Germany, EU plan 500MW renewable energy for Nigeria
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she added that it was also to support nigerias provision of stable data for electrification planning sustainable on-grid and off-grid electricity as well as creating an enabling environment for renewable energy and energy efficiency investments1 germany is collaborating with the european union to increase power generation in nigeria by 500 megawatts mw through renewable energy to serve 100000 people1 hommers said that 33 million euros had been earmarked to execute the project which is the second phase of nesp to enhance further developments in nigerias power sector especially renewable energy1 she said the eu would provide 20 million euros in the programme while the german government through its federal ministry of economic cooperation and development would give 13 million euros to support it1 the programme will ensure as part of its schedule that up to 500 mw of solar photovoltaic electricity would be procured and generated to serve about 100000 people1 it will also provide support to renewable energy operators to scale up their electricity provision she said1 iner hommers the programme head nigerian energy support programmme nesp said in abuja at a presentation of a compendium of the achievements of the deutsche gesellschaft fr internationale zusammenarbeit gmbh giz1 hommers explained that the new financial package would be used in the second phase of the nesp which would last from december 2017 to november 20201 she stated that the first phase of the nesp was successful and contributed in providing electricity to about 10000 people in sokoto niger ogun cross river and plateau1 the european union ambassador to nigeria and ecowas mr ketil karlsen stated at the event that studies had shown that nigeria could generate up to 53950mw of electricity from solar and hydro sources1 he said there was a need for to ensure that right investments were made in this regards1 karlsen explained that the success of the first phase of the nesp inspired the eu to continue with its support for the second phase1 he called for a replication of the same expertise that was used in implementing the first phase. nan1

Ahneeka, Angel evicted from BBNaija house
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big brother biggie revealed lifu came out on top during the roc da mat challenge. the pair won a prize of 5 million naira one year supply of pepsi and pepsi chillers and vvip trip for one africa festival in london england1 bbnaija double wahala housemates angel and ahneeka gelah have been evicted from the show1 bitto and princess pritto deeone and vandora vandee were evicted from the show alongside khloe and k-brule ksquared who were disqualified1 gelah fighting to stay for at least another week in the bbnaija house saw their chances of winning the grand prize of 25 million naira and an suv cut short during the last nomination process on monday1 the pair emerged with one of the highest numbers of nominations along with cee c and lolu ceelo and leo and ifu lifu1 longstanding bbnaija host ebuka uchendu announced gelah had received the lowest per cent of votes from fans across the world compared to fellow housemates ceelo and lifu1 after a week of intense arguments between strategic partners cee c and lolu the two housemates put their differences aside to produce a spectacular performance during the art and culture week task1 surviving the latest eviction is a huge boost to the pair1 the paired housemates who were evicted on sunday are the third set of housemates to be evicted from the bbnaija house and the fourth pair to depart the house1 a good week for lifu turned better when the pair narrowly escaped eviction form the bbnaija house with 28.37 per cent compared to geallas 26.971 outgoing housemate ahneeka revealed her plans for life after the bbnaija show1 she said on stage during the live eviction that she aimed to get back into the real world and explore the entertainment industry1 she claimed she resisted fellow housemate rico swarveys advances because she did not want to lead him on knowing his feelings were temporary1 an excited angel attempted to clear up his future plans with ahneeka. he said on the live show i will love to be more than friends with ahnneka1 angel who rated his chances highly after successfully coming out of several evictions told ebuka uchendu that he planned to get his music career on track with some music videos as well as a movie shoot already planned for may1 eleven housemates left in the game continue to vie for the grand prize as reality continues to set in as more housemates leave the bbnaija double wahala show. nan1

