Ghost‘s new Phantomime covers EP is out now, and along with it, the Swedish metallers have unveiled a new virtual experience titled “Escape from the Ministry.”
The interactive adventure allows you to explore the Ghost Ministry, the setting of the band’s very elaborate, albeit fictional, backstory that’s produced characters including Papa Emeritus and Sister Imperator. As you make your way through, you’ll hear songs from Phantomime playing in the background.
Phantomime includes covers of Iron Maiden‘s “Phantom of the Opera,” Genesis‘ “Jesus He Knows Me,” Television‘s “See No Evil,” The Stranglers‘ “Hanging Around” and Tina Turner‘s “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome).”
Ghost’s most recent album is 2022’s Impera. They’ll launch a U.S. tour in continued support of the record in August.
The five-year anniversary of Juice WRLD’s debut album, Goodbye & Good Riddance, is approaching, and fans have an opportunity to celebrate the occasion.
Supporters can get the newly released anniversary edition of the project, featuring additional hits “Glo’d Up” and “No Good,” or attend a special pop-up event complete with new releases, merchandise and exclusive footage of the late rapper.
The event, a partnership between Juice’s 999 Club brand and NTWRK, will take place May 19 to 21 between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. at 433 N Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles.
“We are incredibly excited to commemorate the 5-year anniversary of Juice WRLD’s monumental album, ‘Goodbye & Good Riddance,’ through this immersive pop-up experience,” Peter Jideonwo, Juice WRLD’s manager, said in a statement. “This event will bring fans closer to Juice WRLD’s artistry, allowing them to celebrate his legacy while listening to new music, exploring exclusive collaborations, and immersing themselves in his captivating world.”
Goodbye & Good Riddance dropped on May 23, 2018. All singles on the album, excluding the intro and the skits, are certified Gold and Platinum by the RIAA.
Juice WRLD passed away on December 8, 2019, following an accidental overdose of codeine and oxycodone.
(NEW YORK) — Nearly four years after an abandoned newborn was found alive in a plastic bag in Georgia, an arrest has been made in the case, authorities announced.
The baby girl was found in good condition in a wooded area in Forsyth County on the night of June 6, authorities said. A local family told ABC News’ Good Morning America at the time they had heard crying and called 911 after finding the newborn in a plastic bag.
The baby, temporarily named India, was likely born within hours of being found, authorities said. Her umbilical cord was still attached.
The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office released remarkable body camera footage of first responders recovering the baby from the scene in the weeks following the discovery as they attempted to identify her.
The Forsyth County Major Crimes Unit has been “tirelessly working” on the “Baby India” case ever since, and on Thursday morning, deputies made an arrest, the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.
The sheriff’s office will be holding a press conference on Friday at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the case. Members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the FBI will also be in attendance.
People were “waiting in line” to adopt India following her miraculous recovery, Tom Rawlings, then-director of Georgia’s Division of Family and Children Service, told Good Morning America at the time.
“In child protective services we deal with a lot of tragedy, of course, but it’s great to have a miracle,” Rawlings said of baby India’s survival. “And this truly is a miracle.”
Rawlings was not able to disclose too much about where the baby was due to confidentiality reasons.
The first deputy to the scene recounted finding the baby in an interview with Good Morning America.
“I wanted to give her comfort,” Forsyth Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Roper said in the weeks after the discovery. “A little bit later I realized it was the first time she had felt love, and I felt honored to be able to give her that.”
Two sisters heard India’s cries and went to investigate with their parents, after initially thinking it might have been a cat.
“It sounded like a baby, but you never would think that it’s a baby,” Kayla Ragatz told Good Morning America at the time.
When they found the baby in the plastic bag, her sister, Kyler Ragatz, said she “started bawling” due to the emotional discovery.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Friday informed G-7 leaders meeting in Japan that he will support joint training of Ukrainian fighter pilots on F-16s, which begins the process of fulfilling a repeated request by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for those jets.
