Housekeeping Attendance: @estelaris @femkreations @milana_cap  @bph @atachibana @tlc1206 @ibdz  @mburridge    Where: #docs channel on Slack. Find the…

Summary of Docs Team Meeting April 19, 2022

Here’sA$AP Rockyleaving LAPD headquarters – surrounded by several officers – after his arrest for a 2021 shooting.

The rapper posted $550k bail before he was able to walk out of police HQ Wednesday afternoon in DTLA, and directly into a waiting SUV in the rear parking lot. 

This was several hours after he was busted at LAX.

As we reported, Rocky was arrested after flying back from Barbados with Rihanna on a private jet, with cops meeting him at the terminal and taking him away in handcuffs.

We’re told A$AP was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon with a gun … and our law enforcement sources say the arrest is for a November 6 incident where an alleged victim claims Rocky shot at him multiple times, and at least one bullet grazed his left hand.

Police also served a search warrant at A$AP’s home Wednesday in L.A., busting out a battering ram to get through his front gate.

When cops wrapped up their search, they left Rocky’s house with a box of potential evidence.

Remember, Rocky had been in Barbados living it up with his pregnant gf RiRi … jet skiing and hanging with her family and friends.

Maguire lives with his fiancee Fern Hawkins along with their two daughters but their property is now being extensively searched by police following the threat. An email was sent that a bomb was being left at the home of the England international.

The player – as with any high-profile footballer – is often on the end of widespread abuse and threats on social media platforms but the nature of this threat has forced the police to treat the issue seriously. It comes just days after United’s miserable run of form continued with a four-goal defeat against Liverpool at Anfield.

A report in The Sun outlines how Maguire and his young family have been left shocked by the threat. The central defender has often received the brunt of criticism from fans for poor results due to his status at the club but this latest development has required police action.

Mirror Football has approached Manchester United and the Cheshire Police for comment.

The incident comes on the same day that Manchester United confirmed the appointment of Ajax boss Erik ten Hag as their new permanent manager from the end of the current campaign. Ten Hag, 52, met with United bosses last month to talk about becoming their new manager on a permanent basis and has now penned a contract until June 2025 with an option of a further year. Mitchell Van der Gaag, Ten Hag’s long-term Ajax assistant, is poised to join him in the United.

Fern Hawkins and Harry Maguire have been left shaken by the threat ( Image: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/WireImage)

Ten Hag told United’s website : “It is a great honour to be appointed manager of Manchester United and I am hugely excited by the challenge ahead. I know the history of this great club and the passion of the fans, and I am absolutely determined to develop a team capable of delivering the success they deserve.

“It will be difficult to leave Ajax after these incredible years, and I can assure our fans of my complete commitment and focus on bringing this season to a successful conclusion before I move to Manchester United.”

Ten Hag will succeed interim coach Ralf Rangnick in the Old Trafford hotseat and will become the club’s fifth permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, following on from David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

ENTERTAINMENT 1 hours ago

It looks like X marks the spot for the Fast and Furious gang. 

In a new Instagram post, franchise star, Vin Diesel, revealed the title for the first installment in the two-part farewell to Dom Toretto’s original crew: Fast X. 

The reveal comes on the film’s first day of production, with returning director Justin Lin behind the camera once again.View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel)

Funnily enough, Fast X has two fewer X’s than Diesel’s other action franchise, the XXX series, in which he plays extreme sports enthusiast/international adventurer Xander Cage. 

The title also echoes the 10th installment of another long-running series, 2001’s Jason X, which took the Friday the 13th boogeyman into outer space … a final frontier that the Fast crew visited in the ninth movie.Vin Diesel at the Italian Formula One Grand Prix in September, 2021. (Photo: LARS BARON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

On Twitter, fans are drawing connections to other X-related fare (including a certain franchise about merry Marvel mutants) and bemoaning the punny titles that might have been.https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516804083864285192&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516804356804431878&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516805467737100292&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516805366855655425&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-4&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516804485816979466&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-5&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516799999643770883&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550pxhttps://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-6&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1516804441315450886&lang=en&origin=file%3A%2F%2F%2Fprivate%2Fvar%2Fcontainers%2FBundle%2FApplication%2F70DC1C4A-9BD0-46F3-8824-3AE8808A3BE5%2FMyJoyOnline.app%2F&theme=light&widgetsVersion=c8fe9736dd6fb%3A1649830956492&width=550px

Besides Diesel and all the returning racers, Fast X will introduce Jason Momoa and Brie Larson into the Fast-verse. 

But the star’s plans for a reunion with the Rock have hit a hard place. Dwayne Johnson has made it clear that he’s not returning for one last ride as Luke Hobbs in a mainline F&F movie. 

A Hobbs & Shaw sequel, on the other hand, is still on the table. Maybe that one can be called Hobbs & Shaw’s Most X-cellent Adventure

Drake can rest a little easier for the next few years, now that a judge has granted his request to prevent an allegedly deranged fan from contacting him or his family.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ Hip Hop … Drake’s attorneys, Larry Stein and Ashley Yeargan, were in court for Tuesday’s hearing, which ended with the judge approving a 3-year restraining order.

The alleged stalker was not in court, but will be served the order. As we reported, Drake’s been dealing with this woman for a while now – she was arrested for trespassing at his Hollywood Hills estate in 2017, and she even attempted to file a $4 billion defamation suit against him … as if the Certified Lover Boy was the one harassing her.

The court determined the woman was “given timely and proper notice” to give her side of the story – for instance, explaining the email she allegedly sent Drake, saying “put a bullet through your head now bitch.”

