List of All Articles with Tag 'ira'

A professional swimmer has defended herself against fitness influencer Joey Swoll after he publicly called her out over a video she filmed at the gym. Nika Godun, 26, a Russian record-holder, refuted Swoll’s claim that she’d been “making fun of a young kid” in a clip she posted to social media. The video, shot from Godun’s point of view, shows an adolescent boy raising a dumbbell with one knee on a bench, while her voice is heard laughing in the background. Swoll made a stitch of the scene, in which he urged the female athlete to “do better”. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Beginning his commentary, he lambasted the 26-year-old for her “arrogant laugh,” insisting that a person like her would have had “two options” in that situation. “You can politely approach him and ask him if he'd like some help, then teach the young man – show him what good form is – or you can mind your own business,” the popular TikTok star said. “Filming him to make fun of him to post on social media is never an option, and you are a professional athlete, you should know better.” He went on to identify Godun by flashing a screen grab of her Instagram page, then admitted that he’d sent her a direct message to ask “if you think that you're better than people and you can do as you please because you're a professional athlete”. Her response, according to a screen grab of their conversation, was to tell him to “lighten up”. Professional Athlete Makes Fun Young Kid at the Gym Who's Trying his Best | DO BETTER! youtu.be However, Godun clearly had more to say about the matter, and she did so via a lengthy statement. Writing on Instagram, she offered some context around the encounter, saying: “I know the kid and he’s the funniest guy ever, not giving a f*** when his coach is not looking. “He didn’t need any of my help because he’s in the swimming group with other kids and a coach and he knows how to do the exercise properly. “He’s not disabled or sick, he’s just a KID!!” She continued: “I posted a video with [the] caption ‘me on a Monday morning’ saying that I’m like this kid because I adore his ‘I’m tired and I don’t give a f***’ energy and even in the video itself I’m saying ‘I love him’.” She went on to condemn the backlash she’d received over Swoll’s coverage of her video, accusing the influencer of “threatening” her to delete it before posting it himself. “If he truly had good intentions and thought I did something wrong he would’ve excluded the video so no one [would] see it,” she added. Wrapping up her message, she went on: “I don’t [owe] an apology to anyone because I didn’t do anything wrong [...] the kid is happy, I’m happy, if you’re not happy write a comment, but I don’t think anyone cares.” She continued: “People over-exceed the importance of social media in their [lives], it doesn’t matter that much.” Then, reiterating the point she made to Swoll, she concluded: “LIGHTEN UP! Because life is about being happy and not taking yourself too seriously.” His fans were clearly not impressed by her justification, however, with one writing: “[The] saddest part is you won’t even acknowledge your mistake.” Another added: “Your responses have only made it worse and show how arrogant of a person you are. “Who knows if you really do know the kid on a personal level or if anything you’re saying in regards to him is true, but you STILL are missing the point! He is a CHILD. A child you posted on [social media] to get likes and laughs out of. “I wouldn’t be thrilled if a ‘professional athlete’ used a video of my child’s incorrect form for laughs.” It’s not the first time one of Swoll’s videos has seen a woman subjected to torrents of criticism and abuse. The hatred one TikToker received after he criticised a video she'd shared left her fearing for her family’s safety, while others have had to issue public apologies or delete their social media accounts to avoid further harassment. We agree with Swoll that it’s never right to bully others, and certainly not to humiliate children. But is it right to throw people to the sharks over videos you’ve taken totally out of context? There, the jury is clearly still out. 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.

A couple, who spent almost £1,800 on a Benidorm holiday, were left fuming when they were turned away from check-in – despite having an in-date passport. Penny Priestly, 59, and her husband Dug from Nottingham were stunned when TUI refused to board them because their passports were 10 years old. "We just turned up and were waiting an hour in the queue, I think we were about fourth from last and the girl on the checkout said to the other girl, can you check those dates?" Penny told NottinghamshireLive. "She checked and said 'no they can't fly'. Then a bloke came over, a supervisor or something, and he said our only alternative is to go to Jet2 and ask them if we can fly." Vouching they will never fly with the airline again, they claimed TUI staff said if it was a few days earlier, they would have been fine to fly. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter "They said if we had gone on Saturday we would have been alright," they told the publication. This date would have marked the 10-year point from when their passports had been issued. The pair were still able to go forward with the holiday with a different airline – but at a price. They managed to secure flights with Jet2 for £860 but were unable to be refunded on the TUI flights due to it being a package deal. A spokesperson for TUI said: "We're sorry that Mr Priestly was unable to fly with TUI as planned as his passport did not meet the required government passport guidelines. "Government rules state that for customers travelling to certain EU countries, passports must be issued less than 10 years before the date you enter the country and must also be valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. We strongly advise that our customers check their passports are up to date before booking any flights. "Details of passport validity guidelines can be found here." 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.

