Tifiti

    Liam Payne, who shot to global fame with boy band One Direction, was found dead after he fell from a third-floor hotel room balcony in Buenos Aires, triggering an outpouring of tributes from fans and music stars around the world. As news emerged of the 31-year-old English singer's death, fans of one of the world's biggest-selling boy bands gathered outside the hotel in the Argentinian capital's leafy Palermo neighbourhood to sing his songs and celebrate his life. Police said in a statement they had been called to the CasaSur hotel after being notified of an "aggressive man who could be under the effects of drugs and alcohol". When they arrived, the hotel manager reported he had heard a loud noise from the inner courtyard and the police found that a man had fallen from the balcony of his room, the statement said. In audio obtained from the Buenos Aires security ministry, a worker can be heard asking for police help. "When he is conscious he is destroying t...

    Dr. Mark Chavez, one of the doctors implicated in the ketamine-related death of actor Matthew Perry, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute the drug.  Appearing in federal court in Los Angeles, Chavez admitted to the charge as part of a plea deal with prosecutors, moving him closer to a potential prison sentence of up to 10 years. His sentencing is set for April 2025. Chavez remains free on a $50,000 bond but has surrendered his passport and agreed to cease practising medicine. His medical license is expected to be formally revoked soon, as the plea agreement outlines the basis for the medical board to issue a complaint against him. The case stems from a wider investigation into Perry’s death, in which several individuals were arrested. Chavez was one of two physicians charged, along with Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who allegedly referred to Perry as a "moron" in an email exchange about the sale of ketamine. Chavez is one of three individuals who have taken plea d...

    The family of a woman who was lying dead in her flat for more than three years was found by her brother, an inquest has heard. Laura Winham’s family raised concerns about her welfare almost two months before she was found dead in her flat in Surrey, UK in May 2021. Ms Winham, who was 41 as at when discovered, was found after her loved ones asked police to break into her home following concerns about her safety. She was ‘abandoned and left to die’ by social and mental health services according to her family and she died in November 2017, three-and-a-half years before her body was found. An inquest into her death which opened at Surrey Coroner’s Court on Tuesday, October 1 heard that Ms Winham’s family had contacted Woking Borough Council (WBC) two months before the discovery of her body and that a subsequent welfare check carried out at her home went unanswered. A statement from a former employee at New Vision Homes, which was the landlord contractor for WBC from 2015 ...

    Two Catholic priests from the Sosnowiec diocese in southern Poland have been detained on charges of child sex abuse, prosecutors revealed on Wednesday, October 2.  This is the latest in a series of scandals involving clergy in the region. Prosecutors launched the investigation into sexual abuse after uncovering evidence while probing a homicide-suicide case linked to two other priests from the same diocese. Three men have now been detained, including two priests and a former priest charged with fraud. “The two men have been charged with committing sexual offences against minors,” said Jakub Seweryn, a prosecution spokesman. Prosecutors have identified the victims but are withholding further details "for the sake of those affected." This comes after a scandal last year when the Vatican accepted the resignation of the diocese’s bishop, following reports that one of its priests had allegedly organized an orgy with a sex worker. The incident became public when the priest ...

    American rapper, Kanye West is facing a legal battle against a former employee. The father of four, 47, is being sued by security guard Jonathan Monroe who claims he was sacked by West when he asked to be paid. Legal documents state that West agreed in August 2021 that he would pay Monroe $30 per hour in order to provide security at a home in Malibu, California, which he was attempting to renovate following his split from Kim Kardashian. Monroe claims he clocked up between 36 - 50 hours of work each week while working for Kanye, whose career has rapidly declined since 2022. He told a court that he hadn't received any form of payment but in October 2021, he was allegedly fired from his position after airing his concerns over not being paid. Legal documents state that he is suing the controversial rapper for unpaid wages, interest on the sum, and punitive damages in the suit three years after his brief employment. In July, West finally offloaded his Malibu man...

    Israel has barred UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres from entering the country after accusing him of not "unequivocally" condemning Iran's missile attack on Tuesday night. The move comes after Iran fired over 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night after Israel escalated its war with Iranian proxy, Hezbollah. On Wednesday morning, October 2, Guterres issued a brief statement referencing the "latest attacks in the Middle East", calling for an end to "escalation after escalation". In response, in a statement on Wednesday night, October 2, Israel's foreign affairs minister Israel Katz wrote on X; "Today, I have declared UN secretary-general António Guterres persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country. Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran’s heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil. Katz further criticized Guterres for his...

    Meta has launched its Content Monetization beta program for Facebook, aimed at enhancing the earning potential of content creators.  This initiative, announced on Wednesday, October 2, brings together three key monetization tools: In-stream ads, Ads on Reels, and the Performance bonus. With this program, creators can monetize a wider variety of content types, including Reels, long-form videos, photos, and text posts. The new program consolidates Facebook’s existing monetization offerings, providing creators with a unified approach to generating income from multiple formats. Previously, only about one-third of creators earned from more than one Facebook-funded program due to varying eligibility and availability. Since 2017, more than four million creators have made money on the platform, with Facebook paying out over $2 billion in the past year alone. The company stated, “We’re proud of how our monetization programs have helped creators thrive on Facebook, but we know ...

    Russell Simmons owes three women $3 million (£2.26 million) after failing to pay previously agreed settlements, according to court records. The three written agreements were filed this week in New York County Supreme Court on behalf of Sil Lai Abrams, Sherri Abernathy and Wendy Carolina Franco, Variety reports. The documents were part of confidential settlement agreements that the women entered into with the music mogul in November 2023. Simmons, who co-founded the hip-hop label Def Jam Recordings, agreed to pay each woman substantial sums "for claimant's alleged personal, physical injuries and sickness", by 1 October this year, but has failed to pay. Simmons pledged to pay $1,265,000 (£955,000) each to Abrams and Abernathy, and $515,000 (£389,000) to Franco. Under the settlements, he did not admit any wrongdoing. The documents do not explicitly state why the original settlements were made, but Abrams, an author and domestic violence activist, has previously made alle...