To this point, she hasn’t provided any such explanation … and, as it stands, the restraining order requires her to say at least 100 yards away from Drizzy and his family.

#lifestyle #Entertainment #Politics

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama are ending their exclusive podcast deal with Spotify.

In 2019, the Obamas Higher Ground production company inked a three-year agreement for an undisclosed amount. 

According to Bloomberg and The Los Angeles Times, the couple will not be renewing their contract, which ends in October, and they are now seeking a new home for their podcasts. 

Sources report the two are in talks with iHeartMedia Inc. and Amazon’s Audible for deals worth tens of millions of dollars. Spotify was also part of the conversation, but ultimately “declined to make an offer.”

In the Bloomberg report, sources said that Higher Ground disagreed with the streaming giant about the terms of the deal, including exclusivity leading to a limited audience and the number of shows featuring the Obamas. They are reportedly seeking wider production and distribution on multiple platforms in their next deal.

Since partnering, Spotify has produced five Higher Ground podcasts. “The Michelle Obama Podcast,” which debuted in July of 2020, was the fourth most popular podcast that year. “Renegades: Born in the USA,” featuring conversations between the former commander-in-chief and Bruce Springsteen, debuted the following February.

Reports that the Obamas were looking for a new platform emerged in early February, with The Independent stating that they were having difficulties getting shows greenlit by Spotify.

The Swedish streaming platform has shelled out hundreds of millions of dollars on exclusive deals with podcasts like “Call Her Daddy,” “The Joe Rogan Experience” and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Audio company.

Elsewhere, Higher Ground holds a multi-year deal with Netflix, under which they produce scripted and unscripted documentaries, docuseries and features. Their slate includes the Oscar-nominated documentaries “Crip Camp” and “American Factory” and the Emmy-nominated documentary special “Becoming.”

Spotify and Higher Ground did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

I’ve always been super-insecure in relationships. Growing up, I didn’t always have the best role models, so I didn’t know a lot about what a healthy marriage looked like.

I looked to movies or the “perfect” photos other couples posted on social media to try to figure out what we were “supposed” to be doing, and if I felt my husband and I didn’t measure up, I’d freak out and start to worry.

It’s not a stretch to imagine how this drove my husband crazy. I needed constant reassurance, proof even, that he loved me. I was convinced that at any second he might up and leave me. 

Worst of all, I was afraid that he was going to take me for granted.

You hear this term a lot when relationships sour.

Divorced friends often told me that their marriages didn’t work because “he takes me for granted”.

Things became stagnant, and their husband or wife was complacent. They didn’t feel special anymore, and it was nothing like when they’d first met and everything had been thrilling and filled with sparks.

My marriage was nothing like when we first met either. Instead of hooking up the backseat of a car in a parking garage because we couldn’t wait until we got home, we were now spending our Saturday nights trying to finish folding the laundry.

We didn’t plan exotic vacations anymore either. The last thing we planned together was our strategy for repainting the front door.

My husband forgot our anniversary and, if I’m being totally honest, so did I. He went to the bathroom with the door open, too, and I couldn’t remember the last time he got dressed up for me. 

Sometimes, my husband left for work without giving me a kiss good bye.

Obviously, something was terribly wrong. Or was it?

It was pretty clear my husband had started to take me for granted. 

So naturally, I panicked. Was he going to leave me? Was he unhappy? Did I need to lose weight, bleach my hair platinum, get a boob job, or dress sexier to get his attention again? Was he having an affair? Had I done something wrong? 

The answer to all of these questions was a solid no.

Everything in our relationship was fine. The only thing that wasn’t okay was my constant worrying.

Any problems we were having were caused by my insecurity and comparisons. I needed to stop seeing everything through the lens of my fear of being taken for granted and start reframing my perception of marriage.

What was going on in my marriage had nothing to do with complacency and everything to do with comfort and security — the exact opposite of my greatest fears.

I realized that being “taken for granted” was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

The intensity couples experience when they first meet can pretty much never be sustained, and that is normal — not a cause for alarm.

My husband and I have been together for almost fifteen years now, so naturally, we’re going to settle into a certain sense of calm and stability. 

What some may see as a rut, I see as proof of how safe and easy we feel around one another. That’s why we can go to the bathroom with the door open without being embarrassed.

When we spend our time doing household chores instead of, I don’t know, salsa dancing the night away half-naked, we’re showing our continued commitment to our mutual home. 

We have elaborate discussions about painting the door (and everything else that needs fixing around here) because we are investing in our expected future together.

Translation? He’s not leaving me.

If he had plans on bolting with a nineteen-year-old bikini model, exterior paint shades would be the last thing on his mind.

Some people may find our relationship boring, but I promise you, now that I understand how secure our marriage really is, things are anything but dull. In fact, our relationship is so much more intimate, simpler, and smoother now than it was back in that initial infatuation phase.

As someone who has abandonment issues, the fact that sometimes I feel like my husband taking me for granted was the answer to my prayers.

As much fun as we had, and as exciting as new romance was, I never really liked the beginnings of relationships. 

That’s when my insecurities flared up the worst. I felt like I always had to perform, and I constantly worried if he was going to call me back or ask for another date. Then I worried if he really wanted to marry me.

It was exhausting, and now I can finally relax about all of that, take off my itchy lingerie and show who I really am: a girl who prefers boxers, ponytails, and old t-shirts. 

(Plus, hooking up in the back of a car isn’t that great anyway. I prefer our king-sized bed.)

The fact is, my husband doesn’t really take me for granted.

That phrase has a negative connotation to most people anyway, and I don’t want to imply that my spouse doesn’t care about or acknowledge me because that’s not true. 

What I’m really saying here is that I finally understand that my husband views our marriage as a given.

