Latest news with #Ncube
Engadget
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Engadget
Rescue African artifacts from colonizers' museums in the heist game Relooted
Relooted is a heist game about reclaiming African artifacts from the Western countries that stole them, developed by independent South African studio Nyamakop. Relooted is set in a future timeline where Western nations have signed a treaty to return plundered items to their African regions of origin, but things aren't going to plan. Western leaders are instead hiding the artifacts away in private collections, so it's up to a ragtag crew based in Johannesburg, South Africa, to strategize and steal them back. Relooted is broken into missions, and each one includes a briefing about the artifact, an infiltration planning stage, and the heist. Gameplay is a mix of puzzle and action as you case each building, set up your run, and then execute the plan. Once you grab your target artifact, the security alarms go off and you have a limited amount of time to escape, so thorough preparation is key. To view this content, you'll need to update your privacy settings. Please click here and view the "Content and social-media partners" setting to do so. In the Day of the Devs reveal video for Relooted , producer Sithe Ncube cites a wild statistic from a pivotal 2018 report on African cultural heritage, saying, "90 percent of sub-Saharan African culture heritage is in the possession of Western collections. That is millions upon millions of deeply important cultural, spiritual and personal artifacts, including human remains, that aren't in their rightful place." The locations in Relooted are fictional, but the 70 artifacts you have to steal back are real, and they're all currently in Western and private collections, far from their original homes and owners. Nyamakop is one of the largest independent games studios in sub-Saharan Africa, with about 30 developers working on Relooted right now. Its previous game, the globular platformer Semblance , was the first African-developed IP to ever come to a Nintendo console, hitting the Switch in 2018. In order to get Semblance on the Switch, Nyamakop co-founder Ben Myres had to bootstrap his way around the world, buying one-way tickets and finding new partners on the fly in a daisy chain of game festival appearances. Here's how Myres explained it to Engadget at E3 2018: "The entry curve into being an indie game developer in South Africa is like a cliff face. Because you don't have the contacts, the platform holders like Xbox, Sony. You don't have reps that live in your country. The press that matter are all here. There isn't a big enough market locally to sell to, so you have to make works to sell to the West, which means you have to go to Western shows and you have to meet Western press. So basically, if you're not traveling a ton, you're not going to be able to make it." Nyamakop has grown significantly since 2018, and Relooted is an unabashedly African game built by a majority-POC team, Myres and Ncube said in 2024. "There is the thing about making games for Africans — we say that a lot," Ncube told . "We say that should be a thing, we should make games for Africans because we're playing games that were made in the West. But will people even play those games, if you make them? And then if you make games targeting people ... even if you were to make one that's really good, there's no guarantee that you'll have a lot of people playing it. So I think there's some level of confusion, I can say, in terms of unexplored aspects of the African games market." Relooted is in development for Steam, the Epic Games Store and Xbox Series X/S, and while it doesn't yet have a firm release date, it's available to wishlist.
Scottish Sun
04-06-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
How Lamborghini-driving, champagne swilling drug gang were snared by their OWN outrageous drug-filled music videos
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DRUG dealers were snared by cops after boasting of their lavish lifestyle in music videos filled with champagne and wads of cash. Twelve members were sentenced yesterday for a combined 130 years after starring in a glitzy rap video in which they flaunted Rolex watches and posed with thick wads of cash. 6 Sporting designer clothes, the group can be seen holding wads of cash Credit: YouTube 6 They can be heard rapping about knives and brag about drug profits Credit: YouTube 6 Some of the gangsters sprayed Champagne from the roof of the Rolls Royce Credit: YouTube In the YouTube video, the designer clothes clad-gangsters can be seen spraying each other with hundred-pound bottles of Dom Peringon Champagne. Many of the members ride into the choreographed music video in a £250,000 Rolls Royce - fit with a personalised number plate - boasting about knives and drug profits. Dozens of balaclava-clad men are shown dancing around on the streets of Nottingham, setting off flares and making gang signs. But the designer clothes-clad gangsters were more sheepish when Nottinghamshire Police busted through their doors in a series of early morning raids in February 2023. The Class A crooks were busted after a "lengthy and complex" investigation into the industrial scale county lines group, who flooded towns with heroin and cocaine. Officers discovered that the high profile drug gang's empire ran as far as Scotland, with 13 different supply lines attached to the group. Children were often exploited by the armed group, ferrying drugs across towns in Nottinghamshire and neighbouring counties Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Based on evidence found by cops, it is understood that the organisation served more than 1,400 customers, sending out more than 33,000 mass-marketed messages. Hand-written notes from Sipho Ncube, 29, one of the gang's leaders, revealed that the crook aimed to earn £20,000 a week from dealing drugs. Body cam footage shows the 29-year-old running from the scene of a road crash in an last-ditch attempt to evade cops. Watch as cops seize cat with crack cocaine taped to it after gang tried to smuggle drugs into prison using cute kitty Raids on properties connected to Ncube uncovered drugs, a Rolex and gold teeth grills. He was jailed for 15 years after repeatedly being found in possession of knives and continuing to "brazenly" offend despite being on bail. Another senior member, Jephte Fikula, 29, was jailed for 21 years after police raids found live firearms in houses linked to him. His DNA was discovered on a magazine from one of the guns. Speaking on the arrests, Detective Inspector Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'Class A drugs ruin countless lives and the trade in these substances brings misery to our communities. 'That is why we devote so many hours of police work and have specialist teams working on cases like this to disrupt and shut down drug lines. 'I'd like to thank the many officers from multiple teams who worked on this case. 'Investigating one drug line can be a complex process but 13 lines have been linked to this group, which shows the enormous scale of their operation. 6 Detective Inspector Luke Todd praised his officers for the investigation Credit: YouTube 6 Raids on properties uncovered drugs, Rolex watches and gold teeth grills Credit: YouTube 6 Dozens of balaclava-clad men are shown dancing around on the streets of Nottingham Credit: YouTube 'Following today's sentencings, our thoughts are with the gang's many victims, both the vulnerable people they coerced into selling their drugs and the unfortunate and desperate addicts who became their customers. 'Ultimately, whole communities, both in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere, will benefit from these drug lines being identified and shut down. "The public are an extra set of eyes and ears for us in trying to tackle criminal gangs head-on. 'The information also allows us to engage with the young people, which is hugely important in our battle against County Lines."
