Qatar’s Fifa Men’s World Cup in the spotlight as stars unite against the event
With the Fifa Men’s World Cup just days away, a whole host of stars have united against the major sporting event.
Pop sensation Dua Lipa has denied reports she is due to perform in Qatar. Lipa says she will “look forward to visiting [the country] when it has fulfilled all the human rights pledges it made.”
“I will not be performing and nor have I ever been involved in any negotiation to perform.”
Fifa has been slammed for selecting Qatar as the host nation amid the nation’s stance on same-sex relationships, human rights record and treatment of migrant workers.
It follows Rod Stewart taking a similar stance.
He says he was offered over $1 million to play in Qatar for the World Cup. But he turned it down.
Stewart believes performing wasn’t an option. He also believes the “Iranian [football team] should be out [of the World Cup] too for supplying arms.”
But not everyone has turned down the cash.
Robbie Williams and Jung Kook from BTS are both set to perform.
Meanwhile, British comedian Joe Lycett has issued a very public ultimatum to Qatar World Cup ambassador David Beckham.
Lycett has promised to donate 10,000 pounds of his own money to charity, if Beckham ends his deal with Qatar.
Homosexuality is illegal in the country, and the comedian says he will shred the money just before the opening ceremony if Beckham refuses to cooperate.
All-important 2022 Midterm Elections will determine the balance of power in Washington D.C.
Following Tuesday’s midterm elections across America, there are still four Senate races yet to be called in Arizona, Nevada, Alaska, and Georgia.
While Alaska will likely stay in Republican hands as votes move through the state’s ranked-choice voting system— Arizona and Nevada are continuing to count mail-in ballots.
Meanwhile, the race for Georgia’s Senate seat is headed to a runoff election on December 6.
Out of the candidates former President Donald Trump backed in the 2022 midterm elections–174 won and only 9 lost.
However, Democrats and Republicans are framing the results very differently.
“You know, Tuesday was a good day for America,” President Joe Biden said. “A good day for democracy and it was a strong night for Democrats.”
“It’s worth pausing and reflecting what was accomplished last night,” Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas said.
“Number one, Nancy Pelosi lost her job; we’ve taken the gavel out of Nancy Pelosi hands; we’re going to have a Republican majority in the House, we’re going to have Republican chairman of every committee, we’re going to have leadership in the house that that that has moved out of the hands of other crazy Democrats,” he said.
Election officials are now saying that tabulations in key races will continue over the weekend and won’t be announced until counting is completed next week.
It’s a waiting game in the U.S. as the balance of power remains at stake
Millions of Americans cast their votes in the all-important Mid-term Elections—but the suspense continues in many pivotal matchups.
The November 8th midterm elections will determine control of both the House and Senate—and as usual is often decided by just a few seats which will ultimately change the balance of power.
U.S. stock futures traded lower on Wednesday as election results in key races have yet to be announced.
Ballots are still being tallied in multiple states.
Four Senate seats are still up for grabs in Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
Election officials say delays in Arizona’s Maricopa County due to “ballot glitches” as well as additional results are expected to be finalized on Wednesday night.
During this election cycle—some of the top issues for American voters included runaway inflation, rampant crime, threats to democracy, illegal immigration, border security, and abortion.
Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp owner will cut 13 per cent of its workforce
The first mass lay-offs in the firm’s history will result in 11,000 employees getting the sack, that’s one in eight losing their job at the company.
The lay-offs would affect its research lab focusing on the metaverse as well as its popular apps including insta and Facebook.
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg says the cuts were “the most difficult changes we’ve made in Meta’s history”.
He took responsibility and blamed himself for expanding the social media company too quickly.
“I know this is tough for everyone, and I’m especially sorry to those impacted,” he wrote in a statement.
“Many people predicted this would be a permanent acceleration,” he said, “I did too, so I made the decision to significantly increase our investments.”
“I got this wrong, and I take responsibility for that.”
The news follows major lay-offs at Twitter, which cut about half its staff.
Arizona election officials report significant number of tabulation machine problems
The 2022 Midterm Elections are underway and Americans across the country are casting their ballots which will decide the direction of the country.
The November 8th midterm elections will also determine control of both the House and Senate—and as usual is often decided by just a few seats which will ultimately change the balance of power.
Important races in battleground states like Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania will establish what gets done in Washington D.C. over the next two years.
