Argentina win the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar after 4-2 penalty shootout

 

 A Lionel Messi inspired Argentina beat a Kylian Mbappe energized France following a dramatic 3-3 draw in full time that climaxed with a penalty win for Argentina.
 Lionel Messi’s 108th-minute strike was not enough to give Argentina the deserved win after Kylian Mbappe scored a penalty in the 118th minute to bring the game level to 3-3  at the extra time in the Qatar 2022 World Cup final on Sunday December 18.
In the 23rd-minute Argentina captain, Lionel Messi scored a penalty putting France on the backdoor and after another impressive spell of good football by Argentina, a 36th-minute strike from Angel Di Maria left the South Americans in a commanding position at the break.

Huge Berlin aquarium bursts, spilling 1,500 fish onto road

 

 A huge aquarium in Berlin burst early on Friday, spilling 1 million litres (264,172 gallons) of water, around 1,500 exotic fish and debris onto a major road in the busy Mitte district, emergency services said.
Around 100 emergency responders rushed to the site, a leisure complex that houses a Radisson hotel and a museum as well as what Sea Life Berlin said was the world's largest freestanding cylindrical aquarium at 14 metres (46ft) in height.
"It felt like an earthquake" said Naz Masraff, who had been staying at the hotel.
Another hotel guest, Sandra Weeser, spoke of chaos.
"The whole aquarium burst and what’s left is total devastation. Lots of dead fish, debris," she told Reuters.

FIFA president Infantino announces that new Men’s Club World Cup will take place in 2025

 

 FIFA president, Gianni Infantino has confirmed that FIFA will launch a 32-team men's Club World Cup in 2025.
 The new Club World Cup concept was initially meant to launch in China in 2021 with 24 teams but was cancelled due to the pandemic - and is now set for a further expansion from June 2025.
 In a press conference ahead of Argentina vs France final on Sunday, the FIFA president dropped several bombshells after claiming that Qatar 2022 was 'the best World Cup ever'.
 Infantino said: "We have approved a 48-team World Cup format with 16 groups of three, of which the top two would then move to a knockout phase of 32, followed by 16, eight, four and then two.

Landslide at Malaysia campground leaves 16 dead and 17 missing

 

 A landslide occurred on Friday, Dec. 16, at a tourist campground in Malaysia, leaving 16 people dead and 17 others were feared buried at the site.
 The site is on an organic farm outside the capital of Kuala Lumpur.
 An estimated 94 Malaysians were believed to have been at the campsite in Batang Kali in central Selangor state, around 31 miles north of Kuala Lumpur, when the incident occurred, said district police chief Suffian Abdullah.
 He said the death toll has risen to 16, including a five-year-old boy.
 Seven people have been hospitalized with injuries and rescuers were searching for the estimated 17 missing people, he said.

Twitter bans accounts of CNN, NYT and Washington Post journalists who tracked Elon Musk’s movements and shared his live location

 

 
Twitter on Thursday evening, December 15 banned the accounts of several high-profile journalists from top news organizations, a significant attempt by new owner Elon Musk to wield his authority over the platform.
 Accounts belonging to CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan, The New York Times’ Ryan Mac, The Washington Post’s Drew Harwell and other journalists who have covered Musk aggressively in recent weeks were all abruptly permanently suspended. The account of progressive independent journalist Aaron Rupar was also banned.
 Musk claimed that the journalists had violated his new “doxxing” policy by sharing his live location, amounting to what he described as “assassination coordinates.”

US lawmakers introduce bill to ban TikTok in the country

 

 Some US lawmakers have introduced new legislation that aims to ban TikTok from operating in the United States.
The new bill by Sen. Marco Rubio, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and a bipartisan pair of congressmen in the House, reflects the latest move by US policymakers against the Chinese-owned short-form video app.
There have been reports that TikTok lacks ability to safeguard US user data from the Chinese government.
 The proposed legislation on Tuesday December 13, would “block and prohibit all transactions” in the United States by social media companies with at least one million monthly users that are based in, or under the “substantial influence” of, countries that are considered foreign adversaries, including China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.

