Chipmaker Qualcomm has abandoned its $44bn bid for Dutch rival NXP Semiconductors after failing to secure approval from Chinese regulators. A deadline for the transaction, which needed China's sign-off, was set for 11:59pm (03:59 GMT) New York time under the agreement. The deal had already won the necessary regulatory approvals in eight of nine countries. It would have been one of the biggest deals between technology companies. It comes as US-China trade tensions have escalated, prompting speculation this latest development is a retaliation to US tariffs. "We intend to terminate our purchase agreement to acquire NXP when the agreement expires at the end of the day today, pending any new material developments," said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, in the company's third quarter fiscal results. Qualcomm needed China's approval because it accounted for nearly two-thirds of its revenue last year, according to Reuters. The latest results showed revenues jumping 6% to $5.6bn. US President Donald Trump recently ramped up a trade war with China, threatening tariffs on all $500bn of Chinese imports into the United States. Given the US buys nearly four times as much from China as it sells to them, analysts have said China could find alternative ways to fight back. Qualcomm's experience suggests this could already be happening. Mr Mollenkopf also said the company intended to pursue a stock repurchase program of up to $30 billion "to deliver significant value to our stockholders" upon the termination of the agreement. Meanwhile, Qualcomm will have to pay a $2bn termination fee to NXP.

Many families of US soldiers who fought - and never returned - from the Korean War are hoping their decades-long search for answers will soon be over. Thousands of American servicemen are still classified as missing in action (MIA) and at the US-North Korea summit earlier this year, Pyongyang promised to return the remains of 200 US troops from the conflict. The daughters of three missing servicemen shared their stories with the BBC's Cindy Sui. 'He wants to come home' Gail Embery was about three years old when her father, US Army Sgt. Coleman Edwards, joined the war and was declared missing within a few months. Her mother remarried soon after and did not talk about him, so she grew up not knowing she had another father. She found out when she was 10 years old and since then has been trying to find him. "It's because I feel him," Ms Embery says. "He was only 18 when he went to fight for his country and he lost his life. It's important to me that he knows that somebody loved him, that what he did to sacrifice his life was not in vain." Later, she attended meetings in Washington DC for the families of soldiers taken prisoner in war or classified as MIA. "What I know is his company was captured in North Korea and they had to march to a prison camp. My father helped a lot of men who were not strong enough to make the march. They said he died of malnutrition. He was buried in a mound, outside the camp near a lake," she says. She later served on the board of directors for a group in Washington DC that lobbies for the search and identification of war remains. "It's been very difficult and very frustrating." More than 326,000 Americans fought alongside soldiers from South Korea and a UN coalition during the Korean War from 1950-53 to support the South against the Communist North. The missing US soldiers are among around 33,000 coalition troops still unaccounted for. Over the years, North Korea has handed over only a few hundred sets of American remains. Ms Embery and other families are hopeful President Trump's and Mr Kim's recent summit will lead to more remains being repatriated. "I'm 73 years old; I don't feel I can wait that much longer," she says. "I want them to know and feel it's very important to my father. He wants to come home." The agony of not knowing Diana Sanfilippo's father, 1st Lt. Frank Salazar, was a fighter pilot whose unit was stationed in the US, but he volunteered to go to Korea when he was 29 years old. "He wanted to do his patriotic duty and he cared about people in trouble," she says. "I have a few memories of him playing with me, dancing with me, throwing me up in the air and catching me, and letting me bounce on the bed," recalls Ms Sanfilippo, who was four when he left. "I also remember the last time I saw him. I had this sense he was going to someplace dangerous and I didn't want him to go." "I remember him hugging me when we dropped him off at the airbase, and telling me he loved me and to be good to my mommy." After he was declared missing in action, her mother remarried and didn't want to look back. "When I asked questions, my mom would just get upset at me." The agony of not knowing led her to try to find answers. She later learned from other pilots that he was on a reconnaissance mission north of Pyongyang when his plane was likely hit by ground fire. "My father radioed that there was heavy artillery fire. When the wingman radioed my father, my dad didn't answer. He never saw my dad's plane go down; my dad was never confirmed dead." After suffering with depression, Ms Sanfilippo became a family therapist. The psychology training helped her realize she had to reconnect with her dad and come to terms with her loss. "I refer to it as my own search and rescue mission. Just as the US Air Force sent out a search and rescue mission to find my dad after he went missing; I too was lost and needed to find myself. It took me almost 20 years, but I did it." Later she became a pilot to know her dad through what he loved: flying. She even flew a P-51 Mustang - the type of plane her father flew on his last mission. Ms Sanfilippo has also written a book about coming to terms with losing her father. She doesn't think her father is still alive, but she's not sure; some prisoners of war never returned even after the armistice. He would be 95. Lifting the 'dark cloud' The only picture Janis Curran has of herself with her father, Lt. Charles Garrison, is one taken just before he left for the Korean War. He was a Navy fighter pilot and his plane was shot down as he tried to protect ground troops from the advancing North Korean soldiers. He parachuted out of the plane and waited for a helicopter to rescue them. But the helicopter had another mission and when it returned, her dad was no longer there. It's believed that he was taken prisoner by North Korea. He had just turned 31 and she was three years old. "It's hard to live your life not knowing what happened to your loved one," Ms Curran says. The saddest times were ironically the happy moments - her wedding, and the births of her daughter and sister's children. "You feel that person is missing. It's like a dark cloud is over your head all the time." Her grandparents died thinking he may still be alive, and her mother died in 2004. "I wish the remains could've been returned when my mom was still alive. She could've remarried after the government declared him dead in 1954. She was so beautiful. But she said she was a one-man woman," Ms Curran says. "I want his remains to be buried next to that of my grandparents and my mother.

