Jack Draper has withdrawn from the Madrid Open, where he reached the final last year, and the Italian Open due to a knee tendon injury.

The Brit has not completed a clay-court match this season after retiring from his opening round match in Barcelona against Tomas Martin Etcheverry as a result of the issue.

He did not play in the Monte Carlo Masters and has now pulled out of the next two Masters 1000 events on the surface, in the Spanish capital this week and in Rome next month.

The 24-year-old remains hopeful of playing at Roland-Garros in the second grand slam of the season, saying: “An aggravated tendon in my knee means I am not able to play in Madrid and Rome.

“It’s frustrating for sure but I am thankful it isn’t anything more serious, recovery is going well and I feel good about my chances of being fit for Roland Garros. I am looking forward to building momentum from there.”

The British No 2 has endured a frustrating eight-month spell, only playing one singles match over the second half of last season due to a troubling bone bruising injury in his left serving arm.

He has played a reduced calendar in 2026 thus far to manage that injury only to now be laid low by a right knee issue, which required heavy strapping before the final set in Barcelona. He retired when 4-1 down in the decider.

The former US Open semi-finalist has significant ranking points to defend over this section of the clay-court swing, having finished runner-up to Casper Ruud in the Madrid final last year and following that up with a run to the quarter-finals in Rome.

Failing to defend those ranking points means he will lose 850 and is likely to plummet outside the top 70 in the world rankings from his current position of 28th as a result. He will be unseeded at the French Open, which begins on 24 May, and likely for Wimbledon too.

After missing the clay Masters events his last chance to get match-fit before Roland Garros will come at either the ATP 500 event in Hamburg or ATP 250 in Geneva, both held the week before play begins in Paris.

The Madrid Open has seen several high-profile withdrawals, with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz both withdrawing with injuries and Emma Raducanu, who is struggling to recover from a viral illness, also pulling out.

Draper’s counterpart as British No 2, Sonay Kartal, announced later on Monday that she would miss the entire clay-court season as a result of a recurring back injury, which hampered her on her run to the last 16 at Indian Wells and forced her retirement.

The 24-year-old wrote: “Sadly my back injury hasn’t improved as quickly as I would’ve hoped which means no clay season for me this year.

“Thanks for all the messages over the last few weeks, means a lot. Can’t wait to play in front of a home crowd soon! See you on the grass.”

It’s that most promising time of year, when blossom perfumes the air, birds chirp, and market season swings into action in the UK capital. This weekend, two colourful events are offering the chance for visitors to slow down, shop locally, and rediscover the joy of being out in the city.

At Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, a new curated market is taking a stand against mass-produced, fast-shipped products and focusing on sustainability, ethical practices and handmade goods. The Ethical Edit, an ethical traders market, will bring together a line-up of independent makers and small brands working across ceramics, textiles, prints, clothing, natural skincare and more.

Meanwhile, across the city at King’s Cross, the Classic Car Boot Sale returns this weekend, transforming Granary Square, Lewis Cubitt Square and Coal Drops Yard into a high-energy celebration of vintage style, music and sustainable fashion.

Here, over 100 vintage traders will sit alongside more than 100 classic and heritage vehicles, creating a vibrant space where ethical fashion meets automotive heritage. 

“This year’s event has a real sense of momentum,” said Wayne Hemingway MBE, founder of Hemingway Design and co-founder of The Classic Car Boot Sale, which first launched in 2013. “It’s about great design, individuality and making sustainable choices feel exciting and accessible.” 

Read the full story here.

Image: Mykola Romanovsky

Locals raised concerns about noise from people gathering at night and potential increases in antisocial behaviour

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Locals have raised concerns about a shop opening soon in Peterborough that has applied for permission to sell alcohol. A meeting of Peterborough City Council’s Licensing Sub-Committee next week will consider whether a premises licence should be granted to the owner of the Londis Indigo, which is set to open in Northminster.

In his initial application, the shop’s owner, Mr Muthukumar Radhakrishnan requested a licence that would cover alcohol sales for off-site consumption and provide late-night refreshment into the early hours, every day of the week. This request met opposition from local residents, a number of whom submitted formal objections to the application.

The objections highlighted fears that the Londis shop’s license would lead to potential public nuisance issues, such as noise from customers gathering outside late at night and increases in antisocial behaviour.

Objectors also argued that, because the shop is located within a residential area where families live, the shop’s late-night hours could negatively impact residents’ quality of life.

