Last month, Atletico filed a complaint to FIFA over Barcelona allegedly tapping up the 26-year-old forward.
Published On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026
Atletico Madrid will not allow forward Julian Alvarez to leave the club during the current transfer window despite interest from Barcelona, coach Diego Simeone has said.
Last month, Atletico filed a complaint to FIFA over Barcelona allegedly tapping up Alvarez.
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The Argentina international has also been linked with a possible move to Premier League champions Arsenal and was the subject of a rejected 150-million-euro ($173.4m) bid from Real Madrid in June.
“I think the situation is very clear. The club has made a decision that (CEO) Miguel Angel (Gil Marin) has explained very well,” Simeone told reporters on Saturday before a preseason friendly against Manchester City in Seoul.
“From a sporting perspective, we’re very happy to have a footballer like Julian…
“We will help him continue to grow, continue to improve and continue delivering the best – which has been a tremendous amount – that he has given us over the last two years.”
Alvarez is due to rejoin the Atletico squad in two days after taking a break following Argentina’s World Cup final loss to Spain.
While on World Cup duty, the 26-year-old said he “believed a transfer is best for everyone”, but did not confirm his preferred destination.
Alvarez has scored 49 goals for Atletico since signing from Manchester City two years ago.
“We don’t want to transfer him. We didn’t accept the 100-million-euro offer, nor will we accept one for 150 million or 200 million,” Gil Marin told the club’s in-house media channel.
“I have no doubt that Atletico is the right place for Julian and that Julian is the centre-forward for Atletico Madrid. We want to keep him.”
When asked about how Alvarez might be received by Atletico fans following the transfer speculation, Simeone pointed to Antoine Griezmann.
The Frenchman made a big-money move to Barcelona before returning to Atletico.
He was initially met with some hostility, but won the supporters back over and departed last season a club legend.
“We went through a period with Antoine in recent years where he had to leave, come back, and prove his quality and stature on the pitch,” said Simeone.
“I see no other path than focusing on the sporting side of things, doing our part and helping him [Alvarez], just as we have done over the last few years.”
Atletico get their La Liga campaign under way on August 19 with a home match against newly-promoted Malaga.
The capital club finished fourth last season, 25 points adrift of champions Barcelona.
Bruno Guimaraes looks set to move to Premier League champions Arsenal, but Newcastle say they did not want to sell.
Published On 8 Aug 20268 Aug 2026
Newcastle United did not want to sell captain Bruno Guimaraes, sporting director Ross Wilson has said, after reports linked the Brazil midfielder with a move to Arsenal.
British media reported on Wednesday that Arsenal had agreed a deal worth 75 million pounds ($101m) for the 28-year-old. Neither club has confirmed the reported transfer.
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“We didn’t want to sell Bruno. It wasn’t in the plan to sell Bruno. None of us – or ownership – wanted to sell Bruno,” Wilson told reporters at Newcastle’s preseason training camp in Spain.
“He’s our captain, he was very important to us, and the debate over his price – it’s a world-record fee for a player of his age.
“What we had to weigh up was, very respectfully from Bruno with his behaviour towards us, very emotionally as well, effectively told us he wanted to leave and move on.”
Guimaraes, who joined Newcastle from French side Olympique Lyonnais in January 2022, has made 195 appearances in all competitions and scored 31 goals for the Premier League club.
He captained Newcastle to League Cup glory in 2025, ending the club’s long wait for domestic silverware.
“There’s no part in saying (the transfer) was part of our strategy and was in our thinking this summer – it wasn’t. But we have got to be flexible and react to things that happen,” Wilson said.
“It might have been in our plan to sign one player, but we didn’t get him so we move on to another. We can only be honest about that.”
Guimaraes’s exit would be another setback for Newcastle following the departures of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle begin their Premier League campaign against Liverpool on August 23.
SA Asks: After last Friday's sell-off, is Apple a buy, hold, or sell?
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Madison Square Garden. Decades before the July 3 wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce catapulted the venue into a new category of global prominence, the Manhattan arena loomed large as a symbol of success.
For the select list of comedians who have sold out the place, filling the arena is considered a pinnacle of achievement. It’s a triumph so encompassing that it inspired the central plot of the final season of “Hacks,” as Jean Smart’s veteran stand-up Deborah Vance demonstrates she’ll do just about anything to sell out the Garden — including putting herself in a glass cube above the Las Vegas Strip and almost perishing up there. “She needs a legacy-defining win, something that’s going to be the inarguable lead to her obituary,” says Paul W. Downs during a Zoom call with his “Hacks” co-creators Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky.
“With Deborah, she likes to go big and Madison Square Garden is big,” adds Statsky. “It’s a testament to what an iconic place it is because we were like, ‘There’s one option here and it’s MSG.’”