Over and over his actions have proved that he’s here for the long haul, and so am I. Because we know we’re committed, we don’t always need to “court” or “pursue” one another. \

We already have one another’s attention and affection, so those things aren’t necessary anymore, and thank goodness, because that stuff is a lot of work.

Realizing that husband takes me for granted actually improved our marriage because it eliminated my insecurities. We’re safe, we’re calm, we’re comfortable, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.

The management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has explained their decision to ask over 6,000 students to defer their courses.

They stated that some of the affected students are playing games with them.

According to Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, the University’s Public Relations Officer, some students have invested their fees in ventures such as betting, buying vehicles for online ride-hailing services and bakery.

“The problem we have now is that a number of students are playing games with the University. For example, they use their school fees to buy cars for Uber, others are using it to set up bakeries, and others are also using it for betting, and we have evidence.”

“Some parents have even sent us audio where students have received the fees but have refused to pay or simply trading with the money.”

Dr Bekoe said this on Joy FM’s Midday Newsin an interview with Emefa Apawu on Wednesday.

Authorities of the KNUST had earlier issued a release notifying students who owe more than 70 per cent of school fees by April 7, that they would be deferred automatically. However, the warning did not take effect at the time.

According to sources, students were allowed to take part in the mid-semester exams, which started on April 11. 

The students who still had arrears to cover were subsequently made to defer their courses.

However, since news of the issue broke, some Ghanaians have expressed varied opinions. 

But Dr Bekoe insisted that the University’s action is in the right direction.

He noted that the issue of students not settling fees has persisted over the years; therefore, the need to “apply the fees policy this year which has been approved by the academic board, and it is required that as an undergraduate student, you must register your courses at the beginning of the semester and pay 70%.”

Meanwhile, he said the University has now “given a window from February through March and April” for students with arrears to pay.

Netflix Inc (NFLX.O) said inflation, the war in Ukraine and fierce competition contributed to a loss of subscribers for the first time in more than a decade and predicted deeper losses ahead, marking an abrupt shift in fortune for a streaming company that thrived during the pandemic.

The company said it lost 200,000 subscribers in its first quarter, falling well short of its forecast of adding 2.5 million subscribers. Suspending service in Russia after the Ukraine invasion took a toll, resulting in the loss of 700,000 members.

Wall Street sent Netflix’s stock tumbling 26% after the bell on Tuesday and erased about $40 billion of its stock market value. Since it warned in January of weak subscriber growth, the company has lost nearly half of its value.

The lagging subscriber growth is prompting Netflix to contemplate offering a lower-priced version of the service with advertising, citing the success of similar offerings from rivals HBO Max and Disney+.

“Those who have followed Netflix know that I’ve been against the complexity of advertising, and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. “But, as much as I’m a fan of that, I’m a bigger fan of consumer choice.”

Netflix offered a gloomy prediction for the spring quarter, forecasting it would lose 2 million subscribers, despite the return of such hotly anticipated series as “Stranger Things” and “Ozark” and the debut of the film “The Grey Man,” starring Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling. Wall Street targeted 227 million for the second quarter, according to Refinitiv data.

The downdraft caught other video streaming-related stocks, with Roku (ROKU.O) dropping over 6%, Walt Disney (DIS.N) falling 5% and Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O) down 3.5%.

Hastings told investors that the pandemic had “created a lot of noise,” making it difficult for the company to interpret the surge and ebb of its subscription business over the last two years. Now, it appears the culprit is a combination of competition and the number of accounts sharing passwords, making it harder to grow.

“When we were growing fast, it wasn’t a high priority to work on,” Hastings said of account-sharing in remarks during Netflix’s investor video. “And now we’re working super hard on it.”

A woman allegedly punched a store employee while trying to steal a cash register at a Dollar Tree store in South-Central El Paso last week, police said.

The unsolved attempted robbery is Crime Stoppers of El Paso’s Crime of the Week.

Punches flew during the robbery attempt at 9:10 p.m. April 11 at the Dollar Tree at 5640 Alameda Ave., a half block east of Fox Plaza, Crime Stoppers reported.

Security cameras recorded an unidentified woman who allegedly punched a store employee while trying to steal a cash register on April 11 from a Dollar Tree store near Fox Plaza in South-Central El Paso.

An unidentified woman was looking at items near the checkout counters before attempting to open a cash register, Crime Stoppers said. The woman then grabbed the register and tried to run out of the store with it.

A female store employee was punched while attempting to the stop the thief as another person grabbed the woman by her shirt, police said. 

The would-be thief fled without the cash register and was last seen heading toward Fox Plaza.

Anyone with any information on the robbery suspect may anonymously call Crime Stoppers of El Paso at 915-566-8477(TIPS) or leave a tip online at www.crimestoppersofelpaso.org.

MRC and NBC today announced the first round of performers taking the stage at the “2022 Billboard Music Awards”(BBMAs), which honor the year’s most successful artists in 62 categories across all genres of music. The superstar lineup includes Burna Boy, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Rauw Alejandro, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. The BBMAs will broadcast live coast-to-coast from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC and stream live on Peacock.

