All posts tagged: Call

In Rare Phone Call, Macron Warns Belarus’ Lukashenko Against Directly Joining Ukraine War

In Rare Phone Call, Macron Warns Belarus’ Lukashenko Against Directly Joining Ukraine War

Published by Jenni Sidey

In their first direct contact since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron telephoned Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to warn him against increasing his country’s engagement in the war, according to sources who spoke to AFP.   “[Macron] highlighted the risks Belarus will face if dragged into the war in Ukraine. He also called on Lukashenko to take necessary measures to improve relations between Belarus and Europe,” a source told AFP. Lukashenko let Russia use Belarus as a staging area for the 2022 invasion, and has continued to let Russia launch missile and drone strikes from Belarus over the more than three years of war.  Belarus let Russia use its territory as a staging ground for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia might be preparing to open a new front in the war, striking northern Ukraine and Kiev with heightened involvement of the Belarusian military. Zelensky’s warning came after Belarus announced its participation in three days of massive nuclear drills with Russia. Russia’s Defense Ministry said the exercise …

Nicolas Cage says Christopher Nolan ‘won’t call me back’ for turning down film

Nicolas Cage says Christopher Nolan ‘won’t call me back’ for turning down film

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Nicolas Cage claimed directors Christopher Nolan, Woody Allen and Paul Thomas Anderson stopped offering him projects after he turned down roles in their films. The actor said David O Russell was the only director to approach him again after a rejection. “David O Russell offered me a movie a million years ago,” Cage said on the New York Times podcast The Interview. “It was a good movie, and he offered it and I said no, and he’s the only director that I ever said no to who actually came back and offered me another movie.” Cage stars in Russell’s forthcoming film Madden, playing the late football coach and broadcaster John Madden. The drama follows Madden’s career with the Oakland Raiders, his later broadcasting success, and his involvement in the creation of the Madden NFL video game franchise. The film also stars …

Frustrated Angels fans call for owner Arte Moreno to sell team

Frustrated Angels fans call for owner Arte Moreno to sell team

Published by Sam Flores

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 on Sunday, but the team still is tied for the worst record in Major League Baseball with a 20-34 mark. 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 …

Rubio Rebukes Hezbollah Chief Over Call for Lebanese to ‘Take to the Streets’

Rubio Rebukes Hezbollah Chief Over Call for Lebanese to ‘Take to the Streets’

Published by Sam Flores

The leader of Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group, on Sunday welcomed a possible deal between Iran and the United States to end their war. But he rejected direct talks between Israel and Lebanon and called for the Lebanese people to take to the streets. “We hope that a full agreement to cease hostilities will be reached and that this agreement will include us,” Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, said in a speech. At the same time, Mr. Qassem condemned the Lebanese government for participating in direct negotiations with Israel, brokered by the United States, to end the fighting in Lebanon. Those talks, he said, benefit only Israel. “The people have the right to take to the streets and bring down the government in confronting the American-Israeli project,” Mr. Qassem said. He also rejected the Lebanese government’s calls for Hezbollah to disarm as part of any peace agreement. The speech drew the ire of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The United States condemns in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government,” …

As influencers rise in politics, some call for tighter regulations on payments

As influencers rise in politics, some call for tighter regulations on payments

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON — In the 2024 election, hundreds of social media influencers were credentialed for the first time to attend the Democratic and Republican conventions. They have been invited to holiday parties in the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion, to political rallies in Texas and to events at the White House by both the Biden and Trump administrations. The role of influencers is surging as candidates and groups across the political spectrum see their social media feeds and personas as a pathway to younger audiences and harder-to-reach groups of voters. “You have that sense of authenticity, like a friend is talking to you,” said Emma Briant, a professor at Notre Dame University’s Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society who studies propaganda. That’s exactly what campaigns are hoping to harness when they partner with influencers, she said. But the nature of that partnership has come into question in California’s hotly contested gubernatorial race after it emerged that a number of content creators — some with millions of followers, others with only a handful — had taken payments from the campaign …

911 call reveals Kyle Busch was coughing up blood, lying on training facility bathroom floor day before death

911 call reveals Kyle Busch was coughing up blood, lying on training facility bathroom floor day before death

Published by Sam Flores

Racing legend Kyle Busch was coughing up blood and lying on a bathroom floor when somebody called for help from a General Motors training facility in North Carolina, according to the 911 call obtained by NBC News. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. “I’ve got an individual that’s, uh, shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood — coughing up some blood,” the man could be heard saying around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, the day before Busch’s death was announced by NASCAR. “He’s awake,” the man said. “He’s on the bathroom floor right now.” In the audio, the man can be heard asking for an ambulance to come to the General Motors Charlotte Technical Center in Concord, North Carolina, and telling the dispatcher he would be waiting outside. Kyle Busch at Daytona International Speedway in 2024.Sean Gardner / Getty Images file “Can you turn the sirens off?” the man asked. The caller’s name appeared to be …

Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution : NPR

Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference, Thursday, May 21, 2026, on Capitol Hill, in Washington. Mariam Zuhaib/AP hide caption toggle caption Mariam Zuhaib/AP WASHINGTON — Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June. The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump’s military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval. “We had the votes without question and they knew it, and as a result they’re playing a political game,” said Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks, who sponsored the bill. Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss …

Call for Documents | Benjamin Braude

Call for Documents | Benjamin Braude

Published by José Betancourt

For a study of the French mystic-philosopher-militant Simone Weil (1909–1943) and the response to her work, I would appreciate hearing from anyone who might offer new documentation. Of particular value are unpublished recollections, memos, and other records addressing the appreciation of her by Elizabeth Hardwick and other editors at The New York Review. Benjamin Braude Department of History, Boston College Department of Religion, Smith College Braude@bc.edu856 Burts Pit RoadNorthampton, MA 01062413-586-3048 Source link

Minister Slaps Down Wes Streeting's Call For 'Wealth Tax That Works'

Minister Slaps Down Wes Streeting's Call For 'Wealth Tax That Works'

Published by Sam Flores

Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care of the United Kingdom, arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. A minister has slapped down Wes Streeting’s suggestion of a “wealth tax that works”. Streeting resigned as the health secretary within Keir Starmer’s cabinet last week, accusing the prime minister of offering a “vacuum” instead of a vision for governing. Starmer has so far resisted dozens of calls from his own MPs to resign and a leadership contest is yet to be triggered. But Streeting has claimed he would seek to enter any potential competition. The backbencher now appears to have laid out parts of his policy agenda, telling the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast that he would introduce a wealth tax which could raise £12 billion a year. He said his plan for a “wealth tax that works” includes reforms to capital gains tax, a levy on the profit made after selling an asset. He wants to encourage investment by offering lower rates to “genuine” entrepreneurs. Streeting …