6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on كيف استعد الأهلي للسوبر المصري؟..تغييرات في خطة اللعب ومفاجآت بالتشكيل
كيف استعد الأهلي للسوبر المصري، فقد شهد مران الأهلي استعدادات خاصة قبل المنافسة في بطولة السوبر المصري التي تجري في الإمارات خلال الفترة من 20 إلى 24 أكتوبر الجاري، بمشاركة...
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on Watch moment Israeli tank blasts ‘Gaza’s Bin Laden’ Yahya Sinwar’s bolthole before he was shot dead by commandos
THIS is the deadly moment an Israeli tank blasted terrorist Yahya Sinwar’s bolthole before he was shot dead.
Footage released by the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) shows a tank firing at the home of the terrorist Hamas leader.
The moment Sinwar’s hideout is blasted[/caption]
Footage released by the IDF claims to show a wounded Yahya Sinwar moments before he was killed in Gaza[/caption]
Drone video released by Israeli forces shows the mini-camera bot sweep into a bombed-out building.
It comes across a dust-covered man with his face wrapped in a bandana – later revealed to be Sinwar.
He can be seen slumped in a dirty armchair with a badly injured hand.
In one of his feeble final acts, he hurls a stick at the drone – and misses.
The humiliating defeat on Wednesday came after he was hunted by Israel for almost 400 days after he ordered the slaughter and kidnap of more than 1,200 civilians.
An autopsy findings reveal Sinwar was likely killed by a long-range gunshot wound to the head – executed with sniper-like precision.
His corpse was also riddled with shrapnel fragments after the house he was in was blasted by a tank.
Weapons found in the house where Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed[/caption]
Sinwar’s body has now been transferred to a secret location inside Israel, Hebrew news site Walla reports.
Mohammed Sinwar’s rise to power would bring a new level of threat, according to an Israeli official.
Yahya Sinwar, the evil mastermind behind the October 7 massacre, was seen as a relatively strategic leader compared to his brother, whose radical ideology and brutal methods are well known within the ranks of Hamas.
With his brother’s staunch support, Mohammed Sinwar has become the de facto second-in-command of Hamas’ leadership in Gaza following the deaths of top Hamas military commanders, such as Mohammed Deif and Marwan Issa.
Inside the twisted life of Yahya Sinwar
By Nick Parker, Foreign Editor
HIS life was saved twice by Israel – but the monster dubbed “The Hamas Bin Laden” repaid his sworn enemy by masterminding the October 7 horror.
Yahya Sinwar, 61, spent 22 years in an Israeli prison for terrorist murder and kidnap plots and spent every second honing his burning hatred for his captors.
His astonishing rise to the top of the Hamas terror tree came despite being sentenced to four life sentences in 1989 for planning the abduction and killing of two Israeli soldiers and the murder of four Palestinians he suspected of working with Israel.
The bearded beast’s life was first saved when he was cured of cancer by an operation in a prison.
Then in 2011 he was freed, among 1,026 others, in a prisoner exchange for a single Israeli soldier in a deal that has been damned by his thousands of victims ever since.
Sinwar taught himself Hebrew and became fluent during his multiple stints as a caged man.
He began reading and studying every Israeli newspaper to probe the weak spots in his enemy’s armour.
The terror master’s deep knowledge of what makes Israelis tick led him to realise the power of the hostage-taking tactic now traumatising the strife-torn Jewish nation.
Yet despite his blood lust and bravado, the Hamas commander “cried like a baby” when he learned he had cancer, his jailer Lieutenant Betty Lahat has revealed
Mohammed became a trust confidant of Yahya, being one of the few people who knew where the Hamas boss was hiding during the war.
Because of his family connections, he also had an easy time rising to the top of Hamas without facing any suspicion of treachery from other members of the terror group.
Unlike Yahya, who has made headlines for his terror activities over the years, 49-year-old Mohammed operates more in the shadows, but his influence is undeniable, the expert said.
