Manager Gareth Southgate said England "left everything out there" after falling to an extra-time defeat by Croatia in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
England were hoping to reach a first World Cup final since 1966, but let an early lead slip to lose 2-1.
"I think in the first half we were really good and maybe we could have got another goal," Southgate told ITV.
"I can't ask for more from the players. I think knockout football is about fine margins and when you have good spells against fine sides you need to take your chances.
"Tonight we weren't quite there but we will learn from that. We left everything out there."
Southgate said the players were deeply disappointed, but that his young team could achieve great things in the years to come, with the European Championship just two years away.
"It's impossible to say anything to make the players feel better at this moment in time," he said.
"We have to be proud of what we've achieved. I don't think anyone could have given any ...

'We left everything out there', says England manager Southgate

PTI Automatic

Eight-time champion Roger Federer was sensationally knocked out of Wimbledon by South African giant Kevin Anderson while Rafael Nadal edged Juan Martin del Potro in a Centre Court epic and will meet Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Defending champion Federer yesterday lost a Court One thriller, 2-6 6-7 (5/7) 7-5 6-4 13-11 as 32-year-old Anderson became the first South African in the Wimbledon semi-finals since Kevin Curren in 1983.
"Down two sets to love I tried my best to keep fighting. Beating Roger Federer here at Wimbledon will be one I remember, especially in such a close match," Anderson said.
"I kept telling myself to keep believing. I said today is going to be my day." In a nail-biting four hour and 13 minute classic, it was 36-year-old Federer's earliest exit at the All
England Club since his shock second round defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky in 2013.
"Sometimes you don't feel good, and you try your best. Today was one of those days. I didn't see it coming," said ...

Federer shocked at Wimbledon as Nadal and Djokovic set-up semi-final date

The toll in record rains that have devastated parts of Japan today rose to 199, with dozens still missing, a top government spokesman said.
Yoshihide Suga said search operations were continuing after the worst weather-related disaster in Japan in over three decades.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who visited one of the worst-affected regions yesterday, plans to travel yesterday to another area hit by deadly flooding and landslides after the rains, Suga said.
Abe cancelled a four-stop foreign trip due this week as the death toll in the disaster rose.
Hopes for finding survivors have faded a week after the rains began, even though the downpours have now stopped and flood waters have receded.
At least 10,000 people who evacuated their homes or were rescued are now living in shelters, and the government has pledged to set aside emergency funding to help people return home.
"We will do everything we can so that people will not have to continue living in uncomfortable situations in shelters," ..

Japan rains disaster toll rises to 199: government

Human rights violations in a string of Yemeni prisons run by the United Arab Emirates could amount to war crimes, Amnesty International said today.
It called for investigations by the UAE and allies including the United States into a network of unofficial prisons across southern Yemen where it said "egregious violations" have been committed, including enforced disappearances and torture.
"Ultimately these violations, which are taking place in the context of Yemen's armed conflict, should be investigated as war crimes," said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty's crisis response director.
"The UAE's counter-terrorism partners, including the USA, must also take a stand against allegations of torture, including by investigating the role of US personnel in detention-related abuses in Yemen, and by refusing to use information that was likely obtained through torture or other ill-treatment."
The UAE has denied involvement in prisons across southern Yemen. The Gulf state has played a key role in a ...

Amnesty fears war crimes in UAE-run Yemen prisons

The minority government of billionaire Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis won a parliamentary confidence vote today, becoming the first administration since the 1989 collapse of communism to rely on backing from the Communist Party.
It took Babis nine months to form a government after he won last October's election, with potential partners initially shunning him over allegations of EU subsidy fraud among other concerns. He finally struck a minority coalition deal with the Social Democrats in June, but with just 93 seats they must rely on backing from the Communist Party, which controls 15 seats.
"The parliament has voiced confidence in the cabinet," parliament speaker Radek Vondracek said early this morning after a marathon session lasting more than 16 hours. A total of 105 lawmakers out of 196 present in the 200-seat parliament voted in favour of Babis's minority cabinet, while 91 were against.
The staunchly pro-Russian and anti-NATO Communists pledged to back Babis in exchange for ...

