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Court ordered Dubai ruler to pay ex-wife $700M in divorce settlement

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Court ordered Dubai ruler to pay ex-wife $700M in divorce settlement

According to AP, a British court on Tuesday ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children close to 550 million pounds ($730 million), in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history.

The High Court said Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay 251.5 million pounds to his sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, and make ongoing payments for their children Al Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, underpinned by a bank guarantee of 290 million pounds.

The total amount the children receive could be more or less than 290 million pounds, depending on factors including how long they live and whether they reconcile with their father. The settlement includes 11 million pounds a year to cover security costs for Princess Haya and the children while they are minors.

Sheikh Mohammed, 72, is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and a major horse breeder. The founder of the successful Godolphin horse-racing stable, he is on friendly terms with Queen Elizabeth II.

Haya, a graduate of Oxford University, is also a keen equestrian and competed in show jumping for Jordan at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

A separate British family court judge ruled in October that Sheikh Mohammed had authorized the hacking of Princess Haya’s phone during their legal battle.

Sheikh Mohammed denied knowledge of the hacking.

The divorce bill eclipses the 450 million pound settlement awarded Tatiana Akhmedova in her 2016 split from Russian billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, at the time cited as Britain’s most expensive divorce.

Tuesday’s settlement includes a holiday budget of 5.1 million pounds, an annual sum of just over 450,000 pounds for the children’s staff and around 275,000 pounds for their animals, including two ponies and a horse.

It is possible, but rare, for financial divorce settlements to be appealed in England.

Xiaomi will launch 12 and 12 pro on December 28

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Xiaomi will launch 12 and 12 pro on December 28

Although Xiaomi’s phones don’t have much of a presence in the US, it’s ranked as the second biggest smartphone manufacturer in Europe and the second biggest Android manufacturer in the world behind Samsung. Demand is driven by phones like the Xiaomi Mi 11 which offers comparable specs to Samsung’s flagships at much more affordable prices.

Exactly one year from the launch of the Mi 11, Xiaomi is set to launch the successor on December 28th, the company has announced via its official Weibo account. The new lineup will be called the Xiaomi 12 series, following the company’s decision to phase out its Mi branding earlier this year. A teaser poster features Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian, which sets the expectation that the event is likely to be focused on the Chinese market before the Xiaomi flagships make their way to global markets in 2022.

Xiaomi’s 12 series lineup could include as many as four different devices, according to Gadgets 360. These include the Xiaomi 12, the 12 Pro, the 12X, and the 12 Ultra, although it’s possible that not all of them will be announced during the December event (this year’s Mi 11 Ultra wasn’t announced until late March, for example). Gizmochina reports that Xiaomi executives have been spotted using the other three phones to post to their Weibo accounts.

There aren’t many official details about the upcoming handsets, but Xiaomi has confirmed that they’ll be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Apparent marketing images of the Xiaomi 12 and 12 Pro shared by leaker @UniverseIce on Twitter show the phones will feature centrally orientated hole-punch cameras. Other rumored specs of the Xiaomi 12 include a triple rear camera, according to leaked renders from @OnLeaks, with a 50-megapixel primary sensor.

Two dozen metro Atlanta restaurants closed due to positive COVID-19 cases

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Two dozen metro Atlanta restaurants closed due to positive COVID-19 cases

According to AJC, over the weekend, nearly two dozen metro Atlanta restaurants temporarily closed due to positive COVID-19 cases among staff.

Supremo Taco, Bread and Butterfly, 8Arm and Ticonderoga Club were among the dining establishments that abruptly announced they would be closed during what is typically one of the busiest periods for restaurants.

Supporters of Local Three received an email midday Saturday from chef-partner Chris Hall notifying them that the fine-dining restaurant in Vinings would not open that evening.

“This morning we learned that several team members have tested positive for COVID-19. In light of this, we have chosen to close the restaurant so that all of our employees may be tested and extensive cleaning and sanitization measures may be implemented. Pending the results of the tests, we plan to reopen Tuesday,” Hall wrote. “We apologize for any inconvenience, but caution is the right path for everyone at this time.”

“Omicron has raced in and leveled half the restaurants in the city over the course of 72 hours,” said Paul Calvert of Ticonderoga Club.

He made the decision with business partner Greg Best to keep doors locked on Saturday at his popular Krog Street Market watering hole after two positive COVID-19 tests within a fully vaccinated staff of 13. “Ticonderoga Club has a very small staff. Losing one or two employees basically means closing,” he said. He hoped to reopen for dinner service on Tuesday.

