Month: January 2025

Called Rujm el-Hiri, it is often referred to as the ‘Stonehenge of the East’ due to its similarities to the English monument.

Officially called ‘megalith’ structures, it is scientific speak for prehistoric constructions put together using large stone with many of them found across Europe in particular; some 35,000 exist on the continent alone.

Rujm el-Hiri is not found in Europe, though, with it located in the Golan Heights region of Syria.

What is Rujm el-Hiri?

Roughly 16 kilometres inland from the Sea of Galilee, it is made up of more than 42,000 rocks arranged in concentric circles.

At the middle of it all is a large mound of rocks that is 15 foot high at its tallest point, which is roughly 4.6 metres.

But to this day people aren’t quite sure what the point of Rujm el-Hiri is. Or rather, was.

The name itself translates as ‘stone heap of the wildcat’, with a modern name for the site being Gilgal Refaʾim which translates as ‘Wheel of Ghosts’ or Wheel of Spirits’.

Made up of almost 40,000 tonnes of stone, it is estimated to have taken more than 25,000 combined working days to have put the megalith together.

Spooky theories surrounding Rujm el-Hiri

Having been first discovered in 1967 during an archaeological survey, it was only then excavated in 2007.

Experts have ruled out it being a burial site given that no human remains are on the site.

But some still theorise that astronomical connections are behind it, connected to ancient cultures observing the stars and planets while others think it could be linked to rituals and offerings to gods.

Rujm el-Hiri new findings

In a new study on the monument, published in the journal Remote Sensing, new satellite images of Rujm el-Hiri have been analysed by scientists from Tel Aviv University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

The findings put doubt on links to astronomy and the stars.

Instead, it has been confirmed that the structure has physically moved over time.

Due to Earth’s tectonic plates moving over time – we’re talking eight to 15 millimetres every year for the last 150 million years – there has been significant alteration to the walls and entrances of the structure.

As a result, the site has moved counterclockwise and moved the entire monument by tens of metres.

“The findings show that the entrances and radial walls during that historical period were entirely different, reopening the question of the site’s purpose,” the research team says.

“This implies that the primary axes of Rujm el-Hiri have rotated over time along with the entire region, casting significant doubt on the popular theory that Rujm el-Hiri was an observatory.”

The outer walls of Rujm el-Hiri were built between 5,000BC and 4,500BC.

And he’s twice as rich as Ramsay and Jamie Oliver combined, according to the Daily Mail.

The outlet reports that the Hell’s Kitchen chef, 58, has a net worth of £180 million, meanwhile Oliver, 49, is reportedly worth £164 million.

Don’t think any of them will worry about keeping the heating on this winter, that’s for sure.

Well, it’s Japanese-American chef Alan Wong who is considered to be the wealthiest cook in the world.

His net worth reportedly comes in at an eye-watering £880 million.

He is famed for his unique take on Hawaiian cuisine and once had the honour of cooking for former US president Barack Obama in 2009.

“A number of the staff, both in the kitchen and the front of house, had never served the president before,” he said at the time.

“I thought it was cool they’d now have a story to tell their grandkids.”

Incase you’re wondering, this is what he served up:

• A trio of appetizers: Wong’s seafood cake, a tomato with li hing mui dressing and Wong’s famous ‘soup and sandwich,’ a two-colour Big Island tomato soup and foie gras grilled cheese sandwich.
• Lobster lasagna
• Ginger-crusted onaga
• The President’s favorite entree, soy-braised shortribs.
• And his favourite dessert, ‘The Coconut,’ coconut ice cream covered with dark chocolate, in a shape that looks exactly like half a coconut, served with a colorful array of tropical fruits.

Alan Wong’s impressive career

This comes after Wong was awarded Chef of the Year by Santé Magazine in 2007.

But before in 2001, one of his restaurants was ranked as number six in a listing of America’s Best Fifty Restaurants.

And in 1996, he was awarded the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest.

Two years prior, the up-and-coming chef was recognised by Robert Mondavi Winery as one of 13 Rising Star Chefs in America.

Wong is also known as one of the co-founders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine, a movement that encourages the use of locally sourced ingredients to create a distinctive fusion of diverse culinary traditions.

Throughout his career, he has kept received numerous accolades, including the prestigious James Beard Award for Best Chef: Pacific Northwest.