Death sentences awarded to two Indian police officers found guilty of killing a man in custody have been welcomed by the victim's mother. "God has heard a mother's prayers," said Prabhavathi Amma, who spent 13 years fighting the case in the southern state of Kerala. A special court found the two officers guilty of torturing a man to death in a case of mistaken identity. These are the first death sentences given for a custodial death in Kerala. One more officer had also been found guilty of the crime, but died before the sentence was pronounced. The court also sentenced two senior officers to three years in prison for attempting to cover up the murder. Udaykumar, the 26-year-old victim, a daily wage labourer, was detained on 27 September 2005 on suspicion of being a thief, after he was discovered with a sum of 4,000 rupees (£44; $58) at a park in Trivandrum city. The police released him after pocketing the money, but he refused to go as he had promised to buy his mother a gift for the state's annual Onam festival, a Hindu celebration. He was "brought dead" to a hospital later the same evening. The doctors who conducted the autopsy found internal injuries as a result of third-degree torture. "They killed him during an Onam 13 years ago. Now they will spend their Onam in prison. No court will pardon them," said Ms Prabhavathi, after Wednesday's verdict. "He left for work, and I was waiting for his return the whole night. My wait for justice ends today, and I hope other such victims will also get justice soon," she added. The judge rejected a plea from the policemen for their death sentences to be commuted, saying it was a "rarest of the rare" case that deserved death. "Law enforcers are protectors of life and property and not traders of death. They had killed an innocent person in their custody," he said, adding a strong punishment would act as a deterrent against torture and deaths in custody. "It has severely eroded public trust in law enforcement."

WElcome to InviteHawk..A great place to be..Enjoy Your Stay..

WElcome to InviteHawk..

WElcome to InviteHawk..A great place to be..Enjoy Your Stay..

WElcome to InviteHawk..

WElcome to InviteHawk..A great place to be..

Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music and Universal Music have teamed up to demand that Sky Ireland implements a so-called "three strikes" regime to deal with pirating subscribers. Its understood that Sky has no objection to disconnecting persistent copyright infringers but will not do so without a court order. A report suggests that Vodafone is also being targeted. At the turn of the last decade, the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) ended legal action against local ISP Eircom when the provider agreed to implement a so-called “three strikes” regime. The agreement saw member labels including Sony, Universal, and Warner tracking allegedly-infringing Eircom subscribers online and Eircom forwarding infringement notices. Those caught three times would be eligible for disconnection from the Internet. Under an agreement to give Eircom a level playing field, the labels targeted another ISP, UPC (later taken over by Virgin), with a demand to implement the same scheme. UPC dug in its heels and the case dragged on through the legal system. In 2015, the High Court ruled in favor of the labels, rejecting complaints from UPC that it’s not an ISP’s job to police its subscribers’ activities online. Now, more than three years later, the labels are back again with a renewed effort to have the graduated response scheme introduced more widely in Ireland. This time around, Sony, Warner and Universal are targeting Sky Ireland. According to the Irish Times, Sky has told the labels it will comply with their demands but has asked that they obtain a court order first. Sky, which is already collaborating with the Premier League to block infringing streams, said that it was “actively working” with the industry to deal with online piracy. “It’s therefore important that companies like ours do what they can, alongside the Government and the rest of the media and technology industries, to help protect copyright,” Sky said. “Copyright holders who believe broadband users have unlawfully shared content online have the option of taking their cases to court. If the order is granted, the service provider must comply and Sky would, of course, comply with any such order.” Asking for a court order to be produced is standard form in such cases but given Sky’s track record in such matters, it probably won’t be putting up much of a fight. The issue of costs is likely to be a matter for dispute but putting the regime in place is unlikely to be a sticking point. In response, the labels (under the Irish Recorded Music Association umbrella) initiated a claim in the High Court this week, with supporting papers filed by IRMA chief Willie Kavanagh. IT reports that IRMA is also in talks with Vodafone Ireland to implement the same anti-piracy scheme but the ISP has “raised technical concerns and sought more time.” In any event, Vodafone is extremely unlikely to begin disconnecting customers without a legal basis so a court order will be required in this case too.

Kylie Jenner has been crowned Instagram's richest star of 2018. Instagram-scheduling tool Hopper HQ unveiled its annual Instagram Rich List on Tuesday (24Jul18) and the reality-star-turned-makeup-mogul topped the line-up amid claims she can charge up to $1 million (£760,000) per social media post. The 20-year-old who, according to Forbes magazine, is set to become the youngest self-made billionaire ever thanks to the success of her beauty empire Kylie Cosmetics, was followed by last year's winner Selena Gomez, who reportedly nets a cool $800,000 (£608,000) per social media post. The list drew on research obtained by Hopper HQ as well as public data determining the value of each post, based on how much brands currently pay and what a post is worth in terms of engagement, reach, posting frequency and audience size. Cristiano Ronaldo clinched third place with $750,000, Kylie's half-sister Kim Kardashian sat in fourth with the reported potential to charge $720,000, and Beyonce took fifth place with a projected $700,000. Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian also featured in the top 11. Kylie's latest achievement comes weeks after she became the youngest person to make Forbes' annual list of America's Richest Self-Made Women earlier this month (Jul18). The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, who welcomed her daughter Stormi with boyfriend Travis Scott in February, clinched a number 27 spot on the coveted list with an estimated worth of $900 million (£678 million). "It's incredible to be recognised for something I'm so passionate about, and I'm really grateful for that," Kylie shared with editors at Forbes at the time. "I've always loved make-up and worked really hard to bring the first lip kit to market. Connecting with my fans and creating product that excites them has been an incredible process. I've learned so much along the way and I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams."

Dua Lipa has slammed internet trolls who target successful women as "animals" in response to criticism over an incorrect tweet. In a since deleted post the One Kiss hitmaker wrote that she was the "first ever international female artist" to play at Belgium's Tomorrowland festival - a claim that was incorrect as DJs including Australia's Alison Wonderland and Russia's Nina Kravitz had performed at the dance event before Dua's gig on Saturday (21Jul18). The tweet prompted some dance fans to accuse her of disrespecting other artists - criticism she hit back at as the work of angry internet users determined to attack women. "Every woman in the industry ive (sic) seen do well gets built up to be brought down," she began a string of tweets by writing. "If we worried about keyboard warriors who lash out because s**t aint settled in their own house we wouldnt (sic) be doing as well as we are! "I praise every woman killing s**t cuz (because) people will hate on you for no reason... but we good! Every woman full stop. Some people are animals and they need a minute to check themselves cuz all we did was breathe and they're on our neckssss (sic)!!" The internet spat is the latest to involve the British star - who has previously been embroiled in online arguments. In March (18) she slammed an Australia journalist for wrongly claiming she performed on U.S. TV after cancelling several gigs Down Under due to illness. She has also had to deal with Malaysian trolls who mocked her pet name for her father as it means "pig" in their language. The 22-year-old Brit, who has called on festival bosses to book more female headliners, ended her angry response to her critics with a more hopeful message. "The most important lesson to learn from all of this, is that no matter what you do, or what your goal in life is," she concluded. "You should work hard for the things you love and make you happy. Everything else is irrelevant! LOVE ALWAYS AND BE KIND xx."

