CAF Champions League: ASEC Mimosas out, Port of Togo In
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jadida and wydad will carry the moroccan flag in the mini-league phase while dr congo rely on five-time champions tp mazembe whose multi-national squad secured a place saturday1 asec mimosas of the ivory coast flopped at home and fellow former african title winners v club of the democratic republic of congo also bowed out of the caf champions league sunday1 in a dream start to the return match asec doubled their overall advantage when gbagnon badie converted a penalty after just seven minutes1 but 2016 champions league semi-finalists zesco scored through fackson kampumbu after 29 minutes and lazarous kambole on 65 minutes to triumph 2-1 and qualify on the away-goal rule1 while zesco go into the champions league group draw this wednesday asec drop to the less lucrative caf confederation cup the second-tier african competition1 the elimination of williamsville by defending champions wydad casablanca of morocco saturday means african football powerhouse the ivory coast will have no club in the group stage1 v club hosted difaa el jadida of morocco needing to overcame a 1-0 first-leg loss but after a promising start they could only draw 2-2 and were eliminated1 jean-marc makusu mundele scored after 20 minutes for the kinshasa club who conquered africa 45 years ago1 hamid ahaddad lifted his caf goal tally to six this season by levelling after 77 minutes to tilt the tie decisively toward the moroccans1 the congolese needed at least two more goals to survive but got only one as mundele netted again before ayoub nanah equalised in stoppage time1 the abidjan club winners of the competition in 1998 looked set to succeed in a last-32 tie against zesco united of zambia after building a 1-0 lead on the road last week1 as asec and v club fell former champions esperance and etoile sahel of tunisia entente setif of algeria and mamelodi sundowns of south africa all progressed1 a first half goal from anice badri was enough to give esperance a 1-0 home win over gor mahia of kenya after a goalless first leg in east africa1 the outcome shattered gor dreams of becoming the first kenyan club to reach the group phase where qualifiers earn at least 550000 450000 euros1 etoile the only winners of all five current and past caf club competitions lost 1-0 away to plateau united of nigeria but squeezed through 4-3 on aggregate1 plateau were disadvantaged by having to move the match from their jos home to kano after the tunisians complained that the original venue did not match international standards1 twice champions setif sounded a warning by thrashing aduana stars of ghana 4-0 at home having trailed by a goal going into the return match1 sundowns overcame a rain-soaked pretoria pitch and rugged opposition from rwandans rayon sports to win 2-0 after a goalless first encounter1 uganda goalkeeper dennis onyango rescued the 2016 champions with several superb early saves before a goal in each half from wayne arendse and sibusiso vilakazi won the tie1 rarely has a 3-1 defeat been celebrated so much as that suffered by port of togo away to twice runners-up al hilal of sudan1 the lome club who played 55 minutes a man short after a red card won the tie on away goals to become the first club from the tiny west african country to reach the group phase1

Del Potro beats Federer in Indian Wells thriller
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del potro was competing in his first indian wells final since 2013 when he lost to spaniard rafael nadal2 former us open winner juan martin del potro stunned world number one roger federer 6-4 6-7 810 7-6 72 to win the indian wells masters tournament on sunday2 federer missed clinching the championship when he broke del potro at 4-4 then fluffed the opportunity when he served by allowing the argentinian to claw his way back to level scores at 5-5. like the second the third set also went into a tie break with federer spraying many errors and losing the match2 del potro survived three match points before clinching the championship in the tiebreaker ending a two hour 42 minute marathon contest on the main stadium court2 he won the first five points of the third set tiebreaker then closed it out when federer smack a forehand long2 im still shaking del potro said. its difficult to describe with words. its like a dream2 after all my problems after all my surgeries i couldnt believe im here winning a masters 1000 and beating roger. its amazing2 in the close to three-hour thriller the two players kept the audience on tenterhooks as federer came from one set down to level scores in a tie breaker2 this is just del potros seventh win over federer in 25 career meetings2 del potro is back in the top 10 in rankings this season after dropping to no. 1045 before beginning his comeback from three left wrist surgeries in 20162 its a bit disappointing but thats how it goes federer told the press2 but well done to him. i lost my serve a little bit in the tiebreak and he was clean2 standing at the trophy ceremony i wish i couldve played that tiebreak again he added2 i had a great run again this week federer said. we love coming here. there was not much in between us but you del potro deserve it. enjoy the moment2 see you all next year2

