Caitlin Clark was assessed with her first technical foul of the season on Wednesday night after a heated exchange with a referee. During the Indiana Fever's game against the Los Angeles Sparks, with 20 seconds remaining in the first half, Clark was called for an offensive foul, giving Los Angeles possession. Clark later walked over to referee Jason Alabanza and appeared to engage in a verbal spat. CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM Alabanza gave Clark a technical before Indiana headed to the visiting locker room for halftime. Still, the Fever went on to win 87-78. Clark now has nine technicals in her WNBA career, with six in her rookie season and two in an injury-plagued 2025. Clark appears to have had a combative dynamic with referees since the beginning of her professional career. In the Fever's season-opening loss to the Dallas Wings, Clark appeared to suggest certain fouls were not called on her throughout the game. CAITLIN CLARK'S COACH SUGGESTS STAR OFFERED TO PAY FINE FOR TECHNICAL FOUL OVER YELLING AT WNBA OFFICIALS "I think especially if they're going to call it the way they're going to call it this year, I think I honestly could have probably got a couple more calls on a few of them, but that's okay," Clark said to reporters after the game when asked about plays when she drove to the basket on Saturday. Whether officials are calling enough fouls against Clark has been a point of controversy since she entered the league in 2024. Many fans complained that Clark was frequently being targeted with hard contact by opposing players and referees weren't doing enough to protect her. Meanwhile, Clark came one technical foul shy of taking a one-game suspension during her rookie year. Clark herself has also made comments seemingly directed at referees in the WNBA. During the WNBA postseason in September, while Clark was injured, she said she was fined $200 for tweeting "Refs couldn’t stop us" after Indiana’s Game 2 win over Atlanta in the first round. "Got fined $200 for this lol," she wrote on X, adding a series of crying laughter emojis. "BENCH MOB WILL BE EVEN MORE ROWDY TOMORROW LETS GOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Clark was previously seen getting into disagreements with referees during a game against the Connecticut Sun last July. "Are you f----ing kidding me?" Clark appeared to say while Fever assistant Briann January dragged her back to the bench. As officials continued to look at the replay, the ESPN broadcast showed Clark yelling over toward the officials again: "That’s just rude. Grow up. Come here, come here. Unbelievable." Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter. View the full article

Rebel fighters and Rwandan troops are accused of committing atrocities after capturing the DR Congo city of Uvira in December.View the full article

The world’s largest sporting event, the 2026 FIFA World Cup, is just a few weeks away, returning to North America and the United States for the first time since 1994. FIFA announced their first ever halftime show for the World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In a post on X, featuring Elmo, Coldplay announced that the halftime show would be curated by lead singer Chris Martin and feature BTS, Madonna and Shakira. Shakira is set to release the official song of the World Cup, "Dai Dai," later Thursday. The show will also "raise funds for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund," dedicated to "improving access to quality education and football for children around the world." FOX broadcasts the entire tournament, with opening matches kicking off on June 11 in Mexico. El Tri hosts South Africa in Mexico City, while South Korea takes on Croatia in Guadalajara. Then the next day, the other two hosts play their first group stage matches. Canada plays Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto in Group B. Then the US Men’s National Team, coming off a rocky past few months of friendlies, plays its first match against Paraguay in Los Angeles. They then head to Seattle to play Australia on June 19, before closing out the group stage against Turkey back in LA on June 25. Unsurprisingly, given the scale and scope of the tournament, and the stage hosting in the US offers, FIFA is pulling out all the entertainment stops. KATY PERRY TO HEADLINE 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP OPENING CEREMONY AS FANS DEBATE WHETHER SHE'S THE RIGHT PICK Already, soccer’s governing body has set up an extensive list of entertainment to kick off the tournament in the host countries. An opening ceremony in Los Angeles on June 12 will feature music acts like Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, LISA, Rema and Tyla. "This opening ceremony in Los Angeles represents the extraordinary scale of what the FIFA World Cup 2026 will become," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. "The lineup of artists reflects the cultural diversity of the United States and the vibrancy of its many diasporas, highlighting the nation’s rich influence on music, entertainment and pop culture, while showcasing the power of music to bring people together across the country." That ceremony will kick off 90 minutes before the start of the US match, and will complement two additional opening ceremonies in Canada and Mexico. The opening match in Toronto will feature performances by Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream and William Prince. ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON'T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW! In Mexico, opening ceremony headliners include Alejandro Fernández, Belinda, Danny Ocean, J Balvin, Lila Downs, Los Ángeles Azules, Maná and Tyla. Prior performers at World Cup finals include stars like Carlos Santana and Wycleaf Jean at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Will Smith was among those who sang at the 2018 finale in Russia, and Davido, Aisha, Ozuna were part of the 2022 closing ceremony in Qatar. Over 100 matches. 16 cities hosting in three countries. Over a month’s worth of action, culminating in a momentous finale in New Jersey. The World Cup never fails to deliver. View the full article

