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By Danielle Sanders, Interim Managing Editor After years of rumors, allegations, videos, and an explosive documentary, the federal trial of disgraced R&B Singer, R. Kelly began Wednesday in a Brooklyn, NY courtroom. The trial started with only R. Kelly, attorneys, witnesses, and jurors allowed in the courtroom. Media and the public observed through a video … Continued
The post To Catch a Predator? The R. Kelly Federal Trial Begins appeared first on The Michigan Chronicle.
The president also stressed the importance of keeping the economy open after months of stifling movement restrictions.
He urged citizens not to drop their guard and continue adhering to the health rules, such as wearing face masks and respecting curfew times.
South Africa has recorded just over 800,000 coronavirus infections - more than a third of the cases reported across the African continent - and over 20,000 deaths.
AFP
Singer K. Michelle is trending over a series of tweets in which she says “it hurts” to not have R. Kelly around to call on as she works on her new album.
On Starrstruck, fans have access to various acts from performers directly from the comfort of their home TV, laptop and mobile devices.
[ad_1] While much of the nation was adjusting to the global COVID-19 pandemic and living in isolation, singer and songwriter Elle Varner was creating music. Days before New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down non-essential businesses and mandated New Yorkers to shelter-in-place, the 31-year-old Grammy-nominated artist purchased electronic equipment from Guitar Center. “I bought an MPC (music production center), I bought a keyboard and a mini keyboard, a microphone, [and] some padding for my microphone. And I just was like, ‘I’m going get to work,” Varner tells BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Of course, that didn’t happen the way I thought it would,” she says, admitting that she sometimes got sucked into binging Netflix. However, she managed to push past procrastination and thoughts of self-doubt to create music in her most authentic voice. Earlier this month, the Los Angeles native released “Crazywild,” a song that she wrote, produced, and recorded while sheltering in her Brooklyn home. The guitar-led, mid-tempo jam is the first single from a project she calls “Quarantine Sessions.” “I’m just proud of myself for putting it out there. The response has been incredible,” says Varner, who graduated from New York University’s elite Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. “I could have been doing this sooner, to be honest,” she says. “I trust myself now, and I’m excited to keep this going.” Adjusting to The New Norm This is not the first major adjustment that Varner has made in her musical career. When she released her debut album, Perfectly Imperfect, in 2012–which included the chart-topping “Only Wanna Give It To You” featuring J. Cole and the smash “Refill”–artists were signing 360 music deals and promoting CD’s. “I was one of the last artists that got a traditional deal. This was right before streaming took over. My first album sold physical copies in store and it wasn’t even on streaming platforms.” That album peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard charts and sold over 30,000 copies in its first week. By the time Varner released her sophomore project, Ellevation, in 2019, the industry had undergone a complete overhaul. As a result, artists could no longer be successful with just talent and grit. Rather, their success was now predicated on their social media following and digital downloads. Similar to the way technology disrupted the music business, Varner predicts that COVID-19’s effects on the industry will be “massive.” especially since many musicians depend on selling concert tickets to generate income. “For so many artists, their bread and butter is touring,” she explains. “They make pennies from streaming.” On the other hand, the songstress points out that the pandemic has forced creatives to connect with fans in innovative ways, like the quarantine parties on Instagram Live that have allowed DJ D-Nice to reach new audiences and the “Verzus” virtual battles curated by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. According to Varner, change is inevitable and change is good. “It’s just a time to take a step back. Everyone’s being reset. It’s happeni
A Senegalese court on Tuesday handed down jail terms to three fathers accused of pushing their sons to migrate to Europe by sea, sending them on a trip that left one of them dead, a defence lawyer said.
In a high-profile case, the trio were given two-year jail terms, 23 months of which were suspended, on a charge of \"placing the lives of others in danger,\" attorney Assane Dioma Ndiaye said.
They were acquitted of the charge of abetting migrant trafficking, the lawyer said.
The sons were with other migrants who boarded a canoe to make the crossing from Senegal to Spain's Canary Islands, the first step in a plan to reach continental Europe.
But one of them, a teenager nicknamed Doudou, fell ill and died during the trip.
The fathers of the three, all of them fishermen in the coastal town of Mbour, were arrested a couple of weeks later.
Doudou's fate triggered uproar in Senegal, prompting debate about poverty, parental pressure and the allure of life in wealthy but distant Europe.
His father had paid 250,000 CFA francs ($460) to a smuggler, who was to take the boy to Spain. His destination after that was Italy, where he hoped to sign up for a football training academy.
A source close to the investigation said Doudou \"died after having problems eating\" during the trip.
Further details are unclear, as according to local media his body was tipped overboard after he died.
The children of the two other fathers survived the attempted crossing and returned home.
\"I wanted to open the doors of success to him,\" the father was quoted by a local newspaper as saying during the trial.
\"I took him to see the marabouts (witch doctors) so that they would pray for him. If I knew that he wasn't going to come back I would never have taken the risk.\"
He told the court: \"I am here before you today but my spirit has left me.\"
The prosecution had called for two-year terms against the three, while the defence had urged their acquittal.
