Author: INDEPENDENT

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 Newcastle ended their tour of Australia with a resounding friendly defeat as a side largely made up of youngsters were battered 8-0 by the A-League All Stars.Eddie Howe made wholesale changes from the team that overcame Tottenham on penalties on Wednesday, with Newcastle’s XI comprising of half a dozen teenagers while every outfield player was 22 or younger.First-team trio Kieran Trippier, Elliot Anderson and Lewis Hall were left on the bench as Newcastle fell 3-0 down inside…

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 UK’s economic recovery has stuttered just two days after Rishi Sunak called a General Election, as official figures released on Friday showed that retail spending slumped by more than expected last month.The data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that retail sales across the UK plunged by 2.3 per cent in April, following a 0.2 per fall in March.Economists had been expecting a softer decline of 0.6 per cent for the…

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 bodies of three more hostages killed in the 7 October Hamas attack inside Israel have been recovered from Gaza, Israel’s army has said. It said the bodies of Hanan Yablonka, Michel Nisenbaum and Orion Hernandez Radoux were recovered overnight in a joint operation by the army and the intelligence services in Jabalia, in northern Gaza where there has been intense fighting in recent days.Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel was determined to…

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 Thousands are expected to make the journey north west from Barcelona to Bilbao, from Catalonia to the Basque region. As the Women’s Champions League reaches its conclusion at San Mames, it could feel like a home final for Barcelona, or as close to it without it being held in the Camp Nou itself. That is fitting, perhaps, given how much of Barcelona’s success is home-grown and the influence its iconic La Masia academy may have over this…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailA string of famous names have been dragged into Donald Trump’s historic criminal trial, after four days of testimony from the former publisher of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer.David Pecker became the first witness to take the stand in the former president’s New York hush money trial this week, laying out a so-called “catch-and-kill” scheme at the centre of the case.Mr Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made…

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 Barcelona will need to find a way to get past the most successful club in women’s football if they want to build on their recent dominance in the sport.The Catalan club will be playing in a fourth straight Women’s Champions League final on Saturday in Bilbao against the record eight-time champions Lyon , the nemesis they have never been able to beat.The titleholders from Spain have a shot at a statement victory by finally overcoming the storied…

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 emailsTom Holland’s eagerly anticipated Shakespeare debut in Jamie Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet production has received mixed reviews from critics following opening night at the Duke of York’s theatre on Thursday (23 May).The Spider-Man actor, 27, returned to the London stage for the first time since playing Billy Elliott on the West End in 2008. He stars in Lloyd’s production alongside Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, with critics calling the stripped back Shakespeare show “sad”, “muted” and…

Rescuers hunt for survivors under rubble after Majorca restaurant collapse kills fourFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsAt least four people have died and 16 have been left seriously injured after a building collapsed at a beach resort in Majorca, with fears others could have been trapped under the rubble for 12 hours.Firefighters and rescue teams are at the scene of the Medusa Beach Club, a popular tourist restaurant, after a terrace where people were dancing fell onto the floor below…

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 West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta has been charged with misconduct over alleged breaches of betting rules. Paqueta, who strongly denies all allegations, has been hit with four charges, which relate to Rules E5 and F3, concern matches against Leicester City on 12 November 2022; Aston Villa on 12 March 2023; Leeds United on 21 May 2023; and AFC Bournemouth on 12 August 2023.An FA statement states that the Brazil international is alleged to have “directly sought to influence…

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 emailsLook, we all know why we’re here. It’s what Jamie Lloyd does: takes a classic play, strips away a load of stuff, and puts a massive star at the centre of it to sell all the tickets and sort of trick teenagers into watching Ibsen or Pinter or Shakespeare. It’s the same deal here, with someone of supernova quality: Tom Holland – aka Spiderman himself – returning to the London stage for the first time…