Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel confirms his team cannot fly to FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough

 

 Chelsea coach, Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that his team cannot fly to FA Cup quarter-final at Middlesbrough due to the impact of the sanctions imposed on the club by the UK Government due to their owner Roman Abramovich's close links with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
 Instead, they will have to undertake a 10-hour round-trip by coach consisting of 536 miles from their Cobham training base in Surrey to the Riverside Stadium.
Chelsea's next match is on Wednesday night at French outfit Lille in the Champions League last 16. However, with travel arrangements in place before the sanctions were enforced those plans are allowed to remain intact.

President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine won't join NATO

 

 Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has accepted that his country will not become a member of NATO, one of the demands made by Russia before it invaded. According to a translation of his comments made via video link at a meeting of the leaders of the U.K. Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) in London on Tuesday morning, March 15, Zelensky acknowledged that Ukraine's accession to NATO would not happen.
"For years we've heard the opposite, open doors, However, it is not," he said according to Ukrainian news outlet, Trukha.
 "Our people understand this, and we are beginning to count on our own strength," he added.
 Media outlet Nexta quoted Zelensky as saying: "We realized that Ukraine will not become a member of NATO. We understand this, we are adequate people."
 "Kyiv needs new formats of interaction with the West and separate security guarantees."

Eminem becomes Highest selling and Most Certified Artist in RIAA History with 73.5M new certifications

 

 
Rapper and record producer, Eminem has made history once again. Apart from being the highest selling rapper of all time (dead or alive), On Tuesday, March 8, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced 73.5 million new Gold & Platinum Program certifications for the 49-year-old “rap god.”, meaning Eminem is now the No. 1 awarded musician for singles in the program’s history and one of only seven artists in any genre or era with three or more Diamond Album Awards.
Eminem’s combined six RIAA Diamond awards add to his already accomplished career. With the new 73.5 million award units, his RIAA Award career total comes to 227.5 million (166 million single certifications and 61.5 million album certifications).

Former Kenyan Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko and his immediate family members banned from entering US

 

 Former Nairobi Governor, Mike Mbuvi Sonko and his immediate family members have been banned from entry to the United States.
 Sonko and his family members will be denied entry into the North American country after the US Department of State accused the former Governor of receiving bribes and kickbacks in exchange for the award of government contracts.
 Those affected by the ban include his wife Primrose Mbuvi, his daughters; Saumi Agnes Mbuvi and Salma Wanjiru Mbuvi, and Sonko’s minor child.

Anonymous hacks Russian media censorship agency and leaks 340,000 files amid claims Moscow could try to cut the country off from the internet

 

 Anonymous has hacked into Russia's media censorship agency and released 340,000 files in the latest attack to undermine Vladimir Putin President Putin's war propaganda campaign.
 According to Mail Online, the hacktivists broke into the Roskomnadzor federal agency to steal the classified documents which they then passed on to transparency organisation Distributed Denial of Secrets (DDoSecrets), who published them online.
 The trove of 820 gigabytes of emails and attachments, some of which are dated as late as March 5, show how the Kremlin is censoring anything referring to their brutal invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow is instead calling a 'special military operation'.
 The Anonymous hacker said they 'urgently felt the Russian people should have access to information about their government', DDoSecrets said.  
 The files relate to the Russian republic of Bashkortostan, one of the largest in the federation with a population of four million.

Australia, Netherlands launch legal action against Russia for downing of MH17 plane

 

 Australia and the Netherlands have begun legal action against Russia at the International Civil Aviation Organisation over the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 eight years ago.
 Russia was responsible under international law for the downing of the flight, and action in the United Nations aviation council was a step forward in the fight for justice for 298 victims, including 38 Australians, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, and Foreign Minister Marise Payne said in a statement on Monday.
Australia said the incident was a clear breach of a convention to protect civilian aircraft from weapons fire.

