Tuesday, 25 March 2025

‘My husband was killed in front of my eyes’: Elderly survivors recall crimes of Ukrainian occupation in Kursk region

‘My husband was killed in front of my eyes’: Elderly survivors recall crimes of Ukrainian occupation in Kursk region

‘My husband was killed in front of my eyes’: Elderly survivors recall crimes of Ukrainian occupation in Kursk region




Civilians are evacuated by the Aid (Hades) group of Akhmat special forces in the village of Kazachya Loknya, recaptured by Russian forces amid Russia's military operation in Ukraine, in Kursk region, Russia. ©Sputnik/Sergey Bobylev






Russian forces recently liberated around 30 settlements in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces had looted stores, stolen vehicles, and, according to witnesses who have spoken to RT, killed civilians. Residents from Kazachya Loknya have recounted their experiences, following several months under occupation by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).







One local woman told RT that her husband had been murdered in cold blood by Ukrainian troops. Another was forced to abandon her home.


Both still find it difficult to comprehend how they survived a brutal occupation.



Daily struggles and threats



When the Ukrainians entered Kazachya Loknya, they began firing randomly. Two people were killed near the store. And when they retreated, they set many houses ablaze. It was absolute hell,” Tatiana Ivanenko, 64, said.


Unable to escape the village before the Ukrainian force arrived, Ivanenko endured 218 days under occupation until Russian soldiers retook Kazachya Loknya.


We slept on the floor in our neighbors’ hallway; I was afraid to sleep in my bed. All our windows were blown out, and we boarded them up after every shelling to block out the cold. Ukrainian forces distributed food rations once every two months, and we fetched water from a well,” she recounted.


According to Ivanenko, Ukrainian forces took control of Kazachya Loknya on the night of August 7, 2024.


My daughter called me the morning before it happened – she lived with her family in Sudzha – and pleaded with me to leave for Kursk. I told her, ‘They’ll fire some shots, and it will calm down.’ But the next morning, stepping onto my porch, I heard Ukrainian voices and saw soldiers with blue armbands. I realized the Nazis had reached our village, and it was too late to flee,” Tatiana said.



Looting, violence, and fear



She described how, once established, Ukrainian forces turned to looting and violence.


Our neighbor Artem, who used to work for the Ministry of Emergency Situations, had his tire shop completely stripped clean. Grocery stores were broken into and robbed. Thankfully, we had some canned preserves,” she said.


Another neighbor’s car was stolen after Ukrainian troops broke into his house. One soldier threatened him, saying, ‘I’m a convict; I killed my father and seven others, and I can shoot you easily.’ He put a rifle to my neighbor’s head and took his keys.


Two people Ivanenko knew personally were killed by the Ukrainians. “When the occupation first began, my neighbor went to church and never returned. Ukrainian soldiers shot him on his way,” she recalled. “Another neighbor was killed by a drone strike right outside his gate while fetching firewood. After that, we were terrified to step outside.”


In December, Tatiana was forced to leave her home after Ukrainian soldiers installed electronic warfare equipment directly in her yard. “They set up a large device with rotating antennas and hid in our cellar to avoid airstrikes,” she explained. Shells repeatedly struck her house, leaving it half-destroyed.



Evacuation and reunion



Tatiana currently lives in a temporary shelter in Kursk alongside her grandchildren, her daughter Olga, and her son-in-law. She was evacuated to a safe zone following the liberation of Kazachya Loknya by Moscow's troops.


Thank God we’re all safe. I thought I’d never see my family again,” she said.


Her daughter Olga described seeing her mother in a YouTube video posted by Ukrainian soldiers in January 2025. ”They filmed civilians in the village. My mom appeared, crying and worried about our survival. That was how we discovered she was alive,” Olga explained. “When our military finally let me talk to my mom, I screamed and cried – I hadn’t heard her voice in seven months. Seeing her alive, despite her frail and exhausted condition, brought me to my knees.



Death, survival and uncertain future



Valentina Poleshchuk’s husband was killed by the Ukrainians shortly after they invaded Kursk region.


”We lived in Kubatkin, and on August 8, we drove to Kazachya Loknya to assess the situation,” Valentina said. “I was sitting in the back seat when they opened fire. Bullets hit our tires first, forcing the car to stop, then another round came in.”


