Month: September 2019

Members of Italy’s anti-establishment 5-Star Movement were due to vote online on Tuesday on whether they approved a new coalition with the opposition Democratic Party, known as PD, with fresh elections looming if the pact is rejected.

On Monday, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte urged members of 5-Star to back the coalition, saying the planned government could transform Italy.

About 100,000 people who subscribe to 5-Star’s so-called Rousseau website were asked to answer the question: “Do you agree that the 5-Star Movement should form a government together with the Democratic Party, chaired by Giuseppe Conte?”

Conte on Monday delivered a video speech, through Facebook, to Rousseau subscribers, saying: “I understand your concerns. But I’d also like to remember that the 5-Star, before the elections last year, had said they were ready to join any political force that was ready to carry out the movement’s political agenda. Today, we have a great chance to change this country.”

Shortly after he spoke, 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio also took to Facebook, but delivered a more subdued message and refused to advise his party members on how to vote.

“There is no right or wrong vote, there are your ideas and the sum of your ideas will guide the movement,” Di Maio said. “Don’t be afraid … we have already won, the world is waiting for the democratic outcome of your vote to know Italy’s future.”

An SWG opinion poll for La7 television channel said 51 percent of 5-Star supporters backed a tie-up with the PD, while some 69 percent of PD voters endorsed the idea. Though the two parties are longstanding enemies, they are also the two largest parties in Parliament.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella gave Conte a mandate last week to try to form a new coalition following Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s decision to pull his right-wing League from a 14-month-old alliance with 5-Star in an attempt to trigger early elections.

If no agreement is sealed in the coming week, Mattarella is expected to dissolve Parliament and set a date for a new vote.

The 5-Star party’s internet portal stated that the government program agreed with the PD would be available online to members when voting started.

Despite differences over policy and ministerial roles, senior figures from both sides spoke in support of a coalition over the weekend as the talks have continued.

“I know it is difficult, but we’re doing our best to give this country a new government,” PD leader Nicola Zingaretti said on Sunday in a video post on Twitter.

After talks with Conte, he said on Friday that Italy’s next government must cut income taxes to boost consumption, relaunch investment and focus on health and education.

Click Here: Germany Football Shop

With the melodies of Chinese ballad Jasmine Blossom and British pop classic Hey Jude, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra concluded a successful debut concert at the BBC Proms on Sept 1. This appearance also marked the completion of the orchestra’s 140th anniversary tour of the world.

The Proms festival has been an annual celebration of classical music held during the summer. Founded in 1895, the concerts and events are now organized and broadcast by the BBC.

The concert by the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra was among the highlights this year, as listed by Cultural Whisper, an art portal in the UK. According to David Pickard, director of the BBC Proms, the festival features more than 100 shows every year, but no more than 10 orchestras from overseas are invited.

“We chose the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra because we believe that it is a first class orchestra and is an outstanding representative of Chinese symphony music, even in the global music scene,” he said.

Click Here: Germany Football Shop

Those arranging deceit of more than 30 people could get 3 to 7 years of prison time

People who organize exam cheating or offer high-tech equipment to test takers in order to cheat will face heavier penalties beginning Wednesday in accordance with a newly released judicial interpretation.

“Exam cheating has been a big problem that has occurred frequently across the country in recent years, which has not only disturbed the order and fairness of testing but has also seriously harmed social honesty,” said Jiang Qibo, head of the Research Department at the Supreme People’s Court.

To effectively solve the problem, a new crime of organizing exam cheating or offering equipment for cheating was added to the Chinese Criminal Law that came into effect in 2015.

As of July, Chinese courts heard 1,734 criminal cases and punished 3,724 defendants for exam cheating. Of these cases, 951 involving 2,251 people dealt with organizing exam cheating, according to the court.

Click Here: Italy Football Shop

Last year, for example, Beijing Haidian District People’s Court sentenced six people to prison terms ranging from 20 months to four years for using high-tech equipment to provide answers for 33 students during the 2017 national postgraduate entrance exam.

