Kanye West suspended from Instagram for 24 hours
Instagram has placed Kanye West on a 24-hour suspension for violating the platform’s harassment policy.
The Yeezy founder, 44, has been restricted from posting, commenting and sending DMs, among other actions, for 24 hours, a spokesperson for parent company Meta confirmed to ABC News. They have also deleted posts that contain content that violates their policies on hate speech, bullying and harassment.
The spokesperson adds that repeated violations will result in further action. Representatives for Kanye had no comment to ABC News on the matter.
The 24-hour ban comes after Ye made several controversial posts aimed at his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and her boyfriend, Saturday Night Live cast member Pete Davidson. The rapper has been very vocal on social media about his custody negotiations regarding the four children he shares with Kim, claiming he's been prevented from seeing his them. He's also posted about Pete and even dissed him in the "Eazy" song and video.
A recent post about Davidson again referred to the SNL star, saying, "Im really concerned that SKETE will get my kids mom hooked on drugs He’s in rehab every 2 months."
Ye also posted about Daily Show host Trevor Noah and comic D.L. Hughley, who have both publicly commented on the ongoing drama between Ye, Kim and Pete.
What [Kim is] going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave," Noah said, comparing West's behavior to that of his abusive father, who nearly shot his mother to death. "As a society, we have to ask ourselves questions. Do we wish to stand by and watch a car crash when we thought we saw it coming?"
In response, West posted a now-deleted photo of Noah from Google that described him as a "South African comedian," along with racist lyrics to the song "Kumbaya."
Source-ABC
West Indies vs England score – 2nd day, 2nd Test
Scoreboard on the second day of the second Test between West Indies and England at Kensington Oval here Thursday:
ENGLAND 1st Innings
(overnight 244 for three)
A Lees lbw b Permaul 30
Z Crawley c wkp Da Silva b Seales 0
*J Root lbw b Roach 153
D Lawrence c Brathwaite b Holder 91
B Stokes c Brooks b Brathwaite 120
J Bairstow c Bonner b Joseph 20
+B Foakes st Da Silva b Permaul 33
C Woakes c Seales b Roach 41
M Fisher not out 0
J Leach st Da Silva b Permaul 4
Extras (b5, lb6, w1, nb3) 15
TOTAL (all out, 150.5 overs) 507
Did not bat: Saqib Mahmood
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Crawley), 2-80 (Lees), 3-244 (Lawrence), 4-373 (Root), 5-410 (Bairstow), 6-424 (Stokes), 7-499 (Foakes), 8-503 (Woakes), 9-507 (Leach)
Bowling: Roach 27-5-68-2, Seales 24-4-55-1 (w1), Joseph 23-1-109-1 (nb2), Permaul 35.5.-1-126-3, Holder 28-4-76-1, Bonner 1-0-3-0, Brathwaite 12-0-59-0.
WEST INDIES 1st Innings
*K Brathwaite not out 28
J Campbell c wkp Foakes b Fisher 4
S Brooks not out 31
Extras (b6, nb2) 8
TOTAL (1 wkt, 27 overs) 71
To bat: N Bonner, J Blackwood, J Holder, +J da Silva, A Joseph, K Roach, V Permaul, J Seales.
Fall of wicket: 1-14 (Campbell)
Bowling: Woakes 5-3-17-0, Fisher 5-0-18-1, Leach 9-4-21-0, Stokes 3-0-3-0 (nb1), Saqib Mahmood 4-2-3-0 (nb1), Lawrence 1-0-3-0.
Position: West Indies trail by 436 runs with nine first innings intact.
Toss: England.
Umpires: Joel Wilson, Nigel Duguid; TV – Gregory Brathwaite.
Government of Belize presents billion dollar budget to Parliament
Prime Minister John Briceno has presented a BDZ$1.2 billion (One Belize dollar=US$0.49 cents) budget to Parliament, announcing the restoration of the restoration of the 2020-2021 wage levels to teachers and public officers as well as expecting to “retire BDZ$86. 4 million in public debt, separate and apart from the right off related to the Super Bond discount buyout.
