A former friend of Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the ongoing Madeleine McCann case, has claimed that he revealed crucial information to Scotland Yard in 2008 but was ignored. In his first public interview, Helge Busching claimed that the jailed paedophile had told him “She didn’t scream” during a conversation about the missing three-year-old. He told German outlet Bild that he had contacted the special hotline to report Brueckner’s comments but failed to receive a response. After leaving prison in 2017 and hearing about the 10th anniversary of her disappearance, he made a second call. Brueckner, who is currently serving a prison sentence for raping a pensioner, was named as a prime suspect in 2020. Last month, a reservoir in Portugal was searched by police after sources claimed that Brueckner had described it as a “little slice of paradise” while living near the Praia de Luz resort. Scotland Yard has been contacted for comment. Read More Sixteen years and countless heartbreaks: Where are Madeleine McCann’s family now? Madeleine McCann case: Timeline of the missing child’s disappearance Who is Christian Brueckner? Madeleine McCann suspect and the accusations against him

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Northern Ireland’s Euro 2024 qualifying misery continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Kazakhstan after the long trip to Astana. It was a fifth consecutive defeat in this campaign, and the fourth time in the last five Michael O’Neill’s injury-ravaged side have been unable to muster a goal. Kazakhstan put the first nail in the coffin of Northern Ireland’s qualifying hopes with their smash-and-grab 1-0 win in Belfast in June, and added another here with Maxim Samorodov’s 27th-minute strike enough to take three points. Northern Ireland can only envy the progress of a side ranked 40 places below them, with this Kazakhstan’s fourth win in Group H, keeping them in the thick of the qualification fight. O’Neill has more than enough capital – both within the dressing room and beyond it – to avoid coming under pressure, but this losing run and the injury crisis which has contributed to it are becoming a real test of Northern Ireland’s resolve. The qualifying campaign has gone so wrong the Green and White Army might even be looking forward to next year’s Nations League – a competition which has rarely warmed Northern Irish hearts. This was another match where little separated the sides – with Northern Ireland having more of the ball and more shots – but O’Neill’s men did not get the rub of the green on the Astana Arena’s artificial surface. O’Neill promised adjustments to make his side more compact after Thursday’s 4-2 loss to Slovenia but as they tightened up Kazakhstan were able to frustrate the visitors, with nothing like the same attacking vigour seen against Slovenia on show. George Saville’s ambitious second-minute strike was as close as Northern Ireland got to goal in the opening half-hour as Conor McMenamin, the star of the show on Thursday, found Besiktas left-back Nuraly Alip a much more difficult customer than Slovenia’s Erik Janza. Kazakhstan looked the more threatening, with Baktiyor Zainutdinov hitting a low drive narrowly wide before Trai Hume was required to make a strong block to keep out Yerkin Tapalov’s shot. But moments later the hosts led as Samorodov skipped away from the returning Dan Ballard, creating space to arrow a shot into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards out, prompting a prolonged inquiry between Saville and Jonny Evans. Kazakhstan threatened again. Bailey Peacock-Farrell failed to gather a high ball under pressure from Abzal Beysebekov before Paddy McNair cleared the danger, then Ballard made a vital block to prevent Samorodov going clean through. Having survived the danger, Northern Ireland contrived to miss the best chance of the night before half-time. Conor Washington flicked the ball perfectly into the path of Matty Kennedy but the Kilmarnock man struggled to get it out of his feet, rolling a tame cross-shot beyond goalkeeper Igor Shatskiy. McMenamin came racing in to try to prod home, but goalscorer Samorodov beat him to the ball before Alip hooked it away, leaving Northern Ireland scratching their heads. O’Neill sent on Jordan Thompson and Paul Smyth to replace McMenamin and Saville at the break, and Northern Ireland soon threatened again with Shatskiy doing well to deny Washington as he got a flick on Shea Charles’s shot. Jordan Jones replaced Kennedy and Northern Ireland began to build pressure after the hour. Charles won a foot race to win the ball in the corner of the box and teed up Washington, but his shot was charged down. Northern Ireland kept Kazakhstan pegged back for most of the final 20 minutes, but as has been the case too many times, the clear chance they needed to equalise proved elusive. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Tom Curry to find out suspension fate for Argentina red card on Tuesday Sir Mo Farah brings ‘amazing journey’ to an end at Great North Run Stuart Broad believes Andrew Flintoff will have big impact on England squad

