In the beginning was the word. Or rather, several words. And, more precisely, the name of the TV series: Servant of the People. Then there was a political party with the same name. Without an ideology. Without local party cells. Without party members. With absolutely nothing behind it, the party already had a 4 percent following in December 2017. For most of its supporters, the Servant of the People Party was political entertainment: a convention with Coca-Cola, pizza, and shawarma (a gyro sandwich), a selfie with a popular actor, memes such as “Let It Be the Stadium Then” and “Let’s Beat Them All Together,” Volodymyr Zelensky’s phenomenal victory, a cinematic inauguration....

Perez previously said Zidane can “stay at Real Madrid for life” after guiding the club to back-to-back Champions League successes by beating Juventus in this year’s final. ‘I know Cristiano is angry, but I think he’ll stay’ And tying the club’s head coach to a new deal will be his first act once the 45-year-old is back at the club after a break. “Sure he is safe and the first thing we are going to do after he comes back from holiday is renew him,” Perez said to esRadio....

The teenager, Leiyla Cepeda, faces two counts of first degree murder, according to the Weld County District Attorney. When police responded to a home in Nunn, Colorado, they learned that a baby had been born and later saw what appeared to be stab wounds on the dead infant, local news station KMGH reported, citing an arrest affidavit. Officers also said they found scissors at the scene. Cepeda allegedly told police that she had thought she might be pregnant but wasn’t certain, that she started having cramps and contractions, and that she believed the child might be ready to come out around 1:30 a....

On Wednesday, the former Real Madrid boss watched his side lose 1-0 to Tottenham, frustrating the 58-year-old due to their inability to take their chances early in the game. Newcastle are fighting to finish in the top half of the table, but Benitez believes there is more to come from this squad if they can add firepower. “We know that we need to keep the same team spirit, the same mentality, the same commitment from all these players, and a little bit more quality to help and be sure that in this kind of game, you take your chances and win,” he said....

Check out Newcastle’s PL odds The 22-year-old winger has joined Rafa Benitez’s newly promoted side for a reported £12 million fee after helping England advance to the U-21 European Championship semi-finals earlier this summer. Murphy has made 122 senior appearances since debuting with Norwich in January 2014. He scored eight goals in 37 Championship appearances for Norwich last season after spending previous campaigns on loan to Swindon Town, Southend United, Blackpool, Scunthorpe United and Colchester United....

Several clubs in the Championship have enquired about a loan move for El-Mhanni, who has been compared to Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez, as well as the Turkish club Sivisspor and Dutch club FC Twente. Newcastle 11/8 to beat West Ham El-Mhanni is currently in Newcastle United’s Under 23s but made two appearances for the first team last season in the FA Cup against Oxford United and Birmingham City. Newcastle have an option to extend El-Mhanni’s deal for another season but his contract only has a year left on it, alerting the likes of Everton, Brighton and Leicester City to watch his progress in case he becomes available for a cut-price fee....

Earl Fields and Heather Burgett showed up at Rupp Arena during Saturday’s Kentucky game against South Carolina wearing their wedding attire. Photos of the couple made the rounds on Twitter. MORE: NC State upsets Louisville | Tulane’s 30-foot buzzer beater | Kentucky’s season of supremacy Michael Grant of The Courier-Journal spoke with the newly married couple. He found out they got married Friday night and drove two hours to attend the game....

Alec Baldwin stars in NBC’s “30 Rock” and in “The Departed.” He spoke with Nicki Gostin. I had to start shooting at 6 this morning. Besides, I can’t stand to watch myself. Yada yada. Every actor says that. No, it’s true. The purpose of a movie is to be entertained, and watching yourself is the opposite of being entertained. I barely watch movies at screenings because it seems so artificial–it’s a house full of friends....

Newsom, whose decision to not attend the conference as planned struck many as unusual, addressed speculation about his whereabouts Tuesday during the California Economic Summit in Monterey. The summit, which is produced by the nonprofit California Forward, featured a conversation with Newsom that was hosted by Lenny Mendonca, California Forward’s co-chair. A spokesperson for Newsom’s office cited “family obligations” as the reason for the governor’s decision to stay home instead of traveling abroad for the conference....

