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A Louisiana man who tried downplaying the seriousness of the recent Gorilla Glue incident involving Tessica Brown and her hair ended up learning the hard way after he was hospitalized for using the same permanent adhesive to stick a plastic cup to his mouth.

Brown went viral on social media when she posted a video sharing her ordeal after using the heavy-duty glue to hold down her hair – causing it to be stiff for about a month despite numerous attempts to get it off.

In an interview, Len Martin said he attempted creating the challenge – despite the company reiterating the product isn’t meant to be applied on the skin or hair – to prove Brown exaggerated the severity of the incident.

“I thought she was just playing around; I didn’t think it was that serious,” Martin said. “All these challenges going on, I thought, ‘I’ma go ahead and try it.’ And it went backwards.”

In the video on Instagram, Martin is seen applying the glue on the inner tip of a red plastic cup and going ahead to put it in his mouth to prove he can simply prevent the cup from sticking by licking it off. It, however, backfired and he ended up going to the ER to have the stuck cup removed. He described the medical procedure to remove the cup from his mouth as a “painful peeling.”

Martin also told the news outlet he was informed that if the wound doesn’t properly heal, he’ll have to undergo surgery to remove the tip of his lip. “This is not the challenge you want to try. Do not try this,” he warned.

Per the product description, the multi-purpose glue bonds materials including wood, metal, fabric, plastic, glass, among others. Its warning label also explicitly states it’s not meant to be swallowed or applied on the skin, eyes or clothing.

Martin is notoriously known for taking part in viral and bizarre challenges, including the “ice cream challenge” where people videoed themselves licking ice cream on sale at stores before putting them back in the freezers. In an interview on The Dr. Oz Show in 2020, Martin spoke about the repercussions he faced for participating in that challenge and said he does not want to send a bad impression by doing such things, reported.

Ghana on Wednesday became the first country in the world to receive Covid-19 vaccines from Covax, an international co-operative program whose mission is to ensure that low and middle-income countries are not left behind in the distribution of coronavirus vaccines. The shipment, consisting of 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccines, arrived Wednesday morning at the Kotoka International Airport in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

The vaccines, which are part of the first wave of vaccine deliveries headed to several low and middle-income countries, were produced by the Serum Institute of India, in the Indian city of Pune, a joint statement issued by UNICEF Ghana and WHO Ghana said.

“Today marks the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “With the first shipment of doses, we can make good on the promise of the COVAX Facility to ensure people from less wealthy countries are not left behind in the race for life-saving vaccines.”

“The next phase in the fight against this disease can begin -– the ramping up of the largest immunization campaign in history,” said Fore. “Each step on this journey brings us further along the path to recovery for the billions of children and families affected around the world.”
Ghana, with a population of 30 million, has so far recorded 81,245 cases of the coronavirus and 584 deaths. The West African country is among 92 countries that have signed onto the Covax program. Covax is led by the United Nation’s World Health Organization; Gavi, a vaccine group; and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, or CEPI. Covax is funded by donations from governments, foundations and multilateral institutions. Its aim, according to a report by CNN, “is to buy coronavirus vaccines in bulk and send them to poorer nations that can’t compete with wealthy countries in securing contracts with the major drug companies.”
In February, Covax said it had secured almost 2.3 billion doses for distribution this year. Out of that figure, 1.8 billion is expected to be made available to 92 of the world’s poorest countries, the majority of which will be free. Countries that have signed to the program have to submit a detailed plan for handling and distributing the shot. Charles Adu Boahen, Ghana’s deputy finance minister, said Accra was first because the WHO had given the nod to its rollout plan. That rollout plan was led by former WHO deputy director-general Dr Anarfi Asamoa-Baah.
“[He] was in charge of vaccines for three years at the global health body and . . . was instrumental in putting together the rollout plan in a timely manner, allowing Ghana to be approved ahead of other African countries,” Boahen said, according to the Financial Times.
Ghana’s vaccination campaign will start March 2 and will be conducted in phases, beginning with health workers, adults of 60 years and over, people with underlying health conditions, frontline executive, legislature, judiciary, and their related staff, Ghana’s acting Minister of Information Kojo Oppong Nkrumah said in a statement.

