Lando Norris denied Max Verstappen a practice double by setting the pace for Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix – after Daniel Ricciardo crashed out and was taken to hospital. More than 300,000 spectators will descend on the coastal town of Zandvoort, 30 miles outside of Amsterdam, as Formula One emerges from its summer slumber. The majority of whom will do so in the expectation of watching Verstappen march to his ninth consecutive victory – equalling a record set by Sebastian Vettel for Red Bull in 2013 – as he closes in on a hat-trick of world championships. But McLaren’s Norris raised the suggestion he could spoil Verstappen’s homecoming party after he ended the day with the fastest time. While practice speed is treated with caution, the British driver edged out Verstappen, who was fastest in the first running, by just 0.023 seconds. The impressive Alex Albon finished third for Williams, one place ahead of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion finished three tenths adrift in his Mercedes with team-mate George Russell only 14th in the order. The second session was suspended after just 10 minutes when Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri and AlphaTauri’s Ricciardo crashed out at the same corner. Australian Piastri, who has enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, lost control of his McLaren through the banked left-handed Turn 3 before slamming into the barriers. Moments later, Ricciardo, who appeared distracted by the sight of Piastri’s wounded McLaren, locked up under braking before following his compatriot into the tyre wall. “Ah f***, my hand, f***,” the 34-year-old said over the radio after the incident. Both men played no further part in the running as their damaged cars were towed back to their respective garages. Ricciardo was still holding the steering wheel as he hit the wall, and he was taken to the medical centre. He was then pictured leaving with his left arm in a sling, and was subsequently taken to a nearby hospital for further checks on his wrist, raising some doubt over his participation for the remainder of the weekend. Ferrari have endured a lacklustre campaign and there was little for the Italian giants to cheer on Friday, with Charles Leclerc 11th and team-mate Carlos Sainz 16th. Ricciardo’s team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda, finished fifth with Pierre Gasly sixth and Sergio Perez, 125 points behind Verstappen in the drivers’ championship, seventh. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Haas announce Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg staying for 2024 F1 returns with the now inevitable question: can anyone beat Max Verstappen? F1 Dutch Grand Prix LIVE: Practice updates and times as Formula 1 returns

Social media sensation Addison Rae's Instagram posts during her summer vacation had fans comparing her to a 'real-life mermaid'

As people flock to beaches, lakes and pools this Memorial Day to celebrate the unofficial start of summer, the swimmers are here -- but the lifeguards aren't. At least, that's what some parks departments and agencies around the country are saying as they scramble to find and keep lifeguards on duty for the season.

What the papers say Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, who was on loan at Inter Milan last season, is reportedly willing to take a £1million pay cut for a permanent move to the Italian club, the Telegraph reports. Lukaku featured in the Champions League final for Inter, scoring 10 goals and assisting six times in his 25 matches in Serie A last year. Bayern Munich have reportedly sent a revised offer of £70million plus add-ons to Tottenham for Harry Kane, the Guardian said. The Daily Mail says Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard is keen to sign free agent Wilfried Zaha, who saw his Crystal Palace contract expire this summer, for around £16million per season. Ajax defender Jurrien Timber has completed a medical at Arsenal and the Metro says he has returned home for a farewell party before he completes his move to the club. Social media round-up Players to watch Harvey Barnes: The Leicester winger is reportedly keen on a move to Newcastle following the Foxes’ relegation to the Championship, according to Football Insider. Rasmus Hojlund: The 20-year-old has reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United, who are set to submit a new bid to Atalanta for the Danish striker. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

An Iranian news website says a popular rapper has been sent back to jail less that two weeks after his release from prison on bail