Czech government wins confidence vote backed by Communists

Sudan has summoned the European Union ambassador to its country  to protest against an EU statement criticising Uganda and Djibouti for hosting its President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Hague-based ICC has issued arrest warrants against Bashir, accusing him of war crimes and genocide in the deadly conflict in Sudan's western region of Darfur that erupted in 2003.
Sudan's foreign ministry said it rejects the EU's criticism that Djibouti and Uganda "did not surrender" Bashir during his recent visits there.
"The ministry of foreign affairs summoned today (Wednesday) the EU ambassador to express Sudan's regret and rejection of EU's statement that puts pressure on African countries and calls on them to accept allegations of ICC about Sudan," the ministry said in a statement.
Bashir visited Uganda last week for a summit with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir to negotiate a deal aimed at ending the war ..

Sudan summons EU envoy over criticism of Bashir visits

Venezuelan oil production crashed to a new 30-year low of 1.5 million barrels a day in June, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said today.
The South American nation earns 96 per cent of its revenue through oil sales but a lack of foreign exchange has sparked economic paralysis that has left the country suffering serious shortages of food and medicine.
The government of socialist President Nicolas Maduro has told state oil company PDVSA to increase production in the country which sits atop the world's largest reserves of crude.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Venezuela's economic collapse is one of the worst in modern history. The economy has shrunk 45 percent since 2013 and the IMF expects it to contract 15 per cent in 2018 alone, with inflation reaching 13,800 per cent.
Only once during the last 30 years did crude production dip lower, but that was during a brief industry strike from December 2002 to February 2003.
Maduro's government ...

OPEC data show Venezuela oil output in free fall

Syrian state media has confirmed a deal between the regime and rebels for opposition fighters to hand over their heavy weapons in the southern city of Daraa.
On Friday, an agreement was announced for the wider province of the same name, the cradle of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. But the implementation was set to occur in three stages: first in the east of the province, then rebel-held parts of the provincial capital Daraa, and finally the province's west.
"A deal has been reached between the Syrian state and the terrorist groups in Daraa al-Balad," state news agency SANA reported yesterday, referring to the rebels.
Under the deal for opposition-held areas of Daraa city, rebels are to hand over their heavy and medium-sized weapons, it said. It would also provide for "fighters who wish to do so to settle their status with the regime" and stay, "and for those who refuse the agreement to leave the city", it said.
It is the latest in a string of such so-called ...

Syria state media confirms deal with rebels for Daraa city

Germany's interior minister said today he hopes to reach an agreement with Italy by the end of the month on the vexed topic of returning migrants there from Germany.
Speaking to journalists after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Matteo Salvini on the eve of an informal meeting of EU interior ministers, Horst Seehofer said officials from the two countries would meet "very quickly" to discuss the issue.
"We will try to get it done in July," Seehofer said.
If not reached by the end of the month, a solution should be possible by the beginning of August, Seehofer said.
A deal with Italy to take back migrants is central to the compromise German Chancellor Angela Merkel reached with Seehofer to end a row over immigration within their coalition that has threatened to bring down the government.
Salvini said he and Seehofer shared a "common objective: fewer landings, fewer deaths, fewer migrants in Italy as well as in Germany".
Salvini made clear that he expected to see more action to ...

Germany aims for migration deal with Italy by end of July

Poland's prime minister has called the WWII-era massacre of thousands of Poles by Ukrainian nationalists a "genocide", a term that has stoked tensions with neighbouring Ukraine.
Discord over the Volhynia massacres between 1943 and 1945 has led to a diplomatic chill between Kiev and Warsaw, after relations deteriorated when the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party came to power in Poland in 2015.
"This is an exceptional crime, a crime of cruel genocide that had no precedent on such a scale in Polish history," PiS Premier Mateusz Morawiecki said yesterday at an official ceremony in Warsaw dedicated to the victims of the massacres.
In 2016, Poland's PiS-dominated parliament recognised the Volhynia massacres as a "genocide", straining ties with Kiev, which acknowledges the killing but has stopped short of recognising it as genocide.
Between 1943 and 1945, members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) killed up to 100,000 Poles in the Volhynia region of what is now northwest Ukraine. The 

Poland marks 75 years since Volhynia 'genocide'

