Welcome to Olamama's blog!!!: 2019

Tuesday 31 December 2019

Donald Trump and Barack Obama tied as the most admired men US for 2019 while Michelle Obama is the most admired woman - New Gallup Poll

A new Gallup survey released on Monday, December 30th found President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama tied as the most admired man of 2019. However, Trump’s wife Melania failed to match the popularity of Obama’s wife, Michelle, who was named as the most admired woman for the second year. She had 10 percent of respondents naming her, down from 15 percent last year. Melania Trump came in second at 5 percent.

Former Brazil international, Hulk, has revealed he is now dating the niece of his ex-wife Iran Angelo de Souza after their divorce. The 33-year-old footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese club, Shanghai SIPG confirmed the relationship with Camila in a statement and even disclosed that he even had to call her parents and brother to let them know about his relationship with Camila.
Following his split with wife Iran in July after 12-years of marriage and three children together, Ian, ten, Tiago, eight, and Alice, six, Hulk and Camila started dating in October 2019.
Speaking to UOL Esporte per Dailt Star, his representatives said of his relationship with Camila: "It's in his position to be transparent, to avoid lies and malicious comments.

An Israeli woman who tried cashing almost $1 million in checks from her 77-year-old husband's account, has been arrested. 26-year-old Lin Helena Halfon whose bail has been set at $1 miilion, was arrested earlier this month at Tampa International Airport.
The newly married woman who is facing charges of money laundering, organized fraud and exploitation of an elderly person, reportedly walked into a branch of Amscot to cash a $1 million check with claims of wanting to buy a yacht for her and her husband.

The ex-husband of Norway's Princess Martha Louise has taken his own life, it has been announced. Ari Behn, 47, who was the father of Martha Louise's three children, died by suicide, the Royal Palace confirmed in a heartbreaking Christmas Day statement. In the statement released on Christmas evening, King Harald said: "It is with great sadness that the Queen and I have received the message of Ari Behn's passing.
"Ari has been an important part of our family for many years, and we carry warm, fond memories of him.

Human Rights Groups and Turkey have come out to slam a verdict by a Saudi High court absolving crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman of any wrong doing in the 2018 murder of Wasshington post journalist and fierce MBS critic, Jamal Khashoggi. The Crown Prince's right hand man, Saud al-Qahtani, widely regarded as the mastermind of the operation was also cleared by the court of all involvement on Monday, according to a government organized news conference in the State capital, Riyadh.

Japan's birth rate hits another record low in 2019

Japan's demographic crisis is getting worse, as the fast-graying nation experienced its biggest natural population decline and a record-low birth rate this year, government statistics show. The estimated number of babies born in the country in 2019 fell to 864,000 -- the lowest since records began in 1899 -- according to a report published Tuesday by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
The number of newborns is estimated to have shrunk by 54,000 from 2018, and the figure remains under the 1 million mark for the fourth year running.

After making a remarkable recovery from a hip injury that threatened to end his career, Andy Murray won't be playing at next month's Australian Open after all. The five-time Australian Open finalist has been forced to pull out of next month's event due to a different injury, to his pelvis.
The injury hampered the three-time grand slam winner at the end of the 2019 season and he then canceled a pre-season training block scheduled for Miami in December. He will also miss the new ATP Cup event prior to the year's first major.

American legendary music producer and rapper, Dr. Dre has beat out Taylor Swift for the title of music's top earner of the decade. The 54-year-old whose full name is Andre Romelle Young was the highest-earning artist of the past decade, according to Forbes
Dr. Dre reportedly made $950 million over the past 10 years with his 20 percent ownership of Beats, after he sold his company Beats by Dre to Apple in a $3 billion deal.
Swift was second on the list, raking in $825 million after smashing lucrative deals and selling rights to her first six albums from Scott Borchetta, the owner of Swift's original label, Big Machine Label Group to music manager, Scooter Braun.
Beyonce came in third with $685 million followed by U2 in fourth place with $675 million; and Diddy in fifth with $605 million.

