Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal 2020 shooting in the state of Georgia fuelled mass protests against racism and vigilantism. A Georgia jury Timothy Walmsley in November found the three men – who chased and fatally shot Arbery in February 2020 as he jogged through the coastal community of Satilla Shores – guilty of a range of charges, including felony murder. The Judge ruled on Friday that Travis McMichael, 35, and his father, 66-year-old Gregory McMichael, would spend life in prison without the possibility of parole for Arbery’s murder. McMichaels’s neighbor, William “Roddie” Bryan, was also sent to life in prison, but he will have the possibility of parole after 30 years. Walmsley has gone on record to say that he gave the McMichaels the harshest sentence open to him in part because of their “callous” words and actions captured on video. During the sentencing hearing earlier on Friday, Arbery’s relatives had asked the judge to show no lenience to the three men.
7 dead in Brazil after cliff falls on boats
The cliffs collapse on a Brazilian lake in the south-east of the country followed days of rain in Minas Gerais state, which had made the cliffs more susceptible to collapse
Seven people have been killed after part of a cliff collapsed onto leisure boats. In addition to this, another three are missing and 32 injured in the accident. Video circulating online shows the moment the rock detaches from the cliff face as onlookers try to yell warnings to the boats beneath. At least one of the boats appears to have sunk, while others managed to escape. Divers and helicopters are searching the water for any more survivors. Twenty people were initially reported missing, but most were accounted for after checking hospital lists.
WWII’s oldest veteran in US dies at 112
Lawrence N Brooks, the oldest World War II veteran in the US who is also believed to be the oldest man in the country, died at the age of 112. His death was announced by the National WWII Museum and confirmed by his daughter. Brooks, born on September 12, 1909, was known for his good-natured sense of humour, positivity and kindness. When asked for his secret to a long life, he often said, “serving God and being nice to people”.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday posted a video on Twitter of him calling Brooks to wish him a happy Veterans Day last year. “He was truly the best of America,” Biden tweeted. In the Veterans Day video, Biden thanked Brooks’ daughter Vanessa for taking such good care of him.
200 kg cocaine seized from mayor’s car in Nigeria
Drug smuggling and police seizures are becoming more common in Nigeria. Niger's Central Office for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (OCRTIS) said that police had been aware of a large quantity of cocaine being transported through the country towards Libya, and had been following the trail. A recent investigation led to the seizure of 199 bricks of cocaine - weighing a total of 214 kg - in a vehicle belonging to the mayor's office in Fachi. The vehicle had left Fachi and was heading towards Libya for the town of Dirkou when it was stopped. The mayor and his driver were taken to Niger's capital, Niamey, for questioning. Fachi is an oasis in the Tenere desert about 400 km (250 miles) north of the town of Agadez. It is known as a trading centre for salt and dates. The region is used as a route for multiple types of trafficking - such as moving drugs between South America and Europe and migrant smuggling.