List of All Articles with Tag 'person'

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached in an extraordinary vote by the state’s Republican-dominated House of Representatives,

Russia is plotting a “large-scale provocation” at a nuclear power station it occupies in the south-east of Ukraine to disrupt an imminent counteroffensive, Kyiv’s military intelligence has claimed. A statement from the intelligence directorate of Ukraine’s defence ministry claimed Russian forces will strike the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe. It will then report a radioactive leak in order to trigger an international probe that would pause the hostilities and give them the respite they need to regroup. In order to make that happen, Russia “disrupted the rotation of personnel of the permanent monitoring mission” of the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that was scheduled for Saturday, the statement said. It did not offer evidence to back up any of the claims. The IAEA said it did not have any immediate comment on the allegations and Russian officials did not immediately comment on the Ukrainian claims. The White House said it is watching the situation closely and has seen no indication radioactive material has been leaked. It comes as Moscow’s military in Ukraine braces for a looming counteroffensive by Kyiv’s forces, which has not started yet but could begin “tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or in a week”, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told the BBC. He said the government in Kyiv had “no right to make a mistake” on the decision because this is a “historic opportunity” that “we cannot lose”. The Zaporizhzhia station is one of the 10 biggest nuclear plants in the world. It is in the partially occupied Zaporizhzhia region in south-eastern Ukraine. The plant’s six reactors have been shut down for months but it still needs power and qualified staff to operate crucial cooling systems and other safety features. Fighting near it repeatedly disrupted power supplies and has fuelled fears of a potential catastrophe like the one at Chernobyl, in northern Ukraine, where a reactor exploded in 1986 and spewed deadly radiation, contaminating a vast area. In other developments on Saturday, Russia reported more attacks on its territory, with drones crashing in its western regions and areas on the border with Ukraine coming under shelling. Two drones attacked an administrative building of an oil company in Russia’s western Pskov region that borders Belarus, Latvia and Estonia, Pskov governor Mikhail Vedernikov reported on Saturday. The building was damaged as the result of an explosion, Mr Vedernikov said. Another drone went down in the Tver region about 90 miles north of Moscow, local authorities said. Russia’s Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine came under multiple rounds of shelling on Saturday, killing one person, according to its governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. In the neighbouring Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, one person was killed by cross-border mortar fire, its governor Roman Starovoit said. And a 60-year-old man was killed by Russian shelling in the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkiv region, about 20 miles from the Russian border, Ukraine’s national police said. Meanwhile, Russia’s ambassador to the UK Andrei Kelin warned his country was yet to “act very seriously” in the conflict. Mr Kelin told the BBC that Moscow had “enormous resources” and the country was “16 times bigger than Ukraine.” He said: “Sooner or later, of course, this escalation may get a new dimension which we do not need and we do not want. We can make peace tomorrow.” In addition, the British military said on Saturday that Russia’s private military force, Wagner, is withdrawing from areas around the eastern city of Bakhmut that Moscow claims to have captured earlier this month. Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin earlier this week announced the pullout, saying Wagner would hand control over the ruined city over to the Russian military. Some were sceptical, however. Mr Prigozhin is known for making unverifiable, headline-grabbing statements on which he later backtracks. But Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a series of tweets on Saturday that Wagner fighters “have likely started to withdraw from some of their positions” around Bakhmut. “The Ukrainian deputy defence minister also corroborated the rotation out of Wagner forces in the outskirts of the town,” it added. Additional reporting by agencies Read More Ukraine-Russia war – latest: Putin ‘plans nuclear radioactive leak to postpone counteroffensive’ Ukraine claims Russia is plotting 'a provocation' at nuclear plant, offers no evidence Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine facade is crumbling – this week proves it The Body in the Woods | An Independent TV Original Documentary The harrowing discovery at centre of The Independent’s new documentary

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell admitted that, in hindsight, he should have signed his contract extension with the team instead of holding out.There is always that moment when sports fans wonder what could have happened if one big-name player remained with the team long...