“My husband was hit first in his right arm, then a second bullet struck his neck, killing him instantly,” Valentina recalled. “I lay in the back seat covered in blood and shattered glass for about an hour before managing to escape.”


Valentina found shelter with friends in Kazachya Loknya during the occupation. “We were freezing and starving, but we survived until our troops came,” she said. Now, Valentina stays with her daughter Galina.


”My children took me into their rented home. I need to resolve the paperwork concerning my husband’s death and decide what to do with the house. Who would have imagined losing everything at this age? My husband was murdered, and our home destroyed. I used to weigh 80 kg, and now I’m down to just 40 kg. The horror of what I’ve experienced is beyond words,” she concluded.





















Partai hidup mati timnas Indonesia vs Bahrain

Partai hidup mati timnas Indonesia vs Bahrain

Partai hidup mati timnas Indonesia vs Bahrain










Partai ini bisa disebut sebagai laga hidup mati bagi Timnas Garuda. Kekalahan dari Australia tentunya menjadi awal yang buruk bagi Timnas di bawah era pelatih baru Patrick Kluivert. Kemenangan atas Bahrain menjadi harga mati, namun tekanan dan beban ada pada Timnas Indonesia baik pelatih maupun pemain.







Timnas Indonesia kalah telak 1-5 dari Australia dalam lanjutan laga putaran ketiga Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 Zona Asia pada 20 Maret silam. Hasil ini menjadi pukulan berat bagi tim yang sedang beradaptasi dengan pelatih baru, Patrick Kluivert, figur pengganti Shin Tae-yong.


Duel Timnas Indonesia vs Bahrain akan tersaji pada pertandingan kedelapan grup C putaran ketiga kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026. Laga ini akan berlangsung di Stadion Utama Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, pada hari Selasa, 25/03/2025, pada pukul 20.45 WIB.


Indonesia dan Bahrain mengantongi enam poin dari tujuh laga kualifikasi zona Asia. Skuad Garuda berada di peringkat keempat, sedangkan Bahrain berada di peringkat kelima. Dengan selisih gol yang sama, Indonesia unggul produktivitas gol atas Bahrain.


Pertandingan kemarin, timnas Indonesia lawan Australia tak ayal menjadi debut negatif pelatih Patrick Kluivert yang ditunjuk menjadi pelatih Indonesia pada 8 Januari 2025 menggantikan Shin Tae-yong.


Saat itu, Indonesia ada di posisi ketiga klasemen Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026 babak ketiga Grup C dengan raihan enam poin. Indonesia mempunyai peluang besar finis kedua karena berjarak satu poin dengan Australia di posisi kedua.


Kini, Indonesia harus melupakan ambisi untuk lolos langsung ke Piala Dunia 2026 dari babak ketiga. Indonesia ada di peringkat keempat, berjarak empat poin dari Australia di posisi kedua, lebih sedikit tiga angka dari Arab Saudi di posisi ketiga.


Koleksi angka Indonesia sama dengan Bahrain dan China. Jepang sudah mengunci tiket ke Piala Dunia 2026 usai mengumpulkan 19 poin kendati Grup C masih menyisakan tiga laga.


Skuad Garuda sedang mencoba mengoreksi kesalahan yang dibuat saat menjamu Socceroos demi meraih hasil positif. Baru bersama Indonesia dalam waktu singkat, Kluivert menegaskan gaya bermainnya masih belum diterima dengan sempurna oleh anak-anak asuhnya.


"Pemain-pemain Indonesia masih dalam proses adaptasi pada taktik dan gaya bermain yang saya bangun. Saya terbiasa menggunakan waktu saya untuk membantu anak asuh saya memahami hal yang diperlukan. Kami harus terus bekerja keras, kami mempunyai pertandingan melawan Bahrain dan kami harus mencoba yang terbaik untuk bisa meraih hasil bagus," kata Kluivert.


"Indonesia masih harus membuat penyesuaian agar bisa terbiasa dengan gaya yang sudah dibangun oleh staf pelatih," lanjutnya.


Manajer Timnas Indonesia, Sumardji mengungkapkan mental para pemain Indonesia telah 100 persen baik dan siap menghadapi Bahrain pada laga lanjutan yang akan digelar, hari Selasa, 25/03/2025.