Ticonderoga Club has been closed on Sundays throughout the pandemic due to the labor shortage that continues to plague the service industry, but it banks on brisk Monday business, he said. And the establishment is still “trying to recover from two years of loss,” he said.

Half a billion at-home coronavirus tests will be sent free to the American

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Half a billion at-home coronavirus tests will be sent free to the American

Half a billion at-home coronavirus tests will be sent free to the American public in an effort to fight the surging Omicron variant, Joe Biden will announce on Tuesday.

The move is part of a renewed White House effort that includes the Pentagon calling up 1,000 troops to deploy to hard-hit hospitals and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) working to expand medical capacity.

As Covid-19 once again rages across America, there is no indication that the president will discourage holiday gatherings, impose vaccine mandates for domestic air travel or seek a new round of lockdowns.

Federal health officials said on Monday that Omicron has raced ahead of other variants and is now the dominant version in the US, accounting for three in four new infections last week. Biden, who earlier this month unveiled a winter plan to combat the pandemic dogging his political fortunes, has been forced to revise his strategy.

In an address from the White House on Tuesday, he will announce that his administration is buying 500m at-home, rapid tests this winter to be distributed for free to Americans who want them, with initial delivery starting next month. A website will enable people to order them to be delivered to their home for free.

The decision follows growing pressure on the White House to make free tests more widely available. At a recent briefing, press secretary Jen Psaki asked sarcastically: “Should we just send one to every American?” Critics pointed out that the UK does just that and wondered why the US could not follow suit.

In a preview call with reporters, a senior administration official said: “The first delivery of these tests from the manufacturers will arrive in January. We’re setting up a free and easy system to get those tests out to Americans, including the website. We’re actively working to finalise those distribution mechanisms and we’ll share more details in the weeks ahead on that.”

A six-fold increase in Omicron’s share of Covid-19 infections in just one week has seen long queues from at testing sites in major cities. Biden will announce new federal testing sites around the country. The first will be created this week in New York, which just reported a record number of new daily cases.

Biden will also unveil additional steps to ensure people can get vaccinated and boosted, including new pop-up vaccination clinics and deploying additional vaccinators. Currently 73% of adult Americans are fully vaccinated.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis Cynthia Nixon voice their support for Chris Noth accusers

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Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis Cynthia Nixon voice their support for Chris Noth accusers

Last week three women, who all remain anonymous, accused Noth of sexual assault. Two of these women shared graphic details of the alleged assaults with The Hollywood Reporter. The alleged incidents are said to have taken place in Los Angeles in 2004, in New York in 2010, and in New York in 2015.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis have responded to the sexual assault allegations being levied against their And Just Like That… co-star Chris Noth.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the women expressed that they are “deeply saddened” to learn about the allegations and they “support the women who have come forward and shared their painful experiences.”

“We know it must be a very difficult thing to do and we commend them for it,” the statement continued.

Noth, who briefly reprised his role as Mr. Big in And Just Like That…, has denied all allegations, calling them “categorically false.” His statement continued. “These stories could’ve been from 30 years ago or 30 days ago—no always means no—that is a line I did not cross. The encounters were consensual. It’s difficult not to question the timing of these stories coming out. I don’t know for certain why they are surfacing now, but I do know this: I did not assault these women.”

In another statement, Noth’s rep called the third woman’s accusations “a complete fabrication” and “bad fiction.”

However, elsewhere, the response to these allegations have been swift. Peloton ended their pre-planned PR viral campaign with Noth and Ryan Reynolds, Noth was unceremoniously dropped by his agency, and his upcoming tequila company acquisition was cancelled.

Man assaulted 81-year-old Asian American man after asking about his ethnicity

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Man assaulted 81-year-old Asian American man after asking about his ethnicity

The San Diego Police Department is investigating a hate crime after a man assaulted an 81-year-old Asian American man on the morning of Dec. 17 while he was on a walk on Imperial Avenue near Escuela Street in Lincoln Park.

Around 10 a.m. that day, an apparent transient stopped and asked the elderly man, Mark Sonouvong, about his ethnicity.

After refusing to answer, the man knocked Mr. Sonouvong to the ground and brutally beat him.

This is the third Asian hate crime incident in San Diego since the onset of the pandemic.

Sonouvong is currently recovering at Scripps Mercy Hospital.

San Diego’s Asian Pacific Islander Initiative wants to create a rapid response action plan to engage local government, media, and businesses, collect data, better educate communities on these events, and prepare all of San Diego to be safe.

Specifically, they want to educate target areas in which these hate crimes occur, Fields said.

