Former Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has been appointed as head coach of Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr.

Riyadh-based Al-Nassr, who are captained by Portugal legend Cristiano Ronaldo, won the Saudi Pro League title for the first time in May.

Al-Nassr were previously coached by veteran Portuguese coach Jorge Jesus but the 71-year-old left the club at the end of the previous campaign.

Postecoglou has been without a job in management since he was sacked by Nottingham Forest last October after just 39 days in charge.

The 60-year-old Greece-born Australian has signed a two-year contract with Al-Nassr.

Postecoglou guided Spurs to glory in the Europa League in 2025 having previously enjoyed a successful stint in charge of Celtic where he won back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles.

He has been working as a pundit with ITV during the World Cup.

England’s World Cup last-16 tie with Mexico could be moved to earlier on Sunday because of the threat of storms.

Fifa is considering bringing forward the game at Azteca, Mexico City, which is due to kick off at 01:00 BST on Monday.

Forecasts suggest there could be thunderstorms and heavy rain around this time.

One suggestion is the game could be brought forward six hours to 19:00 BST on Sunday.

However no final decision has been made and it is possible that original kick-off time remains.

More to follow.

The events bring thousands of people together every Sunday of July and August, and have a positive economic impact on the city.

When The 1977 take to the bandstand in Ward Park on Sunday afternoon, the band and assembled crowd will be marking not just the first in this summer’s run of the Open House Festival Picnic in the Park events, but 10 years of the free music sessions in Bangor.

By the end of August, the overall audience figure since the events began is expected to exceed 200,000.

Picnic in the Park, formerly known as Music in the Park, has been a staple on the Open House Festival summer calendar since 2016. For the previous three years, Open House had hosted an annual Bluegrass Picnic in Ward Park during its August Festival, while Ards and North Down Borough Council held some free music events in the park as part of its own summer season.

In 2016, Open House took over the running of all summer Sunday park events, with council funding. In the ten years since then, it has programmed a free music event each Sunday of July and August in the Co Down city, with the exception of 2020 due to Covid, and 2021 when the events ran throughout August and September following the lifting of restrictions.

There have been 83 performances featuring 65 different bands, some of whom have performed more than once. Bangor’s own punk band Wasted Talent has notched up the most performances to date with five outings so far.

They will be matched this year by The 19th Street Band, a high energy Americana band from Virgina whose co-founder and lead singer, Caolaidhe Davis, comes from Holywood. They’ll be returning to the park on Sunday, July 26 for their fifth visit.

Over the years, the Picnic in the Park events have become something of an institution in Bangor, attracting thousands of visitors from the city and beyond. Last year’s estimated audience over the nine Sundays of the summer was 27,000.

The current overall audience figure since the events started in 2016 is estimated to be around 180,000. This brings a positive economic knock-on to Bangor, with additional spending in shops, bars, and restaurants throughout the city, both before and after the events. And the social impact has been significant.

“In the past decade, Picnic in the Park has built a strong community of regular audience members, many of whom go every Sunday regardless of the weather,” explains Open House Festival Director, Kieran Gilmore.

“It’s an opportunity for families to come together, from grandparents to newborns, and for people to meet up with old friends, and make new friends. We know of regulars who started to come along on their own and are now part of what we call large ‘park pals’ groups.

“There is an accessible section too, so wheelchair users and people with restricted mobility can enjoy the music and atmosphere. For lots of people, a summer Sunday afternoon in the park might be the only real social and cultural interaction they get.

“We are really proud of our Picnic in the Park events,” Kieran added. “In fact, we believe Bangor is the only place in Northern Ireland where people can avail of nine free open-air music events during the summer months and the response we get from audiences each Sunday, whether the sun is shining or it is pelting with rain, is truly humbling.

“Our audience figures have grown exponentially since 2016, and we expect to see even more people this summer during our 10th anniversary celebrations.”

Aside from The 1977 and The 19th Street Band, other artists performing at Ward Park this summer include the Queen tribute band, Queen Magic, the popular Bangor folk-trad band, Cap on the Wall, and the Lee Hedley Blues Band. Otis & The Elevators, one of the most beloved retro soul bands in Northern Ireland over the past 30 years, will close the season with a celebratory party set on Sunday, August 30.

