The UK has voted to leave the EU - a process that has come to be known as Brexit. Here is what is likely to happen next.

The story so far

At exactly 06:00 BST on 24 June it was confirmed that the UK had voted to leave the European Union. The first thing to stress is that the UK will not leave immediately. The UK is still a member of the EU and will probably remain so for several years. But the vote has already triggered an extraordinary chain of events.

A new prime minister needed

In a statement outside Downing Street, David Cameron said the government would respect the result and carry out the instructions of the British people, reassuring the 2.9 million EU citizens in the UK that they will not be adversely affected.

Although it was his responsibility to remain in No 10 to "steady the ship", he announced he would step down in the autumn as he was not the right "captain to steer the country to its next destination".

A new Conservative leader and prime minister is expected to be elected by 9 September.

The markets react: Market reaction to the referendum result was immediate and dramatic.The value of the pound has also been hit hard on the foreign exchange markets. Business leaders have appealed for calm but also more clarity over how the process of leaving the EU will proceed and who will lead it. A number of firms have said they will review their investment in the UK.

European leaders respond: All EU leaders wanted the UK to stay in the bloc and a Leave vote has been met with disappointment and dismay across the Channel. EU leaders are particularly worried about the prospect of "contagion", with the UK's decision already fuelling demands from populist, anti-EU parties in France and the Netherlands for referendums of their own on EU membership.

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Hillary Clinton became the first woman presumptive presidential nominee for a major U.S. political party. Monday night, inching closer to the invisible barrier that has kept women out of the nation’s highest political office.

“This is an important milestone, but there are six states that are voting Tuesday, with millions of people heading to the polls, and Hillary Clinton is working to earn every vote,” Mook said. “We look forward to Tuesday night, when Hillary Clinton will clinch not only a win in the popular vote, but also the majority of pledged delegates.”

Having now taken another step toward shattering that glass ceiling, Clinton will —- perhaps appropriately — face a Republican rival widely derided for his misogyny. Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, has referred to women as “fat pigs” and “disgusting animals” and has made sexual jokes about his own daughter.

Even Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again,” has been criticized as sexist. It implies “‘we want to go back to a world where we were in charge of everything’ — basically speaking to white men,” said Debbie Walsh, the director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. “That’s what it seems like she will be running against.”

Since the first woman ran for U.S. president in 1872 and received zero electoral votes, women have fought an uphill battle for political representation — including the basic right to vote, which only came in 1920. Forty-four presidents have been elected over 228 years — all men.

The 2014 midterm elections brought a record number of women into Congress. But women still make up less than 20 percent of the electoral body, despite being more than half the U.S. population. The historical significance of Clinton’s candidacy in a country that has long lagged behind other developed nations in terms of basic women’s rights is enormous.

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Today, it's the  90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth and it will be celebrated with many events from April to June.

Her Majesty marked her actual birthday by meeting some of the thousands of well-wishers who came out to mark the occasion in Windsor. The streets of Windsor were packed with members of the public hoping to catch a glimpse of The Queen on her big birthday. Her Majesty was greeted by several rounds of 'Happy Birthday' as she made her way around the historic town. 

You can like the members of the Royalty on Facebook !

The legendary musician known for musical innovation and experimentation with his image died 18 months after being diagnosed with cancer.

David Bowie, the iconic rock star whose career spanned more than half a century and whose influence transcended music, fashion and sexuality, has died aged 69.

Bowie’s 25 albums produced a string of hits including Changes, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. He was known for experimenting across diverse musical genres, and for his alter egos Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke. He also had a notable acting career.

His latest album, Blackstar, was released last week to coincide with his 69th birthday, and had received widespread critical acclaim.

An hour after the news broke, fans began to gather near his apartment on Lafayette Street in the Soho district of New York. Flowers and tributes were also laid at a mural on a wall in Brixton, south London, where the singer was born, and a candle was placed outside a property in Stansfield Road, thought to be his childhood home.

The rapper Kanye West said: “David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.”

Mick Jagger said: “David was always an inspiration to me and a true original. He was wonderfully shameless in his work. We had so many good times together ... He was my friend. I will never forget him.”

Read more HERE and HERE

Happy new year everyone !

Did you write your resolutions yet ?

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