China is hosting Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas as it seeks to strengthen its diplomatic influence in the

People think they have spotted an “Apple iPhone” in a painting that’s 350 years old and they are absolutely baffled. In the 1600s, people’s wildest imaginations probably couldn’t have dreamt up the technology we have now in the 21st century, from mobile phones to artificial intelligence. But now, people believe that they have seen an iPhone mysteriously appear in a 1670 painting by Pieter de Hooch. Hooch is an artist from the Dutch Golden Age and is renowned for his works depicting domestic scenes from the time. In one of his paintings, a woman is sitting with a dog on her lap while a man is standing and holding what very much resembles an iPhone. The painting even left Apple’s CEO Tim Cook to question everything he thought he knew. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter At a press conference in 2016, Cook joked he was “not so sure” about who invented the phone after seeing the Hooch painting at the Rijksmuseum art gallery during a trip to Amsterdam. Cook argued: “There was an iPhone in one of the paintings. It's tough to see but I swear it's there.” While for some it has added fuel to the fire of the time-travel conspiracy, the painting’s name may actually point toward a different conclusion. Hooch’s image is called, 'Young Woman with a Letter and a Messenger' in an Interior, suggesting that the object in the man’s hand may in fact be a bog standard paper envelope. 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.

A woman has claimed she is the victim of “hot phobia” and says men are scared to approach her because she is too attractive. Sabine Roll-Cohen, 40, from North London has claimed that she is ignored at the school gates when collecting her son because other parents can’t handle her beauty. The personal shopper and model said she wears outfits such as crop tops and short shorts to collect her son, resulting in other parents giving her the cold shoulder and victimising her. Roll-Cohen told The Sun: “I like to wear small shorts, or a low dress, or a tiny crop top, I like to feel sexy.” She continued: “Every woman should look after themselves. I don’t go out much anymore, so the school run is my reason to get dressed, so why not wear a nice outfit? “The other mums don’t talk to me when I look nice, they just turn their noses up. But when I am dressed in my jogging bottoms, they decide to speak to me, it’s strange.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter But, she said, it’s not just the school gates where she’s found herself snubbed by other parents and claimed that it also happened at a child’s birthday party when she arrived wearing a crop top and skinny jeans. Roll-Cohen does not believe she dresses inappropriately and claims she is simply the victim of “hot phobia”. She argued: “I was at this party with my six-year-old son, but I only knew one other mum there.” Roll-Cohen went on: “I was wearing a little floral crop top and some skinny jeans which showed off my perky bum and I thought I looked great. “But every single mum at the party, apart from my friend, ignored me. I asked my friend why no one was talking to me and she said ‘Maybe you wear the wrong outfits.’ “I think they must be jealous as I do have a good body. I’m size eight, 5ft 7, I don’t go to the gym and I don’t have to watch what I eat. “A lot of these ladies are bigger and less sexy after having children and I think it annoys them that I look so good. If jealousy is an illness, I hope they all get better soon.” But, Roll-Cohen said that one person who appreciates her beauty is her husband of six years, Beto. She said: “He thinks I’m gorgeous and like to look nice for him. He wouldn’t change me for the world, so I’m not going to worry what anyone else thinks of me.” 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.

