Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar said on Friday, November 13, that based on unofficial returns, she will not order a recount or recanvass of ballots cast in the 2020 election, including in the presidential race.
Donald Trump has refused to concede to President-elect Joe Biden and continues to litigate election results, including in Pennsylvania.
Biden won Pennsylvania and its 20 electoral votes, AP projected on Nov. 7, pushing him over the 270 electoral vote threshold needed to win the presidency.
Kathy Boockvar said the races for president, state attorney general, auditor general and state treasurer will not face recounts or recanvasses after unofficial returns submitted by the state’s counties showed no statewide candidate lost by less 0.5 percent, the margin at which such recourses would be triggered.
“Based on the unofficial returns submitted by all the counties to the Department of State, Secretary Boockvar has determined that she will not be ordering a recount and recanvass of the election returns in the counties, as no statewide candidate was defeated by one-half of one percent or less of the votes cast,” Pennsylvania’s Department of State said in a release.
“We are extremely grateful to all 67 counties who have been working overtime and putting in an extraordinary effort to count every vote, with so far more than 6.8 million votes having been counted.
“The counties continue to adjudicate and count the approximately 100,000 provisional ballots issued to voters at the polls on Election Day, as well as the more than 28,000 military and overseas ballots that were cast in this election,” Boockvar added.
As of Friday midday, 40,000 of the provisional ballots cast had been counted or partially counted, the department said.
The department added that about 10,000 mail ballots cast on or before Nov. 3 were received by counties between 8 p.m. Nov. 3 and 5 p.m. Nov. 6.
“These ballots are not of a sufficient number to impact the no-recount determination of any of the statewide races,” the department said.
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told Axios that the campaign’s “litigation has not run its course in Pennsylvania and we have high confidence in it on Constitutional grounds.”
A Columbian drug cartel accused of giving women breast implants made of liquid cocaine before sending them to Europe, has been raided by police.
According to Mail Online, the organization, called ‘Los Cirujanos’ (‘The Surgeons’), was dismantled during two raids in the city of Cali in the Colombian department of Valle del Cauca and the city of Medellin in the department of Antioquia.
The gang allegedly recruited women and made them undergo illegal operations in hotel rooms or rented apartments to implant liquid cocaine in their breasts.
The report said they used calf implants designed to give women more shapely legs to smuggle the drugs by replacing the silicon with liquid cocaine.
The women were then sent to Madrid where the implants were removed by gang members.
Police investigation revealed that the victims usually flew out of the Alfonso Bonilla Aragon International Airport in Cali and the El Dorado Luis Carlos Galan Sarmiento International Airport serving the Colombian capital Bogota.
During the raids, police arrested six men and four women for trafficking drugs into Spain and the rest of Europe – including a renowned Medellin hospital doctor.
One of the detainees is also a specialist at a hospital in Cali and another detainee is accused of pretending to be a doctor to recruit female victims with promises of a job in Spain.
All suspects are currently in preventative prison as the investigation continues.
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis have ended their relationship and now share co-parenting duties.
People first reported the split Friday, November 13, citing an unnamed source close to the couple who said two parted ways at the start of 2020.
Wilde and Sudeikis share two children, son Otis, 6, and daughter Daisy, 4.
“It’s been amicable and they’ve transitioned into a great co-parenting routine. The children are the priority and the heart of the family’s relationship,” the source told People.
Wilde, 36, and Sudeikis, 45, met and began dating in 2011, then got engaged after the holidays in 2012. Earlier that year, Wilde said she had fallen “blissfully, hopefully, wildly in love.”
Akpororo and his wife Josephine are celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary today, November 14.
The couple who got married in 2015, have three children, a girl and a set of twins (boy and girl).
Marking his 5th wedding anniversary, Akpororo shared a photo of himself and his wife and wrote: “Wow 5years already oh lord I’m grateful. Happy wedding anniversary to us bae @jojosplace_vantage triplet loading.”
Actor Williams Uchemba has released his pre-wedding photos. He also announced he’ll be getting married on November 21.
The former child actor announced only two weeks ago that he was engaged and he introduced his woman to the world. He added that he has a wedding to plan.
His wedding festivities will begin exactly one week from today.
Actress Chika Ike who recently turned 35 years old threw a lavish party at Shiro Lagos where her colleagues, family, friends and business partners attended in style on the 8th of November.
We found out the grand event was attended by the creme de la creme in the industry and Shiro Lagos was completely transformed with exquisite decor to celebrate the actress and business woman. In attendance were; Cecil Hammond, Rita Dominic, Eucheria Anunobi, Nse Ikpe Etim, Ayo Makun (Ay), Mike Ezuruonye, Beverly Osu, Juliet Ibrahim, Williams Uchemba, Ini Edo, Linus Okorie, Basket mouth, Michelle Dede, Lily Afe, Eniola Badmus, Sir Uti to name a few and Denrele Edun as the official MC.
They all showed up ready to party and they did not disappoint as pictures and videos showed all of them throw it down on the dance floor as they celebrated with their friend and colleague.
The Kogi State government imposed levy on every loaf of bread sold in the state.
Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, has now explained that the levy was imposed in order to protect indigenous bakers from those “who bring bread to the state without paying any form of levy”.
Fanwo made this known in a statement he signed on Friday titled, “The Facts About The Bakery Levies”.
Reacting on Friday, Fanwo said: “The recent letter was one of our strategies at protecting our Indigenous bakers and also protect our economy from the activities of bakers outside the State who bring their bread to the State without paying any form of levy.
“No responsible government will sit by and watch her indigenous businesses lose the local market. Our indigenous bakers have complained bitterly about the activities of external bakers who packed their bread to the state in trucks and sell without paying anything to the state government.
“Poor sales by our bakers may lead to job losses, a situation we are determined to use legitimate means to avert.
“We assure the Master Bakers of our open-door policy and our readiness to keep listening to them in order to smoothen relationships and factors aiding their production as bread consumers have nothing to fear.”
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive, Elon Musk has disclosed that he tested both positive and negative for Coronavirus.
Elon Musk who claimed to have taken four COVID-19 tests on the same day, said two came back positive while the other two came back negative. He added that “something extremely bogus is going on”.
He tweeted;
Something extremely bogus is going on. Was tested for covid four times today. Two tests came back negative, two came back positive. Same machine, same test, same nurse. Rapid antigen test from BD.
This is not the first time the outspoken billionaire has expressed scepticism about the Coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this year, he described lockdowns as “forcibly imprisoning people in their homes” and “fascist”.
In March, Musk appeared to dismiss concerns about the pandemic, saying that “my guess is that the panic will cause more harm than the virus.”
The rapid antigen tests have gained ground in recent weeks in view of backlogs at laboratories, but they are less sensitive to small amounts of virus and more likely to deliver a false negative.
The Sierra Leone Football Association has announced an investigation into national team striker Kei Kamara after the player posted videos online criticising the national team’s hotel accommodation in Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria.
Sierra Leone’s national team are currently in Nigeria for an AFCON qualifier against the Super Eagles at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium Benin on Friday night in Benin.
Kamara in a social media post that he has since deleted, claims he was not too pleased with the hotel where the Sierra Leonean delegation have been lodged.
In the viral video, the 36-year-old striker who plays in the United States can be seen complaining about the texture of the pillows and mattress in his room, claiming he couldn’t sleep.
He also jokingly replayed a conversation he had about his concerns with a hotel employee.
“I go to the front desk, talk to the lady about how I can’t sleep,” the Minnesota United striker said in one of the videos which was apparently shot in the early hours of Thursday.
“She’s so calm ‘don’t worry, don’t worry we’ll fix everything in the morning, don’t worry’. I said, ‘I can’t sleep, I’ve been lying down for two or three, four hours, I can’t sleep’. ‘Don’t worry we’ll fix it in the morning we’ll fix it’.
“And why can’t I sleep?”, he asked before pointing to the pillows and the bed. “This bed, this pillow” he replies while striking the mattress.
Raising the pillow he says “my head cannot sink in this thing, my head can’t get in the pillow. So my neck hurts. My body can’t get comfortable because this (hitting the mattress) is a box spring not a mattress.”
The video which was hours before the all important match against Nigeria has received condemnation from the Sierra Leone Football Association (SLFA), as the association doesn’t want such publicity.
The clearly embarrassed federation have now issued a swift apology to the hotel and the NFF and announced an investigation into Kamara’s behaviour.
“The Sierra Leone Football Association will open an investigation into a viral video posted by the Sierra Leone National Team striker Kei Kamara in which he is seen defaming a hospitality establishment at which the National Team Delegation including the Minister of Sports Ibrahim Nyelenkeh, the Executive Director of the National Sports Authority Dr. Kenneth Brima and the President of Sierra Leone Football Association Madam Isha Johansen are currently residing,” the SLFA said in a statement on Thursday.
“The SLFA unreservedly apologises to the Management of Lushville Hotel and Suites in Benin City, Edo State, emphasizing that the views expressed by Kei Kamara are his individual comments which are strongly condemned by the FA.
“The SLFA would also like to apologize to the Nigerian Football Federation for Kei Kamara’s unprofessional conduct and any embarrassment caused. Further information will be provided on the conclusion of the investigation.”
It is not clear if Kamara will be suspended for the game yet.
It’s not the first time Kamara is getting into trouble over his social media activity as he has been suspended thrice before by the SLFA.
Kei Kamara is really taking the poor state of the mattress and pillows in the hotel the Sierra Leone team are lodged at, in Benin, Nigeria, in good faith. I am howling at his mannerisms. pic.twitter.com/HGgDJzV241
A boy who shot his parents and three younger siblings dead after discovering his mom was actually his stepmom has shown no remorse for his actions.
Mason Sisk, who is now 15, is allegedly completely unperturbed by the massacre he is accused of carrying out in Limestone County, Alabama, in September 2019.
The killer
Limestone County chief juvenile probation officer Tara Pressnell said: “Mason does not seem bothered by the fact that he is accused of murdering his family. He has not shown any sign of remorse. While in detention, he has not talked about his family at all.”
Details of Sisk’s alleged lack of remorse emerged earlier this week, after he was charged as an adult with five counts of capital murder, Decatur Daily reported.
He is said to have carried out the shootings shortly after discovering that Mary Sisk, 35, was not his biological mother, although investigators have not yet confirmed a motive.
Sisk allegedly killed his dad John Sisk, 38, stepmother Mary Sisk, half-brother Grayson, six, half-sister Aurora, five, and six month-old half-brother Colson at their home in Elkmont.
Juvenile Judge Matthew Huggins said last week that there were “no reasonable grounds” to suggest Sisk was mentally ill, and ordered him held at Limestone County Jail.
Reports showed him completing his schoolwork and interacting well with others at Tennessee Valley Juvenile Detention Center in Tuscumbia last November, just two months after his family were killed.
Sisk is initially alleged to have blamed the shootings someone else, but confessed that he was behind them during initial questioning, it is claimed.
