Brittney Griner speaks out for first time since being released from Russian prison
Brittney Griner thanked her family and friends and credited her faith for helping her survive her time in custody in her first comments since being released from a Russian prison earlier this month.
"It feels so good to be home! The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn," Griner wrote on Instagram Friday. "I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help."
The U.S. swapped the WNBA star for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on December 8.
Griner also specifically thanked President Joe Biden and urged the U.S. to continue to fight to bring imprisoned ex-Marine Paul Whelan home from Russia.
"President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too," she wrote. "I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole."
Griner's post on Instagram included a photo of her stepping off a plane in Texas upon returning to the U.S. and a photo of her hugging her wife, Cherelle. Griner’s agent confirmed that she has left a San Antonio military base, where she was recuperating, and is on her way home.
Griner said she plans to play for the Phoenix Mercury when the WNBA season starts up next spring.
Griner was taken into custody at a Moscow area airport in February in possession of vaping cartridges containing hashish oil, an illegal substance in Russia. She pleaded guilty in July and was sentenced to nine years in prison on August 7.
Source-ABC
Big Winners at Hive Cruise Ship Awards
The Cruise Hive Cruise Ship Awards are an annual event recognizing the best in the industry, as voted on by readers. One of the most closely contested categories is Best Homeport, which recognizes the top ports that serve as the starting point for cruise vacations.
This year, Port Canaveral came out on top, earning 24% of the votes and taking the first-place spot. It is the third year in a row that Port Canaveral has taken the top spot, followed closely by Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
Located on the east coast of Florida, Port Canaveral is the second busiest cruise port in the world and is home to many of the industry’s top cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International.
Port Canaveral offers easy access to more than 50 destinations, including the Caribbean, Bahamas, and Eastern and Western Mexico.
Voting started in September 2022 on the Cruise Hive website. Readers were able to cast a single vote in each of the seven categories up for grabs. Some of them include:
Icon of the Seas voted Most Anticipated New Cruise Ship
Carnival’s Bolt Roller Coaster wins Best Cruise Ship Feature
Carnival’s Mardi Gras Best Overall Cruise Ship of 2022
Carnival Celebration is Best new Cruise Ship for 2022
And the fourth busiest cruise port in the United States and ninth busiest in the world…. the Port of Galveston in Texas has welcomed more than one million cruise passengers in 2022. The lucky 1,000,000th guest set sail on December 22nd, aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Adventure of the Seas for a 4-night holiday itinerary.
Massive fire at a Cambodian hotel & casino
A massive fire at a Cambodian hotel casino that lasted more than 12 hours has killed at least 19 people and injured more than 60, while other victims were apparently not yet accounted for as of Thursday. Close neighbor Thailand sent firetrucks and emergency workers to help cope with the crisis.
Some victims were believed to still be under debris or in locked rooms that rescue teams could not immediately access, so the death toll is expected to rise.
The dead and injured comprised people of several nationalities, including Thai, Chinese, Malaysian, Vietnamese and Cambodian. A local Buddhist temple was being used to receive their bodies. Videos posted on social media sites show people falling from a roof after they were trapped by the fire at the Grand Diamond City casino and hotel. The video also showed at least one man falling as the flames reached the roof.
The blaze, which started around midnight Wednesday, was finally put out at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Casinos are illegal in Thailand, but neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos host the lucrative industry. Cambodia has an especially active casino industry because the Southeast Asian country is also a popular tourist destination with convenient international connections.
The Grand Diamond City casino complex has 500 employees, and had 1,000 customers on Wednesday.
People flying from People flying from China will need negative COVID-19 test to enter US
Starting January 5, people flying from China will need a negative COVID-19 test within two days of their departure in order to enter the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday.
The newly announced restrictions come amid what the CDC called a "surge" in cases of COVID-19 in China as well as a "lack of adequate and transparent" data being reported by the Chinese government.