Poland said it will stop exporting weapons to Ukraine as a week of escalating tensions between the two countries reached boiling point over a ban on grain imports. Prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki said he would instead be investing the money in arming Poland, which has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest allies since Russia invaded last year, with the most “modern weapons”. The row between the neighbouring countries began last week when Poland imposed an import ban on Ukrainian grain, including wheat and maize, after an EU-brokered deal expired. The deal, which ended on 15 September, allowed Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia to ban the sale of Ukrainian grain, which they claim has flooded the European market and undercut domestic grain prices since Putin’s invasion, damaging their economies. But Ukraine launched a legal challenge at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday after Poland reinstated the ban, claiming the country had failed to meet its “international obligations”. Days after, Mr Zelensky told the United Nations General Assembly that “some friends in Europe” were feigning solidarity by indirectly supporting Russia by banning the sale of its grain. Poland then summoned the Ukrainian ambassador to its foreign ministry to protest against Mr Zelensky’s comments. Hours later, Warsaw announced it would no longer be supplying weapons to Ukraine. “We are no longer transferring weapons to Ukraine, because we are now arming Poland with more modern weapons,” the prime minister said. While the country claimed Ukrainian authorities “do not understand” the extent to which Poland’s farming industry has been “destabilised”, one expert claimed Poland was “losing its nerve”. “Poland is losing its nerve. It seems people are starting to get tired of the war, because there has been no breakthrough, there are corruption scandals, and Ukrainian grain imports are damaging the economy,” Dr Marina Miron, post doctoral researcher at King’s College London war studies department, told The Independent. She explained Poland’s upcoming general election on 15 October was crucial in explaining the ban. In recent weeks, Poland’s Law and Justice party has stepped up its rhetoric supporting farmers in recent weeks. “Poland is in its pre-election stage and needs to ensure domestic support,” Dr Miron added. However, Poland’s state assets minister Jacek Sasin claimed the row over grain imports did not mean Poland head ceased to back Ukraine against Russia. “At the moment it is as the prime minister said, in the future we will see. In this case, Polish interests come first,” he said. “We cannot disarm the Polish army, we cannot get rid of the weapons that are necessary for our security.” “Where we could arrange for the transfer of weapons, we did it and we were very generous in this matter. Here we have absolutely nothing to reproach ourselves with.” Poland has previously sent 320 Soviet-era tanks and 14 MiG-29 fighter jets to the war-torn country. Mr Morawiecki also issued a warning to Kyiv, saying that if they “escalate the conflict”, additional products will be added to the list of banned imports. He said: “I am warning Ukraine’s authorities. Because if they are to escalate the conflict like that, we will add additional products to the ban on imports into Poland.” Poland’s decision has been criticised around the world. Donald Tusk, a top EU opposition leader, accused Morawiecki and other ruling authorities of a “moral and geopolitical scandal of stabbing Ukraine in the back politically when they decide to fight on the Ukrainian front, just because it will be profitable for their campaign.” Michal Baranowski, security and defence expert, added: “The message is very bad, both for Poland’s reputation but also because Poland has been one of the chief advocates of military aid to Ukraine. Saying Poland will not be sending more weapons means that Poland can no longer play this role.” Read More Why has Poland stopped supplying weapons to Ukraine? Ukraine-Russia war - live: Major blow for Kyiv as Poland cuts off weapons and issues warning to Zelensky Zelensky accuses ‘some friends in Europe’ of playing into Russia’s hands

Sam Asghari filed his petition to dissolve the 14-month-old marriage to Britney Spears on August 16

Former sparring partners Lawrence Okolie and Chris Billam-Smith will meet in a world-title fight this weekend. FOLLOW LIVE: Wood vs Lara 2 – latest fight updates Okolie enters Billam-Smith’s hometown of Bournemouth with the WBO cruiserweight belt and an unbeaten record, but the challenger will be buoyed by great support at Vitality Stadium – home to his beloved AFC Bournemouth. In his most recent fight, Okolie outpointed David Light in March, with the beaten New Zealander suffering a ‘mild stroke’ but expected to make a ‘full recovery’. Meanwhile, Billam-Smith produced a knockout-of-the-year contender against Armend Xhoxhaj in December. Okolie (19-0, 14 KOs) said of Billam-Smith (17-1, 12 KOs) this week: “Chris, I love you, but I have to get the KO in this one.” Here’s all you need to know. When is it? The fight will take place at Vitality Stadium, home to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, on Saturday 27 May. The main card is set to begin at 7pm BST (11am PT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET), with ring walks for the main event expected at approximately 10pm BST (3pm PT, 5pm CT, 6pm ET). How can I watch it? The event will air live on Sky Sports in the UK, with the broadcaster’s website and Sky Go app also streaming the fights. No US broadcaster has yet been confirmed for the event. Odds Okolie – 2/7 Billam-Smith – 11/4 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Full card (subject to change) Lawrence Okolie (C) vs Chris Billam-Smith (WBO cruiserweight title) Mikael Lawal (C) vs Isaac Chamberlain (British cruiserweight title) Lee Cutler vs Stanley Stannard (super-welterweight) Mace Ruegg vs Dean Dodge (super-featherweight) Sam Eggington vs Joe Pigford (super-welterweight) Michael McKinson vs TBA (welterweight) Tommy Welch vs TBA (heavyweight) Karriss Artingsall vs. Jade Taylor (featherweight) Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Wood vs Lara live stream: How to watch fight online and on TV this weekend Katie Taylor’s long reign as boxing queen over despite heroic last stand ‘Daylight robbery’: Vasiliy Lomachenko’s team plan to appeal Devin Haney defeat Joe Rogan is right: Tyson Fury has ‘no chance in hell’ against Jon Jones

By Summer Zhen and Samuel Shen HONG KONG Money managers in China are struggling to lure retail investors,

A military jet carrying the body of California U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has landed in her hometown of San Francisco

A rocket being developed by the Japanese space agency has exploded during testing but there were no reports of injuries

SOLEDAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 30, 2023--