Thousands of Cruise Passengers Left Stranded in Gulf Ports as Iran War Escalates

Thousands of cruise passengers are stranded in Gulf ports amid escalating tensions in the Middle East following President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran. At least six vessels operated by MSC Cruises and Celestyal Cruises were left docked in regional ports, including Dubai, after Iran announced it would close the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping routes, and warned it could attack ships attempting to pass. Passengers described rising panic aboard ships that had effectively become floating hotels. “Many passengers, including many families with children, are starting to lose their composure,” one traveler told the German newspaper Bild, describing scenes of “panic, tears” and uncertainty about when passengers could leave. Darren Lee, a passenger from Manchester aboard the MSC Euribia in Dubai, said he heard loud “booms” believed to be interceptions of rockets or drones overhead. Cruise companies said authorities had not yet allowed passengers to disembark.
Actress and acting coach Maria O’Brien has died at the age of 75. She passed away on February 24, Variety reported. Her cause of death was not disclosed. Over a career spanning decades, O’Brien appeared in an array of films and television series, including Smile (1975), The Incredible Shrinking Woman (1980) and Protocol (1984). On television, she made guest appearances on shows such as Matlock, Murder, She Wrote, Magnum, P.I., The Love Boat, L.A. Law and CHiPs. Born Aug. 14, 1950, in Los Angeles, O’Brien came from a Hollywood family. Her father, Edmund O’Brien, won an Academy Award for his role in The Barefoot Contessa (1954), and her mother was musical comedy performer Olga San Juan. Later in her career, O’Brien became an acting coach, working on the daytime dramas Sunset Beach and Passions. She later spent 15 years as the acting coach on Days of Our Lives before retiring in 2022. O’Brien notably advocated for Alzheimer’s research and testified before Congress in 1983 following her father’s diagnosis with the disease. She is survived by her three children and her sister, Bridget O’Brien Adelman.
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The Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch is back to filming, following deckhand Todd Meadow’s death at sea on February 25. “We are just touching home for 2-3 days then heading back to Dutch [Harbor in Alaska] to finish the season,” fellow Deadliest Catch star Trey John Green III told Page Six. According to the Coast Guard, Meadows, 25, fell overboard around 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, while crab fishing on the Aleutian Lady. The vessel and its crew are featured on the Deadliest Catch as they fish off the dangerous waters of the Bering Sea. According to Green, “Discovery was filming” during the incident, though it’s unclear whether the death was caught on camera. The crew found him unresponsive 10 minutes after his fall and attempted to revive him, but “efforts to resuscitate Meadows were unsuccessful,” Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee, a spokesperson with the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, said. The Coast Guard is investigating the accident. Captain Rick Shelford announced the death on Facebook, calling February 25 “the most tragic day in the history of the Aleutian Lady.” After Meadow’s passing was made public, Discovery said in a statement, “This is a devastating loss, and our hearts are with his loved ones, his crewmates and the entire fishing community during this incredibly difficult time.” The Daily Beast has reached out to the company for further comment. Meadows is survived by his three sons and their mother, Kennady Harvey. Meadows’ family has started a GoFundMe and has raised $37,800 since his death.
Demi Lovato, 33, is taking a fresh look at her past relationship with actor Wilmer Valderrama—and she’s not sugarcoating it. Appearing on a Tuesday podcast episode of Baby, This Is Keke Palmer, the singer reflected on their widely discussed age-gap romance, which began shortly after she turned 18, when Valderrama was 30. Looking back now that she’s older, Lovato said the dynamic doesn’t sit right with her. “Why was my boyfriend 30?” she recalled thinking in hindsight, calling that period of her life “really challenging.” Lovato said she first met Valderrama when she was 17 and immediately developed a crush, remembering thinking to herself, “I have to have him.” The NCIS actor initially declined to pursue anything because she was underage, but the pair began dating once she turned 18, lasting for another 6 years until their 2016 breakup. Palmer noted during the conversation that people often process age-gap relationships differently as they get older, telling Lovato it can feel like “a mental break” when you realize you may have been “taken advantage of.” Lovato also confirmed her 2022 track “29″ was inspired by the age-gap romance, which the lyrics sharply question—including the lines “numbers told you not to” and “But that didn’t stop you.”
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A sinkhole that opened up on a golf course has revealed an abandoned wine cellar believed to have last been used more than a century ago. Staff at Davyhulme Park Golf Club, in Manchester, England, made the startling discovery at the 13th hole, and originally assumed it was just a collapsed drain. However, while evacuating the area, they soon found a brick wall and a door leading into an underground cellar containing dozens of empty wine bottles. It is believed the cellar formed part of the Davyhulme Hall manor house, a grand estate built in the 12th century before being demolished in 1888. The land was eventually bought and made into a golf course in 1923. “I am the first person to go in that room for over 100 years,” Steve Hopkins, the deputy head greenkeeper at the golf course, told The Guardian. As the 13th hole is known as “the Cellars,” it is believed that the existence of the underground structure was at least known about when the golf course was being constructed. The club said the entrance to the cellar has been sealed off, and they are still working out what to do with the old bottles.
