Anger quickly spread among the population after it was announced that King Charles’ coronation had cost taxpayers 72 million euros, or 90 million US dollars.
‘Obscene’: Anger after cost of King Charles’s coronation revealed
The coronation ceremony in May 2023 brought together dignitaries from all over the world, and an exceptional evening concert was held at Windsor Castle the following day.
Guests included the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron, the then British Prime Minister, members of the Royal Family, and celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Lionel Richie and Katy Perry.
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While 20 million people followed the event on television, it was recently revealed that the total cost of the operation had reached the extravagant sum of 72 million euros.
According to The Guardian, security for the ceremony cost in excess of £21 million (over US$26 million), while the Department for Culture, Media and Sport incurred additional expenses in excess of £50 million (almost US$63 million), a situation that was certainly not appreciated by the monarchy’s detractors.
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Many accuse King Charles of having acted without considering the huge costs this would impose on taxpayers.
Matt Gaetz, Donald Trump’s controversial choice for Attorney General, who was in trouble with a report due out concerning serious allegations of, among other things, intimate relations with an underage girl, has announced that he is withdrawing his candidacy for Attorney General.
Breaking News: Matt Gaetz, President-elect Trump’s pick for attorney general, said he was withdrawing from consideration for the role. Follow live updates.
In a tweet, Gaetz confirmed his decision to withdraw his candidacy, explaining that he had “unfairly” become a distraction to the transition work of Donald Trump’s incoming administration.
Recall that two days before the publication of a devastating House Ethics Committee report on an FBI human trafficking investigation involving Gaetz, and after being named by Donald Trump as his choice for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz had resigned as a representative from a Florida district.
This resignation immediately prevented the report from being posted, the contents of which will ultimately not be made public, following a majority vote in favor of keeping it under seal.
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This decision did not assuage the indignation and criticism surrounding the appointment of a person facing such serious allegations to head one of the most important positions, that of U.S. Attorney General.
The New York Times had in fact obtained documents concerning payments made by Gaetz via Venmo, totaling almost $10,000, to two young women who were minors at the time of the alleged acts.
Breaking News: Federal investigators established a trail of payments from Matt Gaetz to women, including some who testified he hired them for sex, according to a document obtained by The New York Times and a lawyer representing some of the women. nyti.ms/3YXR0ij
According to CNN, Gaetz’s decision to step down as Attorney General was motivated by the fear that even more compromising information might surface in the House Ethics Committee report, and that there might be previously unknown witnesses who had been questioned by the committee.
After a major wave of E. coli infections, mainly caused by contaminated onions used in McDonald’s restaurants in several states, a new epidemic has emerged.
This time, it is linked to organic carrots sold in 18 states in the USA and Canada.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating an E. coli outbreak in at least 18 states linked to some organic carrots, which has led to at least one death.
The contaminated carrots from Grimmway Farms, now withdrawn from sale, were marketed between August 14 and October 23.
They were sold in the U.S. under the Walmart, Target, Kroger, Publix, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Whole Foods brands, and in Canada under the Loblaw President’s Choice and Sobeys Compliments brands.
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In 18 states, 39 cases, including 15 hospitalizations and 1 death, are thought to be linked to this contamination.
Authorities warn that some people may still have these carrots in their homes, and urge them to be vigilant.
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It is advisable to discard all organic carrots purchased with expiration dates between September 11 and November 12.
A recent incident, kept secret until now, is raising concerns about the security of the royal family.
According to The Sun, masked burglars managed to enter the royal estate, smashing through a closed gate before making off with two stolen vehicles.
Thieves broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle, where the Prince and Princess of Wales live with their three children, and stole two vehicles, police said.
According to The Sun, the thieves broke through a security barrier to make off with a black Isuzu pickup and a red quad bike in a daring intrusion on the royal grounds of Windsor Castle.
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They reportedly managed to break into a farm building on royal land near Windsor Castle.
Although King Charles and Queen Camilla were not residing at the castle at the time of the break-in, it is assumed that Prince William and his family were asleep at their Adelaide Cottage residence.
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The latter is located just a few minutes from the fence the thieves hit during their escape, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
According to sources quoted by The Sun, this burglary may have been meticulously planned.
