Hector and Grandma: This week’s new film releases reviewed December 11, 2015 Hector 15 | Dir. Jake Gavin ★★★★☆ Peter Mullan plays the title role in this British drama about a homeless man who travels from Glasgow to London to spend a few days at a Christmas shelter. With a big operation on the horizon, he uses the journey to revisit the events and broken relationships that drove [...]
Top theatre picks this week: A Christmas Carol, Macbeth and You For Me For You December 11, 2015 A Christmas Carol, Noel Coward Theatre ★★★★☆ If pantomime’s a bit too shouty and daft for your tastes but you’re still in the market for something festive, this flamboyant production of A Christmas Carol ticks all the right boxes. Jim Broadbent plays miser Ebenezer Scrooge with a twinkle in his eye and a skip in [...]
Tyson Fury will not face police action over “hate incident” sparked by homosexuality comments December 11, 2015 Boxer Tyson Fury will not be the focus of a police investigation into his homophobic remarks. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) received a criminal complaint from a member of the public earlier this week after remarks made by Fury were made on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme. But GMP said they would be taking no further [...]
Racism at Russia World Cup 2018 will be unavoidable according to new report December 11, 2015 Racism at the 2018 World Cup in Russia appears to be almost guaranteed, according to a new report which claims racist displays in the country are on the rise. Research from the Moscow-based Sova Centre and Football Against Racism in Europe (Fare) found that the number of discriminatory displays and chants rose doubled last season, with [...]
Michel Platini Fifa suspension upheld by CAS to put presidency hopes in smoke December 11, 2015 Michel Platini's hopes for the Fifa presidency appear to have fully extinguished after the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld his 90-day suspension from the organisation. The Uefa president had appealed to CAS to have his suspension lifted until Fifa's Ethics Committee had ruled on a "disloyal" £1.4m payment he received from Sepp Blatter in [...]
Erik Lamela hat-trick helps Tottenham to Monaco romp and easier path in Europa League December 10, 2015 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 4, MONACO 1 Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino hailed Erik Lamela after the Argentinian’s whirlwind hat-trick swept Spurs into the Europa League’s last 32 as group winners last night at White Hart Lane. Midfielder Tom Carroll scored the other – his first for the club – as the north Londoners continued their fine start to [...]
Ian Bell will benefit from being dropped by England for South Africa tour, says Alastair Cook December 10, 2015 He may have been axed from the Test team for the winter tour to South Africa, but England captain Alastair Cook insists batsman Ian Bell’s international career is far from over. Cook said he had been struck by Bell’s determination to win back his place since it was announced last month that he would not [...]
Karim Benzema sex tape blackmail plot allegations: France could be without striker for Euro 2016 after they ban him indefinitely December 10, 2015 Euro 2016 hosts France have been plunged into turmoil just months before the tournament after they suspended striker Karim Benzema indefinitely over his alleged involvement in a sex-tape blackmail plot. Real Madrid star Benzema, who spearheads the team’s attack and has scored 25 goals in 80 internationals, is accused of being part of an attempt [...]
Anthony Joshua v Dillian Whyte: Joshua has the hype, but is he really ready for a world heavyweight title fight? December 10, 2015 Less than an hour after Tyson Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko to become heavyweight champion of the world last month, the name of another British pugilist had joined him on Twitter’s trending list: Anthony Joshua. No sooner had Fury claimed the biggest prize in his sport than boxing fans were immediately lining up Joshua to take [...]
Bolton receive winding up petition from HMRC over unpaid tax bills December 10, 2015 Bolton Wanderers have received a winding-up petition from HMRC over unpaid PAYE and VAT tax bills. The Championship club is believed to be losing £1m per month and has outstanding bills owed to HMRC worth around £600,000. Its playing squad, currently positioned bottom of the Championship, went unpaid in November as owner Eddie Davies and [...]