Turkey arrests IS suspects ahead New Year

No less than 70 people suspected to have ties to Islamic State in nationwide raids have been arrested by the Turkish police early on Monday ahead of New Year celebrations, state media reports. The arrest happened two months after the killing of the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Donald Trump of the United States of America announced on Oct. 27 that Islamic State leader Baghdadi had been killed in a raid by U.S. Special Forces in northwest Syria, near the Turkish border.
Two days later, Turkish police detained dozens of Islamic State suspects believed to have been plotting attacks targeting celebrations of Turkey’s Republic Day celebrations. The government has said it will have repatriated most of its Islamic State detainees to their home countries by the end of the year.

Monday 30 December 2019

Algeria's powerful military chief, Ahmed Gaid Salah dies of heart attack

Algerian strongman military chief Ahmed Gaid Salah, known for telling veteran leader Abdelaziz Bouteflika to resign, has died at the age of 79. Gen Salah, one of the last veterans of the 1954-62 independence war against France still in power, died of a heart attack. Bouteflika, who ruled since 1999, resigned in April after mass protests, leaving Gen Salah as de facto leader.

Helicopters dropped water on the outskirts of the Chilean port city of Valparaíso to extinguish a fire that destroyed more than 150 homes on Wednesday. Dozens of people living in the city’s Rocuant and San Roque hills sifted through the ruins of their homes after the fire, fanned by strong winds, swept through their neighbourhoods on Tuesday. Residents had been evacuated and there were no reports of casualties.

Japan will send a warship and patrol planes to protect Japanese ships in the Middle East as the situation in the region, from which it sources nearly 90 percent of its crude oil imports, remains volatile, a document approved by the cabinet showed on Friday. Under the plan, a helicopter-equipped destroyer and two P-3C patrol planes will be dispatched for information-gathering aimed at ensuring safe passage for Japanese vessels through the region.
If there are any emergencies, a special order would be issued by the Japanese defence minister to allow the forces to use weapons to protect ships in danger.

Sweeping from the Middle East to the Midlands without breaking stride, Liverpool took a big step closer to adding that much craved Premier League trophy to their recently acquired world crown. As in Qatar, so in Leicester, as Roberto Firmino opened the scoring here. But Liverpool did not settle for merely beating their nearest domestic rivals. They crushed Leicester as if issuing a warning to anyone who dares to challenge their supremacy.
James Milner scored from the spot before Firmino got another and Trent Alexander-Arnold lashed in a long-range shot to claim a superb goal to go with two elegant assists. This, then, was an almost feudal display, imperious rulers against bereft subjects. No one else has made Leicester look so puny this season.

Miss Kenya, Irene Mukii, has been crowned Miss Africa at the 2019 Miss Africa Beauty Pageant in Calabar. Mukii, who is a Mathematics and Computer Science student of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, won the coveted crown in the early hours of Saturday, December 28th in Calabar.
She defeated 21 other contestants in a keenly contested competition which saw Miss Angola, Daniela Lopes, emerge as first runner up and Miss South Africa, Ethel Maimela as second runner up.
The Miss Africa Beauty Pageant holds annually in Calabar. It started in 2016 with 18 contestants from different African countries.

Typhoon Phanfone kills at least 16 as it hits the Philippines on Christmas Day

A typhoon that lashed the central Philippines on Christmas Day has killed at least 16 people and caused damage to homes and tourist areas. Typhoon Phanfone, known locally as Typhoon Ursula, first made landfall on Eastern Samar province on Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and storm surges. It hit as the equivalent of a Category 1 hurricane, packing sustained wind speeds of 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, with gusts of 195 kilometers (121 miles) per hour.
Phanfone continued to sweep west across the islands of the Eastern Visayas region, southern Luzon and Western Visayas on Wednesday, toppling electricity pylons and trees, tearing off roofs, damaging homes and causing widespread travel disruption over the busy Christmas period.

