More than half a million people formally left the Catholic Church in Germany last year, significantly higher than the previous record as the church wrestles with a long-running scandal over abuse by clergy and with calls for far-reaching reform

DirecTV removed TV station owner Nexstar Media Group's network and local community programming from its satellite, cable and

Jordan Henderson insists he will not walk away from international football despite being booed off the Wembley pitch by England fans on Friday night. Eyebrows were raised when Henderson swapped his role as Liverpool skipper for the Saudi Pro League, joining Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq in a controversial £12million deal. The midfielder had been a high-profile supporter of LGBTQ+ rights during his time at Anfield and last month apologised for any hurt he caused by moving to a country where homosexuality is illegal. There was no noticeable negative reaction towards him during September’s double-header against Ukraine and Scotland, but things were different when he captained England in their first home match since his controversial move. There were murmurs when Henderson’s named was read out before the 1-0 friendly win against Australia but a vocal minority very audibly jeered when he was replaced in the second half. “It’s not nice, your own fans (booing),” he said. “Everybody has got their own opinion. I love playing for England, I have done for many years, that’s why I’m still here. “I still want to play for England for as long as I possibly can and give everything for the team, for my country. “To lead the team out meant an awful lot to me and my family. Another special night and we got the win which is the most important thing. “But listen, people have got their own opinions. Whenever I bump into anyone on the street it’s always been positive stuff and nice things said. “It won’t change who I am and what I do for this team and for my country. I give absolutely everything every time.” England manager Gareth Southgate questioned those supporters who decided to boo his vice-captain, with Henderson admitting he was also unsure why – even if he accepted he would face criticism for his move to Saudi. Asked if he understood the jeers, the 33-year-old replied: “Not really. I don’t know… if people want to boo if I’m playing in a different country, that’s fine. “Like I said, everyone is going to have an opinion over when I’m playing over in Saudi. “I’ve spoken in the past about the reasons for that. Whether people believe us or not is up to them. “Of course it’s disappointing, but it won’t change what I do here. I want to keep playing and keep fighting and help the team become successful. “I haven’t been surprised by that because I can understand the reasons in what they’re saying. I look at it from a different point of view, obviously. “But I can understand it and I’ve got to take that on the chin.” Asked about Southgate’s public support and continued selection, the former Sunderland youngster added: “Yes, the gaffer has been really good as always. It's nice to know that you've got the backing of the manager and your team-mates Jordan Henderson “I’ve always felt support and backing from him and the rest of the lads. “It’s nice to know that you’ve got the backing of the manager and your team-mates but that’s never been in doubt for me. That’s always been the case.” Henderson may have switched Merseyside for the Middle East but he feels enough at home to have already backed Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup. The country abandoned a 2030 joint-bid with Greece and Egypt and announced their solo pitch on October 4 – with Henderson involved in the promotional video. “By that time I think they will put on a pretty good World Cup, to be honest,” Henderson said about taking part in the bid. “So I think that’s exciting times for them as a country and I think it will be a special tournament if they ended up getting it. “I’ve been there for two months and there’s been no issues in terms of fans or anything like that. “It is a long waiting time from now, but I think they’ll enjoy the experience there. “When we look at Qatar, the way that they did the job there, it was a good tournament; I think the fans enjoyed the tournament and I think Saudi would be no different.” Read More Wales defeat Croatia to boost Euro 2024 qualification hopes Steve Borthwick hails ‘written off’ England after reaching World Cup semi-final Stephen Kenny puts speculation to one side for Gibraltar clash Jos Buttler tells England to ‘let it hurt’ after World Cup loss to Afghanistan Baltimore boss John Harbaugh thrilled to end ‘heck of a week’ in London on high Talking Points as Republic of Ireland seek win against minnows Gibraltar

Normally when a drug fails to show a clear effect in a final-stage trial, the company developing it

Victor Wembanyama's sister Eve was by his side at the NBA Draft. As was his "little" brother, Oscar.

Athletes flex muscled biceps before going hand-to-hand in a newly televised arm-wrestling league seeking to take the sporting spotlight in otherwise cricket-mad India...

The Earth is home to truly stunning natural features, but sometimes you need a new perspective to appreciate it all over again. Thankfully, the experts at NASA are on hand to remind us just how incredible our planet is with the release of new photos showing the “blood of Earth”. The incredible images seem to show it bleeding, with dramatic red liquid appearing to cascade over the surface. However, it’s nothing at all to do with blood – which is probably just as well. Instead, the first picture shows the Laguna Colorada in the Bolivian Andes in South America from space. Remarkably, the image was taken by an astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) using just a Nikon digital camera. The fact that it was taken more than 400 kilometres away from Earth on a handheld device is pretty staggering, and it offers a look at a natural phenomenon which we’d never otherwise get to see. The first picture shows the impact of red algae flourishing in the shallow water of the laguna, while the second shows the Betsiboka River Delta in Madagascar. This time, the red colour comes as a result of the iron-rich sediment. It’s pretty awe-inspiring stuff, and it’s not the first time that red “blood” has been seen running from our planet, either. Antarctica’s Blood Falls is a bizarre geographical feature in the McMurdo Dry Valleys region of the continent, and it’s one of the strangest natural phenomena you're likely to see. It features a flow of water the colour of blood that can be seen seeping out from a glacier into the ocean. The mystery behind it has fascinated members of the scientific community for decades, but a solution has now been found. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Manchester United’s troubled start to the season continued over the weekend with a humbling defeat at home to Brighton and Hove Albion – and the south coast side enjoyed rubbing their faces in it on TikTok. United were beaten 3-1 by the south coast side, but one of the biggest talking points came when striker Rasmus Højlund was denied a goal after a VAR check. Marcus Rashford crossed for Højlund to finish past the keeper, but the ball had just gone off the pitch beforehand and the goal was ruled out. Since the result, the Seagulls have been having a little fun at United’s expense. The club posted footage of the incident alongside a clip of Man Utd and football YouTuber Mark Goldbridge streaming himself playing FIFA on its official TikTok account. In the video, Goldbridge is convinced a goal shouldn’t stand against him as he believes the ball didn’t cross the line – only to be shown a different angle showing it clearly had. The club posted a side-by-side clip of both videos and added the caption: “Mark Goldbridge and goal-line technology, name a better duo.” Football trolling at its best. @officialbhafc Mark Goldbridge and goal line technology, name a better duo… ? #MUFC #BHAFC #PL United boss Erik ten Hag spoke after the game and said that his side must respond with character and togetherness after a galling loss to Brighton. “Definitely that is something that bothers me,” manager Ten Hag said of the results. “But also I have to see the way we play. “But finally it’s about character then. Now we have to see how strong we are, how the team sticks together and which players are standing up and showing the character and leading the team. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

These 17 synonyms for sex earned a place in the ‘1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.’

Danny Bonaduce was earlier diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which significantly impacted his speech and movement

Hank Green is mostly known for creating accessible and enjoyable educational content on his various YouTube channels

China named Pan Gongsheng as the central bank’s new Communist Party chief, a step usually taken before being