The restrictions, which take effect after midnight on January 5, apply to every airline passenger 2 years or older regardless of vaccination status, according to the CDC. Passengers will need a negative test, such as a PCR or antigen test, no more than two days before they leave China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Source-ABC
New Year's Rockin' Eve's Ryan Seacrest predicts Times Square will be "packed"
Saturday night on ABC's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, Ryan and his co-host, Liza Koshy, will be in New York's Times Square counting down to midnight. In 2020, COVID kept Times Square empty, and in 2021, the Omicron variant meant strict limits on attendance. But this year, Seacrest predicts Times Square will be "packed."
"We're hoping there will be a normal or larger-than-normal crowd because we haven't had that ... ability in the last couple of years," he told ABC Audio on Thursday. "There is, potentially, a little rain, but I think we'll see those pens full and the streets packed." Koshy predicted the same, saying, "Just on our way to this interview today, it was packed."
Aside from the crowd and the performers, Seacrest and Koshy will be laser-focused on the task at hand.
"There's a lot of trust, I think, instilled in us to make sure that we time 10 to zero on time," Seacrest explained, adding, "People probably have us on in the background ... but once it gets to be 11:45, it's time for us to make sure we can deliver a new year."
And once the ball drops? Seacrest said his late mentor Dick Clark told him the right thing to do is to let "the visuals narrate how big of a deal Times Square is."
Seacrest noted, "Dick used to say, 'Once you say "Happy New Year," just be quiet. Just let the story be told by what you see.'"
At midnight, it's time for the traditional New Year's kiss. Koshy will smooch her mom, while Seacrest laughed, "I'll kiss my girlfriend and probably her father. He's a really, really good guy and I have to jump high to reach him ... the guy's tall!"
After that comes dinner. Seacrest used to have a huge meal before the grueling broadcast, but said he's learned, "It's better to eat at 1:30 in the morning."
Source-ABC
Mariah Carey reacts to her latest Billboard milestone: "I'm jumping up and down in the snow"
Mariah Carey is still processing her latest Billboard milestone. Thanks to her hit "All I Want for Christmas Is You" scoring another week at #1, she is now the first and only artist to lead the chart for 90 weeks.
Mariah celebrated the new milestone on Instagram, writing, "I can’t even handle this news.. I’m jumping up and down in the snow..!"
She added that as she's celebrating in her element, her dog Cha Cha is "swimming around" while her other pet, Mutley, is "howling like a kid running around in circles feeling our energy."
Billboard confirmed "All I Want for Christmas Is You" scored its 11th week at #1 on the Hot 100, which cemented her 90th week overall on top of the chart. In addition, she became the second artist behind Boyz II Men to have had three separate singles dominate the chart for 11 or more weeks.
Mariah also enjoyed a fun new milestone when it comes to streaming. She beat a record set by Adele for the most single-day streams on Spotify — on Christmas Eve, no less.
The Independent reports British listeners blasted "All I Want for Christmas" 21.273 million times over a 24-hour span, which broke the record previously set by Adele's "Easy on Me." That song was streamed 19.747 million times in a single day back in 2021.
Source-ABC
Pele, Brazil football legend dies aged 82
Brazilian football legend Pele, arguably the greatest player ever, has died at the age of 82.
He is credited with scoring a world record 1,281 goals in 1,363 appearances during a 21-year career, including 77 goals in 92 matches for his country.
The only player to win the World Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 1958, 1962 and 1970, Pele was named Fifa's Player of the Century in 2000.
He had been suffering with kidney and prostate problems in recent years.
Pele had surgery to remove a tumour from his colon in September 2021 at the Albert Einstein Hospital in Sao Paulo, after the tumour was detected in routine tests. He was readmitted to hospital in late November 2022.
His daughter Kely Nascimento has kept fans updated on her father's condition with regular social media updates from hospital.
On Thursday she posted a picture of what appeared to be Pele's family's hands on his body in hospital and wrote: "Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace."
Source-BBC
Russia fires dozens of missiles at Ukrainian cities
Cities across Ukraine have been targeted by a wave of Russian missile strikes, in one of the largest bombardments since the war began.
At least three people - including a 14-year-old girl - were taken to hospital after explosions hit the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.
Blasts were also heard in the cities of Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhytomyr.