Trial day for Etete, ENI, Shell over Malabu
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a former oil minister under the dictator sani abacha etete appropriated the block in 1998 selling it to malabu a company he secretly owned1 oil giants eni and shell go on trial in milan on monday charged with bribery and corruption in the purchase of an offshore oilfield in nigeria at the centre of which is malabu oil company owned by former oil minister dan etete1 ex-nigerian oil minister dan etete is also on trial1 eni also charged with corruption in algeria in a separate trial and shell stand accused of handing out bribes during the 2011 purchase of opl245 an offshore oil block estimated to hold 9 billion barrels of crude for 1.3 billion1 both companies deny the charges against them1 eni expresses its full confidence in the judicial process and that the trial will ascertain and confirm the correctness and integrity of its conduct the italian firm said in a statement1 the agreement allegedly saw nigerias former president goodluck jonathan and former oil minister etete pocket bribes according to corruption watchdog global witness1 eni and shell closed the deal with the government without the involvement of an intermediary. the money was deposited into an account owned by the nigerian government said eni which has regularly reaffirmed its trust in descalzi1 descalzi made it clear last year that shell and eni had not been involved in the governments decision on how to use the money1 shell also said it believed the judges would conclude there was no case against them adding there is no place for bribery or corruption in our company1 the 2011 deal with the nigerian government aimed to end years of litigation over the opl245 block between shell and dan etetes oil and gas malabu company1 eni ceo claudio descalzi his predecessor paolo scaroni and several officials from eni and shell are among those facing the judge1 the licence was subsequently revoked by the government and then transferred to shell and then again to malabu resulting in major litigation1 after taking office in 2010 president goodluck jonathan resumed negotiations on the highly coveted block1 according to global witness the deal resulted in 1.1 billion being paid into an account in london opened by government officials and going directly to etete and 210 million to the government1 email exchanges between shell management cited by global witness and seen by afp suggest that shell was aware the money was likely to be funnelled to individuals including etete and jonathan1 etete can smell the money a shell official wrote in 2010 while another said the president jonathan is motivated to see 245 closed quickly - driven by expectations about the proceeds that malabu will receive and political contributions that will flow as a consequence1 nigerias anti-graft agency the efcc filed corruption charges against shell and eni in march 2017 accusing 11 defendants including etete of official corruption in connection with the deal1 current president muhammadu buhari has pledged to fight relentlessly against the cancer of corruption that plagues africas largest oil producer1 but in a letter leaked in february from justice minister abubakar malami to buhari dating from september the minister asked the president to interrupt the efcc investigation1 in the letter malami expressed concern that the case did not contain enough evidence to bring the main defendants to justice and that a trial would be an embarrassment for the country and could put off potential investors1 global witness called for justice saying that 1.1 billion can help a lot of people in a country like nigeria where 80 percent of citizens live on less than two dollars a day1

George Weahs son Timothy makes PSG debut
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afp25 timothy weah the son of current liberian president george weah made his professional debut in paris saint germaines 2-0 win over troyes on saturday1 timothys father had also played for paris saint-germain and ac milan1 the us youth international who only turned 18 last week replaced giovani lo celso for the final quarter hour after being named to the first-team squad for the first time1 my name pushes me a little bit more because my father did very good things here. i want to do the same thing said weah who nearly scored a debut goal in stoppage time1 everything is going to be fine soon i will start to score goals1 born in new york city the teenager signed a professional deal with psg last summer but has spent much of his time with the clubs reserve team in the fourth division1 hes a very young player but he works very hard. he played 15 minutes and had a good chance to score. he deserves it. its the first time he needs to keep on working psg coach unai emery said1 george weah spent three successful and prolific seasons at psg between 1992 and 1995 and remains the only african footballer to win the ballon dor award. he won it in 19951

Wilder calls out Anthony Joshua after another TKO
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american heavyweight champion deontay wilder tempted britains anthony joshua with a fight after knocking out cubas luis ortiz in the 10th round on saturday1 wilder has been trying unsuccessfully to get a unification fight with two-belt titleholder joshua1 with no date set he had to fight the dangerous counter-punching ortiz 28-1. together they are all part of a crop of new fighters who are trying to bring the heavyweight division back into the boxing spotlight1 on saturday wilder floored cubas luis ortiz in the 10th round to retain his world boxing council heavyweight title and keep his record intact of knocking out every opponent he has faced1 he knocked down ortiz three times in the fight finishing off the previously unbeaten challenger with a right uppercut as the referee stopped the fight with 55 seconds left in the 10th round1 the 32-year-old wilder improved to 40-0 with 39 knockouts as he made the seventh defence of his heavyweight title1 wilder knocked ortiz down in the fifth and twice in the final round but ortiz made him work for the victory. wilder barely survived the seventh round after ortiz surprised him with a right hook and left hand combination and followed it up with a barrage of his own1 this was the first career title fight for the stout ortiz who weighed in at 241 pounds almost 30 pounds heavier than the taller and leaner 6-foot-7 wilder1