Qatar 2022: Lionel Messi confirms retirement from International Football after World Cup Final

 

 Football icon, Lionel Messi has confirmed that he will retire from international football after the final of the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022 on Sunday December 18.
 Messi helped Argentina qualify for the final following a commanding 3-0 win against Croatia in Tuesday’s semi-final after he opened scoring and provided an assist for two-goal hero, Julian Alvarez to earn Argentina a World Cup final appearance since 2014.
 Speaking to Argentine media outlet Diario Deportivo Ole, after the match, Messi said: “I feel very happy, to be able to achieve this, to finish my World Cup journey by playing my last game in a final.

President Biden signs historic same-sex marriage bill at White House

 

US President, Joe Biden has signed new legislation protecting same-sex and interracial marriage.
 Biden held an event at the White House South Lawn with lawmakers and Cabinet members as the Respect for Marriage Act becomes law.
 "Today is a good day," Biden said as he took the podium after Vice President Kamala Harris. "A day America takes a vital step toward equality, for liberty and justice, not just for some, but for everyone. Toward creating a nation where decency, dignity and love are recognized, honored and protected."
 "We're here today to celebrate their courage and everyone who made the day possible," the president continued. "Courage that led to progress we've seen over the decades, progress that gives us hope that every generation will continue on our journey toward a more perfect union."

2022 FIFA World Cup: Argentina qualifies for final after 3-0 win against Croatia

 

 A masterclass play from Lionel Messi and Julian Alvarez Alvarez on Tuesday December 13, has helped Argentina beat Croatia 3-0, to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup final, taking place in Qatar.
 The Argentine team started the semi-final match slow, but later took control of the game as star player and captain, Messi, put his team ahead with a 34th-minute penalty after Croatia goalkeeper, Dominik Livakovic tripped Alvarez as he chased a long ball.
 Croatia, which came from behind to beat Japan and Brazil on penalties in the last two rounds, tried to hit back in the second half but failed to open any real cracks in a determined Argentine defense.

High school stops 70 students from graduating because they fixed artificial nails

 

 About 70 female students at a Sydney high school were barred from attending their graduation celebrations because they were wearing artificial nails.
 Parents of the Year 10 students from Mackellar Girls Campus in Manly Vale, Australia, were left horrified when their daughters were stopped from participating in their end-of-year graduation ceremony this week.
 This meant the girls were forced to miss the ceremony and instead sat in a separate room during the graduation because their fake nails breached the school's strict dress code.
Speaking to news.com.au, the mother of a barred student said a lot of parents had taken time off to attend the 9:15 a.m. assembly on Monday, Dec. 12.

Drake gets necklace with 42 engagement diamonds for all the times he wanted to propose

 

 Drake has paid for a diamond necklace that showcases 42 diamonds from engagement rings he thought about giving women.
 "New piece titled ‘Previous Engagements’ for all the times he thought about it but never did it," jewelry designer Alex Moss wrote as he shared a video showcasing the necklace.
 The necklace is made up of "42 engagement rings, 351.38 carats in diamonds," Moss explained in the caption.
 Moss added that creating the necklace was "an expedition spanning 14 months, every diamond hand selected, inspected to only suit perfection."

Cambridge University agrees to hand colonial-era African artefacts back to Uganda so the items can 'live again'

 

 Cambridge University has agreed to hand back priceless African artefacts to Uganda.
 According to Mail Online, the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) is in talks with the Uganda Museum about repatriating the objects to the east African nation in 2023.
 Uganda's Commissioner for Monuments and Museums, Rose Mwanja Nkaale, and the Curator, Nelson Abiti, visited the museum last month to discuss which objects should be prioritised for repatriation.
They were joined by Derek Peterson, a professor of History and African Studies at the University of Michigan, who is principal investigator for the Repositioning project.

Outrage as Cambridge dictionary changes the definition of "man" and "woman"

 

 
Cambridge Dictionary is being criticized on social media for changing the definitions of the words "man" and "woman".
 The definition was altered to include people who identify as a gender other than their biological sex.
 The definition of woman, which previously was about the sex a person was born as, now states that a woman is "an adult who lives and identifies as female though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."
Similarly, a man is now defined as "an adult who lives and identifies as male though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth."

