☕ Lawsuit against Jay Z is dropped

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Have a great day.

“So he was found guilty — hence the ban. But didn't get stripped of anything and can play the French [Open]... Fairness in tennis does not exist.”
Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios in a series of tweets, commenting on current World No. 1 Jannik Sinner accepting a three-month doping ban. Sinner claims he unknowingly had clostebol – the banned substance – in his system after his physiotherapist cut his finger, used a spray containing the substance, and then gave Sinner a massage.

$6.29 million
The prize money awarded to Chile’s Joaquin Niemann for winning LIV Golf’s Adelaide tournament yesterday.

2014
American comedian Jimmy Fallon replaced Jay Leno to host The Tonight Show.

The civil lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z has been dropped.

In December, Jay Z was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in 2000. At the time, the unnamed complainant alleged she was raped by Jay-Z first, while fellow rapper Sean Combs watched, and then by Combs. Combs has been named in several criminal and civil sexual abuse lawsuits. He has been held in a New York jail after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges in September. Combs has denied all allegations against him.

On Friday (local time), the case was withdrawn. The legal filing stated that the plaintiff "hereby gives notice that the... action is voluntarily dismissed, with prejudice".

Jay-Z strongly denied the allegations. In response to the case being withdrawn, his company Roc Nation said in a statement: "The frivolous, fictitious and appalling allegations have been dismissed…This civil suit was without merit and never going anywhere. The fictional tale they created was laughable, if not for the seriousness of the claims.”

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in a push to end the war in Ukraine, three years after Russia invaded.

According to Trump, Putin agreed to "start negotiations" to end the war.

It comes after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the possibility of Ukraine reclaiming the Crimean peninsula (annexed by Russia in 2014) was “unrealistic”.

Here’s the latest.

Putin has repeatedly asserted Ukraine is a part of Russia.

In 2014, Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, a peninsula on the Black Sea.

The United Nations human rights monitoring body in Ukraine says Russia’s occupation has led to multiple “violations” including “suppressing opposition and dissent”.

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, inciting war.

Around 12,500 civilians are estimated to have been killed in the war, according to UN data. Neither side publishes data on soldier deaths and injuries.

Over the past year, there has been little movement on the frontlines, except for a Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory on the northern border.

Russia currently controls about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Following the 2022 invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently sought to expel Russian forces from all parts of Ukraine, including Crimea.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Russian goods and some of its citizens.

Putin did not speak to former U.S. President Joe Biden after he implemented those sanctions for the rest of his presidency.

On Wednesday night last week, Trump and Putin held a phone call, which the U.S. President called “lengthy and highly productive” in a post on social media.

Trump said the two leaders agreed to visit each other’s countries.

“We have also agreed to have our respective teams start negotiations immediately,” Trump said.

The Kremlin confirmed it has invited Trump to visit Moscow.

Trump also spoke with Zelenskky, who he said “wants to make peace.”

Zelenskyy will meet with senior American officials at a conference in Germany later this week, including Vice President JD Vance.

Ukraine has sought to join NATO since the 1990s. Putin cited this to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

According to its website, NATO’s official position is “Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” which Biden reaffirmed.

Under Article 5 of the NATO agreement, if Ukraine became a member, all 32 member states would have to go to war on its behalf if Russia attacked it.

In his speech, Hegseth said the U.S. no longer supports Ukraine’s membership, and that it is not “a realistic outcome of a negotiated settlement” with Russia.

As part of his address at the NATO headquarters in Belgium, Hegseth also said he did not believe returning Crimea to Ukraine is feasible.

“We want... a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine,” he said.

“But we must start by recognizing that returning to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders is an unrealistic objective.”

“Chasing this illusionary goal will only prolong the war and cause more suffering,“ Hegseth said.

Zelenskyy has since reiterated his plans to sign up Ukraine to NATO.

He emphasised: “No negotiations with Putin can begin without a united position from Ukraine, Europe, and the U.S.”

NATO allies have backed Zelenskyy’s position, stating Ukraine needs to play a role in all peace negotiations.

The alliance’s Secretary General, Mark Rutte, told reporters: “Ukraine will be involved in any way whatsoever”.

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

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The latest International Shark Attack File showed that there were 47 unprovoked attacks worldwide last year, a decrease of 22 incidents from the previous year.

Want more good news? Sign up to our weekly Good Newsletter here - we promise it’ll make your week better!

Reporting by Zara Seidler.

The award-winning series ‘White Lotus’ is returning today and it’s time to get visually transported to another paradise playing host to a murder mystery.

Thailand is expected to become the latest global destination to reap the ‘White Lotus’ spoils, after the show’s first two seasons saw visitor demand explode for Hawai’i (S1) and Sicily (S2).

Even before twisted drama and blissful backdrops dazzle our screens, Thai tourist authorities have already reported a tourist boom.

The new season is available to watch on Binge.

(This is not sponsored.)

Reporting by Harry Sekulich.

Last week you may have seen the press conference Elon Musk held in the White House next to the U.S. President Donald Trump, and also his son, X.

If you were wondering what that was all about, you’ve come to the right place. It’s been nearly one month since Trump was inaugurated and Elon Musk commenced his official role as part of the Trump administration.

We now know a little more about what Musk’s new government advisory body, the Department of Government Efficiency, will look like. So we thought it would be the perfect time to explain Elon Musk’s role in the Trump administration.