Former 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail in hoax attack

 

 Former "Empire" actor, Jussie Smollett has been sentenced to 30 months of felony probation, including 150 days in jail, and ordered to pay restitution of more than $120,000 and a $25,000 fine for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019.
 Jussie, 39, was found guilty in December of five charges of felony disorderly conduct after making false reports about the hoax attack carried out by two Nigerian brothers he had hired.
During the sentencing, Cook County Judge James Linn branded the Black and gay actor a narcissistic charlatan for staging a hate crime against himself to grab the limelight while the nation struggled with wrenching issues of racial injustice. Smollett responded by defiantly maintaining his innocence and suggesting he could be killed in jail. “If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black

India accidentally fires missile into Pakistan

 

 India says it accidentally fired a missile into Pakistan on Wednesday, blaming the incident on a "technical malfunction" during routine maintenance. Delhi said it was "deeply regrettable" and expressed relief no one was killed.
Pakistan's military said a "high-speed flying object" had crashed near the eastern city of Mian Channu and its flight path had endangered passenger flights.
Both countries have nuclear weapons.
In a statement, India's defence ministry said: "On 9 March 2022, in the course of routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Government of India has taken a serious view and ordered a high-level Court of Enquiry."

Nike ‘considering walking away’ from 15-year Chelsea kit deal which could cost the club £540million

 

 Sporting brand, Nike are considering walking away from their 15-year kit deal with Chelsea in a split that could cost the Blues £540million, according to reports. The Blues have been plunged into crisis after owner Roman Abramovich had his assets frozen by the UK Government amid links with Vladimir Putin.
Chelsea have already seen shirt sponsors Three suspend their £120million partnership, and now kit manufacturers Nike could follow suit.
 According to DailyMail, the two parties agreed on a 15-year, £900m deal back in 2016 - but after recent events Nike are claimed to be 'considering walking away'.

Kelly Clarkson reached divorce settlement with ex-husband Brandon Blackstock, to pay him over $1.3M plus $115,000 monthly spousal support

 

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock have finally settled on their divorce settlement after a bitter battle. TMZ reported that while the former American Idol winner walks away with the lion's share of assets, LA Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon has signed off on terms which still gives Brandon a good sum of cash
The settlement sees Kelly, 39, granted primary custody of the pair's two children, River Rose, seven, and Remington, five. Brandon, 45, will have the youngsters one weekend a month for the time being according to the settlement.

China locks down city of 9 million amid new spike in cases

 

 China on Friday ordered a lockdown of the 9 million residents of the northeastern city of Changchun amid a new spike in COVID-19 cases in the area attributed to the highly contagious omicron variant.
Residents are required to remain home, with one family member permitted to venture out to buy food and other necessities every two days. All residents must undergo three rounds of mass testing, while non-essential businesses have been closed and transport links suspended.
The latest lockdowns, which also include Yucheng with 500,000 people in the eastern province of Shandong, show China is sticking to the draconian approach to the pandemic it has enforced for most of the past two years, despite some earlier indications that authorities would be implementing more targeted measures.

Chelsea shirt sponsor, 3, suspends deal after owner Roman Abramovich sanctioned

 

 Chelsea’s shirt sponsor, 3, has suspended its deal with the club after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government. The telecoms company began sponsoring Chelsea at the start of last season in a deal worth around £40m per year, with its logo displayed on the club’s kits, around Stamford Bridge, and at the training facility in Cobham.
Three had said earlier on Thursday March 10, that it was considering its relationship with the club, before confirming it would “temporarily suspend” sponsorship and requesting its branding be removed.
 The news broke only two and a half hours before Chelsea were due to play Norwich City in the Premier League.

Father 'shoots dead his seven-day-old baby girl because he wanted his first-born to be a boy'

 

A Pakistani father has been arrested on suspicion of shooting dead his seven-day-old baby girl because he wanted his first-born to be a boy. The newborn baby named Jannat - meaning 'heaven' in Urdu - was shot five times on Monday at her home in the central city of Mianwali, police said.
The suspect, identified as Shahzaib Khan, allegedly entered his house and ordered his wife to hand over Jannat before shooting dead the week-old baby, reported Dawn newspaper.
 Shahzaib, who has been married for two years, then fled the scene but was arrested on Thursday in a nearby district, police said.   

