South Carolina’s Shooter Sentenced to Death for the Killing of Nine Black People

A US federal jury has sentenced Dylann Roof to death over the murders of nine black churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina.

Jurors took just three hours to pronounce the sentence yesterday, after last month finding Roof guilty of all 33 charges relating to the massacre at the African Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015.

He is “the first person to face execution for a federal hate crime conviction”, reports The Guardian.

Roof, who had dismissed his legal team, delivered a “halting and cryptic closing argument”, the Washington Post reports, but “not once during his very brief remarks did [he] say he regretted his actions”.

Instead, he told jurors: “The prosecution and anyone else who hates me are the ones that have been misled.”

He added: “I think it’s safe to say that no one in their right mind wants to go into a church and kill people. I still feel like I had to do it.”

Several relatives of Roof’s victims welcomed the death sentence.

British singers Church, Ferguson snub Trump’s inauguration

British singers, Charlotte Church and Rebecca Ferguson, have rejected invitations from U.S. President-elect, Donald Trump’s team to perform at his inauguration next week, they said in separate statements on Tuesday. The rejections follow other apparent snubs by celebrities, including Elton John, whose publicist denied in November that he would be performing at the event after an economic adviser to Trump had said that he would.

 “@realDonaldTrump Your staff have asked me to sing at your inauguration, a simple Internet search would show I think you’re a tyrant. Bye,’’ wrote Church in a tweet she concluded with derogatory emojis. Tom Barrack, a longtime friend of Trump who is organising the Jan. 20 event, brushed aside suggestions that there would be a lack of star power at the Jan. 20 festivities. Barrack told reporters that Trump himself was “the greatest celebrity in the world’’ and that the inauguration committee was aiming for a “much more poetic cadence’’ rather than “a circus-like celebration that’s a coronation.’’ Trump’s inauguration committee did not reply to requests for comment about Church and Ferguson. Classical crossover singer Jackie Evancho, who rose to fame as a child performer on the TV show “America’s Got Talent’’ six years ago, has confirmed she would sing the U.S. national anthem at Trump’s inauguration.
 Church, who also began her career as a child classical singer, has spoken out in recent years about her left-leaning political views, and posted multiple tweets during the 2016 campaign criticising Trump. Ferguson, who gained prominence as a runner-up on the TV talent show “The X Factor’’ in 2010, said on Tuesday she too had refused to perform at Trump’s inauguration because her choice of the song “Strange Fruit’’ was rejected. 
The anti-racist song, which has been performed by the likes of Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, protests against the lynching of African-Americans in the South in the early 20th century. “I requested to sing ‘Strange Fruit’ as I felt it was the only song that would not compromise my artistic integrity,’’ Ferguson said in a statement. “As music is so powerful, I wanted to try and help educate the people watching of where division and separation can lead to if not corrected. My aim was not to cause contention,’’ she said.

Messi Statue Vandalized

A statue of Lionel Messi in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, has been broken in half, with the player’s upper body, arms and head removed, it has been reported.

The statue on the Paseo de la Gloria walkway overlooking the River Plate was severed at the waist leaving only the lower body and a ball.

City Hall said they do not know who was responsible or the motive for the damage.

“It was the victim of an act of vandalism,” the city’s culture secretariat said on Tuesday. “The city government is already working on repairs.”

THE SHELTER OF WARRI KINGDOM THE UMBRELLA OF ITSEKIRI NATION MAMA OF THE DELTA. CHIEF RITA LORI OGBEBOR

THE SHELTER OF WARRI KINGDOM
THE UMBRELLA OF ITSEKIRI NATION
MAMA OF THE DELTA.

CHIEF RITA LORI OGBEBOR Aka IROJOWO.

A goer; An extra miler; An Activist per excellence;
A Youth; A mother; The flower of Ale Iwere.
Our Ace, A Watcher woman; The Pride of all Itsekiri.
A flag bearer; A living Legend; A giant from the Swamps.

Chief Mama Rita Lori-Ogbebor; The Warrior who confronts intruders with a very sharp sword, but executes her domestic fights with a blunt sword.

With Great Joy In My Heart I Write Again to Celebrate an ICON in My time,MAMA of the Itsekiri Nation.

 WE ITSEKIRIS are the present day Israelites in Nigeria. As the Almighty God used Esther to fight for the children of Isreal and became victorious.we PRAY that the Almighty God as HE used Esther to fight for the children of Israel, will give you the grace and strength to fulfill God purpose in your life and the WARRI KINGDOM like the Esther in the Holy Bible.You will not fail, God will guide you always.

Breaking: FIFA approves 48 team World Cup for 2026

FIFA’s ruling council on Tuesday unanimously approved an expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams in 2026, with a format of 16 groups of three nations. 
“The FIFA Council unanimously decided on a 48-team #WorldCup as of 2026: 16 groups of 3 teams,” a tweet from FIFA’s official account said. 
The decision marks a major coup for the body’s president Gianni Infantino who has made enlarging football’s showcase event the centrepiece of his young administration. The controversial proposal has faced criticism from some of the sport’s most powerful voices, including warnings that it would dilute the quality of play and overburden already exhausted players. 

But Infantino had in recent weeks voiced confidence that his flagship project would be approved. While noting that a bigger tournament would bring in more money, the FIFA chief has also argued that more World Cup berths would help drive football’s global growth. 
Africa and Asia could be the big winners in a larger format with a rise in their number of places, currently at 5 and 4.5 respectively. But in order to smooth over scepticism about World Cup reform within UEFA, it is likely that Europe will also see its allotments rise above the current 13 places.

Friends mourn as groom dies 3 days after wedding

It was tears and wailing after a young man who just got married somewhere in the eastern parts of the country lost his life in a fatal car accident on his way back to his base in Lagos State.

According to a close friend of the late groom, Darlington Nnamani, who posted the sad story on his Facebook wall, the young couple were returning to Lagos three days after their traditional marriage and church wedding when they were involved in a tragic accident which left the groom dead on the spot.

The bride identified as Cynthia Chy Onyeagba, was, however, lucky though she sustained serious injuries and had to be rushed to a specialist hospital.

Jamie Foxx Attacked At Hollywood Restaurant (Video)

Jamie and some friends were in the patio area at Catch restaurant when a guy came up and complained the group was too loud. One witness says the guy mouthed off, "You don't want to mess with me. I'm from New York."

A comedian who was at Jamie's table fired back, "F*** you I'm from Oakland."

Eyewitnesses say at that point the guy lunged at Jamie. The accounts vary, but one witness says he actually made contact with the actor, pulling him down onto a table. The witness goes on to say Jamie turned the guy around, put him in a choke hold and took him down.

The random guy and the group were kicked out of the restaurant.

BTW ... lots of celebs had a bird's-eye view ... including Jerry Bruckheimer, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Bay and Nicole Murphy.