Saudi Arabia through its Ministry of Justice on Monday December 23 issued a de facto ban on child marriages, setting the minimum age for marriage at 18. In a circular issued by the country's Minister of Justice and Chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council Sheikh Dr. Walid Al-Samaani, all courts in the country were directed to refer the marriage application of anyone under 18 to a special court to make sure that “marrying those below 18-years old will not harm them and will achieve their best interest, whether they are male or female”.

Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal has sued his own club over claims they owe him £2million in bonuses from last season. The Chilean midfielder believes he is owed extras from the team's qualification to the knockout and quarter-finals of the Champions League, and says he should have received payments after Barcelona won the title.

Hollywood actor, Andrew Dunbar, best known for his work on Game of Thrones, has been found dead at his Belfast, Ireland home on Christmas Eve. The 30-year-old Portrush native was renowned on the set of the hit HBO show where he worked for years as an extra. He was a body double for Theon Greyjoy, who is played by Alfie Allen in the series.

A Chinese scientist who helped create the world's first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison. He Jiankui shocked the world in 2018 when he announced that twin girls Lulu and Nana had been born with modified DNA to make them resistant to HIV, which he had managed using the gene-editing tool CRISPR-Cas9 before birth.
He, an associate professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen, said at the time that he was "proud" of the achievement. He later claimed that a second woman was pregnant as a result of his research.

Suspected Islamist militants have killed 35 civilians, 31 of them women, in an attack on a military base and a town in Burkina Faso, officials say. They say seven soldiers and 80 militants were also killed as the army repelled Tuesday's attack in Arbinda, in northern Soum province. President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré declared two days of national mourning.

The rematch for Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury boxing clash has been confirmed to take place in Las Vegas on Saturday, February 22, 2020. This comes a year after the first bout between the WBC champion Wilder and the British heavyweight ended in a draw at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Wilder confirmed the rematch in a tweet saying: "After February 22nd there will be no more unanswered questions. I will finish what I started, and this time Tyson Fury will not be getting up off that canvas so quickly.
"I've proven myself time and time again and I will do it again in February."

George Michael's sister Melanie Panayiotou was found dead on Christmas Day, exactly three years after the British pop star died. "We can confirm that very tragically Melanie has passed away suddenly. We would simply ask that the family's privacy be respected at this very sad time" the family's lawyer, John Reid, said in a statement on Friday, December 27th.

Japan carries out rare execution of foreigner

Japan has hanged a Chinese man for the high-profile and brutal murder of a family of four, the first execution of a foreigner in 10 years. The man, Wei Wei, carried out the murders in 2003 with two accomplices. They fled to China, where one was executed in 2005 and the other sentenced to life in jail.
Japan has more than 100 prisoners on death row. Fifteen were executed last year, including 13 members of the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult.
Japan only started to disclose the names of executed inmates in 2007. Since then only one foreigner has been named - a Chinese man hanged in 2009.

China: Customs seizes various kinds of pests from vessel

Customs authorities in east China’s Jiangsu Province have said customs officers had intercepted several kinds of pests from a Panamanian vessel. One of the pests is Platypus cavicepts, an alien species intercepted by Chinese customs for the first time, according to sample tests sent by the Nantong Customs to the Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine.
The pest found in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea is parasitic on beech trees, posing a threat to forestry resources and the ecological environment.
Other intercepted pests include a rubber wood timber pest, Xyleborus affinis, and the dangerous pest Platypus parallelus. The vessel is under supervision.

Santa lookalike robs bank, shouts ‘Merry Christmas’ as he sprays stolen money in the air

A man who dressed as Santa Claus decided to rob a bank and threw the stolen cash in the air while shouting ‘Merry Christmas’ at passersby, according to police. David Wayne Oliver, 65, was arrested at a Starbucks coffee shop after he held up the Academy Bank in Colorado Springs on Monday afternoon.
He is currently being held on a $10,000 bond. Police said the suspect had ‘threatened the use of a weapon’ and left the bank with an undisclosed amount of cash.