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Picnic in the Park events are staged at the Bandstand in Ward Park and run from 3pm to 5pm. Attendees can bring a picnic if they wish, plus their own chairs and blankets, but the organisers ask that they either take their rubbish home, or use one of the recycling hubs at the park.

Gazebos aren’t permitted, and while dogs are welcome, they must be kept on a short lead at all times. Ward Park is a short walk from Bangor Station, and there are several car parks in the vicinity, and there is an accessibility area at the park for wheelchair users.

“We want everyone to have a great time, so would ask those attending to be respectful of each other and their surroundings, and to be mindful of local residents when parking,” said Kieran.

“I’d like to thank our Festival volunteers, who have done a wonderful job in helping our team manage each park event over the past ten years, and will be out in force again this summer. And of course a huge thank you goes to the audiences who support us and return year after year. We hope the sun shines for them this summer, but even if it doesn’t, we can guarantee some great live music.”

For the full Picnic in the Park line-up, and details of all Open House Festival events, go to www.openhousefestival.com.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our What’s On newsletter.

The packed grandstands of about 150,000 fans cheered Hamilton raucously as he crossed the line and moved ahead of Antonelli.

Hamilton said: “Wow. OK. I like it. I love this place. I love this crowd. I can’t express to you how big a dream it is, and the flow you can get into around this place if you can get the set-up in the right place.

“We’re ahead of Mercedes. They have so much power, these guys. We did not expect we would be competing for the front row, so it’s an amazing surprise. I’m ecstatic.”

Ferrari had a difficult race last weekend in Austria, despite Hamilton taking his first win for his new team in Barcelona the race before that, but the seven-time champion said some small upgrades to the car had helped them get back on top.

“We brought some tiny bits here,” he said. “I am really pleased to get pole. It was only 10 milliseconds or something like that and the team really deserve it.”

Antonelli said: “It was so close and it was a shame. There was a little bit left on the table but it was a decent lap. Congrats to Lewis and we focus on tomorrow now. Ferrari have done an incredible step forward so it is going to be incredibly tough. Lewis is in great form. We like the challenge. We will go for it.”

Verstappen said he thought Hamilton and Antonelli “look a bit quick” to challenge in the sprint.

“It was very close, it could easily have been P3 or P6/7. But we are on the good side. We are still not where we want to be. A few things to figure out to find more lap time and we will try to do that after the sprint.”

Leclerc was 0.327secs behind Hamilton and said he was still trying to understand why he was not finding himself as comfortable in the new car as his team-mate.

“Lewis is more often at 100% of the potential of the car, which I’m not,” Leclerc said. “I have to work on everything, really.

“I am struggling to be consistent at my 100%. I just don’t feel the car as well as I want.

“We are extremely surprised in general. We were expecting a much bigger gap to the cars in front.”

Russell, who needs a good run of races to narrow the gap to Antonelli, was a similar margin adrift – 0.346secs behind the Italian.

“Story of the year, always on the back foot. Usually in Q3 I can make a step but today it wasn’t the case. We need to understand why that is,” Russell said.

Norris was 0.364secs off pole, and just 0.032secs ahead off Piastri, but that was a decent result given he was hampered by a broken brake duct, which was fixed just before his final run.

He said: “It was (hampering) me throughout. For the final run we fixed it, but the car was completely different and way better again. By the time I got the feeling for the final lap I felt like I could have pushed way more. So, just unfortunate today, but the pace was still there or thereabouts.”

Ange Postecoglou has been out of management since a disastrous short tenure at Nottingham Forest ended in his sacking in October last year

Al-Nassr have confirmed the appointment of Ange Postecoglou as their new head coach. The Australian will manage Portugal star Cristiano Ronaldo at the Saudi Pro League side.

The 60-year-old has been out of work since being sacked by Nottingham Forest in October, after just 40 days in charge, during which he went winless in all eight ‌games. Postecoglou’s miserable tenure at the City Ground included six defeats and a fan revolt in the East Midlands before his removal.