Del Potro beats Anderson for Acapulco title
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argentine juan martin del potro clinched his 21st career title with a 6-4 6-4 win over kevin anderson in the mexican open final in acapulco on sunday1 the week after losing to frances tiafoe in the second round at delray beach open in florida the former u.s. open champion dropped only one set in four matches on the acapulco outdoor hardcourt on his way to the title1 one break in each set was enough to give del potro his first title of the year and the world number nine did not face a single break point as he improved his perfect career record against the big-serving south african to 7-01 anderson ranked a spot above del potro in the world rankings coming into the tournament was seeking his second consecutive title after winning the new york open two weeks ago1 when anderson gets it right with his booming serve he can be difficult to break down but 29-year-old del potro was able to feed on the south africans weaker second serve to get the crucial breaks1 in the womens event ukraines lesia tsurenko battled back from the brink of defeat to successfully defend her title with a 5-7 7-62 6-2 victory over stefanie voegele in the final1 swiss voegele was only three points from clinching the match in two sets but tsurenko forced a tiebreak and it was nearly all one-way traffic from there as the ukrainian took command in a nearly three-hour battle of attrition1 after dominating the tiebreak to even up the contest the 28-year-old world number 40 walzed through the final set to secure the fourth title of her career1 its such a special tournament for me winning here for the second time tsurenko said.this is just an unbelievable feeling for me to be here1

Davide Astori captain of Italian club Fiorentina dies in his sleep
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italian club fiorentina have announced the death of their captain davide astori. he passed away in his sleep overnight on saturday evening in udine at the age of 311 astori who was also an italian international was found dead in his hotel room1 fiorentina are profoundly shaken and forced to announce that their captain davide astori has died read a club statement1 for this terrible and delicate situation and above all out of respect for his family we appeal to the sensitivity of the media1 fiorentinas game with udinese has subsequently been cancelled1 astori who played as a central defender was born7 january 1987 in san giovanni bianco the province of bergamo in italy1 after playing youth football forpontisola he started his senior career withmilan spending loan spells withpizzighettoneandcremonese1 in 2008cagliarisigned him in aco-ownershipdeal before signing him fully from milan for whom he never made a first team appearance in 2011. he later spent loan spells atromaandfiorentina1 he made his international debut foritalyin 2011 and represented his country at the2013 fifa confederations cup scoring a goal in italys victorious bronze-medal match1

How Davide Astori Fiorentina captain died
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afp25 davide astori italy international defender and captain of fiorentina died of natural causes after a cardiac circulatory collapse1 astori 31 years old died in his hotel room during the night of saturday to sunday his club fiorentina said1 the magistrate added that it was strange that such a thing happened without any warning symptoms in a profession which is so closely monitored1 astoris body was taken to a hospital in udine for an autopsy1 fiorentina are profoundly shocked to have to announce the death of captain davide astori after a sudden illness the serie a club said on twitter. the 31-year-old who leaves behind a two-year-old daughter was in udine to prepare for sundays match against udinese1 fiorentinas game was called off in the morning. the early kick off between genoa and cagliari one of astoris former clubs was abandoned when players learned the news while warming up on the pitch1 the italian league then postponed the other five serie a matches scheduled for sunday including the milan derby1 astori began his career at ac milan also playing for cagliari and roma before joining fiorentina in 2015. he played 14 times for italy1 former team-mates coaches and teams were amongst those taking to social media to express their grief1 gianluigi buffon the juventus captain called astori a great man1 antonio de nicolo a udine magistrate described the cause of death as a kind of heart attack in reports published by italian media1 buffon said he did not usually make a habit of expressing his feelings about others1 i want to make an exception to my rule because you have a young wife and others close to you who are suffering but mostly because your little girl deserves to know that her dad was a good man a great man buffon wrote1 meanwhile former italy manager antonio conte now in charge of chelsea was visibly upset as he paid tribute to astori ahead of the blues match with premier league leaders manchester city on sunday1 this is a tragedy and it really hurts me. its very difficult at this moment to find the right words for the family conte told sky sports1 i had him with the national team. he was a great player but especially a fantastic guy. i stay close to his wife parents and daughter. he was only 31 and its very difficult to explain this situation1 radja nainggolan a belgian international who played with astori at two clubs posted a photo of the two of them joyously celebrating a goal at cagliari1 a great player but an even bigger man so many battles fought together in cagliari before coming to rome i cannot believe it he wrote1 astoris formative club milan also expressed their condolences1 a man who loved football and who grew up with us. ac milan is shocked by the tragic death of davide astori the clubs official account tweeted in english1 matteo renzi a former mayor of florence and now leader of the democrat party in sundays italian election tweeted this seems to me impossible. i dont believe it and i cry with the family and everyone at fiorentina. ciao capitano1 farewell dear asto wrote buffon in a post on instagram accompanied by a photo of the two players exchanging pennants before a game between their clubs1