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The criminals are believed to have carried out prolonged surveillance of the estate before taking action.
This incident, which had not been revealed to the public until recently, is causing great concern.
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It highlights a potentially major security breach for the royal family, especially as the theft took place inside the secure area of the Windsor Castle estate.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this weekend confirmed the very first case of Clade I mpox, a severe form of MPox, in the USA, in a patient from California.
The United States' first known case of a more severe strain of mpox was confirmed in California, the CDC says.
Cases of Clade II MPox have been circulating in the US since 2022, but according to the CDC, this is the first case of Clade I, the most severe form of the disease, to have been detected in the country.
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The infected person had recently returned from East Africa, where a major MPox outbreak is underway, and was diagnosed with the severe Clade I form of the disease.
According to the CDC, the patient was treated at a local medical facility and is now recovering in home isolation.
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Since 2022, the MPox epidemic has been causing global concern, with cases reported in several countries.
According to WHO, from the start of MPox surveillance to July 31, 2024, more than 100,000 confirmed cases of MPox linked to MPox clades I and II, including more than 200 deaths, have been reported from over 120 countries.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, still considered the epicenter, as well as Burundi and other East African countries, remain particularly affected.
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However, the subtype responsible for the majority of the current spread of Clade I, Clade Ib, is relatively new. Most of the travel-related cases reported concern this subtype, which is far less lethal than Clade I.
The mortality rate for Clade Ib is less than 1%, whereas for previous cases of Clade I, it was between 3% and 11%.
Billionaire Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), who has been at odds with Brazil for several months over misinformation on his platform, saw this dispute reignited in an unusual way this weekend.
At an event on the heels of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Janja Lula da Silva, the wife of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, took to the stage to directly attack Elon Musk, claiming that he didn’t intimidate her, adding a swear word to underline her contempt.
Brazil's first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore while addressing billionaire Elon Musk during a G20 event on the weekend, at which she spoke about the need to regulate social media to rein in misinformation.
Rosangela da Silva addressed Elon Musk directly as she spoke at a pre-G20 event dedicated to regulating social networks to combat misinformation.
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This unexpected intervention reignites a conflict that has been ongoing for several months between the billionaire and Brazil, after the latter was recently forced to temporarily suspend all X activities in the country, due to Musk’s refusal to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision to appoint a legal representative for his company in Brazil.
In an unexpected moment, as Rosangela da Silva was talking about how to regulate social networks, a ship’s noise was heard. The First Lady immediately reacted in jest, saying that it was Elon Musk who was making the noise, before adding bluntly: “**** ***, Elon Musk”, asserting that she wasn’t afraid of him!
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For his part, Musk reacted on X by predicting that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would lose his next election.
This conflict began when Brazil insisted that X and Elon Musk comply with local laws concerning online disinformation. Musk had refused to comply with Supreme Court orders to block accounts accused of spreading “false information” and hate messages.
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Musk had then expelled his legal representatives from Brazil, depriving himself of the right to operate his companies under Brazilian law. After several attempts to get Musk to cooperate, the Supreme Court was forced to shut down X throughout the country, and the threat also extended to Musk’s Starlink satellite service, which refused to obey the court’s order to cut off X from its Internet services.
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Finally, after several weeks, Musk changed his mind and began to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
As a result, Brazil authorized X to resume its activities in the country last October.
InfoWars, the media empire of infamous conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, put up for auction as part of bankruptcy proceedings to compensate the families of Sandy Hook victims harassed by Jones through his network, has finally been acquired, and the new owners reportedly ceased operations immediately.
Both supporters and detractors of Alex Jones had expressed interest in buying InfoWars, but in the end it was satirical newspaper The Onion that won the auction, to everyone’s surprise.
Bryce P. Tetraeder, CEO of Global Tetrahedron, the parent company of The Onion, attempted to provide “explanations” in a satirical statement published on November 14. He claimed that Global Tetrahedron’s acquisition of InfoWars was a logical decision, given their expertise in humorous fake news, unlike InfoWars, which specialized in conspiracy theories that caused harm to many people, including the families of the Sandy Hook victims.