The Canaries lie more than 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the coast of Africa at their closest point.
Over 500 people have died this year, mostly in October and November, according to the UN's International Office for Migration (IOM), compared to 210 fatalities for the whole of last year.
The pressure to migrate is especially strong among fishing communities. Coastal villages in Senegal have been badly hit by dwindling catches, and by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent @StacyBrownMedia Wilmington, North Carolina, is known today for its vibrant riverfront with three colorful island beaches and southern hospitality, major contributors to the port city’s bustling tourism. However, Wilmington’s past paints a picture of a much different city. While things may be different in today’s Wilmington. … Continued
The post CELBRATING BLACK HISTORY: The Wilmington Ten, Fifty Years Later appeared first on The Michigan Chronicle.
Robert Kelly is hanging on to his self proclaimed title of being King of R&B; even from the bing. He has rereleased a tune for 2021. As spotted on Page Six the Chicago native celebrated his 54th birthday in the best way he could considering he is behind bars. On Friday, January 8 he posted a song…
Defense lawyer for Patrice-Edouard Ngaissona, the ex-CAR football official has told the International Criminal Court, his client is a victim of a rush to justice by prosecutors. On Tuesday, Ngaissona pleaded not guilty to war crimes charges.
Controversy has surrounded a famed gospel singer due to her participation in an ad campaign commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services, according to Madame Noire. CeCe Winans…
getty A lady who faked her resume for years in trade for high-paying govt gigs is lastly going to jail. That was the phrase out of the Division of Justice…
Iconic Grammy and American Music Award-winner Stephanie Mills is unapologetically pro-Black.
The post Stephanie Mills Talks About Music, Social Justice and Her Son’s New Book appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
Former Burundian President Pierre Buyoya, who is the current High Representative of the African Union for Mali and the Sahel, \"rejected\" Wednesday his conviction in absentia in Burundi to life imprisonment for the murder of his predecessor Melchior Ndadaye in 1993.
\"We reject these judgements, which can in no way commit us,\" a statement from him signed by co-defendants says.
\"Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, the new government has just proved to the world that it follows this line of lawlessness,\" they said.
Melchior Ndadaye, Burundi's first democratically elected president and the first Hutu to come to power, was assassinated in October 1993 in a military coup that would lead the country into a civil war between the army, dominated by the Tutsi minority, and Hutu rebel groups. It will result in 300,000 deaths until 2006.
Mr. Ndadaye had succeeded Mr. Buyoya, carried by the army in power in 1987 and who became president again in a new coup between 1996 and 2003, before handing over power to Domitien Ndayizeye, a Hutu, under a peace agreement signed in 2000 in Arusha (Tanzania).
Mr. Buyoya was convicted of \"attack against the head of state, attack against the authority of the state and attack tending to bring about massacre and devastation\", according to the text which only contains the operative part (conviction and sentence) of the decision handed down by the Supreme Court.
The name of Pierre Buyoya had already been cited in connection with this assassination, without the beginning of any proof being provided.
Eighteen senior military and civilian officials close to the former head of state were sentenced to the same sentence, three others to 20 years in prison for \"complicity\" in the same crimes and only one, the former transitional Prime Minister, Antoine Nduwayo, was acquitted.
Only five defendants, four retired Tutsi high-ranking officers and a serving police general, Ildephonse Mushwabure, were present at the trial.
According to Mr. Buyoya, the trial was conducted \"in violation of the Arusha Accords\" and was neither \"fair\" nor \"equitable\" as the rights of the defence were allegedly violated.
By J. Coyden Palmer Federal prosecutors have charged three men with attempting to intimidate victims and witnesses in the criminal case against Chicago R&B singer R. Kelly. Three separate criminal complaints were unsealed August 11 in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y. charging defendants Richard Arline, Jr., Donnell Russell and Michael Williams with crimes relating to […]
Growing Food Insecurity Threatens West Africa
With these words, experts from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Food Crisis Prevention Network and Sahel Club sounded the alarm on Thursday. It is estimated that more than 16 million people have been facing a situation of acute food crisis in West Africa and the Sahel since October,
And the already dire situation could get even worse in West Africa as unless swift action is taken, up to 24 million people could go hungry between June and August 2021, one of the most difficult periods to obtain food just before harvest season begins in the fields.
The Problematic Presence of Islamist Terrorism
There is a lack of resources, mainly due to challenges of insecurity which have gradually grown more complicated to overcome in affected nations. In Nigeria alone, where Islamist extremists have been wreaking havoc in the north of the country, the number of people threatened by hunger could reach 13 million, i.e. half of the total West African population.
In the Sahel, four million refugees displaced as a result of jihadist terrorist attacks are also at risk of food insecurity.
In spite of the diverse efforts of various governments and their international allies, the next six months could be catastrophic for millions of people.
A fan posted about how grateful they were for the hit-maker, Master KG, after the musician bought him a new home.