Uber driver stabbed to death by random passenger who 'just wanted to kill someone'

 

 A female Uber driver who also worked with the police was murdered at random by a passenger who "just wanted to kill someone", cops say.
 Brandon Jacobs, 29, is accused of stabbing Yolanda Dillion, 54, to death before posting a video of the bloody aftermath to Facebook.
 The passenger allegedly killed his victim from the backseat of her car in Louisiana, US after she picked him up for his journey on Thursday, Dec. 8.
 He then walked to a hotel where he had pre-booked a room before cops arrested him on suspicion of the crime.

Jadon Sancho is not 'physically or mentally' ready to play for Man United - Erik ten Hag reveals

 

 
Manchester United coach, Erik ten Hag has revealed that their star winger, Jadon Sancho is training away from Manchester United and will not return until he is physically and mentally ready to play for the club again.
 Sancho has been working in Holland with coaches trusted by his manager Erik ten Hag, having not kicked a ball for United since October 22 due to illness. The 22-year-old missed the club's training camp in Spain last week after he was left out of England's squad for the World Cup.

EU parliament to sack vice president Eva Kaili in Qatar bribe claim

 

 The European Parliament has taken the first step by ditching one of its own vice presidents, Greek socialist Eva Kaili amid allegations of corruption linked to World Cup host, Qatar.
 European Parliament Vice-President Eva Kaili and three others were charged and imprisoned last Sunday in Belgium, amid a police probe into alleged corruption linked with Qatar.
 Greek socialist MEP Eva Kaili's lawyer has since declared that she was innocent and "has nothing to do with Qatar's bribes".

Indonesia says tourists will not be prosecuted under new laws banning sex outside marriage over fears it would destroy their holiday industry

 

Indonesia has confirmed that tourists will not be prosecuted under new laws banning sex outside of marriage, over fears it would destroy the country's tourism industry.
 Last week, the Southeast Asian country's parliament passed legislation approving jail terms of up to a year for anyone caught having sex outside of wedlock, while cohabitation by unmarried couples can also be punished with six months in prison.
Officials say the law aims to uphold 'Indonesian values' in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.
 However, businesses have voiced worries over the new law, warning that it will be detrimental to tourism in Indonesia, which received more than 16 million visitors in 2019.

Female police officer loses her job after claiming she was 'unaware' her husband was a drug lord despite enjoying lavish lifestyle with him

 

A former Metropolitan police officer reportedly lost her job after claiming she didn't know her husband was a major drug dealer.
 Officer Rasvinder Agalliu enjoyed a lavish lifestyle involving a £5,000-a-month rental property, a £70,000 Audi, and a lot of designer clothes, ladbible reports.
Meanwhile, she claimed to believe her husband, Julian Agalliu, could afford their expensive lifestyle because he was working as a private chef in footballers' home, where she said he earned between £1,000 and £4,000 a week and was paid in cash.
 Julian was also a major drug dealer who used the criminal app Encrochat to deal cocaine and cannabis.

2022 World Cup: ‘We are going to have difficulties stopping Messi’ – Luka Modric speaks ahead of Croatia Vs Argentina semifinal clash

 

 
Croatia star man and captain, Luka Modric, has revealed that it will take something special for his team to stop Argentina and star man Lionel Messi ahead of the semi-final clash of the FIFA World Cup on Tuesday, December 13.
In a press conference on Monday, the Real Madrid player said it will be difficult to beat Argentina at the Lusail Stadium, but that his team is prepared and will give their all.
 “Argentina is a big team, I don’t just want to play against one player.
“Of course, Leo Messi is very big, their best player, and we are going to have a lot of difficulties stopping him, but we are prepared and we are going to give it our all.
 “Let’s go to try to make the best match of the tournament of our lives. I hope it will be enough to be in the final.”

