SwiZZ beAtZ ANd AliciA keYS in the motherlandHip-hop couple Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz visited South Africa, where she had performed at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. The couple, at the news of their engagement and Keys’s pregnancy, had a Zulu blessing in Durban for their unborn child. The blessing was given as a thank-you for the charitable work Keys has put into helping abused children. The pair both wore traditional dress and sang under a fig tree, which is known locally as a “healing tree”, for good fortune and health.

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60% of uS voters lack faith in bArAck obAmA A worrying 60% of US voters say their confidence in President Barack Obama has decreased, a public opinion poll recently revealed. Just 18 months ago, a similar percentage of people expressed their trust in his decision-making, but the turn in opinion appears to have come about due to some of the economic issues that appear unchanged, such as slow job growth and existing problems in housing, according to The Washington Post.

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leoNA’S eX-fActor heArtAcheSongstress Leona Lewis has split with her boyfriend of over ten years, Lou Al-Chamaa. The 2006 X Factor winner has always insisted the pair had a normal relationship; however, it seems the pressure that comes with stardom has put a strain between the two. Lewis recently performed at the O2 Arena, London, with beau Lou nowhere to be seen. Lewis has been residing in between the States and the UK, so it’s no surprise their romance was affected. Cheer up, Leona – we hope the break-up doesn’t make her heart bleed too much and that she will continue to make great music.

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Songstress Leona Lewis has

weSleY SNiPeS to serve three years in a uS jail Actor Wesley Snipes’s appeal against a three-year sentence for tax evasion has been declined. The Blade star was found guilty of failing to file tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service, after earning more than $37m. Sentenced in May, he later appealed the court’s decision. In June, Snipes spoke to Pride about the possibility of going to jail, saying, “What’s new? I am a black man in America. There’s nothing new about that.” We hope the popular actor keeps his spirits up, as he is due to begin his prison stay soon.

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