So what does it really take to sell out MSG? Back in the day, a comedian could go on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” and become nationally known. Now, YouTube subscribers and TikTok followers are part of the equation, along with specials on Netflix, HBO and Hulu. The road to MSG is a long one, with few shortcuts. It usually begins with years of playing club dates, then theaters and larger arenas, creating demand. But the payoff is substantial: With 15,000 to 20,000 seats depending on the configuration, a single night can gross up to $3 million in ticket sales. Then, a streaming platform might fork over $5 million to $20 million for exclusive taped performance rights. Plus, there’s the unquantifiable: “Venues often come and go,” says Aniello, “but Madison Square Garden feels like forever. The name itself has remained protected as this kind of sacred thing.”
Only about 20 comedians have ever achieved the milestone, including the likes of Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Chris Rock and Amy Schumer — the only woman in this elite group. The Envelope spoke to six of them to understand what it takes and how it feels to reach comedy’s Promised Land.
(Frazer Harrison / Getty Images)
Number of sellouts: 1
Date: Feb. 15, 2026
Max Amini Tour
“No one sells out Madison Square Garden alone. Behind every artist is an audience that believed before the rest of the world caught on, a family that sacrificed, a team that worked tirelessly. I’m incredibly proud of my team because they believed in this vision long before Madison Square Garden was even a conversation. One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that success is never built by one person. It’s built by people who trust one another, challenge one another, and refuse to let each other settle for less than excellence.”
(Jason Kempin / Getty Images)
Number of sellouts: 3
Dates: Sept. 26 and 27 (two shows), 2025
Big Dumb Eyes World Tour
“I believed I could make a career out of stand-up comedy when I was in my 20s, even when it sounded like a crazy thing to do. I was just hoping somebody would come to the show. You spend so many years doing clubs it’s hard to picture anything bigger than that, until it happens. … Selling out Madison Square Garden, let alone selling it out three times, wasn’t something I ever expected, but it was the result of believing in stand-up, believing people still want to get out of the house and laugh together, and believing in hard work each and every day.”
(Jesse Grant / Getty Images)
Number of sellouts: 3
Dates: Nov. 12, 2006 (two shows) and Nov. 9, 2009
Rough Around the Edges Tour, Isolated Incident Tour
“When I think of history and legendary artists selling out, it’s the greatest honor of my career. To get to experience that even once, it’s an achievement that forever changes how your career is viewed. I’m standing backstage in the hallway looking at all the photos, it’s like getting an energy massage, realizing the history of this incredible edifice. In my quiet moment pre-show, realizing I’m in rare air, I wanted to enjoy it as much as possible. It is a privilege. When I let the crowd know we got there together, I can still feel the energy in my chest.”
(Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images for Bob Woodruff Foundation)
Number of sellouts: 1
Date: Dec. 12, 2015
Contagious Tour
“I never thought selling out MSG was a possibility. When I started stand-up it was an unrealistic goal for any comedian. Having lived in NYC for three decades, MSG had exceeded its legendary status for me. MSG is where I brought my kids to see the Knicks and Rangers play. It’s where I saw Bruce Springsteen. Pulling off a sellout seemed like a gamble but worth it. There is something special about an audience seeing you at MSG. I think people coming to the show understand there is a special-event status to a show at MSG.”
(Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Number of sellouts: 2
Dates: July 18 and 19, 2025
Stay Golden World Tour
“MSG is the top of the mountain. It symbolizes the pinnacle of ticket-selling success as a comedian. If you can sell out the world’s most famous arena, in the toughest city in America … you’ve made it. For me it was beyond a dream come true. Growing up I always thought selling out comedy clubs was the ceiling for success for stand-up comedians. I never thought I’d be one of them. To not only sell it out twice, but to be the youngest comedian to ever sell it out … it’s still hard to comprehend. It feels like a literal dream, that I can’t remember if it actually happened or not.”
(Bryan Bedder / Getty Images for Food Bank for NYC)
Number of sellouts: 2
Dates: May 3 and 4, 2024
The Life Tour
“I am born and raised in NYC. My dad had so much respect for MSG he would make me wear a collared shirt whenever we stepped in that building. This place had holy significance to me before I knew I wanted to be a comic. Once I decided to make comedy my life I had one goal. It was to sell out MSG … wearing a collared shirt of course. I thought about walking onto that stage every single day for 17 years straight. And then it happened. Dreams do come true.”
Sainsbury’s has agreed to sell Argos for £120m after a long process of trying to offload it as the supermarket chain aims to focus on its main food business.
Sainsbury’s said it would be “business as usual” for Argos customers, staff, and suppliers. Shoppers will see no change as Argos will still operate in Sainsbury’s shops, sell Habitat products, and offer Nectar points.
The buyer, Swift Partners, is a company that has been created to buy the brand and includes former Co-operative Group boss Richard Pennycook.
There are 667 Argos shops across the UK, with 201 operating as standalone stores and 466 operating within Sainsbury’s. It also has more than 450 collection points.
Founded in 1973, Argos opened shops where customers browsed its catalogues and placed their orders, with products being delivered to tills from warehouses connected to the stores.
The Argos catalogue, once described by comedian Bill Bailey as the “laminated book of dreams”, used to be a physical book.
Argos no longer prints this hefty tome, with its full range now available online instead. In store, customers can browse the product collection on tablet computers.
