Latest news with #Mathew
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles realised she would be a superstar after school talent show performance
Beyonce's father Mathew Knowles realised that his daughter had what it takes to become a music star at a school talent show. The 73-year-old record executive managed the 'Crazy In Love' singer during her time in Destiny's Child and at the start of her solo career and recalled how he knew his daughter was destined for stardom as a primary school student. Speaking to The Sunday Times newspaper, Mathew said: "While she was getting ready to perform, Beyonce said, 'I want to hurry up and win my $100 prize and my trophy... I know I'm going to win'.... Then she got on the stage and became a different person. I knew at that time that she wanted it." Mathew considers himself to be the "best manager in history" and takes pride at overseeing Beyonce's successful early albums and providing the "road map" for her continued success. He said: "After 21 years of managing Beyonce, I smile because even now music magazines talk about her top 20 pop songs, 70 per cent of which are from her first four albums, which are the ones I was part of. "To know that I was a part of that, that I... let her understand the importance of brand development, and that 30-40 per cent of her team are people I hired 30 years ago... It makes me feel proud and grateful that I built the road map for Beyonce's success. That makes me feel good." However, Knowles does find it tiresome being labelled as 'Beyonce's dad' as he worked with plenty of other artists. He explained: "Sometimes I like to change the conversation and allow the world to see the totality of all those other amazing things that I've had the opportunity to do, which is much, much more than just Beyonce and Destiny's Child. "We don't talk about some of my other artists. I became their manager because I was qualified to be their manager." Mathew believes that his race means that he doesn't get the credit he feels he deserves for his career in music management. He said: "If I had the same success and (skin) of a different colour, then I would have gotten more attributes and accolades of being a manager and executive."
BBC News
4 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Judicial review of Environment Agency's handling of Walleys Quarry
A woman who says fumes from a landfill site near her home have shortened the life of her young son has been given permission to pursue legal action against the Currie said she had successfully applied for a judicial review into the Environment Agency's (EA) handling of the Walleys Quarry site in Silverdale, organisation served a closure notice on the site in November, which had been at the centre of numerous protests and legal action over its impact on local residents.A spokesperson for the EA said they were unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. Ms Currie previously began legal action in August 2021 over the matter but ran into a dead end after an appeal at The Supreme Court, after earlier success in the High February this year, she said problems from the landfill extended beyond a "bad smell" and that pollution from the site were still affecting her son."Mathew's consultant has again reported that the pollution from Walleys Quarry is shortening Mathew's life - it's killing him," she EA has previously said its decision to issue a closure notice demonstrated its "commitment" to the local community. Ms Currie said Mathew was doing "really, really well" up until about January, but the emissions worsened and he worsened, meaning he had to be put back on antibiotics three times a week."It angers me. I'm angry. I'm really frustrated. The simple fact is, if the EA had [closed the site] four years ago, people in our community would've had four years of cleaner air."I just want somebody held accountable for what [the EA] have allowed the people who run the landfill to do."Somebody has got to be held accountable for what they've done." 'Levels underreported' Mathew was born prematurely at 26 weeks with a chronic lung disease and needed oxygen support for 19 months. In 2021 his doctor told the High Court that the landfill emissions were preventing his recovery and he risked developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the August, the EA revealed that its pollution detectors had been underreporting levels of hydrogen sulphide at Walleys Quarry as they had been incorrectly the time, documents showed levels in some parts of the site were exceeding guideline levels and warned those living nearby could experience headaches, nausea, dizziness, watery eyes, stuffy noses, irritated throats, coughs or wheezes, sleep problems and who had health conditions that affect breathing, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), may experience a worsening of their symptoms, it said. Speaking this week, Ms Currie said she was not seeking financial compensation."You can put £1m in front of me or my son's health, that hasn't even entered my mind. My son shouldn't be this poorly," she said.A judicial review involves a judge assessing the procedures used by public bodies to come to a will not judge whether the EA's decisions were right or wrong, but simply the lawfulness of the process used. During a public meeting in March, bosses said they were now using discretionary powers to manage the site, paid for with a £2.6m fund that it previously secured from the operator - Walleys Quarry Ltd - as part of its landfill permit Quarry Ltd went bust at the end of February, with the site falling to The Crown came after an failed bid by the firm against the EA closure notice. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Hindu
5 days ago
- The Hindu
Delay in filing FIR in shipwreck case will hurt State's interest, says maritime law expert
Delay in registering an FIR in connection with the sinking of the container vessel MSC ELSA 3 will harm the interests of the State, maritime law expert V.J. Mathew has said. Mr. Mathew, vice-president of the Indian Maritime Law Association and former chairman of the Kerala Maritime Board, says for any meaningful investigation to take place into the accident, the police have to first register an FIR. According to him, the question of jurisdiction does not arise in this case as a notification issued by the Union government in June 2016 gives one police station in each coastal State jurisdiction extending to the exclusive economic zone (200 nautical miles) for investigating offences. The Fort Kochi coastal police station is the designated station for Kerala and it can register an FIR in this instance, he told The Hindu. Relevant Sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, dealing with rash and negligent navigation and acts endangering life and personal safety, the Environmental Protection Act, and the Merchant Shipping Act can be invoked in this instance. While the State government has designated the shipwreck a State-specific disaster considering its socio-economic and ecological implications, Mr. Mathew says that, in reality, all costs on account of the accident and its consequences must be recovered from the owner of the vessel. Such expenses will include the cost of organising clean-ups, removal of the drifting and beached containers, and the compensation to fishers whose livelihood has been affected. The Navy and the Coast Guard also have spent public money on the rescue effort which has to be recovered, he says. 'It is not a natural disaster. The Mercantile Marine Department has pointed to technical and operational defects,' he pointed out. He also underlined the need to make public the cargo manifest of the vessel in the interests of transparency and public safety.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Assisted dying vote 'on a knife-edge' as another MP now says they'll vote against new laws - despite previously backing Kim Leadbeater's Bill
Another MP who previously backed assisted dying laws has now said they will vote against the legislation when it returns to the House of Commons. In a recent letter to a constituent, seen by MailOnline, Liberal Democrat MP Brian Mathew wrote that he was 'minded to vote against the Bill' at its third reading. He added that several of his concerns about the legislation had so far been 'inadequately answered'. This included his worry that those who are terminally ill might apply to end their lives because they feel a 'burden' on their families. Dr Mathew, MP for Melksham and Devizes, is among more than 15 MPs to have altered their stance on assisted dying laws since an initial Commons vote. Opponents of the Bill have said there is now a high chance of the Bill being defeated in a 'knife-edge' Commons vote next month. An analysis by campaigners has revealed that only two more MPs will need to move from backing the Bill to voting against it for the legislation to fall at its third reading. At the end of November last year, the Commons backed the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill by 330 votes to 275, a majority of 55 votes. The Bill, being spearheaded by Labour's Kim Leadbeater, aims to allow terminally ill adults in England and Wales - with less than six months to live - to legally end their lives. Despite it initially winning MPs' support, opponents of the legislation claim momentum has now moved against the Bill as it continues its passage through Parliament. The Bill's third reading is expected to be held on either 13 or 20 June, when the Commons will decide whether to approve or reject the overall Bill and whether to send it on to the House of Lords. Lord Stewart Jackson, the former Tory MP and an opponent of the Bill, said: 'It does feel like things have changed in regards to the Leadbeater Bill. 'There is now a steady stream of MPs flipping against the Bill and, if this continues, it looks like it will be a knife-edge vote next month.' Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell said the analysis 'corresponds with the conversations I've been having with many colleagues who voted for the Bill at second reading but are now having doubts'. 'Momentum is against Leadbeater's Bill and there is every reason to believe we can defeat it at third reading,' the Romford MP added. According to the analysis, nine MPs who previously backed the Bill in November have since withdrawn their support - including eight who will now actively vote against it. A further six MPs who did not vote in November have now said they will vote against the Bill, while there are two MPs who voted for the Bill in November but are now undecided. In his letter to a constituent, Dr Mathew said he was sharing his position on the Bill after 'months of conversations with constituents, campaigners, friends, family members and colleagues, as well as deep, personal reflection'. He said: 'At the second reading in November, I voted in favour of progressing the bill as I felt that the committee should have the time and opportunity to scrutinise and improve the Bill. 'Coming to the third reading, I am minded to vote against the Bill, as I have several concerns I feel have been inadequately answered by the report stage, which is when the Bill is re-considered in the House of Commons following the work of the committee stage. 'Although the Bill's proposers and the committee have done an impressive piece of technical work, and I am grateful that my suggestion of the inclusion of a social worker has been adopted, I still find myself asking whether this is enough? 'I share the concerns of many constituents that individuals facing terminal illness will take the decision based on concerns that they have become a burden upon their family. 'This is a serious concern for me; I worry that in someone's final days, this question will loom heavy when it does not need to. 'The intimate setting of bedside care should be a time to be surrounded by loved ones, but this bill risks inviting interference of the judicial process into the delicate and pressing needs of the end of life where many, who will be unlikely to have considered assisted dying, may now face worries from it. 'Additionally, we must be honest, the current state of end-of-life care cannot be described as optimal. 'The provision of hospices across our country is patchy at best, which means that for some, an assisted death might be seen as the preferred option, not as a last resort to be used when palliative care cannot alleviate pain.' Dr Mathew added that a 'properly supported palliative care system much of the problem that this Bill seeks to deal with goes away'.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
Two men spend five months in jail after police mistake rock sugar for MDMA
A new job opportunity turned into a harrowing five-month ordeal for two men, who were wrongfully jailed on charge of possessing MDMA, only to be released after a test report revealed that the seized substance was rock sugar. Manikandan, 46, of Kannur and Biju Mathew of Kolichal in Kasaragod, were arrested on November 26, 2024, by the Nadakavu police in Kozhikode. Officers with the District Anti-Narcotic Special Action Force (DANSAF) allegedly found 58 grams of white powder in Mr. Manikandan's pocket and assumed that it was MDMA. Despite their claims that the powder was only rock sugar, the two were booked and remanded. With the chemical report pending, their pleas for bail were rejected. It was only on the 151st day of remand that the chemical analysis confirmed what they had maintained all along — the substance was not a narcotic. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Mathew described the experience as a nightmare that has scarred him for life. 'Those days in jail felt endless. I kept thinking of my mother, who was all alone,' he said. 'A nightmare' Mr. Mathew said he and Mr. Manikandan, both drivers and friends for long, had met at the Kanhangad railway station on November 24 and travelled to Kozhikode to pursue a job opening. 'We rented a room and had liquor with rock sugar as as side dish. When we went downstairs for dinner, the DANSAF team surrounded us and took us into custody,' he said. 'They found the rock sugar in Manikandan's pocket. They refused to listen to us and insisted that it was MDMA.' he said. Only months later did the forensic laboratory's report prove their innocence, prompting the Vadakara NDPS court to order their release. However, exoneration has brought little comfort. 'People treated us like criminals. My relatives refused to speak to me,' Mr. Mathew said. With no job and no income, and severe emotional damage to boot, his life after release has been difficult and he has chosen to tell the story so as to clear his name. When asked about legal action against the officials who falsely implicated him, he said he did not have the means to fight a case. 'But I want people to know the truth.' Attempts to contact Mr. Manikandan were met with silence. But Mr. Mathew said his friend suffered just as much. 'His daughter had to stop her nursing studies since they could not pay her fee while he was in jail,' he said. DANSAF version A senior DANSAF officer, on condition of anonymity, said the duo were arrested based on credible intelligence. 'According to our sources, they came to Kozhikode to purchase MDMA, but were duped and were sold rock sugar instead,' the officer said. He claimed the duo admitted to this during interrogation. 'Once the lab results were out, they changed their version of events,' the officer added.
