Wales to host Finland in Euro 2024 semi-final play-off
Wales have been drawn to host Finland in the semi-finals of the qualification play-offs for Euro 2024. The match will take place on Thursday, March 21 at Cardiff City Stadium. Should Rob Page’s men win that single-leg tie, they would then host either Poland or Estonia five days later at the same venue to play for a spot at next summer’s tournament in Germany. Finland finished third in Northern Ireland’s qualifying group – four points behind both Denmark and Slovenia – after winning six of their 10 fixtures. They sit 62nd in the FIFA rankings, 34 places below Wales, and are aiming to qualify for the European Championship finals for only the second time following their debut at Euro 2020. Wales are seeking to secure a third successive appearance at the finals of the competition and reach a fourth major tournament out of the last five after last year ending their 64-year wait to play at the World Cup. They finished third in Group D of qualifying, behind pool winners Turkey and second-placed Croatia. Just three of the 24 places at Euro 2024 remain up for grabs, with Wales attempting to navigate Path A of the play-offs. In Path B, Israel face a semi-final against Iceland following Thursday’s draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, while Bosnia and Herzegovina will host Ukraine. Georgia take on fellow potential tournament debutants Luxembourg in Path C, while Kazakhstan travel to 2004 European champions Greece in the other semi-final of that route. Read More Who are the contenders to replace Stephen Kenny as Republic of Ireland boss? On This Day in 2008 – Ricky Hatton dominates Paulie Malignaggi in Las Vegas New sponsor to help 460 clubs in Women’s FA Cup market themselves with AI app
2023-11-23 19:57
Russia-Ukraine war – live: Peace talks begin in Saudi Arabia - but without Moscow
Senior officials from some 40 countries including the United States, China and India have begun talks in Saudi Arabia that Kyiv and its allies hope will lead to agreement on key principles for a peaceful end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. The two-day meeting is part of a diplomatic push by Ukraine to build support beyond its core Western backers by reaching out to Global South countries that have been reluctant to take sides in a conflict that has hit the global economy. Russia is not attending, though the Kremlin has said it will keep an eye on the talks. It comes after a Russian oil tanker attacked in the Black Sea overnight was hit by a Ukrainian maritime drone carrying 450 kg of explosives, it is claimed. The attack briefly halted traffic on the Kerch, the 12-mile bridge linking Moscow-annexed Crimea to Russia, as well as ferry transport. Friday night’s attack was the second sea attack involving drones in one day. Ukraine said its sea drones also struck a major Russian port Friday and damaged a warship in an attack that underlined Kyiv’s growing naval capabilities as the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battleground in the war. Read More ‘Extremely dangerous’ Wagner fighters seeking to destabilise Nato, Poland warns EU imposes sanctions on dozens in Belarus over protest crackdown and support for Russia What Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska wants the world to know ‘With you until the end’: Defence secretary Ben Wallace’s dramatic pledge to Ukraine after first lady’s plea
2023-08-06 02:23
West Ham United vs Everton LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more
The 2023/24 Premier League season is under way and you can follow every game and every goal right here with The Independent. This year sees Manchester City try to defend their crown and claim a historic fourth title in succession. Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering City, who also won the Champions League and FA Cup last season, will have to see off Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and the rest to claim an unprecedented sixth league title in seven years. Meanwhile Luton Town are making their first appearance in the Premier League, having risen from non-league in an incredible decade of progress. They followed Championship winners Burnley and second-placed Sheffield United in earning promotion to the top flight. Follow the latest action from the Premier League below.
2023-10-29 20:16
China thrill in track and field but footballers flop again at Asiad
China swept four gold medals in track and field at the Asian Games on Sunday to celebrate national day, but their perennially underachieving men's football team...
2023-10-01 23:26
Who is Olivia Dunne’s biggest cheerleader? LSU gymnast opens up about family member who transformed her life
Olivia Dunne appeared in a podcast interview and talked about her academic endeavors and her support system at home
2023-07-02 13:29
Climate change pushes Bordeaux winemakers to harvest at night
In France's southern Bordeaux region, the grape harvest is often now done at night to ensure the peak freshness required to obtain the best wine but this is...
2023-09-08 13:59
Fiorentina president confirms 'other clubs' want Man Utd target Sofyan Amrabat
The latest on Sofyan Amrabat's proposed move to Man Utd - including what Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso has said about the transfer saga.
