Rio Ferdinand is spotted out on the town for the first time since the tragic death of his wife

Rio Ferdinand enjoyed a night out with friends for the first time since the heartbreak of losing his wife Rebecca to cancer aged just 34.

The former England and Manchester United star was seen leaving London's Chiltern Firehouse where close friend Gary Lineker and a string of other celebrities were also at the popular club with Rio

Mr Lineker is one of many footballers, past and present, who have supported Rio since his wife's death in early May.

Other stars including Guy Ritchie, Professor Green, Angus Deayton and Richard Bacon were also at the same venue last night.

Earlier Rio also spent time at Bodo's in West London - a favourite haunt of Prince Harry's - and was greeted by several well-wishes as he arrived.

It is the first time Mr Ferdinand has been spotted on a night out since his beloved wife Rebecca Ellison died in early May, although he has been seen at football matches and worked for BT Sport.

He also announced his retirement from professional football three weeks ago. 

After her death she described being 'overwhelmed' by the support he received from football fans around the world.

The former England captain said Rebecca Ellison's battle with cancer was 'the most difficult period' for his family and paid tribute to her as 'an incredibly brave woman'.

US shooting: We’ve forgiven suspect, say victims’ families

Charleston church shooting suspect Dylann Roof was ordered to remain in custody on nine murder charges on Friday, at an emotional bond hearing during which relatives of the victims expressed their grief.

Roof’s attorney, public defender Ashley Pennington, said his 21-year-old client was prepared to “accept the no bond arrangement.” Judge James Gosnell set the next court hearing in the case for October 23.

Bond was set at $1m on a weapons charge, but Roof will nevertheless remain in custody because no bond was set on the murder charges.

Roof appeared in court via videolink and was seen standing quietly through the hearing, providing brief answers to the judge’s questions.

Investigators say he has told them he wanted the shootings to spark a race war in the US.

Relatives of the nine victims were invited to speak at Friday’s hearing. Several broke down in tears as they spoke of their loss, but also said they forgave Roof.

“Every fiber in my body hurts, and I’ll never be the same. Tywanza Sanders was my son. But he was my hero,” said Felicia Sanders.

In their first public reaction to the fatal shooting, the family of Roof released a statement offering sympathy to the victims.

“We cannot express our shock, grief and disbelief as to what happened that night,” the statement said. “We are devastated and saddened by what occurred.”

Early on Friday, Roof was charged with nine counts of murder and one count of possession of a firearm.

The charges came hours after he confessed to carrying out the attack.

US officials are investigating the attack, in which four ministers were killed including a Democratic state senator, as a hate crime.

The Justice Department announced on Friday that it’s investigating whether it could be a hate crime or domestic terrorism. Agency spokeswoman Emily Pierce said the slayings were “undoubtedly designed to strike fear and terror into this community”.

It comes in a year of turmoil in the United States, where police killings of several unarmed black men has provoked angry national debates about race relations, policing and the criminal justice system.

Al Jazeera’s Andy Gallacher, reporting from Charleston, said that while the South Carolina city and other communities across the US have come together to mourn those killed in the attack, race relations will continue to be an ongoing issue.

“This is a community and a city that is coming together with no regard of racial background, but nevertheless the issue of race is one that cannot be ignored,” Gallacher said.

Oxfords Professor of poetry: Wole Soyinka loses race to British poet, Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage

Prof. Wole Soyinka has lost the race to be Oxford’s Professor of poetry to British poet, Simon Armitage.

Armitage, the popular poet and broadcaster, secured 1,221 votes – 301 more than his closest rival, Wole Soyinka.

Armitage was backed by more names, including John Carey and Melvyn Bragg. Bragg had previously supported Soyinka, but later publicly switched his allegiance to Armitage

Soyinka, the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and a respected playwright and political activist, was an early favourite for the post after garnering by far the highest number of nominations.

But Lord Bragg threw a spanner in the works last month when he publicly withdrew his support for Soyinka and switched allegiance to Armitage, claiming Soyinka was too old and insufficiently committed to the job.

He said Soyinka, a US-based Nigerian who turns 81 next month, “has not written much poetry recently and I now wonder how often he would bother to come to Oxford. Soyinka is a grand man and would regard it as a grand post. I also query his age.”

Photo: 2face and Annie Idibia on set of a music video

Annie Idibia who is currently working on a video shoot with her boo thang, 2face Idibia, shared this photo from the shoot.
She said: Can't wait for you all to seethis... #bestThingsInLifeAreFree #shoot

Aisha Buhari Moves To Aso Rock, Waits For President

Aisha Buhari, the president’s wife, has finally moved in to the Aso Rock presidential villa, Abuja, The Punch reports.

Buhari’s inauguration took place 23 days ago, however the leader of the nation and the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo, have not been operating from the official residence. Their office work has been concentrated in their private quarters.

President Buhari preferred the Defence House: the official residence located at Maitama district, Abuja.

READ ALSO: Buhari Receives First Guests At Aso Rock

Aisha Buhari host a dinner for the APC’s ladies at the Aso Rock.

