Wes Brown believes there is a good chance Manchester United sensation JJ Gabriel is involved in the first-team next season.

Gabriel only turned 15 in October but has made a huge impression at Under-18 level this season and is regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in world football.

The teenager has scored 25 times in 27 appearances across the Under-18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup this term, frequently training with the first-team with growing expectation he will be ready for what would be a record-breaking debut sooner rather than later.

Max Dowman made his competitive debut for Arsenal aged 15 in August with Gabriel eligible to play in the Premier League from next season.

United have already had to fight tooth and nail to keep the versatile forward in Manchester with Barcelona among the host of clubs across Europe eager to lure him away.

Brown, an academy graduate himself who went onto win five Premier League titles, two FA Cups and two Champions Leagues with United, is among those who have watched Gabriel’s rise with increasing excitement.

The former defender has no doubts over Gabriel’s talent, suggesting the only dilemma facing United is at what point in the season they choose to bring him in next term.

Pointing to the impact Lamine Yamal had at Barcelona after making his debut just shy of his 16^th birthday, Brown believes it will happen sooner rather than later for Gabriel.

‘The talent is there. Crazy talent,’ Brown told Metro via BetMGM.

‘It is about timing with JJ Gabriel. For United, it is about getting him in in at the right time where he can do well where he will be appreciated.

‘The best example is with what Barcelona have done with Lamine Yamal. The talent was there, we know that now.

‘If you bring him in too early and it doesn’t work out the door can shut a little bit. Everyone knows how talented you are but the opportunities can become less.

‘What I will say, watching Gabriel is, he is fearless, he is always trying to make something happen. The way he glides past players is unbelievable.

‘Next season he will definitely be in the conversation but it will be about timing. Not to put him under pressure and telling him “we need you” because you don’t need that at that sort of age.

‘He just needs to enjoy his football and when his opportunities comes, enjoy it. But it will happen for him.’

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Thirteen live, zip-tied iguanas were found in the back of a man’s truck during a traffic stop in central Florida, according to reports.

The reptiles were discovered after Florida Highway Patrol troopers pulled over 32-year-old Rendon Casildo-Acdiel in Winter Haven, Florida, early Thursday morning, according to FOX 13 News. Winter Haven is located about 50 miles east of Tampa.

Casildo-Acdiel was stopped because he didn’t have a light for the license plate on his trailer, the state highway patrol told FOX 13. But after searching his truck and trailer, troopers said they found 13 live iguanas, along with five containers of iced tilapia.

Pictures from the scene show a haphazard pile of iguanas with their feet zip-tied in the back of a truck. The iguanas were reportedly taken to a local shelter afterward.

Casildo-Acdiel was arrested and now faces a charge of driving with a suspended license, according to FOX 13. It remains unclear if he’ll be charged in connection with the reptiles.

Casildo-Acdiel told troopers he was visiting Florida to get coconuts from Miami and fish from Polk County before heading back to North Carolina, according to Fox 13.

It’s unclear if Casildo-Acdiel has obtained an attorney. The Independent was unable to identify his attorney for comment.

Iguanas aren’t native to the state and are considered an invasive species, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It’s illegal to introduce nonnative species into Florida.

Iguanas are often spotted falling from trees during cold spells in the Florida because low temperatures can temporarily paralyze them.

The reptiles can also bite both people and pets. Their bite wounds often require stitches, and bacteria found in iguanas’ mouths can sometimes cause severe infections, according to Critter Control.

A permit is required to “possess live captured green iguanas for eradication and control purposes,” the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s website states. Those who want to keep iguanas as pets are also required to obtain a permit through the state.

The Independent has contacted the Florida Highway Patrol and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission for comment.

Into the Lead, delivered by Screen Alliance North, supported 17 leaders from small and medium-sized enterprises in the North’s scripted screen sector.

Participants gained new skills and connections in areas such as developing original IP, exploring innovative formats, and securing funding.

Penny Hall, partnerships lead at Screen Alliance North, said: “Into the Lead has been a gamechanger for the scripted screen indies in the North, empowering leaders to dream bigger and act bolder and encouraging them to build a more sustainable future, one that embraces innovation and puts people, and the environment first.

Richelle Schuster delivering an Into the Lead session (Image: Andy Matheson Photography)

“Collaboration is no longer just a buzzword – it’s the driving force behind our brightest creative breakthroughs.”

The group also built a lasting peer network, which they described as “a powerhouse of advice, opportunity and unwavering support”.

One participant said: “This programme has arrived at exactly the right time, offering me space to reflect, not just on projects but on how to lead people and ideas in a shifting industry.”

