Country
Radio Disney Shutting Down Amid Restructuring
The rise of streaming audio and the pandemic-fueled uncertainty about the future of live music events also contributed to the decision. The shutdown will not affect Radio Disney in Latin America, which is a separate operation. “The difficult decision to close these two radio networks coincided with Disney’s recently announced structural changes that call for Disney Branded Television to sharpen its focus on increasing production of kids’ and family content for Disney+ and Disney Channels,” said a statement announcing the news. “Division leaders also took into account the fast evolving media environment that provides more personalized music choices than ever to a generation of young consumers, and the ongoing public health crisis that continues to affect in-per...
Gareth Bale scores 200th career goal
Tottenham and Wales forward Gareth Bale scored his 200th career goal as he equalised for Spurs against LASK in the Europa League. Gareth Bale scored his 200th career goal on Thursday after he netted for Tottenham in their Europa League clash with LASK. Wales international Bale had been stuck on 199 goals for club and country since he scored for Spurs in their 2-1 Premier League win over Brighton at the start of November. He went close to reaching the milestone during Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Ludogorets in the Europa League on November 26, but hit his 200th goal in Spurs’ next European outing. Bale’s landmark strike – his first away goal for Spurs in Europe since he scored a hat-trick at the San Siro against Inter in 2010 – came from the penalty spot, Bale restoring parity after Peter Micho...
Top 50 Songs of 2020
The 2020 edition of our Annual Report continues today with our Top 50 Songs of 2020. If you haven’t already, check out our Top 50 Albums of 2020, which came out earlier in the week. Also, be sure to tune in next week as we begin handing out our annual accolades and continue looking back on the strange year that was 2020. Upon being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame some years ago, Tom Waits said, “We love music, but what we really want is for music to love us back.” Believe it or not, it felt like music did that in 2020. For me, anyway. I know that it’s easy to see the world through pandemic goggles right now or strictly through the lens of racial injustice or political turmoil. Tragedy and frustration that keeps piling on can definitely cloud our vision or color our window on t...
David Bisbal and Carrie Underwood Go Bilingual In New ‘Tears of Gold:’ Watch The Premiere
While bilingual collabs between Latin and mainstream artists are no longer novel, Latin pop paired with country voice is definitely not something you hear every day. Add to that two powerful voices—David Bisbal and Carrie Underwood—and that’s something very novel indeed. “Tears of Gold,” the new single that brings together the two superstars from different continents (Bisbal is from Spain), is a soaring, uptempo pop ballad. It’s vintage Bisbal, who’s always had a flair for the dramatic. When Bisbal first heard the demo, “I immediately knew it was an amazing track that needed a special talent, and voice, to work with me on a duet,” he explains. “As an artist and vocalist, I listen to a lot of songs, determine the style and sound, and am involved in the process of my collab...
Senator Omo-Agege: Why National Assembly cannot produce new constitution for Nigeria
Deputy President of Senate Ovie Omo-Agege has declared that the National Assembly has no power to replace the current constitution with new one. Omo-Agege’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Yomi Odunuga, in a statement on Wednesday said the deputy senate president made the remark when he hosted members of the Alliance of Nigerian Patriots led by Amb. Umunna Orjiako. Omo-Agege, who is Chairman, Senate Ad hoc Committee on Constitution Review, said the National Assembly had no powers to replace the current constitution, but could only amend it. He cited advanced democracies, such as the U.S., where Nigeria’s presidential system of government was modelled after and sections 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to buttress his argument. The lawmaker said what was only obtainabl...
Interpol raises the alarm over fake coronavirus vaccines
The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) has alerted Nigeria, South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and 190 other countries of threat from organised criminal groups during the upcoming COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, including fake vaccines and the theft of supplies. The alert came as the UK yesterday became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for widespread use. The need for a vaccine has become more urgent globally and nationally with Nigeria recording over 67,000 COVID-19 infections and over 1,000 associated fatalities, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has so far identified 49 “candidate vaccines” at the stage of clinical trials in humans. Hopes are high ...