Benue: Return of displaced communities gladdens Akoh
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on the alleged illicit arrests of youth members the national commandant of peace corps of nigeria assured the youth that he would liaise with relevant authorities to ensure that they were released adding that he had met with governor samuel ortom early hours of the day to discuss state of the communities with him1 the president of the dickson akoh foundation amb. dickson akoh has expressed gladness over the return of some displaced benue communities1 the two communities had been enmeshed with crises which had lasted for three years where over 100 persons had lost their lives property worth millions of naira destroyed and over 1000 people displaced1 elder okopi odah the village head of ondo community and the youth leader enokela agba told a gathering at the weekend that the people had no other place to call their home since the government did not provide any camp for the displaced persons they had been living at the mercy of friends and relatives in the neighbouring communities1 since the eje alekwu of ugboju the cultural festival of ugboju people is this weekend we cant afford to celebrate it elsewhere other than our ancestral home we have no option than to return home mr. odah told his visitors1 he however lamented the recent arrests of over 5 youths from the community whom he said have been languishing in police net without prosecution or bail1 responding the president of dickson akoh foundation a non-governmental organisation appreciated the community for heeding to his entreaties that they should return home assuring that his foundation would continue to liase with the government to ensure that lastiing peace tranquility and decorum return to the hitherto crisis ravaged communities1 akoh who is a holder of the traditional title of ogigomebe kugboju the traditional mirror of ugboju district enjoined the people of the community to shun further act of violence saying no community will develop or progress in an atmosphere of crisis1 the displaced people of ogobia and ondo communities of ugboju district in otukpo local government of benue state returned to their ancestral homes six months after a communal clash1 while warning against reprisal attacks and malicious accusations against fellow brethren akoh however said in a case where it is established that anyone is linked to the killing of the deceased the law shall be allowed to take its course1 akoh through his foundation made cash donation and relieve materials which include food items and others that could serve round the entire returnees even as he promised to ensure that adequate security is provided as the people celebrate eje alekwu festival1 meanwhile a teenager and student of vama model secondary school in otada otukpo local government of benue state who recently invented a dummy motorcycle car and grinding machine from waste plastic products paul oloche was at the weekend celebrated in his school by dickson akoh foundation1 in the event which had in attendance the member representing adokaugboju constituency at the benue house of assembly barr. adam okloho the paramount ruler of otukpo area council chief john eyimonye the proprietor of the school rev. fr. sylvester onmoke and others akoh called on idoma leaders to rally round the young and talented oloche to enable him fulfil his dream of becoming a renowned engineer1 to this end the foundation made a cash donation of five hundred thousand naira to be lodged in an account which shall serve to raise endowment fund for young oloches university education outside the country1 in a related development the foundation also visited a 3-year old boy fanen tehemen who has been languishing in makurdi hospital since september 2017 as the parents could not raise the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand naira to perform a surgery on him1 the little fanen who has lost one of his hands and about loosing his eye due to excruciating effect of fire burnt however got his medical bills paid by dickson akoh foundation which would warrant immediate surgery to be performed on him1

UN withdraws 108 Nigerian peace-keeping police in Liberia
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nigerias maj.-gen. salihu uba is the force commander and head of unmils military component of men and women from various countries including nigeria pakistan and ukraine1 the last batch of 108 nigerian police officers has been withdrawn from the un mission in liberia unmil after five years of service1 the batch of 200 nigerian peacekeepers withdrew from liberia in february as part of the termination of the missions mandate scheduled on march 30 the mission said1 the nigerian contingent has been deployed in liberia since unmil was first established in 20031 nigeria has been a main contributor of military and police to unmil1 the united nations mission in liberia unmil has been a steadfast partner to liberia for the last 15 years1 it has supported security and security sector reform rule of law efforts to disarm human rights and sustainable peace1 the mission will complete its mandate on 30 march 20181 unmil was established in september 2003 with 16475 uniformed personnel to monitor a ceasefire agreement in liberia following the conclusion of the second liberian civil war1 an official farewell ceremony was held in february in honour of the last departing 689 uniformed personnel 404 military and 285 police personnel who had served with the mission1 this symbolised the end of unmils military and police operations in liberia more than 14 years after unmil was deployed in compliance with security council resolution 1509 20031 unmil said the remaining 108 nigerian fpu officers the last unmil uniformed contingent remaining in liberia withdrew as part of the un missions termination1 uba was commander of the training and doctrine command of the nigerian army before his appointment as the force commander for unmil by the former un secretary-general ban ki-moon on jan. 9 20151 the formed police unit composed of nigerian and chinese personnel and since 2003 61 contingents from various countries had served in liberia unmil said1 according to uba the missions uniform component military and police have taken greater stride towards strengthening peace and security rule of law governance among others in liberia1 the force commander stated that it was not all roses particularly for the military which had the highest fatalities of 138 personnel while the police lost 21 persons1 as we are closing the memory of those 159 persons and others in the mission will continue to live in our minds1 we will continue to pay special tribute to them and those who contributed to peace and security in liberia the major general said1 the force commander on behalf of the police commissioner simon blatchly expressed their profound appreciation to the uniformed component of unsmil1 the special representative of the un secretary-general farid zarif had in his speech stated that the farewell signified an important benchmark in the history of the un in west africa1 while my colleagues in uniform are writing the last pages of the peacekeeping operations here liberians and their leaders have started writing the first pages of a brand new chapter in their history1 liberian president george weah commended unmil for its longstanding support to peace and stability saying the liberian people will forever remain grateful to them for their bravery and service1 weah said thank you for your hard work and sacrifice you have made over the years to keep the peace and stability of our beloved mama liberia. as you leave us now we will forever remember you. nan1

