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World Cup Underway in United States and the Winner is Freddy

A USA fan holds a sign as she arrives at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP
A USA fan holds a sign as she arrives at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP
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World Cup Underway in United States and the Winner is Freddy

A USA fan holds a sign as she arrives at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP
A USA fan holds a sign as she arrives at Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium) to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup match between USA and Paraguay in Inglewood, California, on June 12, 2026. ETIENNE LAURENT / AFP

The World Cup is officially underway in the United States and the biggest breakout star is...Freddy.

The young German fan, roadtripping with two pals from Atlanta to Houston to watch his team play, has captured the adoration of many Americans -- and even the White House -- with his posts on X gushing over mainstays of the US heartland.

"This is the most 'The European mind can't comprehend this' moment of my life. One of my friends said, 'Punch me five times tomorrow and I'll still think this isn't real," he said of taking in an Argentina-Iceland friendly at the 88,000-seat stadium on the campus of Alabama's Auburn University.

His videos showed fireworks exploding above the scoreboards, and the school's live "War Eagle" mascot swooping over the field.

Other updates from @FreddyLA7 showcased his newfound love of 24-hour diner Waffle House, country star Ella Langley, Alabama sunsets and gas station Buc-ees with its 100 pumps and extensive gift shop.

A White House account shared Freddy's post about a "surreal" outdoor goods store with a shooting range, declaring: "WELCOME TO AMERICA!"

Americans have responded to the unfolding travelogue with enthusiasm, sharing words of welcome, offers to help fund the trio's journey, and plenty of suggestions of places to eat along the way.

"This is the real America right here. Have fun boys," one user wrote.

"I think Freddy has earned a green card by now," said another, tagging Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

"I got you covered in Houston big dog," offered JJ Watt, retired star of the NFL's Texans.

- Chicken fried steak -

The lovefest comes as the United States navigates stark political divisions under President Donald Trump, with ordinary Americans stinging from inflation, high gas prices and a deeply unpopular war in Iran.

"We want to show visitors that we are more than the scary headlines they read in their newspapers. We want to introduce them to the uniquely American things we enjoy because we hope they'll enjoy them, too," Yahoo Sports' Dan Wolken wrote on Thursday.

"That's just how we are, and this World Cup can be a turning point not only in how others view us, but how we view ourselves."

Other social media posts from World Cup visitors include a Scotsman praising chicken fried steak ("You'll realize we and the Americans are kindred spirits"), a Japanese fan delighting in bottomless chips and salsa, and a English tourist happy in a Florida summer rainstorm.

"It's raining! But it's hot! And I love it!" he said.

Even Spanish phenom Lamine Yamal got a taste of America's particular charms, posting a photo of himself pushing a full shopping cart outside a Walmart.

An online video showed the 18-year-old walking in the store, apparently with no one there knowing who he was.

On Friday, the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans answered a question that had been on many minds: was Freddy actually real and not an AI creation?

"We can confirm Freddy is real, is German and loves New Orleans," the team said on X, after treating the popular visitor and his friends to a tour of their facilities.

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Saudi Space Agency Launches Guide to Key Astronomical Events, Phenomena Visible in Saudi Skies Through 2030

The guide is part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of space and astronomy. (SPA)
The guide is part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of space and astronomy. (SPA)
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Saudi Space Agency Launches Guide to Key Astronomical Events, Phenomena Visible in Saudi Skies Through 2030

The guide is part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of space and astronomy. (SPA)
The guide is part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of space and astronomy. (SPA)

The Saudi Space Agency has launched an informational guide highlighting key astronomical events and phenomena expected to be visible in the skies over the Kingdom from 2026 to 2030, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

The guide is part of the agency’s efforts to raise awareness of space and astronomy. It provides accessible scientific content to help the public and enthusiasts learn about celestial phenomena, their timings, and scientific characteristics.

The guide features 62 astronomical events over five years, including solar and lunar eclipses, meteor showers, planetary conjunctions and oppositions, as well as equinoxes and solstices. It provides simplified information and definitions for each event to enhance understanding and observation of astronomical phenomena.

It lists nine astronomical events in 2026, 12 in 2027, 14 in 2028, 15 in 2029, and 12 in 2030.

The agency said the guide serves as a simplified reference to help the public and enthusiasts learn about the timing and nature of major astronomical events. It provides guidance on observing them using safe, scientifically sound methods.

The guide builds on the agency’s efforts to promote knowledge and awareness of space and astronomy and enhance specialized educational content. These efforts include the Knowledge Space Portal, which provides accessible content on space science and concepts for students, researchers, enthusiasts, and the wider public.

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NASA's Newest Space Telescope Launches on a Quest to Explore the Hidden Universe

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is prepared for launch with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is prepared for launch with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
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NASA's Newest Space Telescope Launches on a Quest to Explore the Hidden Universe

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is prepared for launch with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is prepared for launch with NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope aboard at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US, August 29, 2026. (Reuters)

NASA’s newest crown jewel blasted off Sunday to hunt for planets around other stars, explore secret dark energy and survey the cosmos like never before.