However, in recent years, various sources have wrongly reported that Wong’s net worth to be approximately $1.1 billion (£903 million),

But this is probably a mistaken comparison with Allan Wong, the billionaire co-founder of VTech Holdings.

The TikToker went viral overnight after sharing videos of just how much soda he claimed to drink in an ordinary day.

Known as @foodyfellowship on the social media platform, the self-confessed ‘soda addict’ made a number of outlandish claims about how much he can neck in a 24-hour period. You can be the judge of it though.

In a video that has garnered nearly eight million views on the social media app, titled ‘LIFE OF A SODA ADDICT PART XII’, he walks his followers through his unusual drinking habits.

So, how much soda does he drink?

Waking up in the morning, he grabs four cans of Diet Dr Pepper which are 12 oz each, or 355 ml in the US – slightly more than the 330ml cans we get in Britain.

Right off the bat, that’s about 48 oz, or 1.4 litres of liquid, before he heads to the gym for a workout.

That’s not all though, as on the way to the gym, he adds another 100 oz (2.95 litres) to his mega bottle, which he brings with him, totalling 148 oz.

Luckily though, he will drink one to two litres of water while working out. But that’s about it.

Then, it’s right back to the fizz as he treats himself to more cans, even pouring some drinks into a thermos, mixing in more artificial flavouring syrup.

After he says he ‘downs that’ (steady on), the creator then keeps going and going, adding in the likes of Root Beer, more Dr Pepper and even buying a large cup of soda from a fast food chain.

To top it all off, he buys a large drink at the cinema, finishing the day with 614 oz or 4.79 US gallons having gone through his system.

I know what you’re thinking – he should have firmed it and gone for five gallons.

In all seriousness though, the influencer left fans shocked as one user pointed out what we were all thinking: “Sometimes I feel bad I had two sodas.”

Another added: “My kidneys are hiding after watching this,” with a third asking: “Is this a cry for help?”

How much does he fork out for the fizzy drinks?

In the past, he has claimed to buy his soda cans through buy two, get three deals at supermarket, meaning he’s not forking out extortionate amounts to fund his ‘addiction’.

However, he has claimed to have bought a bigger car in order to buy the soft drinks he needs for the week ahead…

The influencer also claims he’s never had a health or dental issue come as a result of his soft drink habits.

I’ll take his word for it on that one.

17-year-old US teenager Collin Griffith is accused of murdering his mother Catherine Griffith, 39, a year after killing his father allegedly in self-defence.

Collin was arrested in September last year after calling police and claiming that his mother had ‘fallen’ on a knife during an argument. Catherine would later pass away from her injuries.

However, according to an affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, a medical examiner later ruled that Catherine’s injuries couldn’t have been caused by falling on a knife, leading to the teenager being indicted on murder charges.

He was since pleaded not guilty to first degree murder and kidnapping.

Now chilling police bodycam footage has emerged, appearing to show Collin making a threat against his mother just months before her death.

“I’m in a constant state of fight or flight and I don’t know. If I think she’s going to do something, even if she’s not, I might act,” he can be heard saying in the footage, dated to 14 November 2023.

He continues: “I’m not going to like, go crazy or anything, but I’m not sure honestly.”

An officer then questions Collin over his words, asking him to clarify if he was stating that he would hurt his mother.

“Only if she tries to hurt me,” he replied.

Authorities could also be seen explaining the situation to Catherine the same day, with one officer telling her: “I struggle with a kid that’s being released from jail saying, ‘If you bring me back there, she’s going to die.’

Another officer says: “If we don’t do something, then we failed.”

The first officer adds: “And I’m not failing you, nor am I going to fail your son.”

In another clip recorded the evening prior, Collin can be seen speaking with his grandmother: “I was saying, ‘Mom, I’m not a psychopath! I’m not this murderer. I’m just trying to peacefully leave or peacefully coexist’.

“She kept telling me to shut up and shut up, and when I wouldn’t shut up, she hit me.”

His grandmother then cast doubt on his claims, telling him that he had never stated that he wanted to peacefully coexist.

She then explained to officers that Collin had not wanted to return home and wished to be placed into foster care.

The teenager was previously accused of killing his father, Charles Griffith, 43, on Valentine’s Day in 2023. He would later say it was an act of self-defence, a claim which prosecutors could not disprove.

His mother posted $50,000 to bail him out of jail, the New York Post reports, and the charges were eventually dropped.

