BET Awards open with Kevin Hart poking fun at honourees and star-packed performances. LOS ANGELES — Grammy winner Doechii turned her BET Awards moment into a powerful call for justice, using the stage to highlight the immigration raids and protest crackdowns happening just miles from where the ceremony is taking place in Los Angeles.

After being named best female hip-hop artist -- her first-ever BET Award -- Doechii acknowledged her fellow nominees, then shifted the spotlight to the issues unfolding outside the venue.

“There are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities in the name of law and order,” said Doechii, who won a Grammy for best rap album, only the third woman to win in that category.

“Trump is using military forces to stop a protest,” she said. “I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?”

Doechii’s words drew applause from the audience at the Peacock Theater, where the awards airing live.

“People are being swept up and torn from their families,” she continued. “I feel like it’s my responsibility as an artist to use this moment to speak up for all oppressed people. We all deserve to live in hope and not fear. I hope we stand together.”

#American singer Kelis on her decision to move to #Kenya and buying 300 acres in Naivasha

#McIntosh sets Canadian record in 800M #freestyle. Two #Canadian #Olympic medallists went head-to-head in a nail-biting 100-metre butterfly race, while Summer McIntosh of Toronto set a Canadian record in the 800-metre freestyle on Sunday at the Bell Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria.

Ilya Kharun of Montreal and Josh Liendo of Toronto squared off in the same race that saw them share a podium at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Kharun won in a personal best time of 50.37 seconds, touching the wall .09 ahead of Liendo. Both were well under the AQUA A qualifying time of 51.77 for this summer’s world championships in Singapore.

The 20-year-old Kharun was happy with the win but sees room for improvement.

“There’s definitely some tweaks I can improve on,” said Kharun. “I know it’s not perfect yet. There’s some things we’ve got to work on.” Liendo took silver in Paris, and Kharun the bronze. It was the first time two Canadian men stood on the Olympic podium together and first double podium for Swimming Canada since 1976 (Cheryl Gibson, Becky Smith — silver and bronze 400IM).

McIntosh had a sellout crowd on its feet at Saanich Commonwealth Place cheering as she swam the 800 metres in 8:05.07. That shaved almost five seconds off her own Canadian record and was the third-fastest time ever, 0.95 of a second off the world record American legend Katie Ledecky set in May.

“I’m always hoping to break records and push the boundaries of sport,” said the 18-year-old, who set a world record in the 400-metre freestyle on Saturday’s opening night.

“I’m always trying to be faster and faster. That just gives me more fuel to the fire.”

Para swimmer Nicholas Bennett won his second event of the trials. The S14 swimmer with the Red Deer Catalina Swim Club won the men’s 200-m multi-class freestyle event in 1:54.44. He earned a silver medal in the same race at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

“It was really good,” said the 21-year-old from nearby Parksville, B.C., who won the men’s 100-m multi-class breaststroke Saturday. “We’re right where we want to be.”

Connie Ferguson returns to screens in the long-awaited third season of Kings of Jo’burg later this week.

South Africa’s Zakithi Nene just missed out on victory in a men’s 400m thriller of a race against American Olympic champion Quincy Hall at the Diamond League meeting in Rome on Friday night.

Leah Remini sets the record straight about her friendship with Jennifer Lopez

Popular Nollywood actress, Biola Bayo has announced her separation from her husband, Oluseyi, revealing that they have been apart since April 2024.

Mongiwa Hazel Ntuli’s incredible journey has captured the hearts of many, sparking admiration, inspiration, and much-needed doses of humour from social media users.

Zion Williamson sued by a woman alleging the Pelicans star committed sexual violence against her

Taylor Swift announces that she now owns her entire catalogue of music. Taylor Swift is now the proud owner of her entire catalogue of music, roughly six years after she protested the sale of her master recordings by her former record label.

Swift announced the news in a letter posted to her website Friday, writing that “all of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”

The Grammy-winner specified that she owns all her music videos, concert films, album art and photography, along with unreleased songs. She purchased her music “outright with no strings attached, no partnership, full autonomy,” from Shamrock Capital, a private equity company that had acquired her master recordings.

“To say this is my greatest dream come true is actually being pretty reserved about it,” Swift wrote, adding that she was able to “buy back” her music from Shamrock following the success of the Eras Tour. Swift went on to credit her supporters for making her record-breaking tour so much of a success, writing, “I can’t thank you enough for helping to reunite me with this art that I have dedicated my life to, but have never owned until now.”

Swift also thanked Shamrock Capital “for being the first people” to offer her the opportunity to buy back her music, describing her business dealings with the company “honest, fair, and respectful.”

“This was a business deal to them but I really felt like they saw it for what it was to me: My memories and my sweat and my handwriting and my decades of dreams,” she wrote.

The sale of the master recordings of Swift’s first six albums to producer Scooter Braun and Shamrock Capital in 2019 sparked the singer to take back ownership of her music in her own way by pledging to re-record those six albums after negotiations to buy her music back from Braun at the time failed.

CNN has reached out to Brawn and Shamrock Capital for comment.
Taylor’s Version

Swift went on to release what she called “Taylor’s Version” albums for “Red,” “Speak Now,” “Fearless” and “1989.” With each “Taylor’s Version” album, she’s included a number of previously unreleased songs coined “from the vault.”

Until now, many so-called Swifties had expected her to at some point release 2018’s “Reputation” album and her 2006 self-titled debut album “Taylor Swift.” Swift provided an update on the status of those two re-records in her announcement Friday, writing that she hasn’t yet finished re-recording the entire “Reputation” album but that the re-recording of her debut album is complete.

Swift wrote in her letter that maybe one day “those 2 albums can still have their moments to re-emerge when the time is right,” only if that’s something her supporters “would be excited about.”

“But if it happens,” she added, “it won’t be from a place of sadness or longing for what I wish I could have. It will just be a celebration now.”