Tupac Shakur has become the first solo rapper to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The late star is only the sixth hip hop artist to be initiated in the hall's 30-year history - and the decision has raised eyebrows.
Shakur was killed at the age of 25 in a still unsolved drive-by shooting in Las Vegas in September 1996.
Son of political activists and former Black Panther members, he explored themes of social and racial injustice in some of his songs.
Selected on his first nomination, the honour reflects the continued influence of the rapper 20 years after his death.
According to the hall's website, artists are eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first recording.
The criteria goes on: "Besides demonstrating unquestionable musical excellence and talent, inductees will have had a significant impact on the development, evolution and preservation of rock and roll."
The inductees are then voted on by music fans and 900 industry experts.
The rapper's life and music has sparked the release of documentaries, movies and a Broadway musical, although many would question his impact on rock and roll.
Predictably, people on Twitter have questioned why Shakur has made the cut when LL Cool J - who is widely considered to be rap's first superstar - is not a member.
Accepting the award on his friend's behalf, fellow rapper Snoop Dogg said they were there to "celebrate one of music's most prolific and outspoken artists as he's rightfully enshrined as one of the greatest musicians to ever do it".
Snoop went on: "Pac proved we ain't just a character out of someone else's story book. To be human is to be many things at once.
"Pac's a part of history for a reason because he made history. He's hip hop history. He's American history."
Last month Kiss frontman Gene Simmons said that although he "highly respects rap", the genre of hip hop does not belong in the rock hall.
He said: "The day Led Zeppelin gets put into the Hip Hop Hall of Fame is the day I will personally accept rap artists as being brought into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It just ain't the same thing."
Hip hop artist Ice Cube - who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year along with the five other members of NWA - said he thought Shakur would have "shown up" to receive the honour.
But he admitted: "I don't know if he'd be happy or not. Hip hop needs our own Hall of Fame."
The 1960s protest singer Joan Baez, British progressive rock group Yes, and Seattle-based grunge band Pearl Jam were also among the rock hall class of 2017.
Tributes were paid to the first ever member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Chuck Berry, who died last month at the age of 90, and Prince, who died of an accidental painkiller overdose in April 2016.
The 2017 induction ceremony will be broadcast on HBO on 29 April.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
Sun-day! Hottest day of the year so far is forecast in parts of UK
Most of England and Wales are set to continue basking in sunshine today, with the hottest day of the year expected in some parts of the country.
The day will see a lot of sunshine across the majority of England and Wales, and for parts of the South East temperatures could reach 24C or possibly slightly higher.
That would make it the warmest day of the year so far, topping the 22.1C recorded on 30 March in Gravesend, Kent.
It would also see UK temperatures top those in parts of the Mediterranean.
The warm spell comes as high pressure is moving eastwards this weekend, allowing for southerly winds to suck up the warm air from Spain and northwest Africa.
However, not everywhere will experience the bright and mild spring weather on Sunday.
For Scotland and Ireland it will be cloudy and cool again with spells of rain.
Overnight on Sunday, winds will change to a northerly direction - pushing down cloud, rain and showers, and in turn temperatures could drop by 10 degrees.
There could even be some wintry outbreaks over the Scottish Highlands.
Into the week, it will be mostly cloudy and breezy for northern parts of the UK with a chance of rain, most probably over the northwest of Scotland.
At this stage southern areas look to be drier and sunnier, with lighter winds and feeling mild, but not as warm as this weekend.
Turkish Airlines cabin crew deliver premature baby mid-flight at 42,000ft
A cabin crew stepped in to help deliver a premature baby at 42,000ft after a mother unexpectedly went into labour mid-flight.
Shortly after take-off from Guinea's capital Conakry, crew on board a Turkish Airlines flight were forced to act as 28 weeks pregnant Nafi Diaby began to suffer childbirth pains.
With the help of passengers, the flight crew safely delivered a baby girl, who was named Kadiju.
After landing in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Ms Diaby and her child were taken to hospital.
A Turkish Airlines spokesperson said both were reported to have been healthy.
The airline tweeted pictures of its crew posing with the newborn baby, along with a message which read: "Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew!"
Expectant mothers are able to travel with most airlines until they are 36 weeks pregnant.
Some airlines, like Ryanair, require a letter from a midwife or doctor for expectant mothers who have reached their 28th week of pregnancy.
Shortly after take-off from Guinea's capital Conakry, crew on board a Turkish Airlines flight were forced to act as 28 weeks pregnant Nafi Diaby began to suffer childbirth pains.