His stepmother Mary was a well-liked teacher at Mountain Gap Middle School, with Sisk’s dad John a cosmetologist who was also popular with friends and co-workers.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Wednesday night, November 11, alleged that voter fraud had occurred in the 2020 presidential election after Donald Trump made similar claims without providing strong evidence to back up the allegations.
Carlson, 51, showed his prime-time audience names and pictures of 25 deceased people he said had cast votes this year. The list also carried the year they died.
The list included residents of Nevada and Pennsylvania with at least four people in the state of Georgia where there are fewer than 15,000 ballots separating President Trump and Joe Biden.
The TV host accused officials of encouraging mail-in ballot fraud to take place by sending out a ballot to all registered voters, despite knowing that 41,000 people hadn’t updated their records for a long time.
‘Right now, fewer than 15,000 votes separate Donald Trump from Joe Biden in the state of Georgia,’ Carlson began.
‘It’s close enough that it’s worth getting specific about what happened there, and the Georgia secretary of state has now confirmed there will be a hand recount of all votes cast.
‘Among those votes, auditors will find a valid cast by woman called Deborah Jean Christiansen. It would be hard to find anyone who’s got a bad word to say about Deborah. She was well known in her community for years as a bird watcher, an avid gardener, a committed fan of the Georgia bulldogs,’ he continued.
‘Those who knew her were sad when she died last May and they might be surprised to learn that even after her death, Deborah Jean Christiansen still managed to register to vote and then cast a ballot, presumably for Joe Biden.
‘In some ways, it’s an inspiring story. The triumph of voting over death,’ Carlson joked, before alleging that Blalock, who passed away in 2006 after 33 years as a mailman, must simply have been showing a dedication to his job in mailing in a ballot after death.
‘In his case, may be voting from the grave wasn’t really fraud, it was just commitment,’ he quipped.
He admitted that the discoveries may not be enough to favour Trump in the election but claimed that ‘the point is they exist’.
‘They are dead, but they voted anyway. The question is how did they do that? How exactly did they cast their ballots?’ he asked.
‘And the short answer is, by mail. Dead people tend to vote more often when you make it easier for them to vote.
Carlson also referenced a 2012 report that claimed that there were close to two million dead people still on voter rolls and 24million incorrect voter registrations.
‘So, what happens if you start sending ballots and registrations to lists like this? Well, you’re guaranteed to increase the amount of fraudulent voting, and that’s exactly what Democrats did. Republicans, we should add, let them do it,’ he argued.
Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican, dismissed the claims during an interview with CNN.
“I have seen the most fantastical things on social media, making completely ridiculous allegations that have no basis in fact at all and seen them spread,” Schmidt told CNN.
Schmidt highlighted “a long list of people that they said were dead voters who voted in Philadelphia. So, when we took a break between everything else that we’re doing, we looked it up, each one of them, to see what their vote history was. Not a single one of them voted in Philadelphia after they died.”
Juliet Kadungure, sister of late Zimbabwean businessman and socialite Genius ‘Ginimbi’ Kadungure has revealed that he left an instruction on how he wants to be buried.
Speaking to Herald, Juliet disclosed that her flamboyant brother who died on Sunday November 8, minutes after departing from a birthday party at his Dreams Nightclub, outlined the dress code and a guest list for his burial ceremony. He also demanded VIP tents and stressed that he wants a big funeral to reflect his “larger than life persona.”
Juliet is quoted by the newspaper as saying;
“Genius was a fun-loving character. He always reminded us about how he wanted his funeral to be conducted. In fact, he had a plan and always said ‘ndiri big’, so make sure on my funeral, you do not hurriedly bury me.
“Take time, planning for it. Check my requirements well and one of the things is that I want everyone who will be at my funeral to be dressed in all white, no matter who. Please, make sure you emphasise that, remember, I am an all-white guy. The all-white should be on the day of burial.”
According to the deceased’s other sister Nelia, the flashy entrepreneur who boasted an exquisite car collection worth over Sh150 million and a multi-million mansion in Harare’s upmarket Domboshava locale had invited two friends; Limumba Karim from Malawi and Elisha – a Mozambican, for the Saturday night party in honour of the birthday girl, Mitchelle ‘Moana’ Umali. The three also died in the Rolls Royce crash.
Nelia said;
“I did not meet the two who were involved in an accident with my brother. I only heard him saying he was going to Moana’s party with friends. The next thing I get a phone call that my brother was involved in an accident. I am still in shock and it is scary. I arrived at the scene and saw the remains of my brother and his friends. I am hurt.”
Barack Obama says that the stress involved in his job as the President of the United States caused issues with wife Michelle.
In his new 768 page memoir A Promised Land, he reveals how being the leader of the US took a toll on his now 28 year marriage to wife Michelle, 56.
Obama said that behind the scenes, friends and even family treated her as “secondary” in importance to him.
Obama writes that once they were in the White House as America’s first family along with daughters Malia, now 22, and Sasha, now 19, “I continued to sense an undercurrent of tension in her, subtle but constant, like the faint thrum of a hidden machine.”
Not only had Michelle’s duties amplified as first lady, she was also the subject of “scrutiny and attacks.”
“It was as if, confined as we were within the walls of the White House, all her previous sources of frustration became more concentrated, more vivid, whether it was my round the clock absorption with work, or the way politics exposed our family to scrutiny and attacks, or the tendency of even friends and family members to treat her role as secondary in importance,” he continued.
He said that caused him to lay awake at night next to Michelle, thinking of life before his presidency, “when everything between us felt lighter, when her smile was more constant and our love less encumbered, and my heart would suddenly tighten at the thought that those days might not return.”
Barack Obama’s memoir A Promised Land becomes available for sale on Nov. 17
China has finally congratulated Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on winning the U.S. presidential election after days of silence to acknowledge the victory.
“We have been following the reaction on this U.S. presidential election from both within the United States and from the international community,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a briefing in Beijing on Friday. “We respect the American people’s choice and extend congratulations to Mr. Biden and Ms. Harris.”
“We understand that the result of the U.S. presidential election will be determined following the U.S. laws and procedures,” Wang said.
The acknowledgment came just after Biden defeated Donald Trump in Arizona, one of the battleground states.
China was previously among some major countries including Russia, Brazil, and Mexico that had not congratulated the president-elect as they were waiting for the votes to be confirmed by the US Electoral College next month.
“We believe it’s correct to wait for the official results of the elections to be announced,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Trump immediately after he was declared the winner based on US media projections in 2016.
Are you preparing to launch your WordPress website? To help make it a success, we created this handy website launch checklist to ensure a smooth launch when you make your site public.
We’ll cover everything from proofreading to testing performance. And while some of these tips might seem a little basic, that’s kind of the point! We want to help you make sure that you didn’t accidentally overlook some small, but important, aspect of your website. To do that, take a few minutes and run your website through this list…
Your 25-point website launch checklist
1. Check for little errors
Don’t make the mistake of having a typo on a key page. Take a few minutes and go back and proofread as much content as possible. Also, look for other little issues with audio files, videos, or dummy text:
Content should be easy to read – font size, short sentences, bullet points, lots of white space
Images must be optimized, properly labeled and have alt text
Audio and video files need to work properly
2. Make sure you have a contact page
Not only does a contact page allow visitors to get in touch with you, it adds credibility and improves the trust quotient of your website. Find out how to add one to your website in this post.
3. Test your site’s usability
Check that all functional aspects of the website work as intended. Usability is important for conversions as well as for overall SEO. Most importantly, you need to look at each element on your website just as a visitor would.
Ensure that images are optimized for speed
In particular, test all call-to-action forms and contact forms
On a multi-user site, check the login procedure, roles, and credentials
Check out overall experience through the eyes of a user consuming content on the website
In case you’ve put autoresponders in place, make sure they respond as you intended
If your website is going to accept payments, do a test run of each step in the purchase/payment process, including the success page redirect. This includes downloads, sign-ups, shopping cart functions, payment processing, email notifications, buttons, and links
4. Make sure your navigation works
At no point should visitors be unsure of which button to click next on your website. Besides, your on-site search should work smoothly and accurately. Try moving through the different locations on your website as a casual visitor would.
5. Check for mobile-friendliness
Testing for compatibility with mobile devices is now an essential part of any website launch checklist, given Google’s focus on mobile-first indexing. Consequently, your website must be mobile-friendly, and just as functional and pleasing on mobiles as it is on desktops.
In other words, text should be easy to read on mobile devices, content should be the same on both versions of your website, navigation is easy, buttons have proper spacing, etc.
It’s not enough to view the website from your browser alone. Additionally, you need to see how it appears in different versions of major browsers. At the bare minimum, you’ll need to test it on Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
Again, you’ll find free tools like Browsershots for this purpose. It uses a number of computers at different locations to open your website in various browsers. It then captures screenshots of your web pages in different browsers and uploads them to a central dedicated server for your review.
7. Run compatibility testing
Sometimes, it can happen that plugins don’t play nice with each other. Therefore, it’s advisable to run a compatibility test using plugins like PHP Compatibility Checker. This avoids glitches on account of plugin, theme, or WordPress update conflicts.
Sure, 404 errors are not likely on a new website. Nevertheless, a visitor may mistype or somehow land on a “Page Not Found” error message. Just so you don’t lose this visitor, and to improve user experience, create a custom 404 page.
Often, when a site is moved from the staging area to production, it’s necessary to change all the URLs. Make sure to double-check that all the URLs are correct on the live version of your site before you move any further through the website launch checklist.
10. Make sure you have clear calls-to-action
This is one check you cannot afford to ignore – ensuring the site has clearly defined call to action elements. Call to actions help funnel your visitors to the most important locations. Or, they can help you build an email list, if that’s your goal.
Using permalinks that describe the content of each page makes them easy to remember, more usable, and more SEO-friendly. Find out more about how to configure permalinks in this post.
13. Check your XML sitemaps/HTML sitemap
Most SEO plugins usually build a sitemap for you automatically, but you should double check that it:
Really does exist.
Is working properly and includes all the content it should.
In case you’re using Google’s AMP project to speed up your site for mobile visitors, hop on a mobile device or an AMP tester tool and make sure that everything is working properly.
16. Test social media integration
Try out your social icons to see if they are working as they should. Do they link to the right pages? Do you have the right buttons installed? Does the “share” functionality work right, if you’re using it?
17. Check your site’s accessibility
Accessibility is all about making sure your site is usable for everyone, even those with disabilities.
18. Put a backup solution in place
Right before launching your website, take care to install a suitable backup solution and test it before you hit the launch button. It can save you a load of heartache and sleepless nights if something happens to your site after launch.
19. Secure your website
Similarly, you really should take security seriously from the very beginning. In particular, the Admin area should be made as secure as possible to prevent entry of malicious bots and hackers.
20. Confirm your SSL
Do you know that your website runs the risk of being labeled as ‘Not Secure’ if it does not have an SSL certificate? Our earlier post can help you with adding an SSL certificate to your site. Also, you can use free online checkers to find out if there’s anything missing with your certificate.
21. Keep out spam
Because of WordPress’ popularity, ensuring you have an anti-spam solution is a necessity when going through any website launch checklist. It makes comment management easier and your website safer.
