AFP UK

New York (AFP) – Argentina and Spain fans bring the noise to New York’s Times Square ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday as the first 48-team tournament in history reaches a climax in New Jersey. The South Americans are striving to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back World Cups, while Spain are eyeing a second title after their maiden victory in 2010. Sunday’s showpiece is likely to be the final World Cup appearance for Lionel Messi, widely considered the greatest player of all time.

La Mierla (Spain) (AFP) – As Spain triggers emergency alerts for its third major heatwave this summer, firefighters are trying to stop a devastating wildfire just 100 kilometers north of the capital, Madrid, which has already burned more than 12,000 hectares.

Batán (Argentina) (AFP) – Residents of Batan, in Argentina’s Buenos Aires province, unveiled a 1,000-meter-long national flag ahead of the FIFA World Cup final.

Shanghai (AFP) – China’s range of humanoid robot companies display their wares at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai. In recent years, the world’s second largest economy has been keen to demonstrate its technological advancements, in particular in robotics.

Sriharikota (India) (AFP) – India’s first privately built orbital rocket takes its maiden flight, marking a significant step for the South Asian giant as it eyes a bigger slice of the global space economy.

Orés (Spain) (AFP) – Air and ground crews, including military emergency units and helicopters, are deployed in an operation to tackle a wilfire in northern Spain, which has already scorched more than 15,400 hectares. The blaze has sparked alarm and continued to grow since starting in a rural part of the Aragon region on Wednesday, a week after the country’s deadliest such disaster in recent history.

Guadalajara (Mexico) (AFP) – “We combined our love for both things –- our love of football and our love for the person we’re with,” says newlywed Carmen, standing beside her husband as 750 couples get married in the Guadalajara fan zone in Mexico ahead of the World Cup final.

Kuwait City (Kuwait) (AFP) – Explosions and sirens are heard in Kuwait City as the country’s military says its air defences were intercepting hostile missile and drone attacks. This comes after Iran’s army said it struck US military targets in Kuwait and Jordan in response to American attacks, according to a statement carried by the Iranian state broadcaster.

Unknown (AFP) – Footage released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on July 17 shows what the military says is the latest wave of precision strikes on strategic Iranian military sites. CENTCOM says the US forces hit surveillance sites, military logistics infrastructure, underground weapons storage, and maritime capabilities. Bombing intensified in the Middle East for the seventh consecutive night, with Iran reporting three deaths from US strikes and retaliating with attacks on several US military sites in Kuwait and Jordan.

Brühl (Germany) (AFP) – French President Emmanuel Macron warns against trusting opinion polls predicting a Marine Le Pen victory in next year’s presidential election. Speaking while on a visit to Germany, Macron advises those gathered at a press conference to “beware of the polls” and “trust the French people.” Le Pen says she is still running for president despite an appeals court confirming a conviction for embezzlement.

(AFP) – Amid uneven, mud-strewn roads, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) workers struggle to deliver vital aid along the only road linking the city of Yambio to internally displaced families in Greater Mundri, South Sudan. “Most of the time, we are unable to reach many remote areas because of the road conditions, but we continue to do our best,” says UNMISS officer-in-charge Anthony Nwapa.

Arnhem (Netherlands) (AFP) – Welcome to the world of competitive Rubik’s Cube solving — “speedcubing” for insiders — where players compete in disciplines ranging from the blindfold challenge to solving cubes with oven gloves on their hands. More than a thousand competitors have come from 53 countries to the 11th European speedcubing championships in Arnhem, Netherlands. “The community is awesome,” says Kyle Renatus, a competitor and member of the World Cube Association Communication Team.