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 emailsHong Kong leader John Lee on Tuesday appeared to blame the organisers of Inter Miami’s pre-season friendly over Lionel Messi’s failure to play during the exhibition game.Hong Kong’s government has demanded an explanation for Messi’s no-show from the Tatler Asia magazine, the organiser of the match.Mr Lee was among the 38,000 spectators present at the jam-packed Hong Kong Stadium on Sunday to watch the much-hyped match against Hong Kong XI, where tickets were sold at…

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 emailsA year after northwest Syria was struck by deadly earthquakes – that also hit Turkey – an already vulnerable population is still grappling with the consequences in a country already devastated by years of civil war.In the aftermath of the earthquake, more than 4,500 deaths and 8,700 injuries were reported in northwest Syria, with thousands being made homeless as more than 10,600 buildings were partially or totally destroyed. Some of the worst quake-hit areas were…

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 have some big decisions to make soon, with the signs of both double gameweeks and empty gameweeks ahead for different clubs. Liverpool’s game with Luton has been shifted due to their Carabao Cup final commitments, while Manchester City face Chelsea and Brentford in GW25 – a knock-on of their Club World Cup exploits at the end of last year.With that in mind, as well as the return of European football on the horizon,…

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 emailsA two-month-old baby was found among the rubble of a hotel in Kharkiv after it was hit by Rissian missiles overnight. His mother and two other women were also injured while 30 buildings were destroyed as Vladimir Putin’s troops continue to launch heavy attacks along Ukraine’s front line. There were 78 clashes over the past day, with 43 Russian air strikes carried out in eastern…

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 Lisandro Martinez has been ruled out until April with a knee injury sustained in Manchester United’s 3-0 win over West Ham on Sunday.But a medial collateral ligament problem has proved a less serious diagnosis than United initially feared when manager Erik ten Hag spoke of a “personal disaster” for the Argentinian defender as he worried it would be a “very bad” injury.Nevertheless, while the World Cup winner will not require an operation now, he will be sidelined…

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 emailsUrgent action must be taken by the government to help drivers switch to electric cars and tackle misinformation around the vehicles.The warning comes as new industry figures show that buyers are beginning to shy away from the vehicles, which are charged from the grid. Market share for the vehicles slipped from 16.5pc of sales at the end of last year to 14.7pc in January.A combination of higher purchase costs, insufficient charging infrastructure and mixed messaging…

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 emailsThree people have been pulled from the rubble and one person remains trapped after Russia attacked a hotel in Kharkiv in the early hours of Tuesday, according to officials in Ukraine.The three-storey hotel in the Bohodukhiv region in northeastern Ukraine has been destroyed, Kharkiv oblast governor Oleh Syniehubov said on his official Telegram channel.“One person is currently under the rubble, three people were rescued; two women and a man. The store facade is also on…

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 Paulo Dybala scored twice as Roma routed Cagliari 4-0 to make it three Serie A victories on the bounce.Roma moved up to fifth after a comfortable win, with Lorenz Pellegrini turning in a corner to open the scoring after just two minutes.Dybala doubled the advantage in the 23rd minute and all but ended the match as a contest six minutes into the second half, scoring from the penalty spot after Andrea Petagna handled in the box.The suffering…

Pentagon knows who’s responsible for Jordan drone attackFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emailsSign up to our free breaking news emailsUp to six Kurdish fighters have been killed in a drone attack hitting a base housing US troops in Syria, according to a rebel group.The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said the attack hit a training ground at al-Omar base in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour.It accused “Syrian regime-backed mercenaries” of carrying out the attack. No casualties were reported among US troops.It comes as the US conducted…

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 refused to discuss an angry bust-up between Kyle Walker and Brentford’s Neal Maupay after Manchester City’s 3-1 win in west London.The England defender blew his top at something Maupay said to him in the closing stages and had to be calmed down by his manager.City skipper Walker had been subjected to taunts about his personal life from the home fans throughout the match.Guardiola had a long conversation with French striker Maupay after the final whistle…