GRUNGECAKE

Category: News

  • Hospital ship returns to Sierra Leone to deliver life-changing surgeries over the next ten months

    The world’s largest civilian hospital ship, the “Global Mercy”, was welcomed back to Freetown yesterday in a partnership between international charity Mercy Ships (www.MercyShips.org) and the Government of Sierra Leone to deliver more than 1,400 life-transforming surgeries and continued training opportunities for Sierra Leonean healthcare workers.

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    The Global Mercy departed the country in June after spending the previous ten months performing 1,979 life-changing surgeries for 1,728 patients and training 145 healthcare professionals on board in that time.

    The ship’s return followed an invitation from President Julius Maada Bio for Mercy Ships to extend their stay to continue supporting the delivery of safe surgery and training in Sierra Leone.

    In his address last week, President Bio highlighted his commitment to affordable and quality healthcare for all Sierra Leoneans, aiming for Universal Health Coverage, and affirmed the partnership with Mercy Ships, which began in 1992.   

    In collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the charity selected patients in twelve locations across the country for the upcoming field service and supports ongoing training for staff at Connaught Hospital and students at the University of Sierra Leone, in line with Sierra Leone’s strategic healthcare plan. 

    The ship’s return, after a brief annual maintenance period in Tenerife to fulfill maritime law, was celebrated as the Global Mercy docked. 

    The Minister of Health, Dr Austin Demby welcomed the ship for the second time expressing his excitement about the possibilities of free surgeries for people in desperate need. 

    He said: “I’m extremely happy that Mercy Ships honoured the President’s call to stay longer to provide life-changing surgeries and train our healthcare professionals. In the next ten months, the ship will perform over 1,400 free surgeries and will continue on-ship training for 130 healthcare workers. As Minister of Health, I am excited about this possibility and very proud of the partnership with Mercy Ships.”

    Dr Sandra Lako, Mercy Ships Country Director for Sierra Leone, said: “We are delighted that the Global Mercy has returned to Sierra Leone. With the strong partnerships formed, we will build upon the existing impact and momentum, to support government plans towards the sustainable development of the surgical care system.”

    The ship, its volunteers and the Sierra Leonean day crew will now prepare the hospital on board the ship to deliver the next phase of free surgeries for surgical programmes including maxillofacial/head and neck, general, paediatric orthopaedic, paediatric general, reconstructive plastic, and ophthalmic.

  • Latto announces ‘Sugar Honey Iced Tea’ tour

    The tour spans twenty-two North American cities.

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    After her hot new no-skips album ‘Sugar Honey Iced Tea’, Atlanta’s finest rapper-songwriter Latto has officially announced her upcoming album tour. Joining the Peach State artist, on select dates are Mariah the Scientist and Karrahboo — who seemingly left Lil Yachty’s Concrete Boys. The tour begins on October 25 in the heated city of Tampa; and continues to other North American cities like Las Vegas, Brooklyn, and more. Based on the text on the official flyer, the Live Nation tour may be a world affair adding “Europe Winter 2025, Africa – TBD, Australia – TBD.”

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  • TikTok to rollout 32-person group chat

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    This week, TikTok announced the delivery of its new thirty-two-people group chat. According to MSN, all users can watch, comment, and react to videos in real-time. The company explained, “To enhance user experience and make connecting with friends even more seamless and enjoyable, we’re excited to introduce new updates that elevate DMs, including the highly requested group chat feature.” To see how it works, visit this link.

  • Leaked: Hear Pras’ alleged diss record ‘Bar Mitzfa’ for Ms Lauryn Hill

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    Leaked two days ago, Pras, the legally convicted ex-Fugees member, seemingly took a cheap shot at Ms Laurny Hill due to the cancellation of the group’s upcoming tour in the United States. Blaming the famously tardy member for the misstep that cost the group money, Pras also told TMZ Hip Hop that he saved her reputation for twenty years by not telling his side of the story. In the announcement about the tour, Ms Lauryn Hill, his fellow GRAMMY Award winner, said they would continue to do the tour outside of the States — completing their UK and Europen dates scheduled for October.