Performer Highlights

• Iconic rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers will return to the BBMAs stage, 23 years after their 1999 performance, to showcase their timeless talent. Most recently the Red Hot Chili Peppers released their 12th studio album Unlimited Love, which landed them their first No. 1 Billboard 200 album in nearly 16 years.
• Superstar Megan Thee Stallion will make her BBMAs performance debut with what promises to be a dynamic production. The 2021 Top Rap Female Artist winner is up for the same category this year.
• Puerto Rican urban singer and songwriter Rauw Alejandro will make his BBMAs performance debut and is a finalist for four awards:  Top Latin Artist, Top Latin Male Artist, Top Latin Album (“VICE VERSA”) and Top Latin Song (“Todo De Ti”).
• Burna Boy, the African Giant and Nigerian global superstar, will light up the stage with his unique blend of Afro-fusion music for his historic debut BBMAs performance.
• Top Rap Female Artist finalist and breakout rapper Latto will perform on the BBMAs stage for the first time. Her Platinum hit single “Big Energy” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100; the track also hit #1 on Top 40 Radio this week, making Latto the first female rapper to ever have a #1 record at Pop, Rhythm and Urban Radio with one single.

As previously announced, Mary J. Blige is this year’s Billboard Icon Award recipient and will take the stage for a breathtaking performance. More information about the “2022 Billboard Music Awards,” including additional performers, host, presenters and more will be announced in the coming weeks.

For more than 30 years, the BBMAs have celebrated music’s greatest achievements, honoring the hottest names in music today. Unique among music awards shows, finalists are determined by performance on the Billboard Charts. Since 1940, the Billboard Charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs, and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.

The “2022 Billboard Music Awards” is produced by MRC Live & Alternative. Robert Deaton is the executive producer.

Tickets to attend the show are open to the public. Prices per ticket start at $90 USD and are available for purchase HERE. Doors open at 6:30 P.M. ET / 3:30 P.M. PT.

For the latest news on the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) visit billboardmusicawards.com and billboard.com/bbma. For exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the BBMAs on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube) and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #BBMAs

One of the most lavishly decorated books the world has seen was despatched from London to New York in April 1912. 

The jewel-encrusted edition of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám was taken aboard the RMS Titanic and sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, exactly 110 years ago.

A replacement was finished at great expense by the late 1930s but it was promptly incinerated by German bombers as the British capital was ravaged during the Blitz.

The young man behind this extravagant presentation of the polymath Khayyám’s poetry would soon drown in an English seaside resort.

Would anyone dare to commission a third “Great Omar”?

‘The greater the price the more I shall be pleased’

In 1911, Francis Sangorski finished work on a binding he had been labouring over at his Holborn workshop for two years.

It was breathtakingly magnificent.

Measuring 16in by 13in (40cm by 35cm), the book was encrusted with 1,050 jewels including specially cut rubies, topazes and emeralds. About 100sq ft (9sq m) of gold leaf and some 5,000 pieces of leather were used in its creation.

Sangorski agonised over every detail, at one point borrowing a human skull so he could accurately depict it in his artistic vision. He even bribed a keeper at London Zoo to feed a live rat to a snake so he could capture the grisly image from first-hand experience.

The Daily Mirror considered the finished work to be “the most remarkable specimen of binding ever produced”. Others simply described it as the “Book Wonderful”.

It was given an enormous price tag.

Bookbinder Sangorski and his business partner George Sutcliffe were already highly regarded for their elaborate jewelled covers.

“Real jewelled bindings were like Fabergé eggs,” explains Rob Shepherd, managing director of Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe – the 21st Century iteration of the company the two men set up in the Edwardian era.

“They were of a level which would be very hard to replicate today as there’s been a loss of skills over the years. The trade in those days was very skilled. They were extraordinarily talented craftsmen.”

The pair had met in 1897 at evening classes, where they were taught by the best as apprentices to a line of craftsmen who went back to the Arts and Crafts movement’s William Morris and included the eccentric TJ Cobden-Sanderson – a man who ended his career by throwing blocks of his own typeface off Hammersmith Bridge and into the River Thames so that nobody could copy him.

Sangorski and Sutcliffe’s work stood out and they won prestigious bookbinding commissions, including for King Edward VII.

Spider-Man, Spider-Man, does whatever a… street cleaner can?

According to The World Bank, waste generation rates are rising.

In 2016, the worlds’ cities generated over 2bn tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.74 kilograms per person, per day.

Much of this waste ends up on streets, and Nigerian environmentalist Jonathan Olakunle dresses up as the Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man to help clean up the Osogbo streets.

Watch video below.https://www.youtube.com/embed/3h3BwqeLATs

Cristiano Ronaldo’s newborn son has died, according to an announcement posted on the footballer’s Instagram account today.

The Chief Executive of Willmens Company Limited, Williams Asare Mensah has called on citizens to devote themselves to the country by contributing to development in their various communities.

Speaking to the media at the commissioning of a 1.5 kilometer he financed, Mr Mensah said such “small gestures”, are what leads to the national development.

“I want to take this opportunity to call on all Ghanaians who are financially sound to help their various communities in their own small way and not leaving everything on government,” he said.

The 1.5 kilometers of road links Tema Community 25 to Afianya, a suberb community called “Bulaso”.

Although government had declared 2022 a year of roads, the Bulaso road has over the years been in a deplorable nature.

Thus, Mr Asare Mensah said it was part of efforts to give back to the community.

“It was always my wish to see smiles on the faces of the residents in the community because the bad road has really negatively affected businesses for decades.

“So I am very glad to see this dream come to pass. I am indeed grateful to the Almighty God for the wisdom and Strength for such a great project,” he said.

The South African military says it is deploying more than 10,000 troops to help with relief and rescue operations following the devastating floods that swept through parts of KwaZulu-Natal province last week.

More than 440 people have died, and the search is continuing for 63 people who are still missing.

Some of them were swept away by swollen rivers and mudslides.

The government has declared KwaZulu-Natal a disaster area.

Officials described the floods as some of the worst to ever hit the province.

KwaZulu-Natal premier Sihle Zikalala said that nearly 4,000 homes were destroyed and more than 8,000 were damaged, most in the coastal city of Durban and its surrounding areas.