“But what equipment should be defined as cheating devices or in which situation a defendant should be heavily sentenced are still not clear in legal practice,” Jiang said.

The judicial interpretation, issued by the SPC and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate on Tuesday, for the first time clarifies that cases involving cheating in major national-level education, qualification or hiring tests – including the national college entrance exam, or gaokao, as well as the postgraduate entrance exam and civil servant exam – should be identified as “serious” crimes.

Moreover, those who organize 30 or more people to cheat on an exam, who provide more than 50 cheating devices or who gain more than 300,000 yuan ($42,000) as a result of the cheating efforts should be identified as “serious” offenders, it added.

This means organizers will face prison sentences ranging from three to seven years, the interpretation said. Cheating equipment – such as tiny cameras and listening devices – that evade security checks and help gain, record, convey, receive or store content related to the exams are covered under the interpretation.

Xian Jie, deputy head of the SPP’s law and policy research department, said the more practical the interpretation is, the more accurately judicial authorities can fight the crime, especially in an era in which high-tech equipment is developing fast.

“Considering the huge profits gained by cheating organizers, we’ll also order defendants to pay more fines,” Jiang added.

After nearly two years of dating the world’s biggest pop star, Joe Alwyn is finally acknowledging his relationship with Taylor Swift to the public. However, he’s not giving anything away.  

The secretive couple have stayed tight-lipped about their romance, and don’t expect that to change any time soon. 

Earlier this week, while speaking with British Vogue, Alwyn continued to keep the details of his courtship with Swift at a minimum, as he briefly explained to the reporter: “I’m aware people want to know about that side of things. I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people … but I really prefer to talk about work.”

Karwai Tang/WireImage; James Devaney/GC Images

Following his refusal to speak about Swift to Vogue, he was prodded to spill more information during another interview with Total Film, according to People. And let’s just say, Alwyn is firm on his decision to not make his private life public. 

Click Here: New Zealand rugby store

“I understand people’s curiosity in the world we live in, about people’s private lives. Well, I don’t understand it, but I know it exists,” says Alwyn. “For me, I just don’t feel it’s something I want to offer up to be picked apart by people who don’t know about it, and it’s just not theirs to have.” Well, said. 

We respect Alwyn’s secretive style, but actions speak louder than words, right? During Tay Tay’s Reputation tour this summer, the British actor became a fixture at several of her stops, and, in August, they were photographed holding hands in London. That subtle PDA moment came just one month after their romantic vacation in the Turks and Caicos. 

And while it’s not coming directly from Alwyn, sources close to the couple reveal they’re doing just fine. 

“She seems to be in a great place both career and love wise,” an insider previously told People about the Grammy winner. “Joe is just an amazing boyfriend. He is very supportive. Taylor adores his family. She’s in a very good place.”

The Spanish side spent the window trying to sign the Brazilian star and Paul Pogba but the defender urged his team-mates to forget about them

Dani Carvajal says he was sceptical about Real Madrid’s chances of landing Neymar in the summer transfer window and urged his side not to worry about the Brazilian attacker or Paul Pogba.

Neymar was desperate to leave Paris Saint-Germain in the close-season and had been heavily linked to a move to Madrid, while Barcelona were also said to be trying to sign him back.

Meanwhile, Pogba had been one of their top targets as the midfielder was looking for a way out of Manchester United, but their hopes of landing him were dashed when the English window closed without the Premier League side signing a replacement.

Carvajal admitted that the duo’s potential arrival was discussed among the Madrid squad, but the right-back always had his doubts about the possibility of Neymar joining.

“You saw that one day he went to Barca, another day he came with us, another day he stayed,” he told El Partidazo de COPE .

“We asked the Brazilians and they told us that he didn’t know. I was in doubt. He is a top-five or top-three player. Such a player is welcome on any team.” 

