Nicki Minaj and Cardi B both called some people out ... while Madonna gave a bizarre tribute to Aretha Franklin.
The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards went down in New York on Monday night and if you missed the 2 hour and 45 minute show, we've got all the highlights for you right here.
After Katy Perry hammed it up while hosting last year's event, the star-studded show went host-less for 2018. Performances included Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Shawn Mendes, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Panic! At the Disco and Logic with Ryan Tedder. Jennifer Lopez was also getting honored with the Video Vanguard Award, which she accepted after a performance of her own.
Of course, some of the drama also started brewing before the event even began, after Minaj went in on fellow performer Travis Scott and baby mama Kylie Jenner on Twitter over album sales. While Stormi's parents haven't responded to her tweets, they did reportedly have their seats moved so they wouldn't be behind Nicki during the show.
First, Cardi B shut it down in her first appearance since giving birth to daughter Kulture in early July. The "Bodak Yellow" rapper looked incredible, sporting a short new 'do and killer curves in a velvet magenta dress that hugged every curve. Amber Rose also had all eyes on her as she donned a Catwoman-inspired look in red latex, all while brandishing a matching whip.
Ariana Grande and fiancé Pete Davidson stole the spotlight as they made their first red carpet appearance as a couple at the event. The two shared some PDA in front of photographers for their big debut, looking all kinds of adorable as they kissed for the cameras. Also swapping spit: Noah Cyrus, 18, and her boyfriend Lil Xan, 21.
Cardi B opened the show with a major fake-out for the audience, as she appeared on stage holding what appeared to be a swaddled up baby.
With no host, MTV brought out the two comedians to take aim at the entire audience. "This show is so big, they couldn't bring one comedian. They needed two," said Haddish.
Haddish then brought up Camila Cabello's multiple nominations, after totally butchering her name. Then came this shade bomb: "Those of you watching at home ... 'Hi Fifth Harmony!" It should be noted that Camila wasn't there for the diss, shaking her head at the joke.
Everyone was hoping Nicki would go in on a few members of the audience when she picked up the award for Best Hip Hop video. Sadly, for us, she didn't.
When Ariana Grande picked up her award for Best Pop Video for "No Tears Left to Cry," she first gave her man a few big kisses before hitting the stage.
She then thanked her fans, AKA her "friends on the Internet," for their support of her new record. She went on to give thanks to her family, friends and management before ending with this: "Pete Davison, thanks for existing. Love you."
Before accepting her Video Vanguard Award, Jennifer Lopez performed a medley of her greatest hits. She started with the green lasers, flying in to "Waiting for Tonight." She then sang "On the Floor," before ripping off her long dress to dance her infamous booty off to "Dance Again," "I Ain't Your Mama," "Booty," "My Love Don't Cost a Thing," "Get Right" and "All I Have."
She then came on stage to collect her golden moon person and got a standing O from the crowd, where A-Rod and her own children were watching.
Drones hunt cocaine farms in Colombia
The Colombian government has started to use drones to destroy the plants that produce cocaine.
Small aircraft loaded with herbicide are being sent to search for illegal fields of coca.
President Iván Duque has favoured the use of the unmanned aircraft to ensure that damage to neighbouring crops is kept to a minimum.
Critics have warned that the approach may be a technological fix to a problem that needs a political solution.
German Huertas, the drone company's director of operations, said the drones had eliminated about 90% of the coca on each acre (0.4 hectare) targeted during tests in the country's Narino province.
The trial has involved the deployment of 10 drones, each weighing 23kg (51lb) and carrying the plant-killing chemical glyphosate.
Jaguar Land Rover opening its first U.S.-based classic center in Georgia
Jaguar Land Rover Classic currently operates two of its Works Centres, one in Coventry, England and the other in Essen-Kettwig, Germany (pictured). Just in time for Pebble Beach, the English carmaker has announced that it will bring its first facility to the United States next year, having signed a deal to open the latest Works operation in Savannah, Georgia. To be located in the Crossroads Business Park near Gulfstream Aerospace, the facility will engage in the sales, service, and restoration of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles out of production for at least ten years.
