Picking from those songs in 2018 that place you at the center of moments and memories that give you those silly little smiles of things only you know, DJ Vyrusky is out with another round of his annual cookie, “THROWBACKVERSEDAY.”
In its 4th year, the mixtape picks from the favorite parts of the songs released in the previous years and piece them together in ways that talks about the joys, excitement and fun times during the last year.
The Orijin powered makes it a point to celebrate Ghanaian music and artistry by placing GH Hip-hop, afrobeat, dancehall among other genres front and center. As the industry grows, DJ Vyrusky carefully stitches together the relationships, the collaborations and hard work that continues to push the system from the first play till the 1000th replay.
For mixtapes, this continues to be the one tape that talks about everything Ghana music in 2018 with a few features of Nigerian hits. DJ Vyrusky continues to justify why winning DJ of the Year for the third time straight won’t be a question.
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli returns for the 5th time as Jury Chairman
Ghana is gearing up to host the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards for the second time since the competition’s inception in 2011. Known as the country at the centre of the world, Ghana was also the first country to produce an overall poster winner during the inaugural DStv Eutelsat Star Awards. To date, the country has produced three overall winners namely; Michael Yeboah (2011), Lloyd Ossei Baffour (2013) and Ayawen Asuinura (2015).
Government dignitaries, the academic community, the scientific world and students will convene when MultiChoice Africa, together with their partner, Eutelsat, hosts the 8th edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards in Accra on the 13th February 2019. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will lead the continental awards judging, assisted by a panel of industry experts namely; Dr. Khamisi Kalegele, Director of Knowledge Management: Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH, Dr. Angela Lamptey, Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences Lecturer: University of Ghana, Ms. Astrid Bonté, Director of International Affairs: Eutelsat, Mrs. Cheryl Uys-Allie, Director: MultiChoice Talent Factory, Ms Ernestina Appiah, Founder & CEO of Ghana Code Club as well as Mr. Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, General Manager: MultiChoice Ghana.
Through the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat hope to instigate innovative thinking amongst secondary school students; to create awareness of how science and technology is a part of everyday life; and to show the many ways that satellites impact development on the African continent. In late 2017, the competition scooped a Better Satellite Award at the third annual Better Satellite World Awards gala dinner in London. The awards honour established companies along with disruptive innovators who make the world a more prosperous, healthier, better-educated, sustainable and inclusive home for humankind.
The overall winning entries to the DStv Eutelsat Star awards will receive the following prizes:
Overall Essay Award – A trip for the winning student and their parent/legal guardian to Eutelsat in France and the attending of a live rocket launch in French Guiana.
Overall Poster Award – A trip for the winning student and their parent/legal guardian to the MultiChoice offices and the South African Space Agency at Hartbeesthoek.
The schools attended by the overall award winners will be rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art DSTV Explora and free access to the DStv Education Package.
All details on the judging criteria, national prizes and finalists’ selection are available on the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards website: http://www.dstvstarawards.com/about.html
Join our Facebook community and get exclusive updates and inspiration:
fb.me/DStvEutelsatStarAwards
ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli returns for the 5th time as Jury Chairman
Ghana is gearing up to host the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards for the second time since the competition’s inception in 2011. Known as the country at the centre of the world, Ghana was also the first country to produce an overall poster winner during the inaugural DStv Eutelsat Star Awards. To date, the country has produced three overall winners namely; Michael Yeboah (2011), Lloyd Ossei Baffour (2013) and Ayawen Asuinura (2015).
Government dignitaries, the academic community, the scientific world and students will convene when MultiChoice Africa, together with their partner, Eutelsat, hosts the 8th edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards in Accra on the 13th February 2019. Astronaut Paolo Nespoli will lead the continental awards judging, assisted by a panel of industry experts namely; Dr. Khamisi Kalegele, Director of Knowledge Management: Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology COSTECH, Dr. Angela Lamptey, Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences Lecturer: University of Ghana, Ms. Astrid Bonté, Director of International Affairs: Eutelsat, Mrs. Cheryl Uys-Allie, Director: MultiChoice Talent Factory, Ms Ernestina Appiah, Founder & CEO of Ghana Code Club as well as Mr. Cecil Sunkwa-Mills, General Manager: MultiChoice Ghana.