Another added: “I can already see how the peer network created through this training will be an important source of support, insight and collaboration going forward.”

Delivered by Under The Moon Ltd and Creaticity Ltd, the programme ran from January to March this year and was funded by Screen Alliance North, a BFI Skills Cluster, supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funding.

The training included an in-person networking event and six learning modules featuring presentations, industry speakers, and collaborative challenges.

It focused on upskilling business leaders in good working practice, sustainability and inclusivity and helping them respond to shifting commissioning models, longer development cycles and growing pressure to diversify income.

Ruth Pitt, programme director, said: “Strong companies need strong leaders. Programmes like this are the lifeblood of creative business – powering survival, adaptation and dynamic growth.”

Sessions were delivered in partnership with BAFTA Albert and the BFI’s Workwise for Screen Programme.

The amount spent last year by Glasgow on hotels and bed and breakfast for the homeless was the highest ever.

Glasgow City Council spent a record sum of almost £70 million last year providing hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation to homeless people, mainly refugees.

Shock new figures released under Freedom of Information (FOI) show spending has more than tripled in the last four years. In the last financial year, 2025/26, the hotel and B&B bill was £67,815,500, compared to 45,292,346 in 2024/25, £26,724,422 in 2023/2 and £20,368,474 in 2023/23.

The same Glasgow City Council figures also show that 2773 homeless people are currently in hotel and bed and breakfast accommodation, of which 2030 are refugees.

The increase in spending has been blamed on a surge in migrants being given leave to remain after applying for asylum in the UK, after the Conservatives failed to process applications when they were in power.

Refugees have a legal right to be housed in Scotland that does not exist in England.

The FOI figures also show that 109 families with children are currently living in hotels and B&B and 2990 homeless people were refused temporary accommodation of any type last year.

The information was obtained by the Scottish Tenants Organisation (STO) who are calling instead for the money to be used to build modular prefabricated homes and more council housing.

The STO claim last year’s £67.8 million could instead build 1500 of the prefabs at £45,000 a time.

Campaign co-ordinator Sean Clerkin said:”These latest homeless statistics reveal that we are in the middle of a housing and homeless catastrophe in Glasgow where the profiteers of homeless misery got nearly £70 million from Glasgow City Council in 205/26.

“The number of refugees with the right to remain is still very high and Glasgow cannot cope with this without help.

“The only beneficiaries of this scandal are the owners of the hotels used to house the homeless.”

The STO are also calling for a summit involving the Home Office and the Scottish Government to come up with a proper plan for the homeless and to treat Glasgow as a special case.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson added;”It is the lack of social housing driving up homelessness costs as it forces councils to keep relying on expensive temporary accommodation.

“Building more would save money and prevent cuts to local services. Unless more social homes are built, the housing emergency will only get worse and local authorities cannot tackle it alone.

“The next government must provide more support to the areas that need it most.

“Everyone deserves a home, whether they are fleeing violence abroad or from a partner. Yet people in Glasgow have been failed for many years.”

One 55 year old woman, who asked not to be named, said she had lived in 15 different hotels and B&B in Glasgow in the last 14 months, after being made homeless last year.

The woman, who has a degree in Design and has worked as a college lecturer, says the standards of accommodation is poor and has been exposed to drugs, violence and other criminality.

She said:”I have asthma and the living conditions have made that worse.

“I have been offered crack cocaine and some of the women residents are targeted by kerb crawlers and men looking for sex.

“It can be quite a terrifying experience being in these places.”

As well as hotels and B&B homeless people can also be placed in furnished flats and shelters.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “We are very aware of the rising cost of our hotel accommodation bill which has tripled over the past few years.

“A proportion of emergency accommodation costs are recouped via housing benefit and dialogue with Scottish Government remains ongoing in seeking possible longer-term solutions.

“Routine efforts are made to share the burden across Scotland however due to demand, we have been required to expand the use of bed and breakfast accommodation to meet our statutory duties.

“Anyone who finds themselves unintentionally homeless has the right to apply for help from any local authority in Scotland.

“Glasgow’s historic reputation for helping support refugees makes us an attractive city and why many are travelling here to build a new life.”

Jamie Varley, 37, a minute later sent a second text to his boyfriend, John McGowan-Fazakerley, 32, saying: “Jokes. Just give me a call when done.”

The defendants had adopted 13-month-old Preston Davey at their home in Blackpool in April 2023, Preston Crown Court heard.

Varley, from Grimsargh, is accused of the murder of the child and McGowan-Fazakerley of allowing the death of the child, with both accused of sexual abuse, the trial, now in its second week, has heard.

The text messages were sent on July 10, just four days after Preston had been admitted to Blackpool Victoria Hospital for a third time, after earlier visits in May and June.