Sainsbury’s has been trying to sell Argos – which has been seen as an underperforming brand – for some time.
Sainsbury’s bought Argos – together with Habitat and all the other retail brands owned by Home Retail Group – in 2016 for £1.4bn. It then sold Argos financial services, which runs the Argos card, for around £720m in 2024.
In September last year, its talks to sell the rest of Argos to Chinese online retailer JD.com fell through.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts said that all of Argos’s nearly 14,000 staff would be transferred over to Swift Partners as part of the deal.
He also confirmed that Argos would continue to operate in Sainsbury’s shops; Nectar will continue to be used across both Argos and Sainsbury’s; and Sainsbury’s will continue to sell Habitat products
Swift Partners’ Pennycook said he believed “strongly in Argos’s future and see real opportunities to invest and build on its progress”.
The deal is expected to be completed in February next year.
Pennycook said there was the potential to open new standalone Argos shops – and did not rule out the possibility of the return of its print catalogue.
THE price tag for John Travolta’s Saturday Night Fever suit is every bit as eye-watering as his dance moves.
The flared white three-piece outfit from the 1977 hit movie is expected to sell for as much as £300,000 at auction next month.
It is one of more than 1,400 items from film and TV that Propstore will be putting under the hammer in its four-day Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Auction.
The sale includes the fake axe wielded by Jack Nicholson in The Shining, a Harry Potter golden snitch and a hoverboard ridden by Michael J Fox in Back To The Future II.
A 15-inch stop-motion animation puppet from the 1949 film Mighty Joe Young is estimated to be worth up to £1.5million.
Here, we look at the most memorable mementoes up for grabs.
CHARLOTTE Crosby has been forced to sell clothes for just £6 as she announced she’s closing her fashion brand amid financial woes.
The 36-year-old started Pepper Girls Club nine years ago, but in an emotional post on Tuesday night, she revealed she’s saying goodbye to her beloved company.
Taking to her Instagram stories, she penned: “After 9 incredible years, it’s time to say goodbye to @peppergirlsclub.
“This has been one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make.
“To everyone who believed in Pepper Girls Club, supported every launch, placed an order, shared our posts, wore our clothes or simply cheered us on from the sidelines.. thank you.
“You made this dream possible and I will never be able to fully express just how grateful I am.
READ MORE ON CHARLOTTE CROSBY
“The reality is that the current climate has become one of the hardest times for small businesses to survive and I’ve reached the point where I have to prioritise my family, growing my family and my future projects.”
The former Geordie Shore star revealed that this will be the final restock of some of their sold out products as she announced a closing down sale.
“While this chapter is coming to an end, it’s taught me resilience and determination like no other and the lessons I have learnt will stay with me forever,” she continued.
“Pepper Girls Club will always hold a very special place in my heart and I’ll forever be proud of everything we achieved and built together.”
Charlotte concluded her emotional post by thanking her mum Letitia for helping her with the brand over the years.
The reality star has been forced to slash her prices, with some items being sold for as little as £5.99.
T-shirts that are usually £19.00 have been reduced to even more than half price as she attempts to flog her remaining stock.
The news comes after Charlotte closed down another one of her businesses last month.
She had announced that Studio Yours, which was a creative space for content creation in the North East, was being closed.
Her post read: “After an incredible couple of years, we’ve made the difficult decision to close Studio Yours.
“We want to say a huge thank you to every single person & business who booked in to use our creative space.
“It has been a privilege to welcome so many amazing businesses, creatives, families and brands through our doors, and we’re so grateful for the memories we’ve made together.”
The post continued: “We will be selling furniture & production equipment so if you’ve had your eye on anything, or would be interested in purchasing items from the studio, please send us a message for more information.
“Thank you again for all of your support from the North East, Studio Yours wouldn’t have been what it was without you.”
The Celebrity Big Brother winner first revealed her financial woes in September last year.
She admitted that she put £300,000 into Pepper Girls Club but hadn’t seen a penny back.
Speaking in a behind-the-scenes video to share the secrets of her company, she admitted her financial struggles have been the hardest part of running her company.
Charlotte said: “I have literally put so much money into this business. That is no word of a lie.
“I’ve put about £300,000 into this business over the last eight years. “I haven’t received a penny of that back.”
She added: “The company is only in debt to me which is fine. “I would love to get it to the point where I can start to get some of that money back. But it is just not there yet.”
Charlotte further revealed that she had campaigned to get investment from others to help the business but had been cruelly dismissed by potential lenders.
She recalled how one even said to her: “Their accountant told me that Pepper Girls Club would do good the day that pigs fly.”
Football’s world governing body announces plans to sell stakes of up to 20 percent in the World Cup and other events.
Published On 29 Jul 202629 Jul 2026
FIFA has proposed a plan to sell stakes in the World Cup and other events to private investors, provoking a furious response from the European football governing body, UEFA.
Under the plans announced by FIFA on Tuesday, a $20bn subsidiary would be created to run the World Cup and other events.