Argentine Economy Minister Sergio Massa will travel to China next week in a bid to free up more

Gareth Southgate knows next year’s Euros will have to go extremely well for it to be a “possibility in anybody’s eyes” for him to stay on as England manager. The 52-year-old was parachuted into the hotseat following Sam Allardyce’s ignominious exit in 2016 and has gone on to oversee the national team’s best spell since winning the World Cup. England reached the 2018 semi-finals before losing the delayed Euro 2020 final in an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat to Italy at Wembley. There were more signs of progress as the team were edged out by France at last year’s World Cup, but a challenging year meant Southgate had to weigh up whether to see out his contract until 2024. The England boss decided to stay on after a week of contemplation following Qatar, but next summer’s European Championship could prove his last finals in charge. “My contract is until the December,” Southgate said. “That was always put in place because it would allow everybody reflection time, really.” Asked if the Euros would be his last tournament, Southgate said: “Who knows? “I think we’ll have to go very, very well for that to be a possibility in anybody’s eyes and that’s fair enough. I’m more than comfortable with that. “My aim is to try and win the tournament and everything I do is geared around that and every conversation I have with the players now is geared around that. “So, what will happen in the future at the moment it isn’t at the forefront of my mind, but trying to win this European Championship is.” England are third favourites with the bookmakers to triumph in Germany next year, and that is all the manager is focused on right now. ‘Succession’ is a buzzword thanks to the popular US TV series, but Southgate has not seen the show and was unwilling to talk about potential candidates for a job he cares deeply about. “Whatever (input) John (McDermott, Football Association technical director) and everybody else at the FA would like, really,” he said. “I’m not precious about it. If I could help in any way, at whatever point. I try to do that now with involvement in the pro licence, with reaching out to English coaches. “We’ve had people in to have the odd day here and there with us at training. “That’s not my decision but I’d always help English football as much as I can. “At whatever point I leave here, hopefully we’ve won something, but if I’m the second most successful I’ll be more than happy to become third very quickly. “I joined here to help English football and that will never change for me.” England’s immediate focus is taking a giant stride towards Germany by beating Malta and North Macedonia in June, but for a number of players their future is up in the air. Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are subject of widespread speculation, while a lack of game-time is an issue for Southgate’s favourites Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips. “There’s potentially a lot of movement with that squad we’ve picked across the summer, but I think it will be later in the summer,” the England boss said. “It doesn’t worry me how it plays out. I think as a player you always back yourself. You’ve got to. “You’ve got to have the mentality that ‘wherever I go I’m going to force my way into the team’ until such point as which it becomes apparent where ‘maybe I’ve got to go’. “And maybe we’ve got a couple in the squad who’ve got that decision to go through in their own minds this summer.” That self-confidence has paid dividends for Jack Grealish, who struggled to make the desired impact in his first season at Manchester City. But the 27-year-old has come on leaps and bounds this term under Pep Guardiola, who Southgate considers the best coach in the world. “I’m a huge admirer,” the England boss said. “He knows that, I’ve told him. “Of course it’s been brilliant for our players to work with him and they have learned individually, tactically and, probably as much as anything, that mentality. “You mention Jack, he’s played properly, I would say, in this period. You know, against Real Madrid with and without the ball. “That wasn’t the case two-and-a-half years ago, if I’m honest, so there’s been a lot of progress.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag confident Marcus Rashford can score 40 goals in a season I’ll stay at Newcastle as long as I’m wanted – Eddie Howe Ryan Mason believes Daniel Levy has ‘been let down by other people’ at Tottenham

Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” won the Palme d’Or at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in a ceremony Saturday that handed the festival’s prestigious top prize to a twisty French Alps courtroom drama

'There was a point in my life where I made it, and it was really good. But I said, 'Back up'', said Stevie Nicks

Paris Saint-Germain clinched a French record 11th league title on Saturday as Lionel Messi scored in a 1-1...

Prosecutors in Mr Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan have shared a recording of the former president speaking to a witness with Mr Trump’s legal team, according to CBS News. The witness hasn’t been identified, a document made public by the prosecutorial office on Friday stated. The document is known as an automatic discovery form and outlines the charges that a defendant is facing and also provides an overview of the evidence gathered against Mr Trump that’s set to be put forward at trial or at a preliminary hearing. Meanwhile, as competition builds for the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nomination, Mr Trump’s other legal woes continue to mount as a maintenance worker has made a shocking claim about the handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago. The worker recalled helping to move boxes into a storage room just one day before the Department of Justice visited Mar-a-Lago seeking the papers, reported The New York Times. The worker didn’t know what the boxes contained at the time. Read More DeSantis accuses Trump of ‘moving to the left’ as he tells ex-president: ‘You’ve changed’ Special counsel Durham to testify before Congress next month about his report on Trump-Russia probe Three more Oath Keepers sentenced for roles in January 6 attack: ‘I was just another idiot’ His 2024 launch was laughable but DeSantis could be more dangerous than Trump Donald Trump Jr says his father has the ‘charisma of a mortician’

