Max Verstappen saw off Fernando Alonso to take pole position in a scintillating qualifying session for the Monaco Grand Prix. Alonso’s Aston Martin mechanics celebrated wildly after it appeared as though the 41-year-old Spaniard had taken his first pole in 11 years. F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix But Verstappen delivered a mesmerising final sector in Monte Carlo to take top spot with his final throw of the dice, beating Alonso by just 0.084 seconds. Charles Leclerc finished third for Ferrari but received a three-place grid drop for impeding Lando Norris, so starts sixth with Esteban Ocon in third and Carlos Sainz fourth. Lewis Hamilton qualified sixth for Mercedes, two places ahead of team-mate George Russell, but starts in fifth due to Leclerc’s penalty - with Sergio Perez set to start Sunday’s 78-lap race from last place after he crashed out. Follow updates from the Monaco Grand Prix with The Independent - the race starts at 2pm (BST). Read More F1 grid: Starting positions for Monaco Grand Prix Max Verstappen fends off Fernando Alonso to take stunning pole in Monaco Lewis Hamilton makes joyous revelation despite Monaco qualifying result

Radio presenter Chris Arnold has apologised after a slip of the tongue left him saying something rather explicit live on the radio. Arnold was covering Mel Everett on BBC Radio Somerset and was trying to tell listeners there was "lots to come" for them to enjoy on the night's show. But he accidentally said something else with a completely different meaning. "Hello, good evening, Chris Arnold here until 10pm. Hope you've have a good day, lots of come... lots to come tonight," the presenter said before pausing and saying "right, OK". Posting on Twitter/ X he apologised to listeners, writing: "I can only apologise profusely to the listeners for this deeply unfortunate slip of the tongue on the show this evening." Reacting to his post, people thought it was pretty hilarious. Fellow radio presenter Greg James, for instance joked that it was "always exciting to be live on air". "I hope that the show had a happy ending". "Never knew radio cummerset was such good fun," another quipped. Sign up to 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.

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Former president Donald Trump spent much of the day before his first appearance as a criminal defendant in federal court in search of experienced legal representation, but without much in the way of results. Mr Trump, who departed on Monday afternoon from the resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, where he primarily resides during the summer months to travel to Miami aboard his bespoke Boeing 757, has spent much of the last year and a half cycling through a rotating cast of criminal defence attorneys as he has contended with the Department of Justice probe that resulted in his unprecedented indictment under the Espionage Act last week. Two of the more experienced criminal defence lawyers in his stable, James Trusty and John Rowley, quit the ex-president’s team on Thursday, just hours after a Florida grand jury voted to charge him with 37 separate counts stemming from alleged violations of the Espionage Act and other portions of the US criminal code. Another lawyer, Timothy Parlatore, left Mr Trump’s employ roughly a month ago, citing conflicts with a longtime aide to the ex-president, Boris Epshteyn. Yet another of the criminal defence attorneys who once represented Mr Trump in the documents probe, Evan Corcoran, had to step away from that role in the wake of a court ruling ordering him to give evidence against the ex-president before a grand jury and turn over notes and recordings he’d made, citing a rarely-used exception to the attorney-client privilege used in case where an attorney’s advice is found to have been used to commit crimes. Mr Corcoran’s testimony and evidence figured heavily in the 39-page indictment against the ex-president, which detailed Mr Trump’s reaction after he was served with a subpoena compelling him to return all documents in his possession which bore classification markings. Now, with his arraignment just one day away, Mr Trump is scrambling to secure more experienced defence counsel to help him fend off charges which, if he is convicted, could theoretically land the 78-year-old ex-president in prison for the rest of his natural life. But although the Southern District of Florida is known to have a particularly strong defence bar, many of its most prominent practitioners are declining entreaties to join Mr Trump’s legal team. The Independent has learned that one well-known attorney, David Markus, has already declined to represent the ex-president. Mr Markus, a Harvard Law School graduate and former federal public defender, helped former Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum beat federal corruption charges earlier this year. While most lawyers would ordinarily jump at the chance to represent a former president of the United States, Mr Trump has long presented a challenge for those he’s asked to stand up for him in court. The ex-president is known to routinely disregard legal advice and is prone to making incriminating statements in public settings, two traits which have long dogged his attempts to find competent jurists to defend him in both civil and criminal matters, both during and after his presidency. Additionally, Mr Trump has a long history of refusing to pay for services rendered by skilled professionals, dating back to his days as a New York real estate developer. The involvement of Mr Epshteyn, a Georgetown Law School graduate who styles himself as Mr Trump’s in-house counsel despite the fact that he has never once appeared in any court on behalf of any client, has presented another stumbling block in the ex-president’s efforts to secure competent representation. According to sources familiar with the matter, Mr Epshteyn’s role in the ex-president’s orbit of late has been to coordinate the different teams of lawyers representing him in civil and criminal cases against him throughout the country. But some people who’ve been involved in those efforts say Mr Epshteyn has used his position to act as a gatekeeper and prevent Mr Trump’s lawyers from delivering candid advise or bad news, though spokespersons for Mr Trump have denied such claims and have described him as a valuable member of the ex-president’s team. As it stands now, Mr Trump is expected to be represented at his arraignment by Christopher Kise, a former Florida Solicitor General who joined the ex-president’s team in the wake of the 8 August 2022 search of his Palm Beach, Florida property by FBI agents, as well as Todd Blanche, a veteran New York-based criminal defence lawyer who has previously appeared for Mr Trump after a Manhattan grand jury indicted him for falsifying business records earlier this year. Mr Kise, a veteran Sunshine State practitioner who is licensed to appear in the Southern District of Florida — the venue where Mr Trump now faces charges — is not known as an experienced criminal defence attorney, as he was first brought on to handle Mr Trump’s failed effort to block the Department of Justice from using the evidence recovered during the search of his home and office. Though Mr Blanche is not licensed to practice by the Florida State Bar or the Southern District of Florida, he can appear for Mr Trump on Tuesday if an attorney licensed to practice in the district such as Mr Kise is willing to vouch for him. Read More Trump indictment – live: Trump leaves Bedminster ahead of Miami arraignment as Bill Barr calls him ‘toast’ Lindsey Graham is lying for Trump. And it shows the real issue with the Republican party Morning Joe host shouts down Republicans backing Trump to appease ‘weirdos and freaks’ Ivanka and Jared split over attending Trump 2024 launch – follow live Why was Donald Trump impeached twice during his first term? Four big lies Trump told during his 2024 presidential announcement

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West Ham enjoyed a heroes’ welcome as fans lined the streets of east London to celebrate their Europa Conference League glory. The Hammers won their first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup, and a first European title since 1965, when they beat Italian side Fiorentina 2-1 in Prague on Wednesday night. And their jubilant supporters, decked out in the famous claret and blue on a warm and sunny evening in the capital, packed the pavements as the players paraded the silverware on an open-top bus.

Conservative Dad's Revenge cans emblazoned with Trump's historic mugshot proudly display the words '100% American beer'