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 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola admitted the Premier League title race is “not in our hands” after a goalless draw against Arsenal on Sunday.With just nine games left in the season, City sit one point behind Arsenal and three adrift of leaders Liverpool, who Guardiola conferred as favourites to end his side’s streak of three successive titles.Here, the PA news agency looks at how the title race is shaping up.What happened over the weekend?Liverpool moved into pole…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USSean “Diddy” Combs, a rapper and music mogul credited with helping launch the careers of some of the biggest stars in recent years, is now facing multiple civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.Combs, formerly known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and a host of other names, has undergone a myriad of reinventions since the start of his career – but has since entered a new and unwelcome “era.”Federal agents with US…

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 Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has vowed not to give up on the race for European football in the face of a seemingly unending injury crisis.The Magpies boosted their hopes of securing a top six finish with Saturday’s remarkable 4-3 victory over West Ham, a game in which they trailed 3-1 with just 13 minutes remaining.It came at a cost, though, with skipper Jamaal Lascelles rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, an injury which could…

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 cicadas that are about to infest large parts of the United States aren’t just plentiful, they’re downright weird.The largest geographic brood in the nation, called Brood XIX and coming out every 13 years, is about to march through the Southeast, having already created countless boreholes in the red Georgia clay. It’s a sure sign of the coming cicada occupation. They emerge when the ground warms to 64 degrees (17.8 degrees Celsius), which is happening earlier…

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 Mikel Arteta was scarcely being controversial. Many have echoed the same sentiments, though rarely after preventing a Pep Guardiola side from scoring in two league games in a season. “They are the best team in the world, by far,” he said.That is Manchester City’s reputation, if not necessarily their status. A stalemate left Guardiola proclaiming them merely the “third favourites” to win the title. And if a repeat treble remains on the cards, City have reached the…

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inboxGet our free Inside Washington emailDonald Trump posted a $175m bond on Monday in his New York civil fraud case, temporarily stopping enforcement of the full $464m in penalties facing the former president after he lost in a high-profile ruling earlier this year. The bond payment, reported by The Associated Press, came as New York officials were preparing to potentially seize Mr Trump’s assets or properties to fulfil the judgment, which found that the former president, his adult sons, and Trump Organization executives…

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 Ange Postecoglou has talked up Brennan Johnson’s growing influence and is impressed with how he has handled his debut season at Tottenham.Johnson joined Spurs on transfer deadline day in September for a £47.5million fee from Nottingham Forest and initially struggled to make his mark, with only one goal during the first half of the campaign.The Wales attacker has flourished since December though, scoring in comeback wins over Brentford and Brighton and also making key contributions off the…

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 emailsAn apparent Israeli airstrike killed four foreign aid workers, including a British citizen, and their Palestinian driver, while the group coordinated humanitarian aid in central Gaza, according to health officials and aid workers in the besieged strip. The group were killed on Gaza’s coastal road in Deir Balah, central Gaza, on Monday night, health officials and a journalist at Al-Aqsa hospital, where the bodies were taken, told The Independent. They sent videos showing the mangled…

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 Fantasy Premier League managers must be prepared for a swift turnaround, with the deadline for the new gameweek coming at 6pm BST on Tuesday.After some tricky ties to contend with this past weekend, the Premier League fixture list looks a little easier to judge this midweek round – but FPL bosses still need to juggle resources with another batch of games at the weekend.Here are our tips for transfers ahead of gameweek 31.David Datro Fofana – striker,…

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 Vermont Legislature is advancing legislation requiring big fossil fuel companies pay a share of the damage caused by climate change after the state suffered catastrophic summer flooding and damage from other extreme weather.The state Senate is expected to give final approval this week to the proposal, which would create a program that fossil fuel companies would pay into for climate change adaption projects in Vermont. It will then be considered in the House. “In order…