23. Update the timezone
All scheduled activities and plugins rely on the time maintained by your WordPress. Therefore, it’s important to set up the timezone properly on your WordPress site. You can do this by going to Settings –> General and looking for the Timezone drop-down.
24. Take care of the boring legal stuff
Truly, this is the most boring part of our website launch checklist. However, it’s necessary if you don’t want to get into legal issues later.
Take care that required licenses are in place for images, fonts, plugins, etc.
In case your website is an ecommerce store or deals with money in any way, you should add a comprehensive ‘Terms and Conditions’ section
If you’re collecting data, it’s comforting to users if your Privacy Policy reassures them that their personal details are in good hands. Compliance with the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) is necessary, too.
A cookie warning is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions, so take care to include one
Check out the legal requirements in different geographies for age verification, consent requirements, credit card processing and more.
25. Delete any unwanted plugins
Finally, you should check your dashboard for plugins that are no longer needed and delete them to keep a lean and efficient WordPress site. While building your site, you might’ve installed plugins that you ended up not using. Get rid of all those in preparation for launch day!
Wrapping up
This website launch checklist is quite comprehensive, but by no means exhaustive. Why’s that?
Plesk server has IPv6 address. When an email message is sent from the server to a Gmail account it fails to deliver.
In /usr/local/psa/var/log/maillog on Linux or in C:\Program Files (x86)\Parallels\Plesk\Mail Servers\Mail Enable\Logging\SMTP\SMTP-Debug.log on Windows the following error appears:
Former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, has died at the age of 73.
Rawlings died from complications of COVID19 at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, capital of Ghana, on Thursday, November 11.
He had recently buried his mother, Victoria Agbotui, at Dzelukope in the Volta Region on October 24, 2020. She died at 101 on September 24, 2020.
Late Rawlings ruled Ghana from 1981 to 2001. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected president of Ghana. When it failed, he was imprisoned, publicly court-martialed, and sentenced to death.
After initially handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC). He then resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and became the first president of the Fourth Republic.
He was re-elected in 1996 for four more years. After two terms in office, the limit according to the Ghanaian constitution, Rawlings endorsed his vice-president John Atta Mills as a presidential candidate in 2000.
Former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder, Alex Song has completed a shock move to Djibouti club Arta Solar 7.
The 33-year-old has been a free agent since March when he and eight other players were sacked by Swiss club FC Sion for refusing a pay-cut amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the midfielder is now back in the sport after signing a two-year deal with Arta Solar 7.
“I have signed a two year contract with Arta. This is an opportunity to promote Djibouti football”, he announced on twitter.
Song was unveiled earlier today and has been handed the No.17 shirt by the club.
The club said in a statement:
Welcome to Djibouti!!!
International footballer Alexandre Song arrived yesterday afternoon in Djibouti, where he is engaged in a two-year contract with AS Arta Solar 7. This is the 8th club that this midfielder Franco-Cameroonian , has evolved since his career began.
Here it is for AS Arta Solar 7 president Timoro Nickoss Tommy to not only make this team the flagship formation of the Republic of Djibouti but also raise overall the level of national football.
Enhancing the AS Arta Solar 7 game techniques so that this young team becomes unstoppable in international football tournaments is one of the goals that Djibouti’s president Tayoro Nickoss Tommy.
To achieve this, he hires Alexandre Song, a footballer who has evolved at the top level in large European stables, at the breast of this team.
In any case, Alexander Song represents a real added value for this Djiboutian club. Because with him, the AS Arta Solar 7 has beautiful days ahead of him.
Song played for several clubs including Arsenal, Barcelona, Bastia in Charlton Athletic, West Ham United, Rubin Kazan and Sion before his latest move.
Arta/Solar 7 are the reigning Djibouti Cup champions which automatically guarantees them a place in next season’s Caf Confederation Cup.
A woman who calls herself “Japan’s Rapunzel” has spent 15 years growing out her jaw-dropping locks.
Dancer and model Rin Kambe from Tokyo was never permitted to have long hair as a child because she was on the girl’s football team and had to keep it short.
But when Rin turned 20-years-old, she decided to grow her hair out as a “weapon of expression”.
She hasn’t had a hair cut since and her hair now brushes across the floor. Her tresses are an incredible 5ft 10in long, which is four-inches longer than her height of 5ft 6in.
Rin revealed: “I grew up with strict parents and when I was a kid, I was on the girls’ soccer team and always had a short cut because of this.
”I grew my hair when I started dancing seriously at around twenty and my hair is now floor length.
“I began to grow my hair because I wanted to shine in my own way.
“It felt like my hair was a weapon of expression. It grew naturally and healthily and is a thing of beauty.
“I think the perseverance to keep doing one thing without giving up gave me confidence.
“I don’t think I had the spirit to make the impossible possible without giving up before.”
Rin says she gets plenty of positive reactions from strangers but some people are more critical of her long locks. However, she refuses to let their words hold her back.
The dancer said: “I get a lot of reactions to my hair. There are men in the world who appreciate it and there are also people who think that it is a monster.
“I think it’s only natural that there are different opinions in the world and if I didn’t believe in myself I would be swayed by the negative opinions.
“I’m willing to accept other people’s opinions. Either way, I’m glad people are interested in me because I transform it into a strength that shines in my own way.
“I get asked, ‘Is that real hair?’ because people can’t believe I’ve grown my hair this long.
“I am very happy if people, men and women alike, feel amazing when they see my dance show and how I use my hair in my performances.”
Rin keeps her long locks healthy by eating iron-rich foods, having seven hours of sleep per night and staying active.
She explained: “I eat a lot of iron-rich food and eat a well balanced diet.
“I think sleep is very important and I have about seven hours every day. Exercise and stretching are also important.”
Rin also keeps her hair out of the way by tying it up.
She added: “I can’t change my clothes or do anything unless I put my hair up. I change my outfits several times a day so it’s easier for me to tie it up.”
The Nigeria Army on Wednesday November 11, launched the fourth batches of the wanted Boko Haram terrorists.
Some of the names which appeared on the list include Abubakar Shekua, Abu Mus’an Al- Barnawwi, Modu Sulum, Umaru Tela, Iman Balge, Abu Umma, Mallam Bako(Hisbah), Abu Dardda, Ibrahim Abu Maryam amongst many others.
Theatre Commander of Operations Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen Farouk Yahaya who made the announcement during his welcome address at Chabbal Super Camp in Maiduguri on Wednesday, said;
“We are here to witness the lunching of four batches of wanted Boko Haram terrorists, as you know, this is not the first time, so we will lunch third batch of wanted terrorists shortly.”
Also speaking at the event, Borno State Governor Prof. Babagana Zulum appealed to the outlawed groups to stop the destruction and embrace peace path.
Bahrain’s long-serving Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa has died at the age of 84.
Kahlifa, who was the longest-serving prime minister of any government worldwide, died on Wednesday morning, November 11.
“The Royal Court mourns His Royal Highness … who passed away this morning at Mayo Clinic Hospital in the United States of America,” the Bahrain News Agency said on Wednesday, without elaborating.
Khalifa, the uncle of King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, had served as prime minister since the Sunni Muslim-led island kingdom declared independence from Britain in 1971, almost half a century. The al-Khalifa family has ruled since 1783.
In August, Sheikh Kahlifa left the kingdom for what official media called at the time “a private visit abroad.”
Earlier this year he spent time in Germany for unspecified medical treatment, returning to Bahrain in March.
The burial ceremony will take place upon the repatriation of his body and the funeral will be limited to a specific number of relatives, Bahrain’s state news agency said.
The Gulf state’s King Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa announced official mourning for a week during which flags will be flown at half-mast, the agency said
Lucille Bridges, the mother of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges, who walked with her then-6-year-old daughter past crowds screaming racist slurs as she became the first Black student at her all-white New Orleans elementary school, has died at the age of 86.
Lucille’s death was announced by her daughter Ruby Bridges on Tuesday evening, November 10.
Ruby Bridges wrote on her Instagram account, “Today our country lost a hero. Brave, progressive, a champion for change. She helped alter the course of so many lives by setting me out on my path as a six year old little girl. Our nation lost a Mother of the Civil Rights Movement today. And I lost my mom. I love you and am grateful for you. May you Rest In Peace.”
Bridges gave birth to Ruby in Tylertown, Mississippi, in 1954, the same year as the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, decision that ended racial segregation in schools.
Her daughter went on to become an icon of the Civil Rights Movement, memorialized in Norman Rockwell’s famous painting “The Problem We All Live With” which depicts a tiny Ruby in a white dress carrying her notebooks and a ruler surrounded by much taller U.S. Marshals.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell paid tribute to Lucille Bridges on Tuesday night, saying: “Today we mourn the loss of one of the mothers of the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans with the passing of Lucille Bridges — mother of five, including Ruby Bridges. May she rest in God’s perfect peace.”
Donald Trump is being offered book and TV deals worth around $100 million as part of a ‘plan B’ if his election legal battle fails to secure him a second term, a source close to the president has claimed.
The insider told Page Six on Tuesday November 10, the president is being ‘bombarded’ with lucrative book deal offers about his time in the White House as well as offers from TV outlets.
‘Book and TV deals are plan-B if he doesn’t win the vote war,’ the source said.
‘Translate 70 million votes into viewers and record book sales. All the anti-Trump books have made big bucks, so this from the Donald is a surefire hit.’
This comes as Trump has refused to concede to Joe Biden despite the projected victory, claiming voter fraud without providing any evidence to back up the allegations.
Former White House leaders often seal big-figure deals to give readers a behind the scenes look at life in the seat of government.
Former-President Barack Obama and Former First Lady Michelle Obama are rumored to have bagged a $65 million deal with Crown in 2017, with Barack’s latest book ‘A Promised Land’ set to be released next week.
However, a book insider told Page Six the $100 million price tags for Trump ‘don’t sound accurate’ with no publishers yet to confirm they are in talks with Trump for a book on his time in office.
The insider cited Simon & Schuster as ‘one publisher to watch’ due to its work with Trump in the past and the top boss’s personal association with him.
‘They published [Trump’s] last book. CEO Jonathan Karp published several of his books there, and at Random House, and went to Trump’s wedding to Melania,’ they told Page Six.
Texas has become the first state in the U.S.with more than 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases as the nation continues to face a surge of infections
The nation’s second-most populous state has recorded 1,010,364 coronavirus cases with 19,337 deaths since the pandemic began in early March, according to data from Johns Hopkins University early Wednesday.
Texas recorded 10,865 cases on Tuesday, setting a new daily record that surpassed by 74 cases an old mark set July 15, state officials said.
According to state figures on Tuesday, an estimated 132,146 cases are active, the most since Aug. 17, and 6,170 COVID-19 cases are hospitalized, the most since Aug. 18.
There were 94 new deaths Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
State officials believe the true number of infections is likely higher because many people haven’t been tested.
The country continues to be the worst-hit by the virus as it has recorded more than 10.2 million cases and nearly 240,000 deaths. So far 3.9 million people have recovered from the disease.