Putin re-election victory no surprise White House
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the white house on monday said the re-election victory of russian president vladimir putin was no surprise to the country1 the spokesman hogan gidley saidthere was no congratulatory phone call scheduled with president donald trump1 were not surprised by the outcome he said of the russian election1 gidley further told reporters on air force one which was carrying trump to new hampshire that the united states will work with russia where it can1 we will work to cultivate the relationship with russia and we will impose costs when russia threatens our interests but we will also look for places to work together when it serves our interests gidley said1

CBN pumps $210m in FOREX market
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the central bank of nigeria cbn on monday injected 210 million dollars into the inter-bank foreign exchange market in its bid to sustain liquidity in the foreign exchange market1 the acting director corporate communications department cbn mr isaac okoroafor in a statement said that the move would ensure the continuous availability of foreign exchange to customers1 giving a breakdown okoroafor said that the bank offered 100 million dollars to authorised dealers in the wholesale segment of the market while the small and medium enterprises segment received 55 million dollars1 he said also that customers requiring foreign exchange for invisibles such as tuition fees medical payments and basic travel allowance bta among others were also allocated 55 million dollars1 okoroafor reassured the public that the bank would continue to intervene in the interbank foreign exchange market in line with its desire to sustain liquidity in the market and maintain stability1 he also said that the steps taken so far by the apex bank in the management of foreign exchange was paying off as reflected by reduction in the countrys import bills and accretion to its foreign reserves1 the cbn also recently injected 210 million dollars into the wholesale segment of the foreign exchange market1 meanwhile the naira continued its stability in the foreign exchange market exchanging at an average of n360 to a dollar in the bureau de change segment of the market1

Melaye: Police allegations laughable, preposterous
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a case of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of prohibited firearms have therefore been filed by the nigeria police force at federal high court lokoja on 16th march 2018 against the two suspects mentioned above senator dino melaye and alh. mohammed audu who is also a suspect in the matter and is now on the run2 according to the police the men not only confessed to have been involved in several kidnappings in the state and environs they also claimed to be hired thugs for politicians2 according to the gang leader osama he has been working as a political thug for one alhaji mohammed audu a politician in the state2 he said alhaji mohammed audu invited him to abuja and introduced him to senator dino melaye and they met on airport road abuja inside the senator dino melayes car in the month of december 20172 the suspect further confessed that sen. dino melaye told him that they should start working for the senator as his political thugs and they should recruit and train more othersic thugs to work for him in preparation toward 2019 general election to enable him sen. dino melaye challenge his political opponents and disorganised kogi state2 no amount of lies and blackmail will detract my attention from speaking the truth and defending it he said1 melaye also claimed that the withdrawal of police from vips announced by the inspector general of police ibrahim idris was targeted at him1 i am the target. ig wants to expose me so i can be killed. having survived assassination attempt twice i deserve police protection in a country where im a tax payer he wrote1 the police in lokoja today said they have charged the senator with illegal possession of firearms in a case filed in a lokoja court on 16 march1 senator dino melaye has described as preposterous and laughable the allegations by the police that he hired two political thugs and armed them to cause mayhem in kogi state1 charged along with the senator were another politician muhammed audu said to be on the run and two other deadly persons linked with a spate of kidnapping and robbery.also read one of the two suspects was identified as a 31 year-old kabiru saidu a.k.a osama. t the other was nuhu salisu who is 25 years-old.1 the duo were arrested in january. police claimed they had confessed that they were also working as thugs for senator melaye1 fabricated lies by kogi state govt and the police will fail. its utterly laughable and preposterous. its a sign of desperation the embattled senator tweeted today1 the police said osama further confessed that melaye handed over a bag containing one ak47 rifle two pump action guns and the n430000.00 to share with his boys1 consequent on the indictments and criminal confessions against senator dino melaye by the principal suspect kabiru saidu a.k.a osama 31 yrs nigeria police force wrote a letter dated 2nd of march 2018 addressed to the senate president federal republic of nigeria informing and requesting him to release senator dino melaye to report to commissioner of police kogi state command on the 7th march 2018 to answer to criminal offences levelled against him to enable the police carry out a discreet investi1 at a press conference in lokoja today the police spokesman jimoh moshood said the police seized from the thugs and their gang members two ak47 rifles five pump action guns two locally made pistols and heaps of charms1

