List of All Articles with Tag 'al'

Former AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson has resigned from his post on the influential policy board of the PGA Tour in protest to the proposed merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

Kim Kardashian’s Instagram snaps often make headlines for more than just her outfit choices thanks to her at-times unusual photoshoot locations or embarrassing photoshop “fails”. However, in her latest eyebrow-raising post, the 42-year-old entrepreneur has intentionally grabbed the attention of would-be internet sleuths. In a caption to the selfie, which shows a seemingly make-up-free Kim pouting nonchalantly at her phone, she wrote: “I took this pic last week when I was alone and now going through my phone I am freaking out noticing a woman in the window.” In the background of the picture, framed in the reflection of a sunlit window, a shadowy figure can be seen. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Commentators were quick to offer their theories on the mysterious apparition, with the post racking up more than 2.4 million likes in just 17 hours. Some were similarly unsettled by the unknown “woman”, with one writing: “This is a case for the FBI”. However, others were dismissive of the star’s concerns. “It’s probably her personal assistant,” one said. “She just wanted to post this pic without appearing as if she wants to really post this pic because she thinks she looks good in minimal makeup.” “Calm down it's one of the nanny's [sic] or maids,” added another critic. “Who photoshopped this to give you some more headlines,” wrote a third sceptic. Elsewhere, another of Kim’s 362 million followers, joked that it was “Todd Kraines”, to the delight of numerous fans. To the uninitiated, Todd Kraines is a family friend of the Kardashians who was thrust into the limelight thanks to an elaborate prank. Over a number of months and even years, Kourtney Kardashian’s ex-husband Scott Disick called the family’s matriarch Kris Jenner repeatedly, pretending to be Kraines, who is a real estate agent over in Beverly Hills. The Kraines bit is often named among fans' favourite long-running jokes from the KUWT series. KUWTK | Auntie Kris, It's Me, Todd Kraines--Again! | E! www.youtube.com Anyway, back to Kim’s photo, other critics insisted there was an even simpler explanation for the shadow-person, with one commenting: “That’s literally your reflection.” Another agreed, suggesting: “It's your reflection in theTV? Side profile and your bag, you can clearly see your arm holding up your phone. Or I'm [losing] it lol.” We prefer the Todd Kraines interpretation, to be honest. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

India is facing the prospect of further torrential rainfall across swathes of the country over the coming days,

