CURRENT TRENDS
TGZ HIGHLIGHTS | A RUNDOWN OF SOME TRENDING STORIES
Boots Bans All Wet Wipes And Will Only Sell Biodegradable Ones
The high street chemist Boots has announced that they will stop selling all wet wipes that contain plastic fibres, as part of an effort to cut non-biodegradable waste. The retailer stated that it was committing to putting a stop to this and banning it by the end of this year and would replace them with plant-based alternatives only.
Typically, wipes are flushed down the toilet by consumers, which causes environmental damage to blockage sewers and waterways. Boots are considered one of the biggest sellers of wet wipes in the UK, having sold more than 800 million over the last year online and in its 2,200 stores; the company said its sales represented about 15% of all beauty face wipes sold in the UK.
Boots is joining other retailers such as Tesco, Holland & Barrett, The Body Shop, and more, in banning all plastic-based face wipes.
Steve Ager, the chief customer and commercial officer at Boots UK, said, “They [customers] are actively looking to brands and retailers to help them lead more sustainable lives. We removed plastics from our own-brand and No7 wet wipe ranges in 2021, and now we are calling on other brands and retailers across the UK to follow suit in eliminating all plastic-based wet wipes.”
Netflix Loses Subscribers For The First Time In Ten Years
At the start of this year, Netflix lost subscribers for the first time in 10 years, and they are expected to lose even more in the next few months. The streaming service’s share price “initially fell close to 20% on news that it had lost 200,000 subscribers globally during the first quarter”. Moreover, Netflix have now said they are open to adding advertising to their service, in return for a lower-priced subscription.
The Netflix co-founder and chairman, Reed Hastings, was long opposed to adding commercials or other promotions to Netflix. According to The Guardian, “the company blamed the drop on a number of factors, including its huge size, increased competition, the economy, the war in Ukraine, slowing rollout of broadband, and the large number of people who share their Netflix accounts with non-paying households.”
In a note to investors, Netflix said, “Streaming is winning over linear, as we predicted, and Netflix titles are very popular globally. However, our relatively high household penetration – when including the large number of households sharing accounts – combined with competition, is creating revenue growth headwinds.”
The company recently announced a scheme to stop password sharing and it is expected that the scheme will expand globally to help Netflix “grow membership in many markets”. They said, “Our plan is to reaccelerate our viewing and revenue growth by continuing to improve all aspects of Netflix – in particular, the quality of our programming and recommendations, which is what our members value most.”
ASAP Rocky Arrested At LAX In Connection With 2021 Shooting And Released On Bail Of $550,000
ASAP Rocky was arrested yesterday on Wednesday the 20th of April at Los Angeles International Airport in connection with a shooting that took place in November 2021, according to the Lost Angeles Police Department.
The rapper was arriving on a private plane from Barbados, where he had been together with his girlfriend singer Rihanna, and was arrested immediately whilst he was still with her when they arrived at the airport. According to multiple law enforcement sources, a search warrant has also been executed at the star’s residence in Lost Angeles.
According to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department booking report, ASAP Rocky was “booked into jail at 12:42 p.m. and bail was set at $550,000”. He was released in less than three hours after posting bond, with the court date being set to the 17th of August 2022.
It is reported by the LAPD (Lost Angeles Police Department) that he is a suspect from the 6th of November shooting near Vista Del Mar and Selma Avenue around 10:20pm. According to police reports, “the shooting victim later told police that Mayers [ASAP Rocky], who was walking with two others, approached him with a handgun on the street. The victim claimed Mayers shot at him three to four times and that he believed one of the bullets grazed his left hand”. Police said the shooting occurred after an argument between two acquaintances escalated.
Paul Bussetti Found Guilty For Sharing Offensive Video Of Grenfell Tower Model Building
A man named Paul Bussetti, aged 49, admitted to sharing a “grossly offensive” video of a cardboard model of Grenfell Tower burning on a bonfire. He made siren noises and said, “That’s what happens when you don’t pay the rent,” in the video, which led to outrage after it went viral online.
