Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Novak Đoković says he will not get vaccinated against Covid-19 and that his US Open participation depends on whether the US government changes its policy on demanding being vaccinated to enter the country
Peter Thiel leaves board of Facebook and completes shift from Silicon Valley to right-wing activism, has donated more than 20 million USD to candidates last year and is estimated to be fifth largest Republican donors, his investment work now focuses on ideologically contrarian companies which provide alternatives to political correctness
Former McDonald's restaurants reopen in Russia under the name Vkusno & tochka which translates as "Tasty and that's it", 15 rebranded restaurants to open in and around Moscow initially, CEO Oleg Paroev who was appointed Russia McDonald's CEO weeks before the war in Ukraine comments that they plan to reopen all 850 restaurants by the end of the summer
Scott Adams accused of transphobia for including black character Dave who identifies as white, Adams comments that Dave has nothing to do with transgender issues but hints that Wally the engineer in an upcoming strip will claim to be a birthing person to obtain workplace benefits and avoid having to do his job
Japanese train company JR East starts removal of train clocks on over 500 stations, leads to strong reactions from municipalities and the public, the local government in Otsuki passes resolution to demand that clocks within the city are put back as especially children and the elderly don't always have wrist watches or mobile phones, local competitor Fuji Kyuko Co. announces that they have no intention of removing clocks from any of their stations
Biblical libertarian Gary North dead at 80, was an economic historian with a strong commitment to Austrian economics and was close friends with Ron Paul, also founded the Christian Reconstruction movement
Scottish electrician posts pictures of customer's bedroom on social media, pictures show a poster of Adolf Hitler, red flags bearing a swastika, a copy of Mein Kampf, German officer jackets from World War II and other national socialist memorabilia
Novak Djokovic says he is not anti-vax but supports the freedom to choose, is willing to miss out on future tennis tournaments over his vaccine stance
Amazon releases trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power which is considered to be the most expensive TV show ever made with an alleged cost of more than USD 1 billion over five seasons, the trailer gets mocked for its diversity focus and CGI use and the YouTube video gets comment bombed with the Tolkien quote "Evil is not able to create anything new, it can only distort and destroy what has been invented or made by the forces of good"
Ivan Reitman dead at 75, produced and directed several cult movies such as Ghostbusters, National Lampoon's Animal House, Kindergarten Cop and Junior
French researcher Luc Montagnier dead at 89, won a Nobel Prize in 2008 for his 1983 discovery of the HIV virus, was criticized by the international scientific community and media for claiming that the Covid-19 virus did not originate in nature and that the vaccination leads to the creation of coronavirus variants, delivered a speech at a protest against vaccine certificates earlier this year in Italy
Ted Kaczynski reveals in letter that he has terminal cancer and that he may well be dead in a year, writes that there is a lot of work to be done by younger people and refers to the book Anti-Tech Revolution for organizing guidance
Rotterdam dismantles the middle part of the 1877 Koningshaven Bridge to allow Jeff Bezos' new 127m long and 40m high boat to sail through, Bezos set to foot the bill through yacht builder Oceanco
Swedish city of Södertälje carries out a pilot project together with local company Corvid Cleaning where wild crows are being trained to exchange discarded cigarette butts in a machine for food, company founder Christian Günther-Hanssen estimates the method could save at least 75% of costs involved with picking up cigarette butts in the city
Spotify announces addition of content warning directing listeners to their dedicated Covid-19 Hub ahead of any podcast episodes discussing the virus, CEO Daniel Ek says last several weeks' feedback has made it clear to him that they have an obligation to do more to provide balance and access to widely-accepted information from the medical and scientific communities guiding us through this unprecedented time, Spotify podcasters Prince Harry and Megan Markle releases statement about their concern over the company's Covid-19 misinformation
Swiss man from Lucerne registers as a woman to be able to retire a year earlier, new rules only demand a ten-minute-long interview and a payment of about USD 80 to change sex on paper
Apple Music promotes Neil Young and Joni Mitchell under the headers We Love Neil and We Love Joni Too, after the artists remove their catalogs from Spotify to dissociate from Joe Rogan's Covid-19 discussions
Joni Mitchell removes her music from Spotify in solidarity with Neil Young, references letter where 270 health experts criticize Joe Rogan for discouraging vaccinating children against Covid-19, called mRNA vaccines gene therapy, recommended ivermectin and had mRNA pioneer Dr. Robert Malone as guest
American artist Kid Rock says he will not perform at venues with Covid-19 rules such as vaccination and masking requirements, explains that shows in Buffalo, New York and Toronto among others have already been removed from the tour list for this reason, announcement follows days after his release of the "We the People" single with a Let's Go Brandon chorus and railing against Anthony Fauci, social media and mainstream media
Spotify removes Neil Young's music in accordance with his ultimatum to choose between him and Joe Rogan, says they they take great responsibility in balancing safety for listeners with freedom for creators and that they have removed over 20,000 podcast episodes related to Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic
Popular Japanese corn puff snack Umaibo gets the first price rise in its 43-year history, from 9 to 11 cents, the content was reduced by a gram to keep costs down in 2007, approximately 700 million of the sticks are sold annually to mostly chilren and young people
Eric Clapton says Covid-19 vaccines are advertised via subliminal advertising in accordance with Mattias Desmet's theory of mass hypnosis formation as part of the ongoing trend where you will own nothing and you will be happy, criticizes media for perpetuating completely one-way traffic about following orders and obedience, has earlier said that he refuses to perform at music venues that require proof of vaccinations
Jamie Oliver says he employs teams of cultural appropriation specialists to avoid offending anyone, was criticized for his interpretation of West African dish Jollof rice in 2014 and for including the word "jerk" in a non-meat dish wishing to honour Jamaican cooking in 2018
Cruise ship Crystal Symphony that was supposed to dock in Miami instead sails to the Bahamas with hundreds of passengers to avoid order to seize the vessel as part of a lawsuit over USD 4.6 million in unpaid fuel
Russian chess grandmaster Daniil Dubov forfeits his game against Anish Giri in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament as the Dutch organizers forced him to wear a mask due to having close contact with a Covid-19 positive person, had previously alerted the organizers that he would refuse to play under such circumstances
69-year-old Jimmy James from Stanwick proudly shows off his 1949 Morphy Richards toaster, says he uses it daily and repairs it every 7th year at J H May in Rushden where Luke Reid always manages to fix it, J H May managing director Jonny May says he is happy to continue reparing the toaster but that he worries about how his repair shop where four generations have worked fits in today's throw-away culture
French adventurer Jean-Jacques Savin dead at 75 during attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean, the former military paratrooper who 2019 made the crossing in a large barrel recently celebrated his 75th birthday at sea with foie gras and champagne, wrote on Wednesday that there were strong winds and that he was having trouble with his solar power but added that he was in no danger, the exact circumstances of his death are still undetermined
Arnold Schwarzenegger runs a red light and rolls on top of a Toyota Prius with his GMC Yukon SUV, the female Prius driver reportedly bled heavily from her head and was taken to hospital by ambulance
Irish police investigates case where a dead man was brought into a postoffice in Carlow in an attempt to claim his pension, one of the suspects is said to have first visited the post office on his own but was told that the pensioner would have to be present if a payment was to be made, the deceased man whose body was left at the scene when the culprits fled is described as a decent guy who caused no offence to anybody
Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh dead at 95, was a lifelong peace activist and is said to have popularized mindfulness in the West, was nominated by Martin Luther King Jr for the 1967 Nobel Peace Prize, wrote more than 100 books and founded 11 global practice centers
Artist Meat Loaf dies at 74 with Covid-19, he sold over 100 million albums worldwide and his album Bat Out of Hell is one of the top ten selling albums of all time, he railed against politicians enforcing Covid-19 restrictions and said "if I die, I die, but I won't be controlled"
Manchester United receives complaint about fans using discriminatory language over player's height during game against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Old Trafford, writes email to supporters warning about their conduct
Baby Shark becomes the first YouTube video to reach 10 billion views, the kids' tune was uploaded in 2016 and became the most viewed video on the platform in 2020
19-year-old Brit Emilio Santoro crowned Europe's Elvis tribute champion at the yearly championship held in Birmingham's Metropole Hotel around Elvis' birthday weekend, started imitating the artist at age 4
Monkeys kill at least 250 pups in a month in Indian city of Majalgaon and all pups in neighbouring village of Lavool after dogs killing a baby monkey, the monkeys catch the dogs and throw them from heights, small children and villagers trying to protect dogs also attacked
50-year-old Italian man reported to police for wearing a silicone mould over his real arm in hope of getting a Covid vaccination certificate without exposing himself to the substance, the man is reportedly a health worker suspended from his job due to being un-vaccinated, regional government head Albert Cirio calls the attempt unacceptable faced with the sacrifice that the entire community has paid during the pandemic
Yokozuna Terunofuji defeats maegashira 15 Abi to clinch the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament championship victory with one day to spare, securing his second straight yusho since becoming a Yokozuna and his sixth in total
King Athelstan named Britain's top monarch, reigned from 925 to 939 AD and united England after merging the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and driving the Vikings out of Northumbria, also defeated the combined invasion forces of the kings of Scotland and Dublin at the Battle of Brunanburh, Elizabeth I in second place, according to poll with 84,000 votes run by the podcast The Rest is History
The painting Salvator Mundi that in 2017 sold for a record-setting USD 450 million to a buyer reportedly on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is downgraded by Prado curators from being "by Leonardo" to "attributed works, workshop or authorized and supervised by Leonardo", the painting depicts Jesus Christ emerging from darkness blessing the world with one hand while holding a transparent globe in the other
Britney Spears released from conservatorship, regains power over finances and career decisions as well as major personal matters such as whether she can get remarried, the conservatorship was placed in 2008 over concerns about her mental health.