    Songwriters and composers are the epicentre of the music industry: music simply wouldn’t exist without them. Fresh lyrics, smart songwriting and meticulously crafted compositions and arrangements fuse to form songs that hold the power to shape cultures. A list of 110 songwriters and composers, published today by PRS for Music, spotlights the voices that are redefining boundaries within the artform. Celebrating PRS for Music’s 110th year, the list* is based on exclusive data capturing some of the promising creative talent whose storytelling and sound is charting the industry forward. From the silky harmonic lyrics of Asha Gold, to the high-energy, fast-paced music of I.JORDAN, the poetic words of Antony Szmierek, to the riotous sounds of Fat Dog, and British rapper Nemzzz’s unique rhythmic words; these writers adeptly convey shared and unique life experiences that tune into the cultural temperature in a way that resonates with listeners far and wide. Founded in 1914, today,...

    Kanye West has announced a new album, 'Bully'. The 'Bound 2' hitmaker - who released his two 'Vultures' LPs with Ty Dolla $ign earlier this year - has previewed the first track from the upcoming record, 'Beauty and the Beast', during his listening event at Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China, on Saturday (28.09.24). He told the audience in footage circulating on social media: “I got a new album coming out. The album’s called ‘Bully,’ and this song is called ‘Beauty and the Beast." The track featured a soft instrumental and Kanye singing lyrics that included: “I still think about it every night and day to try to stay away, to keep my audience / Don’t take this disrespect, I’m sitting here trying to redirect.” The 47-year-old rapper's longtime collaborator Mike Dean suggested the track was a leftover from Kanye's 2021 album 'Donda'. Commenting on an Instagram post about the news, he simply wrote: "Donda leftover." Hours...

    Sean 'Diddy' Combs has reportedly been removed from suicide watch as he awaits trial in a federal jail. Earlier this month, the hip-hop mogul was arrested and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering, and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs pleaded not guilty to the charges. In the days following his arrest, a representative confirmed the 54-year-old had been put on suicide watch while at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City, though the designation was "procedural" and a preventative measure. However, a source told People on Sunday that Combs is no longer being monitored at all times. "He is focused and very strong. He is concentrating on his defence and preparing for his trial," a lawyer told the outlet. According to the U.S. Department of Justice National Institute of Corrections, suicide watch is the "supervisory precautions taken for suicidal inmates that require frequent observation". In addition, an insider tol...

    A 33-year-old man, Bongani Thulani Matsane has been sentenced to life and an additional five years imprisonment for the brutal murder of his 64-year-old mother, Thembi Ngwenya after accusing her of practising witchcraft. The Mpumalanga Division of the High Court sentenced Matsane on Friday, September 20, 2024. The regional spokesperson of the National Prosecuting Authority, NPA in Mpumalanga, Monica Nyuswa, in a statement after the sentencing said Matsane was residing with his mother in her homestead in Mganduzweni in the district of Nsikazi. In December 2022, the accused confronted his mother and asked her to stop bewitching him as he was told that things were not well in his life because somebody was bewitching him. “On the evening of 14 December 2022, the deceased sent the accused to buy bread in a local shop and on his return with the bread, he gave it to the deceased and went out,” the statement read. He took a handhoe and approached the deceased from behind. He struc...

    A Kentucky sheriff has been arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of a district judge inside a courthouse on Thursday, September 20. District Judge Kevin Mullins, 54, was found with multiple gunshots and he was pronounced dead at the scene, state police said. A preliminary investigation found Letcher County Sheriff Shawn M. Stines shot Mullins after an argument inside the judge’s chambers, according to state police. Stines has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, state police added. CNN is trying to determine whether Stines has retained an attorney. “There is far too much violence in this world, and I pray there is a path to a better tomorrow,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in a Facebook post. The shooting took place at the Letcher County courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, Kentucky State Police Trooper Matt Gayheart said at a Thursday evening news conference. While other people were in the building at the time, no one else was inside the judge’s cham...

     Philadelphia 76ers star, Joel Embiid has agreed on a new three-year extension with the team worth $193million. Embiid announced on Friday, September 20, that he has put pen to paper on a lucrative extension with the Sixers, which reportedly includes a player option in 2028-29. 'Philadelphia is home. I want to be here for the rest of my career,' the 30-year-old wrote alongside photos of himself signing the deal next to wife Anne de Paula, four-year-old son Arthur and Sixers managing partner Josh Harris on Instagram. 'I love this community and everything you've given me and my family. There is a lot more work to do.  'You guys deserve a championship and I think we're just getting started!' The new three-year extension which will see him rake in $69m in the final year.  That contract will guarantee him a staggering $300m through the 2028-29 campaign, meaning his career earnings are set to increase to $514.8m - the fourth highest in NBA history behind...

    Former US President, Donald Trump had presidential-level security in place when officers foiled an attempt on his life last weekend, the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) has revealed to lawmakers. The House task force probing the July 13 shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, received a briefing from USSS after the incident at the ex-president’s golf course on Sunday. During that briefing, officials told House lawmakers that Trump had nearly all of the same protections afforded to President Biden at the time of the second attempt. It had been put in place after the July 13 shooting, where Trump was injured and one attendee died. "He had the same coverage as the sitting president as he had last Sunday. And we're talking mainly today with Secret Service," task force Chairman Mike Kelly, R-Pa., told reporters after the briefing. "I came away today feeling that the Secret Service on this past Sunday was treating it the same way as when President Trump was a sit...