Elon Musk and Grimes secretly welcome second child together called "Y" one year after welcoming son "X"

 

Elon Musk and singer Grimes have welcomed their second child together.
 The Tesla CEO, 50, and the musician, 34, welcomed a baby girl one year and some months after they welcomed their son X Æ A-Xii.
Grimes revealed during her Vanity Fair interview that her family had grown after her daughter began wailing from upstairs during the interview.
 She didn't share their daughter's name in the interview but she revealed that they call the newborn "Y". The pair also call their son "X".

Missing ship found in Lake Superior after 130 years

 

 Once thought to be lost forever, the 130-year-old wreckage of the ship Atlanta has finally been discovered at the bottom of Lake Superior. Located 35 miles off Deer Park, Michigan, the "wonderfully preserved shipwreck," lies in the murky depths 650 feet below the lake's surface, according to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), which announced its discovery Thursday.
The GLSHS found the 172-foot schooner barge after using sonar in partnership with Marine Sonic Technology to map more than 2,500 miles of Lake Superior in the summer of 2021.
Time for research to give the wreck context accounts for the delay in announcing Atlanta's discovery, according to Corey Adkins, the communications and content director of GLSHS.

Roman Abramovich banned from selling Chelsea FC as the Russian billionaire is sanctioned by Britain and all his assets frozen

 

 Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government effectively blocking the sale of the club over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
 The billionaire Russian oligarch will have all his assets frozen, banned from coming to Britain and from doing business there.
According to UK Sun, Chelsea will be granted a special licence to continue playing but Abramovich will not profit from the club. The club is also not allowed to sell tickets - with only season ticket holders being able to attend fixtures.

Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler arrested and placed in handcuffs after he was mistaken for a bank robber (video)

 

 Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler, was briefly detained by police in Atlanta after he was mistaken for a bank robber. The incident took place on January 7 but Atlanta police released footage on Wednesday, March 9. Coogler, 35, had gone to Bank of America to make a transaction.
 Coogler handed the bank teller a withdrawal slip with a note written on the back that reportedly read, "I would like to withdraw $12,000 cash from my checking account. Please do the money count somewhere else. I’d like to be discreet."

McDonald's closes 850 restaurants in Russia, days after being criticized for taking a neutral stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine

 

 Fast food giant, McDonald's says it will close 850 of its outlets in Russia, nearly two weeks after Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
This comes after the restaurant chain was criticized online for taking a neutral stance and staying silent on the war.
McDonald's has long played a symbolic role in Russia, opening its first Moscow branch months before the Soviet Union collapsed.
McDonald's, citing "the needless human suffering unfolding in Ukraine," announced Tuesday, March 8, it will temporarily close 850 locations in Russia.

U.S. Expels 12 Russian U.N. Diplomats

 

 The United States has expelled 12 Russian diplomats at the United Nations over national security concerns, U.S. and Russian diplomats said on Monday.
The U.S. mission to the United Nations described the Russian diplomats as “intelligence operatives” who had been “engaging in espionage activities that are adverse to our national security.”
“This action has been in development for several months,” said U.S. mission spokesperson Olivia Dalton.
Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told reporters the diplomats had been asked to leave by March 7. He said Russia would respond to the move “because it’s diplomatic practice.”

US cuts off Russia's central bank from US dollar transactions

 

 The Biden administration has announced additional sanctions against Russia’s central bank by prohibiting Americans from doing any business with the bank as well as freezing its assets within the United States over the invasion of Ukraine.
 The new measures will also target the National Wealth Fund of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation.
A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to share Washington’s thinking, said the new sanctions will take effect immediately.