Asian shares are mostly higher as hopes grow that the U.S. Congress will reach a deal to avoid a default on the nation’s debt

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Andrew Tate was captured saying, 'I’m gay? Cool. I wanna get married. Fine. I wanna wave my d**k in your kid’s face'

Donald Trump returned to a familiar refrain on Thursday, insisting once again that he had done nothing wrong even as new challenges pop up seemingly every day for the ex-president who faces a bevy of criminal and civil investigations. Mr Trump returned to his favoured cable network, Fox News, for a town hall-style event moderated by primetime opinion host Sean Hannity, who is now the Fox star probably closest to the former president given the firing of Tucker Carlson, the network’s star pundit. And confronted with a new leaked recording indicating that Mr Trump knew that he was retaining classified materials after his presidential term ended, he once again insisted that he had done nothing wrong. “News broke yesterday there might be a tape recording where you acknowledged that you understood that these were classified documents [at Mar-a-Lago],” the Fox News host began. While asking also if the ex-president knew who had leaked the recording of the phone call, he questioned: “Do you know anything about this?” “No, I don’t know anything about it,” Mr Trump responded. “All I know is this: Everything I did was right. We have the Presidential Records Act, which I abided by 100 per cent.” He then moved on to attack President Joe Biden, before claiming: “I have the right to declassify as president.” The explanation was nothing new. Mr Trump has long claimed that any classified materials seized by investigators at Mar-a-Lago were in fact previously declassified by him during his presidency — though he has shown no evidence of an order to do so. And notably, the nod to the Presidential Records Act was another mistruth. The law does not allow for ex-presidents to retain original copies of presidential records after their terms end without the express consent of the National Archives, an agency that the former president has roundly denounced. Nonetheless, it was a familiar claim for the one-term president who escaped two impeachment proceedings despite bipartisan support for his removal; Mr Trump has long asserted that any investigation or civil suit filed against him is merely the work of his political foes in an attempt to block him from power. More follows... Read More Republicans want Biden to trip up – literally E Jean Carroll, Mary Trump, and Jennifer Taub are co-writing a romance novel Woman interrupts DeSantis speech to claim her son’s murder was covered up in Florida Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

Australia are facing England in the Women's World Cup semi-final today, with both teams trying to get into their first-ever World Cup final. Playing in the host nation's Stadium Australia in Sydney, from 11am BST, the Matildas (as they are known) will face England's Lionesses and it is expected to be an exciting match given how well both teams have been playing in the tournament. But those developing an interest in women's football for the first time may be confused as to why Australia's team are called the Matildas as they watch the action unfold. The history behind the nickname is pretty interesting. When Australia qualified for their first Women’s World Cup in 1995 they were known as “the Female Socceroos”, referencing the men’s team, a portmanteau of “soccer” and “kangaroos”. But before the tournament started, the Australian Women’s Soccer Association ran a viewer competition to find a better nickname, with the shortlist including the “Soccertoos”, “Blue Flyers”, “Waratahs”, “Lorikeets” and “Matildas”. The Matildas, which comes from popular Australian song “Waltzing Matilda”, which is seen as an unofficial national anthem, won the poll and the name stuck. The song “Waltzing Matilda” tells the story of a person who steals a sheep and is chased by police, and jumps into a pond to escape, but drowns. Former Australia player Moya Dodd once told The Sydney Morning Herald why she thought the nickname was so fitting for the team. “I think it did capture a sense of rebelliousness, if you like, which is women’s football,” she said. “It was banned for a long time. To be a woman playing football was a social transgression. In a way, it identifies well with a song about a guy who’s defying authority by stealing things, and then making sure he doesn’t get caught.” So there you have it. Regardless of the team's nicknames, the countdown to the semi-final is getting increasingly exciting, with an Australian newspaper accused of spying on England's latest training session, showing just how intense the long-running rivalry between the two countries is getting. European champions England defeated Colombia 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the Matildas’ dramatic penalty shootout victory against France in their winning quarter-finals became the most-watched sporting event in the country since the 2000 Olympic Games. The winner will play Spain in Sydney, after La Roja defeated Sweden 2-1 in the other semi-final and then we will know who has won the World Cup. It's all to play for. 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.

Aubrey Paige and Ryan Seacrest who started dating in 2021 made their debut on the red carpet for Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Halftime’ in 2022

A draft congressional report on Brazil’s Jan. 8 riots has accused ex-President Jair Bolsonaro of being the insurrection’s mastermind

Goldman Sachs is increasingly confident that the US economy will stick the soft landing that many thought was nearly impossible to pull off.

Denver Broncos star safety Justin Simmons gave a spirited defense of fellow safety Kareem Jackson after the veteran's four-game suspension for an illegal hit on a Green Bay tight end was reduced to two games

China's Ant Group has announced a surprise share buyback that values the fintech giant at $78.5 billion, well

A reopening of Nigeria’s longest-dated bond was oversubscribed by more than three times at an auction on Monday

Spain coach Luis de La Fuente said his team were not out for "revenge" against Scotland on Thursday but victory would "almost" book La...