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Published by Radar Online Romanian Police Controversial media personality Andrew Tatewas detained on December 29 at his sprawling compound in Romania, where he resides with brother Tristan Tate after moving to the southeastern European country nearly five years ago. Known for leading an opulent lifestyle with wads of cash, a bevy of women, and a fleet of supercars, the former Big Brother star and famed kickboxing world champion spent his time in a luxurious mansion protected by a hi-tech CCTV control room and gun-toting guards. MEGA Aerial shots of the property, reported to cost $722k and published by Daily Mail, show where his top-of-the-line vehicles are parked, as well as where Andrew records his podcast. “I like the idea of just being able to do what I want. I like being free,” he said of Bucharest in a YouTube video, also revealing that he felt “safe there” during another interview. In one image released by authorities, next to what appeared to be an elaborate home security system, was a statue of a gorilla made of American dollars. Another showed a wood-paneled room where Andrew appears to have filmed a video taunting 19-year-old climate control activist Greta Thunberg following their social media feud. As he puffed on a cigar, Andrew could be seen alongside a Romanian pizza box, potentially confirming his location to authorities. “This is what happens when you don’t recycle your pizza boxes,” Thunberg quipped after his arrest. Images released by authorities showed police seizing guns, electronics, and weapons from the compound. MEGA RadarOnline.com can confirm the Tates were taken into custody on Thursday — having since been released — as part of a rape and human trafficking probe after cops raided the luxury home and other properties. Prosecutors said the famous brothers are suspects in an alleged organized crime ring that sexually exploited at least six women. It is alleged the women were recruited, housed and forced into performing pornographic videos for sale online. “We cannot provide any details at the moment regarding alleged reports that they have been detained,” a spokesperson for the brothers said in a statement on Thursday. “However, Andrew and Tristan Tate have the utmost respect for the Romanian authorities and will always assist and help in any way they can.” Since then, Andrew has returned to social media. “The Matrix sent their agents,” he wrote via Twitter on Friday. View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega More details about what went down on January 6 are coming to light after transcripts were released in late December. Donald Trump Jr.‘s fiancée, Kimberly Guilfoyle, demanded $60,000 to speak at former President Donald Trump‘s “Stop the Steal” rally, where he claimed he won the 2020 election. In the new documents, which were released after the former president was investigated for people storming the U.S. Capitol in January 2021, the TV host, 53, asked for a certain amount of money to make an appearance at the event. “You will pay us that’s the deal so don’t even think about it,” Guilfoyle allegedly texted Trump campaign deputy Caroline Wren before the rally took place. “You will send the funds as promised.” “That is not fair I can’t pay [you] for a speaking engagement you aren’t speaking at and are refusing to allow me to publicize,” Wren reportedly replied, according to the transcript released by the House Select Committee on Tuesday, December 28. mega But Wren pushed back, explaining that she couldn’t pay her that much to not end up talking at all. “Bull,” Guilfoyle reported replied, adding that she deserves the cash because “Don Jr. is speaking.” After all, Guilfoyle ended up getting $60,000 from Wren. As OK! previously reported, Donald, 76, was being investigated for his part in the Capitol riot attack, but House Select Committee withdrew their subpoena they issued. “Was just advised that the Unselect Committee of political Thugs has withdrawn the Subpoena of me concerning the January 6th Protest of the CROOKED 2020 Presidential Election,” Trump stated. “They probably did so because they knew I did nothing wrong, or they were about to lose in Court,” he continued. “Perhaps the FBI’s involvement in RIGGING the Election played into their decision. In any event, the Subpoena is DEAD!” FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP OFFERS SUPPORT FOR JANUARY 6 CAPITOL RIOTERS IN CONTROVERSIAL NEW CLIP mega After the announcement, one of Trump’s lawyers wasn’t surprised about the outcome. “After my firm filed suit on separation of powers grounds to block January 6 House Select Committee’s illegitimate subpoena to President Trump over his activities while president — the committee waved the white flag & withdrew subpoena,” Harmeet K. Dhillon wrote in a statement. “We were confident of victory in court, given precedent & refusal of prior presidents to testify in Congress. J6 committee wasted millions for a purely political witch-hunt, total abuse of process & power serving no legitimate legislative purpose.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English King Charles will knight Queen guitarist Sir Brian May in his first New Year’s Honours. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ex-PR boss who accused the duchess of bullying has also been recognised in the list, while four of England’s Lionesses football team will get gongs following after their Euros football triumph. Jason Knauf, who initially worked as joint head of communications for both the Sussexes and the now Prince and Princess of Wales, has been made a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order, entitling him to put the letters LVO after his name. He made serious allegations about Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s alleged bullying of junior royal family staff before he stepped down and became a special adviser to Prince William and his wife Catherine, and then chief executive of the Royal Foundation, the charitable arm of their official operations. He said on Friday night (30.12.22): “Working for the Prince and Princess of Wales was the honour of a lifetime. “Receiving this recognition means more to me than I can say. I am incredibly grateful.” He gave evidence during Duchess Meghan’s High Court privacy case against The Mail on Sunday. Sir Brian, 75, guitarist on Queen hits such as ‘We are the Champions’, pledged to “do the things one would expect a knight to do” including “fight for justice” and for “people who don’t have any voice”. Lionesses skipper Leah Williamson, 25, is getting an OBE following the team’s 2–1 extra-time win over Germany in July’s Euros. Her teammates Beth Mead, 27, defender Lucy Bronze, 31, and goal scorer Ellen White, 33, are receiving MBEs, with Lucy telling The Sun on Friday: “To be on this list because I’ve just been doing something that I love is amazing.” The women’s coach Sarina Wiegman, 53, gets a CBE on the overseas list, and said: “I feel privileged and humbled and would like to dedicate this to the players, support team and others within the Football Association who have worked tirelessly for our shared success.” Dame Denise Richards, 51, who helped organise the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and won gold at the Sydney Olympics 2000, was another of the athletes to be honoured. She said: “It’s an incredible honour. I’m trying to take it in and its enormity.” “I recognise I’m one of very few women in athletics that have received a damehood. I’m just so proud and incredibly beside myself.” More than 1,000 are honoured on Charles’ first New Year’s list. Other famous faces included are actors Stephen Graham, 49, David Harewood, 57, who are getting OBEs, while stand-up comic Frank Skinner, 65, is made an MBE. ‘Dennis the Menace’ illustrator David Sutherland, 89, who has been drawing for The Beano for 60 years is getting an OBE. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kate Bush is being urged to share one of her uplifting Christmas messages every year. The reclusive singer, 64, told fans in her 2022 festive note life had become “incredibly frightening”, while backing the work of nurses and reflecting on the death of Queen Elizabeth aged 96 on September 8. It has prompted her followers to share Kate’s 2021 message, which talked of the devastating effects of Covid, with fans of the musician saying they hope she makes it a tradition of sharing a hopeful message on her official website each year as many of her followers said it gave them comfort in an uncertain world. Kate has made a return to the spotlight this year after her 1985 ‘Running up that Hill’ track featured in Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’ show before the Official Charts Company announced in September it had become the UK’s biggest song of the summer. She said alongside a picture of a goldcrest bird perched on a frost-covered branch in her resurfaced 2021 festive message: “With nearly two years of Covid, are any of us the same people we were before? It’s left everyone confused and uncertain of the future. “It’s been a terrible time of loss for so many. I want to say a big thank you to all the people on the front line and in the NHS. “I have such huge respect for all the nurses and doctors who’ve already been working flat out for nearly two years. “These caring people are showing such extraordinary acts of kindness to others. Let’s hope they get the pay rises they rightly deserve. “I’d like to mention something that happened a few weeks ago on a walk; stopping to look at the view, I noticed something moving in a tree right beside me. It was a Goldcrest – the smallest bird in Europe, even smaller than a wren. I stood still, hoping not to frighten it away. “Its colouring is beautiful – a peacock’s eye on each wing and a striking yellow streak on its tiny head. This gorgeous little ball of fluff flew away after ten minutes or so. “I’ve only ever seen one once before and very briefly. It made my day. In these strange times, I really hope you can get the chance to stop for a moment and feel nature around you. “Please stay safe. Wishing you a restful Christmas and hoping 2022 is a happier year for everyone. With love Kate.” View the full article

Published by OK Magazine Mega Despite being known as a Hollywood heartbreaker, it seems artist John Mayer is pretty in-tune with his feelings — at least according to longtime pal Andy Cohen, who praised the singer’s Emotional Intelligence during a podcast appearance earlier this week. “John Mayer is someone who is very in touch with his emotions,” Cohen explained of his pal while appearing on “Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi” on Wednesday, December 28. “He very quickly in our friendship started saying, ‘You know what, I gotta tell you something — I love you.'” Mega And it seems Mayer kept that energy throughout their entire friendship, with Cohen detailing how the musician doesn’t mince words when it comes to his emotions. JOHN MAYER REVEALS HE DOESN’T ‘DATE THAT MUCH’ ANYMORE DESPITE WOMANIZER PAST “He is someone to say, ‘I love you and I cherish you and I cherish our friendship,’” recalled the Bravo icon. “Just this stuff that straight guys aren’t necessarily supposed to say.” mega Cohen’s comments come days after the “Gravity” singer got candid about his past playboy reputation, revealing that he doesn’t “date that much” despite rumors of his womanizer ways. “Dating is no longer a codified activity for me, it doesn’t exist in a kind of … it’s not patterned anymore,” Mayer explained to radio personality Alex Cooper while appearing on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast last week. “That is what that is. That’s the role I play on the big TV show I didn’t write, but that’s fine,” he said. “Maybe I had a hand in it or something.” Beyond public perception, it seems this shift seemingly stemmed from his decision to give up alcohol in 2016, one he hinted has made him confront his emotions and desires more candidly. THE NEW JAKE GYLLENHAAL! TAYLOR SWIFT’S FANS WARN JOHN MAYER TO BE ‘SCARED’ OF HER WRATH AFTER NEW SONG RELEASE “I quit drinking like six years ago,” he explained. So I don’t have the liquid courage. I just have dry courage.” As such, Mayer said he seemingly felt more pressure “to be honest” in his romantic pursuits. “You have to be really, glaringly honest,” he explained. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Courtney Love claims Brad Pitt “stalked” her about Kurt Cobain. Earlier this week, Courtney, 58, claimed on Marc Maron’s ‘WTF’ podcast that she was fired from the 1999 movie ‘Fight Club’, starring Brad because she refused to let the actor make a movie about her late husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt, who died by suicide in 1994 at the age of 27. And Courtney later took to her Instagram account to double down on her claims. She wrote: “Hi. Regarding a story I told on the @marcmaron #wtf podcast. A story I was never going to tell. Brad pushed me a bridge too far. I don’t like the way he does business or wields his power. It’s a simple fact, and it started during the production of Fight Club. “I understand how much of a game of roulette casting is. I am not here 22 years later b******* about losing a part playing someone’s side piece in a movie. “On the podcast, I recount the day Brad Gus Van Sant called me from lunch and tried to blackmail me over my role, for the rights to a film about Kurt. I lost my s*** on them, and by 7pm I was fired from Fight Club. Every word of this is factual. This was always a secret that I was fine keeping. “It’s a movie. Indeed, I passed on better roles that that. Who cares? “The point is Brad kept stalking me about Kurt.” Courtney also said she took a call with Brad in 2020 about another film about Kurt but turned him down again. However, she has now decided to speak openly about it because she feels that Brad will not stop “pursuing” Kurt until she made it public. She explained: “With all this resentment in our history, one might ask why I took yet another pitch for Kurt’s film from Brad after all these years? It’s because I’m in recovery. And resentment is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies. “I was over being mad about it. Plus, I heard Pitt was dealing with the same demons. So, we might both have changed our spiritual world views. Not to be. “It’s not just the Zoom I had with Brad in 2020 where I said no to @planbfilms Brad producing it. It’s that I said NO on the Zoom and that was not enough, and I was not heard. I was ignored. “I had no plans to bring it up with Marc Maron but up it came. “I told the story because I felt Pitt would not stop pursuing Kurt – unless I said it in public. “I don’t want Brad to be p***** off at me and become his resentment. I want him to do better. I’m not into assault. Cmon brother Pitt. I wish you well, truly. “If he’s mad at me, that’s his problem. I enjoy him as a movie star immensely. Not so much as a biopic producer. “Hope this clarifies, and thanks for your time. “I’m sure Helena Bonham Carter was utterly meant to be Marla Singer and I do not bear her or Edward Norton or David Fincher or Art Linson all people whose work genius I respect immensely any ill will. “Xx. Nmrk. “#GENTLEMAN? #IMNOTAREALBLONDE! Shall we get started xC.” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Sam Asghari has addressed speculation he “controls” his wife Britney Spears. The 28-year-old model spoke out after fans claimed Britney, 41, was not in charge of her own social media accounts following a post on her birthday in December when she gushed about her estranged sister Jamie Lynn Spears. Sam told TMZ: “I don’t even control what we have for dinner. “In the past, there has been a lot of stuff going on so I understand where [some fans are] coming from. They’re just being protective. If anything they’re being good fans.” Sam – who tied the knot with Britney in June – previously admitted he was not a fan of the racy content his wife posts on Instagram, but insisted he would never try to censor her posts as she was previously under a conservatorship for 13 years. He wrote on his Instagram Story: “The only person in the world that gets bullied for posting things like this. I personally preferred she never posted these but who am I to control someone that’s been under a microscope and been controlled for most of her life.” Meanwhile, it was recently revealed that Britney’s former husband Kevin Federline, is planning to write a tell-all book about the star. The 44-year-old dancer was married to popstar Britney from 2004 until 2007 and was granted custody of their sons Sean, 17 and Jayden, 16, upon their divorce but is now reportedly set to be “writing a book on his experience of fatherhood” as a nondisclosure agreement is set to come to an end along with child