Argentina Vice President Cristina Kirchner sentenced to six years in prison for corruption charges

 

 A federal court in Argentina has found Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner guilty in a high-profile corruption case, sentencing the politician to six years in prison and disqualifying her from holding public office.
 The former president, who denies the allegations against her and dismissed the trial as a political witch hunt, was found guilty of the crime of “fraudulent administration to the detriment of the state.” The three-panel judge rejected the charge that she ran a criminal organisation, which would have led to a more severe punishment.
 She is unlikely to spend any time behind bars because she holds congressional immunity due to her role as the nation’s deputy leader and head of the Senate.

Balenciaga apologizes for ads featuring children holding bondage bears

 

uxury fashion house Balenciaga has apologized for featuring children cuddling teddy bears dressed in bondage gear in its latest advertising campaign.
Shot by photographer Gabriele Galimberti, images linked to the Balenciaga Gift Shop campaign featured young children dressed in the Balenciaga Kids line.
According to the original press release issued last week, the "campaign iterates on the artist's series Toy Stories, an exploration of what people collect and receive as gifts."
In its original press release, the company said that the line featured "dozens of new products ranging from homeware, petwear and scent, from everyday items to limited-edition collectibles and bespoke furniture."

Jamaica declares widespread state of emergency to fight violent crime

 

A widespread state of emergency has been declared across Jamaica to fight violent crime, the island nation’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Wednesday.
“All Jamaicans should be able to enjoy the Christmas season free from the threat of violence. We have some really serious criminal threats facing us and we have to use all the powers at our disposal,” Holness said.
The State of Emergency (SOE) will be enforced in nine of Jamaica’s 14 parishes, including Clarendon, Saint Catherine, Westmoreland, Hanover and parts of Kingston, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann and Saint James, which encompasses the popular tourist destination Montego Bay.

Tom Ford now a billionaire after Estée Lauder agrees to buy his company for $2.8 Billion

 

 
Estée Lauder has agreed to buy Tom Ford’s high-end fragrances, making designer, film director, art collector and fashion world provocateur, Tom Ford now officially a billionaire.
 On Tuesday, November 15, Estée Lauder announced it had agreed to buy his company in a deal that totaled $2.8 billion - the largest in the luxury industry this year.
Ford, 61, will stay on with the brand through the end of 2023, though his role beyond that is not yet clear.
Saying he “could not be happier,” Mr. Ford added of Estée Lauder in a statement, “They have been an extraordinary partner from the first day of my creation of the company and I am thrilled to see them become the luxury stewards in this next chapter of the Tom Ford brand.”

Democrats retain control of the US Senate after Nevada win in major boost for Joe Biden

 

 The Democratic party of the United States have secured control of the  Senate, giving Joe Biden a mid-term boost as he heads into the final two years of his first term as president.
With one seat still in doubt, the Democrats claimed a majority on Sunday, November 13 when Nevada senator Catherine Cortez Masto was re-elected, defeating Republican challenger Adam Laxalt.
The party now has 50 seats in the 100-seat Senate, with the newly elected Senate to be sworn in on January 3, 2023. While control of the US House of Representatives is still to be decided, and a run-off election will take place to decide who claims one of Georgia's Senate seats, the Democrats have retained a Senate majority by virtue of Vice-President Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote.

Morocco beat Spain 3-0 on Penalties to reach their first ever World Cup quarter-finals

 

 
Morocco have qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA World cup for the first time ever, after beating Spain on penalties, on Tuesday December 6.
 The Atlas Lions of Morocco become only the fourth African team to reach that stage after Cameroon in 1990, Senegal in 2002 and Ghana in 2010.
 After a goalless 120 minutes of football, both matching each other in intensity and defense, it was penalties to the rescue where Spain lost three kicks while Morroco won three and lost one.
 Achraf Hakimi, the Spain-born Morocco right-back last kick pushed the Spaniards out, the country he could have played for.

Former Albanian president, Sali Berisha, 78, is punched in the face and left with a black eye as thug attacks him during anti-govt protest

 

 
Former Albanian president, Sali Berisha has been left with a black eye after he was punched in the face by a thug today during an anti-government protest in the capital of Tirana.
 The opposition leader, 78, was leading protesters to the venue of a summit of EU leaders and their Western Balkan counterparts in Tirana when a 31-year-old man emerged from the crowd and attacked the politician on Tuesday, December 5.
Berisha received a powerful punch before his bodyguards rushed to subdue the attacker. Police said the suspect who was taken into custody had suffered from 'psychiatric irregularities' and had previously faced charges involving acts of violence and drug trafficking.