For those who still haven’t watched it, the ‘social deception’ show sees 25 people compete in various problem-solving missions while players – known as the ‘Traitors’ – will meet in secret and decide to eliminate the others, referred to as the ‘Faithfuls’.

The winner of the show is awarded up to £120,000.

Now, during the roundtable on this week’s episode, one contestant received the most votes and was banished after seven players wrote her name, including Minah.

“If I’m really honest with you, I’m scared that if I overly defend you, because we haven’t spent that much time together.”

And then Linda replied: “If it comes to it and it’s going to go that way, just vote for me.

“I won’t hold it against you, and you go to the end, baby.”

Following the exchange, it seems some viewers saw Linda’s exit coming because of the way the BBC show was edited.

“The edit is screaming a Linda banishment tonight,” one viewer tweeted.

While a second penned: “Oh my god THAT EDIT.”

When she left the game, Linda said: “I’ve had the most amazing time, this has been the pinnacle of my life and to experience this at my age and get this far, I’ve had a whale of a time, so thanks for it.

“I am a Traitor.”

It wasn’t just the ‘BBC edit’ that gave it away for some viewers, given Fozia’s brutal admission following her dismissal.

“You’re not going to last, get a good night’s sleep tonight because you’re going next,” she said.

Linda then added: “Get over it.”

After leaving, Linda said that she knew her time was up, admitting that she ‘didn’t really have a strategy’.

“When Claudia was going around the table I started to panic, thinking no I don’t want to be one, don’t choose me. Once I got over it, I absolutely loved it,” she said.

“I didn’t really have a strategy, I think it was just to not let people know I was a Traitor.”

“I played the jokey person more, and that did work, and I am a bit of an air head so that came over as well, and in fact when I left, that was one of the things that they mentioned.

“They said you’re so random in what you do and that’s why we think you’re a Traitor. If you ask anyone in my family, they’d say that’s me, that’s who I am, I’m very random. So, it was really funny they picked up on that.

“I’m really proud that I wasn’t the first Traitor who left. I’m proud that I made it that far because I seriously thought I’d go out pretty quickly. I was told I got as far as Paul [Gorton] did in the last series and I never thought I’d get that far.”

Back in 2020, Phuket Zoo in Thailand closed its doors for good, following a decline in tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic led to financial difficulties.

Concerns about the welfare of the animals housed in the zoo were raised after a video posted by YouTuber Minh Nyugen discovered that numerous tigers, alligators and bears had been left behind in squalid conditions.

“We got in there for a bit of a laugh, and thought we were going to come across some healthy animals,” he said in the video, adding that he’d found animals left in ‘disturbing’ conditions.

The following year, Reuters would publish a report stating that all of the remaining animals in the zoo had been rescued and taken to sanctuaries, with Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand stating that 11 tigers and two bears needed rescuing.

However, the story doesn’t end there, as another content creator would later visit the abandoned zoo in June 2023 and claim that various animals were still living in horrifying conditions.

In a two-part video titled ‘Abandoned Phuket Zoo FULL OF ALLIGATORS, And A TIGER, Left For Dead, The Phuket Zoo’, YouTuber Sean King, who regularly explores abandoned places, claimed that around ’12 crocodiles’ and a tiger were still in the zoo.

“A charity had removed all the animals and relocated them, the biggest rescue of its kind in its history,” he explained at the start of the video, before later being horrified to see around 12 crocodiles lurking in a pond.

King captured the moment he realised there was still animals in the zoo on camera, with one disturbing clip showing him counting the crocodiles. “No way, f**k! Mate, they are still in here, f**k! You’re having a f**king laugh. This is abandoned,” he said.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine…nine. There is nine crocodiles. You’re having a laugh. Ten, eleven! Twelve! F**king hell. Get them out of here.”

Later on, King came across the tiger, before encountering another man (seemingly a security guard) on the seemingly abandoned grounds – and he was not happy to see the YouTuber wandering around.

In the clip, King can be heard raising the fact that there are ’12 crocodiles and a tiger’ in the abandoned zoo as the man locks his bike and calls the police to the scene.

King ends the video by stating that he was able to leave the zoo, adding in the comments that his discoveries had been reported to authorities. “I reported the tiger find to the charity and they told me there where 6 tigers still left there,” he replied to one user, suggesting that local charities were aware of the situation at the time.