The 150,000-square-foot Coventry site opened two years ago and is said to be the largest dedicated factory workshop of its kind (the largest unaffiliated shop is in the Philippines). Jaguar builds its continuation cars there, like the D-Type and XKSS, while Land Rover uses it to build the Defender Works V8. Shoppers can also buy vintage models off the showroom floor, a variation of the Certified Pre-Owned program called Works Legends, that come with a 12-month warranty. Or, Jaguar Land Rover will locate, restore, and maintain one of the classic company products that a buyer chooses. In the UK, a Land Rover Series 1 starts at around $90,000, a Jaguar E-Type starts at around $400,000.
BAHAMAS AND TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS PUBLIC FORECAST 21ST AUGUST, 2018
GENERAL SITUATION: A WESTWARD MOVING SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY AROUND THE ISLANDS.
SPECIAL WARNINGS: BOATERS SHOULD REMAIN VIGILANT AS THERE REMAINS THE POTENTIAL FOR FUNNEL CLOUD AND WATERSPOUT ACTIVITY.
AREA: ALL AREAS
WEATHER: VARIABLY CLOUDY, HOT AND HUMID WITH A FEW SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT.
ADVISORY: SMALL CRAFT CAUTION IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS….GUSTY WINDS AND HIGHER SEAS CAN BE EXPECTED IN SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.
WINDS: EAST TO SOUTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 KNOTS IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 15 TO 20 KNOTS IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
SEAS: 2 TO 4 FEET OVER THE OCEAN IN THE NORTHWEST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS AND 4 TO 6 FEET IN THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS INCLUDING THE TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS.
HIGH TEMPERATURE 93°F 34°C
HEAT INDEX 106°F 41°C
LOW TEMPERATURE TONIGHT 78°F 26°C
SUNRISE: 6:46 AM SUNSET: 7:37PM
MOONRISE: 4:25PM MOONSET: 3:24AM WED
LOW TIDE: 9:59AM & 10:55PM HIGH TIDE: 4:26PM & 4:42AM WED
EXTENDED FORECAST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS: MID TO UPPER LEVEL TROUGHING IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ACROSS THE AREA AND WILL CONTINUE TO ENHANCE SHOWERY ACTIVITY OVER THE NEXT TWO DAYS.
Simone Biles wins record fifth US all-around title as comeback continues
Olympic champion Simone Biles became the first woman to win five US Women's Gymnastics Championships all-around titles and wore an outfit to show her support for survivors of sexual abuse.
The 21-year-old American is continuing her comeback after a two-year break.
In January she was among more than 100 gymnasts to say they were abused by ex-United States team doctor Larry Nassar.
Nassar received a prison sentence of up to 175 years after pleading guilty to criminal sexual conduct.
Biles said the teal leotard she wore during Sunday's event was the designated colour for survivors of sexual abuse.
"It is for the survivors," she told ESPN. "I stand with all of them, and I think it's kind of special to unite."
On Sunday, less than a month after returning to competition, she became the first woman since 1994 to win all four disciplines on her way to the overall prize.
Biles' total of 119.850 gave her a 6.55-point margin of victory over nearest challenger and reigning world champion Morgan Hurd.
"I've been back for only nine months. I'm so proud of myself," said Biles on Twitter
Virus outbreak affects hundreds at Sandals Bahamas resort
A debilitating stomach virus has spread like wildfire through the Sandals Royal Bahamian resort in Nassau, blitzing guests and staff members alike with severe vomiting, abdominal pains and diarrhea, in what some have described as the worst viral outbreak to occur on cruise ship or resort facility in The Bahamas to date.
According to the ministry of health, some 100 guests and visitors were admitted to hospital, experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
The ministry of health and the Department of Environmental Health were dispatched to the property in an attempt to determine the exact cause of the illness and how to contain the spread to others guests and staff members.
The BHMAWU said it is working overtime to assist staff and visitors alike during the outbreak.
“The union is willing to assist with anything the management at Sandals wishes them to help coordinate during this crisis to ensure that the workers are safe, visitors are happy and that we can mitigate against issues like this in the future,” Ferguson said.
Anguilla to launch residency by investment programme
The government of Anguilla is to implement a “Residency by Investment” programme as part of its medium-term agenda. It will allow foreign nationals to acquire permanent residency status in Anguilla by making a financial contribution to the island and after proving to be of good health and good character.
