All posts tagged: hang

Friday briefing: ​As Israel’s coalition collapses, can its prime minister hang on to power?

Friday briefing: ​As Israel’s coalition collapses, can its prime minister hang on to power?

Published by Sam Flores

Good morning. On Wednesday, Israeli legislators took the first steps towards dissolving parliament and calling fresh nationwide elections. Leading leftwing Knesset member Yair Golan hailed it “the beginning of the end of the worst government in Israel’s history.” Benjamin Netanyahu has spent 20 of the last 30 years as Israel’s prime minister, the last four of which have seen him helm a far-right coalition. Under the incumbent government, settlement building in the illegally occupied West Bank has accelerated, while many international humanitarian NGOs have been banned from the Palestinian territories. Following Hamas’s killing of 1,200 Israelis on 7 October 2023, Netanyahu has orchestrated a campaign of violence in Gaza, killing or injuring more than 10% of the population, and flattening the strip in what a UN commission has declared a genocide. Netanyahu remains on trial for three counts of corruption. Much has changed since Israeli voters last went to the polls. Public support for Israel in both western Europe and the US is at its lowest ever level. Israeli public opinion, meanwhile, has shifted further …

Mexico’s goalkeeper Ochoa set to hang up gloves after his sixth World Cup

Mexico’s goalkeeper Ochoa set to hang up gloves after his sixth World Cup

Published by Sam Flores

April 30 : Guillermo Ochoa, one of the most iconic goalkeepers in Mexican football history, will hang up his gloves immediately after the World Cup, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano. “Memo Ochoa will play his sixth World Cup representing Mexico, as the legendary goalkeeper will be part of the squad. Ochoa will retire from professional football immediately after, leaving his club and the national team,” Romano, who specialises in news about soccer transfers, wrote on X.  Ochoa appeared to confirm the news himself by reposting Romano’s message. The World Cup, co-hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, will be a landmark occasion for the 40-year-old shot-stopper, who could become one of the very few players in history, alongside Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, to appear in six World Cup tournaments. Ochoa first represented Mexico on the world stage at Germany 2006 and went on to feature at South Africa 2010, Brazil 2014, Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, where he famously saved a penalty from Poland’s Robert Lewandowski. During his 22-year career at club level, …

Iran set to hang first female anti-regime protester | World | News

Iran set to hang first female anti-regime protester | World | News

Published by Sam Flores

Iran to execute first female anti-regime protester Bita Hemmati (Image: X) The Islamic Republic of Iran is poised to execute Bita Hemmati, who is set to become the first female protester to be hanged in connection with the recent anti-regime uprising. Hemmati is amongst an estimated 1,600 individuals sentenced to death by the regime over the past year. The protests, which broke out across the nation in January, have been brutally crushed by government forces. Following a hasty trial, Hemmati, her 34 year old husband Mohammadreza Majid Asl, and two other men, Behrouz and Kourosh Zamaninezhad, were all handed death sentences. A source close to the prisoners’ families, according to HRANA, said: “Mohammadreza Majidi-Asl and Bita Hemmati are a couple living in Tehran, and Amir Hemmati is a relative of the two. Kourosh Zamaninejad and Behrouz Zamaninejad were living in the same residential building, and their arrests took place simultaneously.” Iranian judge Iman Afshari alleged the individuals “injured forces at the scene” and the use of “explosive materials and unspecified weapons” at protests on January …

Truecaller now lets you hang up on scammers — on behalf of your family

Truecaller now lets you hang up on scammers — on behalf of your family

Published by skeptic

Caller identity platform Truecaller recently launched a new feature that lets one person become an admin of a family group, get alerts about fraud calls received by other members, and even end a call on their behalf if they suspect a family member might get scammed. The company, which has over 450 million users, first launched the feature in December in a handful of countries like Sweden, Chile, Malaysia, and Kenya. Truecaller said that after seeing promising results, it decided to roll it out worldwide, including in India, the company’s biggest market. The feature is free, and users can create groups even if they are not on a paid Truecaller plan. Image Credits: Truecaller With this feature, the tech-savvy member of a family or friends group can become the admin of an up to five-member group. Once the other members join the group, the admin can get alerts about potentially fraudulent calls those members receive. If the admin believes that the call could harm the member, they can remotely end the call as well. While …

Olympians Liu and Gu Travel Very Different Paths, and China-US Relations Hang Over Their Stories

Olympians Liu and Gu Travel Very Different Paths, and China-US Relations Hang Over Their Stories

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON (AP) — It is as captivating as it is divisive: the tale of two Chinese American athletic geniuses who have so much in common but make such different choices. Eileen Gu, a 22-year-old freestyle skier, and Alysa Liu, a 20-year—old figure skater, were both born to Chinese immigrants in California, and both were brought up in single-parent households. Both are elite athletes who turned in gold-medal performances at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics last month. But public opinion diverges over their choices about the countries for which they compete. Gu chooses to represent China, while Liu waves the U.S. flag. Those decisions are generating heated debates over loyalty — an issue interwoven with money, values and politics on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. In China, many laud Gu for identifying herself as Chinese and competing for the honor of the motherland. But plenty praise Liu, too, for her free spirit and genuineness — sometimes with a subtle nod to her father’s role in the 1989 Tiananmen Square democracy protests that landed him …

