The teenager put out her hand for a handshake, hugged the man and then posed for a photo.

Skepta fumed in a string of tweets that North should not have been at the show and interacting with strangers.

“A blind man could see she wanted a handshake,” he fired off. In another tweet, he added: “My fans know I try to stay out of [people’s] business but the way grown men, complete strangers try to use North makes me sick.”

One X user asked if hugging were a “social offence now”, but Skepta argued that North’s body language made it clear that she was not looking for a hug. “She is 13-years-old,” he continued. “And she put her hand out for a handshake, you don’t ignore that.”

Another user said that North, who is the eldest of Kim and Kanye’s four children, has “skipped being a teenager” because of her family’s fame and the amount of piercings she’s been able to get, despite only just becoming a teenager. Skepta responded: “WOW!! Protect your kids people. Protect your kids!”

He also said that he thought it was “sickening” how there now seemed to be a lack of understanding about what is and isn’t appropriate behaviour, arguing that schools should now teach people “body language”.

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Kim and Kanye have four children together – North, Saint, Chicago and Pslam. This is not the first time that Kim has come under fire for her parenting, particularly in regards to North and her appearance.

In September, Kim was slammed for allowing then 12-year-old North to get a finger piercing and to walk around Rome in a corset. On TikTok, fans have had their say as one user fumed: “NORTH IS 12!!!!! She’s a literal child. Why is her mother and all those grown-ups around her allowing her to dress and act like this??? Don’t get me started on the piercing. Sexualising herself like this at such a young age is just so wrong.”

“Guyssssss. This just isn’t okay. North is 12-years-old. Yes, we’re all for expressing yourself through fashion but this just screams all the wrong things. Shame on Kim Kardashian,” another echoed.

A third said: “Kim was allowed to be a kid in her childhood so why is she letting North dress like a woman in her twenties. Bad parenting.” The Mirror approached Kim’s representatives for comment at the time.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Welcome to our Who am I? game.

The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.

After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. Guess the answer after as few clues as possible to score more points.

Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.

So take part and return for more tomorrow.

Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Huzaifah Khan.

After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.

Billy Hearthose predicted 16 wins in a row at one point

A cat from Newry has become an international star after going viral for predicting World Cup football matches on social media.

Billy Heartnose is a two-year-old tuxedo cat who was adopted by Linka Lin and Mark Kelly and has recently become a sensation online after predicting 21 games that did not end in a draw during opening games of the 2026 tournament.

Speaking to Belfast Live, the couple said that they started making videos with Billy for a bit of fun and never thought that they would get much attention on social media. But after he got prediction correct for the Scotland game against Haiti thousands of people started to watch the videos. This got a further boost when he picked the right team for England against Croatia.

Since then hundreds of thousands of people have viewed Billy’s prediction videos and he has featured in media across the world.

The couple said: “We had been playing and interacting with Billy and putting videos up on social media with no followers or anyone really watching us as a bit of fun.

“Then after we put up a video of Billy predicting the Scotland game against Haiti all of a sudden we had 300,000 views on it! We think because it was a tough game to call people were impressed. Then after he predicted England against Croatia we got even more followers.

“While he is only able to pick winners and losers he had a brilliant record of picking 16 wins in a row before he got one wrong. We thought once he did get one wrong people would lose interest but no, they still want to see who Billy is going to pick.

“Since Billy went viral we have had media organisations from all over the world get in touch and he has been on Fox News, The New York Post and outlets in South Korea, Argentina and New Zealand.

“We are just glad that everyone is enjoying Billy’s predictions and seeing what a smart and talented cat he is.”

If you would like to follow Billy’s predictions you can do so via his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/billy_heartnose

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Dr Steven Montgomery, BMA’s Northern Ireland resident doctors committee chair, said the “better pay and better working conditions on offer in other countries means we are losing doctors when we really need to do all we can to keep doctors working here”.

He said the “growing patient numbers without the necessary number of doctors needed to meet this demand and pressure” was a “perfect storm for our health service”.

“We did not think we would have to take strike action again so soon after the last walk-outs, but we were left with no choice.

“The onus is now firmly on government to engage urgently and meaningfully and present a credible way forward to avert strike action,” Montgomery said.

Farren added: “Doctors in Northern Ireland are lowest paid in these islands and we have been trying to work with the minister and the department of health to rectify that, to get what he terms ‘pay parity’.

“Unfortunately, despite all of that, we continue to not have pay parity and, as a result, we have been forced after years of negotiations to take unprecedented strike action.”

Former Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw, who played Maxine Peacock in the ITV soap from 1995 to 2003, has shared an emotional update after visiting A&E during her breast cancer chemotherapy treatment

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Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw was left in tears following an emergency visit to A&E. The 52-year-old, who portrayed Maxine Peacock on the ITV soap between 1995 and 2003, revealed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and has since embarked on gruelling rounds of chemotherapy in her fight against the illness.

The former soap star took to Instagram with a fresh update, appearing in a hospital bed as she emotionally described how difficult it can be to attend hospital when others present may have comparatively “minor” complaints.

She said: “So I’m in AandE, I had really really high temperatures yesterday and they spiked several times. I didn’t want to go to AandE in the hot weather so my body has suffered today. As a consequence, I came in to AandE early this morning and I just want to say thank you to the NHS and everyone in the AandE department.

“It isn’t easy coming in when we have cancer because there are a lot of people with – I’m not disregarding it – minor things, and some have just drank too much.

“It’s really hard at this point when my immune [system] is so low to get through that part of the department without catching anything else.”

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It was at this point that Tracy, who also enjoyed a brief pop career with a cover of the Lonnie Gordon track Happenin’ All Over Again before going on to appear in Casualty, Doctors and a string of theatre productions over the years, wiped away tears as she spoke candidly about the harsh realities of undergoing cancer treatment, reports the Mirror.

She went on to express her gratitude to the medical staff who had managed to find her a private room, while also voicing her frustration over a broken air conditioning system during a sweltering heatwave, as well as workmen moving around her without wearing masks.

She added: “Anyway, thank you to the NHS and all the staff. They’ve been amazing, and they have been able to put me in a separate room for now. It’s really important to try and protect us.

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“But I just wanted to raise a few things – the aircon isn’t working in this hospital, and we’ve had workmen here outside my door and one guy was trying to do some work and when the nurse asked if she could close the door, he was really rude to her. Really rude to her. And then the nurse had to go away and it was 15 minutes before she got back.

“He felt like he had a job to do, and he’d put his work bag on the bin which was holding my door open. I’ve normally got a mask on as well, but no one else has a mask on around me.

“Then I had three guys come in…the nurse said the aircon wasn’t working and they said it was. Three guys just walked in, no masks, nothing. It wasn’t working – she was right and in the end they went away and she asked if it was okay if they came back. I said ‘With masks on!’”.

The RNLI said the vessel from Whitby Yacht Club was returning from the Netherlands on Saturday evening around 8pm when it was alerted by the Coastguard to the presence of the drifting jet ski which had broken down.

The Whitby inshore lifeboat was launched around the same time as the small pleasure craft was drifting south towards Ravenscar.

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The yacht an eye on the jet skier until the RNLI inshore lifeboat arrived and towed the jet ski back to the nearest safe haven.

Neil Williamson, from Whitby RNLI, was on board the yacht.

He said: “It was a good job that the person aboard the jet ski had a phone with him as he could have ended up a long way from home.

“It just shows the importance of carrying a means of calling for help, as you never know when you might need it.”

The RNLI recommend carrying a VHF radio when at sea as it is not always possible to get a mobile signal.

The DWP is rolling out Support Conversations to 33 Jobcentres across Great Britain, giving up to 40,000 benefit claimants personalised support tailored to their circumstances

Up to 40,000 individuals claiming out-of-work benefits are poised to experience a significant shift at their Jobcentres as the DWP introduces Support Conversations. The hour-long sessions aim to assist people in overcoming obstacles preventing them from progressing into meaningful employment or activities such as volunteering.

The additional support is designed to identify any assistance the benefit recipients might qualify for, including help with their health, debt, skills, employment, rehabilitation services and housing. This forms part of the Government’s £3.5 billion investment to support disabled people into employment.

Support Conversations will differ from standard Jobcentre appointments by taking a holistic view of the claimant’s life, examining a variety of factors rather than solely their employment situation. The sessions will be conducted by Healthcare Professionals, Pathways to Work Advisers, and Disability Employment Advisers.

Fresh Government guidance has confirmed that Support Conversations will be entirely voluntary. The scheme is intended to deliver one-to-one support for disabled individuals and those with health conditions who are receiving these benefits.

It will be made available to people awaiting a Work Capability Assessment who have registered a health condition or disability affecting their capacity to work. Individuals who have been assessed as having a Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) will also be offered Support Conversations, reports the Mirror.

Minister for Employment Dame Diana Johnson said: “Too many disabled people and people with health conditions face barriers that stop them from accessing the support and opportunities they deserve. That is why we are expanding the number of sites delivering Support Conversations from 6 to 33 Jobcentres across Great Britain, giving up to 40,000 people personalised help tailored to their circumstances.

“Getting more people into good work is central to our Plan for Change and Support Conversations will help us do exactly this.”

Initially piloted across six locations, the scheme received positive feedback from participants, who described feeling “listened to” and “supported” by the initiative. The programme will now be extended to a further 27 Jobcentres, bringing the total number of participating sites to 33.

As part of the expansion, the government says it will continue to monitor the effectiveness of Support Conversations through healthcare professionals and disability employment advisers.