Through the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards, MultiChoice Africa and Eutelsat hope to instigate innovative thinking amongst secondary school students; to create awareness of how science and technology is a part of everyday life; and to show the many ways that satellites impact development on the African continent. In late 2017, the competition scooped a Better Satellite Award at the third annual Better Satellite World Awards gala dinner in London. The awards honour established companies along with disruptive innovators who make the world a more prosperous, healthier, better-educated, sustainable and inclusive home for humankind.
The overall winning entries to the DStv Eutelsat Star awards will receive the following prizes:
Overall Essay Award – A trip for the winning student and their parent/legal guardian to Eutelsat in France and the attending of a live rocket launch in French Guiana.
Overall Poster Award – A trip for the winning student and their parent/legal guardian to the MultiChoice offices and the South African Space Agency at Hartbeesthoek.
The schools attended by the overall award winners will be rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, television, state-of-the-art DSTV Explora and free access to the DStv Education Package.
All details on the judging criteria, national prizes and finalists’ selection are available on the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards website: http://www.dstvstarawards.com/about.html
Join our Facebook community and get exclusive updates and inspiration:
fb.me/DStvEutelsatStarAwards
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced, in coordination with the Department of State, the implementation of visa sanctions on Ghana due to lack of cooperation in accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States.
Pursuant to her authority under Section 243(d) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen notified Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that the Government of Ghana has denied or unreasonably delayed accepting their nationals ordered removed from the United States. As a result, Secretary of State Pompeo has ordered consular officers in Ghana to implement visa restrictions on certain categories of visa applicants. Without an appropriate response from Ghana, the scope of these sanctions may be expanded to a wider population. The sanctions will remain in place until the Secretary of Homeland Security notifies Secretary Pompeo that cooperation on removals has improved to an acceptable level.
“Ghana has failed to live up to its obligations under international law to accept the return of its nationals ordered removed from the United States,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen. “The United States routinely cooperates with foreign governments in documenting and accepting U.S. citizens when asked, as appropriate, as do the majority of countries in the world, but Ghana has failed to do so in this case. We hope the Ghanaian government will work with us to reconcile these deficiencies quickly.”
Richard Commey made his second crack at the vacant IBF lightweight title count, claiming his first world title with a second round stoppage of Isa Chaniev.
Commey (28-2, 25 KO) tore through Chaniev (13-2, 6 KO), dropping him late in the first round on a monster right hand. As Commey went to end things before the bell could sound to end the frame, he tripped, which may have been all that saved Chaniev at that point.
But the Ghanaian wasted no time in the second, picking up right where he’d left off. He put Chaniev down with a left hook early in the round, and with Chaniev clearly unsteady as the fight restarted, he charged in and finished things with a final flurry, dropping the Russian for a third time, at which point referee Laurence Cole stopped the bout at 39 seconds of the second round, showing his standard questionable judgment letting it even go that far.
It’s a huge win for Commey, obviously, and fully cements him as one of the top lightweights in the sport today. The winner of this fight reported before the fight to be likely to face WBA and WBO titleholder Vasiliy Lomachenko in a unification bout in April, and that still seems to be the plan.
Commey landed 33 of 105 (31%) of his otal punches, and 29 of 69 (42%) of his power shots as he overpowered Chaniev in short order. Chaniev landed 23 of 81 (28%) total punches and 19 of 64 (30%) of his power shots.
A body has been seen in the underwater wreckage of the plane that was carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.
A search on Sunday found the Piper Malibu plane on the seabed off Guernsey, almost two weeks after it went missing.
The Air Accident Investigation Branch confirmed the sighting on Monday.
Rescue teams are now developing a recovery plan for the plane, which is 67m (207ft) below water.
The man who found it said it was “imperative” it was raised from the seabed soon.
“There’s a much greater chance they (the Sala family) will get answers if (the plane is) recovered,” said shipwreck hunter David Mearns.
He added their “worst fears are confirmed”, saying: “It’s going to take a long time for them to come to terms with the loss.”
The flight had been carrying Argentine striker Sala, 28, and Mr Ibbotson, 59, from Nantes, north west France, to Cardiff after Sala completed his £15m move to Cardiff City.
The “substantial amount of wreckage” of the plane, was found on Sunday morning after Mr Mearns’ privately-funded search began.
He said lifting the plane was now the most important task.
Mr Mearns added: “(The AAIB) will be able to rule things out or rule things in, that’s the normal investigative process for any crash, so I think it’s imperative that the plane is recovered, and now even more so now we know someone is down there.”
The recovery operation would need to take place in “slack water” – the point at which the tide is turning, he added.