50 Cent has fired back at allegations suggesting he ridiculed Terry Crews online for his groping claims, insisting he would "never" joke about a sexual assault victim. Crews spoke before members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington, D.C. last month (Jun18), and advocated for the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights, which aims to provide wider protections for victims. During the hearing, the muscle-bound actor detailed the alleged attack he suffered at the hands of Hollywood agent Adam Venit at a party in 2016. 50 Cent appeared to poke fun at the Deadpool 2 star by sharing a series of memes on social media making light of his ordeal, suggesting Crews' intimidating size could have somehow prevented the incident. The posts have since been deleted, and now 50 claims he didn't mean to humiliate Crews over the alleged assault. "I would never make fun of any sexual assault victim," he told daytime talk show The View. "I wasn't looking at Terry Crews that way, at that point. I'm looking (at him) like the Hulk; the guy that's this big that's being taken advantage of." Instead, the rapper insists he was just trying to express his surprise that such a muscular guy didn't retaliate or simply walk away. "The males that are here now, if you asked them if someone touched them without their consent, would they go, 'Yo, what you doin'?' (I'm sure they would say yes)," 50 said. "(But) in the Senate..., (Crews) said he didn't even respond by doing that. It's kinda crazy." Co-host Whoopi Goldberg then pointed out that Crews had been "in shock", forcing to 50 to admit he might behave a little out of character, too, if that had been him. "I wouldn't be prepared for that either," he remarked, before indicating he would probably have beaten up the groper. "Y'all be bailing me out (sic)," 50 grinned. "I'd have to get bailed out, 'cause I wouldn't be prepared for it..." Crews previously responded to the In Da Club hitmaker's social media posts about his physicality, declaring, "I prove that size doesn't matter when it comes to sexual assault."

Kylie Jenner has been praised for refusing to edit out a large scar on her leg for the cover of GQ magazine. The 20-year-old make-up mogul, who is on track to become America's youngest billionaire, stars on the American magazine's August cover alongside boyfriend Travis Scott, the father of her baby daughter Stormi, with the lengthy scar front and centre. While the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has long shared her "love" of the quirky feature, she has been celebrated for showcasing it in such a high-profile photoshoot. "Kudos @KylieJenner for not covering up her left scar. It’s beautiful. Way to show young girl there’s no such thing as flawless," one Twitter user wrote, while another fan added: "Thank you for NOT covering her scar...too many people want to do that and it’s part of who she is and she accepts it and has talked about it before. It’s real and adds to her unique beauty." The reality star has been honest about the scar with fans for years and has never hidden it from view at events and in pictures. Sharing a close-up of her leg in a 2015 Instagram image, she gushed: "I love my scar." And it appears Travis is a fan of the scar too. The rapper passed with flying colours when quizzed about it during a video for the GQ interview. When Kylie asks the artist where her biggest scar is, he quickly responds: “Biggest scar? On your leg." "Which leg? It’s a bonus question,” Kylie grins, to which the 26-year-old replied confidently: “Left.” "He really knows my body,” Kylie smiles. The reality opened about how she got the scar in a fan Q&A with People in 2011, revealing it is the result of a childhood accident. "When I was about five, my sister (Kendall Jenner) and I were playing hide and seek, and I hid inside this really tall, enclosed gate," she shared with fans.

Missy Elliott has come out in support of Destiny's Child star Michelle Williams as she seeks treatment for depression. The star took to Twitter on Tuesday (17Jul18) to share words of encouragement for the 37-year-old after she announced she would be checking into a facility to tend to mental health issues. The Work It hitmaker encouraged Williams by noting the many other sufferers of similar issues and urged social media users handle the news about Williams with sensitivity. "I want to lift our sis up in prayer because there are so many people battling this & many trying to deal with it alone," 47-year-old Elliott posted. "Please No jokes this is REAL & as human beings let’s keep the ones who are openly dealing with it uplifted & be encouraging to them! Love u @RealMichelleW." Original Destiny's Child member LaTavia Roberson also had kind words for Williams, who she advised to "keep shining". Williams revealed her recent battle in a statement to fans. "For years I have dedicated myself to increasing awareness of mental health and empowering people to recognize when it's time to seek help, support and guidance from those that love and care for your wellbeing," she wrote in a press release obtained by TMZ. "Today I proudly, happily and healthily stand here as someone who will continue to always lead by example as I tirelessly advocate for the betterment of those in need." Sources tell the outlet the Survivor singer admitted herself into a facility just outside Los Angeles and has been receiving treatment there for several days.

