by Dave Skretta KANSAS CITY, Mo.  — Julian Alvarez sent defending champion Argentina back to the World Cup semifinals with a long-range strike in the 112th minute against Switzerland, while another goal by Lautaro Martinez with seconds left in extra time only served to make the 3-1 victory look a whole lot easier than it was Saturday night. Alexis Mac Allister also scored off a corner kick from Lionel Messi, helping La Albiceleste gut out another down-to-the-wire thriller and advance to play England on Wednesday in Atlanta. The Three Lions beat Norway 2-1 earlier in the day. Messi’s nine-game World…

by Alanis Thames MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.  — Jude Bellingham scored in the third minute of extra time to lift England past Norway 2-1 and into the World Cup semifinals for the first time since 2018. Bellingham’s goal was his second of the game — he also had an equalizer late in the first half. The Real Madrid star is now tied with England teammate Harry Kane with six goals in this tournament, behind the eight of France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi. He scored twice in the round of 16 as England beat co-host Mexico. England, winner of the…

by Jon Gambrell, Michelle L. Price and Will Weissert DUBAI, United Arab Emirates  — Iran said it considers the Strait of Hormuz closed once again after a vessel using an ‘unauthorized route’ was struck by a warning shot in the critical waterway, further jeopardizing the already tenuous ceasefire agreement with the United States. The White House and U.S. military officials offered no immediate comment on the closure, nor did they say whether American retaliation could be coming. The announcement followed Iran and Oman’s foreign ministers meeting on Saturday to discuss the strait that lies between them, after days of Iranian…

by Dyepkazah Shibayan ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Students abducted in May by Islamic militants in Nigeria’s southwestern Oyo state have been rescued, the government said Friday. Government spokesman Bayo Onanuga did not specify the total number of students rescued, but authorities said at the time of the abductions on May 15 that more than 40 people had been abducted. One of the teachers abducted alongside the students was killed shortly afterward. Eight militants were arrested as part of the operation, while an unspecified number of the militants were killed, Onanuga said. The abductions in a southern state had represented an…

by Nicholas Riccardi A Democratic senator on Saturday alleged that whistleblowers have detailed several problems stemming from rushed or improper reconstruction of the Kennedy Center, adding a new layer to the travails of the arts complex as President Donald Trump tried to seize control of it and its name. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island said in a release on Saturday that he had received a whistleblower disclosure from the Government Accountability Project, a nonprofit whistleblower protection group, alleging that “the Center rushed a series of renovations driven by the President’s aesthetic whims and his desire to star in a series…

by Kimberlee Kruesi and Meg Kinnard SCARBOROUGH, Maine  — Graham Platner said Wednesday that he plans to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race in Maine after facing an allegation of sexual assault, shuttering an insurgent campaign that had withstood months of controversy only to implode and imperil Democrats’ attempt to regain power in Washington. Platner’s exit will most likely force a reckoning within the party, which has been divided between its moderate and progressive factions, when it is struggling to unify during this year’s midterm elections. Maine is considered a key state for control of the narrowly divided Senate, and…

by Kimberlee Kruesi and Patrick Wittle SCARBOROUGH, Maine  — The Maine Democratic Party on Wednesday voted to hold a convention should Democratic Graham Platner drop out of the state’s U.S. Senate race after a former girlfriend accused him of sexual assault. Platner, who denies the allegation, has faced considerable pressure from his own party to quit the race. The first-time candidate also has been accused of trying to influence how his replacement is selected — a claim he also denies. The question marks around Platner have left a crucial U.S. Senate race unsettled just months before the November midterm elections.…

by Ronald Blum and Michelle L. Price SEATTLE  — U.S. President Donald Trump intervened on behalf of star U.S. forward Folarin Balogun, whose red-card suspension was lifted in a decision that allows him to play in a World Cup match against Belgium on Monday. Balogun, the American leader with three goals in the tournament, received a red cardfor stepping awkwardly on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemović of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a 2-0 round of 32 win on Wednesday, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. FIFA announced Sunday that the suspension had been lifted for the round of 16 match, an extraordinary…

by Ken Maguire LONDON — Serena Williams will face an opponent less than half her age when she plays 20-year-old Maya Joint in the first round at Wimbledon for her first singles match in nearly four years. The seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, who is 44, accepted a wild-card entry to the grass-court Grand Slam, where she’ll also compete in doubles with her older sister Venus, who turned 46 last week. It’s all part of a tennis comeback that started with two doubles warmup matches but kicked into high gear Sunday when the All England Club announced Serena would play singles.…

by Jay Cohen CHICAGO (AP) — Bryson Graham took over the Chicago Bulls when he was hired as executive vice president of basketball operations in May. At his introductory news conference, he referenced the acronym SLAP — size, length, athleticism, physicality. That vision is beginning to come into focus. Chicago selected Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain in the first round of Graham’s first draft with his new team on Tuesday night. It was part of a busy stretch for the Bulls, who reportedly acquired Nic Claxton as part of a three-team trade on Monday night. Tiago Splitter was hired as…