The Irish Sun
04-06-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
How Lamborghini-driving, champagne swilling drug gang were snared by their OWN outrageous drug-filled music videos
DRUG dealers were snared by cops after boasting of their lavish lifestyle in music videos filled with champagne and wads of cash. Twelve members were sentenced yesterday for a combined 130 years after starring in a glitzy rap video in which they flaunted Rolex watches and posed with thick wads of cash. Advertisement 6 Sporting designer clothes, the group can be seen holding wads of cash Credit: YouTube 6 They can be heard rapping about knives and brag about drug profits Credit: YouTube 6 Some of the gangsters sprayed Champagne from the roof of the Rolls Royce Credit: YouTube In the YouTube video, the designer clothes clad-gangsters can be seen spraying each other with hundred-pound bottles of Dom Peringon Champagne. Many of the members ride into the choreographed music video in a £250,000 Rolls Royce - fit with a personalised number plate - boasting about knives and drug profits. Dozens of balaclava-clad men are shown dancing around on the streets of Nottingham, setting off flares and making gang signs. But the designer clothes-clad gangsters were more sheepish when Nottinghamshire Police busted through their doors in a series of early morning raids in February 2023. Advertisement Read more News The Class A crooks were busted after a "lengthy and complex" investigation into the industrial scale county lines group, who flooded towns with heroin and cocaine. Officers discovered that the high profile drug gang's empire ran as far as Scotland, with 13 different supply lines attached to the group. Children were often exploited by the armed group, ferrying drugs across towns in Nottinghamshire and neighbouring counties Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire. Based on evidence found by cops, it is understood that the organisation served more than 1,400 customers, sending out more than 33,000 mass-marketed messages. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Hand-written notes from Sipho Ncube, 29, one of the gang's leaders, revealed that the crook aimed to earn £20,000 a week from dealing drugs. Body cam footage shows the 29-year-old running from the scene of a road crash in an last-ditch attempt to evade cops. Watch as cops seize cat with crack cocaine taped to it after gang tried to smuggle drugs into prison using cute kitty Raids on properties connected to Ncube uncovered drugs, a Rolex and gold teeth grills. He was jailed for 15 years after repeatedly being found in possession of knives and continuing to "brazenly" offend despite being on bail. Advertisement Another senior member, Jephte Fikula, 29, was jailed for 21 years after police raids found live firearms in houses linked to him. His DNA was discovered on a magazine from one of the guns. Speaking on the arrests, Detective Inspector Luke Todd, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'Class A drugs ruin countless lives and the trade in these substances brings misery to our communities. 'That is why we devote so many hours of police work and have specialist teams working on cases like this to disrupt and shut down drug lines. Advertisement 'I'd like to thank the many officers from multiple teams who worked on this case. 'Investigating one drug line can be a complex process but 13 lines have been linked to this group, which shows the enormous scale of their operation. 6 Detective Inspector Luke Todd praised his officers for the investigation Credit: YouTube 6 Raids on properties uncovered drugs, Rolex watches and gold teeth grills Credit: YouTube Advertisement 6 Dozens of balaclava-clad men are shown dancing around on the streets of Nottingham Credit: YouTube 'Following today's sentencings, our thoughts are with the gang's many victims, both the vulnerable people they coerced into selling their drugs and the unfortunate and desperate addicts who became their customers. 'Ultimately, whole communities, both in Nottinghamshire and elsewhere, will benefit from these drug lines being identified and shut down. "The public are an extra set of eyes and ears for us in trying to tackle criminal gangs head-on. Advertisement 'The information also allows us to engage with the young people, which is hugely important in our battle against County Lines."