Louis Tomlinson has reassured fans music is still his priority after confirming his role as a judge on The X Factor U.K. The former One Direction star was forced to defend his decision to join Simon Cowell, Robbie Williams and Ayda Field on this year's judging panel after fans feared it marked the end of his burgeoning solo career, which has so far produced hits including Just Hold On and Back to You. The British singer took to Twitter on Tuesday night (17Jul18), hours after the new line-up was confirmed at a press conference in London, to bring his fans up to speed and confirm his debut solo album is still in the pipeline. “I just wanted to thank everyone for the support so far and I want everyone to not worry too much about the album,” the 26-year-old shared with his 32.9 million followers. "The album is still definitely my priority, it doesn't change any release time or anything like that, me doing the show." He added: "As soon as I got the assurance that it wasn't going to affect any of my music, actually it was going to help it, then I could seriously start thinking about it." Louis, who starred on the reality show alongside former band members Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Zayn Malik in 2010, also shared his reasons for accepting the position, referencing the work of his imprint record label which he set up in 2015 to provide a platform for young artists. He added he had only made the decision to take part in The X Factor "quite recently" following discussions with his management. "I just thought, I've come from the show, it made a lot of sense for me to go on and I've always been really interested in mentoring, that's why I've done things in the past with my imprint label," he admitted. "So it's something that's been on my mind for a number of years now."

R&B star Faith Evans has reportedly married producer and reality TV regular Stevie J. The I'll Be Missing You hitmaker and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta star applied for a marriage license in Las Vegas on Tuesday (17Jul18), giving them a year to tie the knot, but according to TMZ.com, they exchanged vows in their hotel room just hours later. The producer, real name Steven Jordan, indicated the nuptials had already taken place as he shared a gushing message to Faith on Twitter on Tuesday night, using what would be her new married name. "I love you Faith Renee Jordan," he tweeted, with the singer, a mother-of-four, responding, "I love you back Steven Aaron Jordan." The stars have yet to confirm the marriage speculation, but if the news is true, it will mark Faith's third trip down the aisle. She was famously married to tragic rap icon The Notorious B.I.G. from 1994 until his murder in 1997, and went on to wed Todd Russaw in 1998. They divorced in 2011. Stevie has never been married before, but previously dated rapper/actress Eve, and showcased his relationship ups and downs with his now ex-girlfriends Mimi Faust and Joseline Hernandez, the mother of his youngest child, daughter Bonnie, on Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. He also has five other kids, and recently avoided prison time for owing $1 million (£765,600) in child support payments. Faith and Stevie, who have been acquaintances for years, were first linked romantically in 2016. They broke up last year (17), but subsequently rekindled the relationship, and even recorded a song together, called A Minute. Stevie teased the accompanying video for the track online last week (ends13Jul18), when he posted a steamy clip of the half-naked pair rolling around in bed. The tune is set for release in late July.

Cardi B has thanked her "amazing" family for helping her adjust to motherhood after choosing not to hire a nanny for her daughter's first few months. The I Like It hitmaker and her husband, Migos rapper Offset, welcomed Kulture Kiari Cephus in Atlanta, Georgia on 10 July (18), and one week after giving birth, the hip-hop star has taken to Instagram to share her gratitude for her parents and her sister, who she has been relying heavily on as she settles into her new lifestyle. "I'm a very blessed person...," Cardi can be heard saying in the video, in which she uses a little monkey figurine as her mouthpiece. "I've been blessed since birth... because of my parents. Those are my biggest blessings, and I'm so thankful and I'm so grateful for them (sic)." The 25 year old reveals her mother and sister, social media personality Hennessy Carolina, have not left her side since Kulture arrived, while her father has been "running errands" for her. The helping hands have allowed Cardi to go without a professional childminder while she's on maternity leave. "I have not gotten a nanny yet," she explained to fans. "I just want to learn how to be a mum. I want to enjoy every single second of it... since I'm going back to work, so I don't have that extra... hand, and I'm just really, really grateful. "I'm just sitting here like, 'God, thank you so much for these great, amazing parents!'" "I love my parents and my sister," Cardi added in the video caption. "It makes me emotional to know how much they love me! Nothing in this world to repay all the love and help and support they give me (sic)". Cardi cancelled her summer concerts after confirming her pregnancy in April (18), but she plans to be back onstage in early September (18), when she is due to join her Finesse (Remix) collaborator Bruno Mars on the final North American leg of his 24K Magic World Tour.

