Tag Archives: ruby

Entertainment

‘Fire Country’ Showrunner Teased Major Onscreen Twist Before Shocking Exit

Maravi Post Reporter

Fire Country showrunner Tia Napolitano hinted that the show’s story will be going through some changes just before news broke about her exit.

“[You should] be worried [about the rest of the season]. We’ve got Bode and Tyler in a fire shelter in the middle of a blaze. Those things are built for one, there’s two lives in there,” Napolitano exclusively told Us Weekly in December 2025, one month before her departure from the CBS series. “And we’ve got Jake and his brother over the side of a cliff. You see how many times that vehicle goes over and over. We see heads hit hard surfaces.”

Napolitano teased that “those are not easy things to come back” from, adding, “We’ll watch our people fight to get out of there.” She also revealed there is a “huge twist” coming in the midseason premiere, which airs on February 27.

“It’s going to change everything that hugely impacts Bode. He is going to really fight to continue to be on his path to progress and growth that we love to see him on. He has made those good choices — though he still struggles — and winning those struggles and really becoming someone who can continue to be someone Tyler wants to grow up to be,” she said. “Bode is a role model. Look how far we have come.”

Which ‘Fire Country’ Stars Are and Aren’t Returning for Season 4 After Exits

She continued: “Eve is going to find her way with these new guys at Three Roc. Sharon is learning even more so how to stand on her own. Ruby — her mother — comes back. There’s a lot of surprises, twists and turns and drive coming out of that twist that comes at the end of the midseason premiere.”

Before Fire Country returned for the second half of season 4, it was confirmed that Napolitano won’t be coming back if the show is renewed. Multiple outlets, including Deadline, reported that a replacement for Napolitano hasn’t been found after she originally became a showrunner when Fire Country premiered on CBS in 2022.

“Tia has been instrumental in helping both build and steer Fire Country, which not only became a top series, but is also the foundation of a growing universe,” CBS Entertainment president Amy Reisenbach and CBS Studios president David Stapf said in a joint statement on Friday, January 16. “We’re grateful for all her contributions and tireless work, and look forward to collaborating with her on future projects.”

Napolitano released her own statement, which read, “I am beyond proud of the past four seasons of Fire Country. All of my gratitude to our cast, crew, writers, producers, fans and of course CBS and CBS Studios. It’s been a beautiful ride!”

Napolitano’s exit comes after Fire Country went through multiple shocking shakeups. In April 2025, Billy Burke and Stephanie Arcila were written off the show amid alleged budget cuts. The executive producer, for her part, defended the decision, which she said was needed for the story.

CBS Cancels 2 Planned Spinoff Shows — But Which Could Still Premiere?

“It’s a fire show. Anyone can go at any time,” Napolitano told Us in October 2025. “But in terms of losing people, we’re also adding some really fun guest cast. It’s a revolving door of people from Sharon’s past and new faces that are exciting to bring conflict and secrets and twists and turns.”

Napolitano teased how the show will have to balance “really spicing it up” with two main characters leaving — one in an offscreen death and another alive but no longer living in Edgewood.

“What we’ve done is really thread the needle of honoring — especially Vince — because Gabriella is gone, but she’s gone to a happy and successful life. She’s still out there. But we really walk this line of honoring Vince while also finding hope rather quickly,” she noted. “Looking forward, the theme of the season is rising from the ashes and recovery.”

Napolitano continued: “How do you recover from something like this? And we’re really going to see everybody rise to the occasion, in celebration of Vince, of his life and in honoring the sacrifice that he made.”

Fire Country returns to CBS on Friday, February 27, at 9 p.m. ET. New episodes will be streaming the next day on Paramount+.

Entertainment

3 Underrated Netflix Shows You Need to Watch in November 2025

Maravi Post Reporter

Netflix does a lot of things well, but it especially excels at keeping subscribers happy with a lot of shows to watch.

Rather than riding out the rest of 2025 on its own coattails, Netflix is bringing back two of its original shows for new seasons in November.

Both of those comedy series are among the three underrated Netflix shows you need to watch in November, as chosen by the Watch With Us team.

Our final selection is a recent arrival from a rival streamer that’s already become a breakout hit.

32 Must-Watch Shows on Netflix Right Now (October 2025): ‘Boots’ and More

‘The Vince Staples Show’ (2024 – Present)

If you can picture a version of Curb Your Enthusiasm that’s even more surreal with some hilarious action scenes, you might get something close to The Vince Staples Show. In the tradition of Curb, Vince Staples plays a version of himself who lives in a very exaggerated take on our reality. It’s just close enough to be recognizable as our world, but it veers off into some unexpected comedic territory.