Slain Mexican drug lord “El Mencho” has been buried in a golden casket. Jalisco New Generation Cartel boss Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes was gunned down by Mexican federal authorities less than two weeks ago as they tried to capture him, sparking unrest across the country. An anonymous official told CNN that he was buried in Mexico’s second-largest city, Guadalajara, in a cemetery in the suburb of Zapopan on Monday. The exact location remains undisclosed for security purposes, with measures also in place at the funeral home where his body had been kept by his family following an autopsy. Large wreaths had reportedly been showing up regularly since Sunday, some bearing an image of a rooster in honor of one of his nicknames, “Lord of the Roosters.” His killing at the hands of the Mexican army was a watershed moment, as violence erupted across the country, fires burned, and cartel members wreaked havoc as retribution, leaving tourists stranded. Cervantes was shot in his legs and midriff, and died on the way to the hospital alongside his two bodyguards.
Rolling Stones icon Keith Richards, 82, is set to become a great-grandfather. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s 29-year-old granddaughter, model Ella Richards, announced on Instagram on Wednesday that she is expecting her first child with her photographer boyfriend, Sascha von Bismarck. The 82-year-old “Satisfaction” songwriter joins fellow Stones icon Sir Mick Jagger, also 82, as a great-grandparent. Richards’ granddaughter, Ella, is the child of his son, Marlon Richards, who he had with his former partner, Anita Pallenberg, a model and actor who died in 2017. Ella’s Instagram post showed her standing in a black-and-white full-length shot, without clothes, and showing a large baby bump. She and von Bismarck have been together since 2023, after she featured on the cover of Tatler magazine in photographs that he took. Speaking of the experience at the time, she said, “It was really easy. I feel very comfortable with him taking my photo, which is a very personal thing.”
Vince Shlomi, the man best known for appearing in infomercials for the absorbent ‘ShamWow!’ towels, is suing the Texas Republican Party for what he claims is an attempt to rig his congressional run in his opponent’s favor. “Suing the GOP Texas for deleting my nickname ‘Shamwow’ in the Primaries so they help the incumbent John Carter so the voters don’t recognize me. Rigged election by these rhinos,” Shlomi wrote on X on Tuesday, misspelling the Republican in Name Only (RINO) insult and attaching a link to his court filing against the GOP. In his lawsuit, Shlomi claims that the party had previously approved his request to be listed on the ballot as Vince ‘ShamWow’ Shlomi only to later change it, claiming it did not meet the “legal requirements” of the Texas Election Code and that his actual nickname is ‘The ShamWow Guy,’ not just ‘ShamWow,’ the name of the product he sold; Shlomi has trademarked both terms. In the primary election, held on Tuesday, Shlomi received just over 4 percent of the vote, losing to incumbent Rep. John Carter who won over 59 percent of the vote.
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The cause of death of Deadliest Catch star Todd Meadows has been revealed. Meadows, the ship’s deckhand, died on Feb. 25, at age 25. The U.S Coast Guard said on Tuesday Meadows died after he was reported to have fallen overboard around 170 miles north of Dutch Harbor, Alaska. He was recovered unresponsive by the crew around 10 minutes after going overboard. “Efforts to resuscitate Meadows were unsuccessful, and the crew brought his body to Dutch Harbor,” Chief Petty Officer Travis Magee, a spokesperson with the Coast Guard’s Arctic District, said. The Coast Guard is investigating. Deadliest Catch, which airs on Discovery, follows crab fishermen as they work in one of the world’s most harsh environments. Meadows, from Montesano, Washington, was the newest member of the cast of the reality show. Captain Rick Shelford called it “the most tragic day” in the boat’s history, noting that “though we lost him far too soon, his legacy will live on through his children and in every memory we carry of him.” Meadows is survived by his children’s mother, Kennady Harvey, and three sons. “Not only were you my children’s father but you were my best friend,” Harvey posted on Facebook. Meadows’ family has started a GoFundMe to “help ease the financial burden in the months ahead” that includes funeral expenses. It has raised over $36,000 of a $45,000 target.
The sheriff leading the search for Nancy Guthrie says authorities have made major headway in their investigation. “I think that investigators are definitely closer. We’ve got a lot of intel,” Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos said on the Today Show. The search for Today show host Savannah Guthrie’s mother has stretched into its second month after the 84-year-old was last seen on January 31 at her Tucson, Arizona home. Nanos confirmed there are major leads likely to help solve the case, but said he was keeping the majority of their investigation off limits to the public. Nanos did reveal that investigators are closer to sourcing where the kidnapper bought their backpack from, using the footage from Guthrie’s Nest doorbell camera. “That backpack is new, it’s exclusive to Walmart, but who’s to say I didn’t buy it and put it on eBay? That’s what we’re looking into,” Nanos said. The video shows a masked perpetrator wearing a backpack, gloves, and a gun with a holster. Nanos did not provide a timeline for finding Nancy. He previously told The New York Times it may take years to find her. News outlets have received ransom letters asking for Bitcoin from individuals claiming to be Guthrie’s kidnappers. Nanos did not comment on the veracity of the letters. Investigators have also questioned multiple persons of interest, but have not yet identified a suspect.