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The Chicago Sky's coaching staff is undergoing some changes as James Wade shocked the WNBA by leaving the team midseason.Chicago Sky general manager and head coach James Wade is leaving the WNBA for the NBA after being hired by the Raptors as an assistant coach, the team announced on Saturd...

Wimbledon is underway and that means the classic British summertime treat of strawberries and cream is ready to be dished out across the courts, with a staggering 1.92 million strawberries expected to be consumed during the tournament. When buying strawberries, we are attracted to the deeper coloured fruits as they are the ripest, but it’s worth being mindful of when you plan to eat them as fully ripe strawberries are best served the same day. Always check the bottom of the punnet to see if the strawberries are starting to bruise as this is a sign they are beginning to be past their best. When it comes to cooking, if you overcook strawberries, you can get a jam-like taste rather than a freshness, so it’s best to use recipes that don’t require a lot of heat and keep it simple for a more refined flavour. Simple touches like adding a dash of lemon will help the strawberries to pack a punch and elevate any recipe. I also like to add a crack of pink peppercorn to macerated strawberries in whatever I’m using them for, this helps enhance the floral notes of the strawberries, as when you eat them the pepper helps open up the nasal passage. Final-worthy dessert: strawberry shortcake Ingredients: For the shortcake: 115g cake flour 5g baking powder 5g salt 3 eggs, separated 1 pinch cream of tartar 175g sugar 15g unsalted butter, softened 5g vanilla extract 125ml milk For the topping: 500g strawberries 1 lemon 75g caster sugar 1 pinch of ground pink peppercorns Method: For the shortcake: Sift and combine all the dry ingredients, then rub the butter into the flour mix. Whisk the egg whites and sugar together until they form medium peaks. Combine the egg yolks and milk with the dry ingredients. Separate into equal-sized balls and bake at 180ºC until golden. For the topping: Quarter or roughly dice the strawberries, cover with the sugar, pepper and lemon zest and leave to sit for 15-20 minutes in the fridge. To serve: Place a few of the shortcakes at the bottom of a bowl or on a large plate. Top with a dollop or two of whipped cream or thick yoghurt, cover with the fresh strawberries and drizzle with the strawberry syrup. Finish by crumbling a shortcake or two over the top. For extra flair: Baste the halves of two peaches and sear in a pan with beurre noisette and a sprig of thyme on a medium heat. Serve on the side of the strawberry shortcake. Quickly served treat: brioche with passion fruit and strawberries Ingredients: For the fruit mix: 500g strawberries 8 fresh passion fruits 60g caster sugar 1 pinch salt For the topping: 200g mascarpone 3 tbsp honey Zest of 1 lemon Brioche to serve Method: Scoop the passion fruit seeds into a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer on a low heat. Add the sugar and the salt and simmer for about 5-6 minutes, until the seeds are shiny. Remove from the stove and allow to cool for five minutes, then pour over your halved strawberries. Place them in the fridge to marinate. To serve: Slice the brioche with a generous thickness, and toast in a pan over a medium heat with a knob of butter, until golden. Flip and repeat. Mix the mascarpone, honey, and lemon zest, spread over the brioche and add a generous amount of the strawberry fruit mix. For extra flair: Roast a handful of pistachios and crush them slightly. The green of the nut against the rich red of the strawberries will add a punch of colour. Read More The Norwegian sparkling wine aged at the bottom of the sea I was an air fryer sceptic – now I can’t stop using it Ditch Deliveroo – make these healthy, 30-minute pizzas instead Three quick and easy vegan fakeaway recipes The dish that defines me: Eddie Huang’s Taiwanese beef noodle soup How to cook kohlrabi

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