WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone on Wednesday with American citizen Paul Whelan, who is

Defender Lucy Bronze revealed England would have failed to live up to their own expectations had they not reached the World Cup semi-finals. Alessia Russo guaranteed the Lionesses would finish no lower than fourth in the 2023 tournament when her second-half goal completed a 2-1 comeback against Colombia in Saturday’s quarter-final to set up Wednesday’s meeting with co-hosts Australia. Third place would see England equal their best-ever finish from eight years ago in Canada, but Bronze insisted reaching this stage for the third time in the European champions’ history was the bare minimum. “If we hadn’t have gotten to the semi-final, I would have said that we would have underperformed,” said Bronze. “A lot of people said that England were the team that were going to flop a little bit. Our performances haven’t been our best, granted, but the results have been there and we’ve got to the semi-final, which is what this England team is known for doing. “This very much reminds me of 2015, having to fight in every single game. “I think the difference with this team is we have won trophies, we have won tournaments, so we do know what to do. “We knew coming into the tournament that it wasn’t going to be easy. There was a lot of outside noise about whether England was going to be able to cope well with everything thrown at us…and the semi-final is what is expected of us as the England team.” Bronze, alongside Alex Greenwood, is one of just two members of the 2023 squad to have featured in three consecutive World Cups and is second only to Jill Scott in World Cup appearances for the Lionesses, with 18 to the retired midfielder’s 21. The 31-year-old made history during her first global showpiece in 2015, when her 76th-minute effort made it 2-1 against Norway in their last-16 encounter and secured England Women’s first-ever victory in a World Cup knockout stage. Four years later, again against Norway, Bronze unleashed another stunning strike, capping off the Lionesses’ 3-0 quarter-final victory in France to book a second trip to the semi-finals. To say the Matildas have captured Australia’s imagination en route to their first-ever final-four encounter would be selling short the fervour taking hold Down Under. Saturday’s dramatic penalty shootout victory over France was watched by over 7.2 million people in Australia, over a quarter of the country’s population. Co-host broadcaster Seven said the audience was the “highest rating TV sport program of the past decade”, while “the 472,000 viewers on 7plus makes the Matildas v France game the biggest streaming event ever seen in Australia”. England had a taste of the environment they are likely to face on Wednesday when they lined up across from a Colombia side that enjoyed the overwhelming majority in the Stadium Australia stands, a sea of yellow who booed when England touched the ball and unleashed an almighty roar when Leicy Santos scored the opener. Lauren Hemp cancelled it out by half-time, while Russo provided the lethal blow after the break to eliminate the only side from the Americas left in the tournament. While being the home side does have its advantages, as Bronze knows from last summer’s Euro 2022 triumph, she was quick to point out the potential pitfalls facing the Matildas come Wednesday night’s historic encounter. She said: “(There are) positives and negatives for being the home nation and for being the team against. “It can be a lot of pressure to put on teams. I remember playing Canada in 2015 in that World Cup and there was a lot of pressure put on that team and it gave them a lot of fight. “It was the same thing for us in the Euros last year. The ’12th man’ as they say, it really helped us. “It was a key part to us winning and I think that’s been a key part for Australia when their backs have been against the wall this tournament. (For us) it wasn’t hostile but the Colombians were very loud, so that’s something we’re used to now.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Adrian Lam: Sky is the limit for Challenge Cup winning Leigh Leopards Kylian Mbappe set to return to PSG squad after ‘positive discussions’ – reports Eddie Howe relishing selection dilemmas as Newcastle prepare for packed season

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Seferino Calihua-Rodriguez and Chavarin-Plazola are facing murder charges in connection with the targeted shooting of a woman

Actors Demi Moore and Andrew McCarthy reunited over the weekend for the first time in years.

Meta plans to give Facebook and Instagram users in Europe the option of paying for ad-free versions of the social media platforms as a way to comply with the continent’s strict data privacy rules

Britney Spears and her model husband Sam Asghari are heading for a divorce after 14 months of marriage, US media reported -- the latest personal...

Joe Boyle had five strikeouts in six innings for his first career win, Esteury Ruiz hit a two-run home run, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers 4-1