An Ecuadorian woman was found alive at her very own funeral in a disturbing turn of events. Last week, Bella Montoya was pronounced dead at the age of 76 due to a stroke, reported BBC News. Hours into the wake while family members were preparing Montoya for burial, they discovered that she was breathing. Bella's son, Gilbert Balberán, told local news outlet El Universo: "My mother started to move the left hand, open her eyes, the mouth. She was making an effort to breathe." "The doctor at noon told me that my mother was dead and was not at the facility," he continued. "Another one saw me and he gave her oxygen, they intubated her and took her to an (ICU) room where she is under observation." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Footage of the startling event has since circulated on social media. The clip shows the woman gasping for air in her coffin with several people surrounding her calling for an ambulance. Medics are then seen arriving and then moving her onto a stretcher. Many Twitter users were confused as to how such a thing could happen. "Maybe the doctors should do a better job," one person hit back to the recording, while another freaked-out user added: "Okay, zombies are real I’m out." Montoya has since been taken back to the hospital where she's in intensive care. Ecuador's health ministry now has a committee investigating the bizarre incident. Her son was quoted as saying to the to AFP News Agency: "Little by little I am grasping what has happened. Now I only pray for my mother's health to improve. I want her alive and by my side." 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.

A right-wing commentator has complained that the main female character in a new video game is “unattractive” and blamed it on “woke” feminists. Fable is a series of action role-playing video games and a trailer for its newest release premiered on Monday (June 12). The trailer featured The IT Crowd actor Richard Ayoade starring as a veggie-growing giant named Dave, who looks set to play a starring role. But for right-winger Ian Miles Cheong it was the unnamed female main character that caught his eye for being “weirdly unattractive”. In a tweet, Cheong claimed there’s a current trend in video games where the female characters are intentionally made to be ugly and suggested it’s all down to “woke intersectional feminists”. Sharing a screenshot of the Fable character, he wrote: “This is the main character of the new Fable game from Microsoft. “Continuing the trend of weirdly unattractive female main characters in video games, because beauty is objectifying. This is what happens when you consult with woke intersectional feminists.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter It didn’t take long for other people to completely ridicule and mock Cheong’s comments. One person joked: “(Seeing a video game character I don’t want to have hot steamy sex with) Western civilization has fallen.” Another pointed out: “Hi Ian, pro tip: you are not required to be sexually attracted to video game characters for the game to be fun. Hope this helps!” It’s not the first time Cheong has drawn criticism for his comments as he was previously absolutely annihilated by a history expert after claiming that the Nazis were “socialist”. 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.

Early this month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a mock wartime meeting of his security cabinet in

By Deisy Buitrago and Vivian Sequera CARACAS (Reuters) -Iran and Venezuela want to increase bilateral trade to $20 billion, up

MLB Power Rankings of the biggest need each club over .500 will need to win a World Series.If your team made this week’s MLB Power Rankings, it’s a good sign. Unlike last week when the teams below .500 were profiled, this week puts a focus on those with a winning record and what their ...

YouTuber MrBeast has left people feeling sorry for a bunch of kids who thought they would win big money in one of his challenges. MrBeast, whose real name is James Steven Donaldson, is well known for his generous gestures, often posting about them on his social media. In the past, the YouTuber has given out amazing prizes like cash and cars, so when he and fellow creator, James Seo, approached two kids in a store and asked them to choose between “$1 dollar or [a] mystery gift” they happily chose the latter. The TikTok clip has been viewed over 44 million times and showed two boys ripping into the wrapped “mystery gift” box. As they opened the box, they found another smaller box inside and continued to tear them open as they got progressively smaller. As they got to the smallest box, one of the boys said: “It’s going to be like a key or something.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @mrbeast Replying to @Blank please collab @James Seo #mrbeastpls #mystery #mysterybox But, as they unwrapped it they found a $1 dollar bill in a wooden box, meaning the whole unwrapping saga was completely pointless and cruel. While MrBeast himself remained deadpan the entire time as the kids rushed to unwrap the mystery prize, some people have been left feeling sorry for the kids while others found the whole thing amusing. One person commented: “This was so evil... would have just taken the $1 without the stress.” Another said: “The one time I actually wanna see mr beast give something good away he doesn’t.” “Bro really thought he was like get like $10,000,” another commented. Someone else said: “I genuinely laughed out loud. My favorite video ever made by @MrBeast by far.” 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.

BAGHDAD Iraq's parliament on Monday approved a 2023 budget of 198.9 trillion dinars ($153 billion) that sets out