Second gentleman Doug Emhoff next week will become the highest-profile U.S. official to visit Samoa, as the Biden administration steps up its outreach to Pacific island nations

When Golden State opens the season on its home court, former Warriors star Kevin Durant will be on the other side playing for the Phoenix Suns, giving the home fans at Chase Center their first opportunity to honor everything he did in the Bay Area

The “countdown has started” for the end of Vladimir Putin, Volodymr Zelensky’s top aide has claimed, as the Russian president reels from the aborted mutiny by Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin. Andriy Yermak’s remarks came as Mr Zelensky accused Russia of using S-300 missiles in an attack on a restaurant in the Donetsk city of Kramatorsk which authorities say has killed eight people, three of them aged 14 to 17. Another 56 people present at the restaurant – which is frequented by journalists, aid workers and soldiers who use Kramatorsk as a base of operations – were injured, the city council in Kramatorsk said, as rescue workers continue to comb through debris for casualties. The missile attack reduced the major shopping hub to a twisted web of metal beams. One of the missiles also hit a village on the fringes of Kramatorsk, leaving five injured. The city in frontline oblast of Donetsk has been a target of Russian attacks frequently and capturing it a key objective for Moscow. Read More Putin admits Moscow paid Wagner mercenaries £800m in wages in a year – and that his forces ‘stopped civil war’ US sanctions gold companies suspected of supporting Wagner mercenaries in Russia Wagner chief walks free after armed revolt. Other Russians defying the Kremlin aren’t so lucky NATO warns not to underestimate Russian forces, and tells Moscow it has increased preparedness

Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Brentford set up a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City, but manager Jurgen Klopp is less than impressed with the lunchtime scheduling. The Premier League’s resumption after the international break kicks off with City v Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium live on television in a Saturday lunchtime clash. Klopp has been a long-time opponent of broadcast scheduling, particularly the 12.30pm slot, and he has aired his complaints again. “OK, no-one can say at the moment, but how can you put a game like this on Saturday at 12.30pm?” he said. “Is it the moment where the world pays the most to see a football game? I don’t know if that is the case, I really don’t. “Honestly, the people making the decisions, they cannot feel football, it is just not possible.” The logistics involved in getting players back from South America are well-drilled now and usually involve clubs liaising to charter a jet for all their players to return home together. But a lunchtime kick-off requires extra planning to get them back as early as practically possible, which often involves extra work to get them into one airport at the same time. “You have these two teams who have, all together, about 30 international players. They all come back on the same plane from Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia,” said Klopp. “One game, one plane, they all come back.” Liverpool endured a couple of tricky moments at home to Brentford, but two goals from Mohamed Salah, taking him to 200 in English football, and one from Diogo Jota ensured Klopp’s side leapfrogged Arsenal into second place on goal difference. In becoming the first Reds player to score in each of their first six home matches at the start of a season, Salah joined Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry in having scored or assisted in 15 consecutive Premier League home games. “Exceptional, just exceptional player. Played a super game today and we all know how difficult it is against these tall centre-backs,” added Klopp. “Two players around him, all these kinds of things, how often he kept the ball for us and we could play from there. That was super important and scoring two goals. “We had so many good moments in the first half. We scored (through Darwin Nunez), but it was offside (twice), things like that, and then in that moment, the composure for the first goal is insane. “There is no doubt when the ball is in that area in the end you see it on the scoresheet. So a pretty special player.” Victory ensured the team headed off on international duty with a spring in their step after a difficult week which began with a draw at Luton and got worse with defeat in the Europa League to Toulouse. But in extending their 100 percent home league record to six matches this season, having conceded just twice at Anfield in that time, Liverpool moved into pole position as City’s nearest challengers. “Football is strange. If you would have asked me three days just about the feeling, not about what I know, I am not sure I would talk about the start (to their season),” said Klopp. “But obviously you look at the game, the numbers, the results, most of the time it was OK or better. “A point at Luton didn’t feel great, Tottenham, in the circumstances (a defeat after a controversial incorrect VAR decision) obviously didn’t feel great. “It’s absolutely all right if we just don’t really think about it. Today it was about getting through the game and we did. The boys responded sensationally well.” Brentford head coach Thomas Frank was unhappy with a second-half challenge by Wataru Endo on Christian Norgaard which, on the basis of what has gone before this season, he felt VAR got wrong. “I think this situation, back in the day, never would have been a red card, but in the football we are playing now, with the slow image you can see a clear foot on the leg, four bloody marks on Christian’s leg,” he said. “There is definitely some contact with force.” Read More Unai Emery demands consistency from Aston Villa after victory over Fulham I don’t like English referees – Roberto De Zerbi unhappy after Brighton held We’ve just thrown it away – Steve Cooper frustrated as Forest lose at West Ham Katie Boulter and Harriet Dart lead Britain to Billie Jean King Cup win over Sweden Brighton gift draw to Sheffield United after own goal and red card Aston Villa equal club-record home winning run by sweeping aside Fulham

Lewis Hamilton has become not only a household name, but one of the most successful drivers in the history of Formula One. The Brit holds a number of records, including the joint-most wins of the Driver's World Championship (seven times), the most race wins (103) and most podium finishes (192). It started when his father, Anthony Hamilton, bought him a go-kart aged six after the youngster faced racism and bullying in school, and he quickly excelled through the ranks into a worldwide sensation - even receiving a knighthood from the then-Prince of Wales for services to motorsport. Hamilton continues to compete for Mercedes, however, there is speculation a Ferrari future could be on the horizon for the champion. Click here to sign up for our newsletters.

By Ben Klayman (Reuters) -Vietnamese electric-vehicle maker VinFast, which made a splash this week when its shares debuted on the

Italy and Spain have work to do in qualifying for next year's European Championship

On the latest episode of ‘The Edge with Micah Parsons’ featuring teammate Stephon Gilmore, Micah Parsons called out the NFL and their referees in the game featu

“I thought I was using my platform to combat the hate speech to play it in its entirety to say it’s unacceptable."

U.S. stock index futures declined on Tuesday as investors continued to grapple with fears of a prolonged restrictive

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Stenlund and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored their first Florida goals, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots and the Panthers won their home opener, beating the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 on Thursday night in a playoff rematch.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy is rejecting GOP criticism of the debt limit deal he struck with President Joe Biden -- and pushed back on Senate Republican demands that Congress ramp up defense spending after the new law fell short of the levels sought by leading defense hawks.