Author: INDEPENDENT

Moment Russian plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war appears to crashFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUkrainian soldiers holed out in a key eastern city on the frontline, surrounded on three sides, are facing a “very difficult” challenge to defend their positions, a Ukrainian official has said. Following reports that Russian forces had advanced into the northeast outskirts of Avdiivka, a key city in Donetsk Oblast, the Ukrainian head of the city’s military administration hinted that they have lost control of…

Mauricio Pochettino revealed he received a supportive text from Chelsea’s owners as pressure on the Argentine grows.Pochettino spoke to the media ahead of Chelsea FA Cup fourth-round replay with Aston Villa on Wednesday, 7 February.“I receive a very good text from them. We are all together in this and that is the most important. Of course, they are in contact with me and the sporting director every day,” Pochettino said when asked about whether he still feels the owners’ trust.His side were booed off by a lot of home supporters at Stamford Bridge following the Blues’ 4-2 defeat to Wolverhampton…

Related: US launches missiles towards Houthi targets in Yemen from warship 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 emailsIran-backed Houthis in Yemen fired six ballistic missiles at two ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with one ship reporting minor damage.A Greek-owned bulked carrier was struck by three of the projectiles fired by the Houthis on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, the militants struck a British-owned cargo ship in the Red Sea.The USS Laboon operating near the Greek ship…

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 Sir Jim Ratcliffe was among those in attendance at the Munich Air Disaster memorial as he edges closer to becoming minority owner at Manchester United.February 6 is a date indelibly marked in club history after the plane carrying Sir Matt Busby’s side crashed on its way back from a European Cup tie at Red Star Belgrade in 1958.Eight players were among the 23 lives claimed in a tragedy that is remembered every year by all connected to…

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planetGet our free Climate emailJill Shinefield stood in front of the yellow caution tape in the drizzle. Behind her the scene was chaotic, with debris strewn across the road and an abandoned black Nissan half submerged in mud.“It was mayhem,” she said. “We’ve lived here 23 years, we’ve never, not even remotely, had anything like this before.”Firefighters responded to a heavy debris flow in the Beverly Crest area of Los Angeles on Sunday night, evacuating seven homes. Six adults and nine children were rescued from 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 Mauricio Pochettino has called for perspective on the struggles of his Chelsea team, insisting “I cannot lose my hair” over recent poor results.Sunday’s 4-2 loss at home to Wolves was the 10th in the league since the 51-year-old arrived in the summer and triggered the first audible signs of discontent from fans towards the manager.Afterwards Pochettino appeared to suggest he believed the players were not good enough to arrest the club’s slide, though he has since clarified…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USA former high school football coach was awarded a $25m payout after an Oklahoma jury ruled in his favour in a defamation case.Scott Sapulpa had sued The Oklahoman, the state’s leading newspaper, after he was wrongly identified as the person who had referred to a high school basketball team by a racial slur when they kneeled for the national anthem.In March 2021, Mr Sapulpa had been one of two announcers at a high school basketball game…

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 Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold hopes his initiative to find jobs for academy prospects who fail to become professional footballers is “the beginning of a wider conversation”.The 25-year-old, one of the rare few to make the grade, set up The After Academy platform to provide those youngsters who miss out with the tools to succeed in a variety of careers.Part of that is a jobs board, hosted on the Professional Footballers’ Association’s website, where roles will be exclusively…

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 emailsIsrael’s military says 31 of the hostages in Gaza are dead – a fifth of the 136 people still being held captive by Hamas.It comes after a document compiled by Israeli intelligence officers reported by the New York Times, suggested 32 have died since the Hamas attack inside Israel on 7 October and the Israeli bomardment of Gaza in response.Four military sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel was also assessing unconfirmed intelligence…

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 Chelsea boss Emma Hayes has revealed her love of Star Wars as she described the sci-fi franchise as having messages that are “so essential in life”.Hayes’ side, in what will be their final campaign under her before she steps down to take charge of the United States national team, are navigating a busy schedule with Wednesday’s League Cup quarter-final against Sunderland their sixth game in 18 days.And when asked at a press conference ahead of the tie…