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New Zealand coach Jitka Klimkova described seeing her team claim the country's historic first World Cup win -- men or women -- as...

Amnesty International has called on Jordan Henderson to speak out against human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia after Liverpool agreed a deal to sell their captain to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq. The 33-year-old has reportedly reached a verbal agreement on a contract worth £700,000 a week, with the clubs having agreed a £12million fee, the PA news agency understands. He would be joining up with former Reds teammate Steven Gerrard, who was appointed manager earlier this month. LGBT+ groups have warned the England midfielder that his reputation as an ally to the community could be irreparably damaged if he accepts the offer, having previously been a vocal proponent of inclusivity in the game. Homosexuality is illegal and punishable by death in Saudi Arabia, while the state stands accused of a host of other abuses including placing harsh restrictions on women’s rights and the right to political protest. Critics including Amnesty have claimed that the regime of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman seeks to ‘sportswash’ the country’s international reputation by luring world football stars to the Pro League, with Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo amongst the most prominent players to have moved. “Coming shortly after Steven Gerrard’s move to Al-Ettifaq, this looks very much like more Saudi sportswashing as huge amounts of Saudi wealth continues to pour into the purchase of star players, new events and even the acquisition of entire clubs,” said Amnesty’s UK economic affairs director, Peter Frankental. “With every major signing Saudi Arabia is seemingly ratcheting up its sportswashing effort, with the overall strategy apparently one where Mohammed Bin Salman’s Saudi Arabia is increasingly associated with sport and entertainment, not repression and human rights abuse. “While Saudi sportswashing gathers pace, there’s been a sustained human rights crackdown in the country, with peaceful activists intimidated and jailed, as many as 196 people executed last year alone, and (dissident journalist) Jamal Khashoggi’s sickening murder covered up. “Jordan Henderson is of course free to play for whoever he chooses, but we would urge him to examine Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and be prepared to speak out about human rights violations in the country.” Henderson has been in Germany on Liverpool’s pre-season tour but was left out of the squad for Wednesday’s friendly against Karlsruhe. A deal is also believed to be close for midfielder Fabinho to join Pro League side Al Ittihad as the exodus of Premier League players moving to the country continues. Chelsea have sold three players this summer to Saudi clubs, with N’Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy having left west London, whilst a £30m deal was agreed on Wednesday for Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez to join Al-Ahli for. Frankental added: “On the one hand it would be deeply concerning if sporting figures like Henderson were expected to read from a script praising Saudi Arabia as part of their contractual commitments, but the real onus is on FIFA and other sporting bodies to ensure that Saudi Arabia’s growing involvement in sport doesn’t involve human rights violations. “If, as rumoured, we end up with a Saudi bid to host the World Cup in the 2030s FIFA must rigorously assess any bid according to proper human rights criteria, and we would urge FIFA to consider Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing as part of this assessment.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Gold Coast mayor says city is ready to host 2026 Commonwealth Games Amateur champion Christo Lamprecht makes bright start on his Open debut Jack Welsby says St Helens are ready for ‘biggest game of the season’

Yevgeny Prigozhin says "there will be no reduction in our programmes" in the continent.

Daniel Ricciardo has admitted he is daring to dream about a return to Red Bull ahead of his Formula One comeback at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Ricciardo’s career looked to be all but over after he was dumped by McLaren following two underwhelming seasons with the British team. But the popular 34-year-old has been handed a second chance, replacing Nyck de Vries at Red Bull’s junior team AlphaTauri for the concluding dozen rounds of the year, starting at the Hungaroring on Sunday. Ricciardo impressed during a test at Silverstone for Red Bull last Tuesday, and given Sergio Perez’s torrid run of form – which has seen him fall 99 points adrift of team-mate Max Verstappen – AlphaTauri’s move to hire the Australian will fuel speculation that he could land a return to the team which carried him to seven of his eight victories. And speaking at the world champions’ packed motorhome on Thursday, Ricciardo said: “The dream is a Red Bull seat, but there is no ‘this is what you need to do’ to achieve that. “Given what has happened over the past few years and taking time off, I knew it would be hard to get back in at the top. “Of course that was my wish, but you need to be realistic, and if I want to get back into Red Bull it will be a process, and this is the best path for me at the moment. “You know what they are like here. They are not telling me to take it easy, they want me to show them what I have got, but there is no criteria. “And in terms of expectations there are none. I want to be in the moment, enjoying it, and not thinking too far ahead.” Ricciardo’s reputation in the sport is on the line following his poor period with McLaren which saw the British team move to cancel his contract. Ricciardo failed to land a seat for the 2023 campaign and instead elected to return to Red Bull as a reserve driver. But he might struggle to impress with a team rooted to the foot of the constructors’ table, taking just two points from the first 10 races. However, Ricciardo added: “Over the past few years, I started falling into a trap where I believed the car does not suit me and you can be your own worst enemy. I know this car will have limitations but I will work with that. “Getting this opportunity is a chance to make things better. That is why I am excited to get back behind the wheel and show my true self. “I had enough time off to reset and also enjoy it again. Six months ago, I wasn’t at a place to jump at an opportunity like this but that has been the luxury of time. “I have fallen in love with it again and I feel myself in an environment that provides me with a lot of nostalgia, so when the opportunity came along it was like, ‘let’s try it’.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How does Max Verstappen and Red Bull compare to the greats of Formula One? Lando Norris ‘honoured’ to join Lewis Hamilton in battle for Formula One glory Lando Norris calls finishing runner-up at British Grand Prix ‘pretty insane’

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The highly anticipated movie "Oppenheimer" finally lands in theaters Friday. But who was J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist widely considered the father of the atomic bomb?

By Ju-min Park and Matt Spetalnick SEOUL/WASHINGTON North Korea remained silent on Thursday about a U.S. soldier who