The Managing Director, Emerging Markets, YouTube EMEA, Alex Okosi, said in a statement that the initiative from YouTube was a follow-up to a global, multi-year commitment made in 2020.

Okosi said the grant was intended to uplift and grow Black creators, artists, songwriters, and producers on the platform.

According to him, YouTube is seriously interested in the growth of the creative community in Africa.

He said that for the creators, artists, songwriters and producers that would be joining this third cohort, it would go beyond the initial training to measure success with them over a long-term period.

Okosi also stated that it would ensure that the creators achieved sustained success.

He said 40 creators from Sub-Saharan Africa would be part of the 135 #YouTubeBlack Voices creators selected globally that enrolled into the cohort.

He said that among the 23 #YouTubeBlack Voices Artists selected for the programme were African fast-rising musical artists, Gyakie from Ghana, Kamo Mphela from South Africa, Asake from Nigeria, and BNXN from Nigeria.

He said, “As support from YouTube, grantees will receive $20,000 and $50,000 as seed funding.”

Okosi added that the creators would receive dedicated partner support for six months and have the opportunity to participate in programmes including bespoke training, workshops and networking programmes spread out across the year.

“We are excited about the creators, musical artists and producers from Africa joining others from across the world in the 2023 #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

“The initiative is dedicated to equipping up-and-coming Black creators and artists with the resources to succeed on our platform,” he said

According to him, the cohort will also include Hip Hop producer MashBeatz from South Africa and Nairobi-based producer, Ukweli, who will be joining 17 #YouTubeBlack Voices songwriters and producers globally.

Okosi said the artists, songwriters, and producers joining the #YouTubeBlack Voices Music Class of 2023 would be required to set goals, develop content strategy, and engage with their fans on YouTube, with the assistance of a YouTube partner manager.

According to him, there would be networking opportunities with other artists, songwriters, and producers included in the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.

Okosi said that there would also be a chance to maximise the impact of their channels as they provide catalogue-development opportunities.

He said over the next few years, YouTube would be directly investing in more than 500 creators and artists from across the world.

“It is to support, grow, and fund their channels and content development through the #YouTubeBlack Voices Fund.”

“In light of extraordinary circumstances in Ukraine, we’re taking a number of actions,” a spokesperson for the Google subsidiary said in a statement Saturday.Our teams have started to pause the ability for certain channels to monetize on YouTube, including RT’s YouTube channels globally,” the spokesperson said, referring to the Russian state-funded news outlet.

YouTube channels earn money through ads that appear when users watch their videos

Facebook also announced on Friday it would ban Russian state media from running ads and monetizing through its platform.

Nations around the globe issued broad sanctions against Russian businesses, banks and officials after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Thursday.

“As always, our teams are continuing to monitor closely for new developments, including evaluating what any new sanctions and export controls may mean for YouTube,” the platform’s spokesperson said.

In addition to restricting monetization, YouTube added it would limit recommendations to the same channels and is “continuing to actively surface authoritative news content” in Russia- and Ukraine-related search results.

Videos from RT and a number of other channels will also be “restricted” by YouTube, the company said.

At the beginning of February, Germany banned RT, which prompted Russia to close the Moscow bureau of German media outlet Deutsche-Welle.

RT, created in 2005 under the name “Russia Today,” is regularly accused by Western authorities of contributing to disinformation.

YouTube noted that over the past few days it has removed hundreds of channels, including some for “coordinated deceptive practices,” the term the company uses for disinformation.

Annoucing the suspension on Twitter account on Wednesday, TB Joshua said the channel was suspended over a video said to contain hate speech.

The Pastor called for a review of the suspension, adding that the decision to suspend his channel was done in a haste by Youtube.

His tweet read, “Emmanuel TV YouTube suspension: Our mission is to share the love of God with everyone irrespective of race or religion and we strongly oppose all forms of hate speech.

“We have had a long and fruitful relationship with YouTube and believe this decision was made in haste.”

TB Joshua urged followers on his verified Facebook page to raise awareness over his channel’s suspension on other social media platforms.

He also uploaded the video said to be the cause of the suspension.

In the video clip, the pastor speaking to a man possessed by a strange spirit and requested that he come out.

The pastor was heard in the video allegedly containing ‘hate speech’ saying, “God hates sin, not sinners.