Chinese smartphone maker ZTE has taken one of the final steps needed to escape the severe sanctions that brought the company to brink of collapse, the US Commerce Department said today.
ZTE signed an agreement to put USD 400 million in escrow to cover any future penalties for US sanctions violations, according to the statement.
As a favour to Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump ordered Commerce to  ease the penalties on ZTE, imposed after officials concluded the company repeatedly lied and failed to address violations of US sanctions on North Korea.
Commerce had banned US companies from supplying ZTE with crucial components, forcing the company to halt operations.
But in an agreement struck last month, Washington agreed to lift the export ban if ZTE paid an additional USD 1 billion fine, replaced its board of directors, retained outside monitors and put USD 400 million in escrow to cover future penalties.
Irate US lawmakers have moved to reinstate the ban, accusing 

US near to lifting sanctions on ZTE

Mario Mandzukic scored the winning goal deep in extra time as Croatia beat England 2-1 in an utterly gripping World Cup semi-final in Moscow today to set up a final date with France.
The Juventus forward netted in the 109th minute to complete a remarkable comeback from a shattered Croatian team and take the small nation of little more than four million people into the World Cup final for the first time in their short history.
Kieran Trippier's magnificent early free-kick had seemingly set England on course to reach their first final since they lifted the trophy on home soil back in 1966.
But it wasn't to be, as Croatia came roaring back in the second half and equalised through Ivan Perisic before somehow finding the energy to win despite being taken to extra time for the third time in 10 days.
The biggest winners of the night could well be France, who have had an extra day's rest for Sunday's final after edging out Belgium 1-0 on Tuesday. That will not matter too much right now for ...

Mandzukic breaks England hearts and fires Croatia into World Cup final

A French court today gave the green light for a suspect in an alleged bomb plot against an Iranian opposition rally to be handed over to Belgium.
The suspected plan to target a gathering of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in a Paris suburb came to light a few days after the June 30 event.
Six people were arrested in Belgium, France and Germany, two of whom were later released.
Belgian police believe the man arrested at a hotel in Paris, identified only as Merhad A. aged 54, is an accomplice of a husband and wife team caught in Brussels in possession of 500 grams of the powerful explosive TATP and a detonator.
The couple were identified as Amir S, 38, and Nasimeh N, 33.
All three are Belgian nationals of Iranian origin.
Separately, German police swooped on an Iranian diplomat based in Vienna who has been named as Assadollah Assadi.
German prosecutors believe Assadi, believed to be an intelligence agent, ordered the couple to attack the rally and had handed them the ...

Suspect in 'plot' to bomb Iran opposition in Paris handed to Belgium

World number one Rafael Nadal set-up a mouth-watering Wimbledon semi-final against old rival Novak Djokovic after battling back to beat Juan Martin del Potro in a Centre Court thriller.
Nadal triumphed 7-5, 6-7 (7/9), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 after four hours and 48 minutes to reach his sixth Wimbledon semi-final and 28th at the majors.
The two-time Wimbledon champion will face Djokovic, a three-time winner at the All England Club, for a place in Sunday's final. Djokovic leads their epic head-to-head rivalry 26-25.
Victory yesterday gave Nadal his 11th win in 16 meetings against the fifth seed Del Potro as the Spaniard stayed on course for an 18th Grand Slam title.  That ambition came a little closer after defending champion Roger Federer was knocked out by Kevin Anderson earlier in the day.
"I think it was great quality tennis and in the final set there were some amazing points," said 2008 and 2010 champion Nadal. "Sorry to Juan Martin, he's an amazing opponent and player. In some ways he ...

Nadal to face Djokovic after Del Potro Wimbledon epic

Canada has announced it will assume command of a new NATO training and capacity building mission in Iraq, sending up to 250 troops, armoured vehicles and four tactical helicopters to the country later this year.
The Canadian troops will be deployed in the Baghdad region starting in the fall of 2018 to help "Iraq build a more effective national security structure and improve training for Iraqi security forces," said a government statement yesterday.
"We are proud to take a leadership role in Iraq, and work with our allies and the government of Iraq, to help this region of the Middle East transition to long-lasting peace and stability," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was quoted as saying.
The announcement came as Trudeau was attending a fraught NATO summit in Brussels, at which President Donald Trump stunned US allies by suddenly demanding that members double their defense spending commitments.
The Iraq mission will complement Canada's existing efforts as part of the US-led coalition ...

