Lawsuit Filed over Hit-and-Run Death of Nicki Minaj’s Father

Nicki Minaj. (AP)
Nicki Minaj. (AP)
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Lawsuit Filed over Hit-and-Run Death of Nicki Minaj’s Father

Nicki Minaj. (AP)
Nicki Minaj. (AP)

Rapper Nicki Minaj’s mother, Carol Maraj, has filed a $150 million lawsuit against the man who is accused of killing Minaj’s father in a hit-and-run crash last month, an attorney for Maraj said.

Charles Polevich, 70, is accused of striking Robert Maraj, 64, on Long Island on Feb. 12 and then driving off without calling 911. Maraj died at a hospital the next day.

Polevich was arrested on Feb. 17 on charges of leaving the scene of an incident and tampering with physical evidence. He pleaded not guilty and was freed on bail and ordered not to leave New York state.

Newsday reports that Carol Maraj’s lawsuit, filed in Nassau County state Supreme Court earlier this month, claims that Polevich was negligent, reckless and careless when he hit Maraj with his car and allegedly left him at the scene.

“He was not only irresponsible and negligent, but more concerned about running away and hiding than seeking help,” Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing Carol Maraj, said in an Instagram post Friday.

A telephone message was left Sunday with Polevich’s attorney, listed in online court records as Marc Gann of Mineola.

Nicki Minaj, who was born Onika Tanya Maraj, has not made any public statement on her father’s death.

Carol Maraj, the victim’s estranged wife, told Newsday last month that she was “very, very, very happy” about Polevich’s arrest and said all of Maraj’s children “are pleased” that the alleged culprit was caught.



Spotify Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Shows

FILE PHOTO: Headphones are seen in front of a logo of online music streaming service Spotify, February 18, 2014 REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Headphones are seen in front of a logo of online music streaming service Spotify, February 18, 2014 REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
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Spotify Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Shows

FILE PHOTO: Headphones are seen in front of a logo of online music streaming service Spotify, February 18, 2014 REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Headphones are seen in front of a logo of online music streaming service Spotify, February 18, 2014 REUTERS/Christian Hartmann/File Photo

Music streaming platform Spotify was down for thousands of users on Monday, according to Downdetector.com.

There were more than 30,000 reports of issues with the platform in the US as of 09:22 a.m. ET, according to Downdetector, which tracks outages by collating status reports from a number of sources, Reuters reported.

Outages were reported in Canada with more than 2,900 reports at 9:22 a.m. ET; UK had more than 8,800 app issues as of 9:22 a.m. ET.

Spotify did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

The actual number of affected users may differ from what's shown because these reports are user-submitted.


Netflix Says its Position on Deal with Warner Bros Discovery Unchanged

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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Netflix Says its Position on Deal with Warner Bros Discovery Unchanged

FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Netflix logo is pictured in Los Angeles, California, US, September 15, 2022. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Netflix's decision to acquire assets from Warner Bros Discovery has not changed and the hostile bid from Paramount Skydance was "entirely expected", its co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos said in a letter to employees on Monday, Reuters reported.

The streaming giant is committed to theatrical releases of Warner Bros' movies, saying it is "an important part of their business and legacy".

"We haven't prioritized theatrical in the past because that wasn't our business at Netflix. When this deal closes, we will be in that business," the letter stated.

Netflix said its deal is "solid" and it is confident that it is great for consumers and can pass regulatory hurdles.


35 Countries to Compete in Next Year’s Eurovision After 5 Countries Announce Boycott over Israel 

Nemo of Switzerland celebrates holding the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP)
Nemo of Switzerland celebrates holding the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP)
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35 Countries to Compete in Next Year’s Eurovision After 5 Countries Announce Boycott over Israel 

Nemo of Switzerland celebrates holding the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP)
Nemo of Switzerland celebrates holding the trophy after winning the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, Sunday, May 12, 2024. (AP)

Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest on Monday announced a final list of 35 countries that will take part in the glitzy pop-music gala next year, after five countries said they would boycott due to discord over Israel’s participation.

Contest organizers announced the list for the 2026 finale, set to be held in Vienna in May, after five participants — Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain — earlier this month announced plans to sit it out.

A total of 37 countries took part this year, when Austria's JJ won. Three countries — Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania — will return, after skipping the event for artistic or financial reasons in recent years.

The walkout by some of the contest's most stalwart and high-profile participants — Ireland shared the record of wins with Sweden — put political discord on center stage and has overshadowed the joyful, feel-good nature of the event.

Last week, the 2024 winner — singer Nemo of Switzerland. who won with the pop-operatic ode “The Code.”— announced plans to return the winner’s trophy because Israel is being allowed to compete.

Organizers this month decided to allow Israel to compete, despite protests about its conduct of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and allegations that Israel manipulated the vote in favor of its contestants.

The European Broadcasting Union, a group of public broadcasters from 56 countries that runs the glitzy annual event, had sought to dispel concerns about vote-rigging, but the reforms announced weren't enough to satisfy the holdouts.

The musical extravaganza draws more than 100 million viewers every year — one of the world's most-watched programs — but has been roiled by the war in Gaza for the past two years, stirring protests outside the venues and forcing organizers to clamp down on political flag-waving.

Experts say the boycott ahead of the event's 70th anniversary amounts to one of the biggest crises the contest has faced, at a time when many public broadcasters face funding pressures and social media has lured away some eyeballs.

Israeli officials have hailed the decision by most EBU member broadcasters who supported its right to participate and warned of a threat to freedom of expression by embroiling musicians in a political issue.