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World football’s governing body said it would retain a majority share in the new FIFA Forward Enterprise, offering minority stakes to external investment to raise up to $4.2bn.
The plan still needs to be voted on by FIFA’s 211 member nations.
If successful, the proposed investor group is expected to be led by a vehicle founded by Joshua Kushner, the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, FIFA said.
UEFA said the proposal “crosses a line that football’s governing institutions should never cross”.
FIFA has just held a 48-team World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico – the biggest in the tournament’s history.
It is one of the world’s wealthiest sporting organisations, generating billions of dollars, largely from broadcasting rights, sponsorship and other commercial deals linked to the World Cup.
But it says this proposal can increase funds to widen access to the sport and strengthen global participation, with all net benefits to be reinvested in football.
“Football is the world’s most popular sport,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
“Parts of the game have turned that popularity into remarkable commercial value – and we celebrate that success and want it to continue, because it lifts the whole game.
“Our job is to make sure the rest of football grows with it: FIFA exists to support sustainable, inclusive development in every corner of the world.”
FIFA said that in addition to retaining sole control of the subsidiary, it would retain authority over football governance, competitions, match calendars and regulatory and sporting decisions.
The proposal deepens the divide between FIFA and UEFA, with Europe positioning itself as football’s custodian, while FIFA, a not-for-profit organisation, says it is focused on broadening access with financial largesse.
In a statement, UEFA said it takes the new proposals “extremely seriously”.
“So should every National Football Association. So should every stakeholder: leagues, clubs, players, supporters, governments and everyone who cares about the future of the game.
“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially. None of us are the owners of football. It is not FIFA’s to sell.”
The United Kingdom’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, joined critics, saying on social media that the sport does not belong to investors.
“The World Cup is not a product. It is the greatest competition in world sport, and it was never anyone’s to sell,” Burnham wrote on X.
“Dress the deal up however you like. Once you have sold a piece of it, you have sold out.”
The US says it has spent more than $37.5 billion on the Iran war so far, and the Secretary of Defense is requesting an additional $67 billion more. One analyst tells Al Jazeera’s ‘This is America’ that Congress may face political trouble voting against it.
Published On 24 Jul 202624 Jul 2026
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The consortium is led by British-Indian investor Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal.
Published On 21 Jul 202621 Jul 2026
Liverpool are in talks with British-Indian investor Amit Bhatia over a potential deal for a minority stake in the Premier League football club.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG), Liverpool’s United States-based owner, confirmed the approach from Bhatia’s group on Tuesday.
“An investment consortium led, managed, and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club,” an FSG spokesperson told the AFP news agency.
Bhatia, the son-in-law of Indian steel billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, is heading a consortium interested in buying into the 20-time English champions.
The Financial Times reported that Bhatia has hired advisers to work on the offer, which the newspaper said could value Liverpool at more than $6bn.
Just hours after Bhatia’s interest in Liverpool emerged, the London-born 46-year-old stepped down from his role as a director and co-owner of English Championship side Queens Park Rangers (QPR).
Bhatia, who spent 18 seasons with the west Londoners, will transfer his ownership of the club to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam.
“I step back from my formal responsibilities with pride, gratitude and affection. I want to thank the players, managers, staff, the community trust, my fellow board members and, above all, the fans, who have made me and my family feel part of the QPR family for so many years,” Bhatia said.
Bhatia’s discussions with FSG – who bought Liverpool for 300 million British pounds ($400m) in 2010 – are believed to be at an early stage, with no deal struck yet.
Any investment from Bhatia would be made to further position Liverpool for success, following FSG’s move in 2023 to sell a minority stake in the club to global sports investment firm Dynasty.
Reports at the time valued that transaction between $100m and $200m.
monkeybusinessimages/iStock via Getty Images
Carl Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises (IEP) has agreed to sell automotive service chain Pep Boys to Mavis Tire Express Services in a transaction valued at about $700 million in cash, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Monday that cited people
RICKY Gervais banked £16.2million from his sell-out 80-date live Mortality tour, accounts show.
The Brit comedy legend, 65, raked in £311,500 a week for the stint.
It meant the 2025-26 financial year was his best earner to date.
His firm, Red Lion 99, has £17.9million in assets and he has another £33.9million in his TV and film firms listed on Companies House.
Gervais will earn even more from a new nationwide tour, Legend, which starts this autumn.
Yet the Reading-born star is known to be disinterested in wealth.
READ MORE ON RICKY GERVAIS
He once said: “People ask me why I dress like a tramp.
“And I say, ‘My clothes are clean and comfortable.
“Who am I trying to impress?’
“I don’t wear £50,000 watches. I don’t collect cars. I can’t drive.”
“Nothing gives me more of a buzz than to help an animal. I don’t get excited about things.
“I’m not a hippie or communist, I think money’s for the safety of your family and friends, and you can’t take it with you.”
Pieces from the turf used at the stadium will go on sale as memorabilia and will be priced from $450 to $1,200.
By Reuters and The Associated Press
Published On 11 Jul 202611 Jul 2026
FIFA is hoping to make money off the World Cup final even after the match is finished and the tournament is wrapped up.
