Author: INDEPENDENT

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 emailsThe leader of France’s mainstream right has said he would back an alliance with Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) in snap elections announced by President Emmanuel Macron – sparking a backlash from his own party and shocking opponents.The head of the right-wing Republicans party, Eric Ciotti said: “We need to have an alliance while remaining ourselves… an alliance with the National Rally and its candidates.” His party won around 7 per cent of…

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 Luke Shaw and John Stones trained as England’s Euro 2024 preparations stepped up on Tuesday.Gareth Southgate has been dealing with fitness issues and absentees in the build-up to this summer’s tournament.But all 26 players trained on Tuesday as England went through their paces for the first time since arriving in Germany the previous night.A couple of hundred people watched on at Ernst-Abbe-Sportfeld in Jena, where Shaw and Stones took part in the session.The former went off with…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailHunter Biden has been found guilty of lying on a federal gun form, lying to a gun dealer and possessing a firearm while using illegal drugs. On Tuesday, a jury of 12 Delaware residents found Biden guilty on all three charges after approximately three hours of deliberations. Federal prosecutors who brought the charges against Biden last year made their case by calling 10 witnesses to the stand and introducing damning pieces of evidence, as they accused Biden of…

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 What lengths would you go to in order to support your country at a major tournament? Would you walk 500 miles? And then 500 more? When Craig Ferguson arrives in Munich on the eve of Euro 2024, the 20-year-old from Paisley will have walked 1,000 miles in 41 days across six countries to support Scotland in Germany and fulfil a lifelong dream. But for Ferguson, an epic challenge has been fuelled by a greater cause. After departing…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Devastating flooding, driven in part by climate change, is taking an especially damaging toll on communities that once thrived along the banks of America’s most storied river.Flooding has pushed people out of their homes near the Mississippi River at a roughly 30% higher rate than the U.S. as a whole, according to data provided exclusively to The Associated Press by the risk analysis firm First Street. In regions growing slower than many other parts of…

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 We’re a little over a decade since Spain’s back-to-back triumphs at Euro 2008 and Euro 2012 and the national team have been through an entire lifecycle since then, it feels.In four of the five tournaments thereafter, they have exited at the group stage or last 16; only at Euro 2020 did they show any kind of competitive edge, reaching the semi-finals in enormously fortuitous fashion after an extra time win over Croatia, a win on penalties over…

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 emailsFrance’s revolutionary spirit is being re-lit by the Olympic flame as it has emerged Parisians are planning an outrageous manner of protest ahead of the games this summer.Renowned for their creative demonstrations, the French could out-do themselves as angry residents protest their government’s spending on the world’s stage.Parisians have expressed their discontent for the event as they say much-needed funds are being wasted on the games while neighbourhoods in the city struggle with poverty.One of…

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 Euro 2024 is upon us, as Germany hosts its first major men’s tournament since 2006 – with the national team seeking its first trophy in a decade.Some fancy Julian Nagelsmann’s team to defy expectations on home soil, while there is naturally significant faith in France, as the 2018 world champions and 2022 runners-up.Can England finally get over the line under Gareth Southgate, three years after losing the delayed Euro 2020 final to Italy at Wembley? And if so,…

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 emailsA gang of thieves stole at least €500,000 (£421,000) worth of jewellery and watches from a Bulgari shop in Rome before disappearing into the city’s sewers with police in pursuit.The gang struck at about midnight on Saturday, climbing through a hole they dug in the floor of the Bulgari store on Rome’s Via Condotti, which is lined by high-end designer shops.The three masked robbers were caught on CCTV and triggered the alarm. Police arrived seven…

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 As another packed season of club football comes to an end, the European Championship in Germany is fast approaching. The summer tournament bookends a busy 2023/24 season and one that has seen repeated calls for action regarding fixture congestion and player welfare.So it is no surprise that several important players are set to miss Euro 2024 through injury, with many others battling to be fit in time for the opening round of group games, which begins on…