Author: INDEPENDENT

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 Ukraine, trade and investment are expected to dominate Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first trip to Europe in five years, as the Asian giant rebuilds its foreign relations after a prolonged absence during the Covid-19 pandemic. Xi will start the tour in Paris on Monday, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been stressing the idea of European strategic autonomy from the U.S. On a visit to Beijing last year, Macron courted controversy 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 The problem with assuming a Europa League winner with Sevilla is bound to conquer the continent is that there is more than one of them. Unai Emery can seem the king of Europe, but a defending champion has one foot in the Europa Conference League final. Rather than Emery’s fifth European trophy, it could be Jose Luis Mendilibar’s second in as many years after, courtesy of Ayoub El Kaabi’s hat-trick, Olympiacos stormed Villa Park.Aston Villa may retain…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USDisplaced Palestinians are hanging touching signs thanking student protesters across the US advocating against Israel’s continued attacks on Gaza.Photographs from Deir al Balah, a town in southern Gaza, show Palestinians crafting signs expressing gratitude to students at several universities in the US for staging protests and encampments. Their signs, which have been hanging in Gaza for over a week, come as tensions boil over between universities and protesters on their campuses.A sign in Gaza that reads,…

Spurs: Postecoglou slams VAR after 3-2 derby loss: ‘I don’t celebrate goals any more’Mauricio Pochettino hosts his former club, Tottenham at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, with the aim of closing the gap on Newcastle United and Manchester United in the European spots. Chelsea’s task has been made drastically more difficult as Axel Disasi and the departing Thiago Silva are the newest casualties, adding to the now 14-man injury list.Tottenham are aiming for redemption after a derby day defeat to Arsenal, and a 4-0 battering against Newcastle, has left Ange Postecoglou’s side opening an unwanted gap between themselves and…

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailShell has reported better-than-forecast profits of £6.1bn but sparked a fresh row over its commitment to climate change targets and investing in renewable energy.The oil and gas giant’s underlying earnings for the first three months of 2024 were £6.1 billion, down a year earlier from 7.7 billion, however the result was better than forecast and 6 per cent higher than earnings in the previous quarter.The FTSE 100 firm also lavished its shareholders with a £2.8 billion in share buybacks, on…

Prospective Trump juror breaks silence on receiving death threatsSign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailDonald Trump is back at the Manhattan Criminal Court for the resumption of his New York hush money trial after using Wednesday’s recess to hit the campaign trail in the battleground states of Wisconsin and Michigan at which he largely played the hits, delivering the familiar slew of insults, grievances, half-truths and apocalyptic forecasts.Judge Juan Merchan is considering four more alleged violations of Mr Trump’s gag order today after fining…

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 As the Borussia Dortmund players eventually left the pitch after their customary serenading by the yellow wall, there was only one player everyone was talking about. There was only one player everyone wanted to talk to, as well. By the time broadcast media eventually got to Jadon Sancho, he was inevitably asked about Manchester United. It didn’t seem like the time or place, as he made clear. He gave the right answer. “I’m focused on the present…

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailThe UK economy is set for sluggish growth over the next two years and will fall behind its peers in the G7 in a downbeat forecast just as Britons head to the polls for the local elections. the OECD has warned. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development downgraded its forecast for UK growth from 0.7 per cent to 0.4 per cent – the lowest expansion in the G7 apart from Germany – in its report released on Thursday.The report…

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailMigrants say they are being driven to attempt channel crossings by increased aggression from French police – funded by Britain – who force them to move on from their camps every 48 hours.Refugees living in make-shift camps in Dunkirk said police were dispersing them every two days, and tat every 10-12 weeks police in riot gear destroy their whole camp.A record 711 people crossed the Channel in small boats on Wednesday – the busiest day of the year so far,…

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 The Premier League has missed out on a fifth Champions League spot for next season to the Bundesliga.One club from each of the two countries who collectively perform best in European club competition this season are granted additional places in the new-look 36-team league phase being introduced for the 2024-25 season.Borussia Dortmund’s semi-final first leg victory over Paris St Germain on Wednesday night sealed the second spot for Germany.Italy wrapped up the first ‘European Performance Spot’ (EPS)…