“Today, President Biden informed G-7 leaders that the United States will support a joint effort with our allies and partners to train Ukrainian pilots on fourth-generation fighter aircraft, including F-16s, to further strengthen and improve the capabilities of the Ukrainian Air Force,” according to a senior administration official. “As the training takes place over the coming months, our coalition of countries participating in this effort will decide when to actually provide jets, how many we will provide, and who will provide them.”
The official added that training will take place outside Ukraine at sites in Europe and will require months to complete.
“We hope we can begin this training in the coming weeks,” the official said.
The White House has long defended its decision not to fulfill this request by Zelenskyy, saying the administration was focused on immediate needs for the war.
“To date, the United States and our allies and partners have focused on providing Ukraine with the vast majority of the systems, weapons, and training it requires to conduct offensive operations this spring and summer. Discussions about improving the Ukrainian Air Force reflect our long-term commitment to Ukraine’s self-defense,” the official said.
In February, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that the current phase of the war “requires tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, artillery, tactical air defense systems, so that Ukrainian fighters can retake territory that Russia currently occupies.” He added that “F-16s are a question for a later time.”
Biden also told ABC’s David Muir that same month that Zelenskyy “doesn’t need F-16s now” and that “I am ruling it out for now.”
In March, Colin Kahl, the Pentagon’s top policy official, told Congress that even if approved getting used F-16s to Ukraine would take 18 to 24 months and that flight training would take just as long.
“Together with the short-term and medium-term security assistance packages we are providing Ukraine, President Biden is sending a powerful signal of how the United States and our allies and partners are fully united in ensuring Ukraine remains sovereign, independent, and secure with the ability to defend against and deter future attacks,” according to the senior administration official.
(NEW YORK) — Rescue and relief efforts are underway in Somalia following historic flooding that has left at least 22 people dead and affected more than 460,000 people, according to the United Nations.
The flash and riverine flooding — said to be one of Somalia’s worst in decades — has been triggered by intense Gu seasonal rainfall which caused the Shabelle and Juba Rivers in central Somalia to overflow their banks.
“Floods have washed away livestock, inundated farmland and displaced an estimated 219,00 people,” Petroc Wilton, the head of communications at WFP Somalia, told ABC News. “We have been using chartered flights, boats and tractors to get into flood zones.”
She added, “Gu seasonal rains have caused these floods and increased humanitarian needs.”
At least 22 people have been killed, according to Somalia’s Disaster Management Agency (SoDMA). Somalia has also been experiencing its longest drought on record.
“It will take multiple rainy seasons to reverse the impacts of the drought,” said Wilton, noting that four million livestock have died.
“We are witnessing the Shabelle river’s worst flooding event in the last 30 years. The situation for many displaced families is very precarious right now,” said Ezana Kassa, the head of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Somalia. “Livelihoods have been destroyed and the risk of water borne diseases are on the rise.”
Flooding is reported to be greatest in Somalia’s central state of Hirshabelle, where water levels have also forced the closure of government offices, schools and hospitals. Footage from the town of Belet Weyne shows residents wading through waist-deep waters.
“I am at a loss for words at the suffering of my people who have been going through so much without release,” Najima, whose family was forced to flee from Hirshabelle, told ABC News. “My aunt and my cousins have lost everything, their family photos, their valuables, their entire lives.”
She went on, “They are doing well in the circumstances but the devastation is too much to bear. There are no words.”
Scientists and climate activists warn that climate change is contributing to the extreme flooding and drought in Somalia.
“Somalia contributes 0.03% to greenhouse gas emissions. But as I just witnessed, Somalis are among the greatest victims of the chaos caused by the climate crisis,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a news conference during his recent trip to Somalia in April.
He urged increased humanitarian support to the Horn of Africa to avert a famine crisis.
The UN forecasts as much as 1.6 million people could be impacted by flooding and over 600,000 displaced if heavy rains in Somalia and the Ethiopian highlands continue.
