Amid shortage, Canada taps into emergency maple syrup reserves

 

 Global supply shortages have hit toy shops in the US and coffee producers in Brazil. In Canada, the country's liquid gold - maple syrup - is running low. The Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) - the so-called Opec of maple syrup - has released about 22m kg from its emergency larder, nearly half the total in reserve.
Booming demand and a shortened harvest had caused the shortfall, QMSP said.
It is the first time in three years the reserve has been used.

Madagascar boat accident kills at least 64; minister swims to safety from helicopter crash at site

 

 At least 64 people have died in a boat accident off the coast of northeastern Madagascar and searches were underway for 24 missing passengers, the maritime agency said on Wednesday.
Fifty survivors were found, the Maritime and River Port Agency (APMF) said.
The vessel, a cargo ship that was not authorized to transport people, was overloaded and water flooded the engine, said Mamy Randrianavony, APMF director of operations at sea.
It sank late on Monday night with 138 people on board, APMF said.

Barcelona's Alexia Putellas makes history as first Spanish Ballon d'Or winner since 1960

 

 
Barcelona's Alexia Putellas has become the first Spain international to win the Ballon d'Or since 1960 after leading her club to the Treble this year. She was named the best women's player in the world on Monday as she received the Ballon d'Or Feminin.
Putellas, who was also named UEFA Women's Player of the Year in August, is the first Spanish winner since Luis Suarez in 1960. "Honestly, it is a bit emotional. Very special. It is great to be here with all my teammates. We've lived and experienced so much together, especially last season," she said.
"I would like to thank all my teammates, all my teammates throughout my career and the ones I have right now. This is an individual prize but football is a team sport.

Barbados becomes a republic and parts ways with the Queen

 

Barbados has officially removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state and became a republic in an overnight ceremony in the capital of Bridgetown.
Dame Sandra Mason was sworn in as president during a midnight event coinciding with the country's 55th anniversary of independence.
The Prince of Wales and Barbadian singer Rihanna attended the event.
In a speech, Prince Charles acknowledged the "appalling atrocity of slavery" the Caribbean island suffered.

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi wins award as best player in world football for seventh time

 

 Paris St-Germain and Argentina forward Lionel Messi won the Ballon d'Or - awarded to the best footballer of the year - for a record seventh time.
Messi, 34, helped his country win the Copa America, his first international honour, and has scored 40 goals in 2021 - 28 for Barcelona, four for Paris St-Germain and eight for Argentina.
Bayern Munich and Poland striker Robert Lewandowski came second, Chelsea and Italy midfielder Jorginho was third and Real Madrid's French striker Karim Benzema finished fourth.
The Ballon d'Or is voted for by 180 journalists from around the world, although there was no award in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Real Madrid's Karim Benzema handed 12-month suspended prison sentence in s3x-tape trial

 

Karim Benzema has been handed a one-year suspended prison sentence and a €75,000 fine for his involvement in the attempted blackmail of former teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape. Benzema's lawyer told journalists on Wednesday the player will appeal the verdict.
The judgment from a court in Versailles, France -- which found Benzema guilty of "complicity" in the case -- brings an end to a legal saga dating back to 2015 that saw Benzema exiled from the France national team for almost six years. Benzema did not attend the three-day trial last month. His lawyer cited professional reasons, with the 33-year-old in training with Real Madrid ahead of their El Clasico clash with Barcelona.

International women’s goalkeeper accused of being a man as Jordan FA calls for gender test on the Iranian footballer

 

The president of the Jordan Football Association (JFA) has called for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to carry out a gender test on Iranian women's goalkeeper, Zohreh Koudaei. Iran beat Jordan 4-2 on penalties in September, with Koudaei saving two spot-kicks to help her country to qualify for the 2022 Women's Asia Cup for the first time in their history.
But the JFA have doubts over the 'eligibility of a participating player,' and are demanding a gender test on the shot-stopper. They believe Koudaei was in fact a man impersonating a woman. In response, Iran's team selector Maryam Irandoost strongly denied the allegations.