Kim Jong Un has threatened North Koreans with punishment if they are caught wasting food as the country struggles to feed its population amid famine.
An official from the country’s North Hamgyong province told Radio Free Asia on condition of anonymity while speaking about the country’s crisis.
The official said: “At the beginning of this month, the Central Committee [of the Korean Workers’ Party] ordered residents to actively participate in solving our food crisis this year as part of a food-saving struggle,”
“The order emphasized that the struggle not only solves the problem of how we will eat, it is a matter of protecting the socialist system,” the source added. “It also warned that authorities will step up crackdowns and punishment for any actions related to food waste.”
This comes after three consecutive typhoons in August and September that destroyed farmland and crops with the country still yet to recover from the savage economic impact of the coronavirus crisis.
A defector told The Post in September that she witnessed widespread starvation affecting millions of people before fleeing the country with her family.
RFA’s source noted that the food conservation order came ahead of major year-end holidays.
“The Central Committee also instructed us not to set the ceremonial table with foods made from grains. They have ordered a ban on rice cakes and bread, suggesting we use only fruits and vegetables. They said that simply serving noodles as a meal to attending guests is an important way to save food,” the source said.
“The Central Committee is also warning of strong legal punishment for those who waste food by secretly brewing alcohol from grains and drinking socially. There’s even an order to crack down on covert alcohol production, and an inspection team has been formed and are already operating in some residential areas,” the insider added.
A second source, also speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFA that the same order came down in the neighboring Ryanggang province.
“Farmers who have to sell grain to purchase other things they need have been greatly inconvenienced because rural residents are now prohibited from selling grain on the market,” that source said.
“Inspectors are stationed on roads just outside the downtown areas to check passing cars, carts and even luggage carried on people’s backs, to ensure people don’t transport grain. Food prices are rising in the market as grains are forbidden, and this threatens residents’ livelihoods.”
“People are angry,” the source told RFA. “They say that controlling food distribution will make everyone’s difficult situation even worse.”
Officials tasked with cracking down on food waste will also face harsh punishment if they are caught using their status to flout the order.
“They warned that if officials are caught wasting food, they will be subject to criticism and severely punished,” the source said.
A Texas schoolteacher is accused of killing her teenage son while driving him to school on Monday morning, November 9th.
39-year-old Sarah Hunt, a teacher in the Waco Independent School District, was charged with murder in the death of her 17-year-old son, Garrett Hunt, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
Authorities say Hunt fatally shot him while driving to school on Monday morning just outside Riesel, a city of about 1,000 near Waco.
The 17-year-old was found dead in a vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds in an abandoned vehicle near the site of the fairgrounds in the small town, KCEN reported.
Hunt was arrested as she was walking back into the city, the news outlet reported.
Authorities said they are still trying to figure out what led to the shooting.
“At this point we don’t have a motive, we don’t know what happened, we don’t know what led up to this,” McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara told KWTX. “It’s a big mystery, and that’s what we’re trying to determine.”
Hunt was in her first year of teaching fifth-grade social studies and science at Lake Air Montessori Magnet School, KWTX reported. The district plans to place her on administrative leave, and will also grant her the opportunity to resign before the district begins the process of terminating her probationary contract.
She is being held on murder charge in the McLennan County Jail on a $500,000 bond.
Lionel Messi’s father and agent, Jorge Messi has reacted to reports that the Barcelona star is considering a move to Paris Saint-Germain next summer.
Messi’s future has been a constant debate ever since he expressed his desire to leave Barca.
He ended up not leaving after he was told that for him to leave in the summer of 2020, his team would have to pay a €700 million release clause.
ESPN published a report this week saying that contact had already been made between the French champions and Messi Sr. in order to broker a deal, with negotiations possible as early as January.
But the agent has now dismissed the story as fake news.
“Stop inventing! Fake news,” Jorge fired on Instagram, posting his message over a screenshot of the offending transfer rumour.
Messi is currently in his native Argentina preparing for Thursday’s CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier at home to Paraguay.
Messi was left out of the starting line-up by coach Ronald Koeman last weekend although he came on at half-time to contribute two goals and an assist to his side’s 5-2 defeat of Betis.
“Messi has shown me to be a person who wants to win things and continue to be the best, even though he has had his problems with the club,” Koeman told Sport of his star.
“Barcelona have been, are and will be a better team with Messi than without. When I arrived, they told me that Messi was unhappy.
“We spoke at his house and he explained his reasons to me. I was honest. I told him that the only thing is the system, his position on the field, his importance in the team.
“But the problems that he had had with the club I couldn’t change. From the first day I have said the same thing. He is the best and is committed to the club.
“He has had his issues, his problems this summer, but since he returned to training he has been very good.
“He has had bad luck in some games and he has not been able to offer the usual performance, but I am sure that at the end of the season he will have scored the usual goals.”
Author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin has been fired by The New Yorker, where he had written for nearly 3 decades, over his error during a Zoom call.
Last month, Toobin, who works with CNN also, exposed himself on a Zoom call with New Yorker staffers as well as folks from WNYC radio.
He was masturbating during the official call and later said he thought he was muted and his camera was off. He called the incident “embarrassingly stupid.”
He has now been fired. An internal memo from Conde Nast chief Stan Duncan was sent to staffers this week, letting them know that as a result of their investigation, Toobin was no longer affiliated with the company.
As for why they fired him, the email, posted by The Daily Beast, said Conde Nast takes these types of situations seriously, and are committed to maintaining an environment that upholds their standards.
Earlier, Toobin was suspended by the New Yorker. CNN also suspended him for his error during the Zoom call.
Toobin confirmed he’s now been fired by The New Yorker, tweeting, “I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work.”
For now, it is not known if CNN will fire him too.
Katie Drummond, who is the Senior Vice President, Global News at VICE Media, reacted to Toonbin’s sack by tweeting: “Fired for masturbating on a Zoom call…that’s rough.”
As the trial of former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, continued on Tuesday, November 10, an investigation officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, Adariko Michael, told the court that investigations have shown that N2.2 billion was allegedly spent on prayers in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to win the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
Adariko was giving evidence as the first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial of Sambo Dasuki, in the alleged two billion dollars arms deal fraud. Others charged with Dasuki, a retired colonel, are a former General Manager with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.
The EFCC charged them with 32 counts bordering on misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, dishonest release, and receiving various sums of money.
Led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, Adariko told the court that N750 million was allegedly transferred from a special account linked to Dasuki’s office to Reliance Referral Hospital Limited’s account with First Bank.
He added that N650 million was also transferred to Acacia Holding Limited’s account with EcoBank, while another N600 million and N200 million were transferred to the company’s account with UBA.
“Between September 27, 2013, and April 16, 2015, N50 million was credited to Reliance Referral Hospital’s account. Based on responses from the banks involved, as investigating officer, we found out that money was transferred to several individuals and companies.
When we went through the account statement, we asked the second defendant (Aminu Babakusa) the reason for this. He informed us that the money was used to hire clerics to pray for the nation as regards Boko Haram crisis.
When we asked him to provide the names, contacts and phone numbers of the clerics he hired to pray for the nation, he mentioned only two,” he said.
After listening to Adariko’s testimony, the case was adjourned until November 11 for the continuation of the hearing.
Mr Dasuki spent four years in detention, following his arrest in 2015 over alleged misappropriation of N2.2 billion meant for arms purchase during his time as National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan. After the Federal Government had consistently failed to honour court orders granting him bail, including an ECOWAS court judgment in 2016, he was finally released on December 24, 2019.
The Eagles playmaker has been making a positive early impact upon stepping up to the top flight and is aiming to do the same for the Three Lions
Crystal Palace’s £17 million ($22m) summer signing Eberechi Eze is readying himself for England Under-21s’ match with Albania on Friday but his journey has been a story of overcoming rejection.
Eze was released by Arsenal aged 13 and tried his luck at a series of other clubs but history repeated itself after the academies at Fulham, Reading and Millwall all declined his services.
Having worked part-time in a UK supermarket chain while studying in college, Eze finally saw a subsequent trial at Queen’s Park Rangers lead to a contract. He made his first-team debut six months later and now, four years on, he is playing against Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League.
To overcome such a series of setbacks wasn’t easy and Eze admits that he was concerned that his dream might never have come to fruition.
“Of course, you have doubts,” Eze said at England’s training centre at St. George’s Park. “You have doubts in your thinking of whether you’re going to get your professional contract, whether you’re going to be what you hoped you’d be.
“It has built huge resilience in me; I think being released, I’m sure loads of players will tell you this, being released is not the best feeling and you’re not in the best space mentally. But of course, as a footballer, not just a footballer, but anyone, you have to be strong, you have to be courageous.
“You have to get back up again, not allow your setbacks to determine where you end up in life. You have to keep moving forward. For me, I feel that’s something that was put into me, was forced into me after being released – I had to get up and be strong.
“But for me, it was more the support my family and people around me that continue to instil, that faith in me – and being religious as well.
“Having faith was huge for me, I would always believe that I would get to where I hope to get to and thankfully, and thanks to God, it has worked out.”
The contract at QPR was important for Eze, who staked a lot on making it in football. He grew up in Greenwich, London and admitted to money struggles in his part of the south-eastern borough as a kid.
“I didn’t come from a rich family or anything like that, my parents did what they could and try their best to help me and my brothers and my sister to get through life. I know the struggle that they’ve been through, it wasn’t easy for them even to gather money for us to look after us,” he added.
“But that’s why it was more of a relief because I can take some pressure off them and help them a bit and it’s not so much of a hand-to-mouth sort of situation.
“I finally got the pro contract that I was praying for, endlessly. And for my family, knowing that I’m now in a position where I can grow and progress along if I work hard, I can grow and be able to help them out of whatever situation that we were in back then.
“That’s why it was more of a relief because we had been in a situation without a club for a while and was still working hard still doing what we can but the fact that it came eventually and came quite late, it was honestly a grateful moment.
“I can’t relax because you’re still working hard but a bit of pressure is off now.”
Eze is out to gain more experience in England’s set-up, having had just two U21 and seven U20 appearances so far. England have already qualified for the U21 European Championships this summer but still have two extra games to play to help work out who will be in Aidy Boothroyd’s final squad.
That is amid a first full season in the Premier League for Eze, who has quickly emerged as a key player for Roy Hodgson’s high-flying Palace side. That hasn’t changed his mentality, though, and the polite youngster hasn’t changed his outlook since making it.
“You know how I feel about myself? I feel the same as how I felt when I was at QPR,” he continued. “So it’s not much of a difference for me. I know other people may look at me differently, but for me, the way that me and my family have been and how they’ve helped me and supported me, I can’t look at it any differently.”
Barcelona have confirmed teenage forward Ansu Fati is facing four months out injured after undergoing knee surgery.
The 18-year-old picked up the injury on Sunday as Barcelona beat Real Betis 5-2 at the Nou Camp to end a four-game winless streak in the league.
Barcelona said on Monday that the operation on Fati’s ruptured meniscus, carried out by specialist Dr Ramon Cugat, was a success, but said his return would not come until approximately March.
It means Fati will be unavailable for Spain boss Luis Enrique over the international break when the national team play against the Netherlands in a friendly before taking on Switzerland and Germany in the Nations League.
Enrique gave Fati his first Spain call-up for the September internationals, and the teenager went on to become the youngest player to ever score for Spain – breaking a 95-year-old record – with a goal against Ukraine.
Fati, who made his professional debut last season, has become a regular for Barcelona since the start of the campaign, scoring five goals and providing two assists in 10 appearances across all competitions.
Barcelona will not be short of forwards in Fati’s absence, though, with Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele as senior options. Youngsters Pedri, 17, and Francisco Trincao, 20, have also proven themselves in the first-team this season.
France boss Didier Deschamps says Paul Pogba “can’t be happy” being left on the bench and playing out of position at Manchester United.
Pogba has only started twice for United in the seven games since the 6-1 home defeat to Tottenham and, for brief spells toward the end of matches against Arsenal and Everton, has been asked to play on the left-wing.
United triggered a one-year extension in Pogba’s contract in October, but speculation about the midfielder’s future persists, with the Frenchman continuing to talk up a potential move to Real Madrid.
Deschamps knows the current situation will be a source of displeasure for Pogba and is keen to talk to the 27-year-old about it while he is away with France on international duty over the next few weeks.
“I know Paul well and he knows the squad well. He finds himself in a situation with his club that he can’t be happy about, neither in terms of his playing time nor his position,” Deschamps told France Football.
“He’s not at his best, he’s had a string of injuries and Covid-19 has also affected him adversely. He needs to rediscover his rhythm.
“He did well in the matches that he was involved in last month and performed consistently despite his lack of rhythm. Nevertheless, we can’t say that he’s blossoming at club level.
“There’s no problem with me, but I also work hard to manage him. When a player is unhappy at club level, of course he is happy to play for France. He will tell me about how he’s feeling and as I know him very well, things will go in a positive direction. It’s also his responsibility to put in a big effort.”
A Pennsylvania postal worker has admitted he fabricated claims of voting irregularities in the 2020 election that were picked up by the Trump campaign as evidence of fraud, according to congressional investigators.
The case had been cited by Republicans as evidence of widespread ballot tampering in a letter to the Justice Department calling for an investigation.
Richard Hopkins,32, a U.S. Postal Service employee in Erie, Pa., first alleged last week that his supervisor had instructed staff to backdate mail-in ballots cast after Election Day in order to get them counted — which would be illegal.
But after US Postal Service investigators spoke to Richard Hopkins he admitted his claims were false, according to members of the House Oversight congressional committee cited by the Washington Post.
Reacting to the news, the Democrat-led committee tweeted: “IG investigators informed committee staff today that they interviewed Hopkins on Friday, but that Hopkins RECANTED HIS ALLEGATIONS yesterday and did not explain why he signed a false affidavit.”
BREAKING NEWS: Erie, Pa. #USPS whistleblower completely RECANTED his allegations of a supervisor tampering with mail-in ballots after being questioned by investigators, according to IG.
Donald Trump has refused to concede the election despite the projected victory of Joe Biden, claiming voter fraud without providing any evidence to back up the allegations.
In another escalation of the post-electoral dilemma occuring in the White House, the United States Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, has suggested that the presidential election has not yet been decided saying President Trump could still be the winner.
Major US news organizations projected Biden won the presidential election on Saturday but Biden’s transition process has been stalled by US President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede.
The electoral body responsible for elections hasn’t yet determined a winner of the election, as legal challenges from the Trump Administration has stalled that process.
Senate leader McConnell has now refused to acknowledge Biden’s win saying the elections are not over.
Speaking on Tuesday November 10, Mitch McConnel said;
“Until the electoral college votes, anyone who is running for office can exhaust concerns about counting in any court of appropriate jurisdiction. It’s not unusual. It should not be alarming. At some point here, we’ll find out, finally, who was certified in each of these states and the electoral college will determine the winner and that person will be sworn in on January 20th. No reason for alarm,” McConnell said.
“I don’t think anything that’s occurred so far interrupts an ordinary process of moving through the various steps that I’ve indicated and allowing if there is a new administration it to work through the transition. All of these steps will be taken at the appropriate time,” McConnell said, arguing that the transition process won’t be negatively impacted as Trump continues to not concede the election.
Another Republican Senator, Roy Blunt echoed that message, saying, “the President wasn’t defeated by huge numbers – in fact, he may not have been defeated at all.”
McConnell, who was re-elected as the top Senate Republican, acknowledged that it won’t be clear until January whether he will be Senate Majority Leader due to the Senate election in Georgia.
“We’re ready to get going even though there’s some suspense about whether we’ll be in the majority or not, which will be answered in Georgia on January 5th,” McConnell said.
Eric Olhats, former agent and advisor to World Cup-winning France star, Antoine Griezmann, has blasted Lionel Messi claiming the Barcelona legend has too much power in the club, calling his attitude towards Barcelona team-mate Antoine Griezmann “deplorable”,
According to Eric Olhats (pictured below) the Argentine superstar is a bad influence off the pitch at Camp Nou and has never liked Griezmann since he was signed by Barcelona in the summer of 2019.
Since joining the club, Griezmann has failed to live up to the high expectations fans had, but Olhats says that is not down to a lack of effort from the 29-year-old.
Olhats told France Football: “Antoine arrived in a struggling club where Messi has a view on everything.
“He’s at the same time emperor and monarch, and he didn’t see Antoine’s arrival with a good eye.
“His attitude has been deplorable, he made him feel that. I’ve always heard Antoine say there’s no problem with Messi, but never the other way around.
“In my eyes, Messi said he wanted to leave to see what role he still had as a decision-making player, regarding the players who arrived and those who left, but he eventually stayed. Classic Messi! As good on the pitch as he is bad off it”
“Barcelona has been suffering for a while. There was a cancer in that club, and it obviously leaves some marks.”
Griezmann managed only 15 goals for Barcelona in his debut campaign, and has only two to his name this term but Olharts says the bad form is due to issues outside of the Frenchman’s control.
He added: “It’s the club that’s sick, not him.
“Last year, when Antoine arrived, Messi didn’t talk to him, didn’t pass him the ball. He created a real trauma for a more than negative adaptation.
“That clearly left its mark. It was clear and visible. Add to that the president stepping down, the club conceding eight against Bayern and three different managers, the conditions aren’t good.”
Spanish giants, Barcelona are reportedly suing Neymar for £9m after overpaying the Brazilian forward during his first two years at the Nou Camp in a tax miscalculation.
The world’s most expensive player currently plays for Paris Saint-Germain following his £200m transfer in 2017. He spent four seasons and scored 101 goals in 185 games for Barcelona.
Neymar has been cut up in legal battles with Barca in the past, claiming previously that the club owed him a total of £38m (€43m) in unpaid bonuses.
After losing the case, the 28-year-old was forced to pay his former club £5.9m (€6.7m) and now Barca are making another attempt to reclaim more money.
According to El Mundo, Barcelona discovered that they paid Neymar excessively and are now looking to claim back the difference after a tax inspection covering the 2015 financial period.
The report said the Tax Agency has notified Barca that if the situation is not solved, the £9m (€10.2m) would be seen as a ‘donation’ from the club to Neymar.
The US First lady Melania Trump, just like her husband, Donald Trump, is yet to reach out to first lady-elect Jill Biden, despite US media agencies stating since last Saturday that Joe Biden won the US presidential election, according to a report by CNN.
On this day four years ago, Melania Trump was having a tour of the executive residence, at the invitation of then-first lady Michelle Obama, a customary action by the outgoing First lady since the inception of American democracy.
But as at Tuesday November 10, there is no movement or action towards a transition of the East Wing and the Executive Residence.
According to the CNN report, most of the focus of the first lady’s office remains on day-to-day meetings and upcoming holiday planning.
“It’s my understanding that it’s business as usual in the East Wing,” a soure told CNN
The source said that even if Melania Trump wanted to begin the process of a transition, the first lady can’t go against her husband’s refusal to accept Joe Biden’s victory.
“I’m not sure it’s fair for anyone to expect them to start transitioning when the President has not yet conceded,”
“If the President concedes, I’m sure the East Wing will be gracious and professional to the incoming administration, that’s just how they work,”
Anita McBride, who served as Laura Bush’s chief of staff, noted that Melania Trump has occasionally expressed opinions different than her husband, but said this time the situation is different:
“This moment is more complicated. Her reaching out before he has conceded could be seen as going completely against what the President and the administration are doing.”
“This transition is going to be a daunting task, even though Dr. Biden is familiar with the White House and extremely capable,” said Capricia Penavic Marshall, who served as special assistant to Hillary Clinton when she was first lady.
“By now there would have been at least a conveyance of notes between the current East Wing and the first lady-elect’s team, to talk about dates and schedules and what needs begin to take place,” she said. “There is a timeline to all of this, and what’s happening now is just going to jam it up.”
McBride was part of the Bush team who were forced to wait until the vote between Bush and Democrat Al Gore was settled by the Supreme Court.
“We could only begin the transition to the White House after December 13,” she said. “It worked. It was frenetic, but it worked.”
According to McBride, Barbara Bush, wife to George Bush, was not happy to be moving out after one-term, yet she was gracious and insightful when Hillary Clinton came to the White House after the election for the traditional tea.
“Mrs. Bush took Mrs. Clinton up into the residence and through her dressing room to show her the window she would look through, across the Rose Garden, to see into the Oval Office,” said McBride, recalling the congeniality of the visit.
“She told her she would look through it whenever she was missing George during the day.”
Trump is currently challenging the electoral results in court and some states have already begun recounting
Britney Spears is afraid of her father and will not perform again while he remains her conservator, her attorney said in court on Tuesday November 10.
Recall the singer’s conservatorship was put in place in 2008 after she suffered a public breakdown in 2007. It has been overseen by her father James Spears for 12 years, giving him total control over her personal life, career, and estate.
In a Los Angeles court on Tuesday, judge Brenda Penny declined to remove Jamie from his central role in the conservatorship, as Britney’s attorney Samuel D Ingham III had requested.
The judge said she would consider future petitions for his suspension or outright removal so that the singer can regain control of her personal and financial affairs from her father.
“My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” Ingham told the judge. “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.” He added that the singer and her father have not spoken in a very long time.
The judge did approve that a corporate fiduciary, the Bessemer Trust, will now serve as co-conservator over Spears’ estate along with her father, which the singer had requested.
Britney Spears’ mother and James Spears’ ex-wife Lynne Spears, said through her attorney that her daughter should not be forced to obey her father’s unreasonable demands, calling their relationship “toxic”.
“It has broken Lynne’s heart that things have come to this point,” the attorney, Gladstone N Jones said.
The conservatorship has been the subject of widespread online protests this year.
The #FreeBritney movement was launched by fans who believe Spears is “trapped”, and one petition, with more than 100,000 signatures lobbying for Spears’s freedom, claims: “Her father doesn’t allow her to drive, all of her calls & messages are monitored, she’s not allowed to vote, hang with anyone or spend her money without permission.