Caylee Hammack Was Inspired by Everclear When Writing ‘Just Friends’ — And Now Art Alexakis Is in Her Video
Billboard caught up with Hammack and Everclear frontman Art Alexakis from the set of the video shoot in Nashville. The music clip opens with Alexakis as a talent scout for whom Hammack — dressed in a glittery gown similar to the one Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy and wearing a big, bright-red wig — is auditioning. Afterward, a raucous performance of the song unfolds. Fans of “I Will Buy You a New Life” will notice some sartorial similarities to the original video on both Hammack and Alexakis. The two met the day of the shoot. “The So Much for the Afterglow album was really the one that shaped me,” Hammack told Alexakis of the band’s third album, which also included the hits “Father of Mine” and “Everything to Everyone.” “What I really loved was ...
Cross River by-election: INEC assures transparent, violence free election using technology
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it wil deploy relevant technology to ensure transparent, violence-free and fair election in Saturday’s Cross River North Senatorial and House of Assembly by-elections. Mr Festus Okoye, INECs Commissioner for Information and Voter Education Committee said this on Wednesday in Calabar while speaking on the commission’s preparedness for the polls. He said the successes recorded in Edo and Ondo elections were testimonies to the fact that the commission was improving by every election through the use of modern technology. “We want to surpass our successes in Edo and Ondo. “We are going to conduct a transparent, violence-free and credible election in Cross River North come Saturday. “We are ready for the elections, the Card Readers have b...
EU criticises ‘hasty’ UK approval of coronavirus vaccine
The European Union criticised Britain’s rapid approval of Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, saying its own procedure was more thorough, after Britain became the first western country to endorse a COVID-19 shot. The move to grant emergency authorisation to the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been seen by many as a political coup for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has led his country out of the EU and faced criticism for his handling of the pandemic. The decision was made under an ultra-fast, emergency approval process, which allowed the British drugs regulator to temporarily authorise the vaccine only ten days after it began examining data from large-scale trials. In an unusually blunt statement, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which is in charge of approving COVID...
South Africa becomes new head of UN Security Council
South Africa on Tuesday assumed the rotating monthly presidency of the United Nations Security Council. During the month, South Africa will focus on strengthening the cooperation between African Union (AU) and United Nations, and emphasising the importance of a proactive approach to the maintenance of international peace and security, particularly in the form of drawing greater attention to “preventative diplomacy mechanisms,” Jerry Matjila, permanent representative of South Africa to the UN and president of the Security Council for the month of December, told journalists during a hybrid press briefing at the UN headquarters in New York. This is South Africa’s second presidency during its two-year (2019-2020) elected term on the council. December will also be the country’s final month on t...
South Korea coronavirus outbreak adds new stress to gruelling, eight-hour exam
From avoiding family members to skipping extra study at “cram schools”, the coronavirus has forced nearly half a million South Korean test-takers and proctors to rethink their strategies ahead of a hyper-competitive university entrance exam this week. The gruelling, almost eight-hour test on Thursday is seen as a life-defining event for high school seniors. A degree from a prestigious university is seen as a minimum requirement for securing one of the coveted but limited corporate jobs in Asia’s fourth-largest economy. This year teachers, proctors and students drastically changed their study and teaching practices to try to ensure those taking the test don’t ruin their chances by getting sick. “We take caution not just in classes but also during lunch, sitting facing the walls, eating alon...
PTF: Two coronavirus vaccines under trial have 90% efficacy
The Federal Government on Tuesday expressed optimism that COVID-19 would soon be a thing of the past in Nigeria as two vaccines under trial have more than 90 per cent efficacy to end the disease. The government also charged states to fully implement Social Health Insurance Schemes with the integration of HIV prevention and treatment services. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID–19, Boss Mustapha, stated this during an event held in Abuja to commemorate the 2020 World AIDS Day with the theme, ‘Global Solidarity, Shared Responsibility.’ The SGF also appealed to the private sector to support the National Agency for the Control of AIDS and the Nigerian Business Coalition against AIDS for a sustained access to life-saving medici...