An Oklahoma man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend and her 7-month-old daughter after setting their home on fire nearly 20 years ago is facing executionView the full article

President Donald Trump opened his high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping by predicting a "fantastic future together" — striking an unusually warm tone as his administration pursues new trade and investment deals with Beijing. "In fact, the longest relationship of our two countries that any president and president has had," Trump said at the start of the bilateral meeting Thursday local time. "We've had a fantastic relationship. We've gotten along." "And whenever we had a problem, we worked that out very quickly," he continued. "We're going to have a fantastic future together." Trump also praised Xi directly, calling him "a great leader" and emphasizing the personal relationship between the two leaders as a foundation for future cooperation. TRUMP HEADS TO BEIJING FOR HIGH-STAKES XI TALKS AS TAIWAN TENSIONS, TRADE DISPUTES TEST US STRENGTH Xi, in his own opening remarks, emphasized cooperation and shared interests between the two countries. "As leaders of major countries, this year is the 250th anniversary of American independence," Xi said, according to a translator. "Congratulations to you and to the American people. I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences." "Success in one is an opportunity for the other, and a stable bilateral relationship is good for the world," he continued. XI JINPING WARNS TRUMP US WOULD 'LOSE FROM CONFRONTATION' WITH CHINA AS RENEWED TRADE WAR LOOMS "China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together, and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era." Xi added that he looked forward to working with Trump "to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China–U.S. relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China–U.S. relations." The comments came as Trump arrived in Beijing accompanied by a delegation of top American executives, underscoring the administration’s focus on economic dealmaking even as broader tensions between the two countries remain unresolved. INSIDE THE ‘DIGITAL LOCKDOWN’ FOR US OFFICIALS AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN CHINA "I just want to say, on behalf of all of the great delegation that we have … we have the greatest businessmen," Trump said. "We ask the top 30 in the world. Every single one of them said yes." The delegation includes executives from major U.S. firms spanning aerospace, finance, technology and agriculture, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon and Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. White House officials said ahead of the trip that Americans should expect the president to "deliver more good deals," with talks expected to include aerospace, agriculture and energy, as well as continued work on a proposed U.S.-China "Board of Trade" and "Board of Investment." A senior administration official said the potential trade framework under discussion could involve "double-digit billion" levels of commerce, along with possible purchase commitments from China in areas such as aircraft and agricultural products. The emphasis on dealmaking comes after years of friction between Washington and Beijing over trade, technology and military competition. Trump has imposed sweeping tariffs on Chinese goods — a policy he has continued into his second term — while repeatedly accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices. He also has criticized past U.S. policy that helped integrate China into the global trading system, arguing Beijing benefited from open markets without offering the same access in return. But in his opening remarks Thursday, the president emphasized business ties and personal rapport, highlighting what appeared to be an effort to stabilize economic relations between the world’s two largest economies. The comments came as administration officials said trade discussions with China are ongoing, alongside talks on issues including Iran, artificial intelligence and other security matters. Trump’s praise of Xi is consistent with his longstanding approach of using personal diplomacy with foreign leaders, including rivals, as a negotiating tactic — though whether that approach will translate into concrete agreements with China remains to be seen. View the full article