“When the Bible says don’t judge so that you will not be judged’, it means we should hate sin, not the sinner because sinners can change. If you have killed a sinner by judging him, there will be no opportunity for change.

“Sinners can be delivered. We should hate the act, not the people because our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the ‘spirit beings’ that cause all these acts.”

This was contained in an email sent to creators by the company, stating that the additional tax may come into effect from June, 2021, DailyPost reports.

YouTube also demanded that creators submit their tax information in AdSense “to determine the correct amount of taxes to deduct”.

“If your tax info is not provided by May 31st, 2021, Google may be required to deduct up to 24 per cent of your total earnings worldwide,” the email read.

YouTube added that its parent company, Google had the responsibility under Chapter three of the US Internal Revenue Code to receive tax information, withhold taxes, and report to the Internal Revenue Service when a creator earned royalty revenue from viewers in the US.

The video-sharing platform confirmed in a statement that a video uploaded to President Trump’s channel violated the site’s policy against inciting violence and as a result, the platform suspended his ability to share content on YouTube for at least seven days.

YouTube said in a statement  “After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump’s channel for violating our policies. It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a *minimum* of 7 days. Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump’s channel, as we’ve done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section.”

YouTube didn’t provide any details of the video shared on Trump’s channel that violated its policy and led to the “first strike.” Among the six videos uploaded to the channel on Tuesday, five were clips from the far-right One America News (OAN) network with Trump’s comments delivered at an appearance in Alamo, Texas.

Under YouTube’s “three strikes” guidelines, if a channel receives a second strike within 90 days it will be suspended for two weeks; a third strike results in a permanent ban.

YouTube’s move comes after Twitter permanently banned Trump last Friday after the Capitol riot. Trump’s accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch, and other platforms also have been indefinitely or permanently blocked.

Outage tracker site DownDetecter clocked tens of thousands of users reporting issues with the sites around 11:40am.

Problems were reported mainly in Europe but also in Australia, the east coast of the USA and parts of Africa, South America and Asia. Google’s websites are some of the most popular in the world, with its video-streaming site YouTube frequented by more than two billion people every month.

Unlike other tech firms like Facebook, outages are rare at Google, DailyMail reports

By 11:54am, there was more than 50,000 complaints for YouTube alone. with half (49 per cent) regarding issues with the website and 43 per cent pertaining to problems watching videos. Gmail had 23,000 complaints before midday and Google’s main site had a reported 19,000 complaints.

Eighty-one and 91 per cent of the issues with these sites, respectively, was to do with logging in, according to DownDetector. MailOnline has approached Google for comment.

Other affected sites includes Google Meet, Hangouts and the Play Store as well as the Pokemon Go game, which is made by Niantic, another Google-owned company.

It appears the outage is not uniform, with some users reporting a ‘400 error message’ while it is working fine for others.

However, a quick test at the London office of MailOnline reveals, Sheets, Gmail and YouTube are offline.

Here then are 7 websites you must visit often if you’re serious about making money online – especially in this New Year:

1. Fiverr

Do you have a skill you can market for a base $5? Then sign up to Fiverr to deploy those skills. If you are able to write a book, edit a manuscript, design a website, research and write articles, do graphic designs, voice-overs, Facebook posts, and any online or offline activities within or an hour, then you can get paid $5 or $10 or $15 and even $50 to get them done on Fiverr.

2. Upwork

Similar to Fiverr, you bid to get available jobs done on Upwork. From article writing to website design and app development, you can earn up to $30 an hour working for several clients and earning a decent $5,000 monthly if you’re good.

You must bid on jobs and once you get popular with clients, then you no longer have to bid since your clients will provide you with ongoing jobs at good pay.

3. Freelancer

With Freelancer, you are never out of jobs. You work from your home and earn a good pay working hours or days for many clients across the world. You bid on projects and once it is awarded to you, then you get it completed and paid after hitting the payment milestone.

The jobs here also range from social media marketing to graphic design and content writing among others. The initial pay per task is not much but they build up with time once you acquire a better reputation on the site.

4. Aliexpress

Aliexpress is a global eCommerce dedicated to any products you can ever think of. It is a marketplace where product manufacturers and retailers sell their products on a worldwide scale.