“And if she breaks a ‘rule’ he threatens to have her kids taken away.”
Dozens of those fans also protested outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse as they do for every Spears hearing. Some were pictured carrying placards with an inscription which read #FreeBritney.
The United States’ Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has refused to acknowledge or accept Joe Biden’s projected victory as President-elect, saying that “there will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.”
Major US news organizations projected Biden will win the presidential election on Saturday but Biden’s transition process has been stalled by US President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede.
Trump has also launched a series of legal challenges to the results and made some dictatorship moves this week by sacking his Defense secretary Mark Esper and shutting out Biden’s transition team from the White House.
As legal challenges mount, a recount of the votes is now looking like a certainty in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Pompeo, who heads the State Department, is supposed to play a vital role in any transition process for Biden but has now stated that the only transition process that will happen from now till January 2021 will be that of Trump.
When Pompeo was asked if he is preparing to engage with the Biden transition team, Pompeo said this:
“There will be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. Right. The world is watching what’s taking place. We’re gonna count all the votes. When the process is completed, they’ll be electors selected.”
“There’s a process, the constitution lays it out pretty clearly. The world should have every confidence that the transition necessary to make sure that the State Department is functional today, successful today and successful with a president who’s in office on January 20 a minute after noon will also be successful.”
Pompeo didn’t say whether he believed there was massive voter fraud as Trump’s lawyers and Trump himself have alleged but he did say:
“I’m getting calls from all across the world. These people are watching our election. They understand that we have a legal process. They understand that this takes time, right, took us 37 plus days in an election back in 2000, conducted successful transition then.”
“I’m very confident that we will count, and we must count, every legal vote. We must make sure that any vote that wasn’t lawful ought not be counted. That dilutes your vote, if it’s done improperly. Gotta get that right, when we get it right, we’ll get it right, we’re in good shape,” he added.
A Nigerian man has been arrested in Cambodia after he was accused of paying his traffic fine with counterfeit US$100 note.
The unnamed Nigerian national was arrested by traffice police in Phnom Penh on Monday, November 9, at 10:40 am and sent to Khan Dongkor police station.
It was gathered that traffic policemen were standing at Chamkar Dong bridge traffic light when the Nigerian man drove his Prius car through a red light on street 371 and turned on to street 217 to Chamkar Dong road. He was immediately detained and fined for traffic violations.
According to local media, the Nigerian man tried to pay the fine with a $100 note but the cops had no change. They took the money to the bank to get it changed into smaller notes but were told that it was fake.
The police returned the fake bank note to the Nigerian man, who suddenly ripped it up, saying that he would not pay the fine.
He was subsequently arrested, sent to Khan Dongkor police station for questioning and charged with possession and distribution of fake currency note.
A boy and girl, both 15, allegedly plotted the murder of a woman in Brooklyn, New York after explicit pictures of the girl were made public, New York police revealed on Tuesday, November 10.
The boy and girl allegedly killed 20-year-old Nyla Bond on Nov. 2 inside the victim’s father’s apartment building on Macombs Road near Inwood Ave. in Mount Eden, Brooklyn.
Police reports indicate the girl had a previous intimate relationship with Bond and became very angry when her explicit photos became public.
She and her accomplice then allegedly conspired to kill Bond, blaming her for the leak of the photos.
The teens went to Bond’s home and confronted her before stabbing her in the chest. Medics rushed her to BronxCare Health System but she gave up the ghost.
The two teens have been charged with murder and manslaughter. The girl was also charged with weapon possession while her alleged accomplice was charged with unlawful transfer of a weapon.
The suspects names have not been released because they are minors.
The 15-year-old girl was arrested two days later, though police didn’t release information about her arrest until today, November 10.
There are several things you can do to make your website load faster.
WordPress Hosting
When choosing hosting, make sure it :
Fits size of your site.
Can support traffic levels.
Can handle increased traffic levels.
Is configured properly.
Runs the top-of-the-line hardware and software.
WordPress Size
The size of your site can affect loading speed, so make sure you have suitable hosting and proper optimization to get the size down to as low as possible without compromising on user experience or quality.
Number of Posts
Your website’s homepage is the first impression you make.
So, it’s important that it be optimized and load as quickly as possible.
It helps to show only excerpts of content and reduce the total number of posts.
Keep Your WordPress Simple
Remove everything you don’t need and focus on content and functionality.
Even something as small as a widget should only exist because of its use for visitors.AdvertisementContinue Reading Below
WordPress Theme Quality
A poorly coded WordPress theme will affect:
Load time
Security
The number of plugins necessary to get the most granular level of control over your theme.
WordPress Plugins
Plugins should only be installed when they’re used because they only slow down your website if they’re:
Bloated
Inactive
Not current
How Can Plugins Optimize Your WordPress?
WordPress optimization plugins tend to focus on several key features:
Cache
WordPress HeartBeat API
Reducing or disabling Ajax
Deferring Scripts
CDNs
Lazy Loading
Minification
Concatenation
What Is Cache?
Caching is one of the most frequently employed methods of getting your website to load faster.
Caching is a practice that results in a faster WordPress website and improved performance.
In and of itself, cache is data that’s temporarily stored for fast access upon request.
Most often, computers need to run several processes to retrieve information before it’s made available.
Cache speeds this process up by storing the most commonly accessed data in temporary storage. WordPress websites can do the same thing.
WordPress is a dynamic content management system (CMS), which means that every visit to a WordPress website requires getting data from a database and performing several functions before WordPress gets to your browser.
Thanks to caching, WordPress can forgo many of these steps by making a copy of the page after the first visit and then use that page for every visit thereafter.
This can significantly optimize your website.
That’s why so many plugins for WordPress deal with cache.
What Is Ajax?
Simply put, Ajax updates part of a web page without reloading the entire page. Ajax can be very helpful, but it can also be a drain on your central processing unit (CPU)AdvertisementContinue Reading Below
What Is HeartBeat API?
Heartbeat API is WordPress’s built-in simple server polling API.
It allows for almost real-time frontend updates. Controlling it saves you CPU usage and keeps your AJAX at a reasonable amount.
What Does It Mean to Defer Scripts?
To defer scripts means to load your CSS or JavaScript files last so your website becomes accessible to visitors faster.
What Is a CDN?
A content delivery network or content distribution network (CDN) is a network of servers spread out across a particular geographic location for the purpose of delivering faster content delivery based on which server is closest to you).
What Is Lazy Loading?
Instead of loading an entire page at once, which may take too long, this plugin seamlessly loads only the parts being viewed by the visitor at that moment.
What Is Minification?
Minification reduces website load time by eliminating redundancies and superfluous content in:
HTML files
JavaScript files
CSS files
What Is Concatenation?
This is the process of combining separate files into one file to reduce how many requests are on your site.
What Plugins Can Make My WordPress Load Faster?
Here are some well-reviewed WordPress plugins to optimize your website.
1. WP Super Cache: Faster Rendering
2+ million active installations and 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 1,254 reviews.
Pros
Free
Made by Automattic, the company responsible for WordPress, WooCommerce, and Jetpack.
Easy to use.
Advanced settings let you choose:
Gzip compression
Browser caching
How content is cached
How often cache should be updated
You can preload content into the cache.
Can help you set up a CDN.
Cons
None
2. W3 Total Cache: Faster Rendering
1+ million active installations and 4.4 out of 5-star rating based on 4,602 reviewsAdvertisementContinue Reading Below
Pros
Free
At least 10x improvement in overall site performance.
Improvements in conversion rates.
Improvements in search engine rankings.
Up to 80 percent bandwidth savings.
Cons
For small-time or new users, the complexity and all the features may undermine user-friendliness.
3. WP Super Minify: Compressing JavaScript & CSS Files
Both plugins give you 100 credits per month to start, but after that, you have to pay $4.99 for more credits.
9. Lazy Load by WP Rocket: Lazy Loading
100,000+ active installations and 4.2 out of 5 stars based on 110 reviews.
Pros
Free
Like other plugins, Lazy Load only loads the part of the page you see. However, Lazy Load by WP Rocket works with more than just images. It also works with:
iFrames
Youtube Videos
You also get the option of embedding a thumbnail of a video that doesn’t play until it’s activated.
(And, of course) Images
Cons
None
10. Cache Enabler: Faster Rendering
90,000+ active users and 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 92 reviews
Pros
Free
Easy to set up.
Clear cache with a click of a button.
Programmatic cache clearing (example: clear cache after new posts)
90,000+ active installations and 4.9 out of 5 stars based on 803 reviews.AdvertisementContinue Reading Below
Pros
Free
Toggle scripts and plugins on and off.
Cons
Doesn’t offer bloat removal.
Yearly updates, support, and additional features come at a premium starting $47.
12. Compress JPEG & PNG Images: Image Compression
200,000+ active installations and 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 134 reviews.
Pros
Integrates TinyJPG and TinyPNG.
Bulk optimize JPEGs and PNGs.
Compress animated PNGs.
See usage settings in the settings and during bulk optimization.
Cons
100 images free. A small fee is needed for more.
13. WP YouTube Lyte: Lazy Loading
20,000+ active installations and 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 140 reviews.
Pros
Free
Inserts a thumbnail of a YouTube that only activates when clicked.
Works on YouTube playlists as well.
Cons
Doesn’t lazy load photos or iFrames, which Lazy Load by WP Rocket does in addition to YouTubes.
14. Heartbeat Control by WP Rocket: Heartbeat Control
100,000+ active installations and 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 50 reviews.
Pros
Free
Limit or stop WordPress Heartbeat API.
Add HeartBeat rules for:
Dashboard
Frontend
Post Editor
Cons
None
15. OMGF: Host Google Fonts Locally
20,000+ active installations and 4.8 out of 5 stars based on 94 reviews.AdvertisementContinue Reading Below
Pros
Free
Generates a stylesheet of all your Google Fonts.
Sends fonts from a CDN for faster load times.
Cons
Requires a few extra steps but nothing too demanding.
16. WP User Avatar: Optimize Gravatars
400,000+ active installations and 4.3 out of 5 stars based on 201 reviews.
Pros
Free
You can either host the default Gravatar locally or create your own (a 50 by 50 pixel compressed image is recommended).
Cons
None
17. AMP For WP: Accelerated Mobile Pages
100,000+ active installations and 4.4 out of 5 stars based on 981 reviews.
Pros
Free
Get accelerated mobile pages (AMP) using WordPress.
Highly customizable.
One of the most highly rated and downloaded AMP PlugIns.
More features are available for a fee.
Cons
Strips some design elements, so give your mobile pages a thorough once over.
18. EWWW Image Optimizer: Image Compression
800,000+ active installations and 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 882 reviews.
Pros
Compress JPEGs PNGs and PDFs.
Free image backups stored for up to 30 days.
Cons
To get access for premium compression (80%) you need the compress API key ($.002) and you can get faster results and more control for $5 – $15 per month.
Bottom Line
With so many plugins for WordPress optimization to choose from, it can be helpful to read user reviews and take note of the number of active installations.
