Nike has postponed the release of its latest shoe collaboration with Travis Scott after a deadly crowd rush at the rapper's Astroworld Festival on November 5 left 10 people dead.
“Out of respect for everyone impacted by the tragic events at the Astroworld Festival, we are postponing the launch of the Air Max 1 x Cactus Jack,” Nike said in an email to users of its SNKRS app on Monday.
The brand had been hyping the shoe drop, a limited-edition line scheduled for December 16, for months. Scott's collaboration with the brand, which began in 2017, is hugely successful, often selling out in minutes.
The latest release is part of a collection of five scheduled drops, with one design made available days prior to the Astroworld Festival. The annual event in Houston, run by Scott, is named after his 2018 album of the same name.
Astroworld tragedy
On Sunday, Ezra Blount, 9, became the 10th fatality of the tragedy. The young fan sustained severe injuries and was placed in a medically induced coma as doctors tried to save his life.
Treston Blount, Ezra’s father, who attended the event with him, described what happened on the day in a post on a GoFundMe page that he set up to help pay Ezra’s medical expenses.
He said Ezra was sitting on his shoulders when a crowd surge crushed them. The father lost consciousness and when he came to, Ezra was missing, Blount said. A frantic search ensued until Ezra was eventually found at the hospital, severely injured.
The child incurred severe damage to his brain, kidney, and liver after being “kicked, stepped on, and trampled, and nearly crushed to death,” according to a lawsuit his family has filed against Scott and the event’s organiser, Live Nation. The Blount family is seeking at least $1 million in damages.
The others who died ranged in age from 14 to 27. About 300 people were treated at the festival site and 13 were hospitalised.
Houston police and fire department investigators have said they are reviewing surveillance video provided by Live Nation, as well as dozens of clips people at the show widely shared on social media. Investigators also planned to speak with Live Nation representatives, Scott and concertgoers. Scott and the event organisers are now the focus of a criminal investigation.
Prominent US lawyer Ben Crump on Friday said he and affiliated lawyers had filed 93 lawsuits against concert promoter Live Nation; ScoreMore, a Texas concert group; ASM Global, an international venue group; and others including Scott and fellow singer Drake, who took to the stage in the final 15 minutes of the concert, well after authorities had declared an emergency.
"We're not going to let anybody off the hook," said Crump, who has represented the family of George Floyd and a number of other African-Americans killed by police.
“Nobody should ever die from going to a concert. So this lawsuit is not just about getting justice for them, but it's about making sure that the promoters and the organisers know that you cannot allow this to ever happen in the future.”
– Additional reporting by AP
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Real Madrid 1
Ronaldo (87')
Athletic Bilbao 1
Williams (14')
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
Women’s World T20, Asia Qualifier
UAE results
Beat China by 16 runs
Lost to Thailand by 10 wickets
Beat Nepal by five runs
Beat Hong Kong by eight wickets
Beat Malaysia by 34 runs
Standings (P, W, l, NR, points)
1. Thailand 5 4 0 1 9
2. UAE 5 4 1 0 8
3. Nepal 5 2 1 2 6
4. Hong Kong 5 2 2 1 5
5. Malaysia 5 1 4 0 2
6. China 5 0 5 0 0
Final
Thailand v UAE, Monday, 7am