Israeli security forces are concerned that Mohammed, known for his ruthlessness, would escalate the conflict even further.
Yakubovich warned: “If Mohammed Sinwar comes to power, I believe it will be very problematic.
“He is much more extreme, even within the ranks of Hamas.”
This sentiment echoes fears that Mohammed, who is described as far less pragmatic than his brother, could resort to even more violent and uncompromising tactics, putting civilians at even greater risk.
Mohammed’s reputation within Hamas is that of a man who exerts total control through fear and violence.
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on Iconic restaurant and Olive Garden rival abruptly closes down – sign alerted customers who say it ‘gave up’ years ago
AN ICONIC restaurant, and rival to the Italian chain Olive Garden, has abruptly closed down.
Locals spotted a closing sign in the window of American-Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo in Castleton Square, Indianapolis.
The Buca di Beppo restaurant in Castleton Square, Indianapolis has closed down for good[/caption]
Locals spotted a closing down sign on the restaurant window[/caption]
It read: “We are thankful to you, our local guests, for giving us the opportunity to serve you.
“It’s with great appreciation and gratitude that we say thank you for all the years.”
Pictures of the sign were posted to Facebook yesterday, with customers stating that they weren’t surprised in the comments.
One wrote: “Surprised it lasted as long as it did.”
Another speculated that the restaurant “gave up years ago.”
A third expressed doubts for the future of the chain, saying: “I believe you’re gonna start seeing all the other restaurants close down.
“Buca seems to be not renewing leases nationwide.”
The company currently still runs two branches in the nearby areas of Greenwood and Downtown.
The Castleton Square site, which originally opened in 1999, seems to have closed down in August, along with 12 other branches across 11 states.
It came as the company filed for bankruptcy, with chief restructuring officer William Snyder saying it had never bounced back from the pandemic.
Since 2020, it has closed a total of 30 restaurants, leaving it with 44 locations at present.
IN THE NEWS
The chain’s woes continued this year, as revenue in the first five months dropped 10% compared to $74.8 million last year.
It now owes 30 creditors around $50 million, per USA Today, and hopes to scrape back crucial earnings on the leases of the 13 closed-down branches.
President Rich Saultz said the company also planned to restructure its 44 sites, as well as opening a new one.
In a statement, he said: “While the restaurant industry has faced significant challenges, this move is the best next step for our brand.
Open Buca di Beppo locations
The following US locations are listed as open to customers:
Seattle- 701 Westlake Ave N, Seattle, Washington, 98109
“By restructuring with the continued support of our lenders, we are paving the way toward a reinvigorated future.
“Buca di Beppo has been a beloved gathering place for celebrations and memorable meals for many years, and we are enthusiastic about entering this next phase of our brand’s story.”
Buca di Beppo, which is headquartered in Orlando, Florida, was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1993.
At its peak, it had 100 locations across the US.
In 2008, it was acquired by Planet Hollywood Inc. for $28.5 million.
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on What we know about Rodney Alcala’s mom Anna Maria Gutierrez-Eppen
ANNA Maria Gutierrez was the mother of the Dating Game Killer Rodney Alcala, who is featured in Netflix’s thriller Woman of the Hour.
However, there is much more to Anna’s life than her serial killer son, including a life in academia and royal connection.
Anna has an amazing career in academia[/caption]
A harpist for the Queen of Spain
Anna was born in Torreon, Mexico, on January 10, 19090, and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris.
She also received a bachelors and master’s degree at the University of Southern California, before receiving another degree from Cal State LA.
Anna reportedly played the harp for the Queen of Spain and started to write popular children’s stories.
Then, she married Raul Alcala Buqor and gave birth to their son Rodrigo “Rodney” Jacques Alcala on August 23, 1943.
The family moved from Texas to Mexico in 1951, but Raul abandoned them just three years into their new life.
Taking matters into her own hands, Anna moved Rodney and his two sisters to Los Angeles in 1954.
Her son was already beginning to show signs of being academically gifted and went on to attend various private schools, before becoming a paratrooper.