support payments. A source said: “He turned down multimillion-dollar book deals in recent years. Kevin’s divorce settlement and child support payments include a nondisclosure agreement. But that expires when the boys turn 18. Once that happens, Kevin is free to tell all — and he knows everything.” The ‘…Baby One More Time’ hitmaker was placed under a conservatorship governed by her family in 2007 following a personal breakdown and although she regained control of her fortune upon its termination in 2021, she has since become estranged from her parents and children. Kevin has reportedly teamed up with Britney’s father Jamie Spears – who headed up the conservatorship arrangement and allegedly put his daughter under various restrictions and dictated her professional obligations – for the book now that the “are now speaking to each other once again” following a fallout. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kate Hudson thinks Liv Tyler was her best on-screen kiss. The 43-year-old actress singled out her ‘Dr. T and the Women’ co-star as being her favourite person to have locked lips with on camera over the years and joked she and her friend always regret not “going for it” more when they made the 2000 film. Sitting down for Vanity Fair magazine’s lie detector test video series, Kate said of kissing Liv: “She beats them all. We, to this day, are like, ‘Why didn’t we go for it more with our making out?’ She has the softest lips of them all. Oh my God. Those lips? Those Tyler lips!” Kate also joked she had “done well” after kissing Billy Crudup in ‘Almost Famous’ in 2000 and Matthew McConaughey in 2003’s ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ and 2008’s ‘Fool’s Gold’. Holding up photos of them both, she joked: “I’ve done well, guys. I feel like I’ve done well… “I think Billy is a gentler kisser. I wouldn’t say better, but definitely just gentler. It’s a more sophisticated version of a kiss. It’s like theatre. It’s like Stanislavski and like Longhorns. You know what I mean?” But when it came to Dane Cook, Kate joked of her ‘My Best Friend’s Girl’ co-star: “No. No. Cancelled”. In 2014, Dane claimed his smooch with the actress in the 2008 movie was his worst on-screen kiss. He said: “I think she purposely ate a feast of onions right before the scene. I had to burn her on that one.” Elsewhere in the interview, despite being best known for her rom-coms, the ‘Mother’s Day’ actress admitted she doesn’t watch many. She said: “I don’t watch that many rom-coms. I love rom-coms, but sometimes for me the rom-coms that people are seeing are not movies that I… I’d probably choose something else.” View the full article

Published by AlterNet Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is by Fox News for the thousands of canceled Southwest flights that left millions stranded in airports, Huffpost reports. During the busiest travel period of the year, multiple airlines suffered delays and cancellations due to a winter storm, but Southwest has and continues to suffer with the highest cancellation rate. “Mayor Pete Leaves Southwest Customers Stranded” is the headline that appeared on-screen during a Fox News “Ingraham Angle” segment, fully blaming the former 2020 presidential candidate for Southwest’s shortcomings. READ MORE… Read More View the full article

Published by OK Magazine mega Not having it! Tom Cruise is apparently irked that rival Brad Pitt landed a Golden Globe nomination for his latest flick, Babylon, but he didn’t get one for appearing in the box office hit Top Gun: Maverick. “Tom expected to walk away with the award for best actor, so you can imagine his reaction when he wasn’t even on the list — he totally blew a fuse!” a source said, according to Radar. “This was the first time in years that Tom was so sure he had a slam-dunk win he was fine-tuning his acceptance speech.” mega An insider noted that Cruise, 60, previously handed back his three Golden Globe trophies for Born on the Fourth of July, Jerry Maguire and Magnolia to prove that Hollywood Foreign Press Association lacked diversity. “He took a stand and no doubt it didn’t go over well with them,” the source shared. “A lot of people are convinced that’s the real reason he was snubbed.” CHRIS ROCK DECLARES ‘UGLY’ WILL SMITH IMPERSONATED ‘A PERFECT PERSON FOR 30 YEARS’ BEFORE OSCARS SLAP But theTop Gun star believes Pitt, 59, is to blame. “It stinks that Brad, once again, seems to have milked his relationship with the foreign journalists at the Globes to get his own movie — which many consider way inferior to Top Gun — a ton of nods,” the insider said, adding that Cruise is still “obsessed” with beating the Fight Club alum, who won his first Oscar in 2020. “As far as Tom’s concerned, this snub is all Brad’s fault!” mega The two Hollywood hunks previously starred in the 1994 flick Interview with the Vampire, but they never got along. “You gotta understand, Tom and I are… we walk in different directions. He’s the North Pole. I’m South. He’s coming at you with a handshake, where I may bump into you, I may not, you know? I always thought there was this underlying competition that got in the way of any real conversation. It wasn’t nasty by any means, not at all. But it was just there and it bugged me a bit. But I’ll tell you, he catches a lot of s**t because he’s on top, but he’s a good actor and he advances in the film. He did it. I mean, you have to respect that,” Pitt previously said of Cruise. View the full article