Preston Davey (Image: Lancashire Police)

On the morning of July 6 2023, Varley took Preston to hospital with an injury to his elbow.

He told hospital staff he was lowering the baby into his cot the night before when the child jumped or kicked his feet and he heard a pop or click in his left elbow.

An X-ray confirmed a small fracture and his arm was put in a cast.

Later the child’s social worker, Amy Shepherdson, who had been in contact with the hospital, texted Varley to say: “Just to reassure you they said they had absolutely no concerns.

“U absolutely did the right thing.”

Ms Shepherdson visited their home later that day, noting that Preston looked pale and was not himself, adding: “He tried to smile several times but then this changed to a very sad face and a little cry.”

Jurors were also shown a text exchange between Varley and his friend, Tanya Tingle, telling her: “We did it we think…not on purpose but caught him when falling.”

A day later the family had a home visit from Helen Magee, an independent reviewer from Oldham social services.

In her report of the visit, apparently addressed to the baby, she wrote: “You were happy there with both your daddies. And this made me ponder a little as to whether there was a problem that I couldn’t see. I decided there wasn’t an issue…”

Dr Alberto Elbo, an orthopaedic surgeon, treated Preston at the fracture clinic the following week, when Varley brought him in.

Jurors were shown notes from the meeting he had dictated which said he was told the injury to the arm was from Preston being placed and strapped in a car seat and nothing to do with a cot.

Peter Wright KC, prosecuting, asked Dr Elbo about this explanation involving a car seat.

Dr Elbo said: “That’s what dad told me. What I understood from that day was he was being strapped in his car seat. That’s all I had in my mind when I dictated that letter.”

Nick Johnson KC, defending Varley suggested to the witness he had been told the injury came about due to a “cot” not a “car”.

“I don’t think so,” Dr Elbo replied.

Preston was born on June 16 2022, immediately taken into care by Oldham Council, and placed with foster parents at five days old.

After undergoing an assessment and familiarisation process in early 2023 he was adopted and began living with the defendants on April 1 at their home.

Varley took a year off work as head of year and as a design and technology teacher at a local high school, South Shore Academy, to look after the child, but struggled as a new parent with a baby who frequently woke during the night and with his partner working long hours, the court heard.

During the four months the baby was under their adoption he was allegedly routinely ill-treated, had indecent images and videos taken of him, was sexually abused and physically assaulted.

On July 27 2023 Preston was again brought in to the hospital by the defendants, unconscious and in a state of cardiac arrest, and medics could not revive him.

Varley told police the child accidentally drowned in a bath, but this was inconsistent with the post-mortem examination which discovered the child had suffered 40 traumatic injuries, the court heard.

Varley denies murder, manslaughter, two counts of assault by penetration, five counts of cruelty to a child, grievous bodily harm, sexual assault of a child, 13 counts of taking indecent photos or videos of a child, one of distributing an indecent photo of a child, to his co-accused, and one of making an indecent photo.

McGowan-Fazakerley denies allowing the death of a child, three counts of child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child.

The trial was adjourned until Tuesday next week.

A cafe and treatment rooms are amongst the features set out in the proposal

A former chapel which dates back to 1803 could become a health and wellness facility under new plans. The Crescent Wellness Club has submitted an application to convert a Grade II Listed building, formerly Wesleyan Chapel and The Masonic Hall, on The Crescent in Wisbech into a health and wellness centre and cafe.

The applicant said it is is seeking to restore a historic building to its “full potential as a vibrant community hub focused on wellbeing, connection, and shared use.”

The developer added: “The Crescent Wellness Club (applicant’s business name) is a wellbeing and community-focused space in Wisbech, bringing a historic building back into active use while preserving its character. The space will provide a welcoming and inclusive environment supporting physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, alongside community and creative use.”

The application also wants to use the health facility as a community space. The centre would host mental health and wellbeing workshops, therapy and group support sessions, seasonal and community events and creative activities. Occasional event days are proposed to “bring people together”, with part of the profits proposed to be reinvested into local community projects.

If approved, the basement would be used for yoga, Pilates, reformer Pilates, and sound healing meanwhile the ground floor would feature a reception, a cafe offering locally sourced food and therapy and treatment rooms. On the first floor, dance and fitness classes, creative workshops and group wellbeing and therapy sessions are proposed.

If successful, the building would be open between 7am and 9pm on weekdays and from 8am to 6pm on weekends. The cafe would operate between 9am and 5pm and the therapy rooms would remain open between 9am and 5pm.