Uber suspends self-driving vehicles after SUV kills US woman
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tempe is 11 miles 18 km east of phoenix1 ride services company uber today suspended its autonomous vehicle programme after its self-driving sport utility vehicle killed a woman on the street in arizona1 the accident in the phoenix suburb of tempe dealt a potential blow not only to ubers strategy but the eventual rollout of robot cars on public roads1 it was the first fatality from a self-driving vehicle1 the vehicles are being tested around the globe in a high-profile race by global automakers and tech companies expecting that autonomous vehicles will transform transportation and the ride services business1 the vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel at the time of the accident which occurred overnight sunday to monday tempe police said1 the vehicle was traveling northbound when a female walking outside of the crosswalk crossed the road from west to east when she was struck by the uber vehicle police said in a statement1 local television footage of the scene showed a crumpled bike and a volvo xc90 suv with a smashed-in front1 the 49 year-old woman was identified as elaine herzberg. she died from her injuries in a hospital police said1 an uber technologies inc spokesman said the company was suspending north american tests of its self-driving vehicles. in a tweet uber expressed its condolences and said the san francisco-based company was fully cooperating with authorities1 volvo confirmed the vehicle was a volvo xc90 which uber has been using special versions of in its testing. russell datz a spokesman for the automaker said the autonomous technology was not made by volvo1 the u.s. national highway traffic safety administration nhtsa and national transportation safety board ntsb said they were sending teams to investigate the crash. nhtsa also said it was in contact with volvo. the swedish car brand is owned by chinas geely1 in canada the ministry of transportation in canadas ontario province which is overseeing ubers on-road autonomous testing in toronto said it was reviewing the accident1 on friday alphabet incs self-driving unit waymo and uber urged congress to pass sweeping legislation to speed the introduction of self-driving cars into the united states. some congressional democrats have blocked the legislation over safety concerns and mondays fatality could hamper the quick passage of the bill congressional aides said monday1 this is a wake-up call to the entire av industry and government to put a high priority on safety tweeted former u.s. transportation secretary anthony foxx1 senator john thune who heads the senate commerce committee and has been urging congress to pass sweeping legislation to speed self-driving cars to u.s. roads said in a statement the accident underscores the need to adopt laws and policies tailored for self-driving vehicles1 fallout from the crash will likely prove negative for all auto makers and suppliers with aspirations in autonomous driving buckingham research group analyst glenn chin wrote in a client note. a human fatality is likely to spur increased public and regulatory scrutiny of avs around a process that is admittedly quite lax in the u.s1

Scientists flag 2 killer blood pressure drugs
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according to the new study from dr. clements and colleagues certain types of medication that are used to lower blood pressure may be contributing to this mortality risk1 scientists at the intermountain medical center heart institute in salt lake city utah united states have red-flagged two blood pressure drugs that are themselves killers1 alpha blockers which include doxazosin mesylate and prazosin hydrochloride work by dilating the blood vessels. alpha-2 agonists such as methyldopa work by targeting sympathetic nervous system activity thereby reducing blood vessel constriction1 scientists said the two classes of drugs are inimical to users health and should be avoided1 lead study author dr. brian clements and team have recently presented their findings at the 2018 american college of cardiology acc scientific sessions held in orlando fl1 blood pressure is the force of blood that pushes against the wall of the arteries. and in november last year the american heart association aha and the acc set new guidelines1 now a person is considered to have hypertension if his systolic blood pressure the top number is 130 millimeters of mercury mmhg or higher and their diastolic blood pressure the bottom number is 80 mmhg or higher1 systolic blood pressure is the force of blood against the artery walls when the heart is beating while diastolic blood pressure is the force of blood when the heart is at rest or between heartbeats1 the updated guidelines mean that almost half of adults in the united states have high blood pressure which puts them at greater risk of heart attack stroke and heart disease among other health problems1 of course when it comes to treating hypertension the goal is to lower blood pressure. this may be achieved through lifestyle changes such as adopting a healthful diet and increasing physical activity medication or both1 previous research however has discovered that consistency is key for blood pressure levels. a study published in the bmj in 2016 for example associated higher variability of systolic blood pressure with a 15 percent increase in all-cause mortality1 according to medical news today scientists found that individuals with hypertension who used alpha blockers and alpha-2 agonists to control their blood pressure showed an increase in blood pressure variability which could increase mortality risk1 for their study the researchers analyzed the data of over 10500 adults with high blood pressure1 the participants had their blood pressure measured at least seven times between january 2007 and december 2011 and the type of blood pressure medication they were using was monitored1 the team used these data to assess whether certain classes of blood pressure medication were associated with variability in blood pressure levels1 the study revealed two classes of blood pressure medication that were linked to higher blood pressure variability in subjects alpha blockers and alpha-2 agonists1 based on the study results dr. clements and colleagues say that these two medications should not be used to treat hypertension1 patients should know what their blood pressure is he says and if its up and down all the time the patient should work with their physician to explore options for the best blood pressure medications that will reduce variances1 where possible the two types of medications that show an increase in variances should be avoided1 dr. clements adds that ace inhibitors angiotensin receptor blockers calcium channel blockers and thiazide diuretics may be safer treatment options for people with hypertension1 people who are on other types of blood pressure medications have an increased risk of death he adds1 however blood pressure variability is not solely down to medication dr. clements notes that the way in which blood pressure is measured can have a significant effect on readings1 for accurate blood pressure readings he recommends sitting or lying down for 15 minutes before measurements are taken. avoiding stressful situations and using a well-fitting blood pressure cuff may also help1

