Star Metro - News from Calgary, Canada, USA and around the world

Meta has tapped Indian fintech founder Kunal Shah as the new head of WhatsApp, as the US tech giant seeks ways to monetise the messaging app's massive user base.

The EU believes a digital euro is the answer to cutting its addiction to US payment systems like Visa and Mastercard as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay as the bloc seeks to favour European firms over others.

Two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo is joining the Miami Heat from the Milwaukee Bucks, multiple US media outlets including ESPN reported on Monday.

Uncapped wing Fehi Fineanganofo said he hoped to get out of his contract to play for English club Newcastle to pursue a place at the 2027 World Cup, after being named in the All Blacks squad.

Erling Haaland said Norway must be realistic about what they can achieve at the World Cup after qualifying for the last 32 on Monday with a 3-2 win over Senegal.

Asian equities fluctuated Tuesday following a tech-led sell-off on Wall Street as investors again questioned a long-running AI-fuelled boom, while crude largely held losses that came on the back of positive US-Iran talks.

Fans at the 2026 World Cup in North America had been warned there was a possibility that games could be disrupted by bad weather.

From a gas crater dubbed the "Gateway to Hell" to the shimmering marble buildings of its capital, Turkmenistan is tentatively opening up to tourists after decades of isolation.

Erling Haaland scored his second World Cup brace in a row as Norway beat Senegal 3-2 on Monday to punch their ticket to the last 32.

Historian and Resistance fighter Marc Bloch, who was tortured and executed by the Gestapo in 1944, will enter the Pantheon on Tuesday in a rare tribute reserved for France's most revered historical figures.

He knew what Lionel Messi was going to do and had a plan to stop it -- and then the Argentina captain struck twice anyway in becoming the leading scorer in World Cup history.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez praised Cristiano Ronaldo as "a good example for all of us" but refused to confirm if the veteran captain would start his team's World Cup clash with Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

New captain Ardie Savea said he would "embrace the challenge" of leading the All Blacks in the Dave Rennie era, after taking on the job with a little over a year to go until the Rugby World Cup.

Kim Jong Un vowed to beef up North Korea's defence capabilities, citing military modernisation efforts by South Korea and the United States pushing the region "to the brink of a nuclear war", state media reported Tuesday.

New captain Ardie Savea said he would "embrace the challenge" of leading the All Blacks in the Dave Rennie era, after taking on the job with a little over a year to go until the Rugby World Cup.

Populist leaders are sweeping into power across Latin America, with Colombian voters the latest to embrace hardline right-wing politics -- but will the trend last?

Kylian Mbappe marked his 100th cap by scoring two more World Cup goals on Monday as France eased to a 3-0 win over Iraq in a game delayed by two hours by a severe storm.

US President Donald Trump on Monday threatened jail time for anyone seeking to damage one of his signature renovation projects, the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, whose overhaul has become a political flashpoint.

The World Cup match between France and Iraq on Monday restarted after a severe weather alert led to the half-time interval lasting over two hours.

Shortages began to ease in Bolivia on Monday as a state of emergency attempting to end weeks of anti-government protests reopened most roads to traffic.

Argentinian football fans filling the bars in Buenos Aires on Monday were able to celebrate iconic World Cup moments by two vastly different characters -- Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / Noram Lithium Corp. ("Noram" or the "Company") (TSXV:NRM)(OTCQB:NRVTF)(Frankfurt:N7R) announces that it has elected to participate in the Coordinated Blanket Order 51-933 - Exemptions to Permit Semi-Annual Reporting for Certain Venture Issuers (the "Blanket Order"), issued by the Canadian Securities Administrators and move to semi-annual financial reporting. This news release is being filed pursuant to the Blanket Order.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / Onco-Innovations Limited (NEO:ONCO)(OTCQB:ONNVF)(Frankfurt:W1H,WKN:A3EKSZ) ("Onco" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a services agreement with Nanosoft Polymers ("Nanosoft"), a specialized polymer engineering and drug delivery company, to support the continued development of ONC010, the Company's lead nanoparticle-formulated Polynucleotide Kinase Phosphatase ("PNKP") inhibitor.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / Prospect Ridge Resources Corp. (CSE:PRR)(OTCQB:PRRSF)(FRA:OED) ("Prospect Ridge" or the "Company") is thrilled to invite shareholders, forward-thinking investors, and market enthusiasts to an exclusive live interview featuring Chief Executive Officer, Len Brownlie. The event will be broadcast live tomorrow by The Market Mindset, the premier hub for junior and micro-cap market news.

Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or for dissemination in the United States.

EV Nickel to contribute W4 deposit, Langmuir #2 Project and selected mining claims covering prospective high-grade nickel stratigraphyPure North will contribute the permitted Hart Deposit, the formerly producing Redstone and McWatters Nickel Mines and exploration lands associated with the associated mining leasesObjective to explore and define additional high-grade nickel mineralizationEV Nickel will maintain a 40% equity ownership in the new Joint VentureEV Nickel Retains 100% of its large-scale nickel projects including CarLang A and Gemini North deposits

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / AZARGA METALS CORP. ("Azarga Metals" or the "Company") (TSX-V:AZR) is pleased to report that all resolutions put forward at the Annual General and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") of the Company's shareholders held on June 23, 2026, as further described in the Company's information circular dated May 19, 2026, were approved. The approved resolutions included the election of directors, re-appointment of the Company's auditors, the renewal of the Company's 10% "rolling" stock option plan (the "Option Plan") and approval of an increase in the Company's fixed equity incentive plan (the "Equity Plan"). The Board of Directors approved the increase to the Equity Plan on May 19, 2026, subject to TSX Venture Exchange and shareholder approval.

VANCOUVER, BC AND HOUSTON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / International Battery Metals Ltd. ("IBAT") (TSXV:IBAT)(OTCQB:IBATF), an advanced technology provider of modular direct lithium extraction (DLE) systems, today announced that the Board of Directors approved the grant of 740,524 restricted share units of the Company ("RSUs") to Norma Garcia, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary. The RSUs will vest in equal installments on the annual anniversary of the date of grant over a three-year period from the date of grant, and once vested, each RSU will settle into one common share of the Company. The RSUs are subject to the terms of Company's equity compensation plan, applicable securities law holding periods and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV").

TORONTO, ON / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / Fox River Resources Corporation (CSE:FOX) ("Fox River" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that, at its special meeting (the "Meeting") of the holders ("Shareholders") of common shares of the Company (the "Common Shares") and the holders ("Optionholders" and, together with the Shareholders, the "Securityholders") of options to purchase Common Shares (the "Options") held earlier today, the Securityholders approved a special resolution (the "Arrangement Resolution") approving the previously announced plan of arrangement, as amended in accordance with the interim order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Commercial List), as amended (the "Arrangement"), pursuant to which Avenir Minerals Limited ("Avenir") will acquire all of the issued and outstanding Common Shares (other than Common Shares held by Avenir or any of its affiliates) for cash consideration of $1.10 for each Common Share held.

Appointment positions a proven blockchain-sector dealmaker to lead the Company from platform development to revenue; Todd Sexton to continue leading the Delivery Trust® encryption business

Amdocs, Supermicro and 1Finity deploy NVIDIA AI infrastructure on Red Hat Openshift, creating a unified foundation for today's RAN workloads and tomorrow's edge AI, analytics and physical AI applications

BEDFORD, NS / ACCESS Newswire / June 23, 2026 / Silver Spruce Resources, Inc. ("Silver Spruce" or the "Corporation") announces that its Board of Directors has approved the appointment of Lisa Ng as an independent Director.