Taylor Swift has been praised as a "class act" after helping U.S. TV co-host Meghan McCain arrange a concert meet-and-greet for a young woman battling cancer. Meghan, the daughter of ailing U.S. Senator John McCain, reached out to the pop superstar via Twitter earlier this month (Jul18) and highlighted a social media campaign launched for Lexi Caviston, who has been diagnosed with the same kind of brain cancer the 33-year-old's politician dad is battling, to help the 21-year-old meet her pop idol during the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania stop on her Reputation World Tour on Saturday (14Jul18). "Hey @taylorswift - we have never met, but anyway you can meet Lexi at your concert in Philly?" Meghan wrote. "She is fighting the same #glioblastoma cancer my father has and this would make both of our days!" Members of Taylor's team quickly got in touch with Lexi and they granted her a private visit at the gig. The superfan has since shared a snap of herself and Taylor backstage, and Meghan gushed about helping to make Lexi's dream come true during an episode of her daytime talk show, The View, this week. "I am so happy that we were able to help Lexi forget about her cancer for one day," she shared. "She spoke to our producer and said it was by far the best day of her life." Hailing Taylor as a "class act" and an "incredible artist", she added, "I and my family are deeply grateful (sic)." Meeting Lexi wasn't the only touching moment the Shake It Off hitmaker experienced in Philadelphia - during the general meet-and-greet session with fans before the show, two ticket holders become engaged. Taylor discovered they met at one of her concerts years earlier. She posted a series of snaps of the backstage proposal on Instagram over the weekend, and added the caption: "They walk into the meet and greet and he says 'We met 5 years ago at the Red Tour' and then (he proposed)... #thirdwheel."

R. Kelly's ex-wife is firing back at online trolls who took aim at her after she went public with her former husband's bad behaviour during a TV interview last month (Jun18). Andrea Kelly claims she has been targeted by sick minds, who have criticised her for allegedly milking her ex-husband's name even though she has moved on and remarried. The comments come weeks after she appeared on TVOne network show The Sister Circle and accused the soul singer of abuse during their marriage, almost driving her to suicide. In a new Instagram post, Andrea writes: "First I'd like to say thank you to all my #DREAmers and those who support me on this journey. To the ones that come on my page to spew venom and #victimshame You are by far the biggest supporter of my abuser. "By you shaming me and any other victims you're helping the abuser accomplish their task of belittling, intimidating, and discounting all the abuse they've put the #victim and #victims through!" During her emotional The Sister Circle interview, Andrea recalled the day she decided to walk away from her marriage after considering suicide by jumping from a hotel room balcony. She asked God for guidance and a voice told her to type "domestic violence" into her laptop. She said she knew she had become a victim after taking a questionnaire with 17 questions about abuse. "Of the 17, Robert had done 15 to me," she said. R. Kelly has been accused by multiple women of sexual violence, coercion and running a sex cult in recent years, but he has never been convicted of a crime. The singer has defended himself, insisting those accusing him are trying to "distort my character and to destroy my legacy".