Ed Sheeran, Adele and Harry Styles are among the music stars making the U.K.’s Sunday Times Rich List this year.
On the list of the 35 richest people under age 35 in the U.K., Ed ranks at number seven, with an estimated net worth of £300 million, or nearly $375 million. The Times notes his wealth not only comes from his music and touring, but from his various business ventures and real estate properties.
Adele comes in at number nine on that same list, with a net worth of £165 million, or around $205 million. Her album sales and lucrative Las Vegas residency are boosted by her property portfolio.
Harry Styles makes it at number 13, with a net worth of £150 million, or $187 million, while his former One Direction bandmates Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson tie at number 29. Dua Lipa also makes the list at number 21.
And speaking of Dua, her “Cold Heart” duet partner Elton John makes the list of 350 richest people in the U.K. overall. He ranks at number 309, with a net worth of about $560 million.
Hulu has announced a new documentary on Imagine Dragons.
The film, titled Imagine Dragons Live in Vegas, is set to premiere on the Disney-partnered streaming service July 14.
Live in Vegas is described as a “love letter” to the “Radioactive” outfit’s hometown of Sin City. It features footage from ID’s tour supporting their two-part Mercury album, and interviews with the four band members: frontman Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman.
“Far from the days of playing in dive bars and casinos across the Las Vegas Strip, Imagine Dragons returns home to perform at the city’s largest stage, Allegiant Stadium, in a triumphant concert film that showcases the band’s rise to fame and the city that helped shape their sound,” the synopsis reads.
The only performing artists to make the U.K.’s Sunday Times’ Rich List 2023 this year are pretty much the ones you’d expect: Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John.
On the list of the 350 richest people in the U.K., McCartney ranks #175, but that’s including the fortune of his wife, Nancy Shevell, whose family owns a freight transportation business. The Times estimates the couple’s net worth at a bit over $1.18 billion, up from $1.075 billion last year.
The Times notes that last year, McCartney’s Got Back tour grossed over $130 million from just 16 shows — and that was on top of his regular income from The Beatles songs, solo songs and the songwriting copyrights of other songs he owns.
As for Elton, he’s got a ways to go before he gets near McCartney’s billions — he’s “only” worth about $560 million. However, that’s enough to make him a new entry on the list: He ranks #309. He didn’t even make the list last year.
The thing that put Elton over the top was, of course, his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, which has become the highest-grossing tour ever, earning $800 million as of January.
Hozier has premiered a new song called “Francesca,” a track off his upcoming album, Unreal Unearth.
According to a press release, Unreal Unearth draws inspiration from Dante‘s famed epic poem Inferno, with “Francesca” focusing on “the sin of the second circle of hell: lust.”
“Francesca” is available now via digital outlets. You can watch its accompanying lyric video streaming now on YouTube.
Unreal Unearth, the follow-up to 2019’s Wasteland, Baby!, drops August 18. It also includes the songs “Eat Your Young” and “All Things End,” which were released in March on the Eat Your Young EP.
Hozier is currently playing a run of intimate U.S. shows. He’ll launch a full North American tour in September.
Rihanna is currently pregnant with her second child, but after celebrating the birthday of her first, son RZA, she threw it back on social media with photos of a time when he was still in her belly.
“Here’s a little series I call ‘Rub on ya t******; in honor of my first pregnancy, embracing motherhood like a g, and the magic that this body made!” she captioned the Instagram post, which captured her topless against an ocean backdrop. She’s seen donning a string bikini bottom and snake-skin heels, with pieces of gold jewelry as her accessories. “Baby RZA… he in there not having a clue how nuts his mama is, or how obsessed he bout to make me,” Rih continued. “#maternityshoot2022 #tobecontinued.”
RZA, named after the Wu-Tang Clan star, celebrated his first birthday on May 13, and he dressed the part, while parents Rih and A$AP Rocky dressed like fellow members of the rap group: Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Ghostface Killah, respectively.
Rihanna revealed she and Rocky are expecting baby #2 during her Super Bowl halftime show.