He added: “Pogba sounded good too. The transfer dates close differently everywhere and in the end he has not arrived. 

“We are who we are, and we cannot think of someone who is not with us.” 

There was still something of a rebuild at Madrid, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo Goes brought in.

Carvajal, whose team have collected five points from their opening three La Liga games, said it was tough to make drastic changes at Madrid.

“There is always talk of revolution, but in a team like Real Madrid, where everyone wants to be and not everyone wants to leave, it’s not easy,” he said.

“Players have come to help us like Hazard, Militao, Mendy … and I think it is to complement a great workforce.”

Zinedine Zidane’s side sit four points behind leaders Atletico Madrid in the table and are in action again on September 14 when they host Levante at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Click Here: New Zealand rugby store

The 42-year-old was reported to be U.S. Soccer’s top choice for the position that is set to be vacated by Jill Ellis

England women’s national team manager Phil Neville has called links to the U.S. national team position “flattering” but insists he is focused on his task with England.

The head coaching position at the helm of the two-time defending world champions will be open in October, as Jill Ellis has announced she will be stepping down after the team’s World Cup victory tour. 

Whoever takes the place of Ellis will have some big shoes to fill, with the team’s current head coach having led her side to back-to-back World Cup titles after this summer’s triumph in France. 

Neville has been recently linked to the job, as a report in the Daily Mail on Monday claimed that the former Manchester United defender is U.S. Soccer’s top choice for the position. 

But, following Tuesday’s friendly defeat at the hands of Norway, Neville insisted that there had not been an approach for his services, and that he is focused on his task with the Lionesses.

“There’s been no approach,” Neville told BBC Sport. “My focus is on winning us a gold medal in the Olympics.

“It’s flattering because it means you’re doing a good job. My focus is England. I love this job.”

Neville insisted that he had plenty of work to do in his current position after England drew Belgium 3-3 last week before Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to Norway.

“We’ve got a big job to do, you can see over the last two games that the work is still in progress, and we’ve still got a way to go,” Neville added. 

Neville took over the Lionesses in January 2018 after having no experience in the women’s game prior to his appointment. 

Despite initial skepticism, Neville eventually started to produce results, winning the four-team SheBelieves Cup this spring in a field that also included the USWNT.

However, Neville could not lead his side past the U.S. in the World Cup this summer, with England falling to the eventual champions in the semi-finals by a 2-1 scoreline.

Neville has a contract with the FA through 2021. 

The U.S., meanwhile, have begun their search for Ellis’ replacement after Kate Markgraf was hired as the first general manager of the USWNT last month. 

Click Here: New Zealand rugby store

The logo for the tournament in three years is inspired by Gulf culture, the desert landscape and the unifying infinity symbol

The official emblem for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar has been revealed by organisers.

The logo, inspired by local and regional Arab culture and landscapes, is described as embodying “the vision of an event that connects and engages the entire world”.

“The swooping curves of the emblem represent the undulations of desert dunes and the unbroken loop depicts both the number eight – a reminder of the eight astonishing stadiums that will host matches – and the infinity symbol, reflecting the interconnected nature of the event,” a statement released by FIFA said.

Qatar’s Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy added: “The infinity sign symbolises the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which will continue to inspire and accelerate development in Qatar, the region and globally, well after the tournament draws to an end.”

The design echoes the World Cup trophy and also incorporates elements of a traditional woollen shawl, often worn in the Gulf in the winter.

“The regionally inspired winter garment also alludes to the tournament’s start dates and the fact that it will be the first FIFA World Cup to be played in November and December,” organisers said.

Qatar’s Supreme Committee says the design also points to the eight venues for the World Cup matches, on which construction work continues.

Tuesday’s launch took place on Qatar’s Independence Day and saw images of the logo projected onto buildings and monuments across the world.

Preparation for the tournament has been mired in allegations of mistreatment of migrant workers who have been employed on construction sites.

The Supreme Committee took steps to introduce welfare reforms in 2014 following pressure from human rights groups.

