Friday, July 1, 2016

Tensions emerge over UK-EU trade negotiations

UK and EU politicians have given very different accounts of how the UK's Brexit negotiations should proceed.
The EU's Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmstrom, says the UK cannot begin negotiating trade terms with the bloc until after it hasleft.
"First you exit then you negotiate," she told BBC Newsnight.
But the BBC understands other EU Commission officials privately believe it is "inconceivable" that trade talks would not start before the UK's exit.
One of the candidates to be next UK prime minister, Liam Fox, called Ms Malmstrom's stance "bizarre and stupid", saying the Brexit talks would include trade.
But the BBC's Chris Morris in Brussels says Ms Malmstrom's view of two consecutive sets of negotiations appears technically correct.
At the EU summit this week the 27 government leaders - without the UK - agreed Brexit "divorce" talks should begin and end before any talks on a new settlement for the UK, Chris Morris says.
Brussels sources told our correspondent there was a real determination among the leaders not to mix the two.

Manchester United is delighted to announce the Swedish international striker Zlatan Ibrahimović.

Ibrahimović, 34, made 180 appearances for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring 156 goals. He has won championships in four different leagues since beginning his professional career with Malmo in 1999. Zlatan represented his country 116 times, scoring 62 goals, before announcing his retirement from international football last month.

Zlatan Ibrahimović said:

"I am absolutely delighted to be joining Manchester United and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League. It goes without saying that I cannot wait to work with Jose Mourinho once again. He is a fantastic manager and I am ready for this new and exciting challenge. I have thoroughly enjoyed my career so far and have some great memories. I am now ready to create more special memories in England."

Jose Mourinho said:

"Zlatan needs no introduction. The statistics speak for themselves. Ibra is one of the best strikers in the world and a player who always gives 100 per cent. He has won the most important league championships in the world of football, now he has the opportunity to play in the best league in the world and I know he will grasp this opportunity and will work hard to help the team win titles. I am certain that his talent will delight fans at Old Trafford next season and that his experience will be invaluable in helping to develop the younger players in the squad."

Manchester City confirm signing of Nolito from Celta Vigo

Manchester City have beaten Barcelona to the signing of Nolito, with the forward choosing to work under Pep Guardiola again after previously doing so at the Catalan club.
Nolito, 29, was given his Barça debut by Guardiola in the 2010-11 season when the Spaniard was in charge at the Camp Nou. Barcelona were intent on taking him back to the club, whom he opted to leave to join Benfica in 2011, before moving to Celta Vigo in 2013. But in an indicator of Guardiola’s attraction it is understood that Nolito decided to join City from Celta instead, the club triggering his release clause of around £14m and the player agreeing a four-year contract.
Guardiola is also targeting the Ukrainian forward Oleksandr Zinchenko, who plays for Ufa in Russia. If the 19-year-old, who became Ukraine’s youngest ever scorer with a goal against Romania in May, is added to Guardiola’s squad he is likely to be loaned out.
Nolito becomes Guardiola’s second major signing as City coach, following Ilkay Gündogan. Nolito said: “I’m very fortunate that it was he who handed me my debut at Barcelona. I know him a little, I was with him for a short while whenever he got me to train with the first team or included me in the playing squad. I think that Pep Guardiola is one of the best managers in the world. He knows a lot about the game and he’s going to help me progress as a player and I’m sure he’ll get the best out of me.”
Txiki Begiristain, who was Barça’s director of football for most of his time at the club, will be another familiar face. Nolito said: “It was a really satisfying feeling when I heard of City’s and Pep’s interest in me, and also that of Txiki. It’s something I’m really excited about and so here we are.”
Nolito started all of Spain’s matches at Euro 2016 and scored against Turkey in the 3-0 group game win.
Of his ambitions at City, Nolito, who will wear the No9 shirt, said: “I hope to perform well when I get the chance to feature and to be amongst the goals of course. Let’s hope that I can score whenever I make my debut, but firstly that we win the game. That would then be the dream debut and the perfect start.”
He also pointed to the influence of his grandparents, who raised him. “I was brought up by my grandfather and grandmother, they helped to educate me and they provided everything they possibly could for me. For that I am really proud of them and grateful for all they have done and continue to do for me. My grandfather was like a father to me and it was he who bought me my first football.
“They really are a motivation to me, because when you think back to going through more difficult times, by comparison now life is a lot easier. I remember that my grandad was just like a father to me and that he always used to take me along to training and pay my subs as a kid to the local teams in my town when he had to. You never forget stuff like that.
“I’m from Sanlúcar de Barrameda, a town in the south of Spain. From as far back as I can remember I’ve always loved playing football. It’s been the same right through until today.”