Published by Taste of Country Dolly Parton is readying her next children’s book with a very special main character. Dolly Parton’s Billy the Kid Makes It Big will feature her God-dog, Billy the Kid. It is set to hit store shelves net spring. “Guess what! My new book Billy the Kid Makes It Big featuring my god-dog @btkthefrenchie hits stores April 25, and you can pre-order it right now through the link in my story! I think it’s pretty cute,” Parton writes in announcing the book on social media, along with a dog paw print emoji. The book follows the French bulldog as he pursues his dreams of being a country music sensation i… Read More View the full article

Published by The San Diego Union-Tribune What decade is this again? It’s a fair question for a number of reasons, including the droves of recordings released in 2022 that prominently sampled, repurposed or recycled hits and obscurities from bygone decades. Consider SZA’s “SOS,” which samples both Beyonce’s 2007 song “Listen” and The Gabriel Hardeman Delegation’s 1976 gospel chestnut, “Until I Found the Lord (My Soul Couldn’t Rest).” Or consider Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl,” which builds on both Rick James’ 1981 funk-rock classic “Super Freak” and the 1815 children’s rhyme “Eenie, Meenie, Miny, Moe.” Then there’s Taylor Swift, wh… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Darren Hayes felt a “sense of sadness” he could never be himself in public. The 50-year-old singer came out publicly as gay in 2005, after the break-up of his band Savage Garden, and he admitted he envies artists such as Sam Smith and Olly Alexander who have never had to hide away who they really are. He said: “I know that a lot of younger people might think ‘Why?’ or would even be in disbelief at some of the stories that I’ve experienced especially at a record label. Even now, in a world where we have amazing artists that are so fully our or not even out, it’s not even a question. I’m so excited at the new Sam Smith video and it’s that we’re so much more nuanced. “The queer community becomes more and more detailed and less put into boxes. That word is so constricted and has so many negative connotations in that it used to be used by a psychologist to diagnose someone with mental illness. “It’s just beautiful and I think the newer artists today who are just so interesting and brave and complex and…layered. That gave me inspiration in the 10 years I was away and I remember feeling a sense of sadness that I had never been myself in a public eye. “That was a huge part of why I wanted come back to make a record and show people that I’m not ashamed of who I am.” Darren admitted he was in a “challenging dark period” before writing his latest album ‘Homosexual’, particularly because he’d just turned 50 and was questioning his “legacy”. He exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “I live with a major depressive disorder and I was in the middle of a pretty challenging dark period before I made the record. I’d also just turned 50 and I was having a moment in my life where I was really questioning my self-worth and what the next part was going to be and what my legacy was supposed to be. “If I wasn’t singing, I started to think ‘Who am I if I’m not singing?’ and ‘Do I still matter?’ ‘What does that mean as a human being if I’m not contributing music?’ ‘Am I of no value if I’m not doing this?’ ” View the full article

Published by AlterNet United States Congressman-elect George Santos (R-New York) may be able to dismiss criticisms about his fake résumé, his spurious claims about being “Jew-ish,” his nonexistent college education, and his sketchy finances as mere “embellishments.” But what New York Magazine and Huffington Post contributor Yashar Ali pieced together late Wednesday night revealed that nothing is sacred for the embattled freshman lawmaker. Ali noticed two tweets written by Santos in 2021, which are still active on his profile, contain conflicting accounts of his mother’s death. READ MORE: Marjorie Taylor Greene crit… Read More View the full article

Published by AlterNet In the coming year, nine states will introduce legislation to block transgender youth from seeking gender-affirming care, The Hill reports. The states include Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Over 20 bills have been introduced in these states in an attempt to block the life-saving medical care. Many of the bills would prohibit medical providers from providing puberty blockers, hormone therapy, or gender-affirming surgeries to minors under the age of 18. Gender-affirming surgeries are typically not performed on minors. Medical pro… Read More View the full article

Published by Reuters By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -One is a pistol-packing ex-member of an outlawed Jewish militant group. The other is a religious fundamentalist who once called himself a “proud homophobe”. Both are West Bank settlers averse to Palestinians’ self-rule – let alone their hopes of statehood. And as senior coalition partners to reelected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will be within reach of the levers of power – a troubling prospect for Israel’s once-dominant secular-left and friends in the West. Netanyahu turned to the ultra-nationalists after centrist parties boycotted him over his long-running corruption trial. He needs their support to stay in office as he argues his innocence in court. But he denies this spells pliability to their demands. “I will navigate this government. The other parties are joining me. I’m not joining them,” Netanyahu told Al Arabiya on Dec. 15, pledging to enforce “liberal rightist” policymaking. Besides, he said, “a lot of them have changed and moderated their views, principally