After years of trying, Michael Jackson's ranch was finally sold. Outgoing US President Donald Trump is also attempting to close a big and controversial deal before leaving office. And did you know which computer game has been talked about the most in recent weeks?
Only 100 people could attend the Christmas Eve Mass in the Vatican
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Hlava katolické církve, papež FrantišekSource: Unsplash.com/ashwinv11
In St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, Pope Francis held a Mass for less than a hundred people on Christmas Day. Up to 10,000 of Catholic faithful usually attend the midnight mass that takes place in the main part of St. Peter's Cathedral. Compared to previous years, the number was limited to less than one percent this time due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition, the vast majority of participants had to wear face masks. During his speech, the Argentine native Francis reminded people that Jesus had been born as a poor, wretched outcast. He appealed on them to help the poor and pointed out that there was a lot of unnecessary injustice in the world.
“The Son of God was born in poverty and rejection, to make us understand the immensity of his love for our human condition: even touching the depths of our poverty with his concrete love. He was born an outcast, in order to tell us that every outcast is a child of God,”
said the head of the Catholic Church during Christmas Eve, which took place a few hours earlier than usual this year.
Donald Trump wants to complete lucrative arms sale
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Donald Trump při svém projevuSource: Profimedia.cz
US President Donald Trump is eager to see the deal worth almost $ 500 million (more than 10 billion Czech crowns) through before he leaves office. His critics consider the ammunition deal closed in the president's last weeks in the office morally outrageous. The governing administration plans to approve the sale of arms for $ 478 million to Saudi Arabia. This information was brought by the Bloomberg website, with reference to two unnamed sources familiar with the case. The State Department notified Congress that it’s moving to issue a license for the sale of precision-guided, air-to-ground munitions to Ryiadh. US weapons manufacturer Raytheon Technologies Copr will sell the arms to the Saudis immediately after receiving the license.
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Japan plans to eliminate gasoline vehicles
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Hlavní město Japonska TokyoSource: Freepik.com/tawatchai07
The Asian country plans to stop selling petrol vehicles altogether. The government has allocated huge sums of money on the ambitious plans. It plans to support companies with "green investments" (tax relief and direct financial support) in the amount of $ 870 billion a year (more than 18 trillion Czech crowns) until 2030. The strategy aimed at hydrogen and automotive industries should eliminate carbon emissions by the middle of the 21st century. According to their own words, the Japanese government is aware of the alarming environmental situation in the country and at the same time believes that focusing on ecological investments could help it start the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. The first goal is to completely replace the sale of petrol-powered vehicles with electric vehicles, including hybrid vehicles and fuel cell cars, by the mid-1930s.
The near-11,000-square-foot ranch, known as Neverland, was bought by billionaire Ron Burkle. Real estate agents have been trying to sell the property for many years, and only succeeded 11 years after the death of the King of Pop. The estate has undergone many changes, including a complete change of identity and name to detach itself from its controversial past. Already during Michael Jackson's lifetime, there was a suspicion of child abuse on the ranch. The property was sold after a long five years since its launch on the market. The Wall Street Journal reports that the price was $ 22 million (more than CZK 470 million), a much smaller amount than what the ranch had been offered for five years ago. Initially, the real estate company had been trying to sell it for $ 100 million (more than 2 billion crowns). However, the final selling price is still $ 2.5 million higher than what Michael Jackson had bought it for in 1987. He lived on the ranch for more than 15 years and built there a cinema for 50 people, a zoo, a train or a roller coaster. The new name of the estate is Sycamore Valley Ranch.
Cyberpunk 2077 sold 13 million copies
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Záběr z počítačové hry Cyberpunk 2077Source: Cd Projekt Red Gaming
Despite the great controversy in recent weeks, CD Projekt Red has managed to sell more than 13 million copies of the their new computer game Cyberpunk 2077. The figure includes all platforms. There were more than 8 million pre-orders, and sales of the game skyrocketed in the first days after its release. However, great disappointment followed soon after, as it was discovered that the game contained a large number of bugs and issues on many devices. The current sales figures reporting over 13 million sold copies should already include a large number of returned licenses from dissatisfied players. Despite the fact that the figure is quite impressive, the game hasn't yet made it into the TOP 50 best-selling games of all time. To get in the ranking, it would need to sell at least 19 million copies.
The studio is working hard to improve the imperfections and is constantly releasing new updates that make the game more attractive. Modifications to the gameplay and graphics could support further sales of this long-awaited game in the future.
Ariana Grande sent Christmas presents to a children's hospital
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Americká zpěvačka Ariana GrandeSource: Profimedia.cz
The 27-year-old singer once again showed that her heart is in the right place - she played Santa Claus. Together with her fiancé Dalton Gomez, they decided to spread positive energy and love during the Christmas holidays. They gave a helping hand by sending special gifts from the wish-lists of patients at the UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital and their families. What's more, both the patients and the hospital's staff received plenty of food and other goodies from the famous couple.
"Our patients are in love! Especially our Ariana Grande 'superfans' in the house! We are thankful for all our wonderful partners who have donated in the past couple of weeks, including Ariana Grande, and for serving the needs of our hospitalised children. This pandemic may have changed how we do things, but we look for the same result - to alleviate the stresses of hospitalisation and bring joy to our kids,"
Kelli Caroll, director of the Chase Child Life program at UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, said in a press release.
We don't have any more news for you this holiday morning. Enjoy your days off in the company of your loved ones! The French writer André Maurois knew long ago that:
"Without a family, man, alone in the world, trembles with the cold."