Legendary novelist Wilbur Smith dies at 88

 

Legendary novelist, Wilbur Smith has died unexpectedly at the age of 88. The Zambian-born writer published 49 books and sold more than 140 million copies worldwide. He died at his home in South Africa on Saturday, November 13.
“We are sorry to announce that the beloved, global bestselling author Wilbur Smith passed away unexpectedly this afternoon at his Cape Town home, with his wife Niso by his side,” wrote Smith’s office on Twitter.
 “We are so grateful to his millions of fans across the world who cherished his incredible writing and joined us all on his amazing adventures,” the office said.

Over 100 lawsuits filed against Travis Scott following Astroworld tragedy

 

Over 100 lawsuits have been filed against Travis Scott and Live Nation by fans injured in the Astroworld tragedy, along with the families of some of the dead persons. Nine people died and more than 300 were hurt, including a 9-year-old boy who was left in a coma, when the first night to the two-day concert festival in Houston descended into chaos.
Thousands of fans among the 50,000 rushed the stage, crushing and trampling victims over a period of 40 minutes while the rapper continued performing.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has been named the EA Player of the Month for October after a string of fine performances.

 

 
The 29-year-old scored a hat-trick to inspire Liverpool to a 5-0 win over rivals Manchester United and netted outstanding individual goals against both Manchester City and Watford. Salah had nine goal involvements in league games in October, helping Liverpool to two wins and two draws.
 The Egypt international also continued his scoring exploits on the European stage with a brace in a 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid.

Singapore to bill unvaccinated COVID-19 patients as fresh infections surge across island

 

 
Unvaccinated patients in Singapore will have to pay their own medical bills from next month as the island nation tries to come to grips with a worrying COVID-19 caseload. In the past 24 hours, Singapore reported 14 deaths from coronavirus and 2,470 new cases.
Singapore's Ministry of Health (MOH) says the government has been paying full coronavirus medical costs of all Singaporeans, permanent residents and long-term pass holders since the pandemic began.
This does not include those residents who test positive after returning from overseas travel.
But from December 8, all COVID-19 patients in Singapore who are eligible for vaccination but choose not to do so will need to cover their own medical expenses.

Businessman, David Henderson is jailed for 18 months for organising doomed flight that crashed and killed footballer Emiliano Sala

 

Businessman, David Henderson who organised the doomed flight that crashed and killed footballer Emiliano Sala  has been sentenced to 18 months in prison. Sala, 28 and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, died when the small plane they were flying in plunged into the English Channel in January 2019 as he was on his way to sign for Cardiff.
David Henderson, 67, of Hotham in the East Riding of Yorkshire, was a pilot himself but could not fly the plane because he was on holiday in Paris with his wife.

Jeff Bezos sells $2 billion worth of his Amazon Stock

 

 The world's second richest man, Jeff Bezos has sold $2b worth of his stock in Amazon, the world's biggest retailer, according to a new report by Forbes. Bezos sold the shares earlier this week while he was in Glasgow at the COP26 climate summit. The sale came as Bezos, the world’s second richest person, promised in a speech at the summit that he will spend $2 billion from his Earth Fund on restoring nature and transforming food systems.
“We must conserve what we still have, we must restore what we’ve lost, and we must grow what we need to live without degrading the planet for future generations to come,” Bezos said during his talk in Glasgow.

Xavi presented as new Barcelona manager to 10,000 adoring fans at the Nou Camp (photos)

Xavi has officially been presented to fans as the new coach of Barcelona. About 10,000 adoring Barcelona fans were at the Nou Camp on Monday afternoon, November 8, where the Spanish legend vowed to restore the club to its former glory.
'I don't want to get too emotional,' he told them. 'So I can just tell you one thing - we are the best club in the world. And we will work with the highest standards to have success. We cannot accept defeats or draws, we have to win every game.' 'We are going to work to try and win many titles, thank you very much, this is an emotional moment for me.

