SANTA CLARA (California), June 13 — Four years after their home World Cup went sour, Qatar are not expecting any gifts in North America as they look for a performance to make their fans proud, coach Julen Lopetegui said ahead of their opener against Switzerland.

Qatar lost all three matches in 2022 and scored a solitary goal in an unprecedented low for a tournament host but have since earned some credibility by qualifying under their own steam for North America.

“When we arrived here one year ago more or less, our goal was (qualification). Our dream was that. Inshallah, we achieved it. With the help of this group. They made history,” Lopetegui told reporters on Friday.

“Now we don’t want to stop. We know the kind of opponents we face. We know that we are at the World Cup but we want to follow our dream.

“In the same way, (we’re) thinking that no-one gives us presents here. Now we want to be able to be as competitive as possible, starting with the first match tomorrow.”

Asian champions Qatar target their first World Cup points from a group also featuring Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and following a buildup disrupted by the war in Iran.

The conflict meant friendlies against Serbia and world champions Argentina in March were cancelled, and they kick off the World Cup following a 1–0 loss to Ireland and a 0–0 draw against El Salvador in friendlies against humbler opponents.

There were no complaints from Lopetegui about their preparations before they take on a highly regarded Swiss side, the coach saying Qatar just had to get used to it.

He said there was no use targeting any one player in Saturday’s opener at the home of NFL team San Francisco 49ers, either.

“I think Switzerland is a very, very strong team. Most of them are top players. I don’t want to talk about one, I would have to talk about all of them,” he said.

Lopetegui is coaching a World Cup team for the first time, eight years after being sensationally fired as Spain manager days before the tournament in Russia.

But he had little interest in talking about his past near miss.

“I am not thinking about the past, I am thinking about the present,” he said.

“Because you are building your future.”

Qatar captain Hassan Al Haydos, who was coaxed out of retirement to play a second World Cup, was also hesitant to look back at the 2022 tournament but said that the players had learned from it.

“Of course, we tried to put this experience into practice from a technical perspective, and performance-related perspective,” he said through a translator.

“We tried to share whatever insights and experience we gained.

“We cannot promise our fans anything or any outcomes, but still I can promise that we are going to do our best and come out in a positive way.” — Reuters

TEHRAN, June 11 — Iran’s military command said today it will target any ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz, after it struck two vessels attempting to pass through the strategic waterway, as talks to end the war faltered.

The United States launched a new wave of attacks against Iran yesterday, with President Donald Trump vowing to “hit them hard” after accusing Tehran’s negotiators of “playing us for suckers”.

The Khatam al-Anbiya command said todayday, “any vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz will be targeted” adding that the strait is now “completely closed to all types of vessel”, according to the Tasnim news agency.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy, quoted by state television IRIB and the Mehr agency, said that “two ships attempting to illegally pass through the Strait of Hormuz were hit”.

“Following repeated violations of the ceasefire by the American enemy, the Strait of Hormuz will be closed until further notice,” it said.

“We warn that no vessel should leave its anchorage in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Approaching the Strait of Hormuz will be considered cooperation with the enemy.”

Iranian media reported explosions across the country’s south near the Strait of Hormuz, the same area where US forces had already bombarded air defence, radar and other sites on Tuesday. — AFP

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Malaysian consumers, already weathering months of relentless price hikes, face a sobering warning: the worst may yet be coming.

According to the latest industry report from Retail Group Malaysia (RGM), a fresh wave of retail price increases is expected to hit this month.

This new surge arrives as the country grapples with an inflationary environment that has been steadily deteriorating since the start of the year. Inflation rose 1.6 per cent in the first quarter of 2026, only to jump further to 1.9 per cent in April alone.

The categories driving this spike mirror the daily struggle of the average household: insurance and financial services surged 4.9 per cent, personal care and miscellaneous services climbed 4.8 per cent, and transport costs rose 4.1 per cent.

Even the simple act of dining at restaurants, cafes, and takeaway outlets saw a rise of 2.6 per cent.

“To make matters worse, new wave of retail price increases is expected to begin from June this year,” RGM said in its report.

The root cause of this mounting pressure is thousands of kilometres away. The escalation of conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran in February has sent fuel prices spiralling.

Between the first week of March and the first week of June, unsubsidised RON95 jumped 39 per cent, from RM2.67 to RM3.72 per litre. Diesel prices in Peninsular Malaysia were hit even harder, climbing 45 per cent to reach RM4.67.

These costs do not stay confined to the petrol pump; they bleed into every corner of the economy. RGM notes that the “fuel effect” has already inflated prices for a staggering array of essentials: from groceries and dining out to car repairs, house rentals, medical consultations, tuition fees, and even airline tickets.

The latest warning suggests this list is about to grow longer.

The timing is particularly precarious. RGM’s initial projection of 3.7 per cent retail growth for Q1 2026 already fell short of the 4.4 per cent retailers had hoped for in March.

Now, heading into the second half of the year, RGM has slashed its full-year retail sales growth forecast from 4.0 per cent to 3.8 per cent, citing the direct hit the conflict has taken on consumer purchasing power.

This caution is echoed at the highest levels of government. The Malaysian government has revised its annual inflation forecast upward to between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent,a significant jump from the previous estimate of 1.3 per cent to 2.0 per cent.

RGM suggests the final figure will likely lean toward the upper end of that range.

For the manufacturing sector, the pressure is compounding. Prolonged conflict in the Middle East has not only spiked energy prices but disrupted supply chains and inflated logistics costs.

Manufacturers are now trapped in a difficult balancing act: absorb these costs and risk their margins, or pass them on to the consumer.

For the ordinary Malaysian, the implication is straightforward: the pinch felt at the petrol station, the grocery store, and the dining table is set to intensify.

With retailers across multiple sectors already adjusting prices to survive rising input costs, households must brace for a tighter budget.

RGM’s report also offers no sign of a reversal before the year ends, marking the second half of 2026 as a period of high-stakes navigation for both businesses and consumers.