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Hatem Ben Arfa on a two-year deal.


Ben Arfa, 29, was out of contract at Nice and the French champions have beaten off competition from a number of European clubs to sign the player.

The France international, who scored 17 goals and provided six assists in Ligue 1 for Nice last season, is thrilled to have made the move to the French capital.

"Signing with Paris Saint-Germain is a very happy and a proud moment," Ben Arfa told PSG's official website. "Paris Saint-Germain has always been a very special team for me, so to wear this jersey at the Parc des Princes is a childhood dream.

"It is an honour that the club is giving me this opportunity, making this dream come true. I will do my utmost to represent my new team to the best of my abilities and to make our supporters proud.

"Finally, I would like to thank OGC Nice, who helped me get back to enjoying my football again and gave me another chance to show French fans what I am capable of on the pitch."

Hatem Ben Arfa impressed for Nice last season.
PSG chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi added: "I am happy to welcome such a talented player as Hatem Ben Arfa to our club. For numerous years now, Hatem has been a major player in French football and was one of the most brilliant players in Ligue 1 last season.

"Our fans have been anticipating the arrival of a player of his style and I know he will provide them with a lot of excitement on the field. With his support, Paris Saint-Germain reaffirms its commitment to develop a spectacular style of football."

Ben Arfa, who has also played for Lyon, Marseille, Newcastle and Hull, will be keen to impress new PSG boss Unai Emery after he succeeded Laurent Blanc last month.

His career looked to have plummeted before his arrival at Nice, with his time in England ending with a failed loan spell to Hull after a falling out with then-Newcastle manager Alan Pardew, who left the Frenchman to train with the club's reserves.

Ben Arfa could soon be joined by Grzegorz Krychowiak at the Parc des Princes, with the Poland international expecting to soon have news about whether his proposed move from Sevilla will be completed



Thursday, June 30, 2016

Theresa May's bid to become Conservative leader has won the backing of two more cabinet ministers


Theresa May's bid to become Conservative leader has won the backing of two more cabinet ministers and the Daily Mail.
Michael Fallon and Patrick McLoughlin are backing the home secretary

Over 70 MPs now support her, including cabinet ministers Chris Grayling, Justine Greening and David Mundell.
Meanwhile, fellow contender Michael Gove is to make the first speech of his campaign to become Tory leader, after announcing his candidacy on Thursday.
Rivals Stephen Crabb, Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox are also in the running to lead the Conservative party and become UK prime minister.

The five contenders have until Tuesday to build support among the 329 Conservative MPs before the first round of voting. The MP with the fewest votes will be eliminated, one at a time, until two remain. They will then go to a vote of the wider party membership.
The winner of the contest is set to be announced on 9 September.
Mr Gove was a surprise addition to the race, having been expected to back Boris Johnson, who shocked the political world by ruling himself out on Thursday.
The Daily Mail backed the home secretary with its front page on Friday, saying "A party in flames and why it must be Theresa".
With "Westminster increasingly resembling a madhouse", says the paper, "what the country needs most is a solid and steady hand on the tiller."

Cabinet colleagues Michael Fallon and Patrick McLoughlin declared their backing for the home secretary's campaign.
Mr Fallon, the defence secretary, said she was the right person to steer the country through "the serious challenges we now face".

He said: "Theresa is the best person to lead our exit from the EU so that we reduce immigration and regain sovereignty while protecting our hard won economic growth."
Writing in the Sun, Mr McLoughlin said Mrs May had "the 'it' factor".