Man jailed for racially abusing Black England players on Facebook livestream after Euro final

 

A forklift driver who racially abused three England football players has been jailed after his colleague reported the video.
 Jonathon Best, 52, used the social networking site to rant about black players who missed penalties during the Euro 2020 final, which England lost to Italy in July.
Marcus Rashford, Jordan Sancho, and Bukayo Saka suffered racist abuse on the internet over their failure to convert the penalty kick as the Italian team won 3-2 in a penalty shoot-out after the final game ended in a 1-1 draw after extra time.

New York judge sets 2022 target for s3xual abuse civil case against Prince Andrew

 

The judge in the Prince Andrew sexual abuse civil case is planning to hold a trial between September and December in 2022. New York Judge Lewis Kaplan made the comments in only the second hearing involving both the Duke of York and Virginia Giuffre's legal teams.
During the short telephone hearing, Judge Kaplan said that "in another era, I would probably set a trial date today but you are aware of the difficulties of getting juries", referring to precautions now being taken because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ethiopian citizens, diplomats, and government officials flee Addis Ababa as rebels close in on capital

 

 Ethiopian citizens, government officials, foreigners and diplomats are hastily fleeing Addis Ababa as rebel forces close in on the country’s capital. Tigray fighters and Oromo rebels are said to have surrounded the capital. George Anderson, a freelance journalist, tweeted that airlines departing Addis Ababa were fully-booked as people flee Addis Ababa.
 He wrote: "BREAKING NEWS: Airlines departing from Addis Ababa are reported to be fully booked as diplomats, government officials and Ethiopian citizens flee Addis with imminent takeover by Tigray/Oromo forces."
On Tuesday, November 2, just one day before the mass exodus, Ethiopia declared a six-month state of emergency after forces from the northern region of Tigray said they were gaining territory and considering marching on the capital Addis Ababa.

Minister blames Energy Drinks for high teenage pregnancies in Uganda

 

 Too many brands of energy drinks on the Ugandan market are partly to blame for the increasing cases of teenage pregnancy in the country, the state minister for gender and culture, Ms Peace Mutuuzo has said.
“These days there are many energy drinks on the market and our people are being deceived that they give manpower. You ask yourself, man power for what? Are they planning a war? In the evening when they get intoxicated they don’t spare our young girls?” Ms Mutuuzo said before calling upon Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) to intervene and regulate on the number of energy drink brands.
She adds, “Is it morally right to disguise alcoholic drinks as energy drink? Are we short of energy?” she asked.

British No.1, Emma Raducanu reveals she’s donated her US Open trophy

 

Emma Raducanu has revealed she’s donated her US Open trophy to the LTA at the National Tennis Centre. The 18-year-old put herself and British tennis at the forefront of world tennis by becoming the first ever qualifier to win a Grand Slam when she beat Leylah Fernandez in the final.
 Raducanu picked up a cool £1.8m in prize money for her win in New York and also came home with the US Open trophy in what was only her second appearance at a Grand Slam.
But she’s donated her trophy to the National Tennis Centre in London.
 ‘It’s stored at the National Tennis Centre I’m pretty sure in London,’ she said after beating Ana Bogdan in the second round of the Transylvania Open.

Tom Hanks reveals why he turned down Jeff Bezos' offer to travel with him to space

 

 
Top Hollywood Actor, Tom Hanks was offered a ride to space by Billionaire Jeff Bezos on his Blue Origin rocket, but the actor turned it down. According to Hanks the offer came with a price tag.
During an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the very talented actor confirmed that Bezos has asked him to join the space exploration crew but that he was expected to pay. "Well yeah, provided I pay," Hanks said. "It costs like $28 million or something like that. And I'm doing good, Jimmy — I'm doing good — but I ain't paying $28 million. You know what, we could simulate the experience of going to space right now."