It would be conducted by a Ministry of Defence salvage marine operations vessel and Mr Mearns said one equipped for working in the North Sea with a dive support vessel would be able to lift the plane “within a matter of days”.
Video footage recorded using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) showed one person in the wreckage.
The AAIB said it was consulting with the missing men’s families and police about the next step and intends to publish an interim report in the coming weeks.
An online appeal started by Sala’s agent had raised £324,000 (371,000 euros) for the private search, which Mr Mearns offered to help with.
Working jointly with the AAIB, his ship and another search vessel, the Geo Ocean III, began combing a four square mile area of the English Channel, 24 nautical miles north of Guernsey.
Speaking onRadio 4’s Today programmeon Monday, Mr Mearns said the plane was identified by sonar, before a submersible with cameras was sent underwater to confirm this.
“They saw the registration number and the biggest surprise is that most of the plane is there – we were expecting to find a debris field,” he added.
The Geo Ocean III (circled) is at the scene of the wreckage while it is decided what actions will be takenGeo Ocean III sent down a submersible to investigate the wreckageTributes have been left outside the Cardiff City Stadium
Meanwhile, Cardiff City football club said it was “actively considering” what to do with the tributes to Sala and Mr Ibbotson, from Crowle, Lincolnshire, which have been left outside the stadium.
A growing number of items, such as scarves, flowers and football shirts, have been laid around the statue of the club’s FA Cup-winning captain Fred Keenor over the past two weeks.
On Sunday, February 3,21 Savagewas arrested in Atlanta and taken into custody by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In a statement, an ICE spokesperson claimed that 21 (real name She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph) is a “United Kingdom national” who “is unlawfully present in the U.S.”
Now, 21 has stated via representatives that he was born in the United Kingdom, asthe Blastreports and Pitchfork can confirm. A report published byReuterspoints to a birth certificate sourced from a London registry office which states he was born in Newham, a borough of London.
The rapper clarified via reps that he immigrated to the United States when he was 7 years old, departed in 2005 to visit the United Kingdom, and returned later that month. 21 claims his legal status expired in 2006 “through no fault of his own” and applied for a visa in 2017 once he discovered that he required one. The statement continues:
Mr. Abraham-Joseph has three U.S. Citizen children, a lawful permanent resident mother and four siblings that are either US Citizens or lawful permanent residents. He has exceptionally strong ties in the United States, having lived here since he was in the first grade. Because of his length of residence in the United States and his immediate relatives, Mr. Abraham-Joseph is eligible to seek Cancellation of Removal from an Immigration Judge.
Mr. Abraham-Joseph was placed into deportation proceedings AFTER his arrest, he was not in deportation proceedings prior to this detention by ICE. DHS has known his address since the filing of a U visa application in 2017. He has never hidden from DHS or any of its agencies. Mr. Abraham-Joseph is not subject to mandatory detention under federal law and is eligible for bond. By statute, bond should be granted by ICE when there is no flight risk or a danger to the community… We are unaware of why ICE apparently targeted Mr. Abraham-Joseph, but we will do everything possible to legally seek his release and pursue his available relief in immigration court.
At the time of the arrest, ICE claimed in a statement that 21 Savage “initially entered the U.S. legally in July 2005, but subsequently failed to depart under the terms of his nonimmigrant visa and he became unlawfully present in the U.S. when his visa expired in July 2006. In addition to being in violation of federal immigration law, [21 Savage] was convicted on felony drug charges in October 2014 in Fulton County, Georgia.”
The new statement from 21’s representatives reads: “Mr. Abraham-Joseph has no criminal convictions or charges under state or federal law and is free to seek relief from removal in immigration court. ICE provided incorrect information to the press when it claimed he had a criminal conviction.”
Earlier today, Congressman Hank Johnson from Georgiaposted a letter he sent to the immigration judge overseeing 21 Savage’s case, making a case for the rapper’s release from detention. “He spends his time giving back to the community and supporting and promoting the betterment of our youth,” Johnson wrote. “He has been an outstanding figure and influence within his family and within Atlanta.”
Shortly after the arrest, 21 Savage’s lawyer Charles H. Kuckreleased a statementabout the arrest, calling it “a civil law violation.” He noted that “the continued detention of [21 Savage] serves no other purpose than to unnecessarily punish him and try to intimidate him into giving up his right to fight to remain in the United States.”
Correction: A previous version of this story said 21 Savage arrived the United States at age 7 under an H-4 visa. His representatives have retracted the H-4 visa portion of their statement, simply stating in a revised statement that he arrived at age 7.