“Yang pertama yang perlu harus saya sampaikan. Kita memberikan motivasi kepada para pemain secara keseluruhan. Dikarenakan kemarin kita mengalami kekalahan lawan Australia,” kata Sumardji.


Ia mengungkapkan, ada tim khusus yang menangani berkaitan dengan mental para pemain. Ia mengakui semangat timnas agak sedikit menurun setelah kekalahan. Meskipun demikian, ujar dia, tim Garuda berlatih dengan baik mempersiapkan pertandingan selanjutnya. “Latihan ini tadi sudah betul-betul baik semua. Boleh dikatakan fight para pemain all out berlatih dan akan mempersiapkan dengan baik untuk menghadapi Bahrain di tanggal 25,” sambungnya.


Anggota Timnas Indonesia Calvin Verdonk menyampaikan siap melawan Bahrain. Pemain NEC Nijmegen itu mengaku sudah merefleksikan kekalahan di Sydney agar tak terulang lagi ketika bertemu Dilmun Warriors di Jakarta. “Kami bertemu den­gan satu sama lain, kami melihat pertandingan itu kembali, dan kami menantikan pertandingan melawan Bahrain,” ujar Verdonk.


Namun sayang, Indonesia tanpa diperkuat Mees Hilgers karena mengalami cedera saat bermain Australia. Hilgers men­galami cedera di bagian pangkal paha dan harus menyelesaikan laga pada menit ke-60 untuk digantikan Sandy Walsh.


Setelah kembali ke Jakarta pada Jumat, Hilgers menjalani serangkaian pemeriksaan me­dis dengan tim dokter timnas Indonesia. Namun, pemeriksaan dokter mengatakan bahwa cedera Hilgers tak bisa sembuh dalam waktu dekat. “Hasil pemeriksaan menunjukkan bahwa kondisinya tidak memungkinkan untuk pulih dalam waktu yang cukup sebelum pertandingan melawan Bahrain,” tulis laman resmi Kita Garuda.


Dengan ini, maka Hilgers akan kembali ke FC Twente untuk melakukan pemeriksaan lebih lanjut, serta menjalani tahap pemulihan bersama klubnya tersebut. Timnas Indonesia mendoakan yang terbaik untuk pemain muda 23 tahun itu agar segera kembali dalam kondisi “Dengan pertimbangan tersebut, Mees akan kembali ke klubnya di Belanda untuk menjalani pemeriksaan lebih lanjut serta proses pemulihan bersama tim medis FC Twente,” tambah la­man resmi Kita Garuda.


Misi balas dendam diusung timnas Indonesia usai dirugikan saat pertemuan pertama. Skuad asuhan Shin Tae-yong kala itu nyaris menang di Stadion Nasional Bahrain pada 10 Oktober 2024.


Rizky Ridho dan kawan-kawan kebobolan gol Mohamed Marhoon pada menit 90+9 yang sudah melewati batas injury time 6 menit.


Walhasil, Indonesia harus puas bermain imbang 2-2 setelah sebelumnya sempat unggul lewat gol Ragnar Oratmangoen dan Rafael Struick.


Kini, Indonesia memburu kemenangan atas Bahrain di depan pendukung timnas di SUGBK. Namun, pasukan Merah Putih dihantui rekor buruk pelatih baru timnas, Patrick Kluivert.


Juru racik asal Belanda itu pernah menelan kekalahan telak dari Bahrain saat masih menangani Curacao. Kala itu, tim asuhan Kluivert takluk 0-4 dari Bahrain pada laga persahabatan di Stadion Nasional Bahrain, 6 Oktober 2021.



Berikut jadwal matchday kedelapan Grup C putaran ketiga Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2026:



Selasa (25/3/2025)


Jepang Vs Arab Saudi (17.35 WIB)


China Vs Australia (18.00 WIB)


Indonesia Vs Bahrain (20.45 WIB/Live RCTI)





















Monday, 24 March 2025

Gaza journalists targeted and killed as dozens die in Israeli strikes

Gaza journalists targeted and killed as dozens die in Israeli strikes

Gaza journalists targeted and killed as dozens die in Israeli strikes










Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza continues with at least 61 Palestinians killed in attacks across the Strip over the past 24-hour reporting period.







Two Palestinian journalists are killed in Israeli air strikes, including a reporter with Al Jazeera Mubasher whose car was blown up in northern Gaza.