Chinese man dissatisfied with Shanghai bank forcing him to wear a face mask withdraws USD 800,000 in cash and orders them to check it note by note, says he will be back daily for the same procedure until his account is emptied
Alec Baldwin fatally shoots cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injures director Joel Souza in a prop gun accident on the Santa Fe set of the western movie Rust
Gun that was used in 1881 to kill Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid sold for 6 million USD at auction
Norwegian women's beach handball team fined for not wearing bikini bottoms during championship game, instead chose to wear tight shorts covering parts of their thighs which was deemed inappropriate by disciplinary commission of the European Handball Federation
Eric Clapton says he will cancel shows at places that discriminate by requiring vaccination, as a response to the British government requiring Covid-19 vaccine passes for access to live venues and nightclubs
22-year-old Tadej Pogačar wins his second streight Tour de France and also defends his wins in the mountains and the young rider classifications, as Wout van Aert becomes the third rider after Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault to win a mountain stage, an individual time trial and a bunch sprint in a single Tour following his win on the Champs-Élysées
Yokozuna Hakuho wins his 45th Grand Basho and his 16th undefeated tournament defeating Ozeki Terunofuji in the deciding match in the Nagoya Grand Basho, despite the loss Terunofuji is expected, in the coming week, to be be named the 73rd Yokozuna, crowning a remarkable comeback story
British sprinter Mark Cavendish equals Eddy Merckx’s record of 34 Tour de France victories by winning the sprint in Friday's stage from Nîmes to Carcassonne, the 36-years-old's fourth win in this year's Tour after not winning a stage for five years
Psychoanalyst Dr. Donald Moss writes article claiming whiteness is a malignant, parasitic like condition with no permanent cure and which triggers perverse appetites particularly targeting nonwhite peoples, published in the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association
Uttar Pradesh bride dies suddenly on wedding day, groom instead marries her sister on the same day with dead body of original betrothed lying in next room, family says change of plans was a tough call and that they have never witnessed such mixed emotions
Art school professor stages protest against Pablo Picasso outside Barcelona museum, claims to not believe in cancel culture but feels need to highlight artist's supposed sexism and abuse of women
Amazon unveils coffin-like wellness chamber to offer warehouse workers time to focus on their mental health, featuring potted plants, a small fan and a computer to watch relaxation videos, retail giant deletes Twitter clip unveiling chambers after online ridicule
3,000 year old Scythian DNA could be used for human clones, suggests Russian defense minister Sergey Shoigu, magazine Popular Mechanics fears new army will be created consisting of genetically superior ancient warriors
Weightlifter Laurel Hubbard becomes first transgender athlete in Olympic Games, competed as a man until gender transition in 2013, has since won multiple medals as a women despite attempts to ban her from competitions
Walter Mondale dies at 93, was US vice president under Jimmy Carter but became most known as presidential candidate in 1984 and for the huge margin with which he lost, 13 electoral votes against 525 for Ronald Reagan
Spock is not rational but terrible at making predictions, 83% of things he says are impossible happen and the more confident he is the more wrong he is, says Julia Galef after analyzing all Star Trek episodes and films
3,400-year-old golden city of Luxor discovered by archaeologists in Egypt containing stunningly preserved remains, built by 18th-dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III and abandoned by his son Akhenaten, archaeologist Salima Ikram says it’s a snapshot in time like an Egyptian version of Pompeii
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has died, was married to Queen Elizabeth II for more than 70 years and became the longest-serving consort in British history
Meditation is not always a harmless activity without negative side effects, sometimes leads to psychological destabilization which in turn can trigger psychotic episodes, naive enthusiasm and marketing expose sensitive individuals to serious risks
74 year old Florida golfer drowns in pond, friends tell police he liked searching the course for lost balls
Six books by children's author Dr. Seuss will cease publication, publishing company saying books portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong, discontinued titles include And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, If I Ran the Zoo and McElligot's Pool