Rodney’s crime spree begins
All was not as it seemed with Rodney as he fled from the army in 1964 after a nervous breakdown.
In 1968, he kidnapped and attempted to rape Morgan Rowan but she managed to escape his clutches when her friends broke a window and saved her from Rodney.
His crime spree led to him signing up for the hit game show The Dating Game, where he attempted to charm contestant Cheryl Bradshaw.
However, his off-putting and sinister humor caused Cheryl to refuse Rodney’s offer of a date.
The incident was dramatized in Netflix’s Woman of the Hour, starring Anna Kendrick as Cheryl and Tony Hale as the show’s host Ed Burke.
Anna posts Rodney’s bail
Rodney’s murder spree continued and on February 14, 1979, he kidnapped and raped 15-year-old hitchhiker Monique Hoyt.
Monique managed to escape when Rodney used a gas station bathroom, despite the fact that Rodney had just hit her in the head with a rock.
Although Monique filed a police report about the incident, Anna posted Rodney’s bail.
A search of Anna’s home cracks the case
Rodney was finally caught after he tragically murdered 12-year-old Robin Christine Samsoe on June 20, 1979.
Detectives circulated a picture of the suspect, who had been described to them by Robin’s friends, and Rodney’s parole officer from the Tali Shapiro case recognized him.
A police search of Anna’s house finally cracked the case, as Rodney had hidden a receipt there for a storage locker in Seattle.
The authorities followed the trail up to Washington state and found a pair of earrings belonging to Charlotte Lee Lamb in the locker.
Charlotte had been murdered in 1978, but no suspect had been apprehended for the crime.
This evidence was enough for Rodney to be finally arrested in July 1979 and sentenced to death in June 1980.
However, the verdict was overturned and he would go on to remain in prison until his death in 2021.
Anna’s death
Anna died on February 18, 1999, at the age of 90.
Her obituary said that she had inspired countless people with her amazing achievements, including her performance for the Queen of Spain.
She never commented publicly about her son’s crimes, though he was referenced in her obituary.
Anna had dropped the name Alcala, though, by the time of her death and instead used the name German which belonged to her second husband.
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on Al Pacino reveals ‘traumatic’ penis injury that left him ‘in such pain’ he begged ‘God, please take me now’ in memoir
AL Pacino has revealed a ‘traumatic’ penis injury that left him ‘in such pain’ he begged ‘God, please take me now’.
The award winning actor, 84, opened up about the ordeal in hew brand new memoir Sonny Boy – as he confessed: “To this day I’m haunted by the thought of it.”
Al Pacino has opened up about a ‘traumatic’ penis injury from when he was young[/caption]
The Hollywood star revealed all in his new memoir[/caption]
The Godfather star Al recalled that the incident happened when he was just 10-years-old while he was living in living in South Bronx, NY.
Al wrote: “I was walking on a thin, iron fence, doing my tightrope dance.
“It had been raining all morning, and sure enough, I slipped and fell, and the iron bar hit me directly between my legs…”
An older man noticed that he was in pain and managed to get him over to his aunt’s house.
He continued: “I lay there on the bed, with my pants completely down around my ankles as the three women in my life — my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother — poked and prodded at my penis in a semipanic.
“I thought: ‘God, please take me now’, as I heard them whispering things to one another as they conducted their inspection.”
Despite it being one of his “most embarrassing experiences”, his penis “remains attached”.
The memoir was originally published on8 October 2024.
The news of Al’s novel was released earlier this year in March.
Sonny Boy has been published by Penguin Press.
Pacino said of the book: “I wrote Sonny Boy to express what I’ve seen and been through in my life.
“It has been an incredibly personal and revealing experience to reflect on this journey and what acting has allowed me to do and the worlds it has opened up.
“My whole life has been a moonshot, and I’ve been a pretty lucky guy so far.”
Earlier this month the star revealed that he died of Covid during the pandemic before paramedics revived him in his home.