“The government of Ghana remains resolute at ensuring the welfare of all Ghanaians and is making frantic efforts to acquire adequate vaccines to cover the entire population through bilateral and multi-lateral agencies,” he said.

Jay-Z has sold half of his Champagne brand Armand de Brignac to Moët Hennessy, the luxury wines and spirits division of luxury giant LVMH. The acquisition was through a partnership with the rap legend which is anchored on equal stake and a global distribution agreement.

“The 50%-50% structure is an essential element of this alliance and ensures that each of the two partners wants to bring its strengths and expertise,” Moet Hennessy announced in a statement.

According to CNN, the deal comes at a time when LVMH, which owns Moët Hennessy, is working to reach out to diverse customers in the wake of racial criticism against top industry players. In the statement, Moët Hennessy said Armand de Brignac appeals to a global and diverse luxury consumer.

The deal also comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has affected the sale of Champagnes due to reduced parties and events across the world. According to CNN, Champagne shipment fell 18% in 2020 compared to 2019. And according to CNBC, this translates into some $1.2 billion of revenue loss.

Armand de Brignac, sometimes referred to as “Ace of Spades”, is popular in North America, Asia, and Europe, with over 500 000 bottles sold in 2019.

“Today, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with them and believe that the combination of our Champagne experience and international network coupled with Shawn JAY-Z Carter’s vision, the strength of the Armand de Brignac brand and quality of its range of prestige cuvées will allow us to take the business to new heights across the world,” said Philippe Schaus, President & CEO of Moët Hennessy.

Neither side disclosed the amount involved in the deal, but Jay-Z intimated on a rap verse on What’s Free by Meek Mill that Armand de Brignac was valued in 2018 at $250 million.

“It is a partnership that has felt familiar the entire time. We are confident that the sheer power of the Moët Hennessy global distribution framework, its unparalleled portfolio strength and its long-established track record of excellence in developing luxury brands will give Armand de Brignac the commercial power it needs to grow and flourish even further,” Jay-Z said.

The rapper revealed in an interview with CNBC that the deal was started in 2019 when he hosted a lunch at his house for Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s founder and chairman, and Alexandre Arnault. “It just started out in a place of respect and built from there pretty quickly,” he said.

Jay-Z’s first connection with a Champagne brand was Cristal in 2016. He fell out with the company after its CEO made some racial remarks in an interview with The Economist. That same year, he bought 50% stake in Armand de Brignac with a partner. He later acquired the remaining stake.

A Black man has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Chicago Police Department alleging he was violently arrested for no reason whatsoever during an incident that left him with facial injuries last year.

In an interview with KABC-TV, the plaintiff – Leroy Kennedy IV – reiterated his innocence, saying the incident has left him traumatized. Kennedy said he ended up spending four days in jail and an aggravated battery of a police officer charge against him was later dropped.

“It left me feeling traumatized. Man, I ain’t gonna lie. You get nervous. You get even more nervous once you see the police,” he said.

Kennedy said the incident occurred when he was on his way to a store in Humboldt Park. He alleged he was confronted by two Chicago Police officers who roughed him up and slammed him to a brick wall, adding that his head was also hit against a sidewalk more than once. The incident was reportedly witnessed by angry bystanders who called the officers out for their actions. Kennedy told the news outlet he suffered a concussion and injuries to his wrist and hand. The arrest also left him with visible grazes on his face.

“I told him like ‘Sir, I’m not resisting. I just want to get my glasses,” he told the news outlet. “He slammed me again thinking I’m resisting.” The video camera footage of the incident also shows Kennedy walking unsteadily as the officers escort him into a patrol car in handcuffs.

Per the police report, the officers wrote they confronted Kennedy as he had “a shocked look on his face” when he saw them, adding that they suspected he was “attempting to conceal a firearm,” KABC-TV reported. Kennedy was, however, not armed and he did not also have any drugs on him. The officers could not also fully explain the motive behind the arrest to supervisors when they arrived.