Segments of the pitch for the World Cup final will be up for sale starting at $450 per piece, football’s governing body announced on Saturday.
Players and coaches have criticised the quality of the field at New Jersey’s MetLife, which usually uses an artificial surface for NFL games of the New York Giants and Jets. FIFA renamed the venue to New Jersey New York Stadium for the World Cup.
FIFA, accused of charging high prices for this year’s tournament in the United States, will earn more than $11m from the sale, according to a report in The Athletic.
“Own a genuine piece of football history with an authentic 2026 FIFA World Cup Piece of the pitch, permanently preserved in a premium acrylic with a USB keepsake,” the website says. “Each piece contains an original fragment of the iconic Final playing surface, making it a unique collectable that celebrates one of the world’s greatest sporting events.”
The official store says each segment of turf is 17.5 by 17.5 by 17.5, although it doesn’t specify whether that figure is inches, centimetres or millimetres.
FIFA said “the acrylic USB features an authenticity film, while offering a sleek, contemporary display piece. Presented in a premium hinged shoulder box with striking spot UV detailing, this exclusive item is designed for collectors, fans, and football enthusiasts alike”.
FIFA is making the turf available to send only to addresses in the United States and Europe.
“Orders will not be shipped until after the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final,” the governing body said.
In addition to the high-priced tickets and memorabilia for the tournament, it will cost $3,000 for the highest-priced tier of souvenir turf. The three-by-three-inch (7.6-by-7.6-centimetre) piece of grass comes with a gold-etched replica ticket, a miniature replica World Cup ball and a crystal-cut World Cup trophy.
The three other tiers of souvenir turf will sell for $450, $900 and $1,200.
There will be no more than 2,026 pieces available in any one tier.
FIFA is selling regular tickets for the final at up to $32,970 for the final and is asking $34,500 and $32,500 for hospitality tickets that include food and drinks.
The report indicated that the turf which will be used for the World Cup final was grown at a turf farm in North Carolina.
For consistency, new turf fields were installed at all World Cup venues, including those that typically have artificial surfaces like the stadiums in Seattle, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Vancouver, Canada; Arlington, Texas; and Inglewood, California.
There is no indication of what will happen to the turf fields that are not being used for the final.
Alexander Koerner/Getty Images News
Continental (CTTAY) announced on Saturday plans to sell its ContiTech plastics and rubber production unit to investment firm Lone Star Funds for $4.6B (€4.0B) as the German company seeks to become a pure-play tiremaker.
The deal value includes €250M in performance-based
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Scorpio Tankers (STNG) down 2.1% in Tuesday’s trading as Bank of America double-downgrades shares to Underperform from Buy with a $78 price target, lowered from $100, saying product tanker rates remain historically strong but are now in a post-peak pullback.
DECEASED Friends actor Matthew Perry has sold two original Banksy artworks for nearly £1million – including the iconic Girl with Balloon.
The star tragically died in October 2023 after accidentally drowning in a jacuzzi while high on ketamine, with 127 items from his estate having now been sold at auction.
A pair of iconic Banksy artworks, Girl with Balloon and Nola, that Perry owned have been sold for £975,000.
The Hollywood actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the hit TV sitcom Friends, died at the age of 54.
His estate has since been put up for auction with the money going to the Matthew Perry Foundation which helps substance users to recover.
The Girl with Balloon 2005 includes two spray-painted stencils on separate canvases of a child reaching for a red heart-shaped balloon.
Following an intense bidding war, it sold for a massive £709,674.
After including the 25 per cent buyers premium, it sold for £887,093.
The other iconic artwork, Nola 2008, is a screen print in colours on wove paper of a young girl holding an umbrella while sheltering from the rain.
It was the first Banksy Perry ever bought, according to Heritage Auctions.
The monochrome picture fetched £70,967.
Including the 25 per cent buyers premium, it sold for £88,709.
Both artworks have Banksy’s signature on them.
Other items sold at the auction included signed Friends episode scripts, TV guide displays, and a custom Chandler bobble head.
It also sold Batman memorabilia like a custom ping pong table and The Dark Knight Rises watch.
Perry’s cause of death was determined to be the acute effects of ketamine with drowning as a contributing factor.
A year after the celeb’s tragic passing, the street dealer who supplied the ketamine, Erik Fleming, was jailed for two years.
Perry’s assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, was also jailed for more than three years after injecting the actor with the drug.
Both pleaded guilty to the charges during their court appearances.
In Section 533 of Angel Stadium, high above the foul pole in right field, where fans enjoying pretzels and helmet nachos wore Angels caps and Mike Trout shirts, a kindly usher approached. As a row of kids delighted in mixing cotton candy and frozen lemonade into an only-at-the-ballpark dessert, the usher alerted the parents that a mass of boisterous and predominantly shirtless men soon would be assembling in a nearby section.
Sure enough, as Wednesday’s game reached the fifth inning, a few dozen young men ran to the very back of Section 535, removed their shirts, twirled them over their heads, and chanted “Sell the team!”