Both the police and army were involved in the search effort, with six more bodies recovered on Sunday, local media reported.

One woman in Durban, Amanda Acheampong, said the bodies of four of her relatives had been recovered near a river bank while six were still missing.

“The neighbours’ house collapsed first, which then resulted in our family home collapsing and washing everyone into the river. Four bodies were discovered along the riverbank – my sister and her three grandkids. It’s horrible,” Ms Acheampong was quoted by South Africa’s News24 website as saying.

“We’re still looking for the remaining six. We are hopeful they might still be alive, but at this stage it doesn’t look good,” she added.

Another woman, Lethiwe Sibiya, said her niece had not yet been found.

“When the mudslide happened she was washed away. We don’t know where she is. We have tried to get police and their dogs but till today they have not come,” she said.

No clean water or electricity

In a statement, the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said its troops would bolster search and rescue operations, as well as assist in transporting aid to victims.

Army plumbers and electricians would also work in areas that have been without water and electricity for a week, it added.

Some communities are completely cut off because roads and bridges have collapsed.

“We don’t have electricity in many, many areas,” said Imtiaz Syed, the leader of the Active Citizens’ Coalition.

Nearly 300 schools and some health facilities have also been damaged.

Mr Zikalala said that people needed to stop building homes along river banks.

“Many still remain precariously perched on the edge of the river. In reality, no building should ever have been allowed to be erected at such a location,” he said.

During a visit to flood-affected areas last week, South Africa’s President Cyril Rampahosa said the government would “spare no expense” to rebuild the infrastructure and assist all affected families.

Weather experts have said that climate change may be contributing to changing patterns and making such extreme events more frequent.

The rainfall has since eased but the amount of rain which fell last Monday was equal to about 75% of South Africa’s average annual precipitation.

The weather system which triggered the floods saw more than 300mm of rainfall being dumped over a 24-hour period on 11 April – far more than previous serious floods.

In 2019, 165mm fell on in April and 108mm was recorded in October 2017.

The photo provided social media users a first look of huge ring bought for his soon-to-be wife.

Exactly a week ago, Mr Eazi propose to his fashion designer girlfriend, Temi Otedola, daughter of Nigerian billionaire businessman Femi Otedola and younger sister to Florence Otedola also iknown as DJ Cuppy in Venus after 5years of dating.

#Entertainment #Lifestyle #Business #Poetry

Let’s pretend you’ve approached your crush, scored the phone number, and are now getting ready to send *the* text. You know, the one that will set the tone for the whole conversation. (No pressure or anything.)

Even though you’re totally fine and definitely not-not freaking out, it doesn’t hurt to be at least a lil prepared so that when you do finally text your person-to-be, you can hit them with the perfect pickup line.

Maybe you want a funny and cheesy pickup line, maybe you want a NSFW, raunchy pickup line. Whatever the case, that’s where we come in, folks.

Sure, you could always go with the standard “hey” (plus a million extra yyyyys to show you’re really into them), but you only get one chance to send that first text—and you really want to impress.

While some may choose a friendly route, I like to let my crushes know what’s up via a flirty pickup line right from the beginning.

So if you’re all like, “Alright, yes, bet, let’s do this” here are le best flirty pickup lines to send (or save to your Notes tab for later). You’re welcome!

1. *crystal ball emoji* 🔮 I see me in your future.
2. I bet you smiled when you saw my name pop up on your phone just now. *monkey covering eyes emoji* 🙈
3. Let’s play iPhone games! If I win, you take me out. If you win, I take you out. *trophy emoji* 🏆
4. Well, I texted you. What are your other two wishes? *genie emoji* 🧞
5. So aside from taking my breath away, what do you do for a living?
6. I’d like to take you to the movies, but they don’t let you bring in your own snacks. *popcorn emoji* 🍿
7. I believe in following my dreams. Can I have your Instagram?
8. I can’t see you right now, but I bet you look great.
9. Can I save you in my phone as “future loml”?
10. Can you send me a selfie? I just want to show my mom what my future partner looks like.
11. Do you have a name you want me to save you as in my phone or should I just put “mine”?
12. So I already got your number, what’s next? *winky face emoji* 😉
13. Is it just the WiFi? Or am I totally feeling a connection?
14. Do you believe in love at first text or should I text you again?
15. Are you Siri? Because you autocomplete me.
16. I tried to send you something flirty, but I couldn’t fit in the text box.
17. I had to remove my space bar so I could get closer to you.
18. Greetings and salivations.
19. I guarantee you, I’m not flirting with you. I’m just being extra nice to someone who’s extra attractive.
20. Are you a keyboard? Because you’re just my type.

Ghanaian fast-rising singer and rapper, Mohammed Ismail Shariff, famously known for his moniker Black Sherif, is currently on the cover of the prestigious ‘Rap Life’ playlist on Apple Music.

This came in just two weeks into his release of the globally acclaimed single, ‘Kwaku the Traveller’, which keeps raking in numbers across the digital streaming platforms and other social entertainment platforms such as TikTok and Triller.

‘Rap Life’ is a new global playlist focusing on contemporary rap artists and culture.

It replaces the former “The A-List: Hip-Hop” playlist according to Ebro Darden Apple Music’s Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B: “We flipped it to dig deeper into the lifestyle [and to] keep pushing the culture forward.”

He heads a team of curators whose editorial mission is that: “Rap isn’t just a genre. There’s a reason it’s sometimes simply called The Culture: It’s a way of life.”