A heritage statement for the proposals states that the development seeks to “structurally strengthen elements, remove modern un-sympathetic alterations, erect new elements to increase the building footprint and in-turn its usability and reinstate original features”.

The proposals will be considered by Fenland District Council.

Manchester United face Liverpool on Sunday in what is always one of the biggest Premier League fixtures of the season and a win will guarantee Champions League football returns to Old Trafford next season.

There is plenty going on in M16 at the moment. United are targeting third in the Premier League and Michael Carrick is moving closer to landing the head coach job on a permanent basis.

There was another boost this week when Kobbie Mainoo signed a new five-year deal and plans are afoot to reshape the midfield in the summer, with a partner for Mainoo the top priority. So plenty to get stuck into and I’ve answered some of your questions on the current state of play at Old Trafford below.

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We run weekly question and answer sessions, so click here to submit your questions, and we’ll answer them next week. Here are the answers to some of this week’s questions:

Michael Carrick has produced tremendous results and we have all seen the positivity. Why are we still looking for another candidate?

Carrick is certainly the frontrunner for this job and, personally, I would be surprised if he didn’t get the job. But United insisted it would be a thorough process back in January and they intend to stick to that.

There are some unknowns around Carrick. He has been impressive, but it is still a small sample size really, and next season will offer a very different challenge, with more games and less time on the training ground.

United have looked at options and done due diligence on head coaches. They are aware some big names aren’t available. It feels like it’s down to Carrick, or going for one of those Premier League-proven options in Andoni Iraola or Oliver Glasner.

They both also have questions to answer in terms of stepping up to a bigger job, so the sensible option here looks to be Carrick.

Will we go for a big-name coach, but I think the job is too big for former players?

And here is the alternative view. I can understand why some supporters still harbour doubts about the 44-year-old. He wouldn’t have got this job in January without his distinguished, 464-game playing career at Old Trafford.

His record at Middlesbrough was okay, but it wasn’t screaming future Manchester United coach. He has taken his chance, however, and I actually think having experience of the club is a benefit. He has been a much calmer presence than both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, who were swallowed up by the size of the club.

Then there is who qualifies as a big-name coach. Thomas Tuchel, Julian Nagelsmann, Carlo Ancelotti and Luis Enrique all look to be out of reach for one reason or another.

We’ve seen some impressive Premier League bosses struggle when stepping up from those mid-level clubs recently, so Iraola and Glasner come with risks. That’s why all roads currently seem to lead to Carrick.

Instead of looking for expensive signings, can we not use current players at the academy and give them performance-related contracts?

I think we’ll see more academy players get chances next season. Midfield is certainly an area to watch, with Casemiro leaving and United likely to try and sell Manuel Ugarte.

There is a chance they try and sign three new midfielders, but I think the more likely course of action is to sign two and then use academy options as the sixth first-team option next season. Jim Thwaites impressed in Ireland and could do it, while Tyler Fletcher has been around the first team in the second half of the season. Jack Moorhouse is also well-liked at United.

The other one to watch next season is Shea Lacey. He turned 19 last month and is now a full-time member of the first team squad. He will get minutes next season.

Why would United not keep Casemiro, even if he only plays Premier League games or does 45 minutes in some games? He brings so much experience and knowledge.

There is a lot of love around for Casemiro at the moment and nobody seems ready to say goodbye, but that is what will be happening over the next four games.

The timing feels right. He is 34 now and is going out on a high. He has benefited this season from a reduced schedule, but won’t have that luxury next season.

And the reason he won’t stay for a reduced role is partly that he would probably want more, but mostly because it’s just not value for money. His salary would be around £350,000-a-year next season and with Ineos determined to cut the wage bill, that just doesn’t make sense for them.

Could Mason Greenwood play for Manchester United again?

We get a few questions on Greenwood here and there and you can understand why. He’s had another excellent season in France, with 25 goals and 10 assists in 42 games, but the chances of a return to Old Trafford are pretty much non-existent.

United tried to reintegrate him in the summer of 2023, but the backlash was fierce and they shelved those plans. They can’t and won’t try to do so again, regardless of his ability.

They could profit from a sell-on clause and there has to be a chance he moves on from Marseille, but it’s difficult to see any Premier League club signing him and they would pay the biggest fees.

May Day events took place across the United States in major cities like Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago and Washington DC.

More than a thousand protesters in the Los Angeles May Day Coalition marched through the streets of the city’s downtown in support of workers’ rights.

Meanwhile in New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised unions and called for stronger protections for working people at a rally in Washington Square Park.

Brent crude oil surged to US$126 (£94) a barrel after US president Donald Trump announced that he was willing to prolong the blockade of Iranian ports for “months if needed”. This conflict has been billed as a matter of who can absorb the most pain. And Trump is betting on it being the US.