As the chants continued, fans flocked from all corners of the stadium like moths to a flame, and the group grew from a few dozen to a few hundred. The “Sell the team” chants dominated, but there were others: “M-V-P” for Trout, “U-S-A,” “We want beer,” two we cannot print about Angels owner Arte Moreno and, for the young men that dared approach with a shirt on, “Take it off!”
Five friends lined up next to one another, their chests painted red, each with a different character in white: S, E, L, L and an exclamation point. I asked the guy wearing the exclamation point on his chest whether he thought the protests would have any impact upon Moreno.
Fans wave their shirts and shout “sell the team” during a game at Angel Stadium.
(Ronaldo Bolaños/Los Angeles Times)
“I would hope it would have an impact,” said Carson Taff, 16, of Laguna Hills, “but it’s really fun to see people out here.”
Indeed, in a stadium that could generously be described as half-empty, the Angels had themselves a new attraction, an organic display of audience participation.
The now-nightly ritual died down an inning after it started. Other kindly ushers, who had directed people to an adjacent section after Section 535 filled up, politely asked everyone to please put their shirts back on before returning to the general stadium population.
The Angels thumped the Colorado Rockies 11-4, but one good night cannot change the trajectory of a miserable season. The Angels still lost the series to the Rockies, the team with which they share the worst record in the major leagues.
Next up: the Dodgers.
It is unlikely that fans alone could push Moreno to sell. In 2024, Athletics owner John Fisher heard “Sell the team!” chants — and much worse — from the entirety of the Oakland Coliseum, and from a fan base pleading with him not to move its beloved team to Las Vegas. On Monday, Fisher and the A’s open a six-game homestand at a triple-A ballpark in Las Vegas, an appetizer before their scheduled move into a new stadium there in 2028.
If ever a team could stay the course, this might be the time. In the American League, five teams have winning records. If the playoffs opened today, an AL team with a losing record would be included.
The Angels should resist the delusion. They are seven games out of a playoff spot, but they would have to pass nine teams in the standings to get there. They remain on pace to lose 100 games for the first time in franchise history.
On Tuesday, while the spotlight unfortunately found outfielder Jo Adell when a home run bounced off his head, the Angels attracted little attention for the fundamental mistakes of neglecting to cover third base on one play and second base on another.
Angels fans wave signs and urge owner Arte Moreno to sell the team to an ownership group willing to invest more in winning during a pregame protest last month at Angel Stadium.
(Joaquin Ruiz / For The Times)
To the extent Moreno makes any big decisions in the near future, they are less likely to focus on a potential team sale than on whether he believes his manager and general manager — each of whom is working under a contract that expires at the end of this season — can put the Angels in the best position for future seasons.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers’ lineup included four players over 30 and three under 26. The Angels’ lineup that night included four players over 30 and one under 26.
The Angels need to get on with the future. Their front office scoffs at prospect rankings, where the Angels rate poorly.
So bring ‘em up: When infielder Yoan Moncada is ready to come off the injured list, reinstate him and then trade him for anything you can get. Teams like the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies would like to add a right-handed bat; swallow some of outfielder Jorge Soler’s contract and trade him for anything you can get.
It’s not about what would be an underwhelming return in either case; it’s about clearing roster spaces for infielders Denzer Guzman and Christian Moore.
And then purge some veteran arms and bring up whatever young ones can help in the Angels bullpen, which has a 5.07 earned-run average. Again, this isn’t about a good return in trade — there isn’t going to be one — but about experience and evaluation for the minor league talent the Angels like to talk up.
You want a good return? Get ahead of the trade deadline and dangle Jose Soriano to contenders that might pay for a live arm now, rather than wait two months to see if they can land Tarik Skubal. Soriano is a win-now addition, but his two Tommy John surgeries make him a risk on a long-term commitment.
In 2023, Moreno granted an interview to Sports Illustrated, in which he explained his decision to put the Angels up for sale, then take them off the market.
“If I’m going to stay,” Moreno said he told his wife, “I have to make a decision that we have to do better. We’re just not doing well enough.”
In 2024 and 2025, the Angels finished in last place, extending baseball’s longest playoff drought to 11 seasons. In 2026, they’re in last place again, desperately needing to get off the treadmill of trying to patch holes with low-cost veterans and crossing their fingers for an 83-win team that might sneak into the playoffs despite a chronic lack of depth.
Angels pitcher José Soriano delivers the ball against the Colorado Rockies on Monday at Angel Stadium.
(William Liang / Ap Photo/william Liang)
They are not deep enough, and they are not good enough.
Behind Section 504 at Angel Stadium, you can find a team store with an outlet mall price: 50% off everything. It is a wonderful concept, a place where families can find affordable souvenirs without limiting the kids to a clearance rack.
Alas, when you mention affordability and the Angels these days, what first comes to mind among Angels fans are these spring words from Moreno to the Orange County Register: “The number one thing fans want is affordability … Believe it or not, winning is not in their top five.”
In Section 535, no one was chanting about affordability.