He told legislators on Tuesday that “Recurring revenues are projected at BDZ$1.2 billion, which is 7.5 per cent over, or BDZ$86 million higher than the forecasted outturn for this fiscal year.
“More tax and none tax revenues are projected to rise. Our capital revenues will remain constant and grants will fall to BDZ$35 million in line with our bilateral agreements. Revenue growth is consistent with the 6.5 per cent overall gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 2022 and the Central Banks slightly more modest six per cent forecast.”
Briceno said on the expenditure’s side, overall spending will rise compared to this year’s projected outturn by BDZ$140 million or 12 per cent.
He said these increases include wage and pensions rising by 10 per cent or BDZ$40 million and that most of this attributed to the 10 per cent wage restoration which is to commence on July 1.
He said subsidies and transfers will rise by BDZ$37 million or 25 per cent, which is mostly in direct wage subsidies linked to the wage restoration. Briceno said debt service will rise by BDZ$24 million as we commence interest payments on the Blue Bonds. Capital spending will rise by BDZ# 30 million compared to this year’s outturn of BDZ$243 million.
“ In summary therefore, the new budget targets a primary surplus of some BDZ$14 million, or 0.35 per cent of GDP along with an overall deficit of BDZ$98 million or 2.49 per cent of GDP. Government proposes to retire BDZ$97.4 million in public debt during this year’s budget cycle. Total financing required for this budget will be BDZ$195.6 million,” Briceno said.
Briceno said that the projected performance for fiscal year 2021-2022 is nothing short of spectacular, in terms of the overall budget outlook.
“Based on revenue and spending performance, government’s total borrowing for this budget is now projected at aBDZ$112.1 million, which is BDZ$211 million less that the BDZ$323.8 million approved by the National Assembly”.
Briceno said that his administration intends to “resolve once and for all the Super Bond quagmire” adding that since October last year Parliament endorsed the Blue Bond for Conservation initiative.
“Belize has been the toast of the sustainable finance universe, herald for the innovation and boldness of a transaction that achieved three simultaneous objectives. First, reduction of our public indebtedness by over half a billion dollars, second a renewed commitment to marine conservation, including protecting 30 per cent of our ocean space, and third, establishing the marine conservation trust fund, which will value roughly about BDZ$200 million by 2040.”
Briceno said that according to the IMF’s most recent assessment, issued on February 24 this year, Belize’s public debt fell from 133 per cent of GDP at the close of 2020, to 128 per cent at the close of 2021, “down by a massive 25 per cent of GDP”.
Prime Minister Briceño said the budget will touch lives in a positive way, telling legislators that outside of the academic figures, which must be recited for consistency, there are a number of examples where the fiscal package will be beneficial to the population.
“One, it employs 15, 000 public officers and teachers, who collectively provide 35, 1 million work hours for public service during the budget work period. Two, the budget underwrites national sovereignty and citizen security, through the roles of the Belize Defense Force, the Belize Police Department and the Coast Guard. Three, the budget funds the judiciary, thereby providing the mechanisms for law and order of our country.
“Four, the budget pays for 181 government schools, contributes to another 381 grant aided schools, supports some level of direct support scholarship funding for 4,000 students at the tertiary level, and effectively bank rolls the national education system from kinder to UB (University of Belize) for hundred and two thousand six hundred and seventy one students.
“This budget will provide an additional 200 million for youth and sporting programmes. Five, our national referral hospital, regional hospitals and clinical, and the entire public health system is subsidized by this budget. Six, the budget funds the national infrastructure system, maintaining five hundred and twenty seven miles of paved roads, two thousand two hundred and ninety four miles of gravel surface roads, three hundred bridges, not to mention the entirety of new infrastructure projects.”
But Opposition Leader, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, has said he is not impressed with the fiscal package, telling reporters “I understand for a multi-millionaire like the Prime Minister and many of the wealthy minister that sits on the government’s side, the high cost of living, high cost of fuel, doesn’t impact them one bit and they can boast about growth.