Lassa fever : Ebonyi to campaign against rat consumption
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by chukwuemeka opara4 we encourage the people to keep their environments clean to improve their health he said. nan2 the state commissioner for environment chief donatus njoku told the news agency of nigeria nan on monday in abakaliki that the government would explore all avenues to dissuade the citizens from consuming rats2 nan reports that lassa fever outbreak in the state in january resulted in four deaths and it is believed thatinhabitants of the state erroneously believe rats have high nutritional value2 njoku said rats are the primary vectors of the disease and we are vigorously carrying out enlightenment through mass media workshops seminars and various ministries communication channels2 we will collaborate with traditional rulers and other opinion leaders at the grassroots to educate rural dwellers to shun such a notion and realise that rat is the diseases primary vector2 we have also continued to sensitise the populace to urgently report suspected cases to relevant health agencies2 in an effort to prevent further outbreak of lassa fever ebonyi government is to begin intensive campaigns against rat consumption in rural areas2 on sanitation njoku said that contrary to insinuations non-observance of the monthly sanitation in the state did not affect effective sanitation2 state and federal government functions sometimes fall on the last saturday of the month and when this occurs we have to comply2 the state government has evolved policies which make the populace to clean their environments on daily basis and not wait for designated days he said2 njoku told nan that the state ministry of environment ensured that state government ministries and parastatal-agencies cleaned their environments daily as directed by the governor2 we assess their performances to ascertain the level of compliance to show his seriousness toward the directive the governor visits the ministries for on-the-spot assessments2 with the total functionality of the state government-owned south-east virology centre such an occurrence can be expeditiously handled2

Toyin Saraki named WHO adviser
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wife of the president of the senate toyin saraki has been named as special adviser to the independent advisory group iag of the world health organisations who regional office for africa afro2 the media office of toyin saraki in a statement in abuja on monday said the appointment was made earlier this month by whos regional director for africa dr. matshidiso moeti2 this move is intended to bring mrs sarakis considerable frontline experience to bear on whos strategy and policy2 toyin ojora-saraki had since accepted the appointment based on the advisory groups focus on women and childrens health and in view of her role as a global champion for universal healthcare coverage uhc2 i welcome the advisory group meetings focus on the health of women children and adolescents as flagship indicators for universal healthcare coverage uhc progress2 as a global champion for uhc i advocate for a fuller understanding of its benefits which go beyond health outcomes and include improved gender equality higher levels of preparedness for epidemic outbreaks and transformative economic effects2 as global goodwill ambassador for the international confederation of midwives i particularly welcome the introduction of who afros focused curriculum for the professional qualification education of midwives and nurses in africa she said2 i am looking forward to hitting the ground running in my new role as special adviser at the independent advisory group meeting this week in johannesburg2 the experience i have gained as founder-president of the wellbeing foundation africa working closely with our midwives on the frontline as part of the global every woman every child strategy to end all preventable maternal newborn and child deaths including stillbirths by 2030 will inform my advice to the who she added2

Trump conman, idiot, says Gilliam film director
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afp25 monty pythons terry gilliam could be forgiven for thinking the whole donald trump presidency is a joke on him1 for years i was saying we are getting to the point of having a complete conman for a president the film director and animator told afp and now here we are1 for somebody who likes turning things upside down i should be enjoying this but trump is an idiot said the maker of brazil and fear and loathing in las vegas1 and humour is no defence. not even the pythons in their 1960s pomp could match the surreal madcap nature of the presidency he insisted its absurd1 the reality is funnier than anything one can do gilliam laughed1 the life of brian their classic satirical take on a false messiah now seems all too prophetic he said completely relevant to the world we are living in1 it makes me feel like ive gotten very old and i am living through a nightmare he added1 for his latest project gilliam 77 is directing the opera benvenuto cellini in paris1 its so crazy and there is no way you can do anything. so i have become apolitical i am candide he said referring to voltaires naively optimistic hero. i am going to be tending my garden thats what i am going to do1 yet the madness of it all still gets gilliams famously brilliant brain going1 look at america under trump look at england under the conservatives it is just a joke. britain is part of europe and to think it can be great britain again is utterly foolish1 nor is gilliam now a british citizen afraid to call out his old friend and fellow python john cleese for supporting brexit telling afp bluntly he is an idiot1 but even the political climate cannot curb gilliams boundless optimism and creative fire for long1 at 77 he is still fizzing with ideas with a stack of projects in his sights including a musical1 this is a man after all who renounced his american citizenship in protest at george w. bush1 the movie has gone down in hollywood history as one of the most cursed projects ever beset by such a string of disasters that the saga spawned an acclaimed documentary1 im free gilliam declared i was the prisoner of don quixote for 26 years1 the best thing about it being finished is that i like it because i thought for all those years i would only disappoint myself. but its great adam driver of star wars fame and jonathan price are extraordinary the whole cast is wonderful he said1 metoo mob rule1 gilliam has dedicated the movie to the actors jean rochefort and john hurt neither of whom lived long enough to play don quixote1 ever the mischief maker the director said the film includes scenes of women behaving inappropriately1 it is his little jab at the metoo movement which he claims has morphed into something ugly and dangerous1 its like when mob rule takes over the mob is out there they are carrying their torches and they are going to burn down frankensteins castle1 its crazy how simplified things are becoming. there is no intelligence anymore and people seem to be frightened to say what they really think. now i am told even by my wife to keep my head a bit low he said ignoring her advice1 while gilliam condemned harvey weinstein as a monster he claimed that he was not alone. the mogul was exposed because he is such asshole he said1 i think some people did very well out of meeting with harvey and others didnt. the ones who did knew what they were doing. these are adults we are talking about adults with a lot of ambition1 harvey opened the door for a few people a night with harvey thats the price you pay said gilliam who is in paris to direct an opera benvenuto cellini next week1 he said power had always been abused in the film world and i dont think hollywood will change. power takes advantage it always does1 the great irony he said was that while metoo has been in full flow a self-confessed pussy-grabber is the president of the us and is just walking around unchallenged he added1 in fact the maker of time bandits the fisher king and 12 monkeys is on a high having finally finished the man who killed don quixote after nearly two decades of development hell1