Cambridgeshire Constabulary stepped in to mediate with the applicant. This resulted in a number of proposed amendments being added to the initial application in order to mitigate any potential risks relating to associated public nuisance and disorder.

These included revised opening hours from 6am to 2am, restrictions on selling single cans or high-strength alcohol above 6.5% ABV (except craft beers), and requirements for labelling all alcohol sold.

The Licensing Sub-Committee meeting will take place at Sand Martin House on April 24. It will consider the application based on its merits and in relation to the four licensing objectives: preventing crime and disorder, ensuring public safety, preventing public nuisance, and protecting children from harm.

Writing for Belfast Live, Minister Andrew Muir argues that climate action is an investment

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As we all continue to suffer the fallout of the conflict in Iran, it was surprising to see calls for Northern Ireland to roll back on our climate goals last week. If anything, we should be more determined than ever to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster that continues to hit all of our pockets.

As the Minister leading on climate policy, I am acutely aware of the scale and urgency of the challenge, but I am also optimistic and ambitious about the opportunities of climate action.

My vision for Northern Ireland would see us all share in the benefits of good green jobs, locally produced clean energy, warmer homes, a thriving environment which enables healthier and more active communities.

The evidence is clear that every pound we spend on climate action brings two to four times the economic and social benefit, whilst avoiding billions in climate damage.

Climate action is an investment, not a cost. Whilst some question our climate goals, I ask why they want to see Northern Ireland miss out on its share of the £57 billion of green growth that the CBI predicts will benefit the UK by 2030.

Since taking up office, I have been working hard for us to join our neighbours in delivering action to address the climate challenge.

I have published Northern Ireland’s third Climate Adaptation Programme to build resilience and protect our communities, natural environment and infrastructure from the worst impacts of climate change.

I have set our first three carbon budgets and interim emissions reduction targets with work well underway on Northern Ireland’s first Climate Action Plan that will ensure we meet our goals as we invest in clean energy, warm homes, public transport, active travel, support agriculture, our environment and the circular economy.

At the heart of this work must be a just transition to ensure fairness is at the core of decarbonisation. That’s why I have brought forward plans for a Just Transition Commission made-up of a cross-section of sectors and groups, which will help inform policy around climate action. I have also secured over £12m for a Just Transition Fund for Agriculture to assist farmers as they reduce emissions. We must leave no one behind on this journey.

The draft Climate Action Plan sets out a realistic, phased programme, based on the best available evidence and focused on what is affordable and deliverable. If we all work collectively towards these goals, we can realise the economic, social and environmental benefits for Northern Ireland for many years to come.

These are not abstract benefits. They translate to more stable household budgets, healthier communities, greater food and energy security and resilient local economies.

And the public knows this, with 74 per cent of people wanting to see politicians doing more to tackle climate change. Human-driven climate change is an undeniable fact, one that is practically undisputed by the scientific experts.

Temperatures are rising, extreme weather events are more frequent and intense, and the effects of Climate Change are already here on our shores.

We have just had our wettest January for 149 years, with 170 per cent of the average rainfall for that month; in July last year, Killowen in Co Down got almost a month’s worth of rain in one afternoon; and Storm Eowyn was our most significant storm event for over 25 years, with over 240,000 homes and businesses without power.

At Lough Neagh, climate change is contributing to the blue-green algae blooms, which, for successive summers, have blighted its waters with all of those consequences for drinking water, recreation and livelihoods around the Lough.

Climate change is also being felt by our food and farming sector, with the recent sustained period of wet weather impacting the harvesting of crops and the storage of slurry on farms. There is also a direct correlation with the arrival of Bluetongue, as warmer temperatures encourage new animal diseases.

I will not roll back on our commitment to the public to meet our climate goals, which were unanimously agreed when the Climate Change Act was passed at Final Stage in 2022. Not only would it mean missing out on the many benefits of climate action, but it also means leaving constituents vulnerable to climate damage and a volatile fossil fuel market.

In the face of escalating climate impacts and international uncertainty, my message is clear: we must take climate action to safeguard a more prosperous future for our people and communities.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

MS NOW host Jen Psaki has handed her fellow Democrats a reality check over their dreams of seeing President Donald Trump removed from power via the 25th Amendment, saying it is simply not going to happen.

Psaki, who was Joe Biden’s first White House press secretary before joining the network, was appearing on Stephen A Smith’s Straight Shooter show on SiriusXM when she was asked about the prospect of the constitutional mechanism being deployed to remove Trump from the Oval Office on mental health grounds.