Peng Shuai denied saying she was sexually assaulted

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Peng Shuai denied saying she was sexually assaulted

“First of all, I want to emphasize something that is very important. I have never said that I wrote that anyone sexually assaulted me. I need to emphasize this point very clearly,” 

According to AP, Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai has denied saying she was sexually assaulted, despite a November social media post attributed to her that accused a former top Communist Party official of forcing her into sex.

Lianhe Zaobao, a Singaporean Chinese-language newspaper, posted video of Peng it says was taken Sunday in Shanghai in which she said she has been mainly staying at home in Beijing but was free to come and go as she chose.

The reporter did not ask how or why the lengthy and highly detailed Nov. 2 post appeared or whether Peng’s account had been hacked.

The newspaper said it interviewed Peng at a promotional event for the Beijing Winter Olympic Games which begin Feb. 4. She was filmed on the observation deck of a facility where she watched a freestyle ski competition alongside former NBA star Yao Ming and other Chinese sports figures.

Peng dropped out of sight after the accusation against former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli briefly appeared on her verified Weibo social media before being swiftly removed. Screen shots of the post were shared across the internet, drawing widespread concern about Peng’s safety from politicians, fellow tennis stars and the Women’s Tennis Association, which announced it was suspending all events in China indefinitely.

The IOC has taken a different tack, with top officials saying they believe Peng is fine after video- chatting with her.

The controversy surrounding Peng has added to protests over Beijing’s hosting of the Winter Games because of the government’s human rights abuses.

Pro-Beijing candidates sweep Hong Kong elections

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Pro-Beijing candidates sweep Hong Kong elections

Pro-Beijing candidates dominated Hong Kong’s legislative elections, beating out moderates and independents in the city’s first public poll after Beijing passed a resolution to amend the city’s election laws.

Candidates loyal to Beijing won a majority of the seats in Sunday’s election after the laws were changed to ensure that only pro-Beijing “patriots” could run the city.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said during a news conference Monday she was “satisfied” with the election despite a 30.2% voter turnout — the lowest since the British handed Hong Kong over to China in 1997.

She said that the number of registered voters reached 92.5%, a record high compared to the 2012 and 2016 elections, when around 70% of voters had registered.

“For registered voters, deciding whether they want to exercise their voting rights in a particular election is entirely a matter for themselves,” she said.

“In this election, 1.35 million voters cast their votes. They did not just return candidates of their choice to LegCo, and I think it was also because of their support for the improved electoral system,” said Lam, referring to the city’s Legislative Council.

Under the new laws, the number of directly elected lawmakers was reduced from 35 to 20, even as the legislature was expanded from 70 to 90 seats. Most of the lawmakers were appointed by largely pro-Beijing bodies, ensuring that they make up the majority of the legislature.

All candidates were also vetted by a largely pro-Beijing committee before they could be nominated.

North Koreans have been banned from showing any sign of happiness

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North Koreans have been banned from showing any sign of happiness

Video from Pyongyang shows North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un looking very dour as he attends the memorial service to mark the 10th anniversary of his father’s death. As part of the national memorial, North Koreans have been banned from showing any sign of happiness. The restrictions include an explicit ban on laughter and alcohol during the 11-day period of mourning. On the exact anniversary of Kim Jong-il’s death, 17 December, North Koreans were even banned from going grocery shopping

300 people have been in killed by a powerful typhoon in the Philippines

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300 people have been in killed by a powerful typhoon in the Philippines

Military airplanes and naval vessels were dispatched on Monday to carry aid to areas devastated by Typhoon Rai, as the country grappled withthe strongest of 15 such storms to hit the archipelago this year.

According to Reuters, as of 1000 GMT, the death toll from Rai has risen to 375, the police said in a report, making it one of the deadliest typhoons to have struck the Southeast Asian nation. The number of injured has climbed to 500, while 56 people were missing.

“We are still assessing the damage, but it is huge,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters on Monday. “The first thing we are doing is address the food and water (supplies) and medical care of the injured.”

Rai, which made landfall as a category 5 typhoon on Thursday, revived memories of the devastation brought in 2013 by Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded, which killed 6,300 people in the Philippines.

Rai displaced nearly 490,000 people in the Philippines before moving toward the South China Sea over the weekend.

It left a trail of destruction in the provinces of Cebu, Leyte, and Surigao del Norte, including Siargao, which is popular with surfers, and the Dinagat Islands.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who visited typhoon-stricken areas over the weekend, promised funds of about 2 billion pesos ($40 million) to help in recovery efforts.

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