2023-09-01 05:28
Meta sued over ‘open secret’ of ‘pursuing’ and signing up millions of underage users
Facebook‘s parent company Meta disabled only a small fraction of the over one million reports it received of underage users on Instagram since early 2019, a lawsuit filed by 33 US states reportedly said. The newly unsealed legal complaint accused the tech giant of carrying an “open secret” that it had millions of users under the age of 13, and that Instagram “routinely continued to collect” their personal information such as location without parental permission. The complaint stated that within the company, Meta’s actual knowledge that millions of Instagram users were under the age of 13 was an “open secret” that was routinely documented, rigorously analyzed and confirmed, and zealously protected from disclosure to the public, according to a New York Times report. Last month, attorneys general from 33 states, including New York’s AG Letitia James, filed a lawsuit against Meta alleging that the tech giant designed harmful features contributing to the country’s youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit alleged Meta created addictive and “psychologically manipulative” features targeting young people while assuring the public falsely that the platform was safe to use. “Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem,” Ms James said. Meta’s spokesperson responded to the lawsuit, saying that the company was committed to providing teens with “safe, positive experiences online,” and that it had already introduced “over 30 tools to support teens and their families” such as age verification and preventing content promoting harmful behaviours. “We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” the spokesperson added. However, a significant portion of the evidence provided by the states was obscured from public view via redactions in the initial filing. The new unsealed complaint filed last week provided fresh insights from the lawsuit, including the accusation that Instagram “coveted and pursued” underage users for years and that Meta “continually failed” to make effective age-checking systems a priority. The lawsuit reportedly argued that Meta chose not to build effective systems to detect and exclude underage teen users, viewing them as a crucial next generation demographic it needed to capture. It also accused the tech giant of “automatically” ignoring some reports of under 13 users and allowing them to continue using the platform while knowing about such cases via the company’s internal reporting channels. The company responded that the now publicly revealed complaint “mischaracterizes our work using selective quotes and cherry-picked documents.” It said verifying the ages of its users was a “complex” challenge especially with younger people who likely do not have IDs or licenses. Meta recently said it supports federal legislation requiring app stores to get parents’ approval whenever their teens under 16 download apps. “With this solution, when a teen wants to download an app, app stores would be required to notify their parents, much like when parents are notified if their teen attempts to make a purchase,” the company said. “Parents can decide if they want to approve the download. They can also verify the age of their teen when setting up their phone, negating the need for everyone to verify their age multiple times across multiple apps,” it said. The tech giant holds that the best solution to support young people is a “simple, industry-wide solution” where all apps are held to the same standard. “By verifying a teen’s age on the app store, individual apps would not be required to collect potentially sensitive identifying information,” Meta recently said. Read More Russia places Meta spokesperson on wanted list Meta to allow users to delete Threads accounts without losing Instagram Nasa has received a signal from 10 million miles away Nasa has received a signal from 10 million miles away Elon Musk set to meet Netanyahu and hostage families in Israel Elon Musk weighs in on Dublin riots claiming country’s PM ‘hates the Irish people’
2023-11-27 13:51
3 Andy Avalos replacements to return Boise State to its former glory
Not even three years into his Boise State tenure, former Broncos linebacker Andy Avalos was let go from his post. Boise State has regressed in the last decade from its once high standard. Who could replace him to bring it back?
2023-11-13 05:29
Mobley's double-double leads Cavaliers to 99-78 win over Rockets for the Summer League title
Isaiah Mobley had 28 points and 11 rebounds, and the Cleveland Cavaliers captured the NBA Summer League championship with a 99-78 victory over the Houston Rockets
2023-07-18 11:28
Who is Maureen Holpit? Former classmate of suspected Gilgo Beach killer Rex Heuermann claims she got ‘love notes’ from him
Rex Heuermann is suspected of the 2010 murders of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy, and Amber Lynn Costello
2023-07-15 16:26
Ryan Clark doubled down on his scorching hot Justin Jefferson-George Pickens take
Ryan Clark 100 percent believes Pittsburgh Steelers up-and-coming star George Pickens is more talented than the best wide receiver in the NFL in the Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson.Ryan Clark has us up in arms over his comparison of two NFL wide receivers in George Pickens of the Pittsb...
2023-08-20 03:45
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