The recently premiered season 2 finds Staples mourning his Uncle James (Beau Billingslea), but the circumstances surrounding the latter’s will reading and funeral become increasingly bizarre. Staples also has to keep the peace between his mother, Anita Staples (Vanessa Bell Calloway), and his sister, Bri (Naté Jones), neither of whom is particularly interested in playing nice with each other. But some of the things Staples encounters this season make his warring family members seem tame by comparison.

The Vince Staples Show is streaming on Netflix.

‘Absentia’ (2017 – 2020)

Like Sneaky Pete before it, Absentia is a former Prime Video original series that’s been sent to a new home where it can become a lot more popular than it ever was on Amazon. It’s already cracked Netflix’s top 10 series, and reminded fans that Stana Katic is capable of doing a lot more than just lighthearted rom-com mysteries like Castle. In this series, Katic plays FBI Special Agent Emily Byrne, a woman who was declared dead in absentia, since she disappeared without a trace and her body was never found.

27 Must-Watch British Crime Shows to Stream Right Now (November 2025)

Six years later, Emily turns up alive without any memory of where she’s been or the man who abducted her. The world moved on without her, and so did Emily’s husband, Special Agent Nick Durand (Patrick Heusinger). When Nick believed that he brought Emily’s killer to justice, he moved on and married another woman. Now that Emily is back in his life, there are more questions than answers, especially after she’s framed for murder and forced to go on the run.

Absentia is streaming on Netflix.

‘A Man on the Inside’ (2024 – Present)

Four decades of starring in TV sitcoms have given Ted Danson the chance to do it all over again in A Man on the Inside. Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a widowed man who finds a new purpose in life when a private detective, Julie Kovalenko  (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), hires him to go undercover in a retirement community to locate an extremely valuable ruby necklace.

Season 2 of the show is premiering on November 20, and it kicks off a new story for Charlie. His investigation at the Pacific View Retirement Community is over, but some of the friends he made there remain in his life as he’s drawn into another mystery. Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, is joining the cast this season as Charles’ new love interest, Mona Margadoff. Charles is understandably smitten with her, but her potential link to his new investigation may get their romance off on the wrong foot.

A Man on the Inside is streaming on Netflix.

Entertainment

‘Maxton Hall’ Threatens James and Ruby’s Romance After Shocking Infidelity

Maravi Post Reporter

Just as quickly as Maxton Hall brought James and Ruby back together, the show is threatening to break them apart following that cheating story line.

During the Thursday, November 13, episode of the hit Prime Video show, James (Damian Hardung) visited Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten) at her home, which paved the way for a reconciliation after James’ infidelity. They initially decided to keep their relationship a secret until a party where they chose to finally go public.

James even surprised Ruby with a very romantic date that led to a heated makeout session. He then invited Ruby back to his home because he assumed his dad — who didn’t approve of her — wasn’t there. But bad weather led to James’ father canceling his traveling plans and returning home, leaving the episode on a cliffhanger.

The chances of James’ dad interfering in his relationship with Ruby is quite high after the first three episodes this season threw multiple obstacles their way. The season 2 premiere, which aired earlier this month, saw James struggling with his mother’s sudden death and cheating on Ruby in front of her.

See ‘Maxton Hall’ Costars Harriet and Damian’s Sweetest Friendship Moments

Based on the second part of Mona Kasten‘s Save You novel, season 2 of Maxton Hall picks up after James and Ruby’s “passionate night together in Oxford and her greatest life goal within reach, everything seems to be going perfectly for Ruby.”

Things take a turn, however, when “a stroke of fate in James’ family changes everything and James himself, of all people, brings her back from cloud nine to a harsh reality. Ruby is devastated. She has never had such strong feelings for anyone as she does for James — and never before has anyone hurt her so deeply.”

Maxton Hall Harriet Herbig Matten Denies Ever Dating Onscreen Love Interest Damian Hardung
Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten in ‘Maxton Hall’ Prime Video

The logline continues: “She wants her old life back, where no one at Maxton Hall knew her yet and she wasn’t part of the elitist world of her classmates. But she can’t forget James — especially since he’s doing everything he can to win her back.”

Before they returned to film season 2, Herbig-Matten, 22, and Hardung, 27, discussed what they would like to see for their characters.

“[I would like Ruby] to stay true to herself and to set boundaries. She’s already doing this, but to keep doing this. And not changing for him,” Herbig-Matten exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2024. “And I would like to focus on female friendships. That is really important too. And don’t let a man destroy your life.”

James and Ruby’s Steamiest ‘Maxton Hall’ Moments: Staircase Kiss, Pool Scene

The actress told Us she learned some important lessons from filming the first season that she planned to take with her into season 2.

“What I’ve learned from Damian is he worked out a lot after shooting. That’s what I learned from him. And I think there’s really to get out of your head and to just process the day,” she added. “I’ve learned that from him and that has really worked for me.”

Hardung, meanwhile, wanted to see James work on himself more.