Beyonce and JAY-Z celebrated wrapping up the European leg of their On The Run II joint tour by dining with rocker Bono in the south of France. The superstar couple headed out for dinner with family and friends after their Tuesday night (17Jul18) show in Nice and enjoyed a meal at celebrity favourite La Petite Maison. They were serenaded by the restaurant's in-house band during their meal, and Beyonce's mum, Tina Lawson, shared video footage of the joyous gathering on her Instagram page, showing JAY-Z sitting next to U2 frontman Bono as they grooved to the musicians' rendition of Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl. As the camera panned around the table, Beyonce could be seen with her head down, trying to hide her face from her mum's shot, before laughing as she jokingly pushed the cell phone away. "Out in Nice great food, great music, great people," Tina captioned the clip, as she poked fun at her paparazzi-like behaviour. "@Bono I am being the Mamarazzi (sic) and she (Beyonce) is not cooperating." Tina was also joined by her actor husband Richard Lawson and her "love" Julez, her teenage grandson from daughter Solange. According to the New York Post's Page Six column, they weren't the only celebrity diners at La Petite Maison on Tuesday - Elton John was also in attendance with his family, alongside vacation buddy Neil Patrick Harris and his partner. Meanwhile, Beyonce and JAY-Z are reportedly planning to take over the Colosseum in Rome, Italy to film a new secret project. According to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, the Formation hitmaker submitted an initial request to shoot at the historic landmark on 7 and 8 July (18), but it was rejected by officials at the country's Ministry of Cultural Heritage because Italian scientist Alberto Angela had already reserved the venue. She has since inquired about new dates, and her request is now said to be under review. It's not known what Beyonce is hoping to film at the Colosseum, but she previously shot a Pepsi commercial there with Britney Spears, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias. The news emerges a month after she and her rapper husband JAY-Z released their surprise joint album, Everything Is Love, and the accompanying music video for the song Apes**t, which was filmed at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France. They will resume their On The Run II Tour in Cleveland, Ohio next week (25Jul18).

Ozzy Osbourne recently had a truck full of ice dumped into his swimming pool in a desperate bid to keep cool in the Los Angeles heatwave. Locals have been battling the scorching sun in recent weeks, with temperatures soaring to record heights, and the former Black Sabbath frontman decided he would order blocks of ice to throw in the family's backyard pool so he could enjoy a refreshing dip. However, his wife Sharon reveals the plan backfired. "Ozzy's brilliant idea to cool the pool during last week's heatwave," she captioned an Instagram photo of the ice melting in the pool on Tuesday (18Jul18). "3000 lbs (pounds) of ice = 3 degrees cooler". Sharon Osbourne opened up further about the rocker's failed efforts during Wednesday's episode of her daytime show The Talk. "When Ozzy went into the pool, there was no heater on, (but) it was boiling hot, and it was boiling hot outside," she recalled. "He goes, 'I can't take this, I need it to be cold.' So he came up with this idea of putting the ice in..." "It did nothing...!" she exclaimed. "Three degrees lower and Ozzy goes, 'Alright, we just gotta get more,' and I'm like, 'No, it doesn't work!'" Sharon ended up having to ban her husband from trying to have more ice delivered to their estate: "I wouldn't let him! These poor guys bringing this ice!" she laughed. The couple has since found a more technical solution to its hot pool problem, which Sharon hopes will satisfy Ozzy's desire to "work out then jump into a cold pool". "Now, we're having a cool thing put on the pool to make the water icy cold," she shared.

Rapper G-Eazy has insisted he is just friends with Demi Lovato after they were recently spotted holding hands. The Me, Myself & I hitmaker and his girlfriend Halsey announced their split at the start of July (18), and almost two weeks later he was photographed holding hands with the Cool for the Summer star as they left the Warwick club in Hollywood over the weekend (14-15Jul18). G-Eazy, real name Gerald Gillum, was asked about the dating rumours by Entertainment Tonight as he hit the red carpet at the 2018 ESPY Awards at Los Angeles on Wednesday night, and insisted she is "just a friend." Speaking about the interest in his private life, he added, "It's just one of those things that comes with the territory. You trade in your anonymity in exchange for some of your success in the public eye. You have to remember the blessings and remember how grateful you are to be here in the first place and understand some of that is just what comes with the territory." Following the split, Halsey was linked to her rumoured ex Machine Gun Kelly, after a picture surfaced online of the pair enjoying a day at the beach, but she swiftly shut the speculation down. "I'm not at the beach. I'm on tour. Alone... Slow news week I guess," she tweeted. "I'm not with anybody. That photo is 2 years old. Everyone mind they damn business (sic)". On Saturday, the Bad at Love singer reportedly told the crowd that she had been badly hurt by someone during a concert in New Jersey, and referenced her new single status as she dished out relationship advice. "I learned recently it's okay to be alone. Being alone is enough. The second lesson I learned is don't sleep with your ex," she said, before launching into her track Sorry.

