Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2017

Jose Mourinho gets man as €45m Nemanja Matic moves and he could make Dublin debut

Jose Mourinho's frustrating wait for a third signing was almost over last night as Manchester United moved to the brink of completing a deal for Nemanja Matic. The midfielder travelled to Manchester on Saturday after United agreed a fee with Chelsea that could reach €45m. The Serbian then underwent a medical as he prepared to be reunited with Mourinho, under whom he won the Premier League title in 2014-15. Matic, 29 tomorrow, will be formally announced as a United player today and could make his debut in Wednesday's friendly against Sampdoria in Dublin. Uncertainty They then play Real Madrid in the European Super Cup in Skopje a week tomorrow. Matic's arrival will take United's spending this summer to almost €163 following the signings of striker Romelu Lukaku and defender Victor Lindelof, and that figure will rise by a further €23m with add-ons. A leaked picture of Matic wearing a United training top sporting the No 31 - vacated by Bastian Schweinsteig

€1,511 million spent, 84 signings... and no Champions League

Manchester City are very close to breaking the record for summer spending, but the great investment carried out in recent years has not generated the desired returns. The Abu Dhabi fund purchased Manchester City some nine years ago and since then the Citizens have been fighting for the Premier League title. Owner Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has had no hesitation when it comes to spending. From 2008 onwards, City have spent 1,511.72 million euros on a total of 84 players. The club has won titles thanks to the money put forward, but not to the extent the investors would have hoped for: in nine years City have won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one Community Shield. In Europe, the furthest the team has reached was the semi-finals in 2016. They were knocked out by Real Madrid, but it was an improvement for a team who had not qualified from the group stage until 2013. Pellegrini and Guardiola, two of the most admired managers in the sport have attem

Why did Apple pull VPNs from its app store in China?

The creators of several Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) have criticised Apple's decision to remove their products from its App Store in China. VPNs allow users to hide their IP addresses and access online material that might be blocked by internet filters. At least three were removed from the App Store over the weekend. Apple said it was legally required to remove the apps because they did not comply with new regulations. Which VPNs have been affected? ExpressVPN, VyprVPN, StarVPN each received notice from Apple on Saturday that their products would be removed from the App Store. Golden Frog, the company that distributes VyprVPN was critical of the decision, saying it would file an appeal with Apple. "If Apple views accessibility as a human right, we would hope Apple will likewise recognize internet access as a human right (the UN has even ruled it as such) and would choose human rights over profits," said Golden Frog's president Sunday Yokubaitis in

Ramos wants Neymar to leave

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos is hoping to see Neymar to leave bitter La Liga rivals Barcelona. Sergio Ramos wants Neymar to leave Barcelona as it would be less of a problem for Real Madrid amid links with Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar's future at Barca is in serious doubt with Ligue 1 side PSG ready to meet the Brazilian's €222million release clause. The 25-year-old showed why he is the subject of interest after dazzling against bitter rivals Madrid at the International Champions Cup on Saturday, setting up two goals in the 3-2 triumph. Asked about Neymar's future post-game, Madrid captain Ramos said: "I do not know, everyone is free to choose their future. "I hope [he leaves]. It would be less of a problem for us." Ramos, who made his first pre-season appearance for Madrid, added: "I changed the shirt with him and I hope it is the last one I have used with Barca."

Galaxy Note 8 v iPhone 8 - Release date, price and which smartphone will be the best

SAMSUNG and Apple will go head-to-head in a few weeks time as the Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 are both released to the world. Here’s everything you need to know about these next generation devices. There’s a busy few months ahead for technology fans as  Samsung  and  Apple  both look set to announce fresh new smartphones. The Galaxy Note 8 and  iPhone 8  are expected to be unveiled in the coming weeks and are likely to feature a swathe of new updates and bonus features. So, if you are in the market for a smartphone upgrade here is Express.co.uk's guide to when and what to expect from these latest devices RELEASE DATE Galaxy Note 8 Samsung has already sent out invites to major event in New York later next month which included an image of device with stylus. This is certain to be an announcement for the new Note 8 and will take place on August 23. It's currently unclear when the Note 8 will go on sale but Samsung’s official website for Australia recently pub

