Endangered giant Galapagos tortoises continue to swallow plastic and other human waste despite a ban on disposable plastic items in the Ecuadoran archipelago, according...

Mauricio Pochettino lamented that Chelsea were “not nasty enough” in attack as Brentford won 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to send his team to a third home Premier League defeat of the season. Victory for the visitors, earned with second-half goals from Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbeumo, maintained their 100 per cent record on this ground since being promoted to the top flight in 2021 and ended Chelsea’s run of three league games unbeaten. The hosts failed to take advantage of a first half that they largely dominated, going close through Noni Madueke who struck the crossbar on his first start of the season. Marc Cucurella should have made more of the chance when Cole Palmer found him unmarked inside the box with a finely weighted ball, the defender lacking the power and precision needed to trouble goalkeeper Mark Flekken. From there, familiar frailties crept into Chelsea’s play and it was little surprise when they fell behind on 58 minutes, Pinnock storming past the ineffectual Axel Disasi to get on the end of Mbeumo’s cross and power his header inside Robert Sanchez’s near post. The goalkeeper was left embarrassed in added time when he was caught out going up for a corner and left the goal empty for Mbeumo to tap home Brentford’s second. Chelsea’s woeful home form has seen them win only once at Stamford Bridge in the league since March, a run that now stands at 13 matches going back to March. And after failing to score here for the 10th time in all competitions in 2023, Pochettino was left to rue the ease with which the visitors coped with his side’s attacking threat. “It’s a clear analysis,” he said. “After the first half we should score and we didn’t. When you dominate and create chances, and you don’t concede chances and the opponent didn’t cross the halfway line, we should score. If you don’t score, you need to blame ourselves. We were not nasty or clinical in front of the goal. “Sometimes you need some luck to score. It would change the game in the second half. But I think we gave them belief because we didn’t score. The second half, we can’t concede the kind of goal that we conceded and that’s why we lost the game. “(We have had) bad luck. (Christopher) Nkunku proved he can score in the big leagues and was injured in the last pre-season game. This type of thing didn’t help. We need to recover (Armando) Broja. Nicolas Jackson is affected for different reasons, he’s young and needs time to adapt. That’s obvious.” The first half ended with the manager remonstrating with a supporter near the dugout who expressed dissatisfaction with Jackson’s lack of involvement. The striker had come to the touchline to receive instruction but was criticised from the stands for his performance, prompting Pochettino to come to his defence. “It was a moment where we all felt frustrated,” he said. “After 40 minutes we’d played really well and created chances, but didn’t score. In that moment the energy was down in the stadium. “(Jackson) came to me and we were talking about positions on the pitch and I gave some direction to him. One fan said ‘wake up’. I said to stop talking in this way, support the players, we need support. It was very respectful.” Brentford boss Thomas Frank reflected on a game in which his players weathered first-half pressure and grabbed their chances when they arrived. “I think our first half wasn’t that good,” he said. “Chelsea were good first half, you see their exciting potential. If I was a Chelsea fan I’d be positive about them. It’s a bad result (for them), but I’m convinced it will come. “I said at half time we need to believe, I didn’t see that enough in the first half. We didn’t give away big chances away, but we gave too much away. “The first goal always changes the dynamic of a game. The way we defended was fantastic.” Read More Matty Ashton at the double as England seal series win over Tonga Everton financial reports just another thing to deal with – Sean Dyche Steve Borthwick’s plans for England’s Six Nations campaign well under way England ‘feeling the heat’ of World Cup implosion – Marcus Trescothick Erik ten Hag admits Man Utd ‘have a way to go’ as they prepare for derby day Son Heung-min hails Guglielmo Vicario for ‘unbelievable saves’ in win at Palace

By Humeyra Pamuk and Arshad Mohammed WASHINGTON (Reuters) -US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Tuesday he could not

