In a bizarre twist that surreally mixes geopolitics with global football, US President Donald Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the eagerly awaited draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

The ceremony, held at a star-studded gala in the nation’s capital, kicked off with operatic flair from Andrea Bocelli’s rendition of “Nessun Dorma” but quickly veered into the world of the weird as Trump took centre stage—literally—to accept the honour from his close ally, FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

Trump carries off his own World Cup trophy

“This award is for the exceptional effort you’re making to fight for peace. That’s what we want from a leader,” Infantino declared as Trump ascended the podium, beaming under the spotlight. “You, Mr. President, deserve it for your achievements. In your own way, but you’ve done it, and you’ll always have my support and that of the entire football community.”

Trump, never one to undersell a moment, lit up the room with self-congratulatory fervour. “This is one of the greatest honours of my life,” he proclaimed, crediting himself with averting conflicts worldwide. “We’ve saved thousands of lives—in the Congo, India, Afghanistan—we’ve stopped wars before they even started. It’s a great honour to be with you, Gianni. I want to thank my family, and I think we’re going to see something incredible, working shoulder-to-shoulder with Canada and Mexico to coordinate everything. Our relationship is exceptional. Thanks to everyone who’s made the world a safer place. A year ago, we weren’t the country we are today, thanks to my leadership.”

The accolade comes mere weeks after Trump narrowly missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize, a snub he has publicly lamented. FIFA’s new peace award, presented for the first time, appeared tailor-made for just this occasion, reveals the extent of Infantino’s longstanding rapport with the US leader. As Trump returned to his seat clutching the trophy like a schoolboy shunned from the previous school sports day, the evening shifted gears to the main event and why everyone was tuning in: unveiling the 12 groups for the expanded 48-team tournament, set to be played June 11 to July 19, 2026.

Who is playing who at the World Cup?

Hosts stole early glances of glory in the draw. Mexico landed in Group A along with South Korea, while Canada drew Switzerland in Group B.  The US, as co-host, faces Australia in Group D, promising a trans-Pacific showdown on home soil. Powerhouses like Brazil (Group C with Morocco) and Germany (Group E with Ecuador) avoided early nightmares, but the intrigue deepened elsewhere.

Spain, fresh off their Euro 2024 triumph under coach Luis de la Fuente, drew a manageable Group H: Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, and Cape Verde. “La Roja” will debut against the Uruguayans, led by Real Madrid star Federico Valverde. Yet, the real drama comes in the knockout stage: Spain could clash with Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the round of 32, depending on seeding and results from Group J (Argentina, Austria).

Other marquee clashes lit up the draw: France, commanded by Kylian Mbappé, meets Senegal in Group I while Group F pits the Netherlands against Japan, a rematch of their dramatic 2022 encounter. Belgium (Group G with Iran) and Portugal (Group K with Colombia) eye deep runs, while England faces Croatia in Group L, a nod to their epic 2018 semifinal.

Hosts Heidi Klum and Kevin Hart kept the energy electric, trading quips with Infantino, who opened the proceedings by dubbing FIFA “the official provider of happiness to humanity.” The red carpet brimmed with dignitaries, from soccer legends to Hollywood A-listers, but Trump’s prize overshadowed the proceedings and the Internet fell off its chair vowing never to drink again.

Netflix announced on Friday December 5 a seismic shift in its business strategy after reaching an agreement to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, including its streaming service HBO Max. The deal is valued at around 83 billion dollars (71.2 billion euros), making it the most significant corporate move in the history of streaming.

Competition for Warner Bros had been fierce. Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, and telecommunications giant Comcast were also in the running. In the end, Netflix offered 27.75 dollars per share, representing a premium of nearly 12% on Thursday’s closing price.

A colossal merging of catalogues

The acquisition would unite some of the world’s most influential franchises. Warner’s iconic titles —The Big Bang Theory, The Sopranos, Game of Thrones, The Wizard of Oz and the DC Universe— would join Netflix’s global hits such as Wednesday, Money Heist, Bridgerton and Stranger Things. The result would be one of the most extensive entertainment libraries ever created.

Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-chief executive, stated: “Our mission has always been to entertain the world. By combining Warner Bros’ extraordinary library —from timeless classics like Casablanca and Citizen Kane to modern favourites like Harry Potter and Friends— with our own culture-defining titles, we can deliver even greater value to our global audience.”

A decisive strategic shift

Nearly three decades after its beginnings as a DVD rental service, Netflix is preparing to take full control of its creative pipeline. The company has long invested in original content and more recently in live events, but owning an entire studio marks a dramatic strategic evolution.