This election year is weighted down by major economic turmoil and rampant crime.
But, just hours after Election Day polls opened on the West Coast, Arizona officials in Maricopa County said that about 20% of their polling sites were experiencing issues with tabulation machines.
The Chairman to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors said technicians were working to solve the problem as quickly as possible.
Early voting totals are already pointing to a record-breaking turnout for a non-Presidential election year.
Voting is continuing right across the United States for the 2022 midterm elections.
The Democrats are staring down the barrel of a red wave.
For two years, the party has held the House and the Senate, both of which could flip to the Republican party.
Polls suggest the Republicans will almost certainly take the House, while the the result in the Senate will come down to the wire.
More than45 million Americans have already had their say in pre-election polling.
All 435 seats in the House are up for grabs, as well as 35 seats in the 100-member Senate, 36 state governorships, three U.S. territory governorships and a large number of city mayorships and local offices.
In a further 37 states, issues including laws on abortion, marijuana and voting rights are also up for a vote.
Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s key races to watch.
The state’s attorney general, Democrat Josh Shapiro, is facing off against Doug Mastriano for governor. Mastriano is a Trump-backed senator.
The winner in this race will be able to choose the state’s election officials for 2024 and alter voting restrictions.
Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz battling for the state’s all-important Senate seat.
In Georgia, Democrat Raphael Warnock is up against Trump-backed football star Herschel Walker.
Walker stands by his anti-abortion views, despite claims from two women that he has paid for them both to terminate a pregnancy.
Republican Senator Lindsay Graham says there hasn’t been another candidate who has been dehumanised and bullied like Walker.
Trump-backed Republican and former TV news anchor Kari Lake is facing off against Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs for governor.
Lake is a Democrat who rose to prominence after fighting back against Trump’s election fraud claims.
In Texas, at the top of the ticket is the state’s current governor, Republican Greg Abbott.
Abbott is running for his third term against Democrat hopeful Beto O’Rourke.
O’Rourke has broken fundraising records against Abbott and has set up a tough challenge.
Trump says he will make a ‘very big announcement’ on the 15th of November
https://youtu.be/J7uQQhw07Ew
The former U.S president strongly hinted he will be running for president again.
Speaking at a rally in Ohio, he addressed his 2024 intentions.
“I’m going to be making a very big announcement on Tuesday, November 15 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida,” he told the crowd.
Trump would be the second president in history to lose an election then win again, if he is successful in his bid.
His biggest threat is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, political analyst, told TICKER news Trump would be the likely candidate by a ‘significant percentage’
The Nov. 8 races are weighted down by major economic turmoil and rampant crime
On Tuesday Americans will head to the polls to cast their votes and make their voices heard in deciding a specific direction for the country.
The November 8th midterm elections will decide control of both the House and Senate—and as usual is often decided by just a few seats which will change the balance of power.
Important races in battleground states like Georgia, Arizona, Nevada, and Pennsylvania will decide what gets done in Washington D.C. over the next two years.
This election year is weighted down by major economic turmoil and rampant crime.
In the final hours before the election, U.S. President Joe Biden joined former President Barack Obama on the campaign trail for Democratic candidates.
“The power of America is in your hands—it really is,” Biden said.
In the campaign’s final weeks, momentum has been on the side of the GOP.
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump held a dueling rally in support of Republican candidates while slamming what Democrats have accomplished over the past two years.
“Under Biden, Pelosi, Schumer, and the radical Democrat Congress your Commonwealth is being totally destroyed, our country is being destroyed,” Trump said.
“Biden and the far-left lunatics are waging war on Pennsylvania energy, crushing Pennsylvania jobs, gutting Pennsylvania community and strangling Pennsylvania families,” he said.
As we know, recent polling in the United States has been anything but accurate and as election day looms, both parties are pulling out all the stops to win over every last vote.
The Democrats have been struggling with their sitting president’s low approval rating for many months now.
He says this election is a choice between two fundamentally different visions of America.
“This election isn’t a referendum, it’s a choice. It’s a choice between two fundamentally different visions of America.”
Tuesday’s elections represent the first nationwide test of democracy since Biden took office and Trump’s followers stormed the U.S. Capitol in protest.
Speaking of Trump, he’s been campaigning in Ohio for Republican Senate nominee JD Vance. While First lady Jill Biden is in Northern Virginia, campaigning with Democratic Representative, Jennifer Wexton
But what’s actually at stake?