Black woman glues her hair solid with Gorilla Glue and it remains so a month later even after she checked herself into a hospital, weighs legal options despite package stating "do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing", while some say racism forced her to use the product
Rod Stewart reaches plea deal to settle battery charges after thumping a security guard in the ribs and making a mock Nazi-era salute while partying on New Year's Eve 2019 at a luxury hotel in Florida wearing a gold lame jacket
85-year-old Spanish woman believed to have died from Covid-19 returns to her care home in Xove where her husband also lives nine days after family were told she had been buried following a mix-up of names, due to coronavirus protocols the family were unable to attend the funeral
Richard Branson's Virgin Orbit launches LauncherOne rocket into space from a modified Boeing 747 at 35,000 feet before releasing ten Nasa satellites into orbit after lighting its NewtonThree engines to boost itself out of Earth's atmosphere, following two aborted attempts last year
Long-tailed macaques who steal from tourists in Bali temple are able to estimate value of loot, demand more food to return more valuable goods, primarily try to snatch phones, wallets and glasses, according to researchers who spent nine months filming thefts and ransom negotiations
In newly unearthed interview tapes from the 1970s Oshima Hiroshi speaks about his role aligning Japan with Germany, as the Japanese ambassador to Germany before and during World War Two he expresses regret for only taking military prowess into account and not consider the overall strength of countries, from economics to industry, expecting Germany to prevail in the war
Worlds first underwater roundabout opens 72 meters under Skálafjørður in Faroe Islands, part of tunnel system which connects most populated island Streymoy with second most populous Eysturoy, roundabout decorated with green and blue lights in artistic creation likened to a jellyfish
Cipher created by the Zodiac Killer cracked 51 years after it was sent to San Francisco newspaper, international team of cryptographers solved the riddle with help from specialized software, two of the serial killer's four coded messages remain to be decrypted
Russian outrage over recommendation to abstain from alcohol two weeks before and four weeks after Covid-19 vaccination, many claim Russians are unable to stay sober for so long, creator of Sputnik vaccine says a glass of champagne doesn't hurt and the important thing is not drinking for three days before and after each injection
USA and Israel is in contact with and cooperates with extraterrestial beings, says Haim Eshed who is retired general and former chief of Israel space security program, Donald Trump was on the verge of disclosing the secret but was stopped by Galactic Federation which does not think humans are ready to know the truth about space and spaceships
IKEA ends seven-decade tradition and discontinues its catalogue which was first published in 1951 and reached its peak in 2016 when more than 200 million copies were distributed to households and IKEA stores in more than 50 countries
Singapore approves, as first country in the world, the sale of meat made in a laboratory to consumers, the product, created from animal cells without the slaughter of any chickens, will debut as a chicken bite with breading and seasoning in a single restaurant priced similar to premium chicken
Diego Maradona dies at the age of 60 from a heart attack at his Buenos Aires home, one of the greatest players of all time was captain when Argentina won the 1986 World Cup and won two Serie A titles with the Italian side Napoli
Jeopardy!'s host Alex Trebek passes away at the age of 80, fought stage 4 pancreatic cancer since March 2019
On World Vegan Day, Britain's first permanent vegan butcher, Rudy's, opened, set to sell meat-free versions of traditional products such as baycon, soysage and turk'y, according to co-founder Matthew Foster people understand what it is they are selling and that all products are designed to emulate meat, taste like meat and have meat-like texture
Sir Sean Connery has died at the age of 90
South Korea faces a kimchi crisis after the price of cabbage skyrockets 60% this year, an abnormally long monsoon between June and August topped by three typhoons in August and September destroyed cabbage fields needed to make kimchi
A ban on transgender women competing in international rugby matches will not stop them playing the women’s game in England if they maintain testosterone levels below a certain level for a year as it is claimed more evidence is needed to justify a full ban, Fair Play For Women, which campaigns against trans women in women’s sport, say the international ban put safety top of its agenda and ask why the same is not offered to amateurs