“I have no issue with people saying they’re for invoking the 25th Amendment, but it’s not going to happen,” Psaki told Smith. “So, it’s like, why are we spending so much time, you know?”

New York Democratic Rep. Daniel Goldman became the latest to issue that call this weekend in response to a Wall Street Journal report alleging that the president was excluded from a military briefing about the daring rescue mission to retrieve two U.S. airmen downed in Iran because of his erratic temperament.

The newspaper described Trump engaging in an hours-long tantrum, raging that a failed rescue could mean the end of his presidency, prompting Goldman to say on X (Twitter): “The commander-in-chief was excluded from commanding a military operation because he was acting so crazy.

“Think about that. Trump is not well. We need the 25th Amendment before something really bad happens on U.S. soil.”

Fifty House Democrats introduced legislation last week that would allow Congress to study the president’s fitness for office and move to remove him using the amendment, amid rising concern about his violent rhetoric towards Tehran and bizarre digs at Pope Leo XIV.

If passed, the bill would create a commission to assess whether the emergency amendment should be invoked, an outcome that in reality stands little chance of ever being realized, given that it would require the approval of the vice president and a majority of the cabinet before it could be enacted.

Prior to that, former CIA director John Brennan had told Ali Veshi on Psaki’s own network that the clause was explicitly written with the likes of the current president “in mind.”

The same calls have also come from rebels on the right like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Candace Owens, and Alex Jones, all of whom have openly demanded Trump’s ousting.

“How do we 25th Amendment his ass?” Jones asked on his InfoWars show recently, responding, like others, to Trump’s increasingly wild rhetoric over Tehran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has caused global oil prices to spike.

Elsewhere in her interview with Smith, Psaki said that many Democrats feel “their entire identity is being questioned and challenged” by the president and his policies, leading to what the man himself has long diagnosed as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The pundit said that, for many, a way for them to be able to “consider themselves progressive” in these trying times is by “scream[ing] at the top of [their] lungs about everything that comes out of the Trump administration.”

She acknowledged that while she herself is “outraged by a lot of it… I don’t think screaming about every single thing is the most constructive thing” as it ultimately amounts to little more than background noise that can be ignored, unlike more targeted criticisms.

Brock Lesnar has hinted at a retirement from professional wrestling, after leaving his gloves and boots in the ring on Sunday.

Lesnar, 48, had competed in the first match of the second night of WrestleMania 42 – the latest edition of WWE’s annual showpiece event.

Going up against rising star Oba Femi, Lesnar lost a short but entertaining match, with the fans in Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium showing their delight at the result.

However, there were mixed emotions after the final bell, when Lesnar sat on the ring canvas and removed his boots and mixed-martial-arts-style gloves.

“Thank you, Brock,” was the chant from the crowd as Lesnar embraced his longtime friend Paul Heyman, a writer on WWE’s creative team who has played the role of Lesnar’s manager – on and off – for more than 20 years.

WWE share two clips of Lesnar’s post-fight actions, first writing, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING, BROCK?!” then adding: “What’s next for The Beast?!”

It was expected that Lesnar might retire at WWE’s second-biggest show of the year, SummerSlam, given it will take place in his home city of Minneapolis, Minnesota in August.

That could still be the case, especially given fellow WWE star Gunther is currently going by the nickname “Career Killer”.

Sunday’s moment may simply set up a proper retirement angle later this year, with Lesnar taking on Gunther in Minneapolis, as the latter looks to retire another legend – having beaten John Cena and AJ Styles in their final matches over the last several months.

Lesnar made his name in the WWE in the early 2000s, as he was quickly pushed into a prominent position and made a world champion in the promotion. However, this first stint in the company was short lived, with Lesnar leaving in 2004.

An attempted NFL career failed, but he ventured into mixed martial arts and became the UFC heavyweight champion in 2008, holding the title until 2010. He returned to WWE in 2012 and has starred in the promotion on and off ever since.

In 2025, Lesnar was named in a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant against former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, who continues to fight the suit. Grant, a former WWE employee, filed a new 40-page affidavit this month, accusing McMahon of rape, coercion, and physical and mental abuse.

Although the lawsuit alleges Lesnar was complicit, he has not been accused of any direct abuse. He has also never commented publicly on the allegations. The Independent has approached a representative of Lesnar for comment.