because with the assumption of power comes responsibility”. There may be precedent in Avigdor Lieberman, a firebrand whose 2006 appointment as deputy prime minister triggered much the same response as Ben-Gvir’s rise: liberal warnings of civil war and, on Israel’s top TV satire, his lampooning as a Nazi. Lieberman proved to be politically adaptable. He served in various coalitions – one of which included an Islamist party – and ended up in the current opposition, from which he has scorned Netanyahu’s new allies as “zealots and extremists”. Still, Lieberman could also play spoiler from the right. As Netanyahu’s foreign minister in a previous government, he would publicly promote a harder line on the Palestinians than the premier’s. In a later term, Lieberman resigned as Netanyahu’s defence minister in protest at a Gaza truce he deemed too lax. Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party has now retained the defence and foreign ministries. But the optics around Ben-Gvir and Smotrich may yet prove combustible for him – for example, if either man visits or prays at Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa mosque compound, an icon of Palestinian nationalism which is also the holiest site for Judaism as vestige of its two ancient temples. Netanyahu’s previous 15 years as premier saw him feathering the nests of the hawks in his cabinet – or clipping their wings – as he deemed necessary. Back then, however, he had parties to his left to help him function as an ideological fulcrum. “With all the parties in the incoming government situated to Netanyahu’s right, it will be difficult for him to replicate that role this time,” argued Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute think-tank. “Does he want to?” PACING THEMSELVES On Ben-Gvir’s and Smotrich’s calls for West Bank annexations, Netanyahu is on record as being in favour while also avoiding action on the ground that would risk escalating into confrontations with Washington or Arab partners. Yet Smotrich did carve out a cabinet niche for himself overseeing settlements, which most world powers deem illegal for taking occupied land that Palestinians want for a state. “He can be effective in multiplying and consolidating Israel’s presence in the West Bank,” said Amotz Asa-El, research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, noting Smotrich’s high pace of infrastructure-building as a former transport minister. For Ben-Gvir, by contrast, this is the first stint in government. As police minister, he will focus on law-and-order issues important to a swathe of Israelis, Asa-El predicted – including crime-hit Arabs against whom Ben-Gvir once agitated. “After legitimating his position in broader Israeli circles, he will proceed to the realms that not all agree on – namely the West Bank,” Asa-El said. But that may have to wait, as Ben-Gvir’s portfolio does not grant major powers in the West Bank, which is under the overall control of the military. Arguably, Ben-Gvir, 46, and Smotrich, 42, can afford to shelve some of their agendas for this round with Netanyahu, 73. “But that’s counting on restraint from people who come from very different ideological world-views than what we’ve seen in Israeli governments before,” said Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. envoy to Israel and now Atlantic Council distinguished fellow. Ben-Gvir came up through the Kahane Chai group, which is blacklisted in Israel and the United States for its virulently anti-Arab doctrines. Smotrich’s advocacy of Jewish claims on the West Bank is informed by a doctrinaire faith in Bible prophesy. Earlier generations of Israeli far-rightists in government “demonstrated an interest and capacity to engage in a genuine two-way dialogue with the United States and other international players, and seemed to recognize the limits on pursuing some of their most ideological positions,” Shapiro said. “It remains to be seen whether that approach will characterise members of the incoming coalition.” Alan Dershowitz, a prominent American-Jewish jurist who has advised U.S. and Israeli leaders, said Ben-Gvir and Smotrich disavowed racism and homophobia in meetings with him this month. “The word ‘balance’ came up a number of times” in their reassurances during the conversations, Dershowitz told Reuters. “Obviously they were in some ways trying to get me to have a positive impression of them,” he said. “Let’s see what happens when I’m not in the room and the people in the room are pushing them to become more extreme. That’s the litmus test.” (Reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Michael Georgy and Daniel Wallis) View the full article

Published by Chicago Tribune Freedom of speech is forever embattled. That is its nature. Easy to assent to in the abstract, the principle becomes more challenging when the speech at issue assails one’s most cherished values. Polls over the years have consistently reflected this dynamic. “Of course I support freedom of speech,” respondents say, “but not for that sort of speech.” The current state of turmoil over this freedom, however, feels different. I know of no other period, certainly not in my lifetime, when public discourse about freedom of speech has been so contentious and confounding. The impulse to censor is resur… Read More View the full article