Trump lawyer slams $20m claim on Stormy Daniels
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afp25 donald trumps lawyer claimed porn actress stormy daniels is liable for at least 20 million for violating a nondisclosure agreement that prevents her from discussing an affair with the president1 the settlement agreement provides for liquidated damages of one million dollars 1000000 per instance of breach the court filing says1 daniels signed the agreement pertaining to an alleged affair a decade earlier shortly before the 2016 election leading to allegations that the payment amounted to an illicit contribution to trumps campaign1 lawyer michael avenatti filed a lawsuit on behalf of daniels whose real name stephanie clifford earlier this month seeking to toss out the confidential settlement1 the suit alleged that daniels began an intimate relationship with trump in the summer of 2006 that continued well into 20071 on july 12 court proceedings will get under way to decide whether daniels can dissolve the agreement1 the white house has denied any sexual encounter between trump and daniels who has offered to return the 130000 she received so that she can be free to speak openly and freely about her prior relationship with the president and the attempts to silence her1 she is also asking to be allowed to publish text messages photos and videos relating to the president avenatti said in a letter to cohen1 using the pseudonyms peggy peterson and david dennison daniels and trump were to sign the agreement along with essential consultants1 but trump never signed providing the basis for avenattis attempt to have it thrown out and release daniels from her obligations1 a lawyer for michael cohens essential consultants limited liability company which paid daniels 130000 under the agreement made the filing which said that daniels violated the deal at least 20 times1 the fact that a sitting president is pursuing over 20m in bogus damages against a private citizen who is only trying to tell the public what really happened is remarkable. likely unprecedented in our history. we are not going away and we will not be intimidated avenatti wrote on the social media site1 the filing today is yet another bullying tactics from the president and mr cohen. they are now attempting to remove this case to federal court in order to increase their chances that the matter will be decided in private arbitration thus hiding the truth from the public he wrote1 according to the court filing essential consultants began an arbitration proceeding as provided for by the agreement at the end of february1 trump has ample reason to want to keep the affair quiet1 the issue could hurt the president with religious voters who were key to his electoral success and appears to have already caused strains between the president and first lady melania trump1 earlier friday the white house condemned any threat against daniels after the porn stars lawyer claimed she was threatened with physical violence if she revealed details of the alleged tryst1 obviously we take the safety and security of any person seriously said press secretary sarah sanders1 the white house certainly would condemn anyone threatening any individual but i have no knowledge of that situation she said1 white house officials have tried to deflect questions about the alleged affair pointing to previous denials by the trump campaign1 avenatti took to twitter on friday to criticize the court filing1

BBNaija: Alex slams Cee-C And Tobi for always fighting
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by busayo onijala2 the live eviction show airs every sunday by 7pm central african time1 she expressed her displeasure with their behaviour after the duo engaged in a near-fight argument on saturday making it the third saturday in a roll1 cee-c who used to be tobis strategic partner accused tobi of calling her a bitch. she also added that she does not like being the topic of conversations in the house1 alex who could no longer bear the disturbance warned both housemates not to bring todays fight into the house. she told them to settle their problems outside at the lounge before coming in.1 last saturday you disturbed everyone with your fight. you made people not to sleep but this time i wont allow it. is it now every saturday thing does it mean we wont have our rest in this house again1 tobi cee-c its now becoming a trend after saturday parties. creating a drama every saturday after the party is now boring. people will not understand that you guys are quarreling it is exhausting for the viewers i will advice you people to just go and sleep1 you guys are very tiring. if i was watching you at home i will be bored and just turn off my tv after the saturday party she said1 bbnaija housemate asogwa alexandra popularly known as alex has blasted fellow housemates tobi and cee-c over their frequent quarrels disturbing other housemates after saturday night parties1 if they think this house belongs to them let them come in here with their fight and make noise. youll see what ill do to them. can you imagine they did it last saturday and today again1 the news agency of nigerianan reports that alex has been described by bbn viewers as the life of the weekly party. she is always on top of her game when it comes to dancing1 housemates have been playing individually since they were unpaired. as it is no housemate will be blamed for the eviction of their strategic partner from the house1 all housemates except rico swavey and nina who is the head of househoh have been nominated for possible eviction tonight1 rico who was bambams partner is the only housemate who has never been up for nomination thereby making his chances of winning the grand prize high1 nina was able to save herself from nomination with her power of being the hoh1 later on alex was heard telling rico see todays own wont be funny1