A key incentive is Warner’s enormous catalogue, which includes every DC Comics saga along with HBO’s prestige productions. Netflix was an early success story of the “long tail” business model, acquiring films and series at low cost to create a vast library its algorithms could tailor to each viewer.

Regulatory scrutiny expected

Analysts suggest the deal would not dramatically enlarge Netflix’s market share, though it would significantly strengthen its competitive position against rivals such as Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video. Regulatory approval in the United States, however, could prove challenging, given that the agreement brings together two of the country’s largest streaming platforms.

Ahead of the sale being finalised, Warner Bros would spin off its cable networks —including CNN, TBS and TNT— to streamline the transaction. On Friday morning, Warner’s shares rose roughly 3.7% in pre-market trading, while Netflix shares dipped by around 0.6% in after-hours trading.

Concerns ripple through Hollywood

The prospect of the merger has caused unease within the film and television industry. According to Variety, a consortium of high-profile Hollywood figures urged the US Congress to intervene, warning of potential economic and institutional disruption if Netflix were to take control of Warner.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount Skydance accused Warner Bros Discovery of conducting an unfair sales process favouring Netflix. In a letter to chief executive David Zaslav, Paramount’s legal team questioned the “fairness and adequacy” of the bidding procedure and requested confirmation that an independent board committee had been formed to evaluate the offers.

Paramount’s frustration intensifies

Paramount had previously attempted to buy the entire company in October with an offer of roughly 60 billion dollars, which was rejected by Warner’s board. A formal sales process followed, culminating in Netflix’s bid —the highest offer and the one viewed as providing the strongest assurances of continued access to the Warner Bros film library.

Although the deal still requires regulatory clearance, it marks a defining moment for the global entertainment industry. If approved, it would reshape the streaming landscape and cement Netflix’s position as the dominant force in the next era of digital entertainment.

Love him or hate him, no one can accuse Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente of not having ambitious ideas. He has revealed several radical proposals to increase train capacity, cut costs, and improve the passenger experience on Spanish railways, including the sale of standing-only tickets on busy routes, the introduction of hydrogen and battery-powered trains, and the complete removal of security controls for AVE high-speed services.

The announcements were made during an interview on the Cadena SER podcast Hora Veintipico and have already sparked intense uproar across social media and among rail users.

Standing-only room train tickets for Renfe services

In a move already common across Europe, Renfe is seriously considering selling tickets for passengers to travel standing up on short- and medium-distance routes where seats regularly sell out.

“We are looking at it very seriously,” Minister Puente confirmed. He highlighted that the measure would allow more people to travel on overcrowded services while making it clear to buyers that they are purchasing a no-seat ticket.

“The idea of travelling standing on trains is common in Europe. There’s something we don’t do here, which is sell train travel without a seat.” – Óscar Puente, Minister of Transport

The president of Renfe, Álvaro Fernández Heredia, is reportedly “very much in favour” of the initiative, which would primarily target short journeys where demand regularly exceeds seated capacity and where no-shows are frequent.

Similar standing tickets are already sold by national operators in countries such as Germany (DB), France (SNCF), Italy (Trenitalia), and the United Kingdom.

Hydrogen and battery trains to avoid expensive electrification

Copper is currently extremely expensive, and Spanish train lines have been suffering a spate of cable thefts, collapsing train services, especially on AVE routes. Minister Puente also confirmed that Renfe and the Ministry are studying the deployment of hydrogen fuel cell and battery electric trains on regional lines where full electrification with catenary wires would be prohibitively expensive. The approach has already been successfully piloted in Germany and is under trial in several Spanish regions, including Extremadura and Galicia.

End to mandatory security checks for AVE high-speed trains

There’s nothing worse than arriving at Atocha Station in Madrid 20 minutes before the train departs for your return journey, and the queue of passengers snakes around the station concourse looking like it will never end. Will you miss your train? And, what for? So a security guard can take a halfhearted chance to see what you have inside on the X-ray machine. The security is nothing like the intensity at an Airport, but it can give rise to missed trains.

Perhaps the most controversial proposal is the potential elimination of airport-style security controls (metal detectors and baggage scanners) currently required to board AVE high-speed trains in Spain.

Puente argued that Spain is the only country in Europe that imposes such checks on high-speed rail passengers, even though conventional long-distance, regional, and commuter trains (Cercanías) have never required them.

Puente’s ambitions to revolutionise Spanish travel

From €1 billion investments in Renfe and the maintenance of its trains, to speeding up the train from Madrid to Barcelona to 350 km/ph, it seems every week he has another grand idea to improve travel within Spain. Let’s hope is given the budget for it all.