A Texas teenager staged a suicide by his 8-months-pregnant sister to cover up the fact that he strangled her because he thought she was an “embarrassment to their family,” cops have said. Eduardo Arevalo, 19, wrote a phony note that was found by his relatives in which Viridiana Arevalo, 23, purportedly said she wanted to kill herself, officials allege.
In reality, Eduardo choked the life out of Viridiana on Dec. 16, one day before her boyfriend reported her missing to cops in The Colony, 30 miles north of Dallas, police Sgt. Aaron Wood¬ard said.

Floyd Mayweather has congratulated Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi after it was revealed they were the highest-paid athletes of the decade. American lifestyle magazine Forbes counted down the top ten richest athletes of the 2010s and the Money Man came WAY out on top.
The boxing icon, 42, earned an eye-watering £706MILLION ($915m) from his boxing career in the last ten years. But Mayweather was also arguably the least active athlete on the list, fighting just ten times in the decade - the last of those coming more than two years ago.

Man accidentally blows up car with "excessive use" of air freshener

Smoking is injurious to health. But it can be injurious for the pocket as well if one is not careful. A UK smoker learnt his lesson the hard way as he blew off his car windscreen and ended up with a damaged vehicle after lighting a cigarette. He was lucky to escape and tell the tale. Witnesses reported hearing an "enormous bang" on Saturday afternoon as the car's windscreen shattered and nearby buildings shook, Manchester Evening News reported.
The man had sprayed air freshener inside his vehicle, parked on a busy street in Halifax in West Yorkshire, when he thought of having a smoke.

The White House argued Sunday that U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has put herself in an untenable position by stalling House-passed articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in hopes of shaping the upcoming Senate trial.
The House voted Wednesday to impeach Trump, making him the third president in U.S. history to be formally charged with "high crimes and misdemeanours." Pelosi has declined to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans provide details on witnesses and testimony, forestalling a trial that is likely to result in Trump's acquittal on charges of obstruction of Congress and abuse of power.

Hong Kong riot police pepper sprayed protesters to disperse crowds in the heart of the city's financial district on Sunday after a largely peaceful rally in support of China's ethnic Uighurs turned chaotic.
Dozens of police marched across a public square overlooking Hong Kong's harbour to face off with protesters who hurled glass bottles and rocks at them.
Earlier in the afternoon more than 1,000 people had rallied calmly, waving Uighur flags and posters, as they took part in the latest demonstration in over six months of unrest.
A mixed crowd of young and elderly people, dressed in black and wearing masks to shield their identities, held up signs reading "Free Uyghur, Free Hong Kong" and "Fake 'autonomy' in China results in genocide."

Zlatan Ibrahimovic statue has nose cut off by vandals

Vandals have cut off the nose of a statue of Zlatan Ibrahimovic outside Malmo's stadium in Sweden.
It is the latest act of vandalism directed at the statue since it was announced that Ibrahimovic had invested in a rival club last month.
Former Sweden striker Ibrahimovic, 38, made his professional debut for Malmo 20 years ago.
The statue's artist Peter Linde has appealed for people to stop the vandalism.

Frank Lampard becomes the master over Jose Mourinho as Chelsea beat Tottenham

In a previous existence, not so long ago, Jose Mourinho expressed his worries for the new-look young Chelsea and manager Frank Lampard in the big matches. Mourinho had his fears addressed in the most comprehensive manner possible as Lampard outflanked him tactically and Chelsea outclassed his new Spurs side to secure a richly deserved victory.
Sadly, the win will be overshadowed by the latest allegations of racist abuse, this time aimed at Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger after he was involved in the incident that saw Spurs' South Korean attacker Heung-min Son sent off for raising a boot into his ribs.

A Texas man who railed against “infidels” in his support of ISIS, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for promoting the group online and lying to investigators, prosecutors said.
Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, a U.S. citizen living in the Dallas area, was convicted in May on eight counts related to social media and supporting terrorism. He could have been sentenced to up to 88 years in federal prison.

