Cruise ship with 800 Covid-positive passengers docks in Sydney

 

  A cruise ship with hundreds of Covid-positive passengers docked in Sydney, Australia, after being hit by a wave of infections.
The Majestic Princess cruise ship was about halfway through a 12-day voyage when an outbreak of cases was noticed, Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald told reporters in a media briefing on Saturday.
The ship had 4,600 passengers and crew on board at the time, according to CNN affiliate Nine News.
After mass testing 3,300 passengers, around 800 tested positive for Covid-19, as did a small number of crew, Fitzgerald said.
“All positive cases were mildly symptomatic or asymptomatic, and those guests isolated in their staterooms and then separated from non-impacted guests,” parent company Princess Cruises representative Briana Latter told CNN.

Deadly explosion rocks central Istanbul street

 

  At least six people have been killed and 53 injured in an explosion in the heart of the Turkish city of Istanbul on Sunday afternoon, according to the city’s governor.
Those who were injured are being treated, the governor, Ali Yerlikaya, added.
“We wish God’s mercy on those who lost their lives and a speedy recovery to the injured,” he tweeted.
Yerlikaya earlier confirmed that the explosion took place on Istiklal Street in Beyoglu Square and that emergency services were at the scene. “Developments will be shared with the public,” he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosion might be terror-related, but that it is not certain at this point.

"I will no longer carry out official duties for the royal household" Norway Princess gives up royal duties amid fiancé questions

 

 Princess Märtha Louise, the daughter of Norway’s King Harald, said Tuesday, Nov. 8, that she will no longer officially represent the Norwegian royal house following "many questions relating to me and my fiancé's role."
 The 51-year-old princess, who is fourth in line to the Norwegian throne, got engaged in June to Durek Verrett, an American who describes himself as a shaman and a healer on his website.
At least one foundation for which Märtha Louise served as a patron subsequently ended its connection with the princess.
 The Princess has now released a statement stepping down from her royal duties.

Drake and 21 Savage sued by Vogue over fake magazine cover promotions

 

 Vogue Magazine has filed a lawsuit against Drake and 21 Savage over their hot new album, "Her Loss", which they promoted with fake covers.
 In court documents obtained by TMZ, Drake and 21 were accused of promoting "Her Loss" by posing on what certainly looks like a legit Vogue cover, leading fans to believe the company would drop the special edition soon (some media outlets even reported on the issue).
Though Drake gave the brand and editor-in-chief Anna Wintour a shout-out online, Condé Nast, which owns Vogue, insisted that they did not endorse "Her Loss" in any way.

Apple: iPhone shipments delayed over China Covid lockdown

 

 
Apple has warned shoppers to expect delays in receiving its products after a strict Covid lockdown forced the world's largest iPhone factory to shut.
The tech giant said its assembly plant in Zhengzhou, China is now operating at a significantly reduced capacity.
Officials locked down the district that is home to the factory, run by Foxconn, on 2 November for seven days.

Meta announces huge job cuts with 11,000 employees to be affected

 

 Facebook’s parent company, Meta Platforms Inc, said on Wednesday, Nov. 9, that it will let go of 13 percent of its workforce, or more than 11,000 employees.
 CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the news in a blog post, saying he was at fault for being overoptimistic about the company’s future growth based on a pandemic surge.
Zuckerberg wrote: "At the start of Covid, the world rapidly moved online and the surge of e-commerce led to outsized revenue growth.
 "Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration that would continue even after the pandemic ended. I did too, so I made the decision to significantly increase our investments. Unfortunately, this did not play out the way I expected."

Boxer, Conor Benn removed from world rankings following failed drug tests

 

 British boxer, Conor Benn has been removed from the WBC’s world rankings pending the outcome of investigations into his two positive drugs tests.
 The 26-year-old, who failed tests for clomifene in July and September that cancelled his fight against Chris Eubank Jr, was rated as fifth in the WBC standings prior to the saga that has threatened to derail his career.
WBC’s president Mauricio Sulaiman has now revealed his ranking is suspended until the conclusion of enquiries, with both the WBC and UK Anti-Doping conducting separate investigations.

Toddler, 2, fighting for life after swallowing battery that exploded inside him

 

 
A toddler is fighting for his life after swallowing a battery that exploded inside him.
 Two-year-old Dylan Alejandro swallowed the battery, which burnt his oesophagus, at his home in Cananea, Sonora State, north-western Mexico, last month.
His family hadn't seen the incident take place, it was only when they notice him struggling to breathe that they took him to a local hospital, where they were told he had swallowed the battery.
 Due to the severe nature of his injuries, the toddler was then transferred to another hospital in the state capital, Hermosillo.

Chris Evans is crowned People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive for 2022

 

 
 American actor, Chris Evans has been named People's Sexiest Man Alive 2022.
 The star of “The Gray Man” and Marvel’s original Captain America was revealed as this year’s honoree on Monday November 7, during the evening broadcast of “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
The 41-year-old actor accepted the award remotely from the set of his upcoming film after being introduced by former title holder Dwayne Johnson, 50.