You can scour their inventory for what to buy for cheap and sell at a higher rate for profit, and you can even get manufacturers to design and produce your own unique products for your personal sales. You buy at very cheap rates and set your own price while selling to others.

5. Swagbucks

Are you passionate about taking surveys online? Then you might as well be paid for it. Swagbucks provides you the opportunity to get paid for online surveys listed by various companies around the world; you get paid for giving your honest opinions by answering simple questions. You can earn up to $50 or more per day depending on varying factors.

6. YouTube

YouTube is not just about watching videos, it is also about making money for video producers. You can create and upload any instructional videos on YouTube and earn up to $10 per 1,000 views if you activate ads and other monetization methods for your videos. If your video becomes popular and goes viral with up to a million views, then you stand to earn huge revenue from YouTube for as long as your videos keep on garnering views.

7. ThredUp

If you have a pack of good clothes you’re no longer using and feel like thrashing them, then you should think twice since ThredUp can make you an offer for them. With this website, you can sell off unused clothes in your closet and get a good percentage of the sales. The more you pack off your unused clothes to them, the more you stand to make good money every time.

Wojcicki’s response however underscores how little information Google provides to users about ads that have been removed. Ads that have been taken down, for example, cannot be viewed in the ad transparency tool due to what Google’s website says are “technical limitations.” Users can only see that a particular ad has been blocked not its content.

The Vice President in the petition written on his behalf by Femi Atoyebi & Co, solicitors, described the video as defamatory. Osinbajo also stated that he will be seeking a legal redress if the video is not removed.

The letter reads “It is our understanding that you have provided a platform through which an account holder named RootsTV Nigeria, an online news platform that is available through this link… is able to continuously broadcast defamatory contents. In the broadcast published on the accounts of RootsTV Nigeria on September 20, 2019, the following incorrect statements and untruths were made: a. Our Client was stacking up public funds from agencies directly under his supervision, with a strong insinuation that the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) was the principal organ by which the alleged fraud was perpetrated. b. Our Client was unable to explain the alleged imbalance and discrepancies on the account of the FIRS on the interrogation of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mr Abba Kyari. c. Our Client was unable to explain the alleged failed disbursement to all beneficiaries under the Social Investment Programme of the Federal Government in Adamawa State. Our Client, therefore, demands that you immediately remove and/or suspend the publication/broadcast of the defamatory publication on the account of RootsTV Nigeria on the platform of YouTube.”

Zhou Xiao Hui, also known as Ms Yeah, has 7.5 million subscribers on YouTube and routinely makes videos of herself cooking using unusual objects. In the video in question, she attempted to cook popcorn in a soda can using just an alcohol lamp.

When two girls, Zhe Zhe, 14, and Xiaoyu, 12, tried the same technique — heating up the alcohol in the soda can — it ignited, resulting in devastating injuries, according to the BBC.

Ms Yeah said the accident occurred because the flame was lit when they attempted to pour alcohol in the cans, which helped to ignite a nearby 2-pound bucket of alcohol.

Zhe Zhe later died from the injuries she sustained in the explosion, and Xiaoyu needs cosmetic surgery, according to her family. The Beijing News reported that Zhe Zhe sustained burns on 96 percent of her body and Xiaoyu had burns on 13 percent of her body.

Even though Ms Yeah paid the families an undisclosed amount, she denied the two girls were replicating her video exactly and said they used a different method.

“I used only one tin can and an alcohol lamp, which is safer,” she said in a post on Weibo. “In [their video] we could clearly see that they used two cans and not a lamp.”

She added that her videos aren’t meant to be instructional, according to the BBC.

Hui will pay the hospital bills for Xiaoyu, and it’s not clear how much additional compensation she will contribute. Ms Yeah’s cousin, who serves as her representative, says the YouTuber will help out the families, “regardless of who was right and who was wrong,” according to the outlet.

He added that he hoped there would “not be any hate” between the families of the two girls and his cousin.

The families reached out to Beijing News. Xiaoyu’s father said his daughter “no longer dared to step out of the house,” and Zhe Zhe’s father said no amount of money will bring his daughter back.

Ms Yeah released a video on Sept. 10 titled “The darkest day of my life.” The YouTuber said she “let her fans down” and the tragedy caused her “immense pain.”

Hui said her videos include warnings for viewers not to imitate her stunts.