The Aussie managed Tottenham Hotspur before that – guiding them to a Europa League title in 2025, only to be sacked that summer after the Lilywhites finished 17th in the Premier League.

The former Celtic manager has been working as a pundit for ITV at the World Cup this summer – providing analysis to UK viewers alongside the likes of Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright.

And now Al Nassr have handed Postecoglou a route back into management with the Middle Eastern club announcing on social media that he has been handed a two-year contract.

“A new chapter. Mr Ange Postecoglou appointed as ⁠head coach of the Al-Nassr first team. The contract spans two seasons,” the club said in a statement. “We ⁠wish him and his staff every success in their journey.”

Postecoglou had been linked with the Scotland job after Steve Clarke resigned following their World Cup group-stage exit, as well as the Kazakhstan job, but media reports said his wage demands were too high for the Central Asian side.

The former defender takes over an Al-Nassr side led ⁠by Ronaldo, who guided the club to the Saudi Pro League title on the final day of the season in May under the management of Jorge Jesus, who stood down after the title success.

Postecoglou will also be coaching the likes of Sadio Mane, Kingsley Coman and Joao Felix.

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Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

His predecessor in Saudi, Jesus, was believed to be pocketing an annual salary of around £10.5million, meaning Postecoglou is likely to have landed a similarly eye-watering package.

He will also go head-to-head with fellow former Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers for the Saudi title next season, after the Northern Irishman left Parkhead for Al-Qadsiah last year.

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By NATHAN SALT – FOOTBALL REPORTER

Published: 18:00 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 19:12 BST, 3 July 2026

Ange Postecoglou is back in football management – and his latest job will see him in charge of Cristiano Ronaldo.

More than eight months have passed since Postecoglou was ruthlessly sacked by Nottingham Forest having been in charge at the City Ground for just 39 days.

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But Postecoglou, who has been working for ITV as a television pundit this summer at the World Cup, has landed a two-year deal to manage Ronaldo & Co in Saudi Arabia as the new manager of Al-Nassr.

Revealing their new manager on their X account, Al-Nassr labelled the move ‘A New Chapter’, adding: ‘A New Chapter… Mr. Ange Postecoglou is the head coach of Al Nassr’s first football team with a contract lasting two seasons.’

Postecoglou takes over from Jorge Jesus, who departed after guiding the club to the Saudi Pro League title.

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Ange Postecoglou’s return to management has seen him sign a two-year deal with Al-Nassr

Jorge Jesus left the job after guiding Cristiano Ronaldo & Co to the Saudi Pro League title

This represents an opportunity to reset on the touchline after what Postecoglou described as a ‘brutal’ experience at Nottingham Forest, where he only lasted eight games and won none of them.

Speaking to Melbourne-based radio station SEN 1116 earlier this year, Postecoglou candidly reflected on his very brief spell in charge of the City Ground, where Oliver Glasner is preparing to be the latest incumbent of that job.

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Postecoglou said of his sacking: ‘It was brutal. I was in the coaches’ room. I knew it could come any day, but they sacked me straight after the game. I hadn’t done the presser yet, but the press knew.

‘I was walking into the corridors. I wanted to leave; otherwise I was going to do something I regret. I wanted to get out of there. All the roads were blocked. After half an hour, the roads opened.

‘I got stuck at the traffic lights for 15 minutes. I had Chelsea fans giving it to me, Forest fans weren’t much kinder, and then I had little kids coming up and asking for a selfie.’

Despite his struggles at Nottingham Forest, Postecoglou’s rich history of winning trophies saw him edge out rivals for the job, including current Portugal manager Roberto Martinez.

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He ended Tottenham Hotspur’s trophy drought by defeating Manchester United to win the Europa League in Bilbao last year, while previously having won five trophies, including the treble, up in Scotland with Celtic.

Andy Burnham has ruled out calling an early general election if he becomes the prime minister later this month.

Taking part in an online Ask Me Anything (AMA) session on Reddit, one user asked whether he would call an election.

Burnham replied: “No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I’m going to work to the 2024 manifesto.”

The newly elected MP for Makerfield is so far the sole candidate in the running to replace Sir Keir Starmer as the leader of the Labour Party and could become the prime minister on 20 July.

