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US President Donald Trump has approved supplying weapons to Kurdish forces fighting so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, the Pentagon says.
Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) would be equipped to help drive IS from its stronghold, Raqqa, a spokeswoman said.
The US was "keenly aware" of Turkey's concerns about such a move, she added.
Turkey views the Kurdish rebels as terrorists and wants to stop them taking more territory in Syria.
The SDF, which comprises Kurdish and Arab militias, is already being supported by elite US forces and air strikes from a US-led coalition.
The group is currently battling IS for control of the city of Tabqa, an IS command centre just 50km (30 miles) from Raqqa.
A Pentagon source told the BBC the equipment would include ammunition, small arms, machine guns, heavy machine guns, construction equipment such as bulldozers and armoured vehicles.
The source added that the US would "seek to recover" the equipment afte…

Ghana has in recent times seen an extreme influx of bloggers and most predominantly, are the lifestyle and entertainment bloggers.

In every field however, it is nothing but a competitive engagement. It is the survival of the smartest and the domination of the most evolving brand.

Blogging however is about numbers and content. You need good content and a solid marketing approach to bag the numbers. This something everyone seems to have understood as a primary thing in the business.

Nonetheless, irrespective of all these, most of the bloggers fail to realize they are a part of the brand they are building and blogging could be a very lucrative business for them. In my whole life as a Ghanaian living in Ghana, we can successfully count less than five bloggers who have been able to live off their hustle.

In the quest to be different and build a brand out of another brand, entertainment & celebrity blogger, publicist and CEO of TalkMediaGhana, one of the leading entertainment …

It was a family affair this weekend for lovebirds Selena Gomez and The Weeknd. Days after receiving a stamp of approval from her mom with a comment on Instagram, the "It Ain't Me" singer brought her relatives to The Weeknd's concert in Dallas.
Selena attended the Starboy: Legend of the Fall show with her cousin, Priscilla DeLeon, and her nephew, Aiden. Priscilla shared a photo of them together the day of the show with the caption "Still got it."

Fans caught video of the three together enjoying The Weeknd's performance to his hit single "Starboy," at the American Airlines Center, which is near where SelGo grew up in Grand Prairie, TX. Priscilla also shared a photo walking backstage with a VIP laminate around her neck.

Still got it. A post shared by Priscilla DeLeon (@pmdeleon22) on May 5, 2017 at 8:50am PDT
A post shared by Priscilla DeLeon (@pmdeleon22) on May 5, 2017 at 8:50am PDT Selena, Aiden and Priscilla tonight at the #LegendOfTheFal…

Tyerell Przybycien an 18yr old from Utah has been arrested after he helped his 16yr old friend commit suicide. He bought the materials she needed and filmed her as she killed herself. He was arrested and taken to the Utah County Jail for investigation of murder and reckless endangerment.

He allegedly told police he had a fascination with death and wanted to see someone die..

A hunter found the girl hanging from a rope in a tree. In two plastic grocery bags on the ground near her body was a handwritten note stating who the girl was and explaining that 'if there were any questions to watch the video', a cell phone and a receipt for rope with Przybycien's name on it. On the cell phone was videotape taken before and after the girl's death.

 In a report, the investigating officer wrote: 'You can clearly see the victim (in the video) with a noose around her neck while standing on a rock.
 'Przybycien is heard asking the juvenile to say something. The female …

The Trump Taj Mahal, the opulent Atlantic City casino built by Donald Trump for $1.2 billion, went for 4 cents on the dollar when it was sold in March.
Documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by billionaire Carl Icahn reveal the price he got from Hard Rock International for the Taj Mahal: $50 million. The sale was publicized at the time, though the purchase price wasn't revealed.
Trump, now the nation's 45th president, dubbed the Taj Mahal "the eighth wonder of the world" when it opened in 1990. He cut most of his ties with Atlantic City in 2009, though he retained a small stake in Trump Entertainment Resorts in return for the right to use his name.
Hard Rock is owned by Florida's Seminole Indian tribe. It plans to reopen the casino.

The Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection Otiko Afisa Djaba has rendered an apology to President Akufo-Addo and Ghanaians over her outburst with the NPP Northern regional chairman Daniel Bugri Naabu.
“It was totally out of order and I apologise to Ghanaians for what happened. I want to use this opportunity to apologise to all Ghanaians, but it is a lesson to each other and we need to respect each other and we need to respect women,” Otiko said.
An incensed Naabu led a team of raucous women to vandalise properties at a venue being used by the Gender Minister for a meeting on Friday in Tamale. He alleged the minister failed to inform him of her presence in the region, amounting to disrespect hence his action. He also claimed the minister was in the region to give certain appointments to some people against his choice. The development did not go down well with Ms. Djaba who also accused her regional chairman of taking bribes from people under the guise of giving the…

Which is Messi?! Iranian student Reza Parastesh is one of the closest celebrity lookalikes you'll ever see. The 25yr old is so famous, police had to impound his car and take him to the station because too many people were stopping to take pictures with him.
It was his dad who first put the idea in his head after which he styled his hair after the Barcelona icon to closely mimic his appearance. Parastesh who dubs himself the "Iranian Messi" said:
 "Now people really see me as the Iranian Messi and want me to mimic everything he does. When I show up somewhere, people are really shocked. I'm really happy that seeing me makes them happy and this happiness gives me a lot of energy."   Thanks to his newfound fame, he is in demand and could make a career out of media appearances.

The NollywoodWeek Film Festival has today announced a strategic partnership with UBA’s REDTV ahead of the 5th edition of the festival which takes place in Paris from May 11-14th, 2017. 

“We share a common vision,” says Bola Atta, the Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications at UBA Group. “Our aim is to showcase a positive Africa throughout the world and the NollywoodWeek festival does just that”.

As this partnership grows, REDTV is expected to join the ranks of other major strategic partners of NollyWood Week such as Total, Air France and Angenieux who have supported the festival for several years now. Nadira Shakur, Co-founder of NollywoodWeek adds that “this is just the beginning of what we expect to be a strong and mutually beneficial partnership, when we look for partnerships we think long term and that is what we envision for our partnership with REDTV as well.”

As a direct consequence of this partnership, the Parisian audience will have an opportunity to g…

17-year-old Afia Larry could not hold back her tears when her name was mentioned as winner of the maiden edition of The Belinda Baidoo Model Search Africa(BBMSA) on Sunday, May 7.
She beat the other top three contestants —AJ, Nana and Alimatu to grab the big prize, a three- year modeling contract with MSA models in New York and Los Angeles as well as other modeling deals.
Afia, an old student of Akwamuman Senior High School, Akosombo told Graphic Showbiz: “When my name was mentioned, I just didn’t know what to do but to shed tears because it was a dream come true. I couldn’t believe my name was being mentioned.”
Afia, who knew nothing about modeling when she joined the other 11 contestants some 13 weeks ago when the competition started, said she has learnt a lot from it.
“I was very shy when I met the judges for the first time 13 weeks ago. I was very timid and hid myself most times at the initial stages of the competition. I am now confident and have overcome my nervousness a…

Liberal candidate Moon Jae-in has claimed victory in South Korea's presidential election.
Mr Moon favours greater dialogue with North Korea, in a change to current South Korean policy.
"I will be president for all South Koreans," he told cheering supporters in Gwanghwamun Square in the capital Seoul.
The early election was called after a corruption scandal led to the impeachment of the former president.
Official results have yet to be released.
An exit poll conducted jointly by three network TV stations had put him on course to get 41.4% of the vote, with his nearest challenger, conservative Hong Joon-Pyo, on 23.3%.
Park Geun-hye is accused of allowing a close friend to extort money from companies. She denies all wrongdoing.
Mr Moon is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday.
Who is Moon?
The son of refugees from North Korea, Mr Moon was jailed while a student in the 1970s for leading protests against military ruler Park Chung-hee - Ms Park's father.

Later, he served in Sou…

A driver and his mate endured some painful strokes of a cane on Friday morning from a man in military uniform at 37 for allegedly violating road traffic regulations.

An amateur video footage available to citifmonline.com showed the man in uniform subjecting the driver’s mate to some lashes, having instructed him to bend.

Reports say that the two were being punished for wrongfully parking at the 37 branch of Total filling station to pick a passenger.

Picking a passenger anywhere besides a designated bus stop violates the country’s road traffic regulations but most drivers especially in the country’s capital, Accra, blatantly violate this regulation, stopping to pick passengers or allow those onboard to alight at undesignated areas.