FIFA had also explored the possibility of increasing the number of teams in the tournament from the planned 32 to 48.

However, earlier this summer the governing body confirmed that there would not be sufficient time to enact such a change and the tournament would go ahead with the original 32 teams.

The 2026 World Cup, set to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada is set to be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams.

Click Here: NRL Telstra Premiership

Having both missed club action with respective thigh and rib injuries, the brothers will sit out of the games against San Marino and Scotland

Eden Hazard will not feature in Belgium’s upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers as expected, with brother Thorgan also absent this week.

The elder Hazard is yet to make his competitive debut for Real Madrid following a €100 million (£88m/$112m) move from Chelsea, having sustained a thigh injury on the eve of the new La Liga season. 

Despite missing the first few weeks of the campaign, the 28-year-old was still named in Belgium’s squad for the first international break of the season, although head coach Roberto Martinez insisted he would “not take any risks” and that a decision on his role would be made early this week.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane subsequently announced Hazard would not be fit to feature for his country against San Marino and Scotland, telling reporters last week: “He can travel with the Belgium squad, he can be seen by the Belgian team doctor, but he’s not fit to play right now.

“We know that, he knows that and hopefully for the benefit of Belgium and everyone involved, he rests.”

So it has proven, as Hazard was kept out of Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal at the weekend and his departure from the the Red Devils camp was announced on Tuesday, with Borussia Dortmund star Thorgan following him.

Thorgan’s departure similarly does not come as a surprise after being substituted late in his second Bundesliga appearance for Dortmund against Koln, having joined this summer.

A rib injury was set to rule the former Borussia Monchengladbach man out for “several weeks” just days before he was called up by Martinez.

Belgium, who are top of their Euro 2020 qualifying group with four wins from four, visit minnows San Marino on Friday and then go to Hampden Park to play Scotland next Monday.

They had already lost back-up goalkeeper Koen Casteels to injury, with Hendrik Van Crombrugge called up in his place.

Ryan Adams claims he knew his marriage to Mandy Moore would fail from the start — even though he doesn’t remember saying “I do.”

On Wednesday, Adams, 43, went on a rambling Twitter spree about the couple’s early beginnings, after the This Is Us actress opened up about her divorce from the rocker in the November issue of Glamour.

“She didn’t like the Melvins or BladeRunner,” he wrote on Twitter, referencing Moore’s comment that she “didn’t choose the right person” when deciding to tie the knot in 2009.

“Doomed from the start…” he continued the message. “If only I could remember the start lol.”

TheRyanAdams/Twitter

Adams then revealed to his followers, in a since-deleted tweet, that he allegedly was using drugs so heavily he did not remember their 2009 wedding.

“When someone told me we got married I thought they were joking,” he said. “Then I realized how many painkillers I was taking. Honestly there weren’t enough to numb the shock. Gollygooops”

TheRyanAdams/Twitter

To make matters worse, Adams went on to compare his marriage to Moore, 34, to being “stuck to the spiritual equivalent of a soggy piece of cardboard.”

“But it rains on net-a-porter everyday when you’re trapped inside yourself,” he continued. “Take the money I’ll take my pride, any day.”

TheRyanAdams/Twitter

Fans were quick to come to Moore’s defense, attacking Adams for his response to his ex-wife’s comments. When one Twitter user accused the musician of writing “75% of your love songs” about her, Adams immediately set the record straight.

“There’s not actually a single song about her. Like not one. Fact,” Adams wrote.

TheRyanAdams/Twitter

RELATED: Mandy Moore Opens Up About Moving on After a Painful Divorce: ‘I Feel So Much Lighter’

Just a day earlier, Adams responded to a tweet from Dawes — which ironically features Taylor Goldsmith, AKA Moore’s new fiancé, as the frontman of the group.

But even as Moore prepares to start a life with her new man, Adams had nothing but respect for Goldsmith, encouraging his fans to listen to the band’s new single.