Black Sherif covers Apple Music’s ‘Rap Life’ playlist

‘Kwaku The Traveler’, produced by Joker Nharnah — poised as the new breakout star from the thriving Ghanaian underground scene, the 20-year-old’s energy burst through the speakers commanding the attention of anyone listening.

Currently, Black Sherif’s ‘Kwaku The Traveller’ has garnered over 10 million streams on Boomplay and 3.4 million views on YouTube.

He is making astronomical numbers on Audiomack, Spotify, tidal, Apple Music and other digital streaming platforms.https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hb6I7GoTvzI?feature=oembed

Born and raised in the Ashanti region of Ghana, his cult following is now spreading across the globe as the local and national scenes in his hometown make headlines around the world.

A game-changing year (2021) for the charismatic artist began with the first and second installments in his ’Sermon’ freestyle series — the latter gaining over two million views in less than two weeks and then going on to be remixed with global giant, Burna Boy.

Before that, in 2020, he started to rise after his releases; ‘Money’ and ‘Destiny’ went viral and were highly praised by the Ghanaian music scene.

#Entertainment #Lifestyle #Poetry #Business

American comedian, Steve Harvey, has asked Africans seeking to storm the United States of America in their quest for greener pastures to reconsider their decision.

According to him, the glorious image of America as seen in movies does not reflect the reality of life.

In a viral video, the world-renowned comedian said, “All the young Africans want to come to America, but I tell them that ‘are you sure? Are you sure you want to come here and be in this?’ This ain’t what you think it is.”

On why America may not be the best destination for greener pastures, Steve Harvey made a comparison of how the Police in the States and those in African countries react whenever a person is pulled over on the road. 

Steve Harvey noted that while in Ghana or South Africa, he never saw on the news a story about a citizen having been shot by the Police after being asked to park off the road.

“When I’m in Ghana or South Africa and I get stopped by the Police, guess what I get. I get a warning, a ticket, or 100 dollars and I drive home. They don’t shoot in Africa,” he recounted.https://www.youtube.com/embed/P1RDoS7TTEE

According to Steve Harvey, it is rather beneficial for Black Americans to return to their roots since in America, the issue of racism continues to fester.

“America is my home. My children and grandchildren are here. A lot of my businesses are here. But Africa is my homeland. When you land in Africa, you immediately feel good. Because you are home.”

He stated that Africa offers him the opportunity to walk around and feel good “because the majority of the people look like me everywhere I go” adding that the experience leaves him with “a warm feeling.”

In 2019, Steve Harvey flew to Ghana to be a part of The Year of Return, an initiative aimed at marking 400 years since the first black slaves landed in Jamestown Virginia. 

The then Minister of Tourism, Babara Oteng Gyasi and the Year of Tourism committee met up with the comedian at the W.E.B DuBois Centre in Cantonments, Accra.https://www.youtube.com/embed/

#Entertainment #Lifestyle #Politics #Business

It took 8 months, but Cardi B and Offsetare finally revealing their baby boy’s name and showing him off to the world — so get ready to meet Wave Set Cephus!!!

The proud parents both posted pics Thursday of their little bundle of joy, already iced out in Cuban link chains … with Offset revealing the unique name in the caption.

Cardi posted a different shot of her son … wearing a baby blue puffy jacket, and you can see Wave Set has a huge iced-out pendant hanging off those Cuban links.

Don’t worry … he’ll grow into it.

Worth noting that yesterday — as the rumor was bubbling up — Amina reposted recent pics of Rihanna out and about in West Hollywood. That would have been an odd move if she really were cheating with A$AP.

RIHANNA’S BABY BUMP

The couple got together back in November, 2020. They had been friends for years before hooking up.

#Politics #Tours #Lifestyle #Entertainment #Business

Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich has had $7bn (£5.4bn) of assets linked to him frozen by a Jersey court.

On Tuesday, Jersey Police searched premises suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich’s business activities on the island, Jersey Law Officers’ Department said.

The billionaire is on the UK sanctions list over Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Channel Island Jersey follows UK policy and imposes sanctions on the same people.

“The Royal Court also imposed a formal freezing order on 12 April, known as a saisie judiciaire, over assets understood to be valued in excess of US$7bn which are suspected to be connected to Mr Abramovich and which are either located in Jersey or owned by Jersey incorporated entities,” the Jersey Law Officers’ Department said.

Mr Abramovich was among several wealthy Russians added last month to the UK and European Union sanctions lists over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and governments have since been taking action to seize yachts and other luxury assets from them.

The billionaire tried to sell Chelsea Football Club in March, but that process was taken out of his hands by the government after he was sanctioned.

Earlier this month, the Caribbean nation Antigua and Barbuda said it was willing to help the UK seize yachts owned by Abramovich.

Superyachts linked to the businessman, together worth an estimated $1.2bn, have also been

docked in southwest Turkey, outside the jurisdiction of the EU and the UK.

#Entertainment #Politics #Lifestyle #Business #Sports #Poetry #Health

In January 2019, I decided to enter into the dating game again. This was after I had been single for close to two years.

I had broken up with the guy I had been dating for three years. Actually, we didn’t break up; we just stopped talking. He dropped me at home from work, and I didn’t hear from him later that night. I decided not to get in touch with him first, and that was it. A day turned into a week, then months and boom, two years.

I don’t know if we would have worked out if I had called, but I swore heaven and earth not to be the first to reach out, and I didn’t. So that was it for us. The year was 2018…and now, 2020 was here.

I told a few friends I was tired of being single. The idea now was to mingle and maybe find love.  

I was not in a rush. Whichever came first was cool and welcoming.

Thinking about it now, I realize I just wanted to be with someone.