37 in Accra, is a military zone, hosting various military installations including the Military Hospital, Burma Camp, Air Force Officers’ mess among others. 

Ellen DeGeneres is not about to stand by quietly while Caitlyn takes jabs at her. The renowned talk show host has reportedly banned Caitlyn Jenner from her talk show after a series of public rows over gay marriage.
Ellen is believed to have made the drastic decision following their most recent feud after Jenner in her tell-all memoir, Secrets of my life, accused DeGeneres of alienating her from the LGBTQ community.
Jenner claims that DeGeneres twisted her comments about gay marriage to engineer a shocking TV moment back in 2015. On her book tour, Jenner continued to trash DeGeneres and insisted that she was "burned" by the experience after DeGeneres put her on the spot by asking her to explain her views on LGBTQ. "Ellen does not want to ever have Caitlyn back on the show,” a source told Radar. “She could not believe that Caitlyn took time to write about her in the book!”A source close to Caitlyn Jenner told Radar online that Cait is not bothered by the ban a…

The African Regent Hotel will serve as venue for the official launch of the first annual Ghana Event Awards on May 19.

Put together by Event Guide Magazine, the scheme looks to “recognise, honour and celebrate various indigenous Ghanaian events and organisers who set the pace for excellence in event management across the country”, an official release says.

“Again, the scheme is set to highlight organizations as well as individuals who create and successfully execute incredible events that meet international standard and have the tendency of becoming a case study for others”, it further states. With an overall vision to promote the best standards of event management in Ghana, hit will award nominees across various categories which will officially be announced on May 19.

Ghana Event Awards 2017 is supported by African Regent Hotel,NINETEEN57 BY KOD, Dirt Entertainment, White Carpet Events, Mr Candy, Flash Africa among others.

88-year-old Horace Sheffield has proven that it is never too late to chase your dreams. The grandfather, who quit his education from Shorter University in 1965 to help educate his daughters, finally went back to the same university and successfully graduated this year.
On Friday, Sheffield of Barnesville, Georgia,  walked across the stage along with his tutor Amanda Brannock to accept his diploma at Shorter University. He had attended the University from 1960 to 1965 but quit before graduating.
“I dropped out with 115 hours,” he recalled. “At that time a piece of paper on a wall didn’t mean that much to me. I had my education and my brain and my heart, and I put them all to good use. But 60 years later I wanted that degree.”
 Sheffield earned his Bachelor of Science in Christian studies through online courses after reading an article in a magazine that seniors could attend college for free.
“I’m retired and living on fixed income, and I did not think I could go to college an…

See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise. (Ephesians 5:15). The Word circumspect means thinking very carefully about something before doing it, because there may be risk involved. We are now living in a world full of evil therefore it's up to you to choose whether to be wise or unwise.Redeeming the time because the days are evil.
Don't get yourself drunk by the things in this world but be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is the time you increase your spiritual life over the physical life with spiritual songs, psalms, hymns, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. A lot of principalities are hanging around and evil spirits are now a lot in the system so as a believer, if you don't busy yourself with the Holy Ghost, trust me by the time you will realize your life will be controlled by the prince of darkness. Always give thanks to God for everything in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. 
Submit to one another in the fear of God. Awake, you who sl…

Rapper Snoop Dogg says he wants to create a music festival in his father's hometown so he can perform in Mississippi.
"We always stop in New Orleans but we never book a show here. We might as well do it ourselves because my booking agent just won't do it," he said during a weekend stop in Magnolia, a south Mississippi city of about 2,400 near the Louisiana state line.
The rapper born Calvin Broadus stopped in Magnolia on his way to the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where he performed Saturday, to discuss his plans for "Snoop Fest" with the mayor, the McComb Enterprise-Journal reported Monday (http://bit.ly/2pe7x3T ).
"We want to try to get it done this year, but if not, we will definitely do it next year," Mayor Anthony Witherspoon said.
He said Magnolia is a great venue because it's 90 minutes from Jackson, Hattiesburg, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
It's about 17 miles (27.4 kilometers) north of the Louisiana state line and …

An 8-year-old girl was hung outside her home and beaten by her own father after she tore up her parents' divorce papers. The child is said to have been unhappy that her parents got a divorce so she threw a tantrum, tore her parents' divorce documents, damaged furniture and broke a bottle of alcohol. At this, the dad punished her by beating her, after which he tied her up outside.