Canada to head up NATO training mission in Iraq

The known death toll from a four-month crackdown on anti-government protests in Nicaragua has risen to 264, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said today.
"As recorded by the IACHR since the start of the repression against social protests, to date, 264 people have lost their lives and more than 1,800 have been injured," the commission's chief Paulo Abrao told reporters.
He was speaking at a meeting of the Organization of American States -- of which the IACHR is part -- about the situation in the violence-wracked Central American country, where protesters are seeking the ouster of President Daniel Ortega.
The rights body had previously given a toll of 212 dead, although local estimates recently put the toll at about 250.
The influential Roman Catholic church has been mediating between Ortega's government and the opposition to end the unrest, but the process has become bogged down amid continuing violence.
In the latest outburst, at least 14 people died in a weekend raid by a 

Toll from Nicaragua unrest hits 264: rights body

At least 16,000 people have been displaced from their homes by armed conflict in the border region between Colombia and Venezuela, the United Nations said.
Human rights abuses carried out during fighting between rebel groups and government forces between March 14 and July 5 forced 5,168 families to flee the Catatumbo region that straddles the border between the South American neighbours, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement released Tuesday.
On April 15, the Los Pelusos group, a bastion of the now-dissolved Maoist guerrilla EPL (Popular Liberation Army), launched an attack that provoked another mass exodus from the region.
According to the Army, the fighting is between Los Pelusos and the ELN (National Liberation Army) -- the last recognized armed guerrilla group operating in Colombia -- over control of drug trafficking routes.
While some 70 per cent of those displaced have returned to their homes, they did so "at their own .

Thousands displaced by Colombia conflict, says UN

The remains of crudely fashioned stone tools unearthed in China advances the presence of human ancestors in Asia by around 200 millennia to 2.1 million years ago, scientists said today.
If correctly dated, the find means that hominins -- the group of humans and our extinct forefather species -- left Africa earlier than archaeologists have been able to demonstrate thus far, a team reported in the scientific journal Nature.
"Our discovery means that it is necessary now to reconsider the timing of when early humans left Africa," said study co-author Robin Dennell of Exeter University in England.
Hominins are believed to have emerged in Africa more than six million years ago. They left the continent in several migration waves starting about two million years ago.
The first migrants were likely members of the species Homo erectus (upright man) or Homo ergaster (working man) -- extinct predecessors of our own group, Homo sapiens (wise man), which first emerged about 300,000 years ago.
The ..

Stone tools age Asia's first Homo presence

US President Donald Trump used the NATO summit today to urge the Atlantic allies to boost defence spending to four percent of their countries' GDP, his spokeswoman said.
The figure is twice what the allies have already pledged to reach by 2024.
"He suggested that countries not only meet their commitment of two percent of the GDP on defence spending, but that they increase it to four percent," Sarah Sanders said.

Trump urges NATO allies to boost defence spending to 4% of GDP

Spanish researchers are working on a vaccine against all five strains of the killer Ebola virus in what would be a world first, Madrid's October 12 Hospital said today.
A prototype vaccine developed by pharmaceutical group Merck is already in use, but acts only against the most virulent, "Zaire" strain.
Despite not having market approval, Merck's rVSV-ZEBOV was administered to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in May, with UN approval, in a bid to contain an outbreak of the same virus that killed more than 11,300 in three West African countries from 2013-2015, sparking international panic.
For several months, a team from the October 12 Hospital has been working with researchers at two other hospitals in the capital to examine and learn from blood samples taken from three people cured of Ebola in Spain.
Lead researcher Rafael Delgado told reporters the difficulty lay in the fact that the virus protects itself with proteins that act as a shield, and only exposes its vulnerable .

Spanish researchers develop five-strain Ebola vaccine

Roger Federer suffered a stunning Wimbledon exit as the defending champion blew a two-set lead and wasted a match point in a 2-6, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 6-4, 13-11 quarter-final defeat against South Africa's Kevin Anderson on Wednesday.
Federer's bid to win a ninth Wimbledon title came to an astonishing end as the Swiss star collapsed in a nail-biting four hour and 13 minute classic that ranks as one of the tournament's greatest upsets.
It was Federer's earliest departure from Wimbledon since his shock second round defeat against Sergiy Stakhovsky in 2013.
Eighth seed Anderson will play 2016 runner-up Milos Raonic or American ninth seed John Isner on Friday for a place in Sunday's final.
"Down two sets to love I tried my best to keep fighting. Beating Roger Federer here at Wimbledon will be one I remember, especially in such a close match," Anderson said.
"I kept telling myself to keep believing. I said today is going to be my day. You need that mindset against Roger.
"I'm ecstatic. That's ..

AFP

AFP

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