  • Mars, company that makes M&M’s, to buy out Pringles’ parent Kellanova for nearly 36B dollar deal

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    The family company plans to break a record, making an unprecedented purchase of nearly $36B to Pringles and Cheez-It’s parent company, Kellanova. The candy giant is to pay $83.50 per share in cash. Based on the official report, Kellanova’s shares rose approximately eight per cent, its equity value at $28.58 billion. According to Reuters, this move would be the biggest deal in the package food sector.

    Moving forward, Kellanova will become part of Mars Snacking led by the buying company’s Global President Andrew Clarke in Chicago, Illinois, in the first half of 2025 after the deal’s completion.

  • Celine Deon warns former President Trump about unauthorised use of image and music

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    Recently, Celine Dion’s management took to social profiles to clarify that the Canadian musical superstar did not authorise her hit record, ‘My Heart Will Go On’. This past Friday in Bozeman, Montana, the former American President played a clip of the song with a video to his overzealous, die-hard supporters.

    According to BBC, other artists and bands like Neil Young, Queen and the Rolling Stones complained about Trump using their songs at campaign rallies. The article also points out that it isn’t illegal for license holders to use the music. However, artists can fight against it, remove their music from that list, and state they aren’t on board with what’s happening. The message shared with her 8.4 million followers on Instagram and 1 million followers on X, formerly Twitter, reads:

    “Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorised usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing My Heart Will Go On at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.

    In no way is this use authorised, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.

    …And really, that song?”

    The song ‘My Heart Will Go On’ from her 1997 album ‘Let’s Talk About Love’ is the track in discussion. It is famously connected to the movie, ‘Titanic’, about the unfortunate sinking of a British ocean liner — Royal Mail Ship Titanic — from Southampton, England, to New York City in 1912. At least 1,496 out of an estimated 2,224 persons perished on April 15, 1912.

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  • Givenchy opens flagship store on Rodeo Drive, originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

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    Making its highly-anticipated West Coast debut, Givenchy has opened its first permanent flagship store on Rodeo Drive. The Parisian luxury brand enlisted the late famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s design for the original building with historic character. There are separate entrances for men’s and women’s collections, ready-to-wear pieces, accessories, some items designed for the Los Angeles flagship store, and more.

    Regarding the specs, “The store’s design preserves the building’s historic character while infusing Givenchy’s signature style. Original features, including diamond-scored concrete ceilings, red floors and two fireplaces, have been meticulously restored. The space blends sharp industrial elements with soft natural materials, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. An archival tiger print fabric, once used by Hubert de Givenchy in his home, adds vibrant pops of color to upholstery and stairwells.”

    About the accomplishment, Valerie Leon, the President of the Americas at Givenchy, zeroed in on the significance of the location: “Given Hubert de Givenchy’s love of art and architecture, the Frank Lloyd Wright building felt like the right choice, and the opportunity to bring Givenchy to life there was inspiring.”

    It is at 332 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, in the famous 90210 area code. According to the report on WWD, the full showing will come in early 2025.

  • JAY Z’s legal team files to gain ownership of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ master recordings

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    According to TMZ Hip-Hop, JAY Z isn’t willing to allow Damon Dash to sell his former artist’s master recordings of his debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ to a living soul. The lawsuit filed by the billionaire businessman’s legal team ensures the return of the rights in 2031 (thirty-five years after its release). The soon-to-be buyer would own it for seven good years, earning a third of the album’s revenue. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out.

  • Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Vultures 2’ makes Billboard 200 debut

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    Kicking off the week like the musical stars they are, today Ye and Ty Dolla $ign have entered the Billboard 200 charts with their album ‘Vultures 2’. According to the report, the debut comes with 107,000 equivalent album units in its first week, about 41,000 units less than the first album ‘Vultures’ from the trilogy. It also includes 60,500 album sales, 46,000 streaming equivalent album units (50.44 million on-demand streams of the songs) and 500 track equivalent album units.

  • Hear Australian superstar rapper and singer The Kid LAROI’s ‘The First Time’ LP (Deluxe)

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    Australia’s The Kid LAROI has returned with the deluxe version of his first album, ‘The First Time’. The album features fellow musical stars like Lil Yachty, Jung Kook, Central Cee, Future, BabyDrill, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Robert Glasper, and d4vd. He added five new records, including, ‘Hatred’ with Lil Yachty and ‘Pick Sides’ for the newer version. See the young star on tour if you are in North America. He has plans to perform in Texas, Oklahoma, and New York City. Check out the twenty-eight-track record album below.