The dad took a video of him punishing the child and sent it to the girl’s mother to spite her.

Upon receiving the video, the girl’s mum took the clip to the cops, and the police rescued the girl and took her to hospital. The child has since had a check-up. Police revealed that her physical injuries were not so serious but she is receiving psychological counselling to help her recover from the trauma.

Local authorities in Guangyuan City’s Jiange County, in south-western China Sichuan Province, have since arrested the dad. The mum is expected to be given custody of the girl while investigations…

Ghana will be commemorating the 16th anniversary of the May 9 Accra Sports stadium disaster today.
Over 127 soccer fans lost their lives in a stampede which occurred when Hearts of Oak clashed with Asante Kotoko in 2001  league game.
It has been described as Africa’s worst soccer disaster ever
Kotoko fans threw plastic seats and bottles onto the pitch after Hearts struck late to beat them 2-1 in a Ghana Premier League game.
Police fired into the crowd which caused panic and resulted in a stampede which saw over 127 passionate soccer fans perish.
Investigations later  blamed the police for acting prematurely which led to so many deaths. Reports also claimed that the medical staff had already left the stadium before the match was over and some of the exit gates were closed which increased the number of casualties.
Six police officers were later charged with 127 counts of manslaughter. The incident led to many stadiums in Africa undergoing strict security protocols before and after the …

With Emmanuel Macron’s victory in the final round of the French presidential election Sunday night, France is poised to have a new first lady: Brigitte Trogneux.
She’s been a constant presence at the side of Macron, who’s called her one of his closest confidantes and an essential part of his success. While headlines have been preoccupied with her and Macron’s age difference (she is 64 and he is 39), it’s possible she may be France’s most involved first lady yet

She may take on a formal government position 

While France does not typically create a role for the president’s spouse in the same way the U.S. provides first ladies with office space and staff, Macron ― who takes office this Sunday ― has suggested Trogneux will have a more official capacity.
“If I’m elected — no, sorry, when we are elected — she will be there, with a role and place,” Macron told supporters in April, The Local reported.
“She is not going to be behind or hidden or become a tweet,” he has also said, accordi…

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has denied any involvement in galamsey activities in the country and has consequently condemned reports and discussions suggesting otherwise.
In a press release issued Monday, May 8, 2017 and signed by GAF’s Director of Public Relations, Colonel E. Aggrey-Quarshie, the Ghana Army said a purported leaked Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) report citing the Army as engaging in galamsey cannot be true. 
He said GAF has not engaged in any form of “galamsey” or supervised any “galamsey” activities at Banda Nkwanta in the general area of the Bui Dam in the Brong Ahafo Region, adding that GAF would continue to conform to its strict discipline codes.

Below is the full statement by GAF:
GAF IS NOT INVOLVED IN ‘GALAMSEY’
On Friday 5 May 2017, the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) monitored Joy FM’s Super Morning Show during which the host, Kojo Yankson and some panelists discussed a reported confidential National Security document which was supposedly intercept…

Glitz Africa presents the second annual Ghana Women of the Year Honours. It is an initiative which seeks to celebrate outstanding women who in their own ways and expertise use their positions and influences to make a difference in the society and also inspire others to improve their wellbeing and lifestyle.
The Women of the Year initiative also supports maternal health in Ghana by creating awareness. It is a three days event which will takes place in May. The “She Summit” takes place on the 11th and 12th of May at the Swiss Spread, Alisa Hotel, North Ridge at 9am each day. Speakers include Madam Charlotte Osei, Chairperson, Electoral Commission, Madam Esther Cobbah of Strat Communications, Comfort A. Sakoma, a Business Development Strategist from Nigeria, Shirley Frimpong- Manso of Sparrow Productions and many other distinguished ladies.
On Saturday 13th May, the day will start off at 5:30 am with a walk to amplify Maternal Health Awareness at the Efua Sutherland Children’s …

