Author: INDEPENDENT

Julia Cussins stands at the forefront of Sofas & Stuff, a company deeply rooted in a family legacy of furniture retail. Founded in 2009 by Julia and her husband, Andrew Cussins, Sofas & Stuff is a testament to their shared vision, commitment to quality, and dedication to exceptional customer service.The story of Sofas & Stuff begins with Andrew’s journey in the furniture industry, which started in 1980 when he joined his father’s company as an apprentice. With the founding of Sofa Workshop in 1985, Andrew’s passion for crafting exceptional furniture took flight, furnishing three-quarters of a million homes across the…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailRepresentative Donald Payne Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey, passed away on Wedneaday at the age of 65. Payne first assumed office in 2012 when he won a special election in New Jersey’s 10th district. He succeeded his father, the late Donald Payne Sr after the elder Payne died. Prior to that, Mr Payne served on the Newark Municipal Council. Mr Payne was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and he voted with President Joe Biden 100…

Sign up to the Independent’s betting newsletter for the latest tips and offersSign up to the Independent’s betting newsletterLiverpool are in talks with Feyenoord in their bid to appoint Arne Slot as their new manager, the PA news agency understands.Slot, 45, has emerged as a leading candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp at the end of the season and the Dutchman is ready to fulfil his dream move to a top Premier League club.But Feyenoord do not want to lose their manager and will demand significant compensation for the man who guided the Dutch club to their first title in six…

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 emailsUS plans to build a giant floating dock off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid was accused of being a “smokescreen” to allow the Israeli army to invade Rafah.The pier is expected to be in position by early May and was intended to bring in a “massive” increase of aid to Gaza by circumventing land routes controlled by the Israeli army.However, UN officials have warned it won’t be positioned off northern Gaza, where…

Sign up to the Independent’s betting newsletter for the latest tips and offersSign up to the Independent’s betting newsletterSo much for this being one of Arsenal’s awkward remaining fixtures, not to mention the idea the title race was over. Chelsea had other plans for all that, precisely because they couldn’t implement any kind of gameplan of their own. They couldn’t do much at all.It means that, on a night when Arsenal went three points clear at the top with a 5-0 victory that is maybe Mikel Arteta’s best performance yet, it is hard not to talk about Chelsea. Focus will…

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 emailsDavid Harewood has released a statement after comments he made about Blackface went viral.The English Homeland actor, 58, spoke about his concerns regarding identity politics and acting in a new interview with The Guardian.“We’re at this strange point in the progression where people go, ‘Oh you can’t play that role because you’re not disabled, or you can’t play that because you’re not really from there,’” he said.“The name of the game is acting. Yes, we’ve…

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 world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned as it published its annual report on Wednesday. The human rights organisation said the most powerful governments, including the United States, Russia and China, have led a global disregard for international rules and values enshrined in the Universal Declaration…

Sign up to the Independent’s betting newsletter for the latest tips and offersSign up to the Independent’s betting newsletterMikel Arteta hailed an “unbelievable” performance from Kai Havertz after his two goals helped Arsenal move three points clear at the top of the Premier League with a thumping 5-0 win over Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium.The 24-year-old, who struggled in his early appearances after swapping Stamford Bridge for north London in the summer, gave a superb display against his former side as the leaders heaped more misery on visiting manager Mauricio Pochettino, who saw his ninth-place team slump to a worst-ever…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailIt is only day two of testimony in Donald Trump’s New York “hush money” trial — though the sixth day in court including jury selection — but we are already hearing tawdry details of how tabloid journalism was weaponised to sway the result of the 2016 presidential election.While it was an abbreviated session due to the Passover holiday with court ending at 2pm, the three hours of testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker doubtless proved eye-opening…

Sign up to the Independent’s betting newsletter for the latest tips and offersSign up to the Independent’s betting newsletter“This is Chelsea Football Club, not Cole Palmer Football Club,” Mauricio Pochettino declared on the eve of his side’s visit to Arsenal. A little more than 24 hours later, the sight of Chelsea without their top scorer and player of the year was enough to empty the away end long before full-time of this humiliating, dispiriting, London derby thrashing at the Emirates. “I don’t want your shirt, I just want to fight for ours,” a young boy pleaded in the away end.…