Business Insider
02-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
10 rich countries non-committal on Zimbabwe's $2.6b bridge financing appeal
Zimbabwe is yet to secure any firm pledges of financial support from the 10 countries it appealed to in its ongoing bid to settle long-standing debt arrears. Zimbabwe is actively seeking financial support from 10 nations to address its $21 billion debt burden. The country has been unable to access global financial markets since its default in 1999. Zimbabwe has requested $2.6 billion in bridge financing to address debts to international lenders. Zimbabwe is yet to secure any firm pledges of financial support from the 10 countries it appealed to in its ongoing bid to settle long-standing debt arrears. The southern African nation is burdened with a $21 billion debt, which has shut it out of global financial markets since it defaulted in 1999, according to Bloomberg. According to Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube, he had sent letters to Algeria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the UK, requesting $2.6 billion in bridge financing to help settle debts owed to major multilateral lenders, including the World Bank, the European Investment Bank, and the African Development Bank. However, responses from the countries Zimbabwe approached for debt relief have been mixed. "Some of them are very warm, some of them not so warm. You will get a varied response,' he said. One of the major hurdles to securing the bridge financing is that seven of the countries he contacted, including China and Germany, are already creditors to Zimbabwe. Collective support needed Given the large amount of funding Zimbabwe is seeking, it's unlikely that a single nation will step in as a sponsor. Ncube stressed that it would require a collective effort of at least three countries. He also noted that Zimbabwe may explore other avenues to raise funds for debt repayment, including asset sales, though he did not offer specifics.
STV News
16-05-2025
- STV News
Taxi driver tried to murder fraudster who left him homeless outside court
A fraud victim who tried to murder the scammer responsible for making him homeless outside a court has been jailed for five years and four months. Awet Teame, 32, drove his taxi at and struck Bekezela Ncube outside Glasgow Sheriff Court on March 1 last year. A High Court judge heard how Teame's actions were caught on his own dash cam. Lord Arthurson heard that the attack took place on the same day that Ncube was due to stand trial for conning Teame out of £9,000. But Teame experienced what his defence lawyer Duncan McPhie described on Thursday as 'moment of madness' and took the law into his own hands. In graphic footage captured by his car's camera, Teame sped towards the man, mounted the pavement, and sent him across the bonnet of his Mercedes Citan. Ncube escaped without any serious injury. Teame, of Shettleston, Glasgow, initially fled the scene, but returned to court hours later and signed in at the building as a witness. He was then observed acting calmly, shaking hands with people and sitting near police officers in the moments before he was eventually arrested. The first offender pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted murder earlier this year and was remanded in custody by Lord Arthurson, who called for a report into his background. On Thursday, Teame appeared in the dock of the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing. Lord Arthurson said: 'The nature of the offence means a custodial sentence is inevitable. 'The location of the offence is a material aggravation. 'In the whole circumstances, you will serve a period of imprisonment of five years and four months.' At earlier proceedings, Lord Arthurson heard how Ncube had conned Teame out of £8,721 of cash in late 2021. Ncube was later charged with a number of frauds. A trial – previously postponed a number of times – was due to take place on the day of the crime. Teame had been due to testify as a witness and drove to court that morning. He initially remained in his vehicle in nearby Carlton Place for around 40 minutes before driving away and then returning shortly after. Ncube was soon spotted heading towards the court building. Prosecutor Christopher Wilson KC said: 'Teame noticed him and began to rev the engine of his vehicle. 'While Ncube was midway across the road, Teame accelerated towards him. 'Ncube ran, but was struck on the left side of his body. 'The collision occurred while Ncube was on the pavement. He was lifted up off his feet onto the bonnet.' Footage of the incident from the dashcam and a CCTV camera was played in court. Ncube was briefly knocked out after being hit but managed to get back to his feet and run towards the steps leading to the court. Mr Wilson added: 'At this point, Teame drove the vehicle forward and to the left in an attempt to strike Ncube as he went past. 'The vehicle collided with the wall in front of it while Ncube ran up the steps.' Teame reversed and did a U-turn away from the scene. He damaged the wheel of his car as he carried out the manoeuvre. Ncube alerted police at the sheriff court to what had happened. He was soon taken to hospital and found to have suffered grazes to his hand as well as tenderness across his body. Teame later returned to the Sheriff court and checked in to be a witness – but he was later held by officers following reports of the attack. The hearing was also told that Ncube was eventually convicted in January 2025 for a string of frauds, given 300 hours of unpaid work, and ordered to pay back cash to Teame. On Thursday, Mr McPhie told the court that his client had been 'defrauded' by Ncube in the present case. Speaking of how his client had expressed remorse for the crime, Mr McPhie added: 'As a result of him being defrauded by the complainer in this case, he was homeless and living in a shelter. 'He was working as a taxi driver and he used that taxi to commit the offence. 'At the time of the offence, he lost control and to use a cliche, my lord, there was a rush of blood to the head. 'He acted impulsively in his actions on the day.' Lord Arthurson also banned Teame from driving for seven years. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
