Pope Francis Holds Wedding For Couples Who Lived Together Before Marriage, Have Children

Pope Francis has today officiated the wedding of 20 couples at the Vatican, including several couples who had lived together before marriage, or had children out of wedlock.

According to BBC News, one of the couples included in the marriage solemnization ceremony was a man whose previous marriage was annulled getting married to a single mother who had a daughter from a previous relationship.

During the two-hour ceremony, Pope Francis told the couples that marriage was "not an easy road, it's sometimes a contentious trip, but that's life."

He said in his homily that families are "bricks that build society", but also believes that the church should forgive those who have sex outside marriage or who don't obey church teaching to the letter.

Koko Weds Chimaobi - Pre-Wedding Photos And Video Of 10 Days In the Fattening Room

Koko Florence Mayen, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa's daughter, had her traditional marriage to her fiance of a few years, Chimaobi Shawcross Obioha Jnr. yesterday Sept. 13th. First pictures from the traditional wedding are Here.

On Sept. 20th, the couple will be having their white wedding. They already had their pre-wedding photoshoot with a picnic setting back in July at a park in London. Koko and Chimaobi were dressed in vintage mode, and the pictures were made in black and white as well as color.

 The bride and her family also are very proud and close to their efik tradition, and koko was in the fattening room for 10 days prior to her wedding.

See the photos and video below...

Mo Abudu Celebrates 50th With Mum, Children, VIP Guests And Celebrities [Official Photos]

Mo and Children

The Executive Chairman and CEO of EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first Global Black Entertainment and Lifestyle network, Mo Abudu, celebrated her 50th birthday on Saturday, 13 September 2014 at the grand ball room Oriental hotel, Lagos.

Notable Nigerians were present to celebrate with this woman of substance, inspiration and a beacon of hope to many, as she attains this milestone in her exceptional and eventful life.

The black tie and glam event started with red carpet from 6pm. The event was tagged "Mo@ 50...Celebrating Sisterhood" with the aim of celebrating women of distinction in different categories of life and business. 10 categories of unsung heroes were awarded for their quiet but extraordinary and exemplary achievements.

Tolu Olubunmi, Undocumented Nigerian Immigrant in the US Shares Her Story

Nigerian immigrant Tolu Olubunmi, 31, was among several other guests invited last year by President Barack Obama to the White House as he highlighted immigration reform.

Tolu was brought to the United States by her parents when she was 14, and has never been able to document her stay here in America since then.

Tolu Olubunmi came with the hopes of immigrating legally, but 17 years later, she is an undocumented immigrant living in the U.S. She is unable to use her chemical engineering degree in the workplace or even leave the country for fear of being banned from re-entry.

“I am not used to the limbo. I am not used to stress. I am not used to sharing my story. I am not a public person at all, but the courageous attitudes of the dreamers I’ve gotten to work with over the years and the fact that they were so willing to lay everything on the line - it really spurred me on. Plus, I saw the impertinence of adding my voice as an African.”

44 Countries You Can Travel To On The Nigerian Passport With No Visa

Do you know that with a Nigerian international passport, you can visit 44 countries around the world VISA FREE or VISA ON ARRIVAL? Yes, this is true, as much as some countries, which I will not mention, regard our green pali as worthless paper.

You do have to be aware that there’s a stipulated length of time for which you can stay in these countries without a visa, when this period elapses, you’ll be required to obtain a visa. Some countries listed here would grant you visa upon arrival for a small fee.

Also, some may have other clauses and requirements, like health clearances including yellow fever, TB, etc, or some type of insurance. And during this time of Ebola, ehen! Find out the details before you start tripping.

Below are the countries in alphabetical order...

Here Comes The Bride - Florence Ita Giwa's Daughter, Koko Weds Chimaobi Shawcross Obioha Jnr

Senator Florence Ita-Giwa's first daughter, Koko Florence Mayen, is getting married to Chimaobi Shawcross Obioha Jnr. today Sept. 13th (traditional wedding) and also on Sept. 20th (white wedding)  Here are first pictures from the wedding.

Some of the guests who went to support the proud mother include actress and upcoming politician, Kate Henshaw, former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke. and many more.

Photos below...

Jay Z Announces Beyonce Baby No 2 In Paris, Shows Off Baby Bump?

Beyonce is pregnant. The superstar singer first sparked the rumors by choosing outfits that hide her lower tummy, and then always touching and holding her bump in all recent paparazzi pictures.

This time Jay is in on the action, and sent hints that she is indeed pregnant by changing up the lyrics to his song ‘Beach Is Better’ to reveal their good news. While singing new lyrics, he cupped his hand over what seemed to be a small baby bump shown off by Beyonce's tight outfit!

He added the lyrics “Cos she pregnant with another one” !

Also, a new costume for Beyonce's sexy song, “Partition” also showed a bump, and unlike in other performances of the song in the US leg of the OTR tour, there were no poles, no chairs, no dancers, no anything — just Beyoncé walking back and forth across the stage singing.

Chris Brown Advises Ray Rice - Get Help For Anger Management

NFL player Ray Rice was laid off by his team, the Baltimore Ravens, and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after a leaked video showed him knocking out his then-fiancée (and now wife) Janay Rice. Adding to the drama was Janay speaking out in his defense.

A lot of people have been asked about the issue, or shared their thoughts on social media. The latest is Chris Brown, who answered a related question by Sway, an interviewer with MTV News.

Chris Brown faced his own hell of a public domestic violence incident with superstar girlfriend Rihanna in 2009. Their case went to court and the singer later received 5 years probation that has lingered till date. He also had to do community service and take anger management classes.

Below, Chris speaks about anger, domestic violence and what's he's learnt are the consequences and triggers of domestic violence.

Nicki Minaj Vs Her Old Principal - High School Responds On Not Allowing Her Speak To Students

Nicki Minaj wanted to pay a visit to her old high school and speak to the students, but said on Twitter yesterday she wasn’t allowed. She wrote;

I wanted to go back to my HS and speak to the students but the principal declined.
That school change my life and I wanted to pay it forward to the students there now.
I was really looking forward to it. I guess I’m not good enough.

After she sent a series of tweets nailing the principal, her fans began to send the school emails and harassing phone calls filled with complaints.

The school district has now responded with their own statement in a letter to parents:

Rita Dominic Shares Wedding Picture Of Her Late Parents To Mark Mom's Birthday

Rita Dominic remembered her late mum's birthday yesterday by sharing this picture of her parents on their wedding day. She wished her mom a happy birthday in the caption, saying;

Happy birthday mum.. Wish you were here.. may you and daddy keep resting in peace.. We miss you both so much.

The death of a mother can be so painful, and for those that lose their parents early in life, like Rita, it can truncate a lot of their dreams. It's amazing how far Rita has come, and still climbing.