The last general election was held on 4 July 2024, with Labour winning a landslide majority, meaning the next election must be called by August 2029, though a prime minister can choose to call one at any point before this.

Thousands of Reddit users have been writing questions to Burnham since he announced he would be holding an AMA session on Thursday.

One such user was Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who accused the former mayor for Greater Manchester of answering “softball questions”.

“You’re going to be prime minister soon so it’s time to start acting like one. Come out from hiding, face a proper press conference and submit yourself to scrutiny and some tough questions.

“Are you up for it?”

Burnham replied: “Fair challenge Kemi – but don’t forget it’s only two weeks since I faced questions from 74,000 members of the public of Makerfield.”

Burnham has only given one media interview since announcing his intention to run for Labour leader.

Badenoch has in recent days called on Burnham to fund a shortfall in the recently published defence investment plan if he enters No 10 – or to call an election.

Meanwhile. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for an election “as soon as possible” following Sir Keir’s resignation last month.

Burnham fielded questions from Reddit users on a range of topics and confirmed some policy positions.

He said he would seek to negotiate a returns agreement for failed refugees, including with Taliban-run Afghanistan.

He said he would not scrap the triple lock, a policy introduced by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government which guarantees the state pension goes up each year in line with either inflation, wage increases or 2.5% – whichever is the highest.

“I appreciate there’s a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands,” he told one user.

He also promised to work for a closer relationship with the EU. Last September, Burnham said he would like to see the UK re-join the bloc within his lifetime, but during the Makerfield by-election campaign in May promised not to “re-run” Brexit arguments.

Asked on Reddit if he would look at a closer relationship and negotiate a more ambitious trade deal, Burnham said: “Yes, I will build on the good work the government has already done in this area.”

The decision by Pope Leo XIV to excommunicate members of the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX) is the latest twist in a long-running saga between the Vatican and this contentious traditionalist group. It is yet more evidence of the deep polarisation between conservatives and progressives within the Catholic church.

The Vatican issued a statement on July 2 to the effect that SSPX had “committed an act of a schismatic nature” by ordaining four bishops the previous day at a ceremony in Écône, the village in Switzerland where SSPX was founded in 1970.

The society was established and named after Pope Pius X by the controversial French archbishop Marcel Lefebvre. He was an adherent to the uncompromising positions Pius (who reigned from 1903 to 1914) held against “modernism” – the attempts by some Catholics to apply contemporary intellectual and moral trends to the teachings of the church.

In 1907, Pius X had declared modernism to be an attack on all elements of the church by those who “vaunt themselves as reformers”.

Those who joined the SSPX reacted specifically to reforms brought about within the church by the Second Vatican Council (often known as Vatican II).

Convened between 1962 and ’65, Vatican II was reportedly described by Pope John XXIII as an attempt to “open the windows and let in the fresh air”. It sought to recognise the rapidly shifting world of the 20th century, and reaffirm the role of the church in guiding Catholics by interpreting these events “in the light of the Gospel”.

Many reforms occurred within the church as a result, including the introduction of worship in vernacular languages, replacing the older Latin Mass (often referred to as the “Tridentine Mass”, as it was standardised after the Council of Trent in the 16th century).

Lefebvre and his supporters saw this as a Modernist revolution. But they were the ones who came under suspicion for this divergence in such important matters of dogma. In 1975, the society was “suppressed”, meaning it was no longer recognised by the Church as legitimate.

This proved the start of a much longer struggle, as members of the SSPX continued to act regardless of instruction from the Holy See.

In 1976, Pope Paul VI described Lefebvre and his movement as suffering from “a bitter deafness” which had placed them “outside of obedience and communion with the Successor of Peter and therefore of the Church”. He implored them to “reflect calmly, without prejudice” and “to become aware of the deep wounds they otherwise cause the Church”.

“We invite them again to think,” he concluded. But his appeal appeared to fall on deaf ears.

The struggle between the SSPX and the Vatican boiled over in 1988 when – as at the ceremony a few days ago – four priests were consecrated as bishops at Écône. The event occurred despite a warning from John Paul II, and resulted in the excommunication of Lefebvre and the four bishops.