Published by Fadeaway World By Aaron Abhishek His retirement press conference was an absolute shocker when he announced his reason to step back from the sport. It was an eventful day for the NBA, Magic Johnson, and the world on November 8, 1991. His retirement press conference was an absolute shocker when he announced his reason to step back from the sport. Magic Johnson was 32 when he was diagnosed with HIV and that led the point guard who had played 12 seasons with the Lakers to call time on his decorated career. His diagnosis was also the opening frame of the HBO sports drama ‘Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dyna… Read More View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Kim Kardashian’s employees wear uniforms. The 42-year-old reality TV star revealed that she prefers when her employees are coordinated and wearing a similar palette, although she does not consider them uniforms. When quizzed by Angie Martinez on her ‘IRL’ podcast, about whether a dress code for her employees is “intentional”, Kim replied: “Absolutely. I have uniforms. It’s not like hey, this is like your uniform. It’s just palettes.” And Kim revealed that the dress code was discussed with her employees before she brought it in. She said: “My house is so zen, so I asked how everyone felt about it, and everyone actually said, ‘That would make our life so easy’ And once everyone was on board and thought it would be easier for them, I was like, ‘Yes, let’s do this.’ “I should have like a free-dress day on their birthdays or something.” Kim previously spoke about her monochromatic house, explaining that things needed to be “zen” at home because her life outside the house is so chaotic. She told ‘Live with Kelly and Ryan’: “It’s getting harder. It really is getting harder. But you have no other choice sometimes. That’s why my house has to be really zen because life, as soon as I step outside, life outside of this house is not zen.” However, her kids don’t always approve, especially daughter North, nine. Kim said: “My kids probably hate me. Like, North will say, ‘Your house is so ugly! It’s all plain, it’s all white!’ She thinks it really gets to me. I’m like, ‘It’s your house too!'” View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Daniel Craig couldn’t understand why everyone was obsessed with his ‘Knives Out’ co-star Chris Evans’ jumper in the film. The former James Bond – who stars as detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s whodunnit franchise – couldn’t get his head around the cable-knit sweater Chris’ alter-ego, Hugh Ransom Drysdalel, wears in the 2019 flick. He told BBC Radio 1: “It’s the bit that goes over my head. “I don’t understand. It’s like, so Chris Evans is wearing a jumper. It’s like he’s naked or at least naked from the sort of waist down, wearing a jumper. I’m like, ‘He’s just wearing a jumper.’ News is like, ‘Chris Evans wears jumper!’” He added: “Sure, it’s a living. He does it very well. “He wears it very beautifully.” The sequel, ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’, has just been released. But Rian has just confessed he is annoyed that ‘Knives Out’ is included in the title. The filmmaker says he worked hard to ensure that the original flick and the recent release felt like separate movies that could exist independently of each other and he was not happy with the full title. Speaking to The Atlantic, he said: “I’ve tried hard to make them self-contained. Honestly, I’m p***** off that we have ‘A Knives Out Mystery’ in the title. You know? I want it to just be called ‘Glass Onion’. “I get it, and I want everyone who liked the first movie to know this is next in the series, but also, the whole appeal to me is it’s a new novel off the shelf every time. But there’s a gravity of a thousand suns toward serialised storytelling.” Daniel is the only actor from the first film to return for the second movie. And Rian also admitted he would have preferred a longer theatrical release from Netflix. He said: “I’d love it to be longer; I’d love it to be in more. But also, I appreciate that Netflix has done this, because this was a huge effort on their part, and the chains, to reach across the aisle and make this happen. I’m hoping it does really well so we can demonstrate that they can complement each other.” ‘Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery’ co-stars Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson and Dave Bautista. View the full article

Published by BANG Showbiz English Gillian Anderson had fun playing someone “a little loopy” in ‘A Pale Blue Eye’. The 54-year-old actress stars in Scott Cooper’s Edgar Allan Poe-inspired whodunnit as doctor’s wife Julia Marquis and she was delighted to be offered such a “curious” role. She said: “My character is such a curious one. She’s a little loopy. Which was fun. “And she gets to smash plates. I’m trying to talk about it without giving too much away.” Gillian also admired Scott’s way of working and thinks he managed to craft a film that feels “very real” to the time period in which it is set. She told Total Film magazine: “I was very interested in te setting, and having seen a couple of Scott’s films before, it almost felt like I knew what it was going to look like. “You could get a real sense from not just the script but knowing how he works. “And I thought there was something very delicious in that. “And certainly in seeing it myself, I was struck with how quiet it is, and how much he allows the scenes to just sit. “There’s atmosphere. There’s a real silence. You feel the damp, you feel the cold. “It feels very real to the 1800s in a way I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced before.” The veteran actress think audiences like whodunnits because they are such an “escape” and she thinks audiences will learn more from ‘A Pale Blue Eye’ than they realise. She said: “They’re such an escape. And more than ever, people want entertainment. They don’t want stuff that’s too heavy-handed or too real or too serious. “Whodunits are a valid form of entertainment. And to have it presented in such a beautiful, luscious, fascinating and not necessarily educational way – but there’s certainly stuff in there that would have been well-researched and adds to the fascination of who Poe might have been when he was a younger man. “And the beginnings of America and the beginnings of West Point and that institution. So all of that is quite curious and fascinating.” View the full article