SpaceX launched the $4.3 billion Roman Space Telescope shortly after daybreak aboard a triple-the-fire-power Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Roman blazed toward an observation point 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) away that's home to the Webb Space Telescope, one of NASA's other big-ticket eyes in the sky.

The bus-sized telescope — named after the late Nancy Grace Roman, NASA’s first chief astronomer — will take more than three months to reach its destination. Once there, it will cast the widest gaze yet on the hidden parts of the universe from space, uncovering the unimaginable with unsurpassed speed.

“It’s going to find thousands of supernovae, tens of thousands of planets, billions of galaxies and tens of billions of stars,” said NASA science mission director Nicky Fox. “It’s going to be able to do things that we’ve never been able to do before with its massive field of view.”

Several minutes after the thunderous launch, the rocket's two reusable side boosters descended tail-first in a thrilling scene, producing sharp sonic booms as they landed back at Cape Canaveral. Soon afterward, the telescope separated successfully from the rocket's upper stage, drawing applause from ground controllers.

Fox was in tears watching the action unfold. “It's such a good day!” she said.

Roman’s field of view is more than 100 times wider than that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, still churning out celestial glamour shots after 36 years in orbit. Webb joined the effort several years ago with an even narrower yet spot-on vision capable of zooming in on objects almost as old as the universe.

These three orbiting powerhouses will join forces — along with the European Space Agency’s Euclid spacecraft and the National Science Foundation’s Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile — to reveal some of the universe’s biggest secrets.

Inside the countless galaxies awaiting discovery are stars with planets. Once these new worlds are spotted by Roman, the more powerful and sensitive Webb will take aim to fill in the blanks.

“Roman’s vast reach will allow us to find the weird, the rare and the unusual,” senior project scientist Julie McEnery said on the eve of launch. “We’ll redefine what it means to find a needle in a haystack.”

Perhaps even more important, astronomers expect Roman to shed light on the dark matter and dark energy that make up most of the universe yet remain concealed. Roman's catalog of galaxies will help scientists ascertain how quickly the universe is expanding due to these puzzling, unseen forces.

Roman’s superpower is speed.

A month of Milky Way observations by Roman would take Hubble a century to complete, according to McEnery. Roman should make quick work of scanning the galactic bulge at dead center, she added, providing the deepest look yet into the heart of our galaxy.

Besides a wide-field infrared camera that matches Hubble’s sensitivity but is 1,000 times faster, Roman holds an instrument to block out starlight. This experimental, eclipse-creating coronagraph will allow Roman to directly image any planet, however faint, that might be orbiting the masked star.

The telescope is designed to be refueled, meaning if a robotic tanker becomes available in the coming decade, that could extend its life.

Launching nearly a year ahead of schedule and within budget, Roman is NASA's first space telescope to be named after a woman.

Retired NASA scientist Ed Weiler said the honor is long overdue. He coined the phrase “Mother of Hubble” for Roman, who hired him in 1978. Observatories above Earth’s obscuring atmosphere can see farther and better, she insisted after joining the brand new NASA in 1959. She died in 2018 at age 93.

“This is very, very fitting. I think Nancy would be very proud” that the namesake telescope will tackle some of the biggest, lingering questions about the universe such as dark energy, Weiler said.

Hubble launched in 1990 with a flawed mirror that required spacewalking astronauts’ dramatic intervention. Roman’s primary mirror is the same size as Hubble’s — nearly 8 feet (2.4 meters) in diameter — and is actually spy satellite surplus.

The National Reconnaissance Office donated two leftover mirrors to NASA more than a decade ago for repurposing. The second mirror is still in storage.

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Saudi Food and Drug Authority Launches Kingdom’s First Food Composition Database

This initiative falls under efforts to advance national food data systems. (SPA)
This initiative falls under efforts to advance national food data systems. (SPA)
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Saudi Food and Drug Authority Launches Kingdom’s First Food Composition Database

This initiative falls under efforts to advance national food data systems. (SPA)
This initiative falls under efforts to advance national food data systems. (SPA)

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), represented by the National Nutrition Committee, has officially launched the Saudi Food Composition Database, the first national database of its kind in the Kingdom, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Sunday.

Developed under the Health Sector Transformation Program, a key initiative of Saudi Vision 2030, the platform provides accurate, reliable, and updated nutritional data on local foods and traditional dishes consumed across Saudi Arabia.

Built upon approved scientific methodologies and high-quality standards, the database contains comprehensive nutritional information including energy, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber.

It establishes a national reference for food composition data within health, research, and nutrition sectors.

The initiative strengthens evidence-based food and nutrition policy formulation, empowers scientific research and health studies, and raises community health and nutritional awareness. It also supports the food manufacturing sector in developing local products and elevating their nutritional value.

The database drives digital transformation across the health and food sectors by making data accessible, enabling developers to build digital tools to assess dietary patterns and nutritional status, thereby strengthening the integration of data, technology, and public health.

This initiative falls under efforts to advance national food data systems, support evidence-based decision-making, and improve nutritional health and quality of life, in alignment with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.