The transport secretary added: "We know that the next prime minister needs to forge a deal from the EU as we shape our brighter future in the rest of the world.
"And her track record shows that when Theresa arrives in Brussels, Europe's bosses sit up and listen.

Poland 1-1 Portugal (3-5 on pens): Quaresma sends Seleccao into semi-final

Ricardo Quaresma was Portugal's hero for the second game running as he capitalised on Jakub Blaszczykowski's missed spot-kick to seal a 5-3 penalty shootout win over Poland in the Euro 2016 quarter-finals.
Substitute Quaresma scored the only goal as Portugal, who have reached the semi-finals without winning a game in 90 minutes, defeated Croatia in the last 16.
And the winger rifled his spot-kick high into the goal after Rui Patricio had got down low to his left to push aside Blaszczykowski's effort at the Stade Velodrome after the match had finished 1-1 after extra time in Marseille.
It could easily have been a different story for Poland - who had beaten Switzerland on penalties in the last round - as Robert Lewandowski, much maligned for a series of poor performances throughout the tournament, netted the second-quickest goal in Euros history to end a 645-minute wait for a European Championship goal.
Portugal levelled just after the half-hour, though, as Renato Sanches - man of the match off the bench versus Croatia - marked his first international start by becoming the youngest scorer in a Euros knockout match.
And Portugal were left celebrating after the shootout, the miss particularly harsh on Blaszczykowski, who scored twice earlier in the competition and has been so influential in Poland's best showing at a European Championship.
Wales or Belgium now await Portugal in the last four. 
Both teams played 120 minutes in their last-16 ties, but Poland showed no signs of weariness early on and stormed ahead after 140 seconds.
Cedric misjudged a looping pass and Kamil Grosicki raced down the left before centring for Lewandowski, who clinically side-footed into the left corner from 10 yards.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani were largely isolated by Poland's stern defence early on, but the momentum slowly shifted Portugal's way, the former flashing a shot at Lukasz Fabianski from the edge of the box before seeing penalty claims waved away after being bundled to the ground by Michal Pazdan.
And the leveller came in the 33rd minute. Nani's clever flick set up Sanches and his 25-yard left-foot effort took a slight deflection before nestling in the right of the goal past a despairing Fabianski.
There was little to split the teams at the start of the second half, but Ronaldo will feel he should have done better after being slipped in on the left of the area and shooting straight into the side-netting.
Ronaldo then fluffed his lines from eight yards with an air shot after finding space to meet Nani's low ball, before Cedric flashed a 25-yard effort past the left-hand post.
Portugal almost got lucky when Artur Jedrzejczyk's attempted clearance came close to finding Fabianski's bottom left corner, while the luckless Ronaldo failed to make contact with Joao Moutinho's sublime ball over the top.
Neither team was able to make the breakthrough in regulation time, though, and there were few talking points in a drab extra time - the match pausing briefly due to an ill-advised pitch invader.
That meant penalties were required to settle the affair with Ronaldo and Lewandowski setting the tone for a fine shootout with excellent penalties.