“The police couldn’t even pretend he did anything,” Kennedy’s attorney said. “So you have a police report which gives no description of a crime and no reason for approaching him, other than his bulging eyes.”

The lawsuit states Kennedy is seeking “compensatory damages and because defendants acted maliciously, wantonly, or oppressively, punitive damages against the individual (officers) in their individual capacities,” CNN reported. Additionally, the plaintiff also seeks court as well as attorney fees.

Leparua, Isiolo County, Kenya – it takes three hours to snake downhill on a motorbike, skirting gingerly around mud puddles, but for Salome, it feels like days.

Riding side-saddle, she exhales sharply over each bump on the track and rubs her heavily pregnant belly protectively.

In the driver’s seat is traditional birth attendant, or TBA, Afro. He squints through the monsoon rainclouds, carefully inching the motorbike forward. His gaze remains fixed on the horizon until, at last, the hospital comes into view.

Deep in Kenya’s interior, health facilities are sparse, with some located up to 100 kilometres from the communities they service. For pregnant women like Salome, reaching it can be perilous, particularly during the rainy season, when dirt roads flood and bridges become submerged.

“I know many women who went into labour and started to walk to the hospital alone,” she says, slumping down on a plastic stool at the hospital entrance. “But it is too far to walk with labour pains, so they had to deliver the baby in a bush.”

Fortunately, Salome is in safe hands, thanks to birth attendant Afro and his motorbike, or piki-piki, as it is known locally.

As she goes in to register, Afro leans heavily on a curved crook outside, exhausted. He explains why traditional birth attendants continue to play a central role within the Masai’s tribal structure.

“It is a great honour for us to deliver the new members of our tribe. This role gives us status within our communities.”

But with the arrival of the motorbike, he says, the role of the traditional birth attendant may be changing.

“In the past, I had to deliver the baby at the woman’s home with no medical knowledge. When there were complications, there was nothing I could do. Now I can bring the mothers here on my piki-piki and take the tiny babies back home when they arrive. So, we still play a significant role.”

Unfortunately, many women in Kenya do not have access to the same level of medical care as Salome. According to the latest figures from the World Health Organisation, more than 6,300 women died in childbirth last year, one of the highest in East Africa. It is estimated that more than 800 of those deaths occurred in Isiolo County.

Traditional birth attendant Afro, Leparua, Isiolo County, Kenya, 2016 Photograph: Nicola Kelly

With long distances, poor infrastructure and no licenced medical professionals nearby, women in this part of the country have relied on TBAs for generations.

In 2005, Kenya’s Ministry of Health banned traditional midwifery practices, saying TBAs had adopted increasingly risky methods of delivery. They focused their investment instead on training and equipment.

Nurse Julia describes how the ban further entrenched high-risk practices in Masai culture. “Many TBAs felt abandoned at that time. They felt they had no choice, so they continue to use these natural remedies. For example, they take a part of a tree commonly found here, boil the root and give the liquid to the pregnant woman to encourage the uterus to contract.

“But many midwives give the mother too much of the liquid. Sometimes, the ladies overdose, start fainting during labour and even lose their babies. It is traditions like this that we must prevent.”

She points to a small plastic bag filled with blood on a tray nearby and explains that this had been extracted from a goat by another TBA to increase the haemoglobin levels of an 18-year-old mother.

“Clearly, she needed a blood transfusion, but the TBA saw no alternative,” she adds. “This is how tetanus, hepatitis B, HIV and many other infections are being spread.” Afro says that, while these traditions will endure, he encourages his fellow TBAs to integrate their practices with skilled medical care.

“We used to deliver the babies with no protective gloves, but a lot of birth attendants contracted HIV. Now we know that it is not safe to do this. We have agreed not to assist women at home anymore.”