He said: “I felt not good — unusually not good.
“Then I had a fever, and I was getting dehydrated and all that.
“So I got someone to get me a nurse to hydrate me.
“I was sitting there in my house, and I was gone. Like that.
“I didn’t have a pulse.”
He added: “In a matter of minutes they were there — the ambulance in front of my house.
“I had six paramedics in that living room and two doctors, and they had these outfits on that looked like they were from outer space.
“It was shocking to open your eyes and see that.
“Everybody was around me, and said, ‘He’s back. He’s here’.”
Al, real name Alfredo James Pacino, shot to fame in the 60s.
He’s won a number of awards for his acting over the years Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild award.
Al is arguably best known for his role in The Godfather.
He’s also starred in various other films such as Serpico, Scarface, Scarecrow, Devil’s Advocate and House of Gucci.
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on Venmo and Cash App users warned against letting money sit in app – transfer balance immediately to avoid losing cash
CUSTOMERS using payment apps such as Cash App and Venmo have been warned about leaving money in their accounts – a little-known rule means they could lose cash.
In 2022, transaction volume on Cash App and Venmo soared to an estimated $893 billion by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Venmo users have been warned over the lack of protections for their payments[/caption]
More than three-quarters of US adults have used a payment app[/caption]
By 2027, that figure is projected to reach $1.6 trillion, with more than three-quarters of US adults saying they have used a payment app.
The apps are popular, particularly with young people, due to the ease of sending money.
But the CFPB has warned that payment apps often lack the typical protections you would get from a traditional bank.
For example, funds stored on Venmo and Cash App usually don’t have deposit insurance, except in certain cases.
This is particularly an issue in instances of scams and fraud.
“Popular digital payment apps are increasingly used as substitutes for a traditional bank or credit union account, but lack the same protections to ensure that funds are safe,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said last year.
They also may not be the most efficient use of your money, in comparison to a high-yield savings account.
Connor Tomasko, a freelance software consultant based in Chicago, has revealed her tips for using payment apps safely.
She now transfers any payments out of the apps immediately and tells her friends to do the same.
“I’m definitely the one that is always harping about high-yield savings accounts,” she told AP.
“But if you’re in an industry dealing with a lot of cash — bartending, say — sometimes you’re just worried about finding a place to deposit it.
“It’s not always a fun thing to talk about.”
She added, “The apps are popular because you don’t have to give your personal information, like a phone number, if you just got drinks with someone once but you’re never going to see them again — a date that didn’t go well.
“I get the benefits in that sense — to be able to send money that way.”
Bank tips for avoiding scams
As scams become more sophisticated with the use of artificial intelligence, it is important you know how to spot a scam:
Be skeptical of online deals that seem too good to be true, especially on social media.
Scammers will often use tactics to make you panicked so you make quick decisions – be cautious if you are told to take immediate action and verify who has contacted you.
Chase Bank warns customers to “never return any unexpected funds without calling Chase first.”
Never send money to someone you have only spoken to online or by phone as this is likely a romance scam.
Unless you 100% know who you are talking to, never give someone remote access to your device.
Never accept help from strangers at an ATM and always be vigilant when making withdrawals.
Do not send money or click any links indicating that you have won a prize.
Experts have also warned customers not to leave money sitting in peer-to-peer lending accounts.
Instead, it is wiser to look for high-yield savings accounts.
“Leaving money sitting in those accounts is leaving potential interest from a high-yield savings account on the table,” said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate at Credit Karma.
“All of that interest adds up over time, so your money could be growing elsewhere.”
The new feature can be used to set up the payments monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly in advance.
Venmo revealed that the move follows the company’s discovery that 84% of consumers have used a peer-to-peer service with payments like monthly rent, utilities, and other common living expenses.
6 days agoUSA UpdateComments Off on Rosé releases new single ‘APT’ in collaboration with Bruno Mars
'APT' is inspired by the Korean drinking game Apartment. The music video for the track has already gained more than 8 million views as of this writing.