Alexander Volkanovski continued his dominant run atop the UFC featherweight division on Saturday, stopping interim champion Yair Rodriguez to unify the titles. Volkanovski controlled the Mexican on the mat for most of the first two rounds, and just when Rodriguez began to flicker into life in the striking exchanges, Volkanovski fired back with a hard right hook to set up a ground-and-pound finish in Round 3. With the result at Las Vegas’s T-Mobile Arena, the Australian not only retained his featherweight title but bounced back from a narrow loss to Islam Makhachev – Volkanovski’s first defeat in 10 years, and one that occurred when the 34-year-old challenged for the lightweight belt in February. In the co-main event, Alexandre Pantoja won a thrilling, back-and-forth battle with Brandon Moreno, taking the flyweight title from the Mexican with a split-decision win. The victory also saw the Brazilian move to 3-0 against two-time champion Moreno, whom Pantoja also beat in 2016 and 2018. Earlier in the night, South Africa’s Dricus Du Plessis stunned Robert Whittaker, beating the ex-middleweight champion via TKO before facing off with reigning title holder Israel Adesanya in a heated exchange. All the while, ex-US president Donald Trump watched on from ringside. Also, former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler won his retirement fight by knocking out Niko Price inside the first minute, Dan Hooker outpointed Jalin Turner despite suffering a broken arm, and Bo Nickal knocked out Val Woodburn to move to 5-0 with a fifth first-round finish. Full UFC 290 results Main card Alexander Volkanovski def. Yair Rodriguez via third-round TKO (4:19) Alexandre Pantoja def. Brandon Moreno via split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47) Dricus Du Plessis def. Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO (punches, 2:23) Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn via first-round TKO (punches, 0:38) Prelims Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price via first-round KO (punches, 0:38) Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27) Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui via first-round TKO (punches, 0:20) Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute via second-round submission (guillotine choke, 1:55) Early prelims Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio via third-round submission (arm triangle, 3:42) Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via first-round TKO (3:10) Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via first-round KO (0:17) Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas Conor McGregor shoves Michael Chandler in the face amid coaching criticism UFC rankings: The Independent’s pound-for-pound fighters list Donald Trump high-fives fans at UFC 290 in Las Vegas Brandon Moreno, piñatas and the promise that inspired UFC supremacy UFC 290 LIVE: Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez updates and results

Five years ago, scientists managed to recreate what is known as superionic ice, in lab experiments for the first time. Superionic ice is believed to form within Uranus and Neptune as familiar materials are subjected to extreme pressures and heat, with iron atoms forming hot, black, heavy ice. But just last year researchers at several universities in the United States discovered a new phase of superionic ice. The discovery helps broaden our understanding of why Uranus and Neptune have off-kilter magnetic fields with multiple poles. Different to forms of water on Earth, the oxygen atoms in superionic ice are locked in a solid cubic lattice, while the ionised hydrogen atoms are loose, flowing through the lattice. This gives superionic ice conductive properties as well as raising its melting point, meaning the frozen water remains solid at temperatures up to 4704 Degree Celsius (8500 Fahrenheit). In this latest study, Stanford University's Arianna Gleason and colleagues blasted thin slivers of water, sandwiched between two diamond layers, with some extremely powerful lasers. "Recent discoveries of water-rich Neptune-like exoplanets require a more detailed understanding of the phase diagram of [water] at pressure–temperature conditions relevant to their planetary interiors," Gleason and colleagues explain in their paper, from January 2022 X-Ray diffraction revealed the hot, dense ice's crystal structure, and confirmed the ice crystals were in fact a new phase, distinct from the superionic ice that was observed in 2019. This newly discovered superionic ice, Ice XIX, has increased conductivity compared to its 2019 predecessor. The conductivity is important because it helps us understand why certain off-kilter magnetic fields are generated on planets such as Neptune and Uranus. You can read the paper, published in Scientific Reports here. Sign up to 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.

Kim Kardashian has been flooded with praise following her acting debut on American Horror Story: Delicate. Earlier this year, when it was announced that the reality star would be joining the cast, some trolls were quick to turn to social media with harsh remarks and plans to stop watching the show. However, since the first episode aired on 20 September, the tunes have soon changed and diverted to how good her acting skills actually are. Kardashian plays publicist Siobhan Corbyn in the series, who is the best friend of Emma Roberts, who portrays Anna Victoria Alcott, a teen star turned A-list actress. "Kim is dead set on proving everybody wrong," one person wrote, while another added: "One thing about Kim …underestimate her and you’re done." "I actually love Kim’s acting here. It’s amazing," a third penned, while one TikTok user expressed how they "want to see Kim in more TV shows/movies." "Kimmieeee whatttt?!? YOU ARE AN ACTRESS GIRL! Fabulous," another commented. @kardashvideoo Kim is such a good actress #kimkardashian #emmaroberts #americanhorrorstory #ahs #ahsdelicate #fypシ #foryou #kardashians Some have even urged major Hollywood award ceremonies to give Kardashian "what she deserves" for her performance: Speaking about American Horror Story, showrunner Ryan Murphy said Kardashian's role was specifically designed for her. [Halley Feiffer] has written a fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role especially for Kim, and this season is ambitious and unlike anything we have ever done," he told the Hollywood Reporter. The SKIMS founder went on to say: "Anytime you try something, you just have to have the intention of growing and challenging yourself – then you just kind of release and have fun." 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.

The US Supreme Court agreed to consider scuttling Purdue Pharma LP’s $6 billion opioid settlement, taking up a