A fierce inheritance battle ignited after a brother claimed he dropped his ‘film industry’ career to look after his parents but his siblings branded him a ‘disappointment’ and ‘financial drain’

A man dubbed a “parasite” by his siblings for “lounging around watching movies non-stop” while his elderly mum looked after him is locked in a £600,000 inheritance battle.

Robert Chung, 62, moved back into his parents’ Essex home more than 30 years ago and stayed there until his dad and mum died. The son claimed the house was promised to him because he gave up a “well-paid” job in the “film industry” to care for them when he was still in his 30s. Robert claimed he sacrificed his career to work in a Job Centre for over two decades while looking first after his dad, Victor, and mum, Irene Chung, until her death in 2016.

A massive row broke out after his successful siblings – senior accountant Marina Bennett, 60, and IT manager Richard Chung, 58 – argued the house and the rest of her estate should be split three ways.

The siblings labelled Robert a “disappointment” and a “financial drain” on their parents who never cared for them. They also claimed the mum had actually cared for Robert by cooking his meals and washing his clothes while her health deteriorated.

The brother and sister dubbed Robert a “pathological liar” with a “grandiose view” of himself, who never properly flew the nest and whose claims of involvement in the “film industry” amounted to a job in a Blockbuster video shop. Central London County Court heard Victor and Irene Chung brought up their three children in a three-bed detached home, now worth about £400,000, in South Woodford.

Barrister Faisel Sadiq, representing Robert’s siblings, told Recorder Lawrence McDonald that they had always instilled a sense of “self-reliance” in their children. But while Marina and Richard had gone off to forge successful careers – Marina in the US and Canada, and Richard in London – Robert had been a “disappointment.”

Robert had moved out of the family home to Berkshire but moved back in 1990. Giving evidence, Robert told the judge that he went back home because he had been asked to do so to provide care for his elderly parents.

His father had cancer and died in 1998, but asked that he stay on to look after his mum, who Robert said needed help with cooking and cleaning. He claimed both his parents promised that if he did he’d get the house, but that a will his mother drew up in his favour during her final days was not executed before her death in 2016.

As she died intestate, her estate was to be split three ways with his two siblings, leading to an eviction notice from the professional administrator of the estate, sparking Robert’s court fight for ownership of the house. Representing himself, he said he had acted to his detriment in moving back home in 1990, leaving behind his “film industry” job.

Robert told the judge: “I didn’t want to end up working in a Job Centre, but that’s what I did for 22 years. That’s a choice I made for my parents.” Outside court, he said he had worked for Blockbusters, but had also written promotional copy for movies and also worked in merchandising.

Mr Sadiq however said it was his siblings’ case that no promises were made about the house and it would have been out of character for their parents to have done so. He also claimed the parents did not need, nor get, any care from their son but he became a “financial drain”.

The barrister added that Robert’s claim of moving back in because his dad had been diagnosed with cancer was “simply untrue” as the diagnosis was not until 1992. He said: “Our case is that you were the son that was a bit of a disappointment, who didn’t leave home and was financially dependent on his parents.”

He added: “Your father didn’t need or get any care from you at any point before he died. His cancer did not lead to him needing any care, save for the last month of his life. Your mother didn’t need any help or care until the last couple of years. She remained the strong, determined woman she had been.

“In fact it was the position that it was your mother who looked after you until the last year of her life. She cooked your meals, did your laundry. When her health deteriorated, you didn’t provide her with the care she needed, did you? You provided your mum with no care. You didn’t feed her, didn’t really deal with her dirty clothes, and you left the house a tip.”

Responding, Robert denied that, telling the judge that he always made sure his mum’s clothes were clean and arranged her meals before he left for work. In her evidence, Marina said she had been a regular visitor of her mum even after she emigrated to North America, but missed 2015 and been shocked when she came home the following year.

The sister said: “She had lost 30lbs in weight. For someone supposedly looking after mum, Robert Chung had failed.” She described her brother as a “pathological liar” and accused him of “just lounging in the living room watching movies non-stop, with mum doing everything around you”.

She said: “Robert has a grandiose view of his importance. He boasts he was self-employed when in reality he worked in a video store.” Addressing him directly, she added: “Mum and dad wanted you to live on your own and have your own house. They would have supported you in that respect, but everything I have seen so far doesn’t support a promise that you would have the house.”

Denying she hates her brother, Marina told the judge she instead ignores him, as she has done since she was a small child, because to dislike him “would require energy and emotion.” But Robert told the judge that the evidence of his sister and brother should be treated with caution due to the obvious bad feeling between them and the fact they will benefit financially if he doesn’t get the house.

