South Africa’s Eskom Downgrades Power Cuts to Stage 2
South Africa’s state power utility, Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., has downgraded power cuts due to improvements in storage
1970-01-01 08:00
Iraqi premier in Syria to discuss boosting cooperation during the first visit in over a decade
Iraq’s prime minister held talks Sunday with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus during the first trip of its kind to the war-torn country since the 12-year conflict began. Iraq and Syria have had close relations for years even after many Arab countries withdrew their ambassadors for Damascus and Syria’s membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended because of the crackdown on protesters in 2011. Assad received Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who was heading a high-ranking delegation, at the presidential palace in Damascus. They discussed mutual relations and cooperation between the two neighboring countries among other issues, according to the office of Syria’s president. Al-Sudani’s office said in a statement that talks revolved around ways of expanding cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, transportation, tourism, how to combat climate change and collaboration to fight terrorism. Security cooperation against extremist groups was likely to be on top of the two-day visit's agenda. The two countries, where Iran enjoys wide influence, have a joint 600 kilometers-long (373 miles) border. In June 2014, the Islamic State group declared the establishment of a self-styled “caliphate,” a traditional model of Islamic rule, in wide areas under its control in Iraq and Syria. After a yearslong campaign that left tens of thousands dead in both countries, IS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in March 2019 in Syria. Over the past years, Syrian government forces regained control of much of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran. Earlier this year, Syria’s membership in the Arab League was reinstated and Assad attended the Arab summit that was held in Saudi Arabia in May. Al-Sudani was invited to visit Damascus during a trip by Syria’s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad to Baghdad last month. The U.S. has a presence in both Syria and Iraq and Syrian officials have been calling for the withdrawal of American troops from the country who first arrived in 2015. On any given day there are at least 900 U.S. forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors attempting to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group. U.S. special operations forces also move in and out of the country but are usually in small teams and are not included in the official count. U.S.-led coalition forces have officially ended their combat mission in Iraq, but continue to play an advisory role to Iraqi forces in the fight against the Islamic State extremist group. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
1970-01-01 08:00
Putin says Russia has 'sufficient' cluster munitions and may retaliate if Ukraine uses them
Russia has a stockpile of cluster munitions and will consider using them against Ukraine "if they are used against us," President Vladimir Putin said.
1970-01-01 08:00
2024 GOP candidates desperate to make debate stage are finding creative ways to boost donor numbers
With six weeks until the first 2024 Republican presidential debate, some hopefuls are finding creative ways to boost their donor numbers and ensure they make it on stage
1970-01-01 08:00
Gordon Ramsay once cooked a meal so bad, another chef was visibly disgusted
Gordon Ramsay is known as the expletive-loving Michelin-starred chef with a hot head and an even hotter kitchen. Yet, his award-winning food has been met with pretty frosty receptions by some. Now, genuinely, we’re not usually ones for schadenfreude, but we can’t help but relish seeing one of the world’s most celebrated gourmets being roasted for his cooking abilities. And that is, indeed, what happened back in 2009 when Ramsay tried to whip up a feast for a group of those notoriously harsh critics… Buddhist monks. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter The clip from The F Word (which still sporadically does the rounds on social media), follows the restauranteur as he prepares an iconic dish for worshippers at a Thai temple in south-west London. In the intro to his mission, he explains: “I love Thai food, I love cooking it, and I love eating it. But this has to be the most daunting task so far.” He explained that his diners – a “small and revered group of Buddhist monks” – are forbidden from cooking by their religious teachings. “So it's up to the local Thai community to offer the one meal the monks are allowed to eat at 11 o'clock each day,” he said – adding that now, he would be offering his own contribution. “Helping me fulfil this honour and privilege is Chang, executive chef of the Blue Elephant, one of London's top Thai restaurants,” he continued. Joining Chang in his kitchen (not without a quick dig at its “tight” layout), Ramsay acknowledged that the “pressure [was] on.” “Are they fussy eaters?” the Hell’s Kitchen star asked Chang, to which he replied: ”No, they are really nice, they're really kind.” Asked if they “ever send food back”, the Thai expert reassured his fellow chef: “No, never.” Ramsay then explained that the Blue Elephant “prepares the very best dishes to offer to the monastery, and every dish has to be perfect”. Clearly, he expected his own efforts to fulfil these high standards, but was soon left with egg (and fish sauce) on his face. Gordon tries to make Pad Thai | The F Word www.youtube.com The celeb chef got to work preparing his “take” on Thailand’s national dish, pad thai, explaining his method to the viewer before adding nervously: “I’ve never cooked for monks before [...] I hope they’re going to be happy with this.” However, before he was able to send his steaming plates of noodles out, Chang demanded to “test” the food first. As he chewed thoughtfully on his forkful, it swiftly became clear that the chef was unimpressed by Ramsay’s “quick and easy” version of his nation’s most beloved meal. "How is it?" the anxious cook asked his judge. “This is not pad thai at all,” Chang replied brutally. Explaining his assessment, he continued: “No, pad thai has to be sweet, sour, and salty." Clearly not used to receiving such damning critiques, Ramsay gave it a try himself. "I think that doesn't taste too bad,” he announced. “It's not perfect... " But Chang wasn’t having it, and interjected: "For you, but not for me." “You’re a tough cookie,” the defeated Ramsay replied. Well, takes one to know one, and all that. 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.