Sir Alex Ferguson managed Manchester United for 26 years and 1500 games, but he only attended 1497 of them. He missed three: one for his son Mark’s wedding, one for his sister-in-law’s funeral, and a League Cup tie against Scunthorpe in 2010 when he went on a scouting trip. The sense then was that he was watching United’s Champions League opponents Valencia; instead the teenage goalkeeper in the opposition side, Atletico Madrid, was the focus of his attention. A dozen years since he was signed, David de Gea’s departure removes the last survivor of the Ferguson era: for the first time since the relegation season of 1973-74, United in 2023-24 will not feature anyone who has made or will make an appearance for the great Scot. For the first time since 1934-35, there will be none who have played or will play for Ferguson or Sir Matt Busby. Erik ten Hag calls upon Ferguson’s counsel but there are ways in which he makes a break with the past, as Harry Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo can testify. But De Gea was always intended to be part of Ferguson’s legacy: bought when the manager was approaching his 70th birthday, signed with his successors in mind. Ferguson could be selfish and selfless and De Gea reflected the latter: United got 545 appearances from the Spaniard, the seventh most in their history and second only to Wayne Rooney among those Ferguson bought, and 190 clean sheets, 10 more than even Peter Schmeichel. And yet his is a legacy that leads itself to different conclusions. De Gea’s dozen seasons brought a lone league title: the previous 13 produced eight, with four Champions League final appearances and two victories on the biggest stage. De Gea’s last decade comprised of United’s wilderness years; in the worst of them, 2021-22, one of their most eloquent critics was the goalkeeper himself, when his own excellence gave him freedom to express his frustration. But his last game provided a sadly fitting end: De Gea was beaten inside 13 seconds in the FA Cup final, then horribly culpable for Ilkay Gundogan’s ultimately decisive second goal. His final year felt a series of indignities: United’s Europa League exit to Sevilla owed much to a De Gea shocker, capped by an embarrassing error. His last few years at Old Trafford were pockmarked by two problems: an increasing number of mistakes – far more forgivable in his good years – and his limitations in distribution; many of his best saves were with his feet, but he struggled to use them to find teammates. Perhaps August’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford was the beginning of the end in that respect; it was evident he was an imperfect fit for Ten Hag’s style of play. It underlined the way that De Gea seemed old before his time, an old-fashioned goalkeeper in a fast-changing role. He is only two years older than Alisson, three older than Ederson, less than five the senior of his probable successor Andre Onana, but seemingly plucked from another generation, one where a goalkeeper’s job did not extend beyond stopping shots. The hashtag at his peak was “DaveSaves”. The issue was that Dave did not kick as well. De Gea was the future once; at 32, he has become the past. He almost joined Real Madrid in 2015, but for a faulty fax machine, but there is no such scramble for his services now. Even before his contract talks with United ended, it became likelier he would not be first choice. Staying would have always involved a sizeable pay cut; in part because his previous deal was so lucrative. He was famously the world’s best-paid goalkeeper; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer used to lazily parrot the line he was the world’s best long after evidence suggested otherwise. But at his peak, he was surely in the top five. He had days when he seemed unbeatable. His 14 saves against Arsenal in 2017 came in an extraordinary display of defiance. United branded him a “legend” in the announcement that he would go. Perhaps he both was and wasn’t: De Gea was sometimes a beacon of excellence in mediocre teams, especially in the years immediately after Ferguson’s retirement. He was named United’s player of the year a joint record four times, but that often reflected a lack of competition. Schmeichel and Edwin van der Sar never won the award but they were Ferguson’s two greatest goalkeeping signings. Each chose his exit and each played his last game in a Champions League final, Schmeichel lifting the trophy in 1999. De Gea’s departure has more common denominators with that of the only other goalkeeper to play 500 games for United: Alex Stepney ended up being dropped by Dave Sexton, his fifth manager. He, too, had had his greatest days in his mid-twenties. There was a point when it seemed like De Gea would be a fixture for years to come, perhaps ending up second only to Ryan Giggs in United’s all-time appearance list. But he started to look a man out of time, even before the interest in Onana suggested he would be a man out of the team. But outstanding as De Gea was in the mid-2010s, as the last link to Ferguson is severed, it serves as a reminder that the last decade has scarcely gone to plan. Read More Why Onana is such an upgrade on De Gea for Man United De Gea confirms Man United exit with ‘farewell message’ to fans Man United transfer news: Mount signs and bid made for Onana

Yet another summer transfer saga between Kylian Mbappe and Real Madrid is set to ensure. Here are five strikers Los Blancos could sign instead of the Frenchman.

Israel is braced for a new wave of turmoil as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government pushes ahead with