Anto evicted from BBNaija house
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she was however was initially attracted to fellow housemate tobi1 bbnaija double wahala housemate anto has been evicted from the show becoming the eleventh as well as first individual housemate to be evicted1 previously paired housemates bitto and princess pritto deeone and vandora vandee angel and ahneeka gelah ifu ennada and leo lifu were evicted from the show alongside khloe and k-brule ksquared who were disqualified1 last week the head of house hoh had her privilege restricted leaving her without the opportunity to alter the nominations1 antos chances of winning the grand prize of n25 million and an suv were cut short when she alongside 7 housemates received the highest nominations from fellow housemates1 the american born housemate escaped eviction last week along with her partner miracle1 however this week bbnaija host ebuka uchendu announced anto had received the lowest percentage of votes from fans across the world compared to fellow housemates who were put up for eviction this week1 the evicted housemate revealed to perennial host ebuka uchendu that her main purpose in the house was to win the grand prize1 last week big brother biggie dissolved the pairings therefore requiring them to play the game as individuals1 she said i had my eyes on tobi although he already got close to cee c. he is a bit childish we can be friends1 during her post eviction chat with ebuka anto confirmed cee cs possessive attitude towards tobi. i could see cee c did not like it when i interacted with tobi1 the outgoing housemate took the opportunity to clear up her future with fellow housemate lolu1 she admitted to spending so much time with him because she genuinely likes him although she claimed to be open in the future1 i like him he is my friend i am not promising anything1 notably during the eviction show ebuka sprung up a surprise1 the host dressed in a typical nigerian attire known as baba riga announced that viewers have the opportunity to vote to bring two evicted housemate back into the house to continue to vie for the grand prize worth n45 million1 for now nine housemates left in the game will continue to compete for the grand prize1

Naomi Osaka wins first WTA title
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afp25 unseeded naomi osaka has won her first wta title and simultaneously she logged the record as the first japanese player to win the indian wells final routing russian daria kasatkina 6-3 6-2 on sunday3 i just knew that she was going to fight for every point too said osaka. so i couldnt afford to lose points based on nerves and i had to keep making the right decisions3 osaka captured the title on her first match point by blasting a backhand into the open side of the court3 the japanese dynamo improved to 13-4 on the season two days after her biggest previous win a dominating semi-final triumph over world number one simona halep3 she was only the fourth unseeded player to reach the indian wells final with the most recent before her being kim clijsters in 20053 the loss ends a brilliant run in the california desert by kasatkina who was playing in her second final in a row after a runner-up finish in dubai3 she was much better today than me so she really deserved to win kasatkina said. of course we were both nervous at the beginning because the biggest finals so far3 but during the match she was able to manage her nerves and stuff and i was still a little bit tight during the match. so it is what it is3 kasatkina was two points from defeat against venus williams in the semi-finals but rallied for the upset triumph3 kasatkina who wasnt even born when williams first competed at indian wells said she really felt the nerves getting to her on the big stage in the final3 world number 44 osaka rolled over kasatkina breaking her serve four times and winning the battle of the 20-year-old rising stars in just 70 minutes3 i mean i already forgot what he told me. i was so nervous that i really forgot she said3 osaka blasted five aces made three double faults and won 79 percent of her first-serve points3 i wasnt really trying to hit hard today said osaka who was born in osaka japan but is a dual citizen after living in america since the age of three3 i felt like it would be better for her to take my pace3 so i wanted her to do whatever she wanted to do and i was going to sit back and see what she does3 like osaka kasatkina was playing in her first indian wells final. this was the first time both indian wells finalists were under age 21 since serena williams beat clijsters in 20013 the opening set was even until osaka blasted two aces to take a 4-3 lead. she then broke kasatkina to make it 5-3 and finished it off with another strong service game3 osaka pounced on kasatkina from the beginning of the second set starting with an opening break of serve3 she also broke kasatkina to go up 4-1 with another precision forehand winner down the line and never looked back3 kasatkina is now 1-3 in wta singles finals winning in charleston last year and finishing runner-up last year in moscow and this year at dubai3 she called her coach to come down from the stands for advice at one point but couldnt remember after the match what he told her3

Del Potro beats Federer in Indian Wells thriller
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del potro was competing in his first indian wells final since 2013 when he lost to spaniard rafael nadal2 former us open winner juan martin del potro stunned world number one roger federer 6-4 6-7 810 7-6 72 to win the indian wells masters tournament on sunday2 federer missed clinching the championship when he broke del potro at 4-4 then fluffed the opportunity when he served by allowing the argentinian to claw his way back to level scores at 5-5. like the second the third set also went into a tie break with federer spraying many errors and losing the match2 del potro survived three match points before clinching the championship in the tiebreaker ending a two hour 42 minute marathon contest on the main stadium court2 he won the first five points of the third set tiebreaker then closed it out when federer smack a forehand long2 im still shaking del potro said. its difficult to describe with words. its like a dream2 after all my problems after all my surgeries i couldnt believe im here winning a masters 1000 and beating roger. its amazing2 in the close to three-hour thriller the two players kept the audience on tenterhooks as federer came from one set down to level scores in a tie breaker2 this is just del potros seventh win over federer in 25 career meetings2 del potro is back in the top 10 in rankings this season after dropping to no. 1045 before beginning his comeback from three left wrist surgeries in 20162 its a bit disappointing but thats how it goes federer told the press2 but well done to him. i lost my serve a little bit in the tiebreak and he was clean2 standing at the trophy ceremony i wish i couldve played that tiebreak again he added2 i had a great run again this week federer said. we love coming here. there was not much in between us but you del potro deserve it. enjoy the moment2 see you all next year2

