Author: James Martin
Danny McGuire has ruled out a return to Leeds Rhinos after reaffirming his commitment to Hull KR. The former half-back became a Rhinos legend on his way to helping his hometown club claim 16 trophies, scoring 267 tries in 416 games during a 17-year spell. McGuire has been linked with a return to Headingley after Richard Agar stepped down as Leeds head coach last week. But the Rovers assistant has distanced himself from the vacancy at his old club, insisting Craven Park is the perfect place for him as he serves his apprenticeship as a coach, which includes heading up…
Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskiy could meet “soon”, a senior aide to Ukraine’s president has claimed, even as the Kremlin downplayed hopes of an early breakthrough in the peace talks.The head of Ukraine’s negotiating team, Mykhailo Podolyak, a key adviser to Zelenskiy, said on Wednesday that Moscow was scrutinising proposals submitted by Kyiv in Istanbul which he believed could lead to a presidential peace summit.“We can expect a presidential meeting to be held some time soon,” Podolyak said. “When is too early to tell, but it is a logistical issue.”Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said it was “positive” that Ukraine had…
So, in the months leading up to the next Euros and in a week in which up to 85,000 fans are expected to flood into the Camp Nou to watch the European champions Barcelona play at the ground for the first time, against Real Madrid in the Champions League and potentially setting a record attendance for a club game, it feels apt that we are launching a weekly women’s football newsletter – the first by a UK national newspaper. Source link
Ukrainian cities have been pounded by airstrikes and heavy shelling in Russia’s five-week-old invasion, killing civilians and destroying hospitals in acts that may amount to war crimes, the top United Nations human rights official has said.Michelle Bachelet, addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, called on Russia to withdraw its troops.She also said her office had received “credible allegations” that Russian forces had used cluster munitions in populated areas of Ukraine at least 24 times..“Homes and administrative buildings, hospitals and schools, water stations and electricity systems have not been spared”, she said.Russia has denied targeting civilians in what it…
Gareth Southgate called it “an absolute joke”. Declan Rice went with “total embarrassment”. For Jack Grealish it was “ridiculous”, which works on quite a few levels. Given time to reflect, Jordan Henderson was more profoundly existential. “What have we become?” he asked. And it is an excellent question, deserving of a serious answer.By that stage Southgate, who is generally the most sensible person in the room, had also compared the jeers directed at Harry Maguire before kick-off on Tuesday night to the sustained racist abuse of John Barnes by card-carrying neo-Nazis in the 1980s. At which point it is hard…
The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has promoted Ramzan Kadyrov to lieutenant-general for his role in the invasion of Ukraine, which the Chechen leader is using to showcase his loyalty to Moscow and his own impunity.This week Kadyrov claimed that a key ally linked to the 2015 murder of the Russian opposition leader, Boris Nemtsov, was injured fighting in the besieged port city of Mariupol.Rustam Geremeev was pictured in hospital, where Kadyrov visited him. Earlier videos the Chechen leader posted calling Geremeev a “dear brother” claimed to show him on the frontlines in Mariupol, including at the city hall.Nemtsov’s family have…
WHEN HARRY MET WALLIESWhile The Fiver is happy to concede that it is invariably “a small minority” of England fans who tend to behave like strutting, entitled numbskulls, unfortunately it is they who tend to leave the most lasting impression. Just as the loudest, most stupid voices tend to get the most attention on social media disgraces, it is the loudest, most stupid Ingerland fans who tend to sing about German bombers, stick fireworks up their nether regions and “occupy” foreign city squares.Last night, they were at it again. As the England team was read out over the Wembley Tannoy,…
Here’s some more on Joe Biden speaking later about the Covid-19 pandemic. The president is set to announce a new White House initiative to incorporate a “one-stop shop website” designed to give Americans better access to tools and information in fighting coronavirus. The president will announce that the US is at “a new moment in the pandemic” with lifesaving tools such as improved testing, vaccines and treatments available, and that the website covid.gov will consolidate guidance into a single point of information. “With a click of a button, people will be able to find where to access all of these…
Non-league Staines Town have suspended all football operations with immediate effect due to a dispute with their landlord. Making the announcement on Tuesday, the club issued an extraordinary statement in which numerous allegations were made against Downing LLP, including breaches of the modern slavery act.Downing LLP have strenuously denied what they describe as “wild allegations”, labelling them an attempt to deflect attention from mismanagement of the club by its owner, Joe Dixon.Staines Town sit bottom of Isthmian League Southern Central Division and were due to host Chipstead on Saturday but that fixture will now not be fulfilled due to the…
The main suspect on trial for the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks has refused to explain his exact role in the series of suicide bombings and shootings that left 130 people dead and many more injured.It was supposed to be the most anticipated day in the nine-month trial as Salah Abdeslam took the stand on Wednesday to explain why he had not activated his suicide vest on 13 November 2015.However, there were groans from victims as well as friends and family present in the Paris court, when he announced: “I am exercising my right to remain silent.”Questioned by the lead judge,…