Pink has described bringing her children on tour with her as the "hardest thing" she's ever done. The So What singer made the decision to bring her daughter Willow, seven, and son Jameson, 18 months, on the road with her for her Beautiful Trauma World Tour, which kicked off in North America in March (18) and is now underway in Australia. During a recent appearance on Reese Witherspoon's new unscripted TV series Shine On with Reese, the singer admitted it has been a lot of hard work having to look after the children while doing the tour, but she wouldn't have it any other way. "Going on tour with children is really tricky. It's exhausting," she said. "It's the hardest thing I've ever done but I'm very, very fortunate that I get to bring my kids with me and that I kind of get to integrate them into my life." In a car ride with Reese, Pink shared how Willow has learned so much while visiting various cities. She recalled how they went to The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, in Berlin, Germany - and how Willow came to the realisation that they are Jewish so it "could have been us". Willow later told the What About Us star that Berlin was her favourite city. "I said, 'Why?' and she said, 'Because there was a wall, and people were separated, and there was a war and people were killed. And now everybody's together and there's no more wall and there's no more war and that means that everything that's bad can be good again,'" she recalled. "In this six-year-old little voice and I'm just listening to her and I'm like, 'You're amazing and you're totally right. Everything that's bad can be good again.'" In the episode, Reese also revealed that her daughter Ava, 18, wrote the 38-year-old a letter when she was seven years old after listening to Stupid Girls, and they both complained about women pretending to be dumb. The Beautiful Trauma tour is set to conclude in May 2019.

Kylie Jenner has defended her boyfriend Travis Scott after he revealed he doesn't know the names of her four dogs. The couple unveiled their joint American GQ cover earlier this week (beg16Jul18), but came under fire after a short Q&A video accompanying the release showed Travis, 26, struggling to list the names of her Italian Greyhounds, Norman, Bambi, Rosy and Harley. Fans couldn’t understand how the rapper, who shares five-month-old daughter Stormi with the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, has such a limited understanding of Kylie's beloved pooches and took to social media to question it. However, the 20-year-old make-up mogul was quick to respond to the comments, explaining that not even her mother or sisters know all of her hounds' names. "My fam can't even tell me all my dogs' names if their life was on it! I gotta give everybody a little lesson on the names lol (laugh out loud) (sic)," she wrote, including emojis of a dog and a crying-with-laughter face. In the video, posted to GQ's YouTube account, Travis groans when his girlfriend asks him to recall the names of her four dogs and immediately gets one wrong. "Norman... Lady..." the rapper begins, to which an aghast Kylie responds: "Lady?! Remember they're all like Normie, they all have the -ie! Baby there's four, you got one!" With a little help from the reality star, Travis arrived at Bambi, but was completely stumped when it comes to the remaining two. "You really don't know them?" Kylie asks in the video, before finally revealing they're called Rosy and Harley. Kylie's army of pets, which also reportedly includes a rabbit and a chicken, regularly feature on her social media accounts, where the star recently revealed she is in the process of building a luxury dog mansion in her garden, complete with air conditioning, a white fence and a mini porch.

Cher's first time singing ABBA's hit Fernando was "terrible" because she didn't realise how complicated the song was. The Believe singer hit the recording studio to do her rendition of the 1980 ABBA hit before she filmed her part in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, but she wrongly presumed the Swedish group's pop songs were easy to sing and ended up being "terrible" on her first go. "I never realised how complicated their songs were," she explained on U.K. TV show Lorraine on Thursday (19Jul18). "I just thought of them as pop songs, you know, Dancing Queen and Waterloo, but then when you go to sing them, they're complicated and so to sing it you have to really have kind of a dedication. "The first time I did it was terrible! I knew it was terrible because my assistant when I said, 'How was it?' She went, 'Well...'. I said, 'I have to get back in the studio obviously!' And then I went back and aced it." The pop superstar has joined the cast of the musical sequel, which features ABBA hits, as Ruby Sheridan, the mother of Meryl Streep's Donna, and Cher admitted she was nervous being one of the newcomers among the returning cast which includes Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, and Pierce Brosnan. "I was very scared to go because you're butting in to people who have already been together. They're already set in steel. I came late, I was the last one, I was nervous," she admitted. "I'm always kind of nervous. I was born to do this. But also, sometimes people who were born to do this are very - not timid, because I'm not timid - but shy people." The 72-year-old previously announced that she would be releasing an album of ABBA covers following her role in the musical. She has also set her sights on stepping behind the camera to write and direct her own feature. "I think I would do a good job. I think I would enjoy it and I think I would be good at it," she told Lorraine.