Still, despite reports that U.S. airstrikes killed Mohammad Atef, a top military aide to Osama bin Laden, just 28 percent of those polled say it’s very likely the U.S. military will be able to capture or kill bin Laden himself. If the U.S. were to capture or kill bin Laden, 44 percent say it will make a martyr of the al-Qaeda leader and inspire others to commit acts of terrorism, while 47 percent say bin Laden’s capture or death would reduce the chances of further attacks....

Sixty-two percent of those polled by NEWSWEEK say the military effort in Afghanistan cannot be considered a victory if bin Laden and Mullah Omar are not captured or killed. However, only 7 percent believe that capturing or killing bin Laden would be enough to eliminate the threat of future terrorist attacks. Thirty-two percent say it will also be necessary to kill or capture other top leaders in his organization, while a 52-percent majority says even that will not be enough because too many cells and potential leaders would remain (up from 40 percent last month)....

The biggest winner was President Donald Trump. There is a huge stature gap between the president’s recent speeches and rallies and the petty bickering and bitter attacks on the debate stage. It will be easy for voters to differentiate the powerful incumbent and the confused, tiny opponents yammering in the background. Also, when Mayor Mike Bloomberg announced that Bernie Sanders would be a disaster in the general election, he gave the Trump re-election campaign a perfect ad for this fall if Sanders is the nominee....

Dyche was synonymous with Turf Moor, leaving with his coaching team after 10 years at the helm in a shock move that ended the reign of the man who had been the longest-serving current manager at one club in the Premier League. Some assumed that Burnley would have a familiar name lined up to steady the ship, but interim manager Mike Jackson has done a job commendable enough to add fuel to rumours that Dyche’s departure was not entirely unpopular with his playing squad....

I will confess the NCAA would be unwise to select me for the role. Because even though my track record from four decades in sports media contains plenty of proof I would put everything into doing the job as well as possible, you have my guarantee I would take that $3 million salary and retire in a year with one hell of a nest egg. You could take that to the bank, as they say....

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand and promises to deliver another feast of international football to satiate the appetites of those who are craving another tournament after the drama of Qatar 2022. USA will be hoping to defend the title they won at France 2019 and become the first team to win three consecutive FIFA Women’s World Cup titles. MORE: Is the World Cup trophy made of real gold?...

Voters seem ready to shrug off the charges, too. Trailing by 23 points in the new Newsweek Poll, Bob Dole has one last gambit: attack Clinton’s ethics. But most people like those posing the questions at the town hall-style debate in San Diego so far seem uninterested in the president’s personal foibles. And unless some scandal (Asian money, Whitewater) takes an unforeseeable bounce, there are few signs that the ethical critique can turn the race around....

The 2014 World Cup was supposed to be Brazil’s time to shine on home soil, however, the South American giants suffered a demoralising 7-1 semi-final loss to eventual champions Germany. It was a result that sent shockwaves through Brazil and world football but fast forward to 2017 and Tite’s men now head to the Russia showpiece with renewed belief and loom as one of the teams to beat. Brazil only lost once during CONMEBOL qualifying to book their ticket to next year’s tournament and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar insisted confidence is high....

The Brazil international joined Paris Saint-Germain in August for a world-record fee of €222 million after many weeks of speculation over his future. Neymar 12/1 to be CL top scorer The forward insisted at his unveiling he only made the decision to accept PSG’s proposal two days before the deal was completed, but Xavi says he made it clear he wanted out at Camp Nou while at the lavish wedding of Messi and Antonella Roccuzzo in Rosario....

As revealed by Goal on August 1, the Brazilian briefly arrived at training to say his goodbyes, with Barcelona later confirming that he had asked to leave the club. Get 2/9 on PSG to win Ligue 1 The Catalan giants went on to state that they would not allow the 25-year-old forward to leave for less than his world-record buyout fee. A statement released by the club read: “The player Neymar Jr, accompanied by his father and agent, has informed FC Barcelona this morning of his decision to leave the club in a meeting held at the club’s offices....

The Reds star was keen to move to Camp Nou, handing in a transfer request in August ahead of the Premier League season beginning in order to try and force the situation. Barcelona remain determined to add Coutinho to their squad but Liverpool have no intention in selling the 25-year-old, despite him making it clear to those at the club that he wants to leave. Blaugrana 4/5 to beat Juve...