Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of Hollywood's biggest talent agencies, is in advanced talks to sell a majority

Three men who helped Rudy Giuliani investigate the Bidens are accused of working with Russia.

Abrdn Plc saw its assets drop to a new low after clients pulled more money from its funds.

Japan is preparing for its second typhoon in a week, with airline companies canceling flights and rail operators

VIDEO: Did Shaq Lawson really push a fan during the Bills - Eagles game.

Premier League youth footballer-turned-porn star Oliver Spedding has died at the age of 34. The tragedy comes just weeks after Spedding, better known on social media as Damian Oliver, hit headlines for falsely claiming that his wife, adult star Sophie Anderson, was dead. Whilst the circumstances surrounding Spedding’s death have not yet been confirmed, it is largely accepted that, this time, the news is true. On Saturday, Spedding’s former club Croydon FC released a statement, describing him as a “much-loved individual who always gave his utmost effort for the team.” "Oliver will be hugely missed by everyone at the club and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time,” they added. The club also held a minute’s silence ahead of their match against Meridian VP. Friends and ex-colleagues have paid tributes to the former sportsman, while fans have shared their shock at the terrible real-life plot twist. Back in September, Spedding announced that Anderson, 35, had “died unfortunately,” and even provided details of her funeral. In one X/Twitter reply, he insisted that he “hadn’t lied” about the “bad news”, adding that people could pay their respects at a crematorium in Bromley, southeast London, on 12 September. However, the day after the cremation that never was, the former footballer tweeted a lengthy statement, revealing that he had “20 hours in a cell because of the stupid hoax”. He continued: “I cannot say anything more as part of my bail conditions but it was just a silly drunken joke.” He then dropped two bombshells, writing that he and Anderson were having a baby and that they had just got married. “We are unbreakable,” he added. The message was swiftly followed up by a photo showing him standing beside Anderson, apparently during their wedding, which he said took place at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas. Anderson who, while all of this was playing out, had been silent on social media, later supported Spedding’s claims by sharing the same wedding photo to her Twitter/X account. Over the subsequent weeks, the two of them posted explicit content of each other – both separately and together – including an X-rated spoof of the film Scream for Halloween. The last time Spedding posted to social media was around 12 November, with Anderson last writing on Twitter/X last week. Her post was about their marriage, which she said she’d “never forget”. Whilst the porn icon has yet to address the “love of her life’s” passing, tributes have been pouring in from admirers. Croydon FC manager Liam Giles shared his devastation at the “heartbreaking news", writing on X/Twitter: "Ollie was a warrior on the pitch and gave 100 per cent every time he represented Croydon FC. "We spoke a couple of weeks ago about him getting back into football. "I hope you find your peace, mate - sleep tight." His apparent desire to return to sport is perhaps unsurprising, given admissions he’s made about his career change in the past. Spedding said he never would have envisaged a career in the adult industry as a kid hanging out in south-east London gangs, but fell into it after escaping an abusive relationship. Speaking on the ‘Anything Goes with James English' podcast last year, the one-time athlete, who played for Crystal Palace academy in his youth, lamented how he “let himself down” at the age of 17 by “going off the rails” He admitted that he ended up in prison after his grandmother died, and could have made more of his other talents, instead of chasing a name for himself in porn. “When I was at Crystal Palace, if I’d have stayed with them, then I could have been earning a lot more playing football. I used to fight as well, maybe that could have gone somewhere,” he said. “I was good at both [of those] things, but being a porn star, I thought that would be just as good. But it’s not as good as people think.” Still, it wasn’t all bad. Spedding met Anderson through the industry, and they set up their own blue movie production company. Acknowledging that he could never have dreamed that “one of the biggest porn stars in the country” would be his “soulmate”, he said Anderson was “the first person that I feel like I've ever had the ultimate connection with – she is like my twin”. “We're so compatible,” he added in his ‘Anything Goes’ interview. anders“I've never had anyone that connects on so many different levels like that.” Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Previewing the pre-season friendly between Arsenal vs Man Utd, with TV & live stream details, team news, predicted lineups & score prediction.

