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Cardi B won’t perform at Super Bowl until ‘they hire Colin Kaepernick back’

(OP)–Don’t expect Cardi B — the breakout star from the Bronx — to grace the Super Bowl halftime stage anytime soon.

The Grammy-nominated rapper told TMZ Saturday night that if the National Football League asks her to perform, she would only do so “when they hire Colin Kaepernick back.”

The “Bodak Yellow” rapper’s comment on Super Bowl weekend comes amid a tense political climate surrounding this year’s national championship, with thousands of Americans from the left and right pledging to boycott tonight’s game between the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The made up Cardi B-Nicki Minaj feud feeds into an insidious form of sexism

President Donald Trump launched the NFL into a heated debate on race and patriotism in America in September when he repeatedly urged NFL owners to fire players who take a knee during the National Anthem to protest institutionalized racism.

Trump’s comments, which first came at a rally in Alabama, forced NFL owners and coaches to take sides, and that weekend swaths of players collectively took a knee during the National Anthem and locked arms on the field in a show of defiance.

At the time, Cardi and a large number of hip-hop stars slammed the NFL over the league’s perceived shunning of Kaepernick — the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who was the first to take a knee in September 2016, launching a trend of protests on the field.

“All I want to know is … when are they going to hire Colin Kaepernick ?” Cardi tweeted two days after Trump’s comments.

“All these football team owners talking and all lat but when is y’all going to hire Colin Kaepernick,” she added.

Kaepernick filed a grievance against the NFL in October, accusing league owners of colluding against him. But in December, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell denied that the league’s team owners conspired to ensure that Kaepernick is not signed, saying, “Teams are making the best decision for what they need, as a football team.”

Although Americans have been divided on the issue, the hip-hop community has been incredibly outspoken in their support for Kaepernick.

According to a September report by hip-hop magazine The Source, Jay-Z turned down an opportunity to perform at this year’s game, which will beheadlined by Justin Timberlake.

In response to the report at the time, an NFL spokesman said, “No decisions have been made on the performer(s) and we are not going to speculate on particular artists.”

Brecon to Pontymoile lock keepers sought to help run canal

Brynich lock stretch of the canal in Brecon

Volunteer lock keepers are being sought to help boaters navigate the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The Canal and River Trust wants people to carry out the role on the 35-mile (56km) stretch from Brecon, Powys, to the Pontymoile basin in Pontypool.

The role includes helping passing boaters, welcoming visitors and aiding canal maintenance.

Full training will be provided and volunteers would work shifts throughout the year.

The trust said those who sign up would help keep the historical tradition of lock keeping alive along the 200-year old canal.

male lock keepers on the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal

Caroline Kendall, Canal and River Trust volunteer development co-ordinator, said: “The lock keeper is probably the most iconic role on the waterways and we’re on the lookout for people to come and help everyone who is using the water and towpath.

“It’s a great role for anyone looking to work outdoors and meet plenty of people. In many ways the lock keeper is the friendly face of the canals and rivers. It can be hard work, but hugely rewarding.

“You don’t need any previous experience so I’d encourage anyone looking for a new challenge to get in touch.”

Applications are open and training will begin in March.

Lock on the Brecon and Monmouthshire canal — Image captionThe trust cares for 1,583 locks across Wales and England

Cardiff runner maps out ‘thank you’ for donated organ

Image copyrightSTRAVA
A woman whose life was saved by a liver transplant has shown her appreciation for the NHS in a unique way.

Ellie Lacey, 31, from Cardiff, ran 8.8 miles (14.2km) across Rhossili beach on Gower on Sunday to map the words “Thank You NHS” using the app Strava.

She was diagnosed with liver failure in autumn 2016 and was told her only hope of survival was a liver transplant, which she received in January 2017.

“We’re just so happy. Without those people I wouldn’t be here,” she said.

‘Living life for me and my organ donor’
Does an opt-out system increase transplants?
Why does England have an opt-in system?
Just six months after the transplant, keen-runner Mrs Lacey won gold at the British Transplant Games and she hopes to compete at the 2019 World Transplant Games.

She and her husband Paul said they wanted to find a special way to say thank you to the NHS for saving her life.

It took one hour and 23 minutes to create the message.

Media captionEllie Lacey says she is now living life for her and her donor

The couple had tried to create the “drawing” on two previous occasions but heavy rain and floods stopped them from doing so.

“It was definitely third time lucky,” she said.

“The weather was absolutely freezing on the beach but just as we started to write the letters ‘NHS’ the sun came out. It was meant to be.”