1970-01-01 08:00
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace says he'll quit government and stand down as a lawmaker
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Sunday he plans to resign at the next Cabinet reshuffle after four years in the job. Wallace has served as defense secretary under three prime ministers and played a key role in the U.K.'s response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He told The Sunday Times his departure was due to the strain his job had put on his family. He also said he would stand down as a lawmaker at the next general election. Wallace is the longest continuously serving minister in government. He was security minister under former Prime Minister Theresa May, before being promoted to defense secretary by her successor Boris Johnson. Wallace drew criticism last week when he suggested that Ukraine should show “gratitude” for the West's military support. He made the remark at the NATO summit in Lithuania after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed frustration about when his country could join the military alliance. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak distanced himself from Wallace's comments, saying Zelenskyy had “expressed his gratitude for what we've done on a number of occasions.” Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide
1970-01-01 08:00
Putin says Russia has stockpiled cluster bombs and will use them in Ukraine if it has to
MOSCOW President Vladimir Putin said Russia had a "sufficient stockpile" of cluster bombs and reserved the right to
1970-01-01 08:00
How America fell out of love with ice cream
America's age-old love affair with ice cream appears to be winding down.
1970-01-01 08:00
A doctor known for assessing Covid risk fell ill with the virus. Here's what he wants you to know
A doctor known for advising people on the risks of Covid got a double surprise: He got Covid, and he wound up needing stitches because of it.
1970-01-01 08:00
Three Israeli civilians wounded, one seriously, in West Bank shooting
One Israeli man was seriously wounded and two young girls were hurt in a shooting in the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli emergency services said Sunday.
1970-01-01 08:00
TikTokers think video of woman 'frozen in time' is 'proof' we're living in The Matrix
Millions of people believe they’ve witnessed a real-life “glitch in the Matrix” after a woman was caught on camera apparently “frozen in time”. In the brief video, which was shared to TikTok last week, the unidentified pedestrian could be seen walking along a residential street – except that she wasn’t. At least, not for a few seconds, that is. Despite clearly being mid-stride, the woman was still as a statue, with even her long, blond ponytail apparently paused in mid-air. “Why is she frozen?” the voice of the dumbfounded man filming the scene can be heard saying. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter “Bruh, I’m trippin’,“ he adds, as the woman suddenly starts walking again, as though nothing untoward took place. A caption to the clip reads: “She was like that for a minute before.” The footage racked up a staggering 4.8 million views and more than 460,000 likes in just four days as thousands of TikTokers shared their bewilderment at the apparent phenomenon. @unknown1575489 NPC caught lacking #npc#malfunction "The way the wind isn’t even moving her clothes or hair but it’s all just stuck completely frozen," one observed. "Sometimes I think we've slipped into a different dimension," admitted another. "She almost GOT OUT of the simulation. It pulled her right back [into] THE MATRIX!!" commented a third. "Welcome to the Truman Show," said a fourth. Meanwhile, others joked that the woman's "WiFi was bad". "She disconnected for a sec," one remarked. "Buffering," wrote another. Others attempted to offer more logical explanations for the "glitch", with one suggesting: "It was a paused video of a video." However, fellow viewers were quick to pour water on this theory, with one noting: "No because a car is still driving by in the beginning when she's frozen." Another group of commentators lamented that the cameraman failed to run over to the woman and quiz her on what had happened. "We need her perspective on this," one wrote, while others insisted they would have confronted her for answers. In the end, all we can say is, isn't life more fun when some mysteries don't get solved? 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.
1970-01-01 08:00
Top 5 podcasts 2023: Joe Rogan's 'JRE' outshines 'Crime Junkie' and 'The Daily' in listenership
In the mesmerizing world of podcasts, one show reigns supreme with an exclusive deal on Spotify— 'The Joe Rogan Experience'
1970-01-01 08:00