Zlatan deal could be end of Rooney


The message was short and simple from Zlatan Ibrahimovic as he announced his imminent arrival at Old Trafford, but the details and consequences are still to be discovered. The 34-year-old becomes a United player late in his career but no less perfect for the role Jose Mourinho needs to fill in the season ahead.
Under Louis van Gaal last term, United was largely toothless in attack. Wayne Rooney, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford all had various spells of success as the main striker but none of it was ever sustained enough to suggest that any of the trio could play 40 games and score 25 or more goals in a Mourinho line-up.
Zlatan’s arrival speaks to the need for a winner, it speaks to the desire Mourinho has for making a real statement, and it also says much about Rooney’s slipping crown.
In 2015-16, it was Rooney who was the focal point. Van Gaal spoke regularly about the elevated position the England captain had in his squad.
"I have not bought a striker because of Rooney and Martial, because they could play in the striker position, and because Rooney is the captain he shall always play," the Dutchman told reporters in one of his many addresses on the subject. In every one, he made it clear that Rooney was as close as possible to undroppable.
But that will not be the case under Mourinho, and definitely not now Zlatan is on the way. Rooney has spent the last two months since his return from a knee injury playing as a midfielder for both club and country. While he has shone at times, his failures in the role have been stark.
The latest of those came in England’s ignominious Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland on Monday night. The symbolism involved in United snapping up a figurehead striker such as Ibrahimovic within three days of its skipper’s latest low says much about the potential for a quick decline in Rooney’s force between now and the end of his career.
Judging by his overall form in midfield so far, Mourinho will still need a great deal of convincing that Rooney has what it takes to pull his weight in the engine room for 40 to 50 games a season. And given that much of his redeployment came as a result of his inconsistencies in the forward line, there are further reasons for the England captain to worry about his place in the United side.
But as Mourinho usually looks to a 4-2-3-1 as his formation of choice, there is still a window of opportunity for the 30-year-old. If he can show that he can work with Ibrahimovic as a No.10, then there is reason for belief still. While Ibra’s quality as a No.9 cannot be doubted, and as such whatever hope Rooney harbored of being United’s star forward again has gone, there is still at least one spot he can fight for.
However, the leash is unlikely to be anywhere near as long as the one that Van Gaal held, with the Portuguese keen to bring immediate success to Old Trafford following United’s three lean years in the Premier League race. Whichever area of the pitch he decides to call home, Rooney needs to raise his game to earn a prolonged role in the United first team, and Zlatan is a very loud reminder of exactly that. Aside from a spell of seven goals in seven games at the beginning of the calendar year, Rooney’s impact last season was negligible.
He will not be allowed to get away with such ineffectiveness again under his new boss. And if he didn’t know that before Zlatan announced his arrival in Manchester, he certainly knows it now.

Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson says he won't run for prime minister

Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson says he won't run for prime minister

Boris Johnson, one of the leading voices in the Brexit campaign and the man considered to be the favorite to replace outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron, delivered a bombshell Thursday when he announced he didn't want the job. Living up to his reputation as a political maverick, the former London mayor outlined the demands of the role over the course of a lengthy speech in London and then said: "Having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in Parliament, I have concluded that that person cannot be me The charismatic Conservative MP played a decisive role in the campaign to lead Britain out of the European Union -- an endeavor many saw as partly an effort to position himself as the future leader of the ruling Conservative Party, and of the country. Boris Johnson: The eccentric who shunned power The announcement drew a stunned response across the UK and beyond. On social media, it was met with disbelief and anger. Since the unexpected Leave vote sent the pound tumbling, hurt global markets and inspired renewed talk of Scottish independence, many have seen Britain as a casualty of Johnson's now-thwarted leadership ambitions. "I am very surprised Boris Johnson ran the campaign to get us out of the EU and didn't have the guts to re establish the country! Odd move," tweeted entrepreneur Mark Wright. Wright said Johnson obviously did not truly want a Brexit. "He wanted a close race to show campaign leadership skills for a PM move later on. At what cost to us(?)," he tweeted. Labour MP Jo Stevens responded with disgust, describing Johnson as "narcissism personified." "Cameron & Boris Johnson wrecked the UK. And now neither will take any responsibility," she tweeted.

Southampton appoint Frenchman as manager on three-year deal

Southampton appoint Frenchman as manager on three-year deal

The 54-year-old Frenchman, who left the Ligue 1 club in May after four years in charge, has signed a three-year contract with Saints. He replaces Ronald Koeman, who took over at Everton on 16 June. Saints executive director of football Les Reed described the search for a new manager as "diligent and meticulous" and that the "process eliminated a number of excellent candidates". Southampton considered ex-Roma boss Rudi Garcia, while a move for former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini was not pursued after initial talks. "Claude clearly came out on top of a very impressive shortlist," added Reed. e He added that the Puel would "meet our needs as a club" while "taking account of our culture, vision and values". Eric Black, Aston Villa's caretaker manager last season following Remi Garde's sacking, joins Puel as assistant manager with former Boulogne coach Pascal Plancque as assistant first-team coach. Coach Sammy Lee has left the back-room team. Following finishes of eighth and seventh, Southampton finished sixth in the Premier League last season, which earned them a place in the Europa League. Reed said the club's aim was to "repeat and improve on our performances in the Premier League", adding that Puel's Champions League experience would be "valuable" in their European campaign.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed he will sign for Manchester United