Television’s fiercest hip-hop family, the Lyons, return to FOX, DStv Channel 125 for the remainder of Season Five of Empire on 7 March 2019, at 5:55pm.
Golden Globe nominated Empire continues to be one of the most popular and acclaimed shows on television. A powerful drama about a family dynasty set within the glamorous and sometimes dangerous world of hip-hop music, the show revolves around the Lyons and their media company, Empire Entertainment.
At the end of Season Four, the Lyons lost Empire. However, Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie (Golden Globe® winner Taraji P. Henson) finally found their way to each other and said their “I do’s.” In Season Five, two years have passed, and the Lyons have yet to reclaim Empire.
The family has experienced unimagined tragedies and now must join forces to rebuild from scratch. As their plans begin to take shape, they will be forced to learn – once again – that fame and fortune come with a hefty price tag.
It has been almost two months since lead actress Taraji P. Henson visited South African shores in a week-long tour that included a press conference, fan engagements, visits to Constitution Hill, the Apartheid Museum, non-profit organisation ‘Keep a Child Alive’ and a ‘Women in Media’ event.
Her visit is showcased in a half-hour special that will broadcast the same evening as Empire returns, at 5:30pm. Fox Networks Group Africa, Director of Marketing and On-Air. “We can’t wait to share the highlights of her visit with viewers, and to see more of her as Cookie in the remaining eight episodes of this season” she continued.
A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane which crashed with Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson on board.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch said specialist contractors joined the operation in “challenging conditions”.
It was carried out in “as dignified a way as possible” and the men’s families were kept updated throughout, it said.
The wreckage of the plane, which vanished two weeks ago over the English Channel, was found off Guernsey.
The Geo Ocean III, the boat carrying the body, arrived at Portland Port in Dorset on Thursday morning as it is the nearest part of the British mainland to where the plane was located.
Dorset Police said: “The arrival of the body into Dorset has been reported to the coroner for Dorset.
“The coroner will investigate the circumstances of this death supported by Dorset Police. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.”
No formal identification has taken place, but the force said both families had been updated.
Emiliano Sala (left) was on board a plane being flown by pilot David Ibbotson
The Piper Malibu N264DB was en route from France to Cardiff, after the 28-year-old Argentine striker made a quick trip back to his former club Nantes two days after his £15m transfer to Cardiff was announced.
Mr Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle, North Lincolnshire, was at the controls when the flight lost contact with air traffic controllers on 21 January.
An official search was called off on 24 January after Guernsey’s harbour master said the chances of survival were “extremely remote”.
But an online appeal started by Sala’s agent raised £324,000 (371,000 euros) for a private search led by marine scientist and oceanographer David Mearns.
Working jointly with the AAIB, his ship and the Geo Ocean III, began combing a four square mile area of the English Channel, 24 nautical miles north of Guernsey, to make best use of the available sensors.
Mr Mearns said the plane was identified by sonar, before a submersible with cameras was sent underwater to confirm this.
A minute’s silence was held for Sala and Mr Ibbotson ahead of Cardiff’s home game against BournemouthCardiff fans left a sea of flowers outside the Cardiff City Stadium in tribute to Emiliano Sala
The AAIB used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to aid the search, with no divers involved.
The body was moved first, and separately from the wreckage, to maximise the chances of it being successfully brought to the surface.
It said efforts to recover the crashed plane as a whole proved unsuccessful, before being abandoned due to poor weather.
“The weather forecast is poor for the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close,” the AAIB said in a statement.
However, the AAIB said video footage captured by the ROV would provide “valuable evidence” for its safety investigation.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that Sala’s former club, French Ligue 1 side Nantes, has demanded Cardiff City pay his £15m transfer fee.
Sala, 28, was Cardiff’s record signing but never played for the club.
The fee was due to be paid over three years but Cardiff have withheld the first scheduled payment until they are satisfied with the documentation.
Supporters in Nantes have also been paying tribute to Sala
A Senior Lecturer in Journalism and Communications Studies at the African University College of Communications (AUCC), has expressed concern about utterances by some key personalities of the two leading political parties in the country, following reports of violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-elections in the Greater Accra Region
He was particularly disappointed in the hot verbal exchanges among these politicians, with some leading to fisticuffs in the studios of some radio stations.
Mr Samuel Ato Afful, who is also a Communications Specialist and Life Coach,made a passionate appeal to politicians to make it a point to eschew comments which could incite political violence in the run up to the 2020 polls.
In an interview on Atinka FM, Mr Afful stated that “it is in order and rightly so, for former President John Dramani Mahama to have condemned the reports of violence which characterized the by elections. However, his other statements claiming the National Democratic Congress (NDC), as a political party, has its roots in revolution, and hence, no group in the country comes near the party in terms of their ability to unleash violence on their opponents, obviously didn’t come out well, making it sound irresponsible. Such statements should not have come from a man of such stature. His utterances suggests an endorsement of violence. That, is unfortunate”.
The Communications Specialist told Atinka FM that, the government needed to take all the blame for any acts of violence (reported and/or confirmed) in relation to violence of any kind in the country, and that of the recent by election, is no exception.
“Governments, all over the world, have the ultimate responsibility to ensure that all eligible citizens are able to cast their ballots in any election, be it minor or major, without fear of intimidation. This is a civil right that any government which claims to respect rule of law and the democratic rights of its citizen, must ensure it is followed to the latter”.
In an interview with this Reporter, Mr Afful was however not surprised about the reported insults the two major political parties are trading in, cautioning that, a lot more of such acts will be seen and heard of as the electioneering campaigns heat up later this year and throughout next year.
He urged the National Peace Council to live up to its mandate and the expectations of the people, saying it appears the council has become a body which only reacts to reports of violence and related acts which threatens the peace of the land, as opposed to taking concrete steps to forestall such incidences.
The Senior Lecturer, expressed the hope that Ghanaians will boldly reject any politician whose campaign messages glorify violence, so as to send a strong message to such politicians that, the people are peace loving and that they will not allow themselves to be fooled by any power-thirsty politician.
By Kingsley Agorku
—
Samuel Ato Afful
Journalist, Media & Communications Specialist, Events, Publishing, Life Coach, Branding specialist
The body recovered from wreckage of crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, Dorset Police have said.
Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January.
The body was recovered late on Wednesday after the wreckage was found on Sunday morning.
Dorset Police confirmed the identification on Thursday night.
In a statement, the force said: “The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday 7 February 2019, has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala.
“The families of Mr Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers.”
The body recovered from wreckage of crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, Dorset Police have said.
Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January.
The body was recovered late on Wednesday after the wreckage was found on Sunday morning.
Dorset Police confirmed the identification on Thursday night.
In a statement, the force said: “The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday 7 February 2019, has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala.
“The families of Mr Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers.”
The family of Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has paid tribute to him after police confirmed it was his body which was removed from a crashed plane.
Argentine-born Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a light aircraft piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January.
The club has offered to pay for Sala’s body to be repatriated to Argentina.
Mr Ibbotson’s body has not been found and Sala’s family hopes authorities “will do their best” to find him.
In a statement, they said: “We would like to thank you for all your signs of affection and support in what is the most painful time of our lives.
“Seeing the whole world mobilised to support us in our research has been an infinitely precious help. Thanks to you, we are now able to mourn our son, our brother.
“On this Friday morning, our thoughts go to David Ibbotson and his family, hoping that the authorities will do their best to find him.”
In a post on Instagram, Sala’s sister Romina said: “Your soul in my soul, it will shine forever thus illuminating the time of my existence. I love you, tito.”
Sala completed his transfer to Premier League side Cardiff from French club Nantes – for a club record of £15m – just two days before the 21 January crash.
He was returning to the Welsh capital after flying back to France to say goodbye to his former teammates.
Mr Ibbotson, 59, from Crowle, North Lincolnshire, was at the controls of the Piper Malibu N264DB when the flight lost contact with air traffic controllers near Guernsey.
He also expects Southampton and Cardiff players to wear black armbands in their Premier League match at St Mary’s on Saturday and a minute’s silence to be observed.
Cardiff have also asked the Premier League if the team can once again wear shirts in respect of Sala and Mr Ibbotson with a yellow daffodil on them, as they did in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
Clubs in the EFL will also wear black armbands at matches over the weekend.
Sala’s former club, Nantes said in a statement: “This news puts an end to an endless and unsustainable wait. Emiliano will forever be part of the legends that have written the great story of FC Nantes.”
It will also retire the number nine shirt – which he wore – in his memory.
The French football league announced that a minute’s applause will be held at all Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 games this weekend in memory of Sala.
Emiliano Sala had been a record signing for Cardiff City
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudigerwrote: “Heartbreaking to hear the news about Emiliano Sala. Rest in peace! Thoughts go out to the family and friends of Emiliano and the pilot.”
And Arsenal’s Mesut Oziltweeted: “No words to describe how sad this is. Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and also to the family of the pilot.”
Football governing bodies Fifa, Uefa and the Football Association of Wales, along with Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri all paid tribute to Sala.
An official search was called off on 24 January after Guernsey’s harbour master said the chances of survival were “extremely remote”.
But an online appeal started by Sala’s agent raised £324,000 (371,000 euros) for a private search led by marine scientist and oceanographer David Mearns.
Working jointly with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), his ship and the Geo Ocean III, began combing a four square mile area of the English Channel, 24 nautical miles north of Guernsey, to make best use of the available sensors.
Mr Mearns said the plane was identified by sonar, 67m (220ft) below the surface on Sunday, before a submersible with cameras was sent underwater to confirm this.
During the recovery operation, the AAIB used a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) to aid the search, with no divers involved.
The body was moved first on Wednesday, and separately from the wreckage, to maximise the chances of it being successfully brought to the surface.
It said efforts to recover the crashed plane as a whole proved unsuccessful, before being abandoned due to poor weather.
Mr Mearns told BBC Radio Wales finding Mr Ibbotson’s body would be difficult.
Cardiff fans left a sea of flowers outside the Cardiff City Stadium in tribute to Emiliano Sala
“I’ve been involved in operations when people were lost and the bodies were found days and weeks after, not far from where they were lost,” he said.
“But this is a pretty dynamic place. It’s got fairly strong currents, it’s not that deep water, you’ve got a lot of fishing activity, a lot of scallop dredgers moving in and out of the location.
“You cannot expect that the body is going to be in that location for an extended period of time.”
The AAIB released this photograph of the wreckage of the Piper Malibu
The AAIB said efforts to recover the crashed plane as a whole proved unsuccessful, before being abandoned due to poor weather.
“The weather forecast is poor for the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close,” the AAIB said in a statement.
However, the AAIB said video footage captured by the ROV would provide “valuable evidence” for its safety investigation.
Michelle Obamamade a surprise appearance at Sunday’s 61st annual Grammy Awards to tout the power of music alongside a slew of female A-listers.
“Ya’ll didn’t think I was coming out here by myself, did you?” Grammys host Alicia Keys exclaimed to the audience as the awards ceremony kicked off in Los Angeles. “Please, can I bring some of my sisters out here tonight?”
Obama then appeared hand-in-hand onstage with Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith and Jennifer Lopez.
“From the Motown records I wore out on the South side, to the ‘Who run the World’ songs that fueled me through this last decade, music has always helped me tell my story,” Obama, who grew up in Chicago, said as the audience stood before her.
“Whether we like country, or rap, or rock – music helps us share ourselves,” Obama, 55, told the crowd.
“Our dignity, and our sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows us to hear one another. To invite each other in,” Obama continued.
“Music shows us that all of it matters – every story within every voice. Every note within every song,” the author – who’s been on a promotional tour for her bestselling memoir, “Becoming” – said.
“Is that right, ladies?” Obama said to applause.
“What is better than this?” asked Keys. “Tonight we celebrate the greatness in each other, all of us, through music,” Keys said.
Obama has teamed up with major music stars before. In 2016, several performers, including Kelly Clarkson, Missy Elliot, Kelly Rowland, and Lea Michele participated in a song, “This is for my Girls,” to promote Obama’s girls education initiative.
In 2015, the former first lady rapped as part of a song encouraging students to go to college.
British/Ghanaian media entrepreneur and founder of education not for profit, Aim Higher Africa has been featured on leading US news platform Fox News for her transformative work in empowering unemployed youths and building grassroots entrepreneurs in Africa. Peace Hyde who is one of only 200 visionary leaders selected to be part of the inaugural class of the 2018 Obama Foundation Leaders Africa program, has continued to push for the rights of street children to get formal education as well as providing support to impoverished communities and families across Ghana and Nigeria.
Hyde who also heads up the Forbes Africa digital media and partnerships arm as well as the editorial head for the west Africa region has over the years been celebrated globally for her outstanding contribution to the lives of communities with various nominations including the prestigious Discovery young Health Journalist of the year Award as well as being inducted into the 2017 and 2018 Untied Nations Most Influential People of African Decent list.
Aim Higher Africa has over the past 5 years delivered its proprietary MRDT curriculum program to millions of students across the continent in a bid to transform limiting mind-set, break down negative barriers and empower students with design thinking skills with a focus of helping them to identify opportunities within their community that creates long term scalable and sustainable impact.
The program was launched in Aim Higher Africa’s newly opened skills acquisition center in Yaba where students are enrolled in a 6-week intensive vocational and digital skills program after which successful graduates with innovative socially focused business plans, receive an interest free start up loan to transform their dreams into reality.
Botswana’s Tanaka Chonyera scoops top honours in the essay category
Priscilla Marealle makes it a back-to-back win for Tanzania inthe poster category
The winners of the 8th edition of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards were announced today during a ceremony held in Accra, Ghana. Eighteen-year-old Tanaka Chonyera has put Botswana on the map by scooping top honours in the essay category. Nineteen-year-old Priscilla Marealle was announced as the overall winner in the poster category, making it a back-to-back win from Tanzania.
Tanaka’s entry was written in a confident, concise and factual manner and made for an intriguing, engaging and educational read. “It was quite clear that he has cultivated his passion with research and study, that has resulted in sound knowledge and understanding of the subject matter,” says Paolo Nespoli, an ESA (European Space Agency) Astronaut who chaired the jury of the Awards. This is what the jury members said about Priscilla’s poster: “The poster was artistically well executed, with imaginative use of mixed media to create visual interest. Consistent with the topic, the poster depicts how satellite can be further embraced in Africa to address key continental challenges, such as protection and monitoring of biodiversity, agriculture and mineral resources.”
Hon. Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Environment, Science Technology and Innovation was the keynote speaker at the Awards ceremony and said “It is our ministry’s pleasure to be part of this exemplary initiative by two technology-oriented companies to inspire the learning and application of Science and Technology in everyday activities. Our ministry is at the fore-front of promoting a paradigm shift in the way we approach our developmental issues as a country and more broadly as a continent. Having reviewed some of the topics from previous competitions of the DStv Eutelsat Star Awards we are filled with elation by the myriad of young African minds across our continent that are tasked to use satellite technology to address basic human challenges on our continent.”
This pan-African competition has invigorated a passion for science and technology amongst the younger generation and will culminate with an outreach where over 200 Ghanaian students have an opportunity to ask a real-life astronaut mind blogging questions about space. To date the competition has drawn over 8000 entries across the continent and has over the years created meaningful engagement with students, the academic community and the scientific world. Sixteen overall winners’ horizons have been broadened by the once-in-a-lifetime experiences the competition has afforded them.
The winner in the essay category wins a trip for two to Paris and onwards to a launch site in French Guiana to witness a rocket blast into space in order to place a satellite into orbit. This is Botswana’s first win in the essay category, after producing a runner-up in the poster category in 2016. East Africa continues its dominance of the Awards with 7 overall winners and runner-up’s thus far. The winner in the poster category wins a trip for two to visit the South African National Space Agency and MultiChoice facilities. The two winning schools attended by the overall winners will be rewarded with a DStv installation, including dish, TV set, PVR decoder and free access to the DStv Education Package.
For this edition, students from secondary (high) or combined schools were asked to write a creative essay or design a poster based on the topic: “Currently, satellites are being used in a variety of ways but there is always room for expansion and growth. Write an essay or design a poster on areas you believe the full potential of satellites has not yet been tapped into or embraced.”
2019 seems to be good looking for La Même Gang member, Darkovibes. After thrilling fans with his juicy hit song, ‘Stay Woke’ featuring Stonebwoy, accompanied by some nice visuals, he went on to drop another soothing-trap-feel called ‘Obra’.
Currently, the ‘Tomorrow’ crooner seems to be stepping things up a notch, by giving sneak peaks on his upcoming collaborations with A-list acts both locally and internationally; most especially embarking on a US tour with the phenomenal Ghanaian group, R2Bees in the promotion of their soon to be released third studio album; ”Site 15”.
Speaking to Darkovibes he said, ”I’m excited and looking forward to building my fanbase across Ghana as well giving the attendees a great show. Also, my fans should expect more visuals from me this year”.
Darkovibes will be performing in Washington DC at the Ghana Independence Live Concert & Party on the 8th of March alongside R2Bees and King Promise. More dates set to be announced soon.
The body of footballer Emiliano Sala has arrived back in his home country of Argentina ahead of his funeral on Saturday.
It arrived in Buenos Aires on Friday afternoon and will be driven 334 miles (538km) to his hometown of Progreso in the Santa Fe province.
Sala, 28, died after the plane he was flying in crashed over the English Channel on 21 January.
His body was discovered in the wreckage two weeks later.
A vigil is planned at the gymnasium next to Sala’s youth club, San Martin de Progreso, on Friday evening.
The funeral will start at 10:00 GMT (07:00 local time) behind closed doors at the club.
Sala’s body will then be taken 44 miles (71km) to Santa Fe, where it will be cremated at about 15:30.
Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock and chief executive Ken Choo will be among those attending the ceremony.
The mayor of Progreso confirmed Sala’s family had arrived in the town on Wednesday ahead of the funeral.
Sala signed for Cardiff City from Nantes in a record £15m transfer.
He had returned to the French city to say goodbye to his former teammates when the single-engine Piper Malibu plane he and pilot David Ibbotson were travelling in went missing from the radar.
The official search was called off three days after the plane went missing, but a privately-funded search located the plane on 3 February.
A body was recovered from the wreckage and taken to Dorset three days later, where it was identified as Sala’s.
Sala died of “head and trunk injuries,” an inquest heard on Monday.
Mr Ibbotson’s body is still missing and an online fundraiser by his family to search for him has reached £242,000.
The NBA is launching a professional basketball league in Africa that will feature 12 teams from several countries across the continent.
The league will debut next year, and will be referred to as the Basketball Africa League. It will include teams from several African countries, including Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.
The NBA announced its plan along with International Basketball Federation, and will conduct qualification tournaments later this year. While there are several basketball teams across Africa, a pro league will unify them under one umbrella and provide resources and visibility.
“The Basketball Africa League is an important next step in our continued development of the game of basketball in Africa,” NBA commissioner Adam Silversaid in a statement Saturday.“Combined with our other programs on the continent, we are committed to using basketball as an economic engine to create new opportunities in sports, media and technology across Africa.”
Former President Barack Obama applauded the announcement.
“I’ve always loved basketball because it’s about building a team that’s equal to more than the sum of its parts,” he tweeted. “Glad to see this expansion into Africa because for a rising continent, this can be about a lot more than what happens on the court.”
The NBA’s ties to Africa go a long way. Toronto Raptors forward OG Anunoby, whose parents are from Nigeria, and Hornets center Bismack Biyombo of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, were among the players who attended the NBA All-Star Africa luncheon Saturday, where the announcement was made.
Other players with ties to Africa include Joel Hans Embiid, a Cameroonian who plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. NBA global ambassador Dikembe Mutombo, who played for several teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Raptors President Masai Ujiri is from Nigeria.
The New York Police Department is investigating allegations that a precinct commander threatened rapper and actor 50 Cent, NYPD Sgt. Jessica McRorie told CNN Sunday.
The New York Daily News reported Sunday that Deputy Inspector Emanuel Gonzalez, who is commander of the city’s 72nd precinct in Brooklyn, allegedly told officers to shoot 50 Cent “on sight” during a roll call in the station house. New York police did not confirm the date the alleged comment was made.
The Daily News reported the incident was not recorded and that Gonzalez tried to pass off the comment as a joke.
The "In Da Club" rapper responded to the story Sunday on his social media accounts.
"This is how I wake up this morning, This guy Emanuel Gonzales (sic) is a dirty cop abusing his POWER," 50 Cent said on Twitter. "The sad part is this man still has a badge and a gun. I take this threat very seriously and im (sic) consulting with my legal counsel regarding my options moving forward."
50 Cent also called Gonzalez an "embarrassment" to law enforcement and said the officer needs to be "dealt with." The entertainer also wrote on Twitter that there are some "good people working in Law Enforcement. Like the officers that reported what he said to them."
Roy Richter, president of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association, called the allegations against Gonzalez "completely false," in a statement to CNN Sunday.
"It was 50 Cent who put the safety of the Inspector and his family in jeopardy by publishing a threatening tweet that called for violence last year," Richter said, referring to a now-deleted social media post that allegedly appeared to threaten a police officer.
McRorie confirmed to CNN Sunday that the NYPD, on behalf of Gonzalez, filed a formal complaint against 50 Cent for aggravated harassment in May 2018 after the now-deleted post.
Representatives for the entertainer said he is taking the threat seriously.
"He is concerned that he was not previously advised of this threat by the NYPD and even more concerned that Gonzalez continues to carry a badge and a gun," the rapper's representatives said in a statement.