Alex Palou is the pole sitter and IndyCar points leader headed into the Indianapolis 500

South Africa captain and loose forward Siya Kolisi has again been included in a pre-2023 Rugby World Cup training camp, even though he is recovering...

Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason has defended Daniel Levy and insisted the under-fire chairman has been let down by other people. Levy has faced growing criticism this season and repeatedly had his name chanted at games with a section of supporters eager for the long-serving board member to depart. Eighth-placed Spurs are currently searching for a new permanent head coach and managing director of football while they could find themselves not in Europe for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Meanwhile, record goalscorer Harry Kane is about to enter the final year of his contract, but Mason leapt to the defence of Levy before the last match of the club’s season at relegation-threatened Leeds on Sunday. He said: “It hurts him, it hurts everyone committed to this club and everyone who really cares and wants this club to be successful. “One thing I will say is he’s spent money, he’s tried and I just think ultimately he has probably been let down by other people but that’s football. “That happens and hopefully we can get things right quickly, make good decisions and it can turn around.” Optimism was rife at the beginning of the campaign, but Spurs have lost 14 times in the Premier League, conceded 62 top-flight goals – their worst against tally since the 2002-03 term – and seen their trophy drought extend into a 15th season. Mason pulled no punches when asked about positives, adding: “I think the biggest positive will be the future. For anyone who's lucky enough to represent us next season, first of all they need to be committed to the football club Tottenham acting head coach Ryan Mason “And if we’re clever and if we do it right, then I think we’ll look back on this season and say it was tough, disappointing but ultimately it made us realise what we want to be. “It made us realise who we are, what our history and DNA probably suggests we are, what our fans want, what our fans demand and hopefully there is a connection very soon where we look back and say disappointing season, absolutely yes, but it helped us.” It was just over two months ago when Antonio Conte had his post-match outburst at Southampton and accused his own “selfish players” of not being a team or wanting to play under pressure. Spurs have won only twice during the ensuing nine matches but Mason rejected any notion his old boss was right given the games in hand Newcastle, Liverpool and Brighton held over a club that were fourth at the start of April. “We haven’t won an away game since January, conceded 60+ goals this season so this isn’t something that has just happened in recent weeks,” ex-Tottenham midfielder Mason stated. “Obviously we were left in a position in the league table that was probably false, in terms of other teams had games in hand. “When you level them out, I think the first game we had against Man United (on April 27) we might have been seventh in the table so there were a lot of things that were probably false. “One thing I will say is I respect everyone that I have worked with and I have learnt off a lot of people, but at the same time I am my own person and believe how not only this club, but how any football club I am at in the future, should work and operate.” Mason will have a decision to make on his own future after the clash at Elland Road with the 31-year-old firmly of the belief he is ready for management following this latest caretaker spell. He has consistently referenced the importance of “committed people” being at the club next season in recent weeks and hinted unspecified players could miss the trip to Leeds if they are not motivated to secure Tottenham a spot in the Europa Conference League with a seventh-placed finish. “I am looking forward to it. I hope my players are looking forward to it too,” Mason said. “I have made it very clear that if anyone isn’t up for the fight and doesn’t want to play in this type of game, then it is probably best we don’t play with them. “I just think going forward that (commitment) is really important. That is probably the first thing we need to address. “Whether it’s a cleaner, groundsman, members of staff, players here, coaches here, they need to be committed to this football club. “It’s an honour to work here. I’ve played here, I felt that pride whenever I put on the shirt and for anyone who’s lucky enough to represent us next season, first of all they need to be committed to the football club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Erik ten Hag confident Marcus Rashford can score 40 goals in a season I’ll stay at Newcastle as long as I’m wanted – Eddie Howe Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui feels second-placed Arsenal do not deserve criticism