Former Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has confirmed he will sign for Manchester United after leaving Paris St-Germain. The 34-year-old was out of contract after four years at the French champions. He will link up again with his former Inter Milan boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford. "Time to let the world know. My next destination is Manchester United," he wrote on his Instagram account. United, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League, have yet to confirm the move

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Lukaku 'Bale is better than Hazard'

Jordan lukaku, Romelu's little brother and left back in Belgium's Euro 2016
squad, has made some interesting remarks, stating that the thinks Gareth
Bale is better than his teammate Eden Hazard.
"Bale is for me perhaps slightly higher than Hazard. He's been playing longer at
that level,” he told the press.
"At key moments at club level Bale is the man and he stands there, while Hazard is
still not consistent."
"The staff will devise a plan to neutralise Bale and Aaron Ramsey because they are
the strongest players Wales have. So we will find a way to counter them but it will
not be one player, it will be the whole team."

Helium deposit worth billions of dollars discovered in Tanzania's Rift Valley

A vast field of helium has been discovered in a section of the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania, scientists are reporting.

The scarce gas, which is used in high-tech devices such as MRI medical scanners and radiation monitors, is currently priced at about $70 per 1000 cubic feet.

A team of British and Norwegian researchers estimate that the deposit they located in Tanzania could contain about 54 billion cubic feet of helium, which puts the potential value of the find at more than $3.5 billion.

The discovery was reported on Monday in the US journal Popular Science and is being formally presented at the Goldschmidt geology conference taking place this week in Yokohama, Japan.

“This is a game changer for the future security of society's helium needs,” University of Oxford earth scientist Chris Ballentine said in a statement.

“We sampled helium gas (and nitrogen) just bubbling out of the ground in the Tanzanian East African Rift valley,” Prof Ballentine added.

The amount of the gas so far found in Tanzania could fill 1.2 million MRI scanners, he said.

“To put this discovery into perspective,” Prof Ballentine continued, “global consumption of helium is about 8 billion cubic feet per year and the United States Federal Helium Reserve, which is the world's largest supplier, has a current reserve of just 24.2 billion cubic feet.”

The Tanzania find could thus be sufficient to meet global demand for nearly seven years, and may be more than twice as large as the US helium reserve.

Other parts of East Africa's Rift Valley may contain additional deposits of helium, geologist Jon Gluyas of Durham University in the UK told Live Science, a website that also reported the discovery.

Helium accumulates inside rock in Earth's crust over billions of years. The gas remains trapped in the rock until released by intense volcanic heat such as in the geothermally active regions of East Africa's Rift Valley, Prof Gluyas explained in his comments to Live Science.

The researchers said the Tanzania discovery results from a new method of searching for helium.

Obama warns on global growth after UK vote to leave the EU

USA President Barack Obama has said the UK vote to leave the EU raises "longer-term concerns about global growth".

He said Brexit would freeze "the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole".He appealed to the UK prime minister and other EU leaders to ensure an orderly process for the British exit.

Earlier EU leaders warned that the UK must honour the principle of free movement of people if it wants to retain access to the single market. The leaders of the other 27 EU countries were meeting in Brussels without the UK for the first time in more than 40 years.

Mr Obama was speaking at a summit in Ottawa with the leaders of Canada and Mexico, aimed at strengthening economic ties between North American countries.

He said the preparations by central banks and finance ministers indicated that "global economy in the short run will hold steady".

But he added: "I think there are some genuine longer-term concerns about global growth if in fact Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole. "At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn't help," the president said.

BAYERN TARGET VARANE

Carlo Ancelotti is ready in raid former club Real Madrid to bling Rafael
Varane in Bayern Munich, according to le Parisien
The centre-back is one of Ancelotti's key targets after taking over at the German
giants, considering him the most promising defender in the whole of Europe.
However, Zinedine Zidane has no desire to sell Varane and has already reportedly
dismissed enquires from the Premier League for the 23-year-old, with José
Mourinho also understood to be a long-term admirer.