At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attacks and more than 200 taken captive



At least 51 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks



The death toll from Israeli bombardment throughout the day in the besieged Gaza Strip now stands at 51, medical sources tell Al Jazeera.


The number of fatalities is likely to rise as incessant attacks continue in the north and south of the Palestinian enclave.



EU ‘doesn’t see’ Hamas ruling Gaza in the future



On a visit to Israel, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas addressed the situation in Gaza, where Israel has restarted intense air strikes and ground assaults.


Kallas said the European Union welcomed the Arab plan for the reconstruction of Gaza but said more needs to be done on issues such as cost-sharing and the future of governance.


“We see no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza,” the diplomat said. “We definitely need to discuss how the governance of Gaza is foreseen, … and the European Union is ready to participate in those discussions.”


European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas [Yves Herman/Reuters]



She said the fundamental next steps are restating the ceasefire, ensuring the release of all captives and resuming the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza with the goal of a permanent ceasefire.


“The European Union can help whether through restating our Rafah border-crossing mission or providing more humanitarian assistance.”



Egypt rejects ‘liquidation of the Palestinian cause’



Egypt has denied media reports suggesting it will accept hundreds of thousands of ethnically cleansed Palestinians from Gaza in exchange for economic aid.


In a statement, the State Information Service said the forced displacement of Gaza people “represents a liquidation of the Palestinian cause and an imminent threat to Egyptian national security”.


It reiterated Egypt’s absolute rejection “of any attempt to forcibly or voluntarily displace Palestinians from Gaza to any location outside the enclave, particularly to Egypt”.


“Egyptian foreign policy has never been based on bargaining supreme Egyptian and Arab interests for anything, whatever its type,” the statement said.


On Friday, Egypt dismissed Israeli media reports alleging Cairo is preparing to temporarily relocate 500,000 Palestinians to a designated city in North Sinai as part of a plan to rebuild Gaza.



Slain Al Jazeera journalist previously wounded in Israeli attack



What we know is that Mohammad Mansour, a Palestinian journalist who works for the Palestine Today channel, was targeted in his house in southern Khan Younis alongside his wife and son.


Forced Israeli evacuations push displaced families into overcrowded tents at Gaza's Yarmouk Stadium



Just 30 minutes ago, we heard the horrific news coming from northern Gaza that Hossam Shabat, an Al Jazeera Mubasher reporter, was killed in an air strike on his car as he reported in northern Gaza.


Hossam, a 23-year-old Palestinian journalist, had been previously wounded in an Israeli attack, but he insisted on continuing news reporting in Gaza.


The Israeli military targeted his vehicle without any prior warning. He is one among 287 Palestinian journalists killed since the eruption of this devastating Israeli military campaign on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.



‘Children are being killed and the women slaughtered’



Palestinian Nour Issa Mekawi describes the chaotic situation as she fled her Rafah home in Gaza after being ordered to leave and then bombed by Israeli drones while fleeing.


Palestinians flee their homes after the Israeli army issues orders to leave Rafah or face attacks [Hatem Khaled/Reuters]



“We were shocked to see the amount of missiles and quadcopters attacking us. I have seen so many innocent martyrs all over the place. So many others were killed in their cars,” she told Al Jazeera.


“Where are the Arab countries? They have let us down. The children are being killed and the women slaughtered.”



Israel readying new Gaza invasion – WSJ



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his national-security team are allegedly planning a major new ground offensive dedicated to capturing large swaths of territory in Gaza, the Wall Street Journal has reported, citing people familiar with the matter.


The alleged plans come amid renewed Israeli airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave after a temporary truce between Hamas and the Jewish state expired on March 1. Mediated by the US, Qatar, and Egypt, the ceasefire had led to a partial Israeli withdrawal and limited hostage releases. However, since its collapse, both sides have blamed each other for failing to reach a renewed agreement.


The WSJ reported on Sunday that Israeli forces have already moved into northern Gaza, areas near Rafah, and the central Netzarim corridor, marking the start of a campaign to recapture and hold territory previously vacated under a ceasefire arrangement.


According to the outlet, Netanyahu’s new advisers have been advocating for a strategy that relies on beating Hamas on the battlefield by force of arms before pursuing any political solution to the Gaza conflict.