“But, growing from COVID-19 economy doesn’t necessarily say much, because when you are coming from minus hundred, saying that you are one is not much. If you can say in contrast to our best performing economic years, that we are here, then I could consider that. But, people are really suffering.
“People are doing badly and we need to find a way to get the resources that are necessary to deal with the invasion of Ukraine, the illegal invasion by Russians to Ukraine, and bring relief to the Belizean people,” Barrow added.
However, Prime Minister Briceno responded by saying “I always remember what Mr. Price, the Father of the Nation, use to tell me, when your opponents start to praise you, sit back and think what stupid thing you have done. So, I do expect the Leader of the Opposition to criticize. Of course, let us leave it at that.
“The point is this, by any metrics Belize has moved forward. We have moved this country considerably, better than anybody expected,” Briceno added.
Source-CMC
Police are hunting a masked gunman targeting homeless people while they sleep
A masked gunman has struck five times in nine days - shooting homeless people as they slept on the streets of New York and Washington DC.
Police say the "modus operandi" is the same in each case and the mayors of the two cities fear a "cold-blooded killer" is on the loose.
Two of the people died. One's tent was set on fire, after he was stabbed and shot.
A reward is now being offered to catch the killer.
DC's Metropolitan Police Department said one man was shot on 3 March and another on 8 March - both in the middle of the night.
They were injured but survived.
Just a day later, emergency services responded to a tent fire in the city where they found a man inside who had been fatally shot and stabbed.
In New York, a masked suspect first shot a man sleeping on a street in Manhattan's Soho neighbourhood in the early hours of the morning.
Deputy Chief Hank Sautner of the New York Police Department said at a news conference: "The victim, who was shot in the arm, woke up and shouted 'what are you doing?' and the suspect fled."
Around one hour later, according to police, that same person shot and killed another man also sleeping in Soho.
"We now have a cold-blooded killer on the loose," DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a joint statement.
Mayor Adams said watching CCTV footage of the fatal shooting in Manhattan was "chilling".
"The case is a clear and horrific intentional act of taking the life of someone, it appears, because he was homeless," he added.
Police in DC are offering a $25,000 (£19,100) reward for information leading to the gunman's arrest and police in New York are offering a $10,000 (£7,650) reward.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has also joined the investigation.
New York police are further investigating the death of another homeless man Manhattan on Sunday night. The cause has not been determined and it is not yet clear if the case is linked to the other string of shootings.
Source - BBC
Woman commits suicide at police station
A 49-year-old woman Monday committed suicide at the Brickdam Police Station in Georgetown following a domestic dispute.
Police said that Trudy DeHaarte, an Animal Inspector with the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, had earlier been in a confrontation with her husband, a taxi driver, and her son.
In a statement, the police said that DeHaarte, had taken an object which was wrapped in a yellow cloth and hit her husband’s motorcar. The man then drove to the Brickdam Police Station to make a report and DeHaarte followed him.
Upon her arrival at the station, the woman is reported to have told her husband “this is what you want” before shooting herself. She was pronounced dead at the scene by Government Medical Officer Dr Narine.
“The woman, up to the time of her death, was receiving treatment at the Georgetown Public Hospital Psychiatric clinic,” the police said.
Police said the weapon used by the victim was a stun gun, which she had in her possession and used during her job as an animal inspector.
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, who visited the scene, said it was a very unfortunate situation that will be fully investigated by the police.
Source - CMC
"For this child I prayed": gospel singer Tasha Cobbs welcomes baby boy via adoption
In an exclusive spread for People, Tasha Cobbs-Leonard opened up about her adoption journey and life with new son, Asher.
The 40-year-old gospel singer introduced Asher to the world in an Instagram post two days ago that included pictures from recent family photo shoot. "…Because of You I have found a love that cannot be explained," the singer said. "You are our gift! You are the manifestation of God’s Kindness, Favor and Mercy towards us!"
