DUBAI // Superstar rapper Snoop Dogg is being sued in the United States over claims he defrauded the Lebanese promoter who brought him to Abu Dhabi last year.
The Young, Wild and Free rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, appeared at Yas Arena on May 6 last year in a concert organised by Flash Entertainment and attended by thousands of people.
Roger Kalaouz of Roger Kalaouz and Associates (RKA) claims he made Snoop's appearance in the UAE possible but did not receive his pre-negotiated payment for doing so.
"RKA entered into negotiations with concert promoters in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other countries in the region to schedule concerts in the Middle East," the company said in its claim, filed at a US District Court in California on April 26.
The claim says RKA's efforts on Snoop's behalf made the concert possible but "Snoop failed and refused to pay RKA the consulting fees it was entitled to".
Todd Wulffson, the lawyer representing RKA, told The National the court has yet to receive a response from Snoop Dogg and his lawyers.
"Usually after the serving of the notice a response has to be filed to court within 20 days," he said. "We are expecting a response by next week, as we have granted them two extra weeks to get their response to the court ready."
According to Mr Wulffson, both sides will argue the merits of the case before it is decided if the case will move forward.
Flash Entertainment said they were aware of a lawsuit being filed concerning the Beirut concert, but not the Abu Dhabi performance. They added that they were not involved in any way.
Apart from suing Snoop personally, RKA is also suing his company Doggy Style Music and its president Ted Chung.
Mr Kalaouz, who organised Snoop's first Middle East concert in Beirut in 2009, said he also incurred expenses promoting the latest Lebanese concert. "RKA performed all of its obligations under the agreement and incurred out-of-pocket expenses in excess of $800,000 directly related to promoting and arranging the concert," the claim read.
RKA also says Snoop "severely damaged" its reputation by being videotaped "conspicuously smoking" marijuana in a Beirut bar and failed to pay a fee when it organised his collaboration with Lebanese superstar Haifa Wehbe and Egyptian artist Tamer Hosny on two records.
All in all, Mr Kalaouz is seeking damages for breach of contract, fraud, concealment, conspiracy and false promise, unfair competition, and intentional interference with prospective economic advantage.
Snoop Dogg rose to fame after he was taken under the wing of producer Dr Dre. His debut album, 1992's Doggystyle, topped the Billboard Hot 100. The rapper has gone on to release another 10 studio albums, recorded E! reality TV series, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, and has made multiple cameo appearances on the silver screen.
While his entertainment career has enjoyed an upwards trajectory, his personal life has involved multiple arrests for a variety of misdemeanours and he was once banned from re-entering the United Kingdom and Australia after legal troubles there.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
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Need to know
The flights: Flydubai flies from Dubai to Kilimanjaro airport via Dar es Salaam from Dh1,619 return including taxes. The trip takes 8 hours.
The trek: Make sure that whatever tour company you select to climb Kilimanjaro, that it is a reputable one. The way to climb successfully would be with experienced guides and porters, from a company committed to quality, safety and an ethical approach to the mountain and its staff. Sonia Nazareth booked a VIP package through Safari Africa. The tour works out to $4,775 (Dh17,538) per person, based on a 4-person booking scheme, for 9 nights on the mountain (including one night before and after the trek at Arusha). The price includes all meals, a head guide, an assistant guide for every 2 trekkers, porters to carry the luggage, a cook and kitchen staff, a dining and mess tent, a sleeping tent set up for 2 persons, a chemical toilet and park entrance fees. The tiny ration of heated water provided for our bath in our makeshift private bathroom stall was the greatest luxury. A standard package, also based on a 4-person booking, works out to $3,050 (Dh11,202) per person.
When to go: You can climb Kili at any time of year, but the best months to ascend are January-February and September-October. Also good are July and August, if you’re tolerant of the colder weather that winter brings.
Do not underestimate the importance of kit. Even if you’re travelling at a relatively pleasant time, be geared up for the cold and the rain.
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
If you go...
Etihad flies daily from Abu Dhabi to Zurich, with fares starting from Dh2,807 return. Frequent high speed trains between Zurich and Vienna make stops at St. Anton.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Kanye%20West
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