Anti-Semitic hate crimes in NYC soared 125 percent in November amidst Kanye West spewing anti-semitic rhetoric

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Anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City more than doubled in November compared to the same month last year, according to the latest numbers released by the NYPD.
 There were 45 hate crimes inspired by anti-Semitism in Nov. 2022, compared to 20 in November 2021 — representing a 125% spike.
The dramatic increase coincided with scandals involving Kanye West and Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving spewing anti-Semitic rhetoric on Twitter and in interviews.
 Mayor Eric Adams said at a press conference on Monday: "We have normalized hate and I continue to say the biggest spreader of this hate is social media.

Mother going blind after tattooing her eyeballs blue and purple to copy an influencer

 

 
A mum-of-five has said that she regrets not listening to her seven-year-old daughter who warned that she could go blind if she got her eyeballs tattooed.
 Law student Anaya Peterson, 32, is now losing her sight after she chose to tattoo her eyeballs blue and purple.
She was inspired by "blue-eyed dragon" Amber Luke, an Australian model who got her eyeballs inked blue in 2019 - before going temporarily blind for three weeks. Anaya, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, was left hospitalised following the eye alteration and is facing permanent blindness after a suspected reaction to the eyeball ink.
 The mum, who also has a tongue split and facial tattoos, now says she wishes she could have done things differently.

Wisconsin Christmas parade driver, Darrell Brooks gets 1,067 years in jail and six consecutive life sentences after running down six people

 

Wisconsin Christmas parade driver, Darrell Brooks has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of extended supervision for driving his SUV into a crowd of Christmas parade attendees in Waukesha, Wisconsin, last November, killing six people and wounding dozens more.
 Brooks, 40, received the sentencing after a circuit court jury in Waukesha, Wisconsin, found him guilty on Oct. 26 of 76 criminal charges, including the six counts of intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon.
On Wednesday, following two days of impassioned statements from victims and family members, Judge Jennifer Dorow imposed the statutorily mandated sentence, ordering Brooks to serve a life sentence without the possibility of extended supervision for each of the six counts of first-degree intentional homicide with the use of a dangerous weapon. The sentences will run consecutively, the judge said.

Buckingham Palace Staff Member Resigns Over Remarks to Black Guest

 

When Ngozi Fulani was invited to a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday hosted by Camilla, the queen consort and wife of King Charles III, she did not expect to find herself being repeatedly questioned by a member of the household staff about where she was from.
Ms. Fulani, who is Black and was born in Britain, documented the exchange with the staff member, whom she identified as “Lady SH,” on Twitter. The encounter, in which the employee seemed unwilling to believe Ms. Fulani was British, rattled her, she said. And it left her with “mixed feelings” about the gathering, which was dedicated to raising awareness about violence against women and girls, showcasing Camilla’s involvement in this cause.

Indonesia's parliament creates new law banning sex outside marriage

 

 Indonesian lawmakers passed a sweeping new criminal code on Tuesday, December 6 that criminalizes sex outside marriage.
 The new law, which also applies to foreign residents and tourists, bans cohabitation before marriage, apostasy, and provides punishments for insulting the president or expressing views against national ideology.
“All have agreed to ratify the (draft changes) into law,” said lawmaker Bambang Wuryanto, who led the parliamentary commission in charge of revising the colonial-era code.
 “The old code belongs to Dutch heritage … and is no longer relevant.”

Putin signs law banning protests from taking place in public areas in Russia

 

Russian President, Vladimir Putin has signed laws making it more difficult to stage protests in the country.
 The law bans any kind of rally from taking place at a range of locations including government buildings, universities, schools, anywhere near churches, airports and ports, railway stations and vital infrastructure, state news agency RIA said Monday.
Before now in Russia, rallies were forbidden from taking place near presidential residences, courts, prisons and emergency operational services. The new law also states that Regional authorities can additionally introduce further bans on demonstrations based on “historical, cultural, and other objective characteristics of the subject."
The law is among 50 other laws, Putin signed on Monday according to RIA.