Then around March, a friend got in touch with good news. He has finally found someone for me. He has a friend who lives close by, was freshly out of a bad relationship, and was also ready to mingle.

The deal was simple. The guy was not interested in dating or having a relationship. No love things, no feelings. Nothing. He was ok being friends.

“Not a bad offer”, I said. “Send me his pictures.”

To be honest, I didn’t get a lot from the picture, but he looked tall, and that was enough for me.

My number was given to him, and he got in touch. The week we were to meet was his birthday; he was busy, and I was travelling to Ho in the Volta region. I remember getting in touch with him from my hospital bed at the Ho Regional Hospital.

I had gone to eat some tilapia and banku and was dying from food poisoning…But I still wanted to wish him a Happy Birthday.

Back in Accra and after escaping death, we finally met. Covid was still scary, and most companies were running a shift system with their staff.

He looked good. He spoke really well, had this kind of ‘D-bee’ vibe, didn’t talk much but appeared observant.

I will call him Kwesi.

Kwesi told me about his family. He was the only boy and had two married sisters he adored and worshipped. He was living with his parents and was working with one of the banks in the country.

He also told me about his side hustles, including manufacturing sandals with a friend in Accra.

In return, I told him about my job as a journalist, my love for reading, writing and travelling, as well as my dreams for the future.

Based on what our mutual friend had told him, I was quick to put my cards on the table.

I told him I didn’t want a relationship (too)…I also didn’t want to hear anything about love and feelings. We were to be ‘adults’ about this and agreed not even to involve our mutual friend. We hugged to seal our new friendship.

Moving from friends to the benefits

After some months of being friends, Kwesi got more comfortable coming to my end. It was usually after work or on weekends when he was free. He will either sit by me and watch me work or lie down whiles I read or do something.

Sometimes, we spoke like friends; other times, we were just strangers sharing a space.

Then one afternoon, during his usual visit, it happened. The benefit. His benefit. My benefit. Our benefit.

I don’t think we were ready for it. I remember asking him to leave after since it was getting late. We didn’t talk about it. We didn’t cuddle or anything. Just like the adults we said we were going to be, we moved beyond it.

But that was it. A new twist had been added to our friendship.

It was as simple as, “Are you home?” Or “Do you want to come over?”

It really meant nothing until it started to mean everything.

The smile that followed a text. The empty feeling after every goodbye.

At this point, I wasn’t in love. I just had somebody around me, and that felt good.

Yes, I was excited about being wanted. But I loved the fact that there was no commitment or stress.

So I allowed it, and we continued for months, gradually developing feelings without even knowing it.

Hold on, me… I meant me. I was the one gradually developing feelings without knowing it.

The day I realized what had happened was the day my heart got broken.

It was a calm Sunday afternoon. With nothing to do and nowhere to go, Kwesi decided to pass by.

Time check, 5 pm. 

After the usual chit-chat about his week and a few kisses here and there, I told him I had missed him.

I then went ahead to tell him about a friend who had asked me out on a date the previous day.

Kwesi told me to go out with the guy in a calm tone. In fact, I could go out with any guy who was interested in me because he was not.

According to him, since we were not dating, there was no reason for me to even tell him or ask for permission. He said he didn’t mind me being with anyone else, and he was not going to date anytime soon.

I am sure I have been insulted before…But that statement from him was hurtful and insulting. I felt embarrassed, belittled, and disrespected.

I suddenly fell sick…I could taste the tears in my throat. I couldn’t get it. So, I was good enough for this but nothing more?

I asked him to leave. I was an inch away from crying, and I didn’t want him to see the tears. I was angry and confused. 

“Was it possible for a guy to be with a girl for this long and just keep it physical?” I wondered.

I then called our mutual friend to share my story. I told him I had developed feelings for Kwesi even though I wasn’t supposed to. I asked him if he could talk to Kwesi to find out if he felt anything…Anything at all.

I told him I wasn’t asking Kwesi to love me…I just wanted to find out if there was a possibility he ever will.

Pathetic, right? I know now, not then.

In fact, the answer that came back from my friend drove my soul into a coma.

Kwesi said his heart was too broken for him to love again. According to him, he was not ready to date…Not me or any other girl. He could be friends if I were cool with that… If not, he was okay not talking to me again.

The arrogance. The audacity. The disrespect. The coldness. How did such a person ever find love? How can such a person ever find love?

How was I okay with this in the beginning? How could I have allowed such a cold-hearted individual to touch me repeatedly?

Such heartless talk. I didn’t even wait for more. That was all the push I needed.

The small feeling I was developing for him died instantly. I told myself I would never allow him to get that close again. To love him or be with him was going to be over my dead body.

Maybe someday, he will meet someone who will understand him and be everything to him, but for me, I was done.

Truthfully speaking, I didn’t hate him. But he woke me up and taught me to be more guided when it comes to my heart.

Hard girl had almost fallen in love, and it was definitely with the wrong person.

Who would have thought?

From then, I added some new rules to my life… No more friends with benefits.

No more undefined dating. No more mingling.

No more him.

I was done going out there to look for love. It will find me when the time is right. I was also not going to mistake lust for love.

I was going for the soft life, and a broken heart had no place there. None.

#Lifestyle #Business #Politics #Entertainment #Poetry

The Lebanese man who was arrested on Wednesday for threatening the life of a shop owner at Osu over parking space was arraigned today.

The case against Osman Brustani is being heard by the Accra Circuit Court.

After proceedings on Thursday, the suspect was remanded and is to reappear before the court on April 22, 2022.

According to the Police, “having put the accused person before the court in line with due process, it is now for the court to make a determination on the case.”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FGhPoliceService%2Fposts%2F348708840620309&show_text=true&width=500

On Monday, Brustani pulled out a sword from its sheath and threatened to slash the throat of a businessman selling shoes made from Kente fabric.