Grzegorz Krychowiak to PSG

Sevilla midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak is set to move to Paris St Germain for 40 million euros, according to media reports in Spain and Poland.
The deal, if confirmed, will make the 26-year-old the most expensive Polish player with Spanish newspaper Estadio Deportivo reporting that the main terms of the contract have been agreed.
The defender is familiar with Ligue 1, having played for Bordeaux, Reims and Nantes before joining Sevilla in 2014. He made 26 appearances for the Spanish club in the 2015-16 season.

Istanbul's Ataturk airport Attack

Turkey is observing a national day of mourning after a gun and suicide bomb attack on Istanbul's Ataturk airport killed 41 people, including 13 foreign nationals.Three attackers arrived in a taxi and began firing at the terminal entrance late on Tuesday. They blew themselves up after police fired back.Officials say 239 people were injured, with 41 stillintensive care.PM Binali Yildirim said early signs pointed to so-called Islamic State.

Turkish investigators are examining CCTV footage, witness statements and mobile phone video recorded by terrified passengers to try to determine the identity of the attackers.

The Dogan news agency said autopsies on the three dead men suggested they may be foreign nationalsbut this has not been confirmed.

Turkish Health Minister Recep Akdag says that 128 people remain in hospital, including nationalsof Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine and Switzerland, the Associated Press reports.The Istanbul city governor said 41 people were killed, including 13 foreign or dual nationals.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron said there were no reports yet of any British casualties, but the Foreign Office was in contact with Turkish authorities.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Dead of Summer Is Not Just a Standard Slasher Series, It's Your Next Anthology Obsession

With a title like that, Freeform’s vacation offering “Dead of Summer” is inviting any number of headline puns: “dead on arrival,” “dead in the water,” “dead boring,” et cetera, ad nauseum. The puns would not be entirely wrong, either; “Dead Of Summer” is a very silly new show that samples nearly every available cliché in the summer-camp-horror genre all at once, making for a messy homage to “Friday The 13th” that reads partly as satire and partly as meditative gothic horror. Nearly every scene in the first three episodes sent to critics is laden with some kind of terrible portent, which I know because the score histrionically hits the strings every time something is supposed to be shocking. That, and usually someone screams. In the astonishingly bad first episode, our bland protagonist Amy (Elizabeth Lail) screams in horror upon encountering: a mouse, a ghost holding a balloon, her own memories, a cute cop she already has a crush on, a dead body, a boy holding a video camera and a bloody deer.

But “Dead of Summer” does have a satisfying campy layer — new headline pun: “putting the camp back in summer camp!” — which lays it on thick with the lurking horror of the woods around Camp Stillwater and the implausibly sophisticated secrets of this batch of horny teenagers. The story follows a group of camp counselors who stumble into a small town teeming with demon worshippers and disgruntled ghosts. The teens are quickly plagued by nightmares that stir up both their own individual demons and create encounters with the haunted spiritual plane of the cursed Lake Stillwater. But of course, no one goes home, because they are too excited to be teenagers free of their parents for a few weeks. In the grand tradition of moralizing terror, alcohol use, drug use and eating disorders each get dinged for creating vulnerabilities for evil to prey on innocents in the first few episodes, though I am putting that a lot more succinctly than the episode manages to. Mostly, “Dead of Summer” is insinuation and visual tricks, where paper-thin characters are either supposed to be scary or scared.

Beyond the crowded, confusing pilot — which shoves characters’ secrets, standing feuds and clandestine romances at the viewer with all the delicacy of a speeding truck — later episodes of “Dead of Summer” are more comprehensible.

Disney’s Zootopia has become the studio’s second $1B

With an additional $4.4M worldwide this weekend, Disney’s Zootopia has become the studio’s second $1B grosser of the year at the global box office. Judy Hopps & Co have an offshore cume of $662.8M and a domestic take of $337.22M for a total $1,000.020M. This is the 11th Disney film (out of an industry total 26) to ever hit the milestone.