Speculation surrounding the future of Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Fabinho has not yet translated into actual bids for the players. The interest in Henderson, in particular, from Al Ettifaq – managed by former team-mate Steven Gerrard – has resulted in claims the 33-year-old has already decided to accept a deal worth a reported £700,000 per week. However, Liverpool will not allow their captain, who has two years remaining on his contract, to leave for free despite suggestions on the contrary emanating from the Middle East. The £20million Al Hilal spent on Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly, 32, this summer is seen as a more realistic benchmark. Fabinho is being linked with a move to Saudi Pro League champions Al Ittihad, one of four Saudi Arabian clubs owned by the country’s Public Investment Fund, who are reportedly willing to pay £40m for a player who turns 30 in October. But it is understood so far there has been no offer for him either and with the squad due to depart for their pre-season camp in Germany on Saturday both players are expected to travel having returned to training earlier this week. Liverpool’s midfield is undergoing a revamp this summer, with the experienced James Milner joining Brighton and the contracts of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita expiring. They have been replaced by Argentina’s World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, aged 24, and 22-year-old Hungary captain Dominik Szobozslai for a combined £95m. That may mean reduced playing time for Henderson, who has lifted every elite trophy during his captaincy of the club, but he remains an integral part of the dressing room. Manager Jurgen Klopp described the 10-day training camp, after less-than-satisfactory preparations a year ago, as “super-important”, especially as it will provide some of the younger players like Conor Bradley, Ben Doak and Bobby Clark with the opportunity to make a step up. “There are now not too many new players but a lot of young players for whom the door is open, who can play a different role next season,” he told the club’s website. “We have a lot of sessions there, not a lot of spare time, I would say. Two games, one in the middle (against Karlsruher), one at the end (Greuther Furth) “So, bring it all together and train as much as somehow possible, having short ways back to the bed or to the canteen or restaurant, that’s good.” After returning from Germany, Klopp’s squad will head out to Singapore for matches against Leicester and Bayern Munich.

China’s foreign minister will be in Russia this week for security talks, arriving in Moscow just a day after North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un wrapped up his own visit to the country. Wang Yi’s visit comes as an increasingly isolated Russia seeks support from its international allies for its war against Ukraine. Running from Monday to Thursday, the visit will involve a “strategic security consultation” between China and Russia, the Chinese foreign ministry said. It comes after Mr Kim spent six days in Russia, touring a variety of military and technology sites including the country’s most state-of-the-art cosmodrome, where he met with Vladimir Putin. Their talks sparked global concerns that North Korea will supply weapons to Russia to use in Ukraine. Mr Wang, the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s top foreign policy official, arrives in Russia just two days after talks in Malta with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Washington and Beijing described those talks as candid, substantive and constructive. Both nations are looking to stabilise their rocky relationship, having seen bilateral tensions soar due to their conflicting views on multiple issues in Europe and East Asia. China and the US disagree on their stance over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the former has shifted closer to Russia. Beijing maintains the West has to consider Russia’s security concerns about Nato’s expansion in Europe. China has also accused the US of prolonging fighting in Ukraine as it has aided the nation with arms and weaponry which the Joe Biden administration has repeatedly said are necessary in the face of Russian aggression. Russia may be looking to brief Mr Wang on the details of Mr Putin and Mr Kim’s discussions, with experts saying Moscow would want China’s support before going ahead with any major shift in the Russia-North Korea relationship. Also on the agenda could be plans for Vladimir Putin to visit Xi Jinping in Beijing. Mr Putin hasn’t left Russia since the International Criminal Court put out a warrant for his arrest – China is not a signatory to the court – but has previously said he plans to pay Mr Xi a visit, without specifying a date. Mr Kim left Russia on Sunday after a grand farewell ceremony at the train station in Artyom, about 200km from the North Korea border. During his visit, Mr Kim secured an offer of Russian support with North Korea’s floundering and UN-sanctioned satellite launch programme. In return, experts suggest, Russia may be eyeing up a North Korean stockpile of tens of millions of ageing artillery shells and rockets based on Soviet designs that could significantly aid Russian forces in Ukraine. Mr Kim said North Korea would offer its “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s fight to defend its security interests, an indirect reference to the continuing war in Ukraine, despite the West’s warnings against doing so. Read More Biden's national security adviser holds two days of talks in Malta with China's foreign minister Why support for Ukraine is in danger of splitting the EU With Russia isolated on the world stage, Putin turns to old friend North Korea for help Chinese Premier Li Qian takes a test ride on Indonesia's new high-speed railway China's 'full-time children' move back in with parents, take on chores as good jobs grow scarce

Apple's decision to manufacture iPhones in India aims at diversifying its supply chains away from China

By Moira Warburton WASHINGTON Democratic U.S. Representative Robert Garcia on Tuesday started the process of forcing a vote

Player ratings and match report from Real Madrid 5-1 Valencia in La Liga on Saturday night.

French President Emmanuel Macron is keeping his prime minister in place, his staff has said, ending weeks of speculation about a possible reset after...

Slovaks are voting in a parliamentary election on Saturday, a knife-edge vote that could radically reshape Slovakia's approach to Ukraine and create deep rifts within NATO and the European Union.

Chennai Super Kings host Gujarat Titans on Tuesday in front of a home crowd desperate to see M.S. Dhoni win another Indian Premier League in what could...

An agreement has reportedly been reached by Aaron Carter's estate to sell his home in Lancaster, California, to a married couple