In an Instagram post, the entrepreneur by the username @doit_ghana, revealed that Brustani parked his car in front of his shop for almost an hour. This was disrupting business, therefore, he told the Brustani to park his car at an appropriate spot.

This did not sit well with Brustani, who then went for his sword. In the viral video, he can be heard saying “Come out. I will cut your neck,” while illustrating how he would commit the act.

Meanwhile, the Police Hospital under the instruction of the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, has provided the male shop owner threatened by the Lebanese at Osu with psychological support.

According to the Police in a Facebook post, the presence of a clinical psychologist became necessary after a phone conversation with the victim.

The IGP reached out to the victim on Tuesday, a day after the incident and per the interaction, he “seemed traumatized by the incident”.

Aside from directing that the victim be provided with psychological support, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare also paid a visit to the shop owner on Wednesday.

#Violence #Politics #Business #Entertainment #Lifestyle

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal told employees Thursday that the company was still evaluating a $43 billion offer by Elon Musk to buy the company and take it private, setting the stage for a potentially drawn-out feud with the world’s richest person.

After clips of the songs “I Say A Little Prayer” and “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys played, Agrawal launched into a 25-minute Q&A session with employees Thursday, according to a person in attendance. He didn’t say when the board would have an answer to Musk’s offer or which way it was leaning, frustrating some who expected a more detailed explanation. The board would follow a “rigorous process” and make a decision “in the best interest of our shareholders,” he said.

Agrawal, who took over as CEO of Twitter last November for Jack Dorsey, fielded concerns from employees about the future of the social network if Musk were to take it over. 

At least one employee asked about the possibility of future layoffs, which Agrawal said wouldn’t be dictated by individual performance ratings. In response to another question about what would happen to employee stock options if Twitter was taken private, he said it was too early to speculate. 

The emergency call was held during a “focus week” for Twitter employees, in which they had Monday off and were encouraged to be heads-down on projects and take few meetings.

Prior to the meeting, Musk had criticized the possibility of board action against the deal, saying it “would be utterly indefensible not to put this offer to a shareholder vote.” 

In an interview earlier in the day at the TED 2022 conference in Vancouver, Musk said his bid wasn’t about making money and that he didn’t “care about the economics at all.” Instead, he said he wanted Twitter to protect “free speech” and open up its algorithm to outside scrutiny.

Together, Agrawal’s remarks suggest Twitter won’t bend to Musk’s whims easily and that a messy, Succession-style corporate battle could play out in the coming days. Twitter’s board could choose to field other offers for the company or adopt a poison pill — a common strategy for refuting hostile takeover attempts. Musk, meanwhile, told the audience at TED on Thursday that he had a “plan B” should Twitter reject his offer.

Even if Twitter succeeds in defending against Musk this time, employees are already wondering if it can withstand future takeover attempts. At one point during the all-hands, Agrawal demurred when an employee asked: “Are we just going to start inviting any and all billionaires to our board?”

#Politics #Business #Entertainment #Lifestyle #Poetry #Health

Elon Musk is offering to buy Twitter, just days after the Tesla CEO said he would no longer be joining the social media company’s board of directors.

April 14 (Reuters) – Elon Musk took aim at Twitter (TWTR.N) with a $41 billion cash offer on Thursday, with the Tesla CEO and billionaire entrepreneur saying the social media giant needs to be taken private to grow and become a platform for free speech.

“Twitter has extraordinary potential. I will unlock it,” Musk, who is already the company’s second-largest shareholder, said in a letter to Twitter’s board on Wednesday. The offer was made public in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

Musk’s offer price of $54.20 per share represents a 38% premium to Twitter’s April 1 close, the last trading day before his 9.1% stake in the social media platform was made public.

Ghana has been ranked as the 2^nd most attractive mining destination in Africa. 

According to the Fraser Institute’s Annual Survey of Mining Companies, which measures the investment attractiveness of various mining jurisdictions, the country placed 43^rd in the world.

Though it dropped in score, from 71.85 in 2020 to 61.29, the country was regarded as one of the most attractive destinations for mining in the African region by the renowned global firm.

Morocco, which did not feature in last year’s survey, is now the highest ranked jurisdiction in Africa and the second highest ranked jurisdiction globally based on policy.

The kingdom performs particularly well in the areas of the administration, interpretation, or enforcement of existing regulations, environmental regulations, regulatory duplication and inconsistencies, protected areas, and labour regulations/employment agreements.

Zimbabwe (79th) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (78th)—ranked in the bottom 10 of the survey rankings this year based on policy.

Based on their overall investment attractiveness score, four African jurisdictions were ranked in the global bottom 10 – Zimbabwe (84th), the Democratic Republic of Congo (82nd), Mali (81st), and South Africa (75th).

The top jurisdiction in the world for investment based on the Investment Attractiveness Index is Western Australia, which moved up from 4th place in 2020.

Saskatchewan moved into 2nd place after ranking 3rd in 2020. Nevada’s rank decreased from 1st last year to 3rd this year, while Alaska moved a spot from 5th in 2020 to 4th in 2021.

Arizona (5th) continues to be in the top five this year after ranking 2nd in 2020.

The United States has the most jurisdictions (4) in this year’s top 10, followed by Canada (3), Australia (2), and Africa (1).

 The 2021 survey was distributed to approximately 2,200 managers and executives around the world in companies involved in mining exploration, development, and other related activities.

The index considers both policy and mineral potential and other metrics based on responses from companies operating and exploring in these jurisdictions.