Last week, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that his country would continue to seize territory in Gaza for as long as Hamas holds hostages. Meanwhile, Israeli officials have also advocated for fully destroying Hamas’s remaining infrastructure such as tunnels and weapons caches, even if it takes years and leads to more civilian casualties, the WSJ wrote.


Israel’s new approach is reportedly being fueled by US President Donald Trump’s order to ramp up ammunition deliveries to the Jewish State and his administration’s calls for Netanyahu to “take the gloves off” against Hamas.


While announcing last week the renewal of ground operations in Gaza, Netanyahu’s office declared that “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength.”


It also specified that the new offensive is a response to the Palestinian group’s “refusal to release hostages” and its rejection of proposals on extending the truce.


Hamas, in turn, has accused Israel of “unilaterally” ending the ceasefire, according to Reuters.


Palestinian authorities claimed on Sunday that over 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since fighting began some 18 months ago.


The war between Hamas and Israel broke out following the Palestinian group’s surprise cross-border attack on October 7, 2023 that killed around 1,200 people and led to the capture of roughly 250 hostages.





















Saturday, 22 March 2025

George Foreman, Dies at 76, Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate

George Foreman, Dies at 76, Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate

George Foreman, Dies at 76, Boxing Champion and Grilling Magnate




George Foreman in 1976. He won the heavyweight title in 1973 and again in 1994. Credit... Bettman, via Getty






George Foreman, a heavyweight boxing champion who returned to the sport to regain his title at the improbable age of 45, and who parlayed his fame and his amiable personality into a multimillion-dollar grill business, died on Friday night in Houston. He was 76.







Legendary boxer and two-time world heavyweight champion George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76, his family said on Saturday in a post on Instagram. Known as ‘Big George’ in the ring, the American athlete built a long, remarkable career in the sport.


Foreman’s career started with amateur boxing after moving from Texas to California. He retired in 1997 with a career record of 76 wins, 68 by knockouts, and only five losses.


“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” the family said.


Foreman won the heavyweight gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City at the age of 19. Five years later, he won his first world heavyweight championship. He did it again in 1994 when he was 45, making him the oldest heavyweight champion ever.


Muhammad Ali (L) and George Foreman (R) during their WBC/WBA World Heavyweight Title fight in Caracas, Venezuela, March 26, 1974. ©Global Look Press/Robert Royal



One of Foreman’s most famous fights was against Muhammad Ali in 1974, which he lost in an eighth-round knockout, and was chronicled in the Oscar-winning documentary ‘When We Were Kings’. After he lost to Ali, the boxing legend fought five more times before he retired to begin a career as an ordained minister in his native Texas. However, he returned to boxing in 1987 at the age of 38.


In 1994, he launched the George Foreman Grill, which went on to sell more than 100 million units worldwide. He sold the commercial rights to the grill for $138 million in 1999.


His final fight took place in November 1997, a majority decision loss to Shannon Briggs. In 2002, Foreman was named one of the 25 greatest fighters of the past 80 years by The Ring magazine, which also ranked him as the ninth-greatest puncher of all time. He was an HBO ringside analyst for 12 years, ending in 2004.


George Foreman, Kinshasa, Zaire Saturday night, October 26, 1974. ©AP Photo



George Edward Foreman was born on Jan. 10, 1949, in Marshall, Texas. His father, J.D. Foreman, was a railroad construction worker. His mother was Nancy Ree (Nelson) Foreman. As an adult, he learned that his biological father was a man named Leroy Moorehead.


Foreman was candid about having been a bully and a petty criminal in his youth. After dropping out of school, he joined the Job Corps at 16. At 17, he tried his hand at boxing.


Success came quickly in the amateur ranks; only a year and a half later he was Olympic heavyweight champion, defeating Ionas Chepulis of the Soviet Union by a second-round knockout in Mexico City in 1968.


After the fight, Foreman, who was Black, waved a small American flag in the ring, days after the track athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised clenched fists during the national anthem to protest the country’s treatment of Black people.


“I was just glad to be an American,” Foreman said afterward. “Some people have tried to make something of it, calling me an Uncle Tom, but I’m not. I just believe people should live together in peace.”


Turning professional, he started a heavy schedule of fights, as many as a dozen in a year. He was 37-0 when he got his first shot at a world heavyweight title against Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica, in 1973.


