Author: INDEPENDENT

Southgate has tried to evoke the spirit of 1966 (REUTERS)Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter England enjoyed the narrowest of lucky escapes to secure a 2-1 win over Slovakia in their Euro 2024 last-16 clash after a last-gasp bicycle kick by Jude Bellingham took the match to extra time, before Harry Kane headed the winner.England were absolutely abject against a Slovakia team who were aggressive from the start and pressed their opponents relentlessly, taking the lead with an Ivan Schranz strike from a…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USHurricane Beryl is barreling towards the Caribbean, with the Category 4 storm expected to bring life-threatening winds and storm surges to the Windward Islands on Monday morning.After a short period as a Category 3 storm, Hurricane Beryl has strengthened to an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane on Monday, the National Hurricane Centre has advised.The hurricane previously reached Category 4 strength on Sunday, becoming the earliest storm of such strength in the season on record in the…

Germany fans sing You’ll Never Walk Alone before Euro 2024 matchFrance face Belgium in the Euro 2024 last 16 looking to generate momentum after a set-back in the group stage. Failure to win Group D, thanks to Robert Lewandowski’s retaken penalty, means Didier Deschamps’ side must contend with hosts Germany, Spain and, perhaps, Portugal in the same half of the draw en route to the final in Berlin.Deschamps has a selection headache, too, with Antoine Griezmann’s involvement uncertain as Les Bleus search for the right balance in the line-up.And they face a Belgian side with similar doubts and problems after…

Biden addresses debate performance: ‘I don’t debate as well as I used to’Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailJoe Biden met with his family at Camp David in Maryland on Sunday to discuss his political future after Thursday’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump, which only heightened doubts about his cognitive ability and sparked calls for him to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.The president’s family reportedly encouraged him to stay the course as he spent the day with first lady Jill Biden,…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter For many reasons, a majority of them valid, Lamine Yamal seemed to become the face of this Spain side heading into Euro 2024. For one it’s his youth, of course – a star at just 16. There’s also the potential for so many storylines, with his birthday the day before the final itself.Then there’s the fact he plays for Barcelona – all this before we even approach the subject of his quality, which is clearly off the…

Donald Trump pushes for presidential immunity in six-minute video rantSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailThe US Supreme Court is expected to rule on Monday on whether or not Donald Trump is immune from criminal prosecution for his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.The former president’s defense has already been shot down by the federal judge overseeing the election interference case brought against him, as well as by a unanimous panel of appeals court judges, the latter writing that Trump’s…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter Didier Deschamps’s misfiring France side take on a struggling Belgium team at the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday, 1 July. What would usually be the tie of the round arrives with some trepidation from both sides, as both come into the match having finished second in their groups and experienced mix results in their first three games. Les Bleus will be the more confident of the two teams, with Didier Deschamps’ side confident in their…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailA humpback whale tangled up in 800kg of fishing equipment was freed following a rescue operation off the Gippsland coast in Australia.The whale was first seen entangled in ropes and buoys on 23 June by a commercial helicopter near Loch Sport in Central Gippsland.The mammal disappeared until Friday when a multi-agency rescue team spotted it again and attached a tracker so they would not lose it again.The heavy ropes and fishing equipment had severely restricted the whale’s ability to swim.The whale was…

Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for freeSign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter A French talisman has been camouflaged. Less of Kylian Mbappe has been seen than expected: he missed the stalemate with the Netherlands. When he returned against Poland, some of his face was concealed by the mask protecting his broken nose.If Antoine Griezmann has been obscured, it is for different reasons. If Mbappe’s return formed one notable detail on the teamsheet for the Poland draw, an absentee was perhaps still more significant. For the first time in a…

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsJordan Bardella has been credited with the success of France’s far-right National Rally (RN) party as it surges in the polls. Charismatic Bardella, the son of immigrants, was brought up in high-rise flats in a run-down suburb of Paris by a single mother. The 28-year-old could be prime minister of France in a matter of weeks after Emmanuel Macron shocked the nation by calling a snap election in the wake of his party’s thrashing at…