Ellie Lacey running on the beach — Image captionEllie Lacey running on Rhossili beach

On the first anniversary of her transplant last month, Ellie appealed to the governments in England and Scotland to follow Wales’ lead and move to an opt out system of organ donation.

In Wales everyone is deemed to be willing to donate their organs unless they have opted out.

Two suffer burns in explosion at house in Farnworth

Explosion in Farnworth — Image captionPictures appeared to show damage to a downstairs window and burn marks above the door

Two elderly people have suffered burns in a suspected gas explosion in Bolton.

Several properties were evacuated following the blast in Rydal Grove in Farnworth, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said.

A man in his 70s is in a serious condition at Wythenshaw Hospital and another person is injured.

One witness told the Manchester Evening Newshow he and a friend managed to get the pair out of the house, where “the smell of gas was overpowering”.

Ashley Chalke described how he and Nathan Wallwork went to help after hearing the explosion and seeing that a window had been blown out.

“We knocked on the door and managed to get the man out. Then we shouted for the woman and got her out of the house too,” he said.

“I tried to turn the gas main off but couldn’t do it. The smell of the gas was overpowering.”

Explosion — Image captionTwo ambulances, a hazardous area response team, paramedics and the air ambulance were sent to the property

Gas network Cadent, which is responsible for supply in the area, said engineers had isolated the gas supply to the property.

They have also checked the gas mains in the street along with the service pipes and they were “all sound”.

The fire service said it had used a gas monitor to survey the area to ensure no further incidents would occur.

Two ambulances, a hazardous area response team, paramedics and the air ambulance were sent to the property after the explosion was reported at 14:35 GMT.

A cordon remains in place.

Councillor Sue Haworth tweeted: “Emergency response still on-going to ensure the safety of the properties in the area. Exemplary response from police, fire & air ambulance. Sadly two casualties.”

Man dies after assault outside Tamworth McDonald’s

McDonald's - generic image — Image captionLiam Roche had serious head injuries after an incident outside a restaurant in Tamworth

A teenager has died almost two weeks after he was attacked outside a McDonald’s in Staffordshire.

Liam Roche suffered serious head injuries in the assault outside the restaurant at the Ventura Retail Park in Tamworth on 22 January.

He died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

A 24-year-old man was arrested on Sunday in connection with the incident and the investigation continues, Staffordshire Police said.

Anyone who witnessed the altercation between 22:30 and 23:30 G

Manchester hospitals cancel operations due to mains leak

Image captionManchester Royal Infirmary is one of the hospitals affected

Operations planned for Monday morning at hospitals in Manchester have been cancelled due to a mains leak affecting the water supply.

Cancer and any urgent operations will still go ahead, the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said.

Only patients with an “urgent clinical need” should go to hospital, it added.

The hospitals affected are the Royal Infirmary, the Royal Eye Hospital, Saint Mary’s Hospital and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

The trust said the cancelled operations would be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Melbourne mayor Robert Doyle quits amid misconduct probe

The Lord Mayor of Melbourne has resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct were made against him.

Robert Doyle, 64, has been accused of sexually harassing three women, including an allegation that he touched a colleague’s breast.

Mr Doyle has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations.

The political veteran had been serving his third term as lord mayor of Australia’s second-biggest city.

Mr Doyle went on leave in December after another councillor, Tessa Sullivan, resigned, accusing Mr Doyle of groping her and making inappropriate comments.

Two more women, including another city councillor, later raised harassment allegations against Mr Doyle.

Mr Doyle said at the time that he was shocked by the accusations, describing them as “thoroughly abhorrent”.

Late on Sunday, Mr Doyle’s lawyer Nick Ruskin reiterated that his client maintained his innocence.

“He has been through a period which he feels has lacked any semblance of natural justice, where the burden of proof does not rest with proving guilt, but rather with proving innocence,” Mr Ruskin said on Sunday.

Mr Doyle has also resigned as chairman of a public healthcare company, Melbourne Health.

Melbourne City Council is investigating the allegations.

Oil tanker with 22 Indian crewmen missing off Benin

Map showing Benin, its capital, Porto-Novo, and the Gulf of Guinea

An oil tanker with a crew of 22 Indian nationals is missing in the Gulf of Guinea off Benin in West Africa.

There has been no contact with the Panama-registered Marine Express since Thursday.

The incident occurred less than a month after another vessel was taken by pirates in the same area.

The International Maritime Bureau said the Benin navy was searching for the Marine Express, which is carrying 13,500 tonnes of gasoline.