All 435 seats in the House, 35 seats in the 100-member Senate, 36 state governorships, three U.S. territory governorships and a large number of city mayorships and local offices.
In a further 37 states, issues including laws on abortion, marijuana and voting rights are also up for a vote.
It follows House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy speaking exclusively to CNN as his party eyes off a red wave.
If the Republican party does win back control of the House and the Senate, McCarthy is vowing to secure the border, cut back on government spending and launch investigations into the Biden administration.
McCarthy is also optimistic about his chances of securing Speaker of the House.
McCarthy was reluctant to predict how many seats his party may pick up on election night but says “anywhere over 20 is a red wave.”
“I’ve seen more competitive race than I’ve seen in any given time. I see Democrats spending money in seats that Biden won by 20 points – New York.”
In Florida, current Senator Marco Rubio says his followers have one job to do.
“We have one job left to do and that is turn out to vote and vote in big numbers. These people don’t just need to lose, they need to lose by a lot. They need to get the message — we will never be a socialist country.”
All eyes on Pennsylvania
There’s one race which has everyone talking and that is the battle for one of Pennsylvania’s highly sought-after seats in the Senate.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz speaks at a pre-election rally to support Republican candidates in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, U.S., November 5, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Segar
Representing the Democrats is John Fetterman, a former mayor who currently serves as the state’s lieutenant governor.
In the Republican corner is Mehmet Oz, known affectionately as Doctor Oz.
He’s the Trump-backed candidate who rose to fame as Oprah Winfrey’s go-to health practitioner.
Oz says America is the land of opportunity.
“I’m not a politician. I’m a surgeon. What surgeons do is tackle big problems. We do it successfully, in my case, fixing broken hearts by working with everybody, by making sure we unify people in the operating room — not divide them. The same will work for our nation.”
Musk supports change
This comes as Elon Musk throws his support behind the Republican party.
Taking to Twitter, the platform’s new owner says “shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic”.
One digital media manager at a local government in Delaware hit back at Musk saying “I’ll let anyone who gives me money appear to be a legitimate source of news, rather than just ensuring all legitimate sources of news are confirmed to be who they say they are”
And to do this, I’ll let anyone to gives me money appear to be a legitimate source of news, rather than just ensuring all legitimate sources of news are confirmed to be who they say they are https://t.co/otFWaWJTxt
Grantham clearly taking a stab at the new blue tick fee Musk introduced to the social media platform since taking over.
Twitter just launched an updated version of its iOS app. The social media platform promises to allow users to pay a monthly subscription to receive a blue checkmark on their profiles, a feature that Elon Musk, the company’s new owner, has backed.
Musk replied back to the media manager, criticising the mainstream media industry.
You represent the problem: journalists who think they are the only source of legitimate information. That’s the big lie.
Musk a week ago: Tweets a conspiracy theory about an attack on the octogenarian husband of the Speaker of the House from a far right conspiracy website. He gets fact checked based on the actual work of journalists and deletes the tweet.
Musk today: Who needs journalism anyway?
— Walker Bragman moved to Threads and BlueSky (@WalkerBragman) November 7, 2022
Journalists are a dying profession same as stage coach drivers and horseshoe makers. The internet has made that profession obsolete. The Ukraine war is playing out on Twitter and Telegram, we see what's happening and journalists can't manipulate like they used to.
Crypto influencer Matt Wallace wrote “Blue check journalists have blasted Elon Musk with lies on Twitter for over a decade. So he spent 44 billion on Twitter and decided to make them all pay him $8” to his almost 700,000 twitter followers.
It is fact that journalists are not the only sources of legitimate information but are trained to observe ethical conduct, verify news, check credibility.
But does a blue tick mean the user is tweeting factual information? Harkov’s point has gained likes on the thread and says “blue checks without any verification process will make it harder to figure out what is legitimate information.”
I’m a journalist. I don’t think I’m the only source of legit information, by far. That being said, the fact that people – again, not only journalists – can get blue checks without any verification process will make it harder to figure out what is legitimate information.
Elon, it’s me again. Tweets like this are counter to your business goals for @Twitter. The truth is that news breaks on Twitter because journalists turn to Twitter when they want to promote their work. Journalists create demand for Twitter, whether subscription or ad rev. driven