Iran and the U.S. lean into gunboat diplomacy as nuclear talks hang in balance : NPR

Iran and the U.S. lean into gunboat diplomacy as nuclear talks hang in balance : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

In this photo provided by the U.S. Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford embarked on the first of its sea trials to test various state-of-the-art systems on its own power for the first time, April 8, 2017, from Newport News, Va. Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/AP/U.S. Navy hide caption toggle caption Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/AP/U.S. Navy DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran and the United States leaned into gunboat diplomacy Thursday as nuclear talks between the nations hung in the balance, with Tehran holding drills with Russia and the Americans bringing another aircraft carrier closer to the Mideast. The Iranian drill and the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier near the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea underscore the tensions between the nations. Iran earlier this week also launched a drill that involved live-fire in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow opening of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes. The movements of additional American warships and airplanes don’t guarantee a U.S. …

If A Grandma Has Any Of These 11 Hobbies, Her Grandkids Probably Want To Hang Out With Her All The Time

If A Grandma Has Any Of These 11 Hobbies, Her Grandkids Probably Want To Hang Out With Her All The Time

Published by Jenni Sidey

There’s nothing more endearing than a grandma who has her own unique, quirky personality. It usually trickles down into the kind of home that they create for their family, especially their grandkids. Their houses feel comfortable, and it’s just so easy to be around them. You never feel like you’re going to walk into the room and immediately be judged or dismissed. Instead, you just feel incredibly welcome. The closeness that happens between grandmas and their grandkids is usually built from small moments that kids remember for the rest of their lives. But it’s also beneficial for grandmothers as well, considering research has suggested providing care for grandchildren may help older adults maintain stronger memory and verbal skills, too. When a grandma is consistently creating a space that feels warm and relaxed, her grandkids naturally just want to keep coming back. A lot of that has to do with the hobbies she has. The things a grandma genuinely enjoys shape how much fun it is to be around her. Some hobbies help invite fun conversations …

Alan Sugar says he has no plans to retire from Apprentice and ‘hang up his finger’

Alan Sugar says he has no plans to retire from Apprentice and ‘hang up his finger’

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 Lord Alan Sugar has shed light on whether he’s thought about retirement plans – insisting that he’ll carry on making seasons of The Apprentice for “as long as the BBC wants me to”. The 78-year-old recently signed a new contract that means he will feature in at least three more series of the business reality show. Speaking to The Mirror, Lord Sugar joked: “Part of the contract is the BBC has got to provide me with an electronic Zimmer frame!” “I mean, three years takes me to about 82 I suppose, [by] the time I’m finished, but I’ll carry on as long as the BBC want me to,” he continued. “And I will know personally when it’s time for me to kind of hang up my finger, if you know what I mean. “As the footballers say, they hang up their …

Hang Seng Bank shareholders approve HSBC’s .6 billion buyout proposal

Hang Seng Bank shareholders approve HSBC’s $13.6 billion buyout proposal

Published by Sam Flores

HONG KONG, ‌Jan 8 : Hang Seng Bank shareholders on Thursday approved a plan by its majority owner HSBC to take the bank private, in a landmark move to further boost the Asia-focused lender’s presence in Hong Kong. HSBC, which proposed to buy the 36.5 per cent of Hang Seng shares it does not already own, ‌secured around 86 per cent support in a Hang Seng ‌Bank shareholders’ vote, according to a joint announcement. Hong Kong’s high court will decide in a hearing on January 23 whether the take-private plan can be executed, according to an HSBC statement. HSBC’s offer for the 36.5 per cent stake is worth around $13.6 billion. Hang Seng Bank is expected to ‍be withdrawn from the Hong Kong stock market on January 27, providing the hearing grants the deal a final green light. “The approval reflects strong confidence in Hang Seng Bank’s franchise and in the opportunities that full ​ownership within the HSBC Group ‌can unlock,” HSBC CEO Georges Elhedery said in the statement. The deal comes as HSBC looks …

Depleted Manchester United hang on to victory over frustrated Newcastle

Depleted Manchester United hang on to victory over frustrated Newcastle

Published by Sam Flores

Ruben Amorim has challenged Kobbie Mainoo to prove he still has a future at Manchester United after ruling out the prospect of him leaving the club next month. The out-of-favour England international has yet to start a Premier League game this season and his half-brother wore a ‘Free Kobbie Mainoo” T-Shirt at Old Trafford in last week’s dramatic 4-4 draw with Bournemouth. The 20-year-old has been linked with a loan move away from the club next month with Napoli among a handful of clubs interested in signing the midfielder. However, United boss Amorim has extended Mainoo an olive branch to the academy graduate despite the provocation from family members by asking him to stake a claim for a starting position in the team in the coming weeks with captain Bruno Fernandes sidelined with a hamstring injury. “If we are not getting someone, it’s hard (for someone) to leave because we are shorter,” said Amorim when asked whether Mainoo could depart in January. “Even with the full squad, we are shorter for something that can happen …