Author: INDEPENDENT

A raccoon invaded a football pitch in Pennsylvania on Wednesday night (15 May) before being promptly captured and trapped in a bin.The critter, nicknamed “Raquinho”, interrupted the New York City FC vs Philadelphia Union game during the 21st minute.A chase ensued as the raccoon attempted to evade the clutches of security staff before it was trapped underneath the bin.”At what point are we just rooting for him?” one commentator joked.The chaos echoed similar scenes at Sheffield Wednesday in 2022, when a cat gave footballers the run around at Hillsborough Stadium. Source link

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailThe Supreme Court is ordering Louisiana to hold congressional elections in 2024 using a House map with a second mostly Black district, despite a lower-court ruling that called the map an illegal racial gerrymander.The order allows the use of a map that has majority Black populations in two of the state’s six congressional districts, potentially boosting Democrats’ chances of gaining control of the closely divided House of Representatives in the 2024 elections.The justices acted on emergency appeals filed by…

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 Thomas Tuchel wants Bayern Munich to give assurances on two specific signings before committing to a new contract. The 50-year-old has been in a series of meetings about a new deal all week, as the German club’s long wait to decide on next season’s manager looks set to end with the current manager just continuing. It was Tuchel’s decision to leave that prompted the search, only for Bayern to struggle with a series of appointments. Tuchel has…

Robert Fico in life-threatening condition after assassination attemptFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsSlovakia’s populist prime minister Robert Fico was rushed to hospital in a life-threatening condition after he was shot in the stomach in an assassination attempt.Reports said that Mr Fico, 59, was injured after five shots were fired outside the House of Culture in the town of Handlova where the leader was meeting with supporters. Deputy prime minister Tomas Taraba said the operation “went well” and added: “I guess…

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 After all the sound, there’s no fury. There’s only a peace. As Jurgen Klopp departs Liverpool, he has no real regrets. He’s literally won everything, even if there could have been more. There’s a bigger debate about the latter but, even within that, a point has been proven.When Liverpool’s ownership were seeking to rebuild the club over the 2012-15 period, they gradually modernised every department until they had one of the best recruitment systems in the game.…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailDemocrats in the US House of Representatives are investigating Donald Trump after he reportedly promised oil company executives that he will undo certain climate policies if they fund his return to the White House.Democratic members of the House Oversight Committee sent letters to nine oil executives on Monday asking for information about their meeting with Mr Trump in Florida. The letter asks the executives to reveal whether Mr Trump proposed a “quid pro quo” arrangement to them.“Media reports raise significant potential ethical,…

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 Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes insists he will stay at Old Trafford – if the club wants him. And Erik Ten Hag is adamant the club have no intention of letting Fernandes leave.The Portugal international’s future has been the subject of speculation in recent days, with Bayern Munich and Inter Milan among the clubs linked with the influential 29-year-old.Yet speaking after playing a prominent role in the Red Devils’ 3-2 victory over Newcastle – which maintained their…

CCTV shows gunmen ramming French prison van and killing guards to free drug dealerFor 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 “unprecedented” manhunt for the escaped French inmate ‘The Fly’ has entered its third day after an international arrest warrant was issued.Interpol on Wednesday said it issued a ‘Red Notice’ search warrant for fugitive Mohamed Amra, 30, at the request of France’s authorities.The suspected drug boss, nicknamed ‘La Mouche’, was being transported from a court hearing in Rouen to a secure jail…

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 There was a time when the period dramas television executives rushed to commission involved the writings of Jane Austen, not the musings of Phil Neville. Though that time was the 1990s, a decade that has led to a growth industry in Manchester United nostalgia. Which, as the last quarter of a century has taken them from “football, bloody hell” to “football, bloody mess”, may be unsurprising. The past is infinitely preferable to the present for them.After Netflix’s…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USAn inmate who escaped custody in Idaho following a “brazen, violent” prison break has pleaded guilty during a court appearance.Skylar Meade went on the run while undergoing medical treatment for self-inflicted wounds at a hospital in Boise. He was eventually re-captured after a 36-hour manhunt.Three law enforcement officers were shot and wounded during the violent escape.Meade entered a guilty plea to charges of prison escape and persistent violator in an Ada County courtroom on Wednesday, reported…