Trump has been rather bullish in his public pronouncements of late, declaring that Iran is in a “state of collapse”. Reports that the country’s inflation rate has risen to 50% from 40% since the war began at the end of February would seem to back this assessment.

The damage done to Iran’s economy will be made worse if the country is forced to shut down oil production due to a lack of storage capacity, something Trump is also confident about. He told Axios: “The blockade is somewhat more effective than the bombing. They are choking like a stuffed pig.”

Now in its eighth week, the conflict is having knock-on effects throughout the region and beyond. Perhaps the most telling sign this week was the announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that it was quitting Opec, the oil producers’ cartel.

Adi Imsirovic, an energy expert at the University of Oxford, believes that while this decision has been brewing for some time – UAE and Opec’s de facto leader, Saudi Arabia, are at loggerheads over the civil war in Yemen and conflicts in Sudan and across the Horn of Africa. But the war has sharpened political sensibilities across the Gulf. Abu Dhabi has been unhappy about the lack of support from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) after being on the receiving end of intense bombardment from Iran.

Meanwhile, it has chafed under production quotas imposed by the cartel, which it sees as being well short – unfairly so – of its production capacity. When the Strait of Hormuz opens and countries begin to restock their reserves, UAE believes it can cash in on increased demand.

For Imsirovic, the episode reveals something deeper: as the transition by much of the world to retool their economies away from dependence on fossil fuels, big producers like the UAE worry about being left with oil in the ground that nobody wants. Hence the desire to pump out more oil without being constrained by Opec quotas.

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UAE’s departure from Opec tells a story about the limited future of oil production

Another question inevitably raised by the Middle East conflict and the chokehold that the Strait of Hormuz has over energy markets is why nobody has figured out an alternative route. After all, Iran has been threatening to close the strait whenever threatened since the early 1980s.

The fact is, various countries have figured out an alternative route, writes David B. Roberts of King’s College London; it’s just not big enough to cope. The East-West Pipeline (or Petroline) can pipe oil across the Saudi peninsula at a rate of 5-7 million barrels a day. This compares with an estimated 20 million barrels that transit the Strait of Hormuz in normal times.

The Abu Dhabi crude oil pipeline, which takes oil from the Habshan onshore field in Abu Dhabi and runs to Fujairah on the Gulf of Oman handles less than 2 million barrels per day. Both pipelines have been damaged by Iran during the war. And both were operating before the Strait of Hormuz was closed, so the idea that these pipelines can replace the strait is not feasible.

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What alternatives do Gulf states have to the Strait of Hormuz?

Trump assassination attempt

It was shocking and depressing to read of another apparent attempt on the US president’s life – the third in two years – at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday. It was the first of these dinners that Trump had attended since 2011 when he was famously the butt of Barack Obama’s jokes in the by-now familiar comedy “roast” that is traditionally a highlight of the evening.

A man armed with two guns and a knife attempted to enter the ballroom where the dinner was being held, so the principals were evacuated and the dinner broke up in disarray. It later emerged that the would-be assassin had written a “manifesto” in which he revealed his hatred for the US president.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blamed what she called “hateful and constant and violent rhetoric directed at President Trump”, which she said had “helped to legitimise this violence and bring us to this dark moment”. She pointed the finger at the US Democrats and “some in the media”.

Seeking to link the assassination attempt to political rhetoric is a pretty direct attack on the first amendment to the US constitution, which protects free speech, writes Eliza Bechtold, a US constitutional law expert at the University of Oxford. The Trump administration has a track record of lionising the first amendment when it suits them (the January 6 US Capitol rioters were characterised by some as peaceful protesters exercising first amendment rights). But attacking the media or the Democrats for their criticisms of Trump’s administration is, writes Bechtold, a denial of everything the first amendment was designed to do.

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Trump uses assassination attempt to justify his assault on first amendment rights to free speech

But not everyone in Trump’s Maga movement is now singing from the authorised songbook, writes Clodagh Harrington of the University of Cork. First it was Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a fervent Trump fan in the House of Representatives, now a bitter critic – who jumped ship in 2025, largely due to what she sees as his mishandling of the Epstein files.

More recently, it has been former Fox host Tucker Carlson, who has gone from introducing Trump at election rallies in 2024, to apologising to the US public for “misleading” them into voting for Trump. For Carlson, it’s the Iran war that flies in the face of one of Trump’s core election promises: no new wars.

Mind you, Harrington notes, Carlson’s move may also be dictated by a dream to launch his own presidential run in 2028. A TV personality running for president? Well, it has been known.

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Is Trump losing the support of his Maga base?