Paul Bussetti, father of two, pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Wednesday the 20thof April, and was given a suspended jail sentence. He had been cleared of posting the video in August 2019, however, prosecutors appealed against this verdict and the High Court ordered a re-trial. Paul Bussetti was given a 10-week jail sentence, suspended for two years.
The video had been sent on WhatsApp after filming the “offensive” video at a party in a friend’s garden back in November 2018. The footage showcased cardboard figures burning as the Grenfell Tower model went in flames, leading to a mass of criticism due to the real-life tragic event in 2017 when the building killed 72 people.
Boris Johnson Apologises For Breaking Lockdown Rules After Being Fined
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has offered a “wholehearted apology” to the House of Commons after being fined for breaking lockdown rules in 2020 when he attended a birthday party for himself. The PM was fined by the police last week, as well as his wife and the Chancellor.
Boris Johnson said, “Let me begin in all humility by saying that on April 12 I received a fixed penalty notice relating to an event in Downing Street on June 19 2020. I paid the fine immediately and I offered the British people a full apology, and I take this opportunity on the first available sitting day to repeat my wholehearted apology to the House.”
Many MPs called for the Prime Minister to resign.
Boris Johnson added, “As soon as I received the notice, I acknowledged the hurt and anger and I said that people had a right to expect better of their Prime Minister – and I repeat that, Mr Speaker, again in the House now. Let me also say, not by way of mitigation or excuse but purely because it explains my previous words in this House, that it did not occur to me then or subsequently that a gathering in the Cabinet Room just before a vital meeting on Covid strategy could amount to a breach of the rules. I repeat that was my mistake and I apologise for it unreservedly. I respect the outcome of the police investigation, which is still under way, and I can only say that I will respect their decision-making and always take the appropriate steps.”
NeNe Leakes Sues Andy Cohen, Bravo, And NBCUniversal For Racism On ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’
Yesterday on Wednesday the 19th of April, NeNe Leakes filed a lawsuit in an Atlanta federal court saying that the companies “that produced ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta’ oversaw a hostile and racist workplace”. According to the Associated Press, the star, aged 54, is suing the executive producer Andy Cohen, Bravo, NBCUniversal, True Entertainment, and Truly Original, as well as executives from the company.
NeNe Leakes reported hearing racist remarks from “white RHOA co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann, 43, to higher-ups with the companies, and faced professional repercussions as a result”.
She was a regular on the show through to the seventh season, after which she became a part-time cast member in the seventh season, returning as a regular from the 10th to the 12th season.
New Mexico Workplace Safety Regulators Issue Maximum Fine Of $139,793 To ‘Rust’ Film Production Company
During the production of the film ‘Rust’ there was an incident involving Alec Baldwin firing a round with a revolver that had not been safety checked. He accidentally shot dead a cinematographer called Halyna Hutchins in October 2021, when filming was only a few weeks underway.
Executive producers have now been fined with a maximum of $136,793. Alec Baldwin, who was also a producer, stated that he was involved in the casting and scripting but not the safety procedures. He also further claimed that “he did not pull the trigger of the gun that fired, and that it went off by accident in his hand”.
He said, “We are grateful to the New Mexico Occupational and Safety Bureau for investigating this matter. We appreciate that the report exonerates Mr. Baldwin by making clear that he believed the gun held only dummy rounds. Additionally, the report recognizes that Mr. Baldwin’s authority on the production was limited to approving script changes and creative casting. Mr. Baldwin had no authority over the matters that were the subject of the Bureau’s findings of violations, and we are pleased that the New Mexico officials have clarified these critical issues. We are confident that the individuals identified in the report will be held accountable for this tragedy.”
This fine comes after a six-month investigation by the bureau into the situation leading up to the shooting on the 21st of October.
Zambian Student Arrested In Russia On “Nazism” Charges For Twerking At War Memorial
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