List of All Articles with Tag 'b'

Young Thug's attorney said his moniker actually stands for "Truly Humble Under God" whilst defending him in his RICO trial. "Most people think about a thug as a criminal, but to Jeffery, 'thug' had a different meaning," said lawyer Brian Steel in an Atlanta court on Thursday. Steel said that Young Thug, whose real name is Jeffery Lamar Williams, wanted to break his community out of poverty and an "endless cycle of hopelessness," and that if he achieved his goal, he would be "Truly Humble Under God." "That's what 'thug' means," said Steel, who also alluded to Tupac Shakir saying "Thug Life" was an acronym for denouncing hate. Williams has been charged with cofounding and running an Atlanta street gang called Young Slime Life by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Young Slime Life shares an acronym with Williams' record label Young Stoner Life. Other claims made during his opening statement included Steel saying that the gang call themselves YSL "because the pants, tight-fitting pants, the women's pants that they're wearing it says YSL, Yves Saint Laurent. That's where it comes from." Another argument made by Steel was that 'pushing P', the title of a song featuring Young Thug, was short for "pushing positivity." Prosecutors had accused Williams of flashing a gang sign in a photo online, but Steel claimed he was simply forming a 'P' with his fingers. "It means, in any circumstance you're in, if you think positively about something, you can make it through. You're pushing positivity," said Steel. Steel's main argument is that prosecutors had misrepresented evidence, and that it makes no sense for Williams to be running a street gang whilst already being a successful rapper." "He's not sitting there telling people to kill people. He doesn't need their money," Steel said. Prosecutors are accusing Williams and 27 other individuals of racketeering, murder, assault, theft, and drug possession. Alleging, Williams to be at the centre of it, with gang members seeking his permission to kill another rapper. Steel has said Williams was wrongly charged on all accounts. A RICO conviction can lead to a prison sentence of up to 20 years. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

The Premier League have hit back at Andy Burnham’s claims that they are guilty of “regulatory malpractice” and “abuse of process” by deducting Everton 10 points, insisting that they “entirely refuted his allegations.” Burnham – the mayor of Greater Manchester and an Everton season-ticket holder – last week wrote an open letter to Premier League chair Alison Brittain in which he said there had not been a fair process when enforcing the deduction. Everton were deemed to have breached Profit and Sustainability Rules by an independent commission, which determined they had losses of £124.5m over three years – £19.5m over the permitted threshold. But Burnham, a former Secretary of State for Health, was critical of the Premier League for adopting a sanctions policy in August, after Everton had been charged and before their case was heard. “The fact that the Premier League sought to introduce a new sanctions policy in the middle of this process amounts, in my view, to an abuse of process,” he wrote. “It could be argued that the Premier League handing a new penalty regime to the commission in this way is akin to the Government handing new sentencing guidelines to a judge in the middle of a trial. Any right-minded person would see that as an inappropriate attempt to influence the process.” However, The Telegraph and The Daily Mirror are reporting that Brittain has written a three-page letter in response to Burnham that lays out the organisation’s process around the decision and refutes all allegations of impropriety. She explained that the Premier League do not have a set sanction in place because a fixed penalty would hinder the ability of the independent panel to display any discretion or take mitigating circumstances into consideration. And she claims that having no fixed sanction actually provided a greater threat. Brittain went on to say that a commission hearing a case independently invites submissions from both sides on appropriate sanctions and added that Premier League clubs were asked about the potential introduction of a fixed set of sanctions in 2020 but the consensus feedback among the 20 at the time – Everton included – was not to impose any. The two major offences for which the Premier League does have fixed sanctions are a nine-point deduction for clubs entering administration and a 30-point deduction for clubs seeking to join an unsanctioned competition – a la the European Super League plans in 2021. Brittain also detailed that the Premier League worked closely with Everton during the period of the club’s breach and that they ignored clear warnings over their spending, opting not to stop buying players that put them in breach of profit and sustainability rules. Burnham insisted that his open letter was in his capacity as an Everton season-ticket holder, rather than a politician, while he has also claimed that Sky Sports pulled an interview with him ahead of the Toffees’ clash with Manchester United on Sunday. Sky responded to that complaint by insisting they have presented a balanced view of the situation throughout and the Premier League confirmed they have not requested any interview to be pulled. Everton have announced plans to appeal against the 10-point deduction and wider verdict, which they have called “wholly unjust”. Read More Defender Manuel Akanji admits Man City made ‘a lot of mistakes’ against Leipzig Rodrigo Bentancur set to be out until February after tearing an ankle ligament Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants aspiring black managers to get ‘a fair chance’ Former Sheffield United and Everton defender Phil Jagielka announces retirement VAR costing ‘livelihoods and reputations’ fumes Wolves boss after latest problems What is VAR, how does it work and what are the biggest problems?

Stormzy will be among the big-name stars at the Boardmasters festival in 2024.

Nigeria will spend at least six times more on servicing its debt next year than on building new

A new poll in Ukraine showed that two fifths of respondents back joining NATO even if it means

The Lakers have been heavily linked with Zach LaVine and one insider is saying the Bulls already have a trade return in mind.

With Frank Reich joining Josh McDaniels in the unemployment line, one NFL insider believes that Brandon Staley could be next. Barring some miracle down the stretch, Staley is likely out with the Los Angeles Chargers.

To get OG Black Widow in Fortnite, players must purchase the skin from the Item Shop for 1,500 V-Bucks before it leaves Fortnite on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. ET.

Aaron Rodgers could actually return to the field sooner than we think

A company that caters to the Hollywood private-jet set is tapping the municipal market to help it expand

From James Baldwin to Gertrude Stein and beyond, literature’s most celebrated authors have faced stinging and ruthless rejections.

Cigna Group and Humana Inc. are in talks to merge in a cash and stock deal that would