But even then there’s an abundance of riches because so many of the PlugIns enjoy 100,000+ if not 1,000,000+ active users and great reviews.
At that point, it’s simply a matter of experimenting to figure out which plugins work best for you.
At the end of the day, though, the real winners are the visitors to your website, who’ll enjoy a fast load time and get the most out of your hard work.
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems in existence. It is used frequently by businesses to create and maintain websites offering information, and services. As per research by Kinsta, 37% of websites on the internet are built using WordPress. This is quite significant, compared to competitors like Wix (1.6%) and Joomla’s (2.6%) global website shares respectively.
Despite all the effort that teams or individuals invest in developing rich and multifaceted WordPress websites, something that can inevitably ruin user experience is website speed, or rather, the lack thereof. A previous article discussed why website speed matters for businesses and why one shouldn’t avoid optimizing website speed.
This article delves into how WordPress users can accelerate their websites by leveraging speed optimization plugins in WordPress.
1. W3 – Total Cache for effective caching
W-3 Total Cache is a highly preferred plugin among website developers and the WordPress community. This advanced plugin enhances website performance by reducing page load times considerably via leveraging CDN integration. It also results in improved SEO and user experience. Because of its benefits, this free to use plugin is trusted by millions of publishers globally.
The WordPress speed optimization plugin provides the following benefits:
Improved page rankings in search engines particularly for mobile-friendly websites
Increased visitor time on site – leading to more conversions
Refer to this official resource to learn how to integrate this plugin on your site.
2. WP Super Minify for compressing HTML, CSS, Javascript files
It is obvious that files with compact sizes will load faster. WP Super Minify helps to speed up page loading by combining, minifying and caching the HTML, inline CSS and JavaScript files. Installing this plugin is very simple.
Just download the plugin, upload it in the directory file and activate it through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
3. WP Smush for optimizing images
Images make content more meaningful and appealing. They are an integral part of websites. However, higher resolution images tend to have larger file sizes which in turn, takes a toll on website speed. WP Smush is an award-winning plugin recognized for image compression. It helps reduce the overall size of images without degrading their visual quality.
WP Smush is a go-to plugin for one million+ WordPress users for the following reasons:
Supports all standard image formats such as JPEG, PNG, and GIF
Eliminates metadata and unused colors from images
Provides compatibility with other plugins and compresses every image in the directory
In case there are multiple images to be added, it can optimize 50 images at a time
4. Incorporating Lazy Load using Lazy Load by WP Rocket
The natural behavior of a website includes loading the entire content of a page automatically when a user visits the site for the first time. In case the webpage has long-form content with multiple images, naturally, the loading time is going to be slower.
An effective way to tackle this issue is to use Lazy loading. It’s a technique that loads only the images within the first fold of a visitor’s browser window. Doing this ensures that the page doesn’t load the content all at once. For example, if a web page has ten images listed only the first few will be loaded initially and the rest will be loaded as the user scrolls down.
Lazy load by WP rocket is a free plugin that makes this possible for WordPress users. It’s a highly recommended plugin that reduces HTTP requests in order to enhance the initial loading time.
5. Optimizing WordPress Database using WP-Optimize
Every time a WordPress user adds a new post, WordPress creates a revision for the same page or post. For example, if a blogger edits a post four times, WordPress creates three copies of the same post as revisions. This leads to inefficiency in the database.
Besides, a blog with multiple posts may have received numerous spam messages and un-approved comments in the comments section. WP-Optimize helps resolve this issue by removing unnecessary revisions that result in bloat and slow access. It also helps users identify which table in the database contains unnecessary data. This helps with cleaning up the comments table by eliminating all spam and un-approved comments which clears memory space.
WP-Optimize also provides features like caching and image compression. This makes it a multipurpose plugin and a must-have for WordPress users.
Apart from just using plugins, teams should also consider incorporating the following technical enhancements:
Improving server response time
Reducing redirects
Using a CDN to deliver lightning-fast page speeds for visitors from different geographical regions
Once the WordPress user has made the necessary optimizations, it’s vital to test the results. To do so, teams must use a website speed test tool to test page load time across a range of real devices and browsers. This will help them evaluate their optimization efforts.
WordPress has evolved as a highly preferred content management system over the years for creating and maintaining websites. For a WordPress website to deliver impressive results, optimizing it for speed is a must. The plugins listed above, when incorporated correctly will enhance user experience significantly for WordPress websites.
A “dead” baby woke up just a few minutes before he was set to be buried.
The boy, who was only a few months old, had been taken to the Muttuck Tea Estate Hospital in the Dibrugarh district of Assam, India on Sunday, November 8.
He was declared dead by a pharmacist, as the actual doctor was absent at the time.
The family took the baby home and prepared to give him a burial. But as they were about to place him in the ground, he began moving.
Shocked, they raced to a different hospital where sadly the boy was declared dead on arrival.
He had not been dead when he was examined by the worker at the first hospital, and the man is now facing legal action for declaring the child dead when he was not authorised to do so.
It’s believed the sick child may have lived had he not been declared prematurely dead, preventing his parents from seeking urgent medical treatment.
Police in Lahowal arrested Gautam Mitra on Monday, November 9, and charged him with making a declaration of death without proper verification and in absence of a doctor.
“The sick child, a boy aged less than one year, was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead by the compounder,” police officer Hrishikesh Hazarika told local media.
“The doctor of the hospital was absent at that time.
“But when the family was about to bury the child, it started moving.
“It was then rushed to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), where it was declared brought dead on arrival.”
He added: “Maybe the child would have survived if the compounder hadn’t declared him dead and the parents had enough time to take him to a bigger hospital.
“We have lodged an FIR and arrested the compounder Gautam Mitra as he is not authorised to pronounce anyone dead.”
The tragic incident prompted protests against the hospital, with dozens of demonstrators demanding action against Mr Mitra.
Estonia’s far-right minister has resigned over comments he made about US president-elect Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
In a radio interview on Sunday, Interior minister, Mart Helme, called the father and son “corrupt characters.” His son, Martin Helme said Biden’s victory in the U.S. presidential election was rigged.
The minister said he believed there “is no question that these (US) elections were falsified”.
“If this (US election result) goes through, then the constitution will no longer apply in America,” he continued.
Stepping back from his position on Monday, Mr Helme said: “Last night I decided to resign (when) looking at the slander and lies produced by the Estonian media.”
Mr Helme, a member of the Estonian Conservative People’s Party (EKRE), added: “I am tired. I did nothing yesterday that would endanger Estonia’s security. I have not said anything that has not already been told by the American media, the American free media.”
Speaking in the press conference on Monday, he continued: “You cannot muzzle me, nobody can muzzle me. The prime minister cannot muzzle me, the president or journalists cannot muzzle me.”
“I say what I consider to be right, what concerns me.”
Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid has since condemned the comments made by Mart Helme and his son, saying they were a “verbal assault… an attack against Estonian democracy and security”, adding she was “sad and embarrassed”.
Donald Trump is still hopeful he will be declared the winner of the US presidential election despite Joe Biden’s projected victory in the election which made him president-elect of the United States.
Recall Trump claimed that there has been voter fraud in the election with no evidence, and has already lost 10 different lawsuits that they have filed since election day.
Taking to Twitter to share the latest update, the Republican politician who is yet to concede defeat, said he’s making big progress and results will start coming in next week.
Filipino woman who was disowned by her family for being transgender becomes Miss New Zealand
Arielle Keil, 26, who was born in Davao City, Philippines as a boy named Andrew, grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He started transitioning in 2017 and had his gender reassignment surgery earlier this year.
She spent $15,000 on the ‘top to bottom’ procedure that involved breast implants and a vaginoplasty in Thailand.
The beauty queen, who was recently crowned describes being the first post-operative transgender contestant to compete in the Miss New Zealand pageant as ‘actually bada**’.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘The pageant was an amazing experience! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time so to actually live out my dream has been amazing!’
Arielle, who is studying for a fashion design bachelor’s degree, revealed coming out as a transgender woman was more ‘terrifying’ than telling people about being a gay man.
According to her, she decided to be openly transgender to avoid having any regrets in later life.
Arielle said: ‘I’d already spent the formative years of my life as the wrong gender, I didn’t want to waste my twenties in the wrong body either. ‘This way of thinking really helped me come out to my parents because I knew that whatever their reaction was, this was something I needed to do for myself.’
The 26-year-old was initially kicked out by her family, who struggled to support her decision they found out she was undergoing hormone treatment. They gave two choices – ‘to stop or leave home.’
The beauty queen disclosed that she packed everything she owned into a black rubbish bag and left her family home, not knowing what would become of her.
‘My life turned upside down when I transitioned … but I would rather go through hell as a woman than have an easy life as a man,’ she said. ‘Whatever the universe wants to throw at me – do it.’
Arielle, who battled severe bouts of depression and contemplated taking her own life during her transition, says she’s happy, not scared, and here to stay as a woman.
A transgender Filipino woman has made history after being the first to be crowned Miss Intercontinental New Zealand 2020.
Arielle Keil, 26, who was born in Davao City, Philippines as a boy named Andrew, grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. He started transitioning in 2017 and had his gender reassignment surgery earlier this year.
She spent $15,000 on the ‘top to bottom’ procedure that involved breast implants and a vaginoplasty in Thailand.
The beauty queen, who was recently crowned describes being the first post-operative transgender contestant to compete in the Miss New Zealand pageant as ‘actually bada**’.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, she said: ‘The pageant was an amazing experience! It’s something I’ve wanted to do for the longest time so to actually live out my dream has been amazing!’
Arielle, who is studying for a fashion design bachelor’s degree, revealed coming out as a transgender woman was more ‘terrifying’ than telling people about being a gay man.
According to her, she decided to be openly transgender to avoid having any regrets in later life.
Arielle said: ‘I’d already spent the formative years of my life as the wrong gender, I didn’t want to waste my twenties in the wrong body either. ‘This way of thinking really helped me come out to my parents because I knew that whatever their reaction was, this was something I needed to do for myself.’
The 26-year-old was initially kicked out by her family, who struggled to support her decision they found out she was undergoing hormone treatment. They gave two choices – ‘to stop or leave home.’
The beauty queen disclosed that she packed everything she owned into a black rubbish bag and left her family home, not knowing what would become of her.
‘My life turned upside down when I transitioned … but I would rather go through hell as a woman than have an easy life as a man,’ she said. ‘Whatever the universe wants to throw at me – do it.’
Arielle, who battled severe bouts of depression and contemplated taking her own life during her transition, says she’s happy, not scared, and here to stay as a woman.
First lady, Melania Trump has reportedly refused to offer a meeting with Jill Biden since her husband President Donald Trump is yet to accept Joe Biden’s election win claiming that there has been voter fraud with no evidence.
Democrat Joe Biden was elected as the 46th President of the United States of America after his boyhood state of Pennsylvania put him over the 270 electoral votes needed to win.