The Catalan star admits the gap between Spain's top teams and the rest has closed significantly in recent years. Lionel Messi believes the gap between Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest of La Liga has closed considerably over the past decade making the league a lot more complicated.
Barcelona lead Madrid on goal difference at the top of the table on 34 points, with Sevilla three points back in third. However, just three points separate fourth-place Real Sociedad on 27 points and Granada in ninth.

Champions League group stage sets new goals record

A new Champions League record of 308 goals have been scored during the group stage of the competition in 2019. The previous record of 306 was beaten courtesy of injury-time goals from Juventus and Real Madrid respectively on Wednesday night as both teams wrapped up wins.
Bayern Munich ended the group stage scoring the most goals with their return of 24 just one shy of the record Paris Saint-Germain set in 2017-18. The German giants claimed a comfortable 3-1 win over Tottenham in their final group match, having also beaten Spurs 7-2 earlier in their campaign and ended top of Group B, winning all six of their games and boasting an incredible goal difference of +19.

A teenager who has been missing for two and half years has been found alive in a closet of a child pornography suspect in west Germany, police said. The 15-year old boy was found on Friday during a police search in Recklinghausen, in the German state on North Rhine-Westphalia.
Police were searching a home of a 44-year old man suspected of distributing child pornography, when they stumbled on the boy. "The officers discovered a boy in the closet. An investigation showed this was a 15-year old boy who has been missing for a long time," the Recklinghausen police said in a statement.

A gang leader reportedly ordered the killings of four ride-sharing drivers in Brazil after his sick mother had a ride cancelled. According to reports, the four victims, aged between 23 to 48, were called to the Jardim Santo Inácio favela in Salvador before being tortured and killed. Two of the drivers worked for Uber and the other two for a Brazilian taxi app company, 99, with a fifth driver notifying the police after escaping.

English Premiership side, Everton has confirmed Italian Carlo Ancelotti as the Club new manager. Marcel Brands, Everton’s Director of Football, said: “Following a rigorous process conducted by all of our Directors, it is a pleasure to now welcome Carlo Ancelotti to Everton. He is one of the finest managers in world football and a proven winner, having achieved a remarkable level of success in each of Europe’s major leagues.
“He is the perfect appointment for us. He embraces our vision for the Club and we are sure that his enthusiasm to take the helm at Goodison together with his tactical abilities and well-renowned man-management will make him successful in this role.

A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced five people to death and jailed three others over the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year. Khashoggi, a prominent critic of the Saudi government, was killed inside the kingdom's consulate in the Turkish city of Istanbul by a team of Saudi agents.
The Saudi public prosecutor said it was the result of a "rogue operation" and put 11 unnamed individuals on trial.
A UN expert has concluded that it was an "extrajudicial execution".
Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard called for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to be investigated over the killing.

The wreckage of a Cessna 172 that crashed this weekend on the west coast of Vancouver Island was located Sunday, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) confirmed to CBC affiliate CHEK News. At least one person died in the crash, according to the B.C. Coroners' Service.
JRCC said a plane bound for Tofino, B.C., on Saturday did not arrive at its scheduled time. Later on Sunday, Comox RCMP said the plane was headed to Courtenay, B.C.
A rescue crew was dispatched and located the wreckage through the aircraft's beacon.
They discovered the crash site near Stewardson Inlet, on the west coast of Vancouver Island, on Sunday morning.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) confirmed the plane is a Cessna 172, and in a remote location northwest of Tofino that will be difficult to access.
TSB was notified of the crash on Sunday around 10 a.m. PT and is continuing to gather information.

13 people were shot at a Chicago house party honoring a man killed earlier this year

A Chicago house party devolved into chaos when a dispute led to the shootings of 13 people -- possibly at random, police said. The 13 victims range from 16 to about 48 years old, said Fred Waller, chief of the Chicago Police Bureau of Patrol.
Four of the victims -- including the 16-year-old -- are hospitalized in critical condition. The other victims are in stable condition, Waller said.
The melee broke out around 12:35 a.m. Sunday in the 5700 block of South May Street.
"This incident stemmed from a dispute within that party," Waller said. "This party was given in the memory of a subject that was slain in April. We're still developing details as far as that goes."
Police said shots were fired in three different locations.