Festering PDPs crisis is SDPs gains
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breaking news2 that was what recommended the social democratic party. as we are moving in as part of it everybody is equal nobody is bigger than the other and there is room for people and others coming behind because there are so many other groups coming from all over the place and different parties that are still coming in1 reports say that a memorandum of understanding mou was signed on thursday at sheraton hotel abuja by the defecting members other political parties and other groups to dissolve into the sdp1 former minister of education prof. tunde adeniran and former minister of information prof jerry gana who are members of pdps bot are aggrieved1 adeniran who was edged out of the national chairmanship contest in december confirmed their defection1 he said they decided to leave pdp because they needed a platform among other things that is not owned by one or few individuals1 though he expressed satisfaction with the reconciliation team led by the bayelsa state governor but had been constrained to leave pdp because his supporters from the south-west were miffed by the way wike insulted them on the eve of the national convention1 i am a member of the sdp and we have taken a decision to move to the sdp. what has happened is this there are those of us who believe in genuine internal party democracy who believe in social justice equity fairness and honesty in politics and are irrevocably and uncompromisingly against impunity imposition and corruption1 we formed what we called new political order. most of us came in from the pdp some came in from some other parties groups social activist and so on1 those of us in the pdp felt that the pdp has gone beyond what could be redeemed in terms of its commitment to what we thought should be things of the past. but we realised that we would not be able to get justice for the people and for the things that we should be running away from and would not move this country forward1 so we thought we needed a different platform that will respect the dignity of man that will be honest in all its dealings a platform where the love of country genuine patriotism and interest of the masses of the people is supreme a party that will not be easily purchasable by one individual or group of individuals1 so those of us who believe in the future generations and the youths and the rights of women to be respected and given their rightful place in society and in the politics of the land we felt we needed a platform that will provide opportunity for this and we considered some new parties and some existing parties and among the various parties that we considered we also thought of those that are likely to encourage national spread that will not promote ethnicity a party that abhors internal crisis a1 many of the aggrieved members especially some members of the board of trustees bot of the party are reported to have defected to the social democratic party sdp1 he said that though the pdps reconciliation committee was headed by a very honourable honest nice and patriotic man but the committee did not do much1 he told newspaper he is someone i respect a lot. i admire his style of leadership. he meant well no question about that. but after all that was done you know politics is about people. we represent people and so forth1 i am from the south west i have gone back to my people and they felt so insulted by some people within the pdp and they said they do not believe that they can relate and deal with people who have no regard or respect for them1 other reports on the state of pdp are trending in social media including twitter1 tunde adeniran why i left pdp with my supporters1 today @todayng1 some tweets say that sdp may have emerged as third force obj ibb apc faction pdp faction 36 parties 6governors 10 ex governor 15 senators jerry gana tunde adeniran defect to sdp the last-ditch effort by politicians sympathetic to the peoples democratic party pdp.1 the acrimony caused by the december national convention of the opposition peoples democratic party pdp has continued to fester in spite of moves to mend the fences1 sdp emerges as third force obj ibb apc faction pdp faction 36 parties 6governors 10 ex governor 15 senators 26reps more loading jerry gana tunde adeniran defect to sdp the last-ditch effort by politicians sympathetic to the peoples democratic party pdp.1 nura othman @nuraothman21 sourcewith additional reports1

Nollywood actor Okonkwo eyes Enugus governorship on APCs ticket
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nollywood actor kenneth okonkwo popularly known as andy has