International development agencies believe that providing funding for motorbikes as part of the Rural Transport Network scheme, rates of maternal mortality in Isiolo County will improve. “By giving motorbikes to rural communities, we can ensure emergencies are quickly referred for specialised obstetric care,” Samuel Nyutu, Health Programme Officer for Christian Aid in Kenya, says.

“They allow TBAs to reach areas it would be difficult for an ambulance to get to and they are easy and cheap to run.”

Alongside the health benefits for the mother, there are a number of other incentives for the traditional birth attendants. They receive a small stipend, protective clothing and some also undergo midwifery training, working alongside nurses like Julia.

Afro hopes that more vehicles will be supplied to TBAs in the surrounding villages to ensure women in rural areas make the arduous journey to their local health facility.

“I see that my motorbike has helped to save lives. It helps the mother and the baby – and it also helps me!” he says, patting the saddle of his piki-piki fondly.

Former NBA player and entrepreneur Chris Webber has announced that he is launching a $100 million private equity cannabis fund in partnership with Jason Wild and JW Asset Management L.L.C. (“JW”). This fund will invest in companies that are led by entrepreneurs of color who are pursuing careers in the cannabis sector.

“As our country moves closer to federal legalization, I believe it is more important than ever to empower the next generation of cannabis leaders in a tangible way,” said Webber in a written statement. “I’m thrilled to team up with Jason on this endeavor—he’s a visionary in this industry and understands the urgency of supporting minority business leaders in this space.”

The collaboration between Webber’s Webber Wellness and Wild’s JW Asset Management will work to invest in underrepresented entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. The partnership will provide them with an ecosystem of resources for the businesses that will facilitate research and development (R&D), cultivation, retail licensing, distribution, branding, and marketing. JW has been actively investing in the cannabis industry since 2014 with more than $2 billion in assets under management. They have also invested in numerous industry leaders spanning multistate operators, technology, and retail companies.

“It’s crucial that we diversify leadership within the cannabis industry and level the playing field for people from our communities,” said Webber. “For far too long, minorities have been excessively punished and incarcerated for cannabis while others profited. Working with JW, we will equip underrepresented entrepreneurs with the financial resources and industry knowledge to build businesses and thrive.”

“The legal cannabis industry can only grow to its full potential when all stakeholders have a seat at the table, and I feel that it is my responsibility to play an active role in eliminating barriers to entry for individuals that have been disproportionately targeted by the War on Drugs,” said Wild, founder and chief investment officer of JW Asset Management. “I look forward to partnering with Chris and his team to elevate talented entrepreneurs and build a more inclusive industry.”

People who draw on their own experiences to make the world a better place for others are invaluable and Dr. Oluwatomilayo (Tito) Daodu is a poster girl for such people. She had a rough childhood and as the first Black female pediatric surgeon practicing in Canada at the Alberta’s Children’s Hospital Foundation, she wants to make surgical care accessible to all.

Daodu is an award-winning researcher, volunteer, and the first Black pediatric surgeon working to “break down barriers to patients in need of surgical care.”

She believes her job is the best in the world as she does not only get to save lives but save the lifetimes of children she encounters.

As part of Black History Month, the American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) gave a nod to the remarkable work Daodu is doing in her field on Twitter.

According to Avenue Calgary, Daodu was born in Nigeria. After being deported from Canada, she permanently moved to the country when she was eight. Fortunately, or unfortunately, she grew up in a rough neighborhood in the inner city of Winnipeg.

Determined to be more than she sees around her, Daodu chose to make the local drop-in center for kids, Wes Broadway Youth Outreach, her second home. There she was mentored by volunteers, and to date, she credits them for changing her life.

It was then that she took a stance to do everything she could to help the less privileged in society because when they get help, they, in turn, might grow up to reciprocate that help and the entire cycle is broken for a better society.

To her, the world would be a better place when pediatric surgeons are accessible to all peoples everywhere. “When we help the worst off or those with the least access, we do a service to the entire system,” she said.

She received her medical training at the University of Manitoba and did her residency and fellowship at the University of Calgary. Her research was on the impact of socioeconomic status on surgical outcomes and access to care.