As family and friends gather over the holidays, food scientists say there are ways to make breaking bread both festive and safe. If turkey and its side dishes will be served, there's a few steps you should follow to avoid food-borne illness. Public Health Ontario estimates illnesses from all food sources lead to an estimated 100,000 doctor's office visits, 40,000 emergency department visits, 6,200 hospitalizations and more than 50 deaths a year.
For prevention, food safety experts recommend the 4Cs: clean, cook, chill and (avoid) cross-contamination. Here's how.

Manchester United suffered a 2-0 defeat at bottom-placed Watford in the Premier League on Sunday as Paul Pogba made his first appearance for the visitors since Sept. 30. United drew 1-1 with struggling Everton in their last league outing, while Watford were beaten 2-0 by league leaders Liverpool and entered Sunday's fixture with just one top-flight victory all season.
Though both sides struggled to produce moments of quality in the first half, it was United who went closest as Jesse Lingard was put through on goal and his chipped effort skimmed the roof of the net.
The visitors fell behind early in the second half, however, as Will Hughes' free kick was headed on to record signing Ismaila Sarr, whose bouncing volley squirmed through the hands of David de Gea.
Just three minutes later Watford doubled their lead when captain Troy Deeney blasted in a penalty after Sarr was brought down by a rash challenge from Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Three people died in the plane crash on Gabriola Island on Tuesday, which happened after the Nanaimo Airport received a report of an "equipment issue," a preliminary report by Nav Canada says.
The aircraft hit the ground with such force that investigators struggled to even verify the plane's registration, according to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB). The TSB has confirmed the plane was on a private pleasure flight that had taken off from Bishop, Calif., and was headed to Nanaimo, B.C.

Pep Guardiola says it is "unrealistic" to expect Manchester City to chase down Liverpool at the top of the Premier League despite a morale-boosting win over high-flying Leicester. City beat Leicester 3-1 at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday to move to within 11 points of Liverpool, whose domestic commitments were postponed because of the World Club Cup in Qatar.
Victory over Brendan Rodgers' side prompted questions about whether the reigning champions are still title contenders, but Guardiola insists Liverpool's form makes an challenge unlikely.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday dropped a cryptic hint seen by some as a sign he may not serve another term while also staunchly defending his Kremlin policies in a marathon news conference.
Clocking in at four hours and twenty-five minutes, the question-and-answer session was one of the longest ever held by Putin in a format that has become an annual end-of-year tradition for the Russian leader.

Notre Dame Cathedral will not hold Christmas services for the first time in more than 200 years, following the fire that devastated the Paris landmark in April, officials confirmed. Reconstruction works take place on Notre-Dame on July 9, 2019 in Paris after it was badly damaged by fire in April.
It will be the first time since 1803 that the 850-year-old cathedral has not held Christmas services, spokesman Andre Finot told CNN on Sunday.

From cashier to world's youngest PM. Finland's new leader breaks the mold

When leaders from the European Council gathered for a group photo in Brussels last week, it was hard to miss the class newbie. Standing front and center among the neat rows of middle-aged men was Finland's new prime minister -- 34-year-old Sanna Marin.
The young woman had a huge smile on her face. And why not, given her trailblazing new status as the world's youngest sitting prime minister.

Days after becoming the first woman to beat a man at the World Darts Championship, Fallon Sherrock was at it again. The 25-year-old further cemented her place in history on Saturday by defeating 11th seed Mensur Suljovic 3-1 at London's Alexandra Palace. Sherrock won the opening set before Austria's Suljovic leveled the scores in the second. But Sherrock claimed the next two, securing her place in the final 32 with a bullseye.
The English sensation has faith she could even go on to win the whole tournament.
"Why not?" she told Sky Sports after the victory.

Tuesday 31 December 2019

Monday 30 December 2019

Thursday 26 December 2019

Tuesday 24 December 2019

Monday 23 December 2019

Sunday 22 December 2019