David Walliams leaves Britain’s Got Talent after 10 years

 

Comedian and actor, David Walliams is taking a bow from Britain’s Got Talent after 10 years judging on the ITV show.
51-year-old David stepped down as a judge on the show after he was forced to apologize for foul-mouthed comments about contestants.
Moves are underway to replace David Walliams after a decade on the judging panel. Walliams is preparing to formally confirm his decision to step back in the coming weeks. A source told The Sun;
“David has decided to bow out after a ten-year run. He wants to leave on a high after a wonderful time.
"Being on the show has been a huge source of entertainment and joy for him and he is arguably the most popular member of the panel.

Twitter employees in Ghana accuse Elon Musk of discrimination after they were sacked but not given same severance pay as Americans or Europeans

 

 In a letter to Ghana's Chief Labour Officer, the workers petitioned the Ghanaian government to compel Twitter to “adhere to the laws of Ghana on redundancy and offer the employees a fair and just negotiation and redundancy pay,”
 “It is clear that Twitter, Inc. under Mr Elon Musk is either deliberately or recklessly flouting the laws of Ghana, is operating in bad faith and in a manner that seeks to silence and intimidate former employees into accepting any terms unilaterally thrown at them,” the letter states.
 Twitter laid off all but one of the African employees just four days after the company opened a physical office in the capital Accra following Musk’s takeover.

Saudi Arabia coach denies his players will be gifted a Rolls-Royce each by the country's royal family

 

Saudi Arabia coach, Herve Renard has denied rumors that the country's royal family will gift every player a Rolls Royce after their famous win against Argentina which saw them break a 36-match winning streak.
 After their 2-1 win against Argentina on Tuesday November 22, it was alleged that each member of the 26-man squad was to receive a Rolls Royce Phantom from crown prince Mohammed bin Salman
Addressing the rumor, Herve Renard said: 'There is nothing true about this. We have a very serious federation and ministry of sport and it is not the time to get something at this moment.'

Nike cut its ties with Irving in November after he initially refused to apologize for his controversial tweet.

In a statement, the company said it was 'deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation'.
 The brand also said it would not launch the Kyrie 8s - the shoe designed by the player and company - which were set to be released later in November.
 Irving signed with Nike in 2011 and has had a signature line of shoes since 2014, with his annual endorsement deal believed to be worth at least $11 million.
Irving has one of the most popular signature shoes in the NBA and is now a sneaker-free agent.
He has continued to wear Nike shoes since returning to the court, despite the brand suspending its partnership.  

Cristiano Ronaldo 'offered £62 million-a-year deal to join Saudi giants Al Nassr'

 

 Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly been offered a bumper three-year contract in Saudi Arabia.
 The 37-year-old Portuguese star had his Manchester United contract terminated earlier this month after his controversial statements in a TV interview with Piers Morgan.
Saudi Arabian giants Al Nassr have offered a contract worth £186million over three years to the iconic Portuguese striker, according to a report from CBS Sports.
 The monstrous contract is said to be on the table in order to entice Ronaldo to make the switch to the Middle East, but the player is still evaluating the options available to him in Europe.
 Al-Nassr are one of the most successful clubs in Saudi Arabia, having being crowned winners of the country's top flight nine times, with their most recent triumph coming in 2019.

Formula 1 cancels Chinese Grand Prix for fourth year due to the country's strict Covid policies

 

 
Formula 1 will not race in China next season after it the series confirmed its scheduled round in Shanghai has been cancelled. The world championship was intending to return to China in April next year as the fourth round of the 2023 season. However, due to the logistical problems presented by the Chinese government’s Covid restrictions, Formula 1 has decided it will not be possible to stage the race at all in 2023.
Formula 1 last raced at the Shanghai International Circuit in 2019. China remains the only race originally planned for the 2020 season – the year most heavily impacted by Covid – not to have held a grand prix since the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020. The Vietnam Grand Prix was originally scheduled to make its debut during the 2020 season but the race did not take place.