LONDON (Reuters) -The successor to Boris Johnson's seat in Britain's parliament will be chosen in a by-election vote on July

By Alexandra Valencia, Julia Symmes Cobb QUITO (Reuters) -Two former lawmakers, leftist Luisa Gonzalez and banana industry heir Daniel Noboa,

Ken Jennings returned to 'Jeopardy!' as host delighted fans who had been disappointed with Mayim Bialik's performance

The self-proclaimed shaman and the princess are known for their controversial alternative beliefs.

Farewell, then, Neymar. He is only 31, but his choice to leave Paris Saint-Germain and join Saudi “giants” (his word) Al-Hilal – eight months after what was likely his last shot at winning the World Cup – feels like the beginning of the end for Neymar at the top of the game. It has, for the most part, been a joy. “He makes football a pleasure,” once said Pep Guardiola. Neymar would choose to dribble into a maze of defenders rather than play a simple pass, but invariably he would come out with the ball at his feet. His highlights reel is full of jinking runs and cheeky nutmegs, most of which lead to little, and often his skills seem pointless, like controlling a high ball wth a Cruyff-turn. But then what is pleasure if not acting without necessity, just for the fun of it? He has won almost everything – multiple league and cup titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup and the Olympic Games – and yet looks set to end his career without the World Cup his nation expected or the Ballon d’Or his talent merited (he twice finished third). It would be easy to conclude that Neymar lacked application, particularly at PSG. His appearance record – never playing more than 22 games in a single season for the club – hints at a deeper malaise beyond the recurring injuries that dogged his time in Paris. PSG fans grew weary of Neymar, while his support for Brazilian far-right president Jair Bolsonaro made him even easier to dislike. But no one can ever say he didn’t care about football. Neymar wept in the dressing room before his final game for Santos. He wept when PSG lost the 2020 Champions League final to Bayern Munich in Lisbon. He wept on Lionel Messi’s shoulder after losing the 2021 Copa America final to Argentina. He wept when Croatia came back to win on penalties in Qatar. Expectation was the constant background noise to Neymar’s career, and the pain of defeat was visceral. His decade in Europe was played mostly in his friend Messi’s shadow. The only player on the planet better than Neymar in every facet of the game was on the pitch for most of his 359 matches for Barcelona and PSG. It must have been frustrating at times that his greatest accomplice was also a source of shade, even if they formed one of the greatest teams of all time – Barcelona’s treble-winning 2014-15 side – with that fantasy front three with Luis Suarez. They played with joy, and Neymar was the epitome of that. Like his club career, Neymar’s international legacy is framed by Messi. The 2021 Copa America final between Argentina and Brazil was billed as a fight between the countries’ two talismen, each with a chance to finally unload the burden they had carried for so long. Neither played particularly well that night in the Maracana, but it was Messi who celebrated and Neymar who needed consoling. Qatar 2022 was Neymar’s best chance to win the World Cup. He had sat in the stands injured watching Brazil lose 7-1 to Germany in the Maracana in 2014; he was powerless to stop a brilliant Belgium win in the quarter-finals at Russia in 2018. But Brazil arrived in Qatar as the pre-tournament favourites, ready to finally deliver on his destiny. So when he scored that mesmerising goal against Croatia in extra time of the quarter-final, weaving through an entire defence from a standing start to finally break the deadlock, if felt like that would be the goal to define his career, the one shown on repeat when future generations looked back at Brazil’s 2022 World Cup triumph. Instead Croatia came back and it was Messi’s goal a few days later that provided the tournament’s iconic moment, and Messi’s destiny which was fulfilled. That felt like Neymar’s last shot at the Ballon d’Or, which usually requires a Champions League or World Cup to convince its audience. And perhaps his move to Saudi is a tacit submission of sorts, a white flag in his long battle to transcend the Messi effect. The Independent has reported how Neymar tried to force a move to a Champions League club this summer, but couldn’t find a suitor. The footballing world stopped believing he could transform the most important games and the offers dried up. Instead he has accepted eye-watering paycheque along with his personal demands for three supercars, a 25-bedroom mansion, a very specifically sized swimming pool and a fridge permanently full of acai juice – the man loves his acai. And there is something ironic in Neymar leaving behind the giant profiles of Messi and Kylian Mbappe only to join Al-Hilal, a team with Cristiano Ronaldo. Perhaps he will be back in Europe before long. Perhaps the 2026 World Cup is still a realistic target – one last shot at winning the trophy he most craves, because really what can anyone possibly say once you’ve won that? But more realistic is that his move to Saudi Arabia erodes his already blunt edges, that other players overtake him in Brazil’s pecking order, that the European game moves on. His most famous goal remains one he scored aged 19 for Santos, which came after a dribble of unfathomable balance and control that requires rewinding like a magic trick. And perhaps, looking back, he could never have met the expectations he unknowingly set in that moment. Perhaps he did everything he possibly could have in the era of Messi. Read More Watch as PSG manager Luis Enrique holds press conference after Neymar departure Neymar departs PSG to become latest star signing for Saudi Pro League side Shots fired from Australia batter David Warner – Tuesday’s sporting social Neymar agrees Saudi move after only one European club showed interest Football rumours: Manchester United weighing up approach for Amadou Onana Kylian Mbappe set to return to PSG squad after ‘positive discussions’ – reports

Taylor Swift’s third album Speak Now was re-released today as Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) as the multi-award winning artist continues to re-record her catalogue. The new version featured all 14 songs on the original record, as well as six songs ‘from the vault’, which means that Swift wrote them for the album but they didn’t make the cut initially. The album also features artists Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams from Paramore. When listening to the album fans noticed that Swift had changed a lyric in one of her hit songs. 'Better Than Revenge' is about Swift desiring to get revenge on a romantic rival. The lyric from the original album released in 2010 goes “she’s better known for the things that she does on the mattress.” Which some claimed to be misogynistic and “slutshaming”. So for 'Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version)', Swift changed the line to: “he was a moth to flame, she was holding the matches.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Many praised the change, saying it highlighted Swift’s growth, who was 21 when Speak Now was originally released, whilst some fans mourned the original lyric saying it’s exactly what an 18-year-old would write and the authenticity of it has been damaged. However, the lyric change has led many to re discuss who the song was about in the first place. Whilst it has never been confirmed, it is believed that the song is about Joe Jonas, Swift’s ex, and Camilla Belle, the woman Jonas dated after he broke up with Taylor back in 2008. Belle is an actress and model. In fact, Belle’s niece made a TikTok about the song, explaining that Belle is her dad’s half-sister and that “I love that song, even though it’s about my aunt.” Many viewers left comments asking what Belle thought about the now-changed lyric, but there’s currently been no response. @annirouth Replying to @Carolina theres literally not a lot to say about this haha In 2014, Swift spoke to The Guardian about the lyric saying the she was only 18 when she wrote the song: “That’s the age you are when you think someone can actually take your boyfriend. Then you grow up and realise no one takes someone form you if they don’t want to leave.” 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.

BRICS leaders meeting in South Africa this week will consider expanding the five-nation bloc at a time of great interest in the group that accounts...

By Lewis Jackson SYDNEY Australian police are considering applying special stop-and-search powers for the first time in almost

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Torrential rain and hailstorms have caused damage in the north while Sicily battles extensive wildfires.

SEOUL, South Korea--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 27, 2023--

Mark-Paul Gosselaar says it can be hard to watch outdated episodes of "Saved by the Bell."