For her outstanding work to society, she was nominated as part of Avenue Magazine’s Top 40 Under 40 in October 2019. The award scheme recognizes high-achieving Calgarians who are doing their bid to effect change in society and creating a lasting impact on the future of others.

As a medical student, Daodu was part of a team that developed a project centered on adolescent gender and reproductive health in Tanzania.

There were no summer ‘holidays’ for her either because she spent her summers in her native country Nigeria researching early childhood pneumonia and later launched ‘a surgical needs assessment’ for Nigeria as well.

Currently, Daodu is pursuing a master’s in public health at the Harvard University’s T.H Chan School of Public health. At Harvard, Daodu is part of a team working to modify the safe surgery checklist for high-income countries around the world, per Avenue Calgary.

Her passion is to promote justice and equity in medicine through Global Health. She is participating in ongoing research on Global and Public Health that focuses on improving surgical outcomes and improving equal access to surgical care for Canadians and the world at large.

“One of the things that excite me about the future is that I have a story that not that many people have,” she said. “I am probably uniquely situated from what I’ve gone through in life to be able to speak not just from an academic point of view, but from real life.”

A former President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, could be going to jail for two years at least, if the commission of inquiry charged to investigate allegations of bribery and embezzlement leveled against him, has its way at the country’s constitutional court.

The commission has referred to the constitutional court Zuma’s failure to appear before it last week as well as the ex-president’s refusal or inability to provide affidavits he has been ordered to. He is being accused of contempt by the commission for which the body has requested the jail term.

Zuma’s presidency between 2009 and 2018 has been identified by investigators as one of the most corrupt for the Rainbow Nation in the post-apartheid era. But Zuma has denied all accusations of wrongdoing.

Zuma’s woes have compounded since he resigned unceremoniously in 2018 due to these very allegations. In 2018, he was charged with 16 counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering involving an arms deal from the late 1990s that cost $2.5 billion.

He is also accused of ceding political influence to members of the Gupta family who have been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department over corrupt activities. Some have alleged that the Gupta family was even allowed to appoint ministers and skip due process in transactions with the government.

The 78-year-old has also spoken through his lawyers of his disdain for the commission of inquiry that he believes is biased against him. In November, it was reported that Zuma refused to answer some questions, forcing the legal representative of the commission Paul Pistorius to say Zuma believes the inquiry is a “political conspiracy”.

The commission was not constituted with prosecutorial powers, however, bodies that can prosecute can fall on the commission’s findings. This may be the reason why Zuma’s corner holds reservations over how the commission has allowed witnesses whose accounts have implicated the former president in corrupt activities.

Witnesses before the commission have included former cabinet ministers and lawmakers.

Carolyn Brady made history as the first black woman to win the title of Miss Maine. Now, the talented violinist is using her platform to support Black businesses.

“I think if we have the opportunity to choose where we put our dollar and we can invest in a way that gives back in the long term that’s a really important thing to do,” Brady said with.

Shopping Black in February

Most people only see the glitz and glam of pageantry but Brady is a true example of how pageantry can be used to make an impact. “Each and every day, it is an honor to be the 84th representative to have worn Maine across her chest on the national stage, but the first African-American to have done so well,” Brady shared on Instagram.”I can’t wait to spend this month acknowledging our past, celebrating our present, and building.”

Data has shown that Black women are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, Black women report dismal revenue numbers in comparison to all other demographic groups in the nation. According to a 2019 report, Black women-owned businesses earned an average revenue of $24,000 per firm.

Brady’s goal is to close the revenue gap by supporting black-owned businesses. She’s also using her Miss Maine platform to encourage others to do the same. “I have committed to buying black for the entire month of February,” Brady shared.

Rwanda Bean is one of the businesses that Brady has supported this month. Founded by Mike Mwenedata, the company gives back 50% of profits to coffee farmers every time a cup of coffee is purchased.

Pageantry with a Purpose

 As the first black woman to capture the crown in Maine’s 84-year-history, Brady sees the possibilities ahead.

“I hold the title in a state that’s about five percent African American, if that,” Brady shared with her college. “I think it really shows that we’re moving toward a more diverse and inclusive standard of beauty, which is amazing, and I just feel so fortunate to be able to represent that.”

Brady competed for the title of Miss America where she showcased her violent talents. Now, she provides educational training and motivation to students as an AmeriCorps member.

Access to capital and insurance are some of the factors affecting not only peasant farmers but commercial farmers in Africa. A large majority of farmers in Africa still use hoe and cutlass and farm largely to feed their households and sell the surplus for cash.

This makes private capital injection into the sector unattractive. Aside from that, the sector remains unattractive to a large majority of educated African youths, despite the sector being the second-largest employer, after the services sector, in Africa.

In Ghana, the government launched an agriculture program called Planting for Food and Jobs to increase youth participation in agriculture through the provision of subsidized fertilizers and other incentives but the flow of rural folks to urban areas for jobs suggests the program is not achieving its intended purpose.

For rural farmers, part of the reasons for migrating to urban centers is to work menial jobs so as to accumulate some capital to serve as insurance for crop failure which could be occasioned by flood, poor weather conditions, among others.

The risks African farmers face have widely been documented but steps taken by African governments to assist them remain lackadaisical. An insurtech startup called Pula is providing small-scale farmers with assistance to help them mitigate hard farming conditions.

The company specializes in digital and agricultural insurance to derisk millions of smallholder farmers across Africa. It recently closed a Series A investment of $6 million led by Pan-African early-stage venture capital firm, TLcom Capital, with participation from nonprofit Women’s World Banking.

According to Techcrunch, the raise comes after Pula closed $1 million in seed investment from Rocher Participations with support from Accion Venture Lab, Omidyar Network and several angel investors in 2018.

The new financing will scale up operations in its existing 13 markets across Africa, where it has insured over 4.3 million farmers. They include Senegal, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, Techcrunch reported.

Founded in 2015 by Rose Goslinga and Thomas Njeru, the Kenyan agricultural insurance company is now looking at expanding to Asia and Latin America. The startup has an average subscription of $4 for farmers in Africa.

“We are able to work in 13 countries not because we have insurance licenses in all these countries but because in every one of those countries there are insurance companies that are willing if enabled by a company like ours,” co-founder Goslinga told.

Pula’s expansion to Asia and Latin America will focus on countries such as Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and Pakistan. “What we’ve realized is that African solutions are in no way inferior to Asian, European solutions,” said Goslinga.

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The troubles seem endless for Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas as the once extravagant Nigerian social media influencer is now accused of laundering money on behalf of North Korean hackers, the United States Department of Justice said.

The statement by the department coming at the end of last week said Abbas was involved in a “North Korean-perpetrated cyber-enabled heist from a Maltese bank in February 2019”. This revelation is apart from the ongoing prosecution of Abbas in another set of charges for which he was arrested in July of 2020.

He has been accused of partnering with Canadian-America Ghaleb Alaumary, described by authorities as “a prolific money launderer”.

Alaumary proved useful over the years for “hackers engaged in ATM cash-out schemes, cyber-enabled bank heists, business email compromise (BEC) schemes, and other online fraud schemes. [He] is also being prosecuted for his involvement in a separate BEC scheme by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia”.

The scam on which he and Abbas worked between August 2018 and October 2019 is thought to be in the region of $45 million. Alaumary has reached a plea deal with federal authorities where he has names Abbas and four others as accomplices.

In 2018, a report identified Hushpuppi as one of Africa‘s most prominent socialites whose source of wealth was unknown or suspected to be fraudulent. The 38-year-old was known for his ostentatious lifestyle and flaunting of his wealth and luxurious acquisitions on social media.

His most recent post on Instagram before he was arrested by Emirati intelligence in the United Arab Emirates was to apparently announce his acquisition of a 2020 Rolls-Royce Cullinan which held a starting price of around $330,000. He has over two million followers on the photo and video-sharing platform and claims to be a “Real Estate Developer”, a claim his lawyer defended in July last year.