Published by Reuters By Joey Roulette WASHINGTON (Reuters) – NASA is exploring whether SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft can potentially offer an alternative ride home for some crew members of the International Space Station after a Russian capsule sprang a coolant leak while docked to the orbital lab. NASA and Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, are investigating the cause of a punctured coolant line on an external radiator of Russia’s Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, which is supposed to return its crew of two cosmonauts and one U.S. astronaut to Earth early next year. But the Dec. 14 leak, which emptied the Soyuz of a vital fluid used to regulate crew cabin temperatures, has derailed Russia’s space station routines, with engineers in Moscow examining whether to launch another Soyuz to retrieve the three-man team that flew to ISS aboard the crippled MS-22 craft. If Russia cannot launch another Soyuz ship, or decides for some reason that doing so would be too risky, NASA is weighing another option. “We have asked SpaceX a few questions on their capability to return additional crew members on Dragon if necessary, but that is not our prime focus at this time,” NASA spokeswoman Sandra Jones said in a statement to Reuters. SpaceX did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. It was unclear what NASA specifically asked of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capabilities, such as whether the company can find a way to increase the crew capacity of the Dragon currently docked to the station, or launch an empty capsule for the crew’s rescue. But the company’s potential involvement in a mission led by Russia underscores the degree of precaution NASA is taking to ensure its astronauts can safely return to Earth, should one of the other contingency plans arranged by Russia fall through. The leaky Soyuz capsule ferried U.S. astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dimitri Petelin to the space station in September for a six-month mission. They were scheduled to return to Earth in March 2023. The station’s four other crew members – two more from NASA, a third Russian cosmonaut and a Japanese astronaut – arrived in October via a NASA-contracted SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, which also remains parked at the ISS. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, a gumdrop-shaped pod with four astronaut seats, has become the centerpiece to NASA’s human spaceflight efforts in low-Earth orbit. Besides Russia’s Soyuz program, it is the only entity capable of ferrying humans to the space station and back. THREE POSSIBLE CULPRITS Finding what caused the leak could factor into decisions about the best way to return the crew members. A meteroid-caused puncture, a strike from a piece of space debris or a hardware failure on the Soyuz capsule itself are three possible causes of the leak that NASA and Roscosmos are investigating. A hardware malfunction could raise additional questions for Roscosmos about the integrity of other Soyuz vehicles, such as the one it might send for the crew’s rescue, said Mike Suffredini, who led NASA’s ISS program for a decade until 2015. “I can assure you that’s something they’re looking at, to see what’s back there and whether there’s a concern for it,” he said. “The thing about the Russians is they’re really good at not talking about what they’re doing, but they’re very thorough.” Roscosmos chief Yuri Borisov had previously said engineers would decide by Tuesday how to return the crew to Earth, but the agency said that day it would make the decision in January. NASA has previously said the capsule’s temperatures remain “within acceptable limits,” with its crew compartment currently being vented with air flow allowed through an open hatch to the ISS. Sergei Krikalev, Russia’s chief of crewed space programs, told reporters last week that the temperature would rise rapidly if the hatch to the station were closed. NASA and Roscosmos are primarily focusing on determining the leak’s cause, Jones said, as well as the health of MS-22 which is also meant to serve as the three-man crew’s lifeboat in case an emergency on the station requires evacuation. A recent meteor shower initially seemed to raise the odds of a micrometeoroid strike as the culprit, but the leak was facing the wrong way for that to be the case, NASA’s ISS program manager Joel Montalbano told reporters last week, though a space rock could have come from another direction. And if a piece of space debris is to blame, it could fuel concerns of an increasingly messy orbital environment and raise questions about whether such vital equipment as the spacecraft’s coolant line should have been protected by debris shielding, as other parts of the MS-22 spacecraft are. “We are not shielded against everything throughout the space station,” Suffredini said. “We can’t shield against everything.” (Reporting by Joey Roulette; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise) View the full article