Chelsea are three points away from their second English Premier League title in three years after a 3-0 defeat of MiddlesbroughatStamford Bridge on Monday night. Following the result, Middlesbrough got relegated to the Championship just a year after gaining promotion.
Diego Costa set them on their way against the doomed visitors in the 23rd minute after the Spaniard scored after a Cesc Fabregas pass. The goal was Costa’s 21st in the league, equalling his career-best total in a Chelsea shirt.
The assist marked Fabregas’ 10th of the campaign, which made him the first player ever to record double-digit assists in six different Premier League seasons.
Marcos Alonsoscored his sixth league goal of the season and Nemanja Maticcompleted the rout in the 64th minute when he chested down a Fabregas chip just outside the six-yard box and lashed an unstoppable right-footed shot between Guzan’s legs.
The victory gives Chelsea 84 points from 35 matches, seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham…

A 23-member trade delegation from Ghana is currently on a week-long tour through the Netherlands to explore opportunities for business and cooperation in food processing technologies and packaging. The mission is led by the Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and GhanaVeg.
The goal of the trade mission is to promote cooperation, investment and knowledge exchange between Ghanaian and Dutch businesses. The delegation is visiting a wide range of companies in the Netherlands active in poultry, aquaculture, fruit and vegetables processing. The program is complemented with matchmaking, a visit to the Interpak fair in Düsseldorf, business networking events and a packaging workshop. The trade mission follows after a mission last year to the Netherlands on food and beverage processing and agricultural inputs.
The mission complements the efforts of the Netherlands on private sector development in Ghana’s agricultural sector, a sector accounti…

Police in the US state of Arizona say a man arrested last month is responsible for a series of deadly shootings in Phoenix last year.
Aaron Saucedo, 23, had already been charged with murder in connection with a killing in August 2015, police say.
Now he has been linked to the deaths of eight other people, between January and July 2016.
Police say they have not identified a motive but believe he acted alone. His lawyer has not commented.
The 2015 victim was a 61-year-old man who had dated the suspect's mother, Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams said.
The other victims, including a 12-year-old girl and a 55-year-old woman, seem to have been targeted at random.
"Today is a good day in the city of Phoenix," Mayor Greg Stanton said.
Police gave few details on how they linked the man to the killings, which stopped last July amid extensive media coverage.
But they said the evidence included surveillance video, witness statements and ballistics material.
He faces 26 additional felony c…

Tickets for the 2017 Ghana Meets Naija concert go on sale Tuesday May 9, organizers, Empire, have announced.

Upper Deck tickets are selling for GHC 150 while VIP and VVIP tickets are going for GHC 200 and GHC 300 respectively.

Selling points are Starr FM, Live FM, uniBank branch at Accra Mall. Hotline: 0577 619 555; comes with free delivery. Platinum holders will also be treated specially on the night.

Excitement is already building over what is expected to be a huge show this year. Empire have promised a uniquely golden concert. In its 7th year, the Ghana Meets Naija concert is the biggest in the region. It brings together, artistes from Ghana and Nigeria for a night’s celebration of music themed along battle lines.

Usually oversubscribed, it has over the years hosted the likes of Wizkid, The Mavins headed by Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Sarkodie, and Shatta Wale among a tall list of A-List acts.

The 7th Ghana Meets Naija takes place at the Accra International Conference Centre on May 2…

Demi Lovato and Guilherme "Bomba" Vasconcelos's relationship appeared to be heating up earlier this year, but the stars recently called it quits, a source confirms to PEOPLE exclusively. 
The Grammy nominee, 24, and the MMA fighter, 31, were first linked last July when an insider told PEOPLE the pair had a "quick fling."
Lovato - who was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2017 and announced Monday morning she's teaming up with Fabletics to create a capsule collection that reinforces female empowerment and body positivity - briefly dated UFC fighter Luke Rockhold afterwards, but rekindled her romance with Vasconcelos after they split.
"It wasn't a dramatic split," says the source. "Bomba is a good guy, but the relationship just ran its course."
Over the last few months, the "No Promises" singer and the fighter - who rang in the New Year together - made their relationship social-media official, post…

Francois Hollande, the current president of France has said his successor Emmanuel Macron’s inauguration will hold this Sunday, May 14, 2017. Macron took 66.1 per cent against 33.9 per cent for Le Pen. The gap is wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had suggested. 
After being sworn in on Sunday, his immediate challenge will be to secure a majority in next month’s parliamentary election for a political movement that is barely a year old, rebranded as La Republique En Marche (“Onward the Republic”), in order to implement his programme.