In the People article, Cobbs shares personal details about her difficult journey to parenthood, including the struggle she and producer-husband Kenneth endured with infertility and in vitro fertilization.
"We were trying to kind of figure out which ways would make it work and throughout going throughout it, all of those ways ended up not working for us. And our faith was tested," Kenneth told People. "One of the things that I'm really happy for is that at the end of that process, our hearts were still open to God doing this, how he chose to do it."
Asher became the sixth member of the Leonard family, which include three of Kenneth's children from a previous marriage. The couple told People the siblings "are so in love with their baby brother."
The Grammy-winning artist says she is sharing her story with hopes it'll encourage people who may endure the same pregnancy struggle to "keep the faith."
Source - ABC
UK computer chip designer Arm Holdings has said it plans to cut up to 15% of its workforce
The redundancies have emerged just a month after the collapse of the firm's $40bn sale to US chipmaker Nvidia.
If the proposals go ahead most job losses would be in the UK and the US, the Cambridge-based company said.
Arm's chip designs are licensed to brands including Apple and Samsung and are used in most smart phones and other products around the world.
Arm employs close to 6,400 people worldwide. The company said in a statement: "Like any business, Arm is continually reviewing its business plan to ensure the company has the right balance between opportunities and cost discipline.
"Unfortunately, this process includes proposed redundancies across Arm's global workforce."
Millions of technology products rely on computer chips but there are not enough currently being produced to meet demand.
As sales of devices soared during the pandemic, stocks of chips plunged which has left manufacturers struggling to keep up with demand.
Arm's owner Softbank - the Japanese conglomerate which bought the UK company in 2016 for $32bn - had planned to sell the firm to Nvidia for $40bn.
However, last month SoftBank shelved the sale citing regulatory hurdles and said it would instead seek to list the company.
In the blow to the UK, Softbank said its would list Arm on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the US.
Source - BBC
Ukraine now using facial recognition tool to detect russian infiltrators
A system that searches a database of billions of facial images could help Ukraine uncover Russian infiltrators, fight misinformation and identify the dead, a company has said.
Facial recognition firm Clearview AI has offered its services to Ukraine's government.
The company says it has a searchable database of 10 billion faces sourced from the web.
But the technology has previously attracted fines from data regulators.
"I'm pleased to confirm that Clearview AI has provided its groundbreaking facial recognition technology to Ukrainian officials for their use during the crisis they are facing," chief executive Hoan Ton-That told the BBC in a statement.
Clearview AI offered its services for free in a letter to Ukraine's government, first reported by Reuters, which the BBC has seen.
It says that a large portion of its database of faces is drawn is from Russian social media sites.
The letter claims that the company has more than two billion images from the Vkontakte (VK), a social network sometimes dubbed the "Facebook of Russia".
The breadth of its Russian coverage makes it more comprehensive than a publicly available rival technology PimEyes, which has previously been used to identify people in war photos, a Clearview AI adviser said.
In the letter, Mr Ton-That identifies a number of potential scenarios in which the technology could be useful including, identifying infiltrators by matching a photo of them or their ID card, identifying the dead without the need for fingerprints, fighting misinformation or
family reunification by identifying people without paperwork.
Mr Ton-That said that Ukraine began using the technology on Saturday.
The country's defence ministry has not yet responded to a BBC request for comment.
Clearview AI's technology has been criticised by privacy watchdogs.
In November the UK's data privacy regulator, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) issued the company with a provisional £17m fine.
It was also fined 20m euros (£16.8m) by Italian regulators recently, after finding it applied "what amounted to biometric monitoring techniques" to individuals in the country.
And while its technology is used by US law enforcement, the company is facing lawsuits in America over its use of images gathered from the internet.
At least one critic said there was a risk facial recognition could misidentify people at checkpoints.
Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project in New York, told Reuters it was possible "we're going to see well-intentioned technology backfiring and harming the very people it's supposed to help".
Mr Ton-That added that Clearview AI should never be used as the sole source of identification.