Georgia Stanway feels she has developed “so much” on and off the pitch during her year with Bayern Munich – although she rates her German as “terrible”. The 24-year-old midfielder left Manchester City, where she had been since 2015, and joined Bayern last summer before playing a key role in England’s home-soil Euros triumph. As she now prepares for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand starting next week, Stanway has had a season with her new club which began with some issues, ended with a league title and overall, she says, has enhanced her as a player and person. Asked how she is faring in terms of picking up the local language, though, she said: “Terrible. I’ve seen a quote which says ‘life’s too short to learn German’ and I completely agree. “I have two lessons a week and my teacher keeps saying ‘it’s going to click’, but nearly 12 months in and there’s no click yet.” Of the bigger picture, Stanway said: “I’ve developed so much on and off the pitch. “On the pitch I’ve got so much more responsibility. I have a leadership role which I never expected to happen in such a short space of time. I’ve seen a quote which says 'life’s too short to learn German' and I completely agree. Georgia Stanway “I’ve been consistent in my performances in the position I’m playing in which I’ve been able to make my own and that only helps me when I come into this environment. Whether it’s technical actions or that I’ve got more control over my game, it helps. “In terms of the way I am as a person I’m just so much more open. I went to a country where no-one knew who I was and I’d never met anyone I was with before and I could be whoever I wanted to be and no-one was going to judge me for that. “I think that’s so important in a football environment…to just be you.” Stanway arrived in Germany four days after the Euros final, was in one apartment for three months, then moved into one of her own that had no kitchen at first – a situation that meant, in a good way, that she “had to ask for help”. Socialising with team-mates has been a big aspect of her experience, with her saying: “We do so much outside of football as a team at Bayern and that has made us stronger on the pitch which is really important.” Stanway says she had a winter break “dip”, adding: “It wasn’t necessarily an emotional time but it was more just the kind of time where I could have just stayed on the sofa for two weeks. “I was supposed to meet Keira (Walsh, her England and former City team-mate) in Barcelona for New Year but I didn’t even make it out there for New Year because I was just that tired. I was sleeping long past my alarm until the middle of the afternoon which is something I’ve never done before. “I was just absolutely shattered. After that two weeks you’re able to go again. But it’s important people do recognise how hard we work.” Stanway’s Bayern debut last September was a 0-0 draw at Eintracht Frankfurt in which, she says, she “really struggled”. She said: “I couldn’t get on the ball and gave away a few fouls. Obviously first-game nerves, you want to try and turn up, be the hero, which is normal. “But since then I’ve gained consistency. My technical actions are much more consistent and my range of passing is massively improved.” She ended up making 21 starts, scoring six times, in Bayern’s league success, and also netted three Champions League goals. Stanway – who sang Sweet Caroline to her team-mates as an initiation song, and then, thanks to an audio delay, “the worst version you’ve ever heard” to a Munich crowd after the title win – says she is “really proud” of how she has performed for Bayern, adding: “To win a trophy in my first year is unbelievable.” Germany could be World Cup quarter-final opponents for England and Stanway said: “To be fair Sarina (Wiegman, the England manager) probably knows everything already. She probably knows more than me. She’s a genius that way. “That could be interesting. I’ll probably have to stay off my phone that week.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Wimbledon offers no guarantees over moving Centre Court start time Key issues facing England and Australia ahead of the fourth Test Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu signs new deal to complete remarkable journey with Luton

Luton midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu is to continue his remarkable journey from non-league football to the Premier League after agreeing a new contract, the Hatters have announced. The 29-year-old midfielder, the first man to have won promotion from the Conference to the English top flight with the same club, has committed himself to an 11th season at Kenilworth Road. Former West Ham trainee Mpanzu has made 364 appearances, the most recent of them in last season’s Sky Bet Championship play-off final victory over Coventry, for the club he initially joined on loan in November 2013 before completing a permanent move in January 2014. He told Luton’s official website: “It’s great to be back and I’m ready to get to work. Hopefully it’s going to be a great new season for us in the Premier League. “I’ve got to play the Brighton game [the opening Premier League fixture] to make that history first, but once I get through pre-season it should be all good. We are looking to fight and stay in this league, I cannot wait to contribute to that this season. “I’ve been at the club for so long, so to get it sorted and get it signed is all good. I’m so happy and looking forward to getting back out there at Kenilworth Road in front of the fans.” Manager Rob Edwards added: “Pelly’s story is such a special one, and everyone knows that now. Ever since we came in, his consistency has been brilliant. He is someone who gives everything. He leaves it all out there. “On and off the pitch, he is just a huge part of what we do, he’s the heartbeat of the dressing room, a brilliant lad who everyone loves, so it’s only right that he now gets this opportunity to play in the Premier League because he’s worked so hard for it.” Meanwhile, Hatters goalkeeper Jack Walton has joined Scottish Championship side Dundee United on a season-long loan. Jim Goodwin told Dundee United’s club website: “Jack is a very good young keeper who commands his area and will put demands on the defenders in front of him by being vocal and a good organiser.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Provides an overview of Romania, including key dates and facts about this European country.

Germany can’t make good on its NATO commitment to spend at least 2% of economic output on the

Chelsea are standing firm on their asking price over striker Romelu Lukaku in talks with Inter.

Wiz Khalifa has handed over the rights to his hits in the latest deal with HarbourView Equity Partners.