Though he was a 3-1 underdog, Foreman dominated the fight, knocking Frazier down six times before the contest was stopped halfway through the second round. One of those knockdowns led the television announcer Howard Cosell to utter one of boxing’s most famous calls: “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!”


“It was unbelievable,” the New York Times sports columnist Arthur Daley wrote. “In little more than four and a half minutes, George Foreman destroyed Joe Frazier tonight, and the man who supposedly couldn’t lose never had even one ghost of a chance for victory. So there is a new heavyweight champion of the world, and he won it with authority in an explosive demonstration of overpowering punching skills.”


Foreman defended the title twice before a match with Ali in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) in 1974 that would become known as the Rumble in the Jungle. This time, Foreman was the favorite, but Ali reclaimed the title, dealing Foreman his first career loss.


Ali used his “rope-a-dope” strategy, resting on the top rope and allowing Foreman to punch him but also to tire himself out. Ali finished the fight with a left-right combination knockout in the eighth round.


Foreman had five more victories, including another one over Frazier. But after losing to Jimmy Young in 1977, he elected to hang up his gloves at age 28, citing his religious beliefs and his mother’s wishes.


Boxers Muhammad Ali and George Foreman with Producer David Sonenberg (L) and Director Leon Gast, Academy Awards Show, March 24, 1997, Los Angeles, California.
©Getty Images/Bob Riha Jr/Contributor



He turned to religious vocation in his retirement years, by serving as a nondenominational Christian minister in Houston and by starting a youth center.


But the ring lured him back. “I want to be champion again,” he said in 1987. “I’ve got a three-year plan. I want to start at the bottom. Train harder than any man in the world. Fight once a month.”


He admitted that money was a factor as well. “You know that story about how you have four pockets in your pants, and you better save what’s in one pocket so you can live?” he told Dave Anderson of The Times. “I saved one pocket. I’ve got money for steak and potatoes. But the other three pockets I just blew.”


Sure enough, Foreman fought frequently, as many as nine times in a year. He cranked out 24 straight wins, although most were against boxers of lesser ability. That set him up for a title shot at age 42 against Holyfield, the champion, in 1991. Foreman lost the decision but put forth a creditable performance.


The Times described Foreman as “fit and courageous.” But the general reaction was that his performance was little more than a brave effort. Surely that seemed to be the end of Foreman’s title dreams.


He scored a few more wins and lost to Tommy Morrison, but then he managed to land another title shot in 1994, in Las Vegas against Moorer, 26, who had defeated Holyfield. Some called it undeserved and suggested that Foreman got the chance only because of his fame and the novelty of his age. “It’s not about deserving,” he said with a smile, “because I’ve got it.”


Foreman was trailing on the judges’ scorecards when he managed to land the big punch he was looking for and knocked Moorer out in the 10th round. Moorer had thrown 641 punches, to 369 by Foreman. But the last one was the one that counted.


Foreman had stood rather than sit on a stool between rounds, as if to defy his 45 years. He became the oldest heavyweight champion in history.


“Anything you desire, you can make happen,” he said after the fight. “It’s like the song, ‘When you wish upon a star your dreams come true.’ Well, look at me tonight.”


Foreman defended his belt against a German fighter, Axel Schulz. But the governing bodies that awarded the championship began to strip him of his belts as he declined to fight the challengers they mandated. Instead, Foreman faced and defeated a couple of lesser fighters. His final fight was a loss, a close decision to Shannon Briggs in 1997. He was 48.


He finished with a professional record of 76-5 and is widely regarded as one of the 10 best heavyweight fighters of all time; a Ring magazine survey in 2017 ranked him seventh. He was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2003.


George Foreman officiates at the baptism of a child, Houston, Texas, March 2003.
©Michael Brennan/Getty Images



Foreman returned to his youth center, did commentary for televised boxing broadcasts and, most lucratively, sold hamburger grills.


Foreman began endorsing the George Foreman Grill in 1994, with a big smile and predictable but still charming lines like “It’s a knockout.” The grills were electric and portable and could be used inside as an alternative to outdoor charcoal grilling. Foreman helped make the grills an American kitchen mainstay.