According to CNN, The Onion’s acquisition of InfoWars was supported by the families of the Sandy Hook victims.
In 2022, the parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting won a lawsuit against Alex Jones and InfoWars for defamation. Jones had called the tragedy a “hoax”, prompting years of harassment, threats and intimidation of the victims’ families by his supporters.
Parents of Sandy Hook victims were awarded $1.5 billion in compensation after enduring years of harassment fueled by Alex Jones’ lies.
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This compensation played a direct role in the InfoWars auction.
Bryce P. Tetraeder concludes his statement with The Onion’s typical satirical humor, though without revealing what InfoWars’ future direction will be.
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Recall that the Sandy Hook tragedy, which occurred on December 14, 2012 at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, claimed the lives of 20 children and 6 staff members.
The victims’ families were overwhelmed by deep grief, exacerbated by years of harassment fueled by Alex Jones’ false conspiracy theories broadcast on InfoWars.
British daily The Guardian has announced that it is discontinuing all posts about X… on X.
U.K. publication The Guardian will no longer post on X.
“This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism. The U.S. presidential election campaign… pic.twitter.com/shnbiFkQnd
A platform that the well-known newspaper describes as toxic.
The Guardian’s X account has been archived following the announcement of its departure from the platform, formerly Twitter. The media company said it was ceasing to publish from its official editorial accounts, while specifying that X users could still share their articles.
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The reasons for this decision are numerous, as The Guardian explains in an article detailing its choice. The daily now considers that the disadvantages of being on X outweigh the advantages, and that its resources would be better invested in promoting its journalism elsewhere… nothing less!
In a carefully considered decision, the daily asserts that X is a toxic media platform that has used its influence to shape political discourse, often disseminating disturbing content, far-right conspiracy theories and racism, all backed by its owner, Elon Musk.
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The Guardian says that while social networks are an important tool for news organizations to reach new audiences, X now plays a limited role in promoting its content, according to the daily.
The daily says it is privileged to be able to make this choice, as its business model is directly supported by its readers.
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The Guardian points out that it operates within a media ecosystem dominated by billionaires, where malicious actors spread misinformation online, supported by lawyers of the powerful who seek to prevent the posting of articles they wish to conceal… not to mention authoritarian states that flout press freedom.
To support The Guardian, readers can go directly to the newspaper’s website or download its app.
Enthusiasm in the crypto world is surging this November, with the continued rise of Bitcoin, but also lesser-known cryptocurrencies such as Dogecoin (largely and solely driven by Musk, in fact) and Litecoin, have also recorded notable increases.
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However, it was Bitcoin that dominated the race, reaching a record high by surpassing $88,000 for the first time.
Bitcoin’s value rose impressively after Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, from $68,000 before the November 5 results to much higher levels.
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A former cryptoskeptic, Trump had expressed doubts about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies in 2019, calling them “insecure” and “speculative”.
He had declared himself not a fan of Bitcoin, preferring the traditional currency, the US dollar, and highlighted the associated risks, including fraud and illegal activity.
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Trump recently performed a complete reversal of his positions on cryptocurrencies, stating at a crypto conference that he wanted to transform the United States into the “crypto capital of the world”, no less!
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We can better understand investors’ enthusiasm following his victory and imminent return to the White House…
Among the announcements regarding the composition of his cabinet, Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense surprised many, as the president appointed a Fox & Friends host to this key position.
Pete Hegseth, ex-military and host of Fox & Friends Weekend since 2017, has been appointed by Donald Trump to one of the most important positions for US defense.
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Upon taking office, Hegseth will become the president’s top national defense advisor.
He will oversee the Department of Defense, coordinate military strategies, manage the armed forces and be responsible for national security.
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He plays a key role in American defense, but his appointment has raised questions. Although a former member of the Minnesota National Guard, Hegseth has no direct experience in national defense management or high-level military command, qualifications generally required for this position.
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This isn’t the first time Donald Trump has appointed someone deemed underqualified to such a crucial position. Mark Esper, appointed Secretary of Defense in 2019 by Trump, was considered by many to be one of the least qualified in history for the role due to his lack of military experience or direct leadership in the defense field.