Ukraine's military said 69 missiles were launched, with air defences intercepting 54 of them.
Earlier, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said more than 120 missiles had been launched at civilian infrastructure.
The air raid lasted for close to five hours and the regional leader of the southern province of Odesa, Maksym Marchenko, spoke of a "massive missile attack on Ukraine".
The Ukrainian Air Force said Russia attacked the country from "various directions with air and sea-based cruise missiles". It added that a number of Kamikaze drones had also been used.
Brig Gen Oleksiy Hromov said in an operational update that the strikes had been targeted at energy infrastructure across the entire country.
Two homes in Kyiv were damaged by debris from intercepted missiles, according to the city military administration. Mr Klitschko said 16 missiles were destroyed over the city by air defences.
In the southern region of Mykolaiv, Governor Vitaly Kim wrote that five missiles were intercepted by air defences, while Mayor Andriy Sadovy said several explosions had been reported in the western city of Lviv.
In the Odesa region Mr Marchenko said 21 missiles were shot down by the Ukrainian military. He added that missile fragments had hit a residential building but no casualties were reported.
Dozens of Russian attacks have pounded Ukraine in recent weeks, causing repeated power cuts across the country. Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said the latest strikes had damaged power generating facilities and said the situation was "difficult" in the Odesa and Kyiv regions.
The mayor of Lviv said on Thursday that 90% of his city was without power, while Mr Klitschko said that 40% of Kyiv had been left without power.
Power cuts were also reported in the Odesa and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in its missile strikes. However, President Vladimir Putin has recently admitted that Russian troops have been hitting Ukraine's critical energy facilities.
The admission followed allegations from some international leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, that targeting energy facilities could amount to a war crime.
In one barrage earlier this month, Ukraine said it shot down 60 of more than 70 missiles fired by Russian forces.
The government in Kyiv has pleaded with Western leaders to provide it with additional air defences, and US President Joe Biden recently agreed to supply its Patriot system.
Thursday's attack came just hours after the Kremlin rejected Ukraine's suggestion that peace talks could begin in 2023.
Source-BBC
TCI 3 Day Weather
GENERAL SITUATION: A COLD FRONT IS NEAR THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS. WINDS ARE MODERATE TO FRESH AHEAD OF THE FRONT.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG ATLANTIC SHORELINES...
ALL AREAS
WEATHER: PARTLY CLOUDY AND WARM TODAY BECOMING FAIR, MILD AND BREEZY WITH A PASSING SHOWER TONIGHT
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS BECOMING EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET BUILDING UP TO 6 FEET IN EASTERLY SWELLS
DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE 84°F 29°C
OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURE 73°F 23°C
SUNSET: 5:15 PM
TIDES
NEXT HIGH TIDE: 12:15 PM (2.6 FT)
NEXT LOW TIDE: 6:41 PM (0.7 FT)
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: THE COLD FRONT WILL DEVOLVE INTO A SURFACE TROUGH AND DISSIPATE THURSDAY. A BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. LARGE EASTERLY SWELLS WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE THROUGH FRIDAY.
FORECAST FOR THURSDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, MILD AND, BREEZY WITH AN ISOLATED SHOWER
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 6 TO 8 FEET IN EASTERLY SWELLS
SUNRISE: 6:27 AM
SUNSET: 5:16 PM
HIGH TIDE: 12:40 AM (2.3 FT) 1:12 PM (2.6 FT)
LOW TIDE: 6:56 AM (0.7 FT) 7:34 PM (0.7 FT)
FORECAST FOR FRIDAY
WEATHER: PARTLY SUNNY, MILD AND, BREEZY WITH AN ISOLATED SHOWER
WINDS: EASTERLY AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS
SEAS: 6 TO 8 FEET IN EASTERLY SWELLS
SUNRISE: 6:27 AM
SUNSET: 5:16 PM
HIGH TIDE: 1:46 AM (2.3 FT) 2:12 PM (2.3 FT)
LOW TIDE: 8:07 AM (0.7 FT) 8:29 PM (0.7 FT)