In 1999, Salton Inc. paid $137.5 million for worldwide rights to use Foreman’s name on grills; Foreman got about 75 percent of the payout. He also endorsed mufflers, fried chicken and chips.


Foreman’s affability helped him transcend boxing and cross over into the media world. In 1993-94, in the midst of his comeback, he starred in “George,” a short-lived sitcom on ABC in which he played a retired boxer helping troubled youth, and he made guest appearances on several other shows over the years. He appeared in a Venus-flytrap costume on the reality competition show “The Masked Singer” in 2022. (His performance of “Get Ready” by the Temptations was not enough to stave off elimination.)


In addition to his brother, Foreman is survived by his wife, Mary Joan Martelly, whom he married in 1985. He had previously been married four times.


His survivors also include six daughters — Natalia, Leola, Michi, Georgetta, Isabella and Courtney Foreman — and five sons. A seventh daughter, Freeda Foreman, died in 2019.


All of Foreman’s sons were named George: George Jr., George III, George IV, George V and George VI. In 2005, he collaborated with the author Fran Manushkin on a children’s book called “Let George Do It!” about a household full of Georges, like his own.


It reads: “‘Today is Big George’s birthday,’ Mom tells the assembled boys. ‘Can I count on all of you to help with the party?’


“‘You bet,’ said George, George, George and George. ‘Urgle,’ said Baby George.”


One key to Foreman’s business success in so many areas, he said, was his willingness to make personal appearances.


“That’s bigger than anything, any endorsement, I don’t care who you are,” he said. “They want to touch you; they want to know you.”


“Then,” he said, “they buy you.”





















Kapolri Perintahkan Kabareskrim Selidiki Teror Kepala Babi-Bangkai Tikus di Kantor Tempo

Kapolri Perintahkan Kabareskrim Selidiki Teror Kepala Babi-Bangkai Tikus di Kantor Tempo

Kapolri Perintahkan Kabareskrim Selidiki Teror Kepala Babi-Bangkai Tikus di Kantor Tempo




TINDAKLANJUTI KASUS TEMPO - Kapolri Jenderal Listyo Sigit Prabowo usai menghadiri rapat di Kemenko PMK, Jakarta Pusat, hari Jumat, 22/11/2024. Kapolri telah memerintahkan Kabareskrim untuk segera melakukan penyelidikan kasus dugaan teror yang dikirimkan ke Redaksi Tempo di Jakarta.






Kapolri Jenderal Listyo Sigit Prabowo menanggapi kiriman teror berupa kepala babi dan bangkai tikus yang ditujukan ke kantor redaksi Tempo.







Kapolri telah memerintahkan Kabareskrim untuk segera melakukan penyelidikan kasus tersebut.


"Terkait peristiwa di media Tempo, saya sudah perintahkan kepada Kabareskrim untuk melaksanakan penyelidikan lebih lanjut," kata Kapolri di Masjid Raya Medan, Sumatera Utara, hari Sabtu, 22/03/2025.


Polri berkomitmen memberikan penanganan terbaik terhadap kasus tersebut.


"Kami akan memberikan pelayanan yang terbaik untuk menindaklanjuti hal-hal tersebut," ucap Kapolri.


Sebelumnya, kantor redaksi Tempo menerima paket mencurigakan pada hari Sabtu, 22/3/2025, pukul 08.00 WIB.


Sebelumnya, kantor redaksi Tempo menerima paket mencurigakan pada hari Sabtu, 22/03/2025, pukul 08.00 WIB.


Isinya adalah enam bangkai tikus dengan kepala terpenggal, dikemas dalam kotak kardus yang dibungkus kertas kado bermotif bunga mawar.


Paket misterius itu ditemukan oleh petugas kebersihan dan segera dilaporkan ke petugas keamanan.


Berdasarkan rekaman pengawasan, paket tersebut dilemparkan oleh orang tak dikenal pada pukul 02.11 WIB dari luar pagar kantor Tempo di Jalan Palmerah Barat, Jakarta Selatan.


Insiden ini merupakan rangkaian teror terhadap Tempo.


Sebelumnya, redaksi Tempo telah menerima kiriman kepala babi serta ancaman melalui media sosial dari akun @derrynoah yang menyatakan akan terus meneror redaksi.


Pemimpin Redaksi Tempo, Setri Yasra, menyebut tindakan ini sebagai upaya intimidasi terhadap kerja jurnalis.