Zootopia, from directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore, is the No. 1 animated film of the year and the No. 2 movie of 2016. It falls in line behind the Mouse (& Marvel’s) Captain America: Civil War which recently hit the mark and is currently at $1,131.54M global. The numbers also make it only the 4th animated film ever to to cross $1B. Frozen, Minions and Toy Story 3 are ahead of it.

The top market cumes on the charmer are: China $235.6M, Japan $56.2M, Germany $33.4M, the UK $33.4M and Russia $32.2M

David Cameron, "Britain will be leaving the European Union but will not be turning our backs on Europe."

David Cameron, facing the media in Brussels, declares: "Britain will be leaving the European Union but will not be turning our backs on Europe."

The prime minister is asked if he regrets holding the referendum.

"Obviously I wish I'd won the referendum," he says, but insists he thought the relationship with the EU is "something that we should try and settle". It has "dogged our politics", he claims.

The PM says he thinks holding a vote on EU membership was "the right thing to do", though he admits to personal sadness about the outcome.

Monday, June 27, 2016

That’s it for our coverage of Italy 2 vs Spain 0


The Italians into the quarter-finals and, whisper it quietly, looking like potential dark horses for the title maybe?
Antonio Conte is winning hearts across Europe for his touchline antics while veterans Buffon and Chiellini continue to defy all the odds.
We’re done now but the live coverage continues with England’s last-16 clash against Iceland.

OFFICIAL: Dani Alves completes Juventus move

OFFICIAL: Dani Alves completes Juventus move The Brazil international left the Camp Nou outfit as a free agent after a glittering career in Catalunya and now becomes Massimiliano Allegri's second major summer signing Dani Alves has completed his move to Juventus from after signing a two-year contract with the Serie A champions. The veteran right-back, 33, leaves Camp Nou on a free transfer after giving the Catalan outfit eight years service following a €30 million move from Sevilla. It is a transfer that has been mooted for several weeks now, when Barcelona's technical secretary Robert Fernandez said the player "had decided" to depart.

Jesse Williams' inspiring speech BET 2016

Jesse Williams' inspiring speech BET 2016

Jesse Williams' inspiring speech The "Grey's Anatomy" star blew everyone away when he accepted the 2016 BET Humanitarian Award with a speech calling society to task for racism. Speaking on police-involved shootings of people of color, the actor/activist said he and others have been "looking at the data and we know that police somehow manage to de-escalate, disarm and not kill white people every day." "So what's going to happen is we are going to have equal rights and justice in our own country or we will restructure their function and ours," said Williams, who was out front during protests in Ferguson following the 2014 shooting death of teen Michael Brown. Williams went on to add, "We've been floating this country on credit for centuries, and we're done watching and waiting while this invention called whiteness uses and abuses us, burying black people out of sight and out of mind, while extracting our culture, our dollars, our entertainment like oil, black gold."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted talks with French President Francois Hollande

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted talks with French President Francois Hollande

The European Union will not hold informal talks with the UK until it triggers Article 50 to leave, Germany, France and Italy have insisted. German Chancellor Angela Merkel hosted talks with French President Francois Hollande and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in Berlin. The leaders called for a "new impulse" to strengthen the EU. Last Thursday, British citizens voted 52-48 in favour of leaving the EU in a historic referendum. UK financial markets remain volatile in the wake of the vote, with sterling plunging to a 31-year low against the dollar, and some share trading temporarily halted. Together with the UK, Germany, France and Italy have the largest economies in the EU.

Messi has retired international duty

Messi has retired international duty Lionel Messi has retired from international duty after missing in a penalty shootout as Argentina lost a fourth major final in nine years. "For me, the national team is over," he said after defeat by Chile in the Copa America final. "I've done all I can. It hurts not to be a champion." Messi, 29, has won eight La Liga titles and four Champions Leagues with Spanish side Barcelona. But his only major international honour is Olympic gold at the 2008 Games. As well as losing two Copa America finals on penalties to Chile, Messi was in the Argentina side beaten 1-0 by Germany in the 2014 World Cup final. The forward, who was been awarded the Ballon d'Or five times, was also on the losing side against Brazil in the 2007 Copa America final.