A correspondent of The Punch gathered that the formal relocation of the president’s wife to the presidential villa was in the evening of Thursday, June 18, 2015, while her husband was travelling home for Ramadan.

“She had relocated ahead of her husband. She passed the night here,” an unnamed source at the Buhari administration told the reporter.

The Aso Rock was more busy than usual on Friday. Some exotic cars were parked in front of the premises. This may mean that some honourable guests were paying a visit to Aisha Buhari.

Another at the administration source said that the president was expected to join his wife and relocate from the Defence House by Monday. Buhari is currently on his “private trips”, and is expected back this weekend.

Vice President Osinbajo and his wife have not relocated to the villa yet. Their plans remain unclear.

READ ALSO: Ongoing Renovation Work At Aso Rock (SEE PHOTOS)

There have been many speculations on why the new president does not move to the Aso Rock. Some representative of the “yellow press” have even suggested that “a spiritual cleansing” was in process there. However, the true reason was given by the presidential spokesperson, Mallam Garba Shehu, and was of a terrestrial nature:

“As far as the president is concerned, the place (his official residence) is not ready yet. Workers are cleaning and refurbishing the place. Once the exercise is completed, the president will move in.”

Teenager narrates how she was gang raped by her 3 most trusted friends

3 friends Habeeb Adisa (25), Kehinde Aderinoye (25) and Ilyas Ogundimu (27) raped one of their female neighbours, a young woman,who was a close friends. This incident happened in a neighbourhood in Iju area of Lagos.

 

The victim, 19-year-old Adenike (not real name), a hair stylist, said she summoned the courage to speak about her ordeal because she did not want the3 friends to go free and do the same to someone else.

Narrating how she was violated by the three men whom she trusted most in their neighbourhood, Adenike said that there was no way she could have suspected that within the 2 years she had known them, that those 3 could have ever done what they did to her.

 

Calmly, but with a lot of anger and pain showing in her eyes, Adenike said,

“I became friends with them as neighbours two years ago when my mother first rented an apartment in the area.

“Kehinde began to make advances to me. But I told him we were friends and did not want to be in a relationship with him. I have always rejected his advances.

“Later he would tell Habeeb and Ilyas to approach me to appeal on his behalf to accept his proposal, but I made them to understand that I could not go out with him. But we still talked and sat together in the neighbourhood as friends.”

Adisa

Unknown to Adenike, the gentle disposition of her three friends was just a façade for the plan they had hatched on how to sexually assault her.

On Wednesday, June 17, 2015, an opportunity presented itself for the rapist friends to put their plan to work.

 

Adenike said,

“In the morning of that day, around 9.30am, I went over to Kehinde’s house like I usually did sometimes when I had nothing to do at home. I trusted them completely and usually went there to while away the time.

“Habeeb and Ilyas were there also. We were just talking when Habeeb suddenly came to me and picked me up. He threw me on the bed and I told him that I didn’t like that kind of play. I said, ‘If this is part of your playful habit I am not up for it.’

“But as he threw me on the bed, before I could stand up, he lay on me and pinned me down firmly. Kehinde quickly came over and started to remove my underwear. That was when I knew what they wanted to do. I struggled with them but they pinned me down and took turns to rape me.

“When I was screaming, one of them quickly went to the CD player, which was on at the time and turned on the music to maximum volume so that it would drown out my voice.”

When they finished, the three friends smiled at what they had done. They told Adenike to pretend that what happened to her was a mere sexual encounter.

 

“They told me to just forget what happened and keep it between the four of us. But I realised that if I was afraid of stigma and kept it to myself, they would walk free and even boast to their friends about what they did to me. They would surely do it to someone else,” Adenike said.

Bruised and battered, Adenike summoned the courage to approach someone she trusted in the neighbourhood and narrated what happened to her. She was immediately advised to go to the Iju Police Division and report the incident.

 

As soon as she reported, some landlords in the area rose in the men’s defence.

 

Adenike’s mother said that because the parents of the rapists are landlords in the area, they first threatened her that if she decided to make the issue a police case, she would lose.

 

But on Thursday, after the police had arrested the suspects, Punch correspondent witnessed as families of the culprits and other residents of the area came out to the police station to beg Adenike’s mother.

 

Adenike’s case highlights the increasing incidence of sexual offences in Nigeria, where majority of sexual offences go unreported.

 

On Friday, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Kenneth Nwosu, said  that the suspects had been charged to court.

Lady Gaga accepts songwriters hall of fame award dressed in black leather bra and panties

Lady Gaga was honored at the Songwriters Hall of Fame 46th Annual Induction and Awards gala on Thursday, June 18. She was given an award for being a Contemporary Icon and she showed up in her bra and panties.

The singer, 29, who is known for her unconventional appearance, rocked a red velvet jacket for the occasion, which she wore over her leather underwear, and a pair of torn pantyhose!


She accessorized her outfit (which showed off her cleavage and bare stomach) with a pair of bejeweled John Lennon-style sunglasses and some platform boots. Another photo after the cut..