With the help of passengers, the flight crew safely delivered a baby girl, who was named Kadiju.
After landing in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, Ms Diaby and her child were taken to hospital.
A Turkish Airlines spokesperson said both were reported to have been healthy.
The airline tweeted pictures of its crew posing with the newborn baby, along with a message which read: "Welcome on board Princess! Applause goes to our cabin crew!"
Expectant mothers are able to travel with most airlines until they are 36 weeks pregnant.
Some airlines, like Ryanair, require a letter from a midwife or doctor for expectant mothers who have reached their 28th week of pregnancy.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Syria strikes: The story behind Trump's '72-hour evolution'
As President Trump was wrapping up his dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago – a hearty menu that included pan-seared Dover sole and dry-aged New York strip steak, paired with California wines – he delivered the news: The U.S. had launched strikes on Syria.
By this point, the first of 59 missiles already had started to rain down on the Assad airbase alleged to have been used to carry out this week’s deadly chemical attack. Planning for a U.S. response had been underway since Tuesday – but the final decision to order missile strikes, and the military’s execution of that directive, took place over the course of just a few hours Thursday evening.
The timeline of the president’s decision-making and the mission itself was detailed late Friday by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and other U.S. officials. The president’s top spokesman described the course of events as a “72-hour evolution” that involved “updates and options and refinements” before a final decision.
OBAMA OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS CLAIMS
“He’s not going to telegraph his next move,” Spicer cautioned, but described Thursday’s actions as carefully planned, decisive and “justified.”
According to Spicer and other officials, the timeline played out as follows:
By this point, the first of 59 missiles already had started to rain down on the Assad airbase alleged to have been used to carry out this week’s deadly chemical attack. Planning for a U.S. response had been underway since Tuesday – but the final decision to order missile strikes, and the military’s execution of that directive, took place over the course of just a few hours Thursday evening.
The timeline of the president’s decision-making and the mission itself was detailed late Friday by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer and other U.S. officials. The president’s top spokesman described the course of events as a “72-hour evolution” that involved “updates and options and refinements” before a final decision.
OBAMA OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS CLAIMS
“He’s not going to telegraph his next move,” Spicer cautioned, but described Thursday’s actions as carefully planned, decisive and “justified.”
According to Spicer and other officials, the timeline played out as follows:
Boris Johnson cancels trip to Moscow next week over Syria
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has cancelled a visit to Moscow next week as tensions grow over events in Syria.
It comes after the UK backed US airstrikes on a Syrian airbase where a horrifying chemical attack was allegedly launched.
Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, said the strikes had "completely ruined" the relationship between Moscow and Washington.
Mr Johnson spoke with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who is still due to visit Russia, before making his decision.
The Foreign Secretary said: "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally.
"My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April - to build coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process.
"I will be working to arrange for other like-minded partners to meet and explore next steps soon too.
"I discussed these plans in detail with Secretary Tillerson. He will visit Moscow as planned and, following the G7 meeting, will be able to deliver that clear and coordinated message to the Russians.
"We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.
"We call on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated."
Many world leaders have praised Donald Trump's move to strike Syria following the chemical attack of Idlib which has been widely blamed on Damascus.
Syrian allies Russia and Iran have both condemned the US airstrikes.
The US ambassador to the UN has said America is "prepared to do more" militarily in Syria but hopes it will not be necessary.
It comes after the UK backed US airstrikes on a Syrian airbase where a horrifying chemical attack was allegedly launched.
Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, said the strikes had "completely ruined" the relationship between Moscow and Washington.
Mr Johnson spoke with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson, who is still due to visit Russia, before making his decision.
The Foreign Secretary said: "Developments in Syria have changed the situation fundamentally.
"My priority is now to continue contact with the US and others in the run up to the G7 meeting on 10-11 April - to build coordinated international support for a ceasefire on the ground and an intensified political process.
"I will be working to arrange for other like-minded partners to meet and explore next steps soon too.
"I discussed these plans in detail with Secretary Tillerson. He will visit Moscow as planned and, following the G7 meeting, will be able to deliver that clear and coordinated message to the Russians.
"We deplore Russia's continued defence of the Assad regime even after the chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians.
"We call on Russia to do everything possible to bring about a political settlement in Syria and work with the rest of the international community to ensure that the shocking events of the last week are never repeated."
Many world leaders have praised Donald Trump's move to strike Syria following the chemical attack of Idlib which has been widely blamed on Damascus.
Syrian allies Russia and Iran have both condemned the US airstrikes.
