Author: INDEPENDENT

(Nick Potts/PA Wire)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 Euro 2024’s second quarter-final is another blockbuster tie which pits 2018 World Cup winners France against 2016 European Champions Portugal. Didier Deschamps’ men have managed to reach the last-eight without scoring a goal from open play. Two own goals and a Kylian Mbappe penalty have been enough to get them through testing matches against Austria, the Netherlands, Poland and Belgium. Their narrow win over Belgium in the last-16 lacked quality and excitement though the French…

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekdayYour briefing on the latest headlines from across the USAn off-color joke by a senior regional manager at Red Roof Inn about “pimps and hos” became a key piece of evidence against the hotel chain at a historic sex trafficking trial in Atlanta.Red Roof Inn, one of the nation’s largest budget hotel chains, is facing dozens of lawsuits from victims of sex trafficking who accuse the company of ignoring obvious signs of their abuse at its hotels.One of those lawsuits, filed by 11 women who…

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 Anthony Taylor will take charge of the quarter-final between Spain and Germany in Euro 2024 tonight.Taylor, aged 45, will lead a team that includes Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, as well as video assistant referee (VAR) Stuart Atwell.After becoming a Fifa listed referee in January 2013, Taylor officiated at Euro 2020, including the game between Finland and Denmark when Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch.Taylor has since taken charge at the Fifa World Cup in 2022, and…

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 emailsFrance’s election campaign has seen more than 50 violent attacks on candidates and activists, a senior government minister has warned, as the country braces for a crunch final round of voting.Some 30,000 officers will be deployed to police the tense ballot on Sunday, including 5,000 in Paris, said interior minister Gerald Darminin – as France teeters on the brink of handing the far right its largest ever parliamentary victory.Three polls in as many days have…

(REUTERS)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 Euro 2024 quarter-finals kick off today with a highly-anticipated clash between two of the hottest teams at the tournament so far as Germany host Spain in Stuttgart. The tournament hosts got their campaign going with a blistering 5-1 win over Scotland before impressing over the next two group games and fortuitously seeing off Denmark in the round of 16. Jamal Musiala has been electric and Toni Kroos is in fine form for his final competition before…

A singer proved the show must go on by battling through swarms of flying termites.Witthaya Siwakrothok, 29, was performing for a village festival when the area was engulfed by bugs in Buriram, Thailand, on 30 June.They appeared to be attracted to the singer and repeatedly divebombed him, flying into his mouth.Some of the termites even clung to his legs and crawled up the inside of his trousers.But super-focused Witthaya remained unfazed and managed to continue singing while batting away the critters.“I didn’t want to disappoint the guests,” he later said. Source link

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 England’s full squad travelled on the eve of the Euro 2024 quarter-final against Switzerland.Gareth Southgate’s side head to Dusseldorf looking to set-up a semi-final clash against Turkey or the Netherlands.All 26 players trained at their Blankenhain basecamp on Friday before travelling to the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.Impressive centre-back Marc Guehi serves a one-match ban against Switzerland having picked up two bookings across his four starts.Luke Shaw is pushing to make his first appearance for club or country…

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 emailsSix Chinese citizens were killed and several went missing after a local militia targeted a mining site in the Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities said on Thursday as the central African country continued to be wracked by widespread violence.At least two and possibly three Congolese soldiers were also killed in the attack, which took place in the gold-rich Djugu territory in Ituri province. The attack was carried out by a militia called Codeco, or Cooperative…

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 have signed Women’s Super League record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema on a three-year deal after the Netherlands international’s contract with Arsenal expired.After seven seasons in London the 27-year-old forward, who has 80 league goals, is relishing the opportunity of a fresh challenge.“The reason I chose City is because they have the same ambitions as me. They want to win the league and titles,” said Miedema, who is reunited with Dutch team-mates Jill Roord and Kerstin Casparij.“Looking…

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 emailsCrocodile numbers in Australia’s Northern Territory cannot be allowed to outstrip the human population, the territory’s leader said after a 12-year-old girl was killed while swimming.The crocodile population has exploded across Australia’s tropical north since it became a protected species under Australian law in the 1970s, growing from 3,000 when hunting was outlawed to 100,000 now. The Northern Territory has just over 250,000 people.The girl’s death came weeks after the territory approved a 10-year plan…