He was best known for playing Sol Patrick in Hollyoaks from 1997 to 2001, and starring in the original series of Celebrity Love Island from 2005 to 2006.

Independent Creative PR said: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old. Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to many.

“His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.

“During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends, and colleagues.”

Fans might also remember him from Celebrity Big Brother, where he was evicted early in 2017.

Then from 2019 to 2023, the TV star did his own podcast The Morning After With Paul Danan.

Throughout his career, Danan has appeared on other programmes such as The Kevin Bishop Show and Celebrity Coach Trip.

His fans have taken to social media to share their tributes, as one wrote: “Just heard about Paul Danan passing at only 46.

“Took me right back to watching him on Hollyoaks as Sol. Those late 90s episodes were everything.

“Who else remembers his wild Love Island and Big Brother days? Life’s too short. Hold your people close.”

“Saddened to hear of the passing of Hollyoaks and Love Island star Paul Danan he was a good man sending condolences to his family and friends. RIP Paul you will be missed,” a second penned.

“So, so sad to read about the passing of Paul Danan. In this day and age of falsities and fake people, he was a genuine and caring man who just wanted to please everyone. A lovely warm man that will be missed by many. R.I.P. Buddy,” a third wrote.

Another, claiming to be his friend, said: “Paul Danan… a friend of mine… I’m so shocked and heartbroken…

“My darling man… I will cherish all our happy memories RIEP.

“You beautiful amazing talented human.”

A Big Brother fan page also issued their condolences, writing on X: “We’re saddened to hear the former Hollyoaks actor and Celebrity Big Brother housemate, Paul Danan has passed away at the age of 46.

“Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time #CBB #BBUK #PaulDanan.”

A representative from Danan’s management company confirmed today (16 January) that he’d passed away at the age of 46.

They wrote: “It is with heavy hearts that we share the tragic news of the passing of @pauldanan at just 46 years old.”

Best known for his work on screen, Danan had starred in the role of Sol Patrick in Hollyoaks from 1997 to 2001 before going on to appear on 2005’s Celebrity Love Island.

He would later have a stint on Celebrity Big Brother in 2017 as well as appearing on programmes such as The Kevin Bishop Show and Celebrity Coach Trip.

Outside of his work in TV, Danan also hosted his own podcast from 2019 to 2023 titled The Morning After With Paul Danan.

Tributes have since begun to pour in for Danan, with fans flooding his last social media post with condolences.

In the clip shared on Instagram, Danan can be seen practicing a monologue for an audition in a production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.

Calling the idea of acting in a stage performance ‘exhilarating’, he wrote under the post: “It’s been a long time since I’ve gone near a bit of the Master that is Our pioneer Sir William Shakespeare.

“You forget what a Genius he really was and remember how beautiful and exhilarating it is when you get stuck in to tackling his work. It’s an amazing experience! I forget sometimes how much I need to be awoken…”

“RIP mate sleep well,” one person wrote under the post, while a second commented: “I can’t believe this sad news RIP.”

“Rest in peace Paul, hope your truly at peace now,” a third person added.

Further tributes have begun to appear on social media.

“Ah that’s proper sad about Paul Danan, 46 is no age to go. Bless him. He’ll always be Sol in Hollyoaks to me,” one person wrote on X, as another added: “Paul Danan dying at age 46 is not what I expected to be reading this morning. Sad times. RIP.”

Confirming the news of his death in a statement his management Independent Creative PR wrote: “Known for his television presence, exceptional talent, and unwavering kindness, Paul was a beacon of light to many. His untimely departure will leave irreplaceable voids in the lives of all who knew him.

“During this difficult time, we kindly request respect and privacy for Paul’s family, friends, and colleagues. No further comments will be made at this time.”

Last August, shockwaves were sent through the reality TV fandom when Molly-Mae announced that she and Tommy had split up with a statement on Instagram. The former couple first met on Love Island in 2019 before going on to get engaged and welcome their first child together, daughter Bambi.

Battle lines were drawn, commentators compared the separation to this generation’s Charles and Diana divorce and the 25-year-old boxer was dogged by accusations that he’d cheated.

However, Tommy finally set the record straight in a new interview with Men’s Health, explaining that he and Molly separated due to his drinking problem.

“All I’ve been seeing for the past six months is ‘Cheater!’, ‘He slept with me!’, ‘He slept with this girl, he slept with that girl!’ Complete and utter b******s,” he said.

“The reason why me and Molly broke up is because I got addicted to alcohol.”

Tommy also highlighted the major signs which suggested he had a problem with alcohol, revealing he feared he’d end up in a ditch.

Excessive drinking

Drinking excessively was one of the major signs which the boxer identified, revealing that he would often drink to the point of blacking out.

“Most nights I would to drink to get black-out drunk. I think that’s what really took its toll on me,” he explained.

Impact on relationships

The biggest point Fury made during the interview was how his drinking habits caused the end of his relationship with Molly-Mae and not infidelity, which was widely speculated about after the separation was announced.

“We broke up because I had a problem with alcohol and I couldn’t be the partner that I wanted to be anymore,” he said.

“It kills me to say it, but I couldn’t. I loved a pint of beer, loved to drink.”

Mental health

Tommy explained that he’d begun to lean on alcohol as a coping mechanism after suffering a setback due to a boxing injury.

The boxer previously revealed in 2024 that he’d undergone hand surgery which he’d been putting off ‘for years’.

He said: “When I didn’t drink, I’d just look at my hand and think, ‘I might never be able to box again’.”

Emotional distress

Another symptom of Tommy’s alcohol dependancy was experiencing emotional distress while drinking, explaining that he would end up ‘crying for no reason’ after drinking.

“I can’t remember how many countless nights I had in like my living room or their living room just crying for no reason, like I get that drunk I just start crying and talk about other stuff,” he said.

Tommy also experienced concerns for his personal safety due to his drinking, admitting that he hit a ‘turnaround point’ in December.

“I was like ‘something needs to change’ or else I’m going to end up in a ditch because that was the way I was going,” he said.

We the viewers were let in on the secret that Lisa was actually an Anglican priest and that Charlotte was putting on a Welsh accent in an attempt to seem more trustworthy.

Other contestants going into the game have decided to come clean about things that might have come up, as Lisa later did a big reveal about her religion while sisters Armani and Maia were upfront about their sibling bond from the very beginning.

Not that it did them much good, Armani was picked to be a Traitor and voted off early on after being a somewhat unsubtle player and the remaining Traitors then murdered Maia immediately afterwards.

Contestants on The Traitors trying to keep close bonds with other players from before the show started under wraps hasn’t often gone well, as couple Tom and Alex from the first series as disclosing the fact they were in a relationship several episodes into the game rather blew up in their faces.

Meanwhile, Diane and her son Ross went into the second series and it wasn’t long before people started speculating that she had a son in the game.

With plenty of secrets revealed this time around some Traitors viewers have cooked up the theory that Londoner Charlotte and diplomat Alexander are secretly a couple and they’ve been keeping it under wraps, but the truth about that theory is that it’s a bunch of bunkum.

This theory had already been built upon the unstable foundation that they were both from London and a spot of sleuthing has shown the truth that Charlotte can’t be in a relationship with Alexander, because according to Hello!, she’s already married to a different Alexander who is not on The Traitors.

They tied the knot a couple of years ago so The Traitors fans working on this theory are off the reservation on this one and might want to wonder whether they’re overthinking some of these things.

Then again, this is a show that invites the contestants to overthink everything and results in them coming out with outlandish theories (spare a thought for Kas and the supposed ‘twinkle in his eye’) so perhaps it’s not surprising that some of the viewers are doing the same.

Last night’s (15 January) episode of the show was plenty interesting for Charlotte and Alexander, as she was offered the chance to join team Traitor once the Faithfuls finally got round to banishing Linda.

Linda’s name had come up so often in the show but the conversation kept shifting to other suspicions, but this time she was eventually voted off and left Minah as the final remaining Traitor which risks ending the game with several episodes still left to go.

As such, Minah got to pick one player to recruit and this time them saying no (as Anna did earlier in the series) wouldn’t just mean they didn’t join the game, they’d be kicked off the show altogether.

With everything to lose from saying no, the expectation is that Charlotte will become a Traitor (we’ll have to wait and see), and then they get to murder another Faithful in the same night.

Meanwhile, poor Alexander is feeling the heat after there were suspicions over him for not immediately recounting the events of a banishment card game he played the very instant the other contestants fished him out of a coffin floating on a lake.

It makes sense if you’ve watched the show.