US tech giant says fundraising drive includes deal to sell $10 bn of stock to Berkshire Hathaway.
Published On 2 Jun 20262 Jun 2026
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has announced plans to sell $80bn worth of shares to fund its rollout of artificial intelligence.
Alphabet said on Monday that the equity offerings would finance the rollout of AI infrastructure needed to meet “unprecedented customer demand”.
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The US tech giant said the fundraising drive included a deal to sell $10bn of stock to Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate led for six decades by legendary investor Warren Buffett.
The remaining $70bn will come from $30bn in underwritten offerings – a type of share issuance where a financial institution buys stock to sell on to investors – and $40bn in staggered sales on the open market.
“The company is experiencing strong demand for its AI solutions and services from enterprises and consumers, at levels that are exceeding the company’s available supply,” Alphabet said in a statement.
“By scaling its investments, the company seeks to expand its foundational infrastructure to support the significant growth opportunity ahead.”
Shares of Alphabet, which has a market capitalisation of more than $4.5 trillion, were down about 1 percent in after-hours trading following the announcement.
Like other Silicon Valley giants, Alphabet, whose AI business spans the Gemini family of assistants, data centres and cloud services, has committed eye-watering sums to AI-related infrastructure.
The company said in its most recent earnings call that it expected its capital expenditures to reach $180-190bn this year, and rise “significantly” in 2027.
US tech behemoths, such as Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta, are expected to spend some $800bn on AI-related capital investment in 2026, according to an analysis by Goldman Sachs.
Troy Hooper, co-head of equity capital markets for the Americas at the financial intelligence provider Mergermarket, said Alphabet’s funding plans underscored the intensity of the race to lead the AI buildout.
“For hyperscalers, compute capacity is a direct driver of future revenue,” Hooper told Al Jazeera.
“By leaning into equity, Alphabet is bringing in permanent capital rather than burdening a balance sheet already absorbing record capex,” Hooper said, using the shorthand for capital expenditure.
Hooper said US tech giants have come to view underinvestment in AI as an “existential risk” and over-investment as “merely expensive”.
“The logic is simple: under-investing is an existential risk; over-investing is merely expensive. Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta are following the same calculus,” Hooper said.
“Ownership at scale lowers the marginal cost of training advanced models, building a moat smaller competitors will struggle to match. The message is clear: The winners of the AI era will be decided not just by algorithms, but by who owns the largest and most efficient compute platforms.”
Lifelong Angels fan Johnny Gonzalez has reached his boiling point as the team sits at the bottom of the standings, but he’s not giving up. And he’s not alone.
The Angels completed a surprise sweep of the Rangers Sunday, but the team still is tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball with a 20-34. Their fans spent the holiday weekend pushing back against the idea that the franchise would never be more than a bargain option amid rising prices all around them.
Frustrated fans have gone shirtless during the Angels’ homestand and chanted for owner Arte Moreno to “sell the team.” And about 75 fans heeded Gonzalez’s call for a protest, gathering in front of the Angel Stadium State College Boulevard entrance on Saturday chanting “sell the team,” “we want playoffs” and “winning matters.” Drivers passing the spectacle honked their horns in support.
“They’re not doing much for us fans,” said Gonzalez, who organized the protest using the Instagram account @AngelsBoycott. “It seems like every other team is just doing a lot more than us, despite us having a huge following [and] having some of the best players to ever play the game. I mean, it’s just like a lack of commitment, to say the least, and that’s why we’re here today.”
Angels fans wave signs and urge owner Arte Moreno to sell the team to an ownership group willing to invest more in winning during a pregame protest Saturday at Angel Stadium.
(Joaquin Ruiz / For The Times)
It has been three months since Angels owner Arte Moreno told the Orange County Register that, according to Angels survey results, winning was not a top-five priority for fans and that data showed they valued affordability, safety and a “good experience” first.
Outrage over the remarks has grown as the Angels remain anchored at the bottom of the standings.
With a megaphone in his hand, Gonzalez pointed to the Ducks’ recent Stanley Cup playoff run as proof that Anaheim enjoys winning. He also noted how the nearby Dodgers and even the Padres demonstrate how Southern California teams can play for the postseason.
The Angels have missed the MLB playoffs for 11 consecutive seasons — including six with stars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout on the roster — and have reached the postseason six times since Moreno purchased the team in 2003 after the franchise’s sole World Series title win in 2002.
Team officials did not respond to The Times’ request for comment on the fans’ protest, but manager Kurt Suzuki addressed the “sell the team” chants that are so loud they can be heard during Angels television broadcasts.
“I know it’s a thing, the no shirts and waving,” Suzuki said. “But yeah, we see it. We recognize it. They have the right to their opinion, and … they cheer for the guys, they roll-call them. I think it’s pretty neat for them to have that kind of support.”
A fan wears a bag over his head that says “Sell the Team Arte!!!” during a game against the Rangers on Friday at Angel Stadium.
(Mark J. Terrill / Ap Photo/mark J. Terrill)
Suzuki added that the Angels remain focused on winning and haven’t paid the chants too much attention.
