Author: INDEPENDENT

Netanyahu says Israel has ‘no choice’ but to destroy Hamas-.mp4For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsIsrael has order the evacuation of parts of Gaza’s southern city of Rafah ahead of an imminent ground offensive in the region. “To all the residents and displaced people in Rafah area … you are in a dangerous combat zone,” the evacuation leaflets read, before specifying certain parts of the region. “The [Israeli military] will act with extreme force against terrorist organizations in your areas 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 All eyes will be on potential Premier League stars of the future when the Champions League final takes place – in Europe, anyway, when Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham go head-to-head at Wembley: one who could yet impress in England’s top flight despite a poor start, and one who has yet to taste the top flight of his home nation at all.But far earlier than that game and far further east, another final by the same name…

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 emails It’s time for many people to don sequins and spangles — and for others to pick up protest banners and Palestinian flags — for Saturday’s final of the 68th Eurovision Song Contest.The competition that pits nations against one another for pop music glory is reaching its conclusion in the Swedish city of Malmo, with Croatia and Switzerland among those tipped to take the trophy, and Israel at the center of a political storm.Though the…

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 Gianfranco Zola was sacked as West Ham manager on this day in 2010.The Italy great had become the Hammers’ first overseas-born manager in September 2008, appointed as the permanent replacement for Alan Curbishley, who resigned in a dispute over transfer decisions just weeks into the season.Zola, taking his first job in club management after moving into coaching with Italy’s under-21s, enjoyed an encouraging start as his side played with considerable flair and some success, finishing ninth in…

Netanyahu says Israel has ‘no choice’ but to destroy Hamas-.mp4For 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 UN General Assembly has voted by a wide margin to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.The world body approved the resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions. Palestine is a non-member observer state.Meanwhile, more than 100,000 refugees have fled the southern Gaza city…

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 Pep Guardiola has revealed Manchester City have been training on long and dry grass this week in preparation for Saturday’s trip to Fulham.Title-chasing City’s possession-based passing game is suited to the slick, watered surface they usually play on at the Etihad Stadium.City boss Guardiola claimed his team benefited from a slower pitch when they won at Nottingham Forest last month because it caused the hosts to spurn some gilt-edged chances.However, that was widely perceived as a gentle…

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 More heavy rain is forecast for Brazil’s already flooded Rio Grande do Sul state, where many of those remaining are poor people with limited ability to move to less dangerous areas.More than 15 centimeters (nearly 6 inches) of rain could fall over the weekend, according to the Friday afternoon bulletin from Brazil’s national meteorology institute. It said there is also a high likelihood that winds will intensify and water levels rise in the Patos lagoon…

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 Kylian Mbappe has finally confirmed football’s worst kept secret with an announcement on social media that he will leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer. The 25-year-old is expected to join Real Madrid, the club he idolised as a child and with which he has long been linked, and he will enhance an already formidable team containing Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Jr and Toni Kroos, and also soon to include Brazilian teenage sensation Endrick.In a seven-year spell at PSG, after…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USFamily and friends of the three surfers killed in Mexico say they are frustrated at those claiming the men were reckless for traveling in remote Baja California — when actually the region has attracted surfers from southern California, and all over the world, for decades.“They have been doing what so many surfers have been doing for years,” said Kara, who was friends and neighbors with Callum Robinson, an Australian who lived in San Diego.Callum, 33 and…

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 Fifa has issued a forceful defence of its scheduling of the new Club World Cup amid the threat of legal action from leagues and unions.Football’s global governing body wrote to the World Leagues Association (WLA) and Fifpro on Friday to insist it consulted widely on the new international calendar, and also took aim at domestic leagues scheduling their own events, such as the Premier League’s Summer Series in the United States last year.The leagues and unions had…