After a week in court, Recorder McDonald reserved his decision on the dispute until a later date. The case has been brought by the professional administrator of Irene Chung’s estate, who is asking the judge to rule that Robert has to get out of the house so it can be sold and the proceeds divided up.

Robert is defending the possession claim, while counterclaiming for ownership of the house on the basis of the alleged promises made to him by his parents. The administrator is also claiming almost £200,000 from Robert on behalf of the estate in rent for the years he has remained in the house since first being asked to leave after his mum’s death.

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A meeting of the local authority’s communities committee is due to take place on April 27 to deliberate the plans, which could see the rink replaced by a play and fitness area.

Concerned Monklands skaters have hit out at council proposals to close the ice rink at The Time Capsule leisure facility in Coatbridge.

A meeting of the local authority’s communities committee is due to take place next Monday, April 27, to deliberate the plans, which could see the rink replaced by a play and fitness area.

Members of North Lanarkshire Figure Skating Club say the ice rink is a “vital training ground” and its closure would “remove a key pillar of sporting infrastructure in the area”, while Coatbridge politician Fulton MacGregor has called on people to “make their voice heard” regarding the proposals.

An online petition against the plans has also been launched and gathered nearly 3700 signatures.

Janet Maxwell, a North Lanarkshire Figure Skating Club committee member, said: “While play facilities are already well provided for and, in many cases, saturated, across the area, ice rinks are extremely limited resources that serve a much smaller but highly dedicated user base.

“As a committee member of North Lanarkshire Figure Skating Club, as well as a parent of a competitive skater who trains at the rink, I was extremely concerned and disappointed to learn that this proposal has come forward, particularly as this is the first that many of us within the skating community have heard of it.

READ MORE: John Smith Pool in Airdrie finally reopens after 16-month closure

“This rink is not just a leisure facility; it is a vital training ground that has helped develop local talent over many years.

“Skaters from this very rink have gone on to compete at high levels, including performances in Disney on Ice productions and other competitive achievements. Removing such a facility would not only disrupt current development pathways but would also significantly limit future opportunities for young people in the area.”

Gemma Chaddock, a North Lanarkshire Figure Skating Club coach, added: “Our club is proud to support a thriving community of approximately 60 members, all of whom are female.

“At a time when participation rates for women and girls in sport remain significantly lower than for their male counterparts, our club represents a rare and vital success story within North Lanarkshire. The ice rink itself is an essential facility that serves a broad age range.

“Removing this facility would disproportionately impact these age groups and further reduce accessible pathways into sport.

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“For these athletes, the Time Capsule rink is not simply a recreational venue—it, is a critical training base and a stepping stone towards representing Team GB on the global stage, including potential Olympic participation.”

Meanwhile, Coatbridge politician Fulton MacGregor posted on Facebook: “We need to understand the impact of closing such a well used resource on the groups that use it and the communities it serves. No decision has been taken yet so it’s therefore important that if you are likely to be affected by these changes, or you are affiliated with a club that uses it, that your voice is heard.

“You can email me on fulton.macgregor@snp.org and I’ll make sure your views are passed to councillors.”

And Mr MacGregor told Lanarkshire Live: “No-one seemed to know about this. The council seems to have effectively said, lets just close this and then let people know.

“There is nowhere else nearby for people to go and losing this facility would be a major blow.

“The strength of feeling has blown me away and I am sure this will lead to these plans not being approved.”

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Council leader Jim Logue said “As part of the budget in February, the council agreed to an investment of £2.5m to modernise the Time Capsule with a view to increasing the number of users thus ensuring long term community and commercial viability.

“Leisure Industry Consultants were commissioned to look at all possible options to effect such changes.

“Their report highlighted that the Time Capsule was opened in 1991 and that a number of areas now required significant attention and investment. It also highlighted the decreasing amount of customers using the ice rink, with an annual reduction of over 14 per cent year on year with the overwhelming use now being confined to skating and ice hockey clubs.

“As such, the removal of the ice rink area would allow greater flexibility to attract more individual users to the facility.

“I appreciate that this will be disappointing news for the private clubs but to sustain future leisure facilities, at a time of less grant funding, there is a compelling need to maximise the number of users in every leisure facility.”

A North Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: “A report will be discussed at the communities committee on April 27.”

To sign the petition, visit www.change.org and search for “Time Capsule Ice Rink”.

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