The Angels entered Sunday’s game ranked No. 9 in MLB attendance with 34,555 announced fans per night, according to ESPN. There are swaths of empty seats during every home game, suggesting some season ticket holders are choosing to stay home.
There is an expanding contingent of fans in the upper deck adjacent to the right-field foul pole who have chanted “sell the team” while waving T-shirts, joining in on a trendy “tarps off” fan movement across MLB sparked by Cardinals fans in St. Louis.
Angels fans who haven’t joined the protests are pleased to see the calls for change.
“I think it’s good that there’s fans that are passionate enough to actually speak out, to want to see a better team and really want to get us back into the playoffs,” Darren Shimasaki, an Angels fan from Yorba Linda, said Friday.
Debbie and Reed Olive, meanwhile, said they usually attend games for the promotions.
“You’re not going to come away with the wins,” Debbie said. “So, we got to get something for our ticket price.”
Even the fan experience unrelated to winning that Moreno touted has taken a hit.
Angels officials said they quickly resolved a rodent infestation Orange County health inspectors flagged at an outdoor food stand in View Level Section 432. Videos of stadium workers capturing a possum in one fan section and spraying gnats on the field during the last few weeks haven’t helped the team’s image.
Reed said the rodent infestation “was a bad look” and that the Angels need a new stadium in addition to a new owner.
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who has spent his five-year career with the Angels, said he understands the fans’ frustration.
“We don’t like not doing well, either,” O’Hoppe said. “It’s not OK to us. It doesn’t matter how much we’re getting paid or that we get treated great throughout the league and things like that. We hate it, too. I think people definitely don’t realize that. I think I can speak for a lot of guys in here that we dedicate our lives to this. … We’re not happy with how it’s going, but we’re doing everything we can to fix it.”
O’Hoppe is a New York Rangers fan and gets frustrated when his team struggles, but he said he reminds himself that “we’re all humans.”
The Rangers’ Josh Jung is tagged out at home by Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe on Friday at Angel Stadium.
(Mark J. Terrill / Ap Photo/mark J. Terrill)
Angels left fielder Wade Meckler, who made his debut on Friday night, is an Orange County native who grew up cheering for the team.
“I mean, I get it,” Meckler said. “It’s a hungry fan base. The fan base is hungry for a winning team. So I understand, you know, being frustrated. They just really want a winning team.”
Meckler has been following the Angels since age 5 and remembers feeling dejected after attending the Angels’ 4-1 home loss to the Royals in Game 2 of the 2014 American League Division Series.
“It’s a super loyal fan base,” Meckler said. “I feel like they show up with energy every day.”
The Angels are on track to miss the postseason for a 12th consecutive season, prompting restless fans to call for new owners who will invest in building a team capable of reaching the playoffs.
“Arte don’t know what he’s talking about,” said Austin Kleschka, an Angels fan who joined Gonzalez at the front of Saturday’s protest. “Winning is a priority. We want that.”
POP star Dua Lipa is suing Samsung for £11million after the tech giant allegedly used her face to sell £300 televisions without her permission.
A picture of the Levitating singer was on the packaging of Crystal 43in ultra-high- definition sets to promote its XITE Hits music channel.
In legal paperwork obtained by The Sun, Dua’s attorneys say she owns the copyright to the photo — taken backstage at a 2024 festival.
She claims it appeared on a “significant portion” of the tellies sold in the US — and her fans even flocked to buy them in the belief she had endorsed them.
The filing, made in the Central District of California Federal Court, reveals that Grammy- winner Dua is demanding a minimum $15million (£11million) in damages — but a jury could decide to award far more.
South Korean firm Samsung is said to have ignored several legal warnings from her team.
Her lawyer Christine Lepera wrote: “Samsung used a copyrighted image of Ms. Lipa without authority or licence and prominently featured it on the front of boxes containing Samsung-manufactured televisions for retail sale.”
She added “The substantial revenue made on the sale is inextricably tied to the false message conveyed to consumers that Ms. Lipa has endorsed the Infringing Products when she has not.”
One fan is said to have put a photo of the box online with the caption: “I wasn’t even planning on buying a TV, but I saw the box so I decided to get it.”
Another in Miami who spotted it in a store wrote on Instagram: “I’d get that TV just because Dua is on it. That’s how obsessed I am.”
A third said: “I’ve always said if you need anything selling, just put a picture of Dua Lipa on it.”
Ms Lepera added that Dua would not have agreed a Samsung deal anyway as she is “highly selective in her commercial partnerships”.
The London-born star, 30, is one of the world’s biggest pop stars, cracking America and winning three Grammy Awards.
She has signed a number of advertising deals to take her net worth in excess of £100million.
Dua is the face of Nespresso, alongside George Clooney, and also the frontwoman for Yves Saint-Laurent’s beauty products.
In 2023, she signed a seven- figure package to become the face of sports car brand Porsche, and she is in a multi-year partnership with sportswear giant Puma.
Samsung had yet to file a defence to the court. Both Samsung and Dua Lipa’s legal firm, MSK, were asked to comment.