The pope viewed the act as a grave disobedience not only against his authority, but “the unity of the Church”.

But as a concession, he acknowledged the “feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition”, and opened a commission to attempt to return those in the SSPX to the church while “preserving their spiritual and liturgical traditions”.

An acknowledgement of a wider conservative desire to retain the Latin Mass and the forms of worship used before Vatican II came in 2007, when Pope Benedict XVI decreed that these older forms could be celebrated under specific conditions.

Two years later, Benedict lifted the excommunication of the four bishops from 1988, believing a productive dialogue had emerged. Talks continued between the SSPX and the Vatican in the hope of achieving a reconciliation.

In 2012, however, the Vatican declared: “We cannot put the Catholic faith at the mercy of negotiations. Compromise does not exist in this field. I think that there can now be no new discussions.”

Discussions did in fact continue during the papacy of Francis, but the SSPX was considered to have “departed from communion with the Church”. Archbishop Gerhard Müller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith which decides matters of doctrine, said that “they must change their attitude and accept the Catholic Church’s conditions”.

A Church divided

The decision by Leo XIV to excommunicate the SSPX follows several months of warnings from the Vatican not to proceed with the consecration of the new bishops.

In a letter addressed to Father Davide Pagliarani, superior general of the SSPX on June 30, Leo wrote: “I urge you to consider carefully the spiritual good of the faithful, because the schismatic act you are about to undertake would deprive them of the licit and, in some cases, even valid reception of the Sacraments, which they love and seek for their sanctification.”

But the SSPX proceeded and the pope has acted.

This episode reflects the considerable tension among conservative Catholics over the reforms of Vatican II. While the size of the SSPX is tiny compared with the global number of Catholics (some 600,000 members in a global community of 1.4 billion), the polarisation of opinions within the church are arguably of a much larger scale.

Pope Francis recognised as much in 2022, when – to mark 60 years since the opening of Vatican II – he argued for the need to “overcome all polarisation and preserve our communion” in light of divisions since the 1960s.

While Leo XIV is still relatively early into his pontificate, the renewed excommunication is a stark reminder that polarisation remains a pressing issue for the Catholic church, particularly when it comes to modernisation.

But like the saga of the SSPX, this issue shows no sign of resolving itself anytime soon.

President Donald Trump is reportedly considering a pardon for disgraced music mogul Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, who is currently in federal prison in New Jersey for prostitution-related crimes.

The president is also reportedly considering some kind of reprieve for Prakazrel “Pras” Michel of the hip-hop group The Fugees, who is imprisoned on foreign lobbying-related violations, sources told CBS News.

The alleged clemency considerations may be part of a larger reported effort by the White House to issue “250 pardons for 250 years” as part of Independence Day celebrations.

The Independent has sought comment from Combs.

The White House referred The Independent to comments Trump made this January, in which the president claimed Combs wrote him a letter seeking a pardon. The Republican told The New York Times he is not considering granting the alleged request.

The denial joins comments from last year, when the White House batted down speculation a Diddy pardon was imminent.

The president and Combs, both New York City-based businessmen with second careers in reality TV, previously knew each other socially, though Trump has said they lost touch after he entered politics.

“I haven’t seen him. I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Trump said last May. “He used to really like me a lot, but I think when I ran for politics, that relationship busted up, from what I read.”

Combs is currently appealing his conviction and sentence.

President Trump has issued a historic number of pardons, using the power of the presidency to free political and business allies, celebrities and white-collar criminals accused of fraud, bribery and corruption.

He has granted reprieves to figures including rapper NBA YoungBoy, crypto business parter Changpeng Zhao, former president of Honduras and convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernández, and more than 1,000 of his supporters charged or convicted of crimes related to the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.

The president’s liberal use of the pardon power has reportedly inspired million-dollar lobbying campaigns targeting the administration and allies of the president.

Former crypto billionaire Sam Bankman-Fried is among the high-profile figures seeking a pardon from Trump, according to Justice Department records.

By MATTHEW LAMBWELL, TENNIS REPORTER

Published: 18:29 BST, 3 July 2026 | Updated: 18:30 BST, 3 July 2026