“I’ve been saying this a lot. I truly wish for him that he and his family ideally go to family therapy and figure out what’s been going on,” he told Us. “They could have better communication of their wants and their needs together and kind of figure out how they can fulfill that. And they can learn how to go forward and not make life so hard for each other.”

Maxton Hall airs on Prime Video Thursdays.

Malawi

Malawi seeks billions of dollars from US firm over ruby sales

Ufulu

By Charles Gitonga & Andre Lombard

Malawi’s government is demanding the astonishing sum of $309bn (£245bn) in unpaid taxes and royalties from a US-based gemstone company for rubies exported from the southern African state over the last 10 years, its attorney-general has told the BBC.

Columbia Gem House, a family-owned business which says that it upholds fair trade practices, dismissed the claim as “baseless and defamatory”.

The government is also demanding $4bn from French gas giant TotalEnergies in unpaid revenue from an oil storage deal, and $9.5m from Turkish tobacco firm Star Agritech, said Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda.

TotalEnergies declined to comment while Star Agritech denied owing any money.

The amount being claimed from the three multinationals is nearly 300 times Malawi’s national debt of around $1.2bn, and 22 times its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of $14bn.

Malawi was forced to take a $174m bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) last year after running into financial trouble.

Speaking to the BBC Focus on Africa podcast, Nyirenda said that Columbia Gem House had been under-reporting the value of rubies it had exported from Malawi.

He added that “some of the evidence that we’ll be using comes from Columbia Gem House itself, such as declarations they have made in the US, and what they have reported on their website, which they have now deleted”.

“The amount is not just [for] one year, it goes over 10 years back. It also includes the interest,” Nyirenda said.

Columbia Gem House said that the government’s sums do not add up.

The $309bn claim “implies Malawi has somehow produced and exported trillions of dollars’ worth of coloured gemstones”, the firm said in a statement.

“They haven’t done this by any stretch of the imagination,” it added.

Columbia Gem House said it does not operate in Malawi, but buys its gemstones from Nyala Mines, a Malawian-owned company in which the government has a 10% stake.

However, Nyirenda told the BBC that as a minority shareholder, the government was not involved in the day-to-day management of the company, and “the name of Nyala Mines had been changed to disguise its ownership”.

An attempt by the US embassy in Malawi to settle the dispute fell through when the attorney general failed to attend an online meeting, which he put down to “technical challenges”.

Mining contributes only 1% to Malawi’s GDP, although the government has announced plans to scale this up in the next few years.

Malawian economist Wisdom Mgomezulu said the government may be making the claims now because of its financial difficulties.

“They’re looking at all potential sources of income, but if you look at the claim versus the size of the economy, it’s just way too much,” he told the BBC.

The dispute with TotalEnergies is rooted in a deal Malawi entered with it in 2001, according to Nyirenda.

The French multinational was to provide fuel to Malawi and was to get tax incentives in return, he said.

The profits from the arrangement were to have been shared equally but TotalEnergies “only paid for two years and stopped paying in 2006”, Nyirenda alleged.

The government has since taken the company to court in Malawi, and Nyirenda said the government wants it to pay $4bn to settle the matter.

As for the dispute with Star Agritech International, the government accuses it of buying three million tonnes of tobacco worth $15m from Malawi through three subsidiaries – registered in Mauritius, Hong Kong, and South Africa – in 2013, but failing to pay for it.

Malawi Leaf Company, the state-owned enterprise that sold the tobacco, took legal action in Hong Kong and won the case, Nyirenda said.

“Over $9.5m was proven in a Hong Kong court,” he said, adding that Malawi wanted Star Agritech International to pay the amount.

He further alleged that the Hong Kong subsidiary of Star Agritech International was established “for the sole purpose of obtaining the tobacco from Malawi”.

In response, Star Agritech International told the BBC that it purchased tobacco worth $5m – not $15m as Malawi claims.

“This is completely wrong and is representative of the type of problems businesses face in dealing in Africa,” said the company’s boss, Iqbal Lambat.

Mr Lambat further claimed that the tobacco shipped was substandard.

“This transaction experienced difficulties as the tobaccos were not one uniform grade but a combination of leftover scrappy tobaccos,” he said.

Malawi is not the only African country that is going after money they say multinational companies owe them.

Last week Mali’s military junta issued an international arrest warrant for Canadian mining firm Barrick Gold’s chief executive officer, alleging the company owes the West African state $500m.

Barrick has responded by threatening to suspend operations in Mali, adding that “local operating conditions have deteriorated significantly with employees imprisoned without cause and gold shipments blocked”.

And in November the junta released the head and two employees of an Australian mining company, Resolute Mining, after a $160m tax dispute was settled.

The firm paid half the money upfront, with a promise to pay the other half in the coming months.

Source BBC