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 Millie Bright admits her recent spell on the sidelines was the “most tasking period” of her career as she prepares for her long-awaited England return.The Chelsea centre-back captained the Lionesses to their first World Cup final last summer but subsequently spent five months out of action due to a serious knee injury.Bright, who returned for the Women’s Super League run-in to help the Blues retain the title, is poised to make her first international appearance since October…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailDonald Trump’s “catch and kill” scheme to buy up stories about his alleged sex scandals launched a conspiracy to corruptly influence the 2016 presidential election, what Manhattan prosecutors called his attempt to “hoodwink” voters with his fraudulent scheme to keep politically crushing stories away from the public.“It was the subversion of democracy,” according to Manhattan District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, who delivered an epic closing statement to jurors in the former president’s hush money trial on Tuesday.Mr Trump sought…

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 On Tuesday evening, Fifa released a brief statement that would have baffled any fans who looked at it, but actually said a lot about the power in the game. The global governing body was essentially forced to publicly explain a “meeting” – Fifa’s own quotation marks – with one group that is representative of smaller clubs, while reasserting the strength of its relationship with the European Club Association, which is the biggest group representing clubs. It can…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USThe newest Spirit AeroSystems whistleblower has dismissed conspiracy theories about two other whistleblowers who died shortly after coming forward with claims of safety issues at Boeing suppliers, but admitted he’s remaining vigilant about his own safety.Santiago Paredes, 40, exclusively spoke to The Independent just before he attended the celebration of life for his former coworker, friend and fellow whistleblower Joshua Dean, who died 30 April at the age of 45 after battling a sudden illness. Dean’s…

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 emailsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Joe Biden to attend an upcoming Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland, saying that only Vladimir Putin will “applaud” him if he does not show up.Though the Biden administration has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv, reports suggest President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to miss the summit, which would be a huge blow to Mr Zelensky – even if some form of presence from Washington is…

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 Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has not been included in Belgium’s Euro 2024 squad but Axel Witsel has come out of retirement to be included in the 25-man group.The 32-year-old Courtois has been injured for the majority of the season, with a knee problem that required surgery. He has returned to play four times for the Spanish champions this season, but Red Devils boss Domenico Tedesco stated last month that he would not select the former Chelsea…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USFor the first time in generations, beachgoers were out on the sand in a New Jersey shore community on the Sunday morning before Memorial Day as a Christian religious group fights the state over its regular beach closures there during Sunday services.The Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, a Methodist group that established a Christian seaside retreat at the Jersey Shore in 1869, said it had closed its beaches on Sunday mornings during religious services in Ocean…

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 Cristiano Ronaldo added yet another record to his collection as he set a new high for goals scored in a Saudi Pro League season.The 39-year-old struck twice in Al-Nassr’s 4-2 victory over Al-Ittihad at Al Awal Park to take his total to 35, eclipsing Abderrazak Hamdallah’s 34 from 2018-19.Hamdallah, who was also playing for Al-Nassr at the time, could at least take some comfort from the fact that his haul came in just 27 league games, four…

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 emailsPope Francis is reported to have used a deeply offensive slur for same-sex individuals during a closed-door discussion with bishops.The meeting took place at an Italian bishops’ conference, where one of the topics being discussed was whether to allow celibate gay men to undergo training for priesthood at Catholic seminaries. The 87-year-old pontiff is said to have spoken against the idea, saying that while it was important to embrace everyone, it could risk the queer…

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 Anthony Martial bade an emotional farewell to Manchester United after confirming his nine-year stay at Old Trafford was over.The 28-year-old France international joined the club in a £36million move from Monaco in September 2015, but has not played a senior game since December after undergoing groin surgery and his departure was widely expected.In a statement on his official Instagram account, he said: “It’s with great emotion that I write to you today to say goodbye. After nine…