Boxer Aidos Yerbossynuly in medically induced coma after vicious knockout

 

 A boxer was placed in a medically induced coma after a vicious knockouut loss on Saturday night, Nov. 5, one of his trainers told ESPN.
 Aidos Yerbossynuly was knocked out in the 12th round by David Morrell in the main event of a Premier Boxing Champions card from The Armory in Minneapolis.
The Showtime broadcast reported that Yerbossynuly was escorted to a local hospital for further examination after the loss.
 Yerbossynuly’s assistant trainer, Emanuel Savoy, said the fighter was placed into a coma following surgery on Sunday.

Sadio Mane 'ruled out of 2022 World Cup in Qatar'

 

 Senegalese football star, Sadio Mane has reportedly been ruled out of Senegal's World Cup campaign in Qatar after he limped off during Bayern Munich's clash against Werder Bremen with a tendon injury on Tuesday, November 9.
 The former Liverpool forward was taken off just 20 minutes into Bayern's 6-1 win over Bremen on Tuesday night.
According to L'Equipe, he will play no part in the competition, dealing the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions a massive blow.

Families of children who died after taking cough syrups in Gambia reject $20,000 compensation from government

 

The Families of 70 Gambian children who died of acute kidney injury (AKI), allegedly linked to consuming Indian made cough syrups, have rejected monetary compensation offered to them by the Government of Gambia.
 In October 2022, the World Health Organization announced a global alert over four brands of cough syrups, saying they could be linked to acute kidney damage.
This followed reports linking the drugs to acute kidney problems in children in the Gambia of children. The Gambian Ministry of Gender have offered the families $20,000 to be shared among them but the families rejected the offer.

Elon Musk wants Twitter users to pay to be verified.

 

 In 2009, after Twitter was sued by then-St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa for being impersonated on the platform, the young company introduced a new feature: a blue and white check mark.
The check indicated that Twitter had verified the accounts of artists, athletes, government officials and agencies and other public figures. The option, which kicked off with plans to verify the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was presented as protection for individuals at risk of having their accounts fraudulently imitated and as a benefit to all users — a means of letting people know they could trust information being shared by prominent figures.

Spotify is going to war with Apple after the App Store rejected its big new feature

 

 Spotify is looking to give Apple a good bruising in the press. The music streamer is taking its grievances with the Silicon Valley goliath public, openly lashing out at the company over a dispute that centers on the 30% App Store fee Apple charges for in-app digital services transactions.
“We are talking about this because it is reflective of Apple’s anti-competitive practices across the board,” Harry Clarke, associate general counsel and Spotify’s lead competition lawyer, told CNN in an interview Tuesday.

US airport officials confiscate gun hidden inside chicken (photos)

 

 US Air transport officials have taken to social media to expose a passenger who was caught trying to smuggle a gun onto a plane by hiding it inside raw chicken.
The plot was uncovered by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers at Florida's Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport.
TSA officers say the traveler's weapon was spotted before boarding, stuffed inside the bird and wrapped in paper packaging with officials joking on Instagram that the scheme "wasn't even half-baked". Officials didn't reveal the culprit behind the fowl plot, but photos posted to Instagram by the TSA showed officers examining the bird inside an airport screening area, before removing the gun and unwrapping it.

Two planes collide mid-air in Australia and there are 'likely no survivors'

 

 Two planes collided mid-air and landed on a farm, and there are "likely no survivors".
 The smash is understood to have taken place over a farm in Kybong, Queensland, Australia.
Two men have already been confirmed dead in the collision between a glider and the plane that it was dragging along.
 Shocked bystanders report seeing debris falling from the sky.
As debris fell to the ground, a witness said they heard a "big bang", the 7News reports.

Porsche settles $80 million lawsuit with US

 

 A U.S. judge has granted final approval to a settlement worth at least $80 million to resolve claims Volkswagen AG and its Porsche AG unit, distorted emissions and fuel economy data on 500,000 Porsche vehicles in the United States.
The settlement, first reported by Reuters in June, covers from 2005 to 2020 model year Porsche vehicles. Owners of those models accused the car maker of physically altering test vehicles that affected emissions and fuel economy results.
U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer on Wednesday, November 9 also approved $24.5 million in attorneys' fees and costs while owners of eligible vehicles will receive payments of $250 to $1,109 per vehicle.

UK nurses to hold first strike in history over pay

 

 Nurses in UK will be embarking on a strike for the first time in history, to press home their demand for better pay as the cost of living soars in the European country.
 Their trade union said on Wednesday, November 9, that the majority of state-run National Health Service (NHS) employers across Britain have voted to strike. The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) noted the strike would be a major disruption to an already strained health system.
The RCN which has more than 300,000 members, said industrial action would begin before the end of the year following the first ever strike vote in its 106-year-old history.

UEFA Champions League, Round of 16 draw

 

Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale wins $75 million as Houston Astros claim World Series title

 

 
“Mattress Mack” had reason to celebrate the Houston Astros’ World Series win on Saturday – and not just because he’s an Astros superfan.
Houston furniture store owner Jim McIngvale, known as “Mattress Mack,” made a series of bets amounting to $10 million on the Astros to win the World Series.
And when his team won the franchise’s second World Series title with a 4-2 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, McIngvale took home $75 million – widely reported to be the largest payout in the history of sports betting.
“This last week has been especially… beyond words,” McIngvale said in a statement on social media, where he also posted a photo of himself with a suitcase full of cash.