The US ambassador to the UN has said America is "prepared to do more" militarily in Syria but hopes it will not be necessary.
Rail strikes to affect Grand National fans
Staff at two train companies in northwest England go on strike today - potentially bringing disruption for thousands of fans heading to the Grand National.
The industrial action by RMT union members at Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North is going to coincide with the biggest horse race of the year - but both operators insist they are prepared, and will be able to run services.
Merseyrail said drivers in the Aslef union are unlikely to cross RMT picket lines, so managers will provide a train service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree before and after the race.
A train will run every seven-and-a-half minutes at key times - but fewer or no trains will run on the rest of the network, with rail replacement buses being offered on some lines.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, managing director at Merseyrail, said: "Despite the RMT's best efforts to scupper this iconic event and create misery for the tens of thousands of people who look forward to it all year, we've developed a timetable aimed at getting as many people between central Liverpool and Aintree as we normally do on Grand National day."
:: Grand National - 10 horses to follow
For Arriva Trains North, services will be "significantly reduced", with its last trains leaving Liverpool Lime Street between 7.02pm and 8.16pm.
The company said there are six extra trains on Saturday evening for racegoers.
Richard Allan, deputy managing director, said passengers should plan ahead: "We are also asking customers travelling direct to Manchester to consider using other train operators' express services.
"This will help to free up space on Northern services that stop at many local stations not served by other operators."
The RMT union will use an advertising billboard in Liverpool and at Aintree to explain the reasons for the strike, which include driver-only trains being scheduled to come into service from 2020.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "It is well established that once the guarantee of a guard is withdrawn then disabled passengers are disadvantaged because they can no longer be assured of being able to turn up and get on or off the train at unstaffed stations."
The 24-hour walkout is also being joined by union members at Southern, as their dispute heads for its second year.
Southern says it is hoping to provide a near-normal Saturday service on all but one route - with none of its services operating between Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes Central via Kensington Olympia and Watford Junction.
The industrial action by RMT union members at Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North is going to coincide with the biggest horse race of the year - but both operators insist they are prepared, and will be able to run services.
Merseyrail said drivers in the Aslef union are unlikely to cross RMT picket lines, so managers will provide a train service between Liverpool city centre and Aintree before and after the race.
A train will run every seven-and-a-half minutes at key times - but fewer or no trains will run on the rest of the network, with rail replacement buses being offered on some lines.
Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, managing director at Merseyrail, said: "Despite the RMT's best efforts to scupper this iconic event and create misery for the tens of thousands of people who look forward to it all year, we've developed a timetable aimed at getting as many people between central Liverpool and Aintree as we normally do on Grand National day."
:: Grand National - 10 horses to follow
For Arriva Trains North, services will be "significantly reduced", with its last trains leaving Liverpool Lime Street between 7.02pm and 8.16pm.
The company said there are six extra trains on Saturday evening for racegoers.
Richard Allan, deputy managing director, said passengers should plan ahead: "We are also asking customers travelling direct to Manchester to consider using other train operators' express services.
"This will help to free up space on Northern services that stop at many local stations not served by other operators."
The RMT union will use an advertising billboard in Liverpool and at Aintree to explain the reasons for the strike, which include driver-only trains being scheduled to come into service from 2020.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "It is well established that once the guarantee of a guard is withdrawn then disabled passengers are disadvantaged because they can no longer be assured of being able to turn up and get on or off the train at unstaffed stations."
The 24-hour walkout is also being joined by union members at Southern, as their dispute heads for its second year.
Southern says it is hoping to provide a near-normal Saturday service on all but one route - with none of its services operating between Clapham Junction and Milton Keynes Central via Kensington Olympia and Watford Junction.
Ex-England rugby star Brian Moore suffers heart attack
Former England rugby international Brian Moore is recovering in intensive care after suffering a heart attack.
Moore, 55, revealed on Twitter he was being treated at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London.
He said: "As this is starting to get out - I'm out of ICU of St George's having suffered heart attack.
"Thanks to the professionals who saved my life."
Moore won 64 England caps between 1987 and 1995 and also played five times for the British and Irish Lions.
The hooker trained as a solicitor but became a TV pundit after retiring from rugby.
Moore, 55, revealed on Twitter he was being treated at St George's Hospital in Tooting, south London.
He said: "As this is starting to get out - I'm out of ICU of St George's having suffered heart attack.
"Thanks to the professionals who saved my life."
Moore won 64 England caps between 1987 and 1995 and also played five times for the British and Irish Lions.
The hooker trained as a solicitor but became a TV pundit after retiring from rugby.
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