Covid-19 Hospital Admissions In Western Cape Increased By 409% – This emerged on Thursday when provincial authorities detailed the spike in local Covid-19 cases, a day after Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize confirmed that the country was experiencing a second wave and that the Western Cape was one of the areas identified as key drivers. [iol]

France Moves To Night-Time Curfew From 15 December – A stay-at-home order will be lifted as planned on 15 December, when the daily 20:00-06:00 curfew will begin. [bbc]

UK Travelers Could Be Banned From EU After January 1 Under Covid Rules – Travelers from the UK could be banned from entering the European Union from January 1 under current coronavirus restrictions. [cnn]

U.S. Sanctions Gangster Known As ‘Broken Tooth’ For Corruption In China’s Belt And Road – Penalties levied on a Chinese convict come amid Trump administration pressure campaign against China. [wsj]

International Mountain Day 2020: Theme, Rare Photos And Facts – International Mountain Day 2020: Mountain biodiversity is the theme of this year’s International Mountain Day on December 11. [ndtv]

Airbnb Valuation Reaches $100 Billion In Trading Debut Surge – Airbnb Inc. shares more than doubled in their trading debut, propelling the home-rental company to about a $100 billion valuation and one of the biggest first-day rallies on record. [bloom]

The Internet Is Revolutionising How We Enjoy Good Wine – Through online courses, at-home tastings, and online shopping, the pandemic has fundamentally changed the way that we enjoy wine. [here]

Decomposing Mink In Denmark ‘May Have Contaminated Groundwater’ – Decomposing mink buried in mass graves in Denmark after being culled because of coronavirus fears may have contaminated the groundwater, local radio has reported, as parliament announced a commission to investigate the government’s actions. [guardian] Come on, guys. Get it together. 

Kardashian-Jenner Family Signs Exclusive Deal To ‘Create Global Content’ For Hulu – The family announced their decision to end Keeping Up with the Kardashians after 20 seasons in September. [people]

Dior Sales Skyrocket For Supporting Depp, Despite Domestic Abuse Group Criticism – The libel trial between former spouses Johnny Depp and Amber Heard blew up into a public quagmire, with accusations of both Depp and Heard being abusive in their relationship. [distract]

EU Leaders Agree To Extend Russia Sanctions Again – European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to extend economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its intervention in Ukraine by another six months, a spokesman for European Council President Charles Michel said. [mav]

France Fines Google $120M And Amazon $42M For Dropping Tracking Cookies Without Consent – France’s data protection agency, the CNIL,  has slapped Google and Amazon with fines for dropping tracking cookies without consent. [tc]

Humpback Whale Spotted In New York Harbor Near Statue Of Liberty – The massive marine mammal frolicked in front of Lady Liberty, One World Trade Center and other iconic NYC sights. [nbc]

Mastercard And Visa Stop Allowing Their Cards To Be Used On Pornhub – Mastercard and Visa said they had prohibited the use of their cards on the adult website Pornhub, after the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof reported that the platform included videos of child abuse and rape. [nyt]

Bill And Melinda Gates’ Foundation Injects Another $250 Million Into The Battle Against Covid-19 – This brings the foundation’s total funding to the Covid-19 response to $1.75 billion, with the latest $250 million representing the largest single pledge aimed at the pandemic. [forbes]

‘Woman In Her 40s’ Dies In Rare Shark Attack Off Coast Of Caribbean Island – Local media says the victim was a woman in her 40s who had been swimming at Orient Bay. [sky]

‘Tremendously Exciting’ 5th Century Roman Mosaic Found In Britain – Archaeologists have uncovered Britain’s first 5th century Roman mosaic — a find of “enormous” historical significance which could change the way historians view the period it dates back to. [cnn]

Keanu Reeves’ Newest Role Is In The Video Game Cyberpunk 2077. Whoa – NPR’s Ailsa Chang speaks with actor Keanu Reeves about a new video game, Cyberpunk 2077, in which he plays Johnny Silverhand. [npr]

Harvard Answers The Question Of How Much Caffeine Is Too Much Caffeine – If you’re multiple cups in, and you’re bouncing off the walls before collapsing into a heap, it might be time to make a few changes. [here]

Dame Barbara Windsor: Carry On And EastEnders Actress Dies Aged 83 – Actress Dame Barbara Windsor, best known for her roles in EastEnders and the Carry On films, has died aged 83. [bbc]

The Crazy Story That Led To The Nobel Prizes – He was an interesting cat, old Alfred Nobel – the Swedish chemist, engineer, and industrialist who invented dynamite and other more powerful explosives and who also founded the Nobel Prizes. But why did he do it? [here]

Paul McCartney: McCartney III Review – Lockdown LP Has His Best Songs In Years – Returning to the critic-confounding solo home recordings of his McCartney series, this album is – some oddities and filler aside – affectingly personal and hugely enjoyable. [guardian]

Chris Hemsworth Calls Ryan Reynolds ‘A D**khead’, A Terrible Actor And ‘The World’s Least Favourite Canadian’ – As their feud escalates. [dm]

Porn Star Kendra Sunderland Booted Off Instagram After ‘Joking’ About Sex With CEO – The 25-year-old adult actress, who had 2.2 million followers on her verified IG account, claims she was just tipsy and joking around. [beast]

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There are a number of ongoing deals set up at our various exclusive partners. Here they are – just for you;-)

Buy Any Product From Websites That ‘Don’t Ship To SA’ – One of our most exciting partners offers you a PO Box in US, UK or Hong Kong, for you to deliver overseas online purchases to. Postbox Courier handles it from there – getting the package to you in under a week. [more]

There Is Only One Company When It Comes To Import Export Logistics – Your freight forwarding / shipping partner is probably more important than the actual products you want to move from country to country. Choose the wrong guys and you can get stung in so many ways. Be smart, use 2ov’s partners, Berry & Donaldson. [here]

First Month Storage Space 50% Off At Stor-Age – Whether you need a locker for a bicycle or a garage for your house contents, Stor-Age has the space you need. And they’re offering a special ‘50% off the first month’ deal – no strings attached! You can take your stuff out after one month – no problem! [check it out]

Affordable Cane Furniture – If you’re buying cane or wicker furniture anywhere else, you’re wasting a lot of time and money. These guys import directly from Malawi. Hand-Made cane furniture – buy online and have it delivered! [check it out]