Iranian captain Hassan Rostam has braved the Strait of Hormuz aboard his lenj for four decades, but now watches with despair as the wooden ships are...

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 9, 2023--

The Glazer family’s search for new investors in Manchester United reaches the one-year mark on Wednesday, with boyhood fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe still poised to take a 25 per cent stake in the club in the coming days. The United owners announced on November 22 last year – during the Premier League’s World Cup recess – that they were “exploring strategic options” including a full sale of the club. One year on, Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder of chemicals company Ineos, is understood to be on the verge of a £1.25billion deal to secure a 25 per cent stake in United, but sources have indicated that an announcement may not come now until next week. If, as is anticipated, no deal is announced on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, Monday would be the next earliest date that anything could be confirmed, with the Thanksgiving holiday period in the United States starting on Thursday. Ratcliffe is set to acquire significant control of football operations at United as part of his investment when it is ultimately confirmed, while it has also been reported that he would provide an additional £245million to upgrade club infrastructure. A takeover had been on the cards at one stage, with Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim the two publicly announced figures in contention to complete a buyout of the Glazers. Sheikh Jassim’s interest was first confirmed in February, but he withdrew from the process last month. The Sheikh Jassim bid was understood to have eventually reached around double the 3.2billion dollar (£2.6bn) market valuation of the Premier League club as it stood in October. The Qatari was believed to have also been prepared to pledge an additional 1.7bn dollars (£1.4bn) for infrastructure projects. The Glazers took over at United with a £790m leveraged buy-out in 2005, but throughout their tenure have faced significant opposition from supporters, which has only grown in recent years at a club that have not won the Premier League since 2013. Tensions rose noticeably in 2021 when the owners were heavily involved in plans to launch a European Super League, which were swiftly abandoned amid fan protests and opposition from football’s domestic and international governing bodies. United announced last week that Richard Arnold was stepping down as chief executive after less than two years in the job. Sources close to Ineos indicated they were not involved in Arnold’s departure, but it seems likely that further changes would be afoot once the deal is signed. Read More Saracens issue Ben Earl Six Nations injury update Gareth Southgate reveals what he learned from England’s November double-header Kyle Walker urges England to get mentality right in bid for Euro 2024 glory Phil Taylor to retire at the end of World Senior Darts Tour in 2024 On this day in 2007: England fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after Croatia defeat Jalen Hurts grabs double as Philadelphia Eagles avenge Super Bowl loss

By Mike Scarcella WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal by two lawyers

Life expectancy in Singapore rose to an average of 83 years in 2022, increasing by almost one year

Up to 50,000 people were flown out of what became India and Pakistan after partition in 1947.

Crystal Palace are considering extending the contract of manager Roy Hodgson.

China has reported its factories picked up their pace and retail sales also gained momentum in August, suggesting the economy may be gradually recovering from its post-pandemic malaise

In her closing arguments on behalf of writer E Jean Carroll, lawyer Roberta Kaplan told the jury: “You saw for yourself. E Jean Carroll wasn’t hiding anything.” Ms Kaplan called Ms Carroll’s testimony “credible,” “consistent,” and “powerful,” according to Law & Crime. During his video deposition in October last year, Mr Trump mixed up Ms Carroll and his then-wife Marla Maples. Ms Kaplan said, “Mr Trump pointed to Ms Carroll, the woman he supposedly said was not his type”. “He only corrected himself when his own lawyer” corrected him, she added. Mr Trump “did [what] he always does” when caught, Ms Kaplan said. “He made up an excuse,” claiming that it was “blurry,” the lawyer added. Referencing the Access Hollywood tape, Ms Kaplan said, “He grabbed her, using his words, ‘by the p****.’” “He didn’t even bother to show up in person,” Ms Kaplan said about Mr Trump choosing not to attend the trial. “In a very real sense, Trump is a witness against himself,” the attorney said about Mr Trump’s video deposition. She said Mr Trump “knows what he did. He knows he sexually assaulted E Jean Carroll”. Ms Kaplan laid out a timeline of the alleged attack during her closing argument, saying that it happened while Ms Carroll was hosting Ask E Jean on America’s Talking between 1994 and 1996. America’s Talking was run by Roger Ailes, who later served as the CEO and chairman of Fox News before he was ousted following a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Ms Kaplan noted that at the time of the alleged rape by Mr Trump, Ms Carroll was wearing a wool dress with tights, but she wasn’t wearing a coat, indicating what kind of weather there was on that day, according to Law & Crime. Ms Carroll said that it must have taken place after her friend Lisa Birnbach had published her story on Mar-a-Lago, published in February of 1996. The writer said she thinks it happened on a Thursday as the department store was open late. “She was trying to come to grips with the fact that she was being attacked,” Ms Kaplan said during her closing argument on Monday. The lawyer noted that her client remembers the attack in “great detail”. Ms Kaplan spoke to the jury about why they showed Mr Ailes’s interview with Donald Trump from the 1990s. She said that Mr Ailes’s talk show on the shortlived cable news network America’s Talking was recorded in the same building, and broadcast on the same network, as Ms Carroll’s programme on the channel – Ask E Jean. Ms Kaplan noted that Mr Trump would have seen the end of Ms Carroll’s programme if he watched his appearance on Mr Ailes’s show unless he changed the channel the exact right moment. The attorney for Ms Carroll noted that a former executive at the Berghof Goodman said that there weren’t many people in the lingerie department on Thursday nights, particularly in the early spring. Regarding Ms Carroll telling Mr Trump to tell on the lingerie, Ms Kaplan said, “I think we understand what was happening. This was a combination of humour and flirting,” according to Law & Crime. “It was a joke. Ms Carroll could see the joke in her mind’s eye,” Ms Kaplan added. “The point was that it was funny.” Speaking about what Mr Trump is alleged to have done to the writer, Ms Kaplan said, “He grabbed her by the p****, or vagina — I’m sorry for my language”. More follows... Read More Closing arguments start for columnist's claims against Trump Trump news - live: E Jean Carroll trial told Trump is ‘witness against himself’ in closing arguments What are the allegations in E Jean Carroll’s rape case against Donald Trump?

The United States on Wednesday signed an agreement with Bahrain to enhance defense and economic ties, a show of support for the Gulf monarchy that a...

Shaun Ryder's band Black Grape has announced the new album 'Orange Head' and concert dates in the UK later this year.

The St. Louis Cardinals are on pace for their worst season in recent memory, and one clip from an NL Central rival proves why: it's on the manager.