The government of the British Overseas Territory is to host an information session on the subject on August 23, 2018, which will show the purpose and benefits of the programme, give a preview of the proposed residency by investment programme, the application process and fees, and its plans for implementation.
In 2014, a claim by promoters of a resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands, that investors are eligible to apply for a permanent residency certificate and British Overseas Territory Citizen (BOTC) passport, was refuted by the British government.
According to Tom Lawrence, at the Home Office Communications Directorate in London:
- Eligibility for British Overseas Territory Citizenship ((BOTC) is governed by the British Nationality Act 1981. Citizenship is granted by the governor of the territory and Overseas Territories are not able to grant BOTC status other than in accordance with that Act.
- Residency and other requirements for BOTC status apply, so anyone who has not lived lawfully in the territory for a number of years is unlikely to qualify.
- Criteria for the grant of BOTC include residence requirements, a good character requirement and an intention to make the principal home within the relevant territory.
- Generally, the residency requirements are for a minimum of five years residence immediately preceding the application, during which total absences must not exceed 450 days with a maximum of 90 days absence in the last year. The applicant must not have been in breach of immigration rules at any time during those five years and the last year of residence must have been free of any immigration control.
- BOTCs do not have the right of abode in the UK unless they later become British citizens.
“There is no direct route to BOTC and the investor will have to meet the eligibility requirements as noted,” the TCI governor’s spokesman confirmed at the time.
Pope on Pennsylvania sex abuse report: We abandoned the little ones
Pope Francis has acknowledged "with shame and repentance" the Catholic Church's failure to act over sexual abuse by clerics against minors, writing "we showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them."
In a letter released by the Vatican on Monday, the Pope wrote, "I acknowledge once more the suffering endured by many minors due to sexual abuse, the abuse of power and the abuse of conscience perpetrated by a significant number of clerics and consecrated persons”.
"Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated."
His letter comes in the wake of a Pennsylvania grand jury report that detailed decades of sexual abuses by priests and cover-ups by bishops. Pope Francis's letter, which was addressed to all the world's Catholics, directly referred to the Pennsylvania report which "detailed the experiences of at least 1,000 survivors, victims of sexual abuse, the abuse of power and of conscience at the hands of priests over a period of approximately 70 years."Even though it can be said that most of these cases belong to the past, nonetheless as time goes on we have come to know the pain of many of the victims. We have realized that these wounds never disappear and that they require us forcefully to condemn these atrocities and join forces in uprooting this culture of death; these wounds never go away," the Pope wrote.
Knife attacker shot by police near Barcelona
A man wielding a knife and shouting in Arabic was shot dead as he entered a police station south of Barcelona, Spanish authorities said on Monday.
The attacker, said to be 29 and of Algerian origin, had gone into the building at 05:52 (03:52 GMT) and was shot by an officer on duty.
Catalan police said the attacker had targeted officers.
He had shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest), reports said
The attacker lived in the town of Cornellà de Llobregat, just south of Barcelona. He had been living in Spain for several years and had a foreigners' identity number, reports said.
The attacker had walked through the building's entrance where he was immediately challenged by a woman officer with the Catalan force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, and by a sergeant on duty, police sources told the Efe news agency. When the man rushed forward, he was shot.
Greece emerges from eurozone bailout programme
Greece has successfully completed a three-year eurozone emergency loan programme worth €61.9bn (£55bn; $70.8bn) to tackle its debt crisis.
It was part of the biggest bailout in global financial history, totaling some €289bn, which will take the country decades to repay.
Deeply unpopular cuts to public spending, a condition of the bailout, are set to continue.
But for the first time in eight years, Greece can borrow at market rates.
The economy has grown slowly in recent years and is still 25% smaller than when the crisis began.
"From today, Greece will be treated like any other Europe area country," the EU's Commissioner on Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, said on Monday.
Its reforms had, he said, "laid the foundation for a sustainable recovery" but he also cautioned that its recovery was "not an event, it is a process".
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), only four countries have shrunk economically more than Greece in the past decade: Yemen, Libya, Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea.