James Lynch

Guinness World Records revealed ten new awards for the country this week, a decision that has been criticized by human rights organisations. Although statistics are generally interesting and unique, such as the longest beard on a living female and the most consecutive visits to Disneyland, Saudi Arabia's achievements are dull in comparison. The 'largest covered water reservoir for storing drinking water,' the'most comprehensive multi-effect distillation unit,' and the 'largest dental hospital were among the winners.' Out of the 223 awards that list Saudi Arabia as the location of the contest, 88 are standard applications or researched, while 135 are as a result of paid consultations, according to GWR.

In its final Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Thursday, the Bank of England stifled expectations for a base rate cut early next year as it adopted a hawkish tone. Markets had been forecasting as many as four base rate cuts for 2024, with the first appearing as early as March and others predicting that the rate would decline to just 3.75 percent by year's end.

Phillip Hancock, 59, died after being declared dead at 11.29 a.m. on Thursday at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary. According to a prison spokesman, he ordered a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken, dark meat only with no sides, as his final meal, which he had with a root beer he purchased with his own commissary. Hancock, who was cuffed to the gurney inside the execution chamber, thanked his legal team and reiterated his assertion that the killings were justified by self-defense. After his death, he wished to be cleared.