Ukraine has just four weeks to hold a "knife at Crimea's throat" and force Vladimir Putin into peace talks before Russia's army recoups over winter, experts have warned. Professor Mark Galeotti, academic and author of more than 20 books on Russia, said Volodymyr Zelensky’s troops need to move another 10 miles southwards to be in range of striking key Russian supply routes in Crimea. He claimed this is the only “serious” chance Ukraine has to force Mr Putin into negotiations before the Russian army has the opportunity to regroup over winter. “They’ve got about another month of campaign season. But if things slow down, the Russians will use the winter to regroup themselves and the whole thing will start up again in spring,” the professor, who teaches Slavonic and East European Studies at University College London, told The Independent. “If Ukraine can move another 10 miles southwards, Russian road and rail links used to resupply Crimea will be in range of their artillery. “The only serious chance Ukraine has of forcing Putin to the negotiating table is by holding a knife at Crimea’s throat. But I think that is going to be next year’s campaign.” It comes after President Zelensky admitted that Ukraine’s counteroffensive was progressing slowly, but insisted that more territory was being reclaimed every day. “The situation is tough,” he told CBS’s 60 Minutes. “We stopped the Russians in the east and started a counteroffensive. Yes, it is not that fast but we are going forward every day and de-occupying our land.” Ukrainian generals claimed they had recaptured the eastern villages of Klishchiivka and Andriivka near Bakhmut over the weekend. Earlier this month, Ukrainian forces also breached Russia’s first line of defence near Zaporizhzhia in the south of the country, taking the village of Robotyne. This Zaporizhzhia area is a “key” battlefield, as breaking through would allow Ukrainian forces to strike out towards the Sea of Azov, Professor Galeotti said. This would allow Ukrainian forces to disrupt and destroy supply lines linking Rostov-on-Don, in Russia, and the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed in 2014. But Dr Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher at King’s College London war studies department, it was "very unlikely" there would be a major breakthrough for Ukraine this year as its "window of opportunity" was now closing ahead of winter. “The rain is already starting,” she said. “The weather will get a lot worse.” Ukraine launched its counter-offensive in June to push Mr Putin’s forces out of land captured by Russia after the invasion began in February 2022, striking along the 600-mile frontline in areas including the Bakhmut, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions. But as the offensive slows it is now “touch and go” as to whether Ukraine can make a “real, pivotal difference” in the war by the end of this year, Dr Miron said. “The main effort will be to sustain troops throughout the winter. Ukraine will not be in a position to carry on the offensive,” Dr Miron added. She explained Ukraine had a “heavy logistical” footprint with German Leopard and British Challenger 2 tanks, but they would be harder to use in wetter, muddier conditions, to assist a full breakthrough. “They’re just not designed for those types of terrains,” she said. “They would risk losing more equipment getting bogged down in winter conditions than waiting it out until getting F-16 fighter jets.” In August, Denmark promised the delivery of 19 F-16 jets to Ukraine. Six will be delivered by the end of this year, followed by eight in 2024 and five in 2025, according to Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen. However, Ukraine admitted it could take up to six months to train its military to use the jets and they would not be in operation this winter. With fears growing around wavering Western support as the war draws on, Dr Miron said: “Neither side have an infinite supply of money or manpower. But Russia does have time. And that’s what they are betting on.” Read More Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin’s brigades ‘suffer heavy losses’ as counteroffensive advances around Bakhmut Kremlin says Russia and China must edge closer to counter Western efforts to contain them US defense chief urges nations to dig deep and give Ukraine more much-needed air defense systems

Kim Plath updates her buddy on a significant development in her love life on 'Welcome to Plathville' after she and Barry Plath decide to separate

Ezekiel Elliott's New England Patriots debut didn't get off to the best start with a costly early miscue.

An Indian foreign ministry official says that India has restored electronic visa services for Canadian nationals two months after Canada alleged the South Asian nation was involved in the assassination of a Sikh separatist in Canada

Rory McIlroy sank a birdie on the last hole to seal a dramatic victory in the Scottish Open on Sunday for his...