Business

New Orleans prepares for Super Bowl 59, its biggest weekend of the year

Feb. 07, 2025

New Orleans is preparing for an estimated 125,000 visitors and a presidential visit during the weekend of Super Bowl 59, as the reigning champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles at the Caesars Superdome. Local businesses are ready, and hotel demand is surging. Tripadvisor said demand for hotel rooms in New Orleans surged 637% this week as fans of the competing NFL teams scurry to find lodging. Interest from travelers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey has increased more than 14 times, and interest from people in Kansas and Missouri is up 8.5 times since the division championship games in the last week of January, the travel site said.

Entertainment

Princess Anne admits hospital staff had to fill in 'the blanks’ after suffering concussion, memory loss

Feb. 07, 2025

Princess Anne visited the hospital where she was treated for a concussion to thank the medical staff. On Thursday, the Princess Royal returned to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England, where she spent five days in June 2024 due to a horse-related injury at Gatcombe Park estate, her country home. The 74-year-old's care team said that her head injuries were consistent with an impact from a horse’s head or legs.

International News

Hamas names hostages to be freed after accusing Israel of breaching ceasefire

Feb. 07, 2025

Hamas on Friday announced the names of three Israeli hostages to be released on Saturday in exchange for 183 Palestinian prisoners and detainees after a delay that underlined the obstacles hanging over a fragile deal meant to end the war in Gaza. Ohad Ben Ami and Eli Sharabi, both taken hostage from Kibbutz Be’eri during the cross-border Hamas-led attack on Oct 7, 2023, and Or Levy, abducted that day from the Nova music festival, will be handed over on Saturday, Hamas said.

Entertainment

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry separate work projects after 'ruthlessly' monetizing family rift: expert

Feb. 07, 2025

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be going on separate paths – professionally, that is. After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex put on a united front to publicly detail their struggles with royal life, the couple is said to be focused on carving out individual roles for themselves. Meghan is gearing up to launch her Netflix lifestyle series and brand. She is also embracing what some have described as her "influencer era" by teaming up with singer Billie Eilish to surprise a teenage fan who lost her home in the Los Angeles wildfires. Harry remains devoted to his pa

International News

Dozens of countries reject Trump administration sanctions on ICC

Feb. 07, 2025

Dozens of countries, including Germany, South Africa and Mexico, said Friday that President Donald Trump’s decision to sanction the International Criminal Court would “erode the international rule of law.” The joint statement by 79 countries came hours after Trump signed an executive order slapping financial sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC staff and their family members, alleging the court has improperly targeted the United States and Israel.

International News

Trump's Gaza comments hand jihadist terrorists a 'rallying cry,' experts say

Feb. 07, 2025

President Donald Trump’s calls for the United States to “take over” and “develop” the Gaza Strip have handed jihadist terrorist groups a rallying cry to recruit and inspire attacks against Americans at home and abroad, security experts and former intelligence officials say. Trump’s comments this week, proposing that the United States would control the Palestinian enclave while its residents would be forced to relocate abroad, have caused shock and outrage around the world — and terrorists will pounce on that anger to attract more support and organize attacks, experts said.

International News

Israeli soldier sentenced to 7 months in jail for abusing Palestinian detainees

Feb. 07, 2025

An Israeli soldier who was found to have struck Palestinian detainees while they were restrained and blindfolded has been sentenced to seven months in jail by an Israeli military court. The Israeli military on Thursday announced the court had accepted a plea agreement with the soldier, a reservist who it said admitted to having “severely abused” Palestinian detainees at the Sde Teiman military detention center near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Business

U.S. added 143,000 jobs in January, unemployment rate dips to 4%

Feb. 07, 2025

The U.S. added 143,000 jobs in January, fewer than economists expected, but the unemployment rate inched down to 4% from 4.1%, beating forecasts and still near historic lows. Forecasters surveyed by Dow Jones had anticipated 169,000 payroll gains in January, after a blowout 307,000 jump in December, according to revised tallies. The numbers released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics include routine annual data adjustments, in which November and December payroll levels were revised up by a combined 100,000. The BLS revised down the monthly pace of job gains for 2024, to an average of 166,000 from a previous estimate of 186,000, reinforcing widespread expectations that hiring last year wasn't quite as robust as earlier data had suggested. For the period covering 2023 and early 2024, the U.S. added 589,000 fewer payrolls.

Travel

CDC reports gastrointestinal illness outbreak on Radiance of the Seas cruise ship

Feb. 07, 2025

A gastrointestinal illness has broken out this week on the Radiance of the Seas cruise ship, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 89 of the 2,164 passengers onboard have been affected by the outbreak on the Royal Caribbean International ship, the CDC said. That’s around 4.1% of the passengers. Only two of the 910 crewmembers have reported symptoms. The CDC did not specify what type of gastrointestinal illness this is. The predominant symptoms reported have been diarrhea and vomiting, the health agency said.

Entertainment

SI Swimsuit model Camille Kostek and Rob Gronkowski are 'always keeping busy' after his NFL retirement

Feb. 07, 2025

NEW ORLEANS — SI Swimsuit model Camille Kostek and Rob Gronkowski are thriving, two years into the former NFL tight end's retirement. Ahead of Sunday's Super Bowl, the former New England Patriots cheerleader and Jena Sims, the wife of professional golfer Brooks Koepka, spoke with Fox News Digital. Kostek explained what life in retirement looks like with Gronk, now a sports analyst for FOX. "He's stepped into this next chapter of his life, but he's so busy with FOX. … I mean, the guy has a five-hour pregame show on Super Bowl Sunday. Halftime show. Postgame show. … We're always doing something ne