“This is a great record in a time where people need them,” he wrote on Twitter. “May every great song find their rightful listener… Any fan of mine will love this. With respect. XO”

Late Wednesday after fans expressed concern for the musician and his mental wellbeing he apologized for his comments and assured them he was alright.

“Thank you for the kind messages. I am speaking with a grief/ crisis counselor. I apologize if I caused anyone any worry. Depression, anxiety/ panic attacks & grief are very real and serious issues. If anyone is suffering I urge you to seek help. And cats,” the musician, who has been open about his struggles with mental health, wrote.

“I apologize for my remarks. I was trying to be funny. But I have and will always choose to remember the amazing moments. It isn’t classy or ok lessen what was. I am happy for everyone and doing my best.”

TheRyanAdams/Twitter

Click Here: Real bape hoodie

After six years of marriage, Moore and Adams announced their separation in January 2015. A little over a year later, the pair finalized their divorce in June 2016.

Moore has previously opened up about her past with her ex-husband, often finding the good in a painful situation.

“My story deviated in a different direction than I expected,” she told PEOPLE of her split. “But ultimately, life is about being happy and fulfilled and sometimes that means making hard choices.”

“You couldn’t pay me to go back five or 10 years ago,” she continued. “Having gone through trials and tribulations has brought me to this place today. I feel so much lighter. And I’m growing into the best version of myself.”

In August 2016, while attending a This Is Us panel at the Television Critics Association tour, Moore told the audience that she was doing “fantastic” amid a “tough” split from Adams.

RELATED VIDEO: Mandy Moore Opens Up About Building a Home with Boyfriend Taylor Goldsmith: I’m Ready To Start Over

“It’s tough. Life is not easy,” she said. “I think it’s been great to be able to take all of the chapters in my life and be able to pour it into a job like this because it all helps. It’s all fuel.”

“I think everything happens for a reason. I think I spent a good portion of the last years of my life really pouring all of my energy into my life and relationship, and now that that’s sort of not part of my life anymore,” she explained, adding “It’s just not a coincidence to me that things sort of opened back up, and I’m able to focus back on myself again.”

Most recently, in Glamour‘s cover story, the actress admitted that she felt “spiritually and fundamentally stuck” before their split.

“I don’t feel guilty for [the divorce]. I don’t fault myself for it,” she explained. “When people said, ‘I’m sorry,’ I was like, ‘No. Sorry would have been had I stayed in a very unhealthy situation.’ I didn’t. I found my way out. And when I did, things opened back up again.”

This article originally appeared on People. For more stories like this, visit people.com.

Riverdale fans know Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, the classic girl next door who, thanks to top-notch sleuthing skills, can hunt down a criminal faster than the local police. Throughout the show’s first two seasons, Betty worked overtime to give us some much-appreciated and over-the-top drama. We saw her fall in love with Jughead Jones, the resident bad boy from the wrong side of town. We witnessed her take down the mysterious Black Hood serial killer (a revelation that ultimately hit way too close to home for the high-schooler). And, of course, we watched her hatch an unforgettable revenge scheme, during which she revealed her sinister alter-ego, Dark Betty.

Now, with season three underway, Betty has reached yet another dramatic milestone. She’s been named queen of the Southside Serpents, the long-running gang now headed up by her boyfriend Jughead (played by Reinhart’s rumored real-life boyfriend, Cole Sprouse). While leading a dangerous gang of thugs may seem like the perfect opportunity for Betty to let out more of her inner badass, don’t expect her to hit the hot tub and break out her black wig again any time soon.

CW

“I think we’ve put the idea of Dark Betty to bed — or at least, we are trying to,” Reinhart tells InStyle. “At the end of the second season, we saw Betty confront her dad, and that was symbolic of her confronting the darkness that was within her. So although this girl still has demons and darkness inside, she’s not afraid of it. She doesn’t need to mask it behind a wig or an outfit — that part is over. She’s a complex human being with goodness and badness.”