Mr. Biden’s wife, Dr. Biden, is already setting her agenda for her role as America’s next First Lady, which will include education, veterans, and cancer. But Melania Trump is refusing to offer a meeting with her, according to Daily Mail.
Dr Biden’s spokesperson, Michael LaRosa, told the publication: “Dr Biden is enormously grateful to the country for electing her husband and Senator Harris.”
” Joe Biden will be a President for all Americans. She is spending time with her children and grandchildren in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Biden is focused on building her team and developing her priorities focused on education, military families and veterans, and cancer.”
Dr. Biden said she would like to balance her duties as the first lady with her job as a teacher which would make her the rare presidential spouse to hold an outside job.
Dr Biden is a mother of a late service member, Beau Biden, and she has said military veterans and families will be one of her main priorities.
Her and Michelle Obama created the initiative Joining Forces but it is unclear whether she will reignite the project or create a new one.
The Joining Forces Initiative focused on three areas for military families – employment, education and wellness.
ISIS-linked militants have beheaded more than 50 people and chopped up the bodies of the victims in a brutal attack in northern Mozambique, according to reports.
The militants carried out the mass executions in a football field. They decapitated and chopped up the bodies of villagers in the Cabo Delgado province, state media reports.
Scores of women and children were abducted in Nanjaba village, while more than 50 were killed in a gruesome attack on Muatide village, the BBC reports.
“They burned the houses then went after the population who had fled to the woods and started with their macabre actions,” Bernardino Rafael, commander-general of Mozambique’s police said during a media briefing on Monday, November 9, according to Al Jazeera.
Villagers who tried to flee were reportedly taken to a nearby football pitch where they were beheaded and chopped to pieces in the atrocity which from lasted from Friday night, November 6, to Sunday, November 8.
Counter-terrorism and organised crime expert David Otto told the Daily Star: “State forces and suspected spies have been captured and beheaded by the jihadist group to send a warning message.
“Women have been the subject of targeted kidnapping. Sources say the jihadists keep the women as sex slaves.”
Last week, suspected militants beheaded at least 20 men and teenagers in a male initiation ceremony in the Muidumbe district.
The dismembered bodies of at least five adults and 15 boys were found.
In April, jihadists shot dead and beheaded more than 50 youths for allegedly refusing to join their ranks.
In March, they occupied the centre of Mocimboa da Praia and set fire to government buildings.
In another town they launched an attack on a police station and raised the ISIS flag.
Luxury islands off the coast of Mozambique, where A-list celebrities spend their holidays, have also been overrun by insurgents linked to Islamic State.
Hotels, wildlife, and homes have been torched and “reduced to ashes” in the militant attacks.
The ISIS insurgents have ordered residents to abandon the islands of Vamizi and Mecungo – where celebrities like Daniel Craig, Bono and Prince Albert of Monaco have holidayed in luxury.
A Nurse has been arrested on suspicion of murdering eight babies and attempted murder of nine babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital neo-natal unit in Chester, England.
The woman, identified as nurse Lucy Letby was arrested on Tuesday November 10, after her previous arrests in 2018 and 2019 over the tragedies at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
She had worked at the unit as a student nurse during three years of training before qualifying as a children’s nurse at the University of Chester in 2011.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Hughes, of Cheshire Police, said: ‘In July 2018, a healthcare professional was arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies at the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. She was subsequently bailed pending further inquiries.
‘In June 2019, the healthcare professional was re-arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of six babies. She was also arrested in connection with the attempted murder of three additional babies.
‘Today, as part of our ongoing inquiries, the healthcare professional has been re-arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the deaths of eight babies and the attempted murder of nine babies.
‘The woman is currently in custody helping officers with their inquiries.’
According to reports, Detectives launched an investigation into infant deaths at the hospital in May 2017, over the deaths of 15 babies between June 2015 and June 2016 at that time.
The probe later widened to the deaths of 17 babies and 16 non-fatal collapses between March 2015 and July 2016.
In a 2013 interview with the Chester and District Standard newspaper, the nurse, originally from Hereford, said she cared for babies requiring various levels of support.
DCI Hughes added: ‘Parents of all the babies have been kept fully updated on this latest development and they are continuing to be supported throughout the process by specially trained officers.
‘This is an extremely difficult time for all the families and it is important to remember that, at the heart of this, there are a number of bereaved families seeking answers as to what happened to their children.
‘Due to the nature of this investigation it is extremely challenging but it is important to remember that, despite the passage of time, it is very much active and ongoing. There are no set timescales and we remain committed to carrying out a thorough investigation.
‘We fully appreciate that it continues to have a big impact on all those involved – including the families of the babies, staff and patients at the hospital as well as members of the public.’
Kim Kardashian’s former best friend Larsa Pippen has spoken out after the pair fell out for unknown reasons.
Larsa, who had been Kim’s closest friend for over a decade, still has no idea what caused the reality star to unfollow her on social media but believes Kanye’s “brainwashing” ways may be at the root of it all.
The 46-year-old is still confused about the situation but continues to insist that she had done “nothing wrong” to cause a rift and had been a true friend to Kim.
Larsa said she now believes that Kim’s rapper husband may have been behind it all.
Opening up in a tell-all interview on the Hollywood Raw podcast, Larsa said: “[Kanye] has literally brainwashed the whole family into thinking… I don’t even know what.
“He talks so much about me being this and that and this and that. I just feel like Kanye was in a place where he really didn’t trust anyone with Kim.”
The wife of former NBA star Scottie Pippen, was convinced that Kanye’s slurs about her to the Kardashian clan began after she’d prevented the rap star from calling her phone.
Larsa was sick and tired of getting calls in the early hours of the morning to listen to all of Kanye’s problems, so instead she blocked his number.
She went on: “He used to call me at four, five, and six o’clock in the morning. I was the person that would take his calls when he wanted to rant.
“I would listen to him. I would be like,’I love you, you’re the best, things will get better’. I was his go-to person to call when he wasn’t happy with X, Y, and Z. How that turned?
“Maybe because I blocked him on my phone because I couldn’t bear taking his calls anymore. I can’t, I’m drained.
“So, I blocked him on my phone. Obviously, that really upset him.”
The reality stars ex best friend continued: “So, he turned that into, ‘Oh she’s this and she’s that’.
“They all started to ride his wave. If you’re that easily swayed, like the wind, then do I really give a f**k? Should I give a f**k? I don’t know. Was I hurt by it? Yes.
“But at the same time, I’m like, I’ve done nothing. I’ve never done one thing. I’ve been the most honest and truthful best friend to all of them.”
During Kanye West’s bipolar episode, fans noticed Kim and Larsa had unfollowed each other and have distanced themselves ever sin
A Donald Trump aide is refusing to sign paperwork that will pave the way for Joe Biden to receive $9.9m in transition funds he needs to begin as president.
Emily Murphy, head of the General Services Administration (GSA), said the election has not yet been decided.
“An ascertainment has not yet been made,” said Pamela Pennington, a spokeswoman for GSA. “And its Administrator will continue to abide by, and fulfill, all requirements under the law.”
The GSA is the agency that plays a role in helping to fund newly elected presidents and authorize access to government officials, office space, and equipment.
Democratic congressman from Virginia, Gerry Connolly, called for Murphy to sign off on the paperwork so that Biden can start the transition process. ‘GSA Admin Emily Murphy must begin the Biden transition without delay,’ Connolly wrote in a tweet.
‘The Administrator plays a critical role in the peaceful transfer of power and ensuring vital government services are not disrupted. This is all the more important amid a deadly pandemic. Do the right thing.’ Connolly added
Joe Biden was announced the winner of the 2020 presidential election on Saturday, but Donald Trump is still yet to concede defeat.
The Republican politician has continued to claim that he has won the election ‘by a lot,’ and has filed several lawsuits that alleged there was voter fraud in the election, although there is no evidence to support these claims.
According to Mirror, Trump and the GOP have already lost 10 different lawsuits that they have filed since election day.
It has been claimed that Zimbabwean socialite and businessman, Genius Ginimbi Kadungure, who died in a road accident on Sunday, November 8, had bought his own casket a week before his death.
According to The ZimbabweMail, a casket was found in one of his spare bedrooms following his death.
A photo of the casket has been shared online by Pindula news platforms.
Genius “Ginimbi” Kadungure died on the spot along Liberation Legacy Way in Harare, ordinarily known by many as Borrowdale Road, when his speeding Rolls Royce collided head-on with a Honda Fit, veered off the road and hit a tree before catching fire (read here).
Three other people – Limumba Karim, Alichia Adams and Mimie Moana – also died in the crash.
Prior to the accident, Michelle Amuli, popularly known as Mimie Moana, had a dream that she died and she narrated the dream about her death in a video making rounds online.
Unfortunately, Mimie’s dream came to pass as the accident occurred while the group was returning from Dreams Night Club after celebrating Mimie’s 26th birthday.
Russia national footbal captain, Artem Dzyuba has been dropped for the upcoming games against Moldova, Turkey and Serbia after a leaked video, which allegedly showed him masturbating.
In the video which has been deleted from social media, a man, who looked like the Zenit St Petersburg star, was seen pleasuring himself in the clip.
The video went viral in Russia on Saturday after it was leaked online.
Dzyuba, became a star in his country after scoring three times at the 2018 World Cup.
He has now been left out of the Russia team and the team manager Cherchesov has now explained the decision.
He said: “The situation with Artem Dzyuba has nothing to do with the Russian national team from a sports point of view.
“Therefore, we see no need to give detailed evaluative comments on this matter.
“However, the coaching staff of the national team understands very well that the national team should prepare for the November matches with Moldova, Turkey and Serbia in conditions of maximum concentration and not be distracted by extraneous things.
“We have always emphasised that everyone, both on and off the football field, must correspond to the level and status of a player in the national team.
“In this regard, today it was decided not to call Artem Dzyuba to the current training camp in order to protect both the team and the football player from excessive negativity and stress. Dzyuba will have time to normalise the situation.
“I hope that this topic will no longer be raised during the team’s work at this training camp.”
Barcelona legend, Samuel Eto’o has been hospitalized with a minor head injury after being involved in a car crash in his native Cameroon.
The 39-year old was traveling home from a family wedding celebration when his car is reported to have been struck by a public bus on the Nkongsamba-Douala Road on Sunday morning, November 8.
He reportedly suffered a head injury and was immediately taken to hospital for treatment.
Cameroonian journalist Martin Camus tweeted a picture of Eto’o’s damaged vehicle alongside the caption: “The crushed car Samuel Eto’o was in.
“I can confirm that he is fine, we spoke again. Doctors taking care of additional examinations.”
The pictures shows Eto’o’s car smashed from the front after the accident.
France Football also confirmed that Eto’o will undergo further examinations at the hospital where he’s currently hospitalized.
Eto’o, who retired from football a year ago, after a lengthy and successful career played for Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan, and Chelsea among many others, winning multiple league titles, as well as three Champions League trophies.
He is also an Olympic gold medallist and won the African Cup of Nations with Cameroon in 2000 and 2002. He is currently the all-time leading goal scorer, having scored 49 times in 97 appearances for his country.