Two men arrested over attack on girl, 14, who was raped twice in one night

Detectives investigating two separate rapes of a 14-year-old girl in Birmingham have arrested two men. The pair, aged 35 and 27, were arrested on Saturday morning on suspicion of carrying out the first rape of the girl, on Tuesday evening, following the release of CCTV images of two suspects. Officers continue to appeal for information in connection with the second rape in the early hours of Wednesday. The victim had sought help after the first rape at Witton station when she was attacked by a man in a car. DCI Tony Fitzpatrick of British Transport Police said: “There have been significant developments after we released CCTV images of two men we would like to speak with. I’d like to thank the public and the media for the overwhelming support in sharing this appeal. Both these arrests relate to the first incident at Witton station on Tuesday evening this week. Our investigation into the second incident in the vehicle continues at a pace. The young victim was raped for a secon

Apple is removing VPN services from China App Store: providers

 Apple Inc ( AAPL.O ) is removing virtual private network (VPN) services from its app store in China, VPN service providers said on Saturday, accusing the U.S. tech giant of bowing to pressure from Beijing to comply with stringent cyberspace regulations. VPNs allow users to bypass China's so-called "Great Firewall" aimed at restricting access to overseas sites.  Beijing has shut down dozens of China-based providers and it has been targeting overseas services as it bids to tighten its control over the internet, especially ahead of the Communist Party congress in August. VPN provider ExpressVPN said on Saturday that it had received a notice from Apple that its software would be removed from the China App Store "because it includes content that is illegal in China". "We're disappointed in this development, as it represents the most drastic measure the Chinese government has taken to block the use of VPNs to date, and we are troubled to s

Ronaldo to start football season in court

Cristiano Ronaldo faces a brutal return to Madrid before starting pre-season training with Real Madrid as he is expected in court on Monday, accused of evading millions in taxes. The 32-year-old -- the world's highest paid athlete according to Forbes magazine -- will be questioned by a court in Pozuelo de Alarcon, a wealthy suburb of Madrid where he lives, over allegations he evaded 14.7 million euros ($17.2 million) in tax. The Portuguese star follows in the steps of his arch-rival, Barcelona forward and Argentina star Lionel Messi, who was found guilty of the same offence last year, although the sums involved were smaller. Madrid's public prosecutors accuse Ronaldo of having taken "advantage of a company structure created in 2010 to hide income generated in Spain from his image rights from tax authorities". They say this was a "voluntary and conscious breach of his fiscal obligations in Spain". Prosecutors accuse the four-time world player of

PSG offer Di Maria to avoid paying taxes for Neymar

PSG are looking for the best plan to avoid paying the taxes involved in the signing of Barcelona striker Neymar, valued at 222 million euros. The Parisian side would have to pay the £195 million to Neymar so that the player himself could then go to La Liga offices and pay the sum to free him from his contract. However, the taxes that could be involved in the transaction would be huge, as the French tax office could class the £195m PSG would give Neymar as taxable income. The Parisians want to avoid paying more than they have to and are prepared to offer Argentina international Angel Di Maria in exchange for the Brazilian star, and are also willing to offer Matuidi and Lucas Moura. Barcelona, on the other hand, have no intention of sitting down to negotiate with the French side, who might be forced to simply pay the release clause.

Liverpool doctor reveals how to keep your sperm count up amidst Western fertility crisis Advice after shock report revealed

Many men who hope to be dads will be alarmed by the news of a “shocking” drop in men’s sperm counts. A major study revealed men’s sperm counts had plummeted by almost 60% over the past four decades in Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Dr Luciano Nardo, who runs the Reproductive Health Group clinic in Daresbury, near Runcorn, said he had seen a huge rise in men from Merseyside struggling to have children. He said many of the common habits and trends of modern life could be to blame - such as stress, drinking too much, smoking, eating unhealthy food and putting on weight. He also said men from Merseyside attending the clinic were noticeably older than average - with older men more likely to have fertility problems. He said: “I’ve absolutely noticed this. The number of patients we have with an underlying male fertility issue has increased fivefold - it’s probably 35% of our cases now, compared to 5% when we started. “We’ve also noticed many men from Mer