RELATED: Lili Reinhart Says She’s an “Outsider” and a Hermit

With each new episode, we’ll see Betty attempt to work her way through a fresh set of difficult circumstances. “Betty has a lot on her plate this season,” says Reinhart. “She’s investigating the Gargoyle King with Jughead, she’s trying to figure out what’s behind The Farm that has changed her mom so drastically, and then you also see her battling her mom and [her sister] Polly directly in the middle of the season. You see her struggle deeply but you also see her as the incredible hero that she is. Betty saves herself from the situations that she’s put in — she never relies on anyone to rescue her. That’s what I love so much about her.” 

CW

RELATED: Riverdale Star Camila Mendes and Kate Mara on Red Carpet Dressing, Hoarding Clothes, and Mom Jeans

Portraying such a layered character is natural for Reinhart, who also stars in the thriller Galveston, now playing in theaters and available to watch on demand. “I like darker things,” she says. “I enjoy watching thrillers and horror movies and dramas. I don’t immediately gravitate towards comedies or lighter, happy romance movies — that’s just not what really entertains me. I find that you can completely immerse yourself in a thriller movie a lot; I can immerse myself in a movie like that, just for whatever reason. So I really like to be a part of that kind of stuff.”

A dark plot was part of what drew Reinhart to Galveston, which follows a hitman (Ben Foster) and a former captive (Elle Fanning) who are on the run together. “It definitely was quite different from Riverdale,” says Reinhart. “It has a rawness to it and grit that you don’t really get to see in Riverdale, because Riverdale is kind of like this place where, although shitty things are happening, everything’s still kind of perfect. Everyone still looks beautiful, not a hair is out of place. And I think with Galveston, you could show that vulnerable, not-so-picture-perfect side of yourself on film, which I appreciate.” 

Reinhart only makes a brief appearance in Galveston, starring in a flash-forward that’s part of the film’s ending. “I play a very small part, but it is a powerful part,” she says. “It is a powerful scene that I’m in at the end of the film, and because it’s not out yet, I feel like a lot of people don’t necessarily know how I’m involved in it. But it almost feels like I have a tiny little cameo at the end of it — that’s kind of how I think of it.”

Courtesy

Her screen time in Galveston is certainly stark in contrast to that of Riverdale — but filming opposite only one other actor wasn’t as unusual for Reinhart as you might think. “With Betty, this season in particular, I actually have done a lot of stuff by myself — a lot of one-on-one scenes,” she says. “So that part of it wasn’t actually that different — but the whole production of it was.”

For starters, Reinhart wasn’t around when filming began. “I went in on the last day of production to shoot my scene,” she says. “People were tired and had been working really hard, long days for the past month or however long they were shooting, but I was excited.” Right off the bat, the overall vibe of the project was different for Reinhart. “On TV, I play Betty — one of the leading roles — and I know everybody when I walk into work every day,” she says. “It’s more of a routine, whereas walking into this, it was very unfamiliar territory. So it was different in that sense, because you’re going into a completely new environment with people you don’t know.”

It was a far cry from her return to the Riverdale set this summer. “We’ve been back at it for awhile — we started shooting our premiere in July — but the minute you come back, it feels like you never left,” says Reinhart. “It’s just kind of jumping into familiar territory and doing it all over again; it’s comforting.”

While the Riverdale cast is constantly sharing behind-the-scenes snaps of their bonding moments, Reinhart is reluctant to confirm that life on set is always as cozy and care-free as we imagine. “I mean, it definitely does feel like work,” she says. “On a day-to-day basis, I still feel like I’m going to work — but in the best way. When we all have scenes together, and we’re doing something playful or fun, I feel very lucky to be a part of that and be able to film with all my friends. I have the best job; there’s no complaints there. It’s hard work and long days, so it’s not all happiness all the time — but we all do love each other very much and get along very well.”

And there you have it: Dark Betty really is gone.