Source - BBC
Tom Brady is Back
Tom Brady, one of the greatest players in NFL history, is coming back for his 23rd season just six weeks after announcing his retirement.
The quarterback, 44, said last month he was ending his playing career after winning a record seven Super Bowls.
But Brady has now said he has "unfinished business" and will rejoin the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
"These past two months I've realised my place is still on the field and not in the stands," he said on social media.
"That time will come. But it's not now. I love my team-mates, and I love my supportive family. They make it all possible. I'm coming back for my 23rd season in Tampa."
After being selected by the New England Patriots with the 199th pick of the 2000 draft, Brady led the franchise to six Super Bowl wins.
He left for the Bucs in 2020 and helped them win the Super Bowl in his first season, being named the game's Most Valuable Player for a fifth time.
A three-time NFL season MVP, he led Tampa Bay back to the play-offs last season and still had a year remaining on his contract with the Bucs when he announced his retirement.
The franchise were yet to sign a new quarterback and, when asked about a possible return for Brady earlier this month, coach Bruce Arians said: "That door is never closed."
In his final game of the 2021 season, Brady narrowly failed to pull off a sensational comeback from 27-3 down in the play-offs as the Bucs ultimately lost 30-27 to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Los Angeles Rams.
He amassed a career-high 5,316 passing yards last season and holds the all-time records for passing yards (84,520) and touchdowns (624).
The Bucs have been owned since 1995 by the Glazer family, who have also owned Premier League club Manchester United since 2005.
Brady and his two sons were guests of the Glazers at Saturday's 3-2 win over Tottenham at Old Trafford, during which Brady met former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and the first-team squad, including forward Cristiano Ronaldo.
Source - BBC
Kyiv terrain will slow Russian troops, say Ukraine generals
At a briefing in their war room on Monday, the two Ukrainian generals responsible for the defence of Kyiv told the BBC how their forces were fighting hard to keep Russian artillery out of range, and explained why they believe the city has strengths that will make all the difference against the Russians.
Kyiv is feeling the sharp touch of the war more acutely, along with Russia's destructive firepower.
A nine-storey block of flats was hit by a Russian missile on Monday morning, killing at least one person and wrecking the building, making dozens of Ukrainians homeless. It would have been worse had many residents not taken to shelters.
But the centre of Kyiv and many of its sprawling suburbs are still untouched by Russian weaponry. Other Ukrainian cities are being very heavily shelled, and there have been many casualties.
Kyiv's remaining citizens - perhaps half have moved to western Ukraine or left the country - are facing the possibility that the same brutal experience lies ahead for them.
The generals responsible for Kyiv's defence said they were fighting hard to keep Russian artillery out of range, but accepted that the capital was vulnerable to missiles.
However the city's topography and terrain is on their side, Gen Andriy Krischenko told me. The city is big and sprawling. It is cut up by rivers, not just the mighty Dnieper which divides Kyiv in two, but its tributaries.
"It is difficult to defend on the one hand, given that it is very large," he told me. "But on the other hand, this is a plus. Rivers, bridges, are on the approaches to the city. Our troops are building defences and fortifications.
"Around the city there are many small rivers that flow into the Dnieper and there are many peat bogs, so that means the area is not suitable for large-scale movement of troops."
Gen Krischenko, who is also a deputy mayor, was wearing the same kind of informal outfit in army green that his President Volodymyr Zelensky has worn to rally his people, impress his allies and infuriate his enemies. The general also exuded the president's optimism.
Another advantage, according to the general, is that Kyiv is an industrial city, with workshops and factories that have repurposed themselves to produce the items needed for fortifications - concrete blocks, sandbags, and a variety of savage-looking anti-tank obstacles.
Gen Krischenko and Gen Knyazev stood in front of the big interactive screen they use to track the Russian push towards Kyiv.
They explained they had attacked and stopped the forward movement of two main thrusts, one from the east and one from the north-west, which included the much talked about 64km (40 mile) column of Russian armour.
They said it had been attacked and forced to disperse, and insisted it was no longer a threat.
Source - BBC