In January, a ship was hijacked in the same area but was released six days later when a ransom was paid.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said her government was working with authorities in the region.

The ship is managed by Hong Kong-based Anglo-Eastern.

The OP’s Will Ross says that Africa’s most dangerous waters used to be off Somalia but, after the deployment of international warships, the situation there has improved.

There are now more attacks in West Africa – more than one a week in 2017.

Heaviest snowfall on record blankets Moscow

A man walks on a street covered with snow as a dog sits on a snowbank during heavy snowfall in Moscow, Russia, 3 February 2018

Moscow has seen its heaviest snowfall in a day since records began, with more than 2,000 trees brought down and air travel disrupted, officials say.

More than half the monthly average snow – 38cm (15 inches) – fell on Saturday, beating the previous record from 1957.

A falling tree and collapsing power line killed one person and five others were injured.

Snowfall is expected to ease off on Sunday night but the temperature is expected to drop.

Dozens of flights have bee

Despite the disruption, many people on social media just seem happy to see a “real Russian winter” again after the unseasonal thaws of previous years, and have been sharing snowscape pictures.

The city broke a different record in December when it registered the least amount of sunshine seen in a month there.

Trees covered by thick layer of snow after a long snowfall in Kolomenskoye park in Moscow, Russia, 31 January 2018 — Image captionMuscovites have been warned to stay clear of frozen trees

South Carolina train crash: Amtrak ‘on the wrong track’

Media captionThe crash happened in the early hours of Sunday morning

An Amtrak train involved in a deadly crash with a stationary freight train in South Carolina appeared to be on the wrong track, the state governor says.

Officials will investigate whether points in the area misdirected the passenger train.

The Amtrak’s engineer and conductor died and 116 people were injured in the crash early on Sunday.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster said the incident should “begin a conversation” about rail safety.

Just four days ago, a lorry driver was killed when his vehicle was hit by a train carrying lawmakers in Virginia.

Incorrect points?

Sunday’s crash happened at 02:35 local time (07:35 GMT) in the town of Cayce, just outside the state capital, Columbia. The train was travelling from New York to Miami when it hit the goods train, causing its lead engine and several carriages to derail.

The dead Amtrak workers have been named as engineer Michael Kempf, 54, from Georgia, and conductor Michael Cella, 36, of Florida.

Three of the injured were said to be in a serious condition. Most injuries ranged from scratches to broken bones.

President Donald Trump tweeted that his thoughts and prayers were with the victims.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, with the co-operation of CSX, which is responsible for operating the railway in the area.

There had been concern about 5,000 gallons of fuel that spilled after the crash but the site has now been declared safe.

There were 139 passengers and eight Amtrak staff on the train.

Governor McMaster said that “it appears the Amtrak was on the wrong track” and the unmanned goods train “was on the track it was supposed to be on”.

Sources quoted by NBC News said CSX signals in the area had been taken offline to undergo work.

They said the Amtrak was given verbal approval to take one track but points may have been wrongly set there, sending the Amtrak on to a side track and into the goods train.

A computer system called Positive Train Control (PTC), which the sources said could have prevented the crash, was not in operation in the area. PTC has been delayed in many areas due to costs and technical issues.

The Amtrak was travelling at 59mph (95km/h) upon impact, Governor McMaster said.

He added: “It’s a horrible thing to see, to understand what force was involved. The first engine of the freight train was torn up, and the single engine of the passenger train is barely recognisable.”

Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal reinforced Mr McMaster’s call for a rail safety conversation, saying safety had to improve.

Passengers said the crash had caused chaos in the middle of the night.

One, Erin Wittman, told MSNBC: “We just awoke to violent shaking; I just knew immediately we were off the tracks and I couldn’t believe it was actually happening.”

Concerns about safety standards on the US rail network have been raised after a number of fatal train crashes in recent years:

February 2018: Crozet, Virginia. A lorry driver died after his vehicle hit a chartered Amtrak train carrying Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan
December 2017: Seattle, Washington. Three people killed when a passenger train plunged off a bridge after hitting a 30mph (50km/h) curve at 80mph
March 2017 – Biloxi, Mississippi. Four people died when the bus they were travelling in got stuck on train tracks and was hit by a freight train
May 2015 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A passenger train derailed, killing eight people
January 2015 – Austin, Texas. A prison bus carrying 12 inmates and three officers skidded off a bridge and hit a freight train, killing 10 people on the bus
December 2013 – The Bronx, New York City. Four people died when the driver of a passenger train fell asleep and the train took a 30mph curve at 82mph, then derailed