"Pengirimnya dengan sengaja meneror kerja jurnalis, jika tujuannya untuk menakuti, kami tidak gentar, tapi stop tindakan pengecut ini," kata Setri Yasra.





















Friday, 21 March 2025

Israel begins invasions of Gaza’s Rafah, kills nearly 600 in 72 hours

Israel begins invasions of Gaza’s Rafah, kills nearly 600 in 72 hours










Israeli strikes killed at least 85 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip overnight and into Thursday, according to local health officials. Hours later, Hamas fired three rockets at Israel without causing casualties, in the first such attack since Israel broke their ceasefire.







Israel resumed heavy strikes across Gaza on Tuesday, shattering the truce that had facilitated the release of more than two dozen hostages and brought relative calm since late January. Israeli bombardments in the past three days have killed at least 592 people, said Zaher al-Waheidi, the head of the records department at the Gaza Health Ministry.


The Israeli military said it was again enforcing a blockade on northern Gaza, including Gaza City. Palestinians were not being ordered to leave northern Gaza but can no longer enter, the military said, and are only allowed to move south on foot using the coastal road. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had returned to what remains of their homes in the north during the ceasefire.


placed from Gaza’s Shujayea and Beit Hanoun neighbourhoods following Israel’s new forced evacuation orders.


Families are cramped together in makeshift tents in Gaza City’s Yarmouk Stadium.


Displaced people there say the conditions are desperate.


Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim al-Khalili reports from Yarmouk Stadium, where families are being forced to live in flimsy tents.


Gaza’s Health Ministry said overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 85 people, mostly women and children. The ministry’s records do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.


The Indonesian Hospital said it received 19 bodies after strikes in Beit Lahiya, near Gaza’s northern border, which was heavily destroyed and largely depopulated earlier in the war.


“It was a bloody night for the people of Beit Lahiya,” said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry’s emergency service in northern Gaza, adding that rescuers were still searching the rubble. “The situation is catastrophic.”


One of the strikes early Thursday hit the Abu Daqa family’s home in Abasan al-Kabira, a village outside Khan Younis near the border with Israel. It was in an area the Israeli military ordered evacuated earlier this week, encompassing most of eastern Gaza.


The strike killed at least 16 people, mostly women and children, according to the nearby European Hospital, which received the dead. Those killed included a father and his seven children, as well as the parents and brother of a month-old baby who survived along with her grandparents.



UNRWA chief says homes in occupied West Bank ‘systematically destroyed’



Philippe Lazzarini, chief of the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA), has warned of a “deepening humanitarian crisis” unfolding in the occupied West Bank.


Israeli forces have been intensifying a crackdown in the northern West Bank, targeting refugee camps in Jenin and Tulkarem, forcing thousands of Palestinians to flee their homes.


Homes and other civilian infrastructure have been “systematically destroyed”, Lazzarini said in a post on X.


“Just yesterday, the Israeli Authorities issued new demolition orders for another 66 buildings in Jenin camp. Dozens of houses have already been destroyed in the camp over the past two months,” he said.


“These demolition orders must not be carried out. Tens of thousands of Palestine Refugees are at risk of renewed long term displacement with Jenin Camp permanently altered.”





‘There remains no military solution to this conflict’: UK foreign secretary



The UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy has condemned Israel’s resumption of hostilities in Gaza.


In a video statement posted on X, Lammy called for an immediate return to a ceasefire. “More bloodshed is in no one’s interest,” he said.


He called on Hamas to release all the captives and on Israel to “abide by international law and to lift the unacceptable restrictions on aid and demand the protection of civilians”.


“There remains no military solution to this conflict,” he added. “A two-state solution remains the only path to a just and lasting peace.”





Israeli ground forces are also pushing into Gaza near the northern town of Beit Lahiya and the southern border city of Rafah, the military said Thursday. The operations come a day after Israel moved to split Gaza in two by retaking the strategic Netzarim corridor that divides Gaza’s north from south.


Houthi also launched two missiles at Israel, one early Thursday morning and another in the evening, the military said. Both were intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace, according to the army, and no injuries were reported. Air raid sirens rang out and exploding interceptor rockets were heard in Jerusalem. There have been three such attacks since the United States began a new campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis earlier this week.