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PEOPLE & ARTS Friday 26 July 2019

Rapper A$AP Rocky charged with assault over fight in Sweden

By DAVID KEYTON are some of the celebri-
Associated Press ties who have publicly ex-
STOCKHOLM (AP) — A pressed support for Rocky.
Swedish prosecutor on The artist has collaborated
Thursday charged rapper with Kendrick Lamar, Cardi
A$AP Rocky with assault B, Drake and Selena Go-
over a fight in Stockholm mez.
last month, in a case that On Saturday, Trump said he
has drawn the attention of spoke with Swedish Prime
fellow recording artists as Minister Stefan Lofven
well as U.S. President Don- about A$AP Rocky and “of-
ald Trump. fered to personally vouch
Rocky, a platinum-selling, for his bail,” something
Grammy-nominated artist that is not available under
whose real name is Rakim Swedish law. Urged on by
Mayers, has been in cus- the first lady and celebrities
tody since July 3 as authori- including Kanye West and
ties investigate a fight he Kim Kardashian West, the
was allegedly involved in president had said in a Fri-
on June 30 before appear- day tweet that he would in-
ing at a music festival. tervene to try to free Rocky.
Prosecutor Daniel Suneson Lofven’s press secretary,
said in a statement that he Toni Eriksson, later said
filed charges against the that the two leaders had
artist and two others “sus- a “friendly and respect-
pected of assault causing This Feb. 9, 2019 file photo shows A$AP Rocky at Pre-Grammy Gala And Salute To Industry Icons ful” conversation in which
actual bodily harm, hav- in Beverly Hills, Calif. Lofven “made certain to
ing come to the conclusion Associated Press emphasize the complete
that the events in question media appear to show internet,” he said. “In addi- A counter-allegation was independence of the
constitute a crime and de- a person being violently tion to video material, the made by the artist’s body- Swedish judicial system,
spite claims of self-defense thrown onto the ground injured party’s statements guard against one of the prosecutors and courts”
and provocation.” by Rocky, 30. The rapper have been supported by alleged victims, but that and stressed that the gov-
The prosecutor has recom- asserts that it was self-de- witness statements.” case was closed earlier this ernment cannot and will
mended that the Stock- fense. Suneson added that there week, the prosecutor said. not attempt to influence
holm District Court set aside Suneson said that he con- were initially two injured Defense lawyer Jovicic the legal proceedings.
three days for the trial, cluded otherwise after parties in the case, but the said “Rakim Mayers feels “There’s been a lot of sup-
which defense lawyer Slo- studying videos available allegations concerning that he acted in self-de- port from a lot of different
bodan Jovicic said is ex- to investigators. one of them were dropped fense, he is claiming that people, and Rakim May-
pected to start on Tuesday. “It is worth noting that I due to “insufficient sup- he is innocent, and in that ers is of course very thank-
The charges can carry a have had access to a porting evidence” and the perspective he of course is ful for everybody that has
maximum sentence of two greater amount of material charges relate to only one very sad.” reached out,” Jovicic said.
years in prison. than that which has previ- alleged victim. That person Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jus- He added that “it’s been a
Videos published on social ously been available on the has not been identified. tin Bieber and Kris Jenner very hard time for him.” q

Air-board inventor makes it more than halfway across Channel

By JEFFREY SCHAEFFER power pack full of kero- Zapata winced as he de-
Associated Press sene, he planned to re- scribed the “disaster.” He
SANGATTE, France (AP) — fuel from a boat partway said his helmet filled with
Looking like a superhero, across. water and he struggled for
the French inventor of an “I felt really great. It’s just breath. But he came away
airborne hoverboard glid- fantastic,” Zapata told re- from the rescue by French
ed partway over the English porters later of the experi- divers with just a scratch on
Channel on his personal fly- ence. “I was flying. It was his arm.
ing machine then crashed like a dream.” Zapata wowed crowds in
in the sea Thursday. Reaching speeds up to 177 Paris on Bastille Day, whirl-
Unharmed and unde- kilometers per hour (110 ing over European leaders
terred, 40-year-old Franky mph), he traveled some 20 on his flying hoverboard.
Zapata said he plans to try kilometers (12 miles), more But crossing the windy, ship-
again. than halfway to the English filled Channel was a much
Perhaps within days. shore. That’s farther than bigger challenge.
The inventor collided with Franky Zapata, a 40-year-old inventor, takes to the air in he had ever traveled on his He scheduled Thursday’s
a refueling boat just a few Sangatte, Northern France, at the start of his attempt to cross the air-board. flight to coincide with the
hours into his flight, destroy- channel from France to England Thursday July 25, 2019. But as he descended for a 110th anniversary of the first
ing his transportation, a Associated Press refueling stop on a boat, flight across the Channel,
homemade version of the said, “We won’t give up un- was skateboarding on the the platform he was meant by French aviator Louis Ble-
Flyboard his company sells til we succeed.” sky. to land on was moving riot on July 25, 1909 — who
commercially. Zapata took off to cross the He hoped to travel 36 kilo- too much from waves. He also left from Sangatte. The
After being rescued from Channel from the French meters (22.4 miles) to the wasn’t able to grab onto beach where Zapata took
the Channel’s choppy wa- coastal town of Sangatte. Dover area in southeast it, and he plunged into the off Thursday bears Bleriot’s
ters, Zapata smiled and From afar, it looked like he England. Propelled by a sea. name. q