Ethiopias minnows send Zamalek out of CAF championship
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zamalek finally broke the deadlock just before halftime. hazem emams cross was handed by one of the visitors defenders inside the vital area and madbouly made no mistake from the spot to put the white knights ahead as both sides went into the break1 ethiopian debutants1 it was the first time for an ethiopian side to knock zamalek from a caf competition as the white knights poor recent continental record continued. zamalek havent tasted continental glory since 15 years when they won the 2003 caf super cup1 after losing the first leg 2-1 a fortnight ago in hawassa zamalek seemed confident of overturning the resukt and qualifying to the next round in style. ehab galal side started the game on attacking note. abdel aziz fired zamalek first shot after 8 minutes but geremew babsa parried it easily before mohamed antars shot missed the target four minutes later1 bassem morsy should have given zamalek the lead after 33 minutes when he rounded his marker and fired a shot that missed its target by a whisker1 wondwosen geremew babsatemesgen duba holeta abdulsamad andteklu tafese kummascoring for the ethiopian visitors1 three minutes after the restart were enough for madbouly to double his tally. the talented winger weaved through two defenders to send a curling shot into the net1 and while zamalek thought it was going to be a goal festive abdulsamad ali reduced the deficit after 52 minutes when he headed home after zamaleks goalkeeper ahmed elshennawy failed to hold a cross from tafesse kummas freekick1 morsy was the one to blame again when he shot high after 56 minutes. with time passing zamalek players looked nervous as they tried to score a vital third goal. ghanaian nana poku shot directly at babsa before substitute ayman hefnys shot caused no trouble to the visitors goalkeeper1 the 90 minutes ended with aggregate score tied at 3-3 and it was to be decided by penalty shootout that smiled for the ethiopian surprise pack. debutants wolaitta dicha will wait for a relegated side from the premier club competition while zamalek were sent packing in one of the second tier club competitions biggest shocks1 published by caf online1

Obiano promises more achievements as he begins second term
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obiano advised people of the state to stand together with his government to bend the tide of destiny of the state1 gov. willie obiano of anambra state pledged four years of more remarkable achievements after he and his deputy dr nkem okeke were sworn-in for a second term on saturday in awka1 obiano said that the state was on another journey of remarkable achievements1 the governor assured the people that his second tenure would witness improvement in the provision of infrastructure entrepreneurship and agriculture1 as we have commenced another journey of four years we will install cctv cameras to further improve security across the major cities1 we will dualize major roads in nnewi and onitsha and transform awka to 21st century modern city he said1 obiano and okeke accompanied by their wives were sworn-in by the anambra state chief judge justice peter umeadi at the dr alex ekwueme square awka1 the governor reviewed his achievements in the past four years in the areas of healthcare infrastructure education and security1 he assured the people that the airport city project he promised during his campaign would be achieved1 nan reports that the event was attended by the governors of delta sen. ifeanyi okowa ebonyi chief dave umahi abia okezie ikpeazu enugu state chief ifeanyi ugwuanyi and ayo fayose of ekiti state1 other personalities that attended the event were the obi of onitsha prof. nnaemeka achebe ooni of ife oba adeyeye ogunwusi hrm dubem iweka the traditional ruler of obosi members of the national assembly from the zone and captains of industries and religious leaders1 the event also witnessed cultural displays from different parts of the state1

Zimbabwe to hold election in July Mnangagwa
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i have already invited all political parties in zimbabwe to a roundtable where we all commit ourselves to non-violence he added2 president emmerson mnangagwa of zimbabwe says the country will hold its first presidential and parliamentary elections in july after the long ruler of former president robert mugabe2 the polls will be the first major test of the new leader who took power in november after a de facto military coup forced the 94-year-old mugabe to resign2 they will also be the first without mugabes name on the ballot since independence from britain in 19802 as a nation party and government we are looking forward to very peaceful transparent and harmonised elections in july this year mnangagwa sid2 mnangagwa 75 said the elections would be free of the violence that gripped previous polls and which was one of the reasons for strained relations between zimbabwe and the west2 he made the announcement after meeting with the south african president cyril ramaphosa on saturday night2 mnanaggwa will have to announce a date in an official notice. he has said he would invite western observers who had been banned under mugabes rule2 the state-owned weekly sunday mail said a european union pre-election team was expected in harare on monday2 the eu head of mission in zimbabwe phillipe van damme told the paper it would meet the president political party leaders and the zimbabwe electoral commission2 mugabe in his first comments since he stepped down said last week that mnangagwas rule was illegitimate and a disgrace2 sourceuk.reuters.comarticleuk-zimbabwe-politicspresident-says-zimbabwe-to-hold-elections-in-july-idukkbn1gu0gmrpc4012