Marvel praises Conway’s ‘undeniable and indelible impact’ of celebrated comic book writer who also worked for DC

Gerry Conway, a renowned comic book writer who helped create characters and stories for Marvel and DC, including the Punisher character in the Spider-Man comics, has died. He was 73.

In a Monday statement announcing his death, Marvel described Conway as a legendary comic book writer with a prolific career. He died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California, his wife, Laura Conway, told the Associated Press.

Continue reading...

Comedian pulled from stage in Birmingham about 45 minutes into performance and audience told to leave

A live show by comedian Peter Kay in Birmingham has been stopped after a “potential suspicious bag” was found around the venue.

The Utilita Arena Birmingham was evacuated and a 19-year-old man was taken into custody, West Midlands police said on Friday evening.

Continue reading...

• Arteta: ‘The difference in the leagues is night and day’

• Ødegaard likely to miss Fulham game with knee problem

Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions that Premier League sides are incapable of matching the levels hit by their European rivals, saying that freshness was key to Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain producing arguably the game of the season in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.

With the Arsenal manager stressing player availability will make the difference during a defining moment in the club’s history, he argued that English football’s competitiveness cannot be ignored when it comes to accusations that the quality of football has dropped.

Continue reading...

• Leeds 40-22 Wakefield

• Rhino half-back Jake Connor masterminds bruising win

Leeds Rhinos solidified their position at the Super League summit, with Jake Connor underlining his credentials as England’s starting half-back for this autumn’s World Cup as Brad Arthur’s side proved too strong for Wakefield Trinity.

Despite spending almost half an hour with 12 men thanks to three separate sin-binnings, the Rhinos were the superior outfit against a Wakefield side who would have gone joint-top with victory. But in the end, it was Leeds who remain clear in first place after another fine showing in front of a bumper Headingley crowd.

Continue reading...

It was the night all the nerves vanished into the ether, replaced by every track on the Leeds United soundtrack as Premier League survival was all but confirmed. It was all too easy to defeat rudderless and relegated Burnley, to put Leeds nine points clear of the relegation zone, with their rivals having four games remaining.

Anton Stach’s smart shot started the festivities before Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin provided the headline act to move Leeds above Newcastle into 14th and extend the gap to 18th-placed Tottenham. The final half an hour at Elland Road was boisterous as the supporters celebrated a crucial victory in what will be a hard-fought journey to safety.

Continue reading...

• Season resumes in Florida after five-week break

• Ferrari and McLaren aim to close gap on Mercedes

With Formula One returning after its early season enforced break, the Miami Grand Prix is proving an enticing prospect given most of teams used the time to work furiously on upgrades to their cars. Many of which are being deployed here. Intriguing enough were it not also for the updated regulations being given their debut outing and the threat of lightning storms on Sunday potentially causing a schedule change.

Five weeks have passed since the last round in Japan on 29 March after the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain GPs were cancelled because of the war in the Middle East, a break welcomed by many as an unexpected opportunity to assess their cars which are still very much a work in progress after the rule changes this season.

Continue reading...

Nearly 2,000-year-old artifact handed over by FBI matches piece missing from museum near Rome for decades

A nearly 2,000-year-old Roman grave marker discovered in a New Orleans backyard has now been returned to Italy.

The marble epitaph – dating back roughly 1,900 years – was officially handed over to Italian officials in Rome on Wednesday during a ceremony led by the FBI. The event also marked the repatriation of another antiquity recovered in the US, the agency said.

Continue reading...

• Semi-final poised at 7-7 after attritional 14th frame

• Shaun Murphy and John Higgins deadlocked at 8-8

Wu Yize and Mark Allen’s semi-final is poised at seven frames all after their afternoon session ended with the longest frame in World Snooker Championship history, clocking in at just over 100 minutes.

Allen began the afternoon trailing 6-2 overnight to an opponent high on confidence and belief, but fought back in style, winning five frames in a row to edge 7-6 ahead.

Continue reading...

Leo, who has criticized Trump’s hardline immigration policy, selected Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as state’s new bishop

• Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox

Pope Leo XIV has appointed a man who had once entered the United States as an undocumented immigrant, hidden in the trunk of a car, as the new bishop of West Virginia .

The pope approved the resignation of Bishop Mark E Brennan of Wheeling-Charleston, West Virginia, and selected Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala, 55, of Washington to take his place, reported OSV News .

Continue reading...