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Who: France vs EnglandWhat: FIFA World Cup 2026 – third-place playoffWhere: Miami Stadium in Miami, Florida, the United StatesWhen: Saturday at 5pm (21:00 GMT)How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 18:00 GMT before our live text commentary stream.Still reeling from heartbreak, France and England face off in a World Cup match neither would have wanted – a third-place playoff offering little more than a figurative bronze medal.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listFirm favourites to add a third World Cup title, in-form France were outclassed by stalwarts Spain in the semifinals, while England’s agonising six-decade…

Commonly used sweeteners can directly interfere with the growth of bacteria that help support a healthy gut, according to laboratory research from the University of Cambridge. The strongest effect appeared when researchers combined isosteviol, a sweetener used by the food and beverage industry, with the antidepressant duloxetine. Together, the two compounds sharply reduced the growth of two important bacterial species associated with digestive health, blood sugar regulation, and immune function. The scientists caution that the experiments were conducted in a laboratory rather than in people. More research will therefore be needed to determine whether the bacterial changes lead to meaningful…

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen has pledged his future to the club despite their relegation from the Premier League. Bowen was linked with a move away from the London Stadium following West Ham’s plunge into the Championship last season. But the 29-year-old England forward has promised to stay with West Ham after pondering his future in the close-season. “There’s a lot of thinking time over the summer and a lot of things that go on in your head,” he said. “For me I look in years and years to come of when I retire, what’s going to bring me the…

One of the best psych-folk albums of 2026 was made by a beekeeper and a part-time wizard. If that sounds like a joke, allow us to add some more context: They’re a duo from Philly who have built a seriously impressive word-of-mouth buzz since forming six years ago. The name of the band is @, like the punctuation symbol. If you’re talking about them out loud, you can just say “at.” This would be a good time to think about how to pronounce that name, because they’re about to have a lot more fans. Autosmile (out Oct. 16), @’s first…

President Bola Tinubu has signed the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026, to harmonise the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the nation’s financial, revenue and capital markets agencies, protect citizens from fraud, and safeguard the integrity of the financial system while enabling responsible innovation. The President signed the Order pursuant to Section 5 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered). The Executive Order takes effect immediately. It responds to a regulatory environment that has become fragmented as virtual assets increasingly blur the traditional boundaries between currencies, money, commodities and securities. With…

* Establishes council to harmonise regulation of digital economy * Order also establishes a Virtual Asset Office, with its secretariat domiciled at the CBN Deji Elumoye in Abuja President Bola Tinubu has signed the Presidential Executive Order on Virtual Assets Coordination, 2026, to harmonise the regulation of virtual assets, strengthen cooperation among the nation’s financial, revenue and capital markets agencies. The Executive Order is also protect citizens from fraud, and safeguard the integrity of the financial system while enabling responsible innovation. The president, according to a release issued on Friday by his Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, signed…

By Yinka Kolawole The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, has disclosed plans by the Federal Government to publish indicators tracking poverty, incomes and inequality to assess the impact of the government’s economic reforms on the living standards of Nigerians. He said the move is aimed at addressing criticism of the reform programme suggesting that gains in revenue, foreign exchange liquidity and investor confidence have yet to translate into meaningful relief for households facing high food, transport and living costs. Speaking at a ‘ conference organised by BusinessDay newspaper, in Lagos, yesterday, Oyedele said the government…

Zoox has issued a software recall after one of its robotaxis struggled to navigate a smoke-filled emergency fire scene in June. The Amazon-owned company said Friday that it has shipped a software update that should address the issue to its fleet of 105 vehicles. Nobody was on board the vehicle during the June incident, and Zoox told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that it is not aware of injuries associated with the problem. The NHTSA’s report doesn’t state where the June incident took place. Zoox didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Zoox’s recall comes just a…

Andy Burnham set to become UK prime minister but faces challenges including the cost of living crisis and two wars.Published On 17 Jul 202617 Jul 2026Andy Burnham, a left-leaning former mayor of Manchester, has been elected leader of the United Kingdom’s governing Labour Party, putting him in line to become prime minister in the coming days.Burnham promised to restore hope to the country as he was confirmed as the party head on Friday. He will be appointed PM on Monday, replacing outgoing premier Keir Starmer, and has promised to unite the country and fight off the challenge from the populist…

Funmi Ogundare  Babies Matter Medical Centre (BMMC), a Lagos-based specialist neonatal hospital, has received two international honours at the LUXlife Parent and Baby Awards 2026 in the United Kingdom, winning the Best Advanced Neonatal Care Centre 2026 – Nigeria and the Preterm Infant Medicine Excellence Award 2026 for its outstanding contribution to specialist neonatal intensive care. The recognition marks a major milestone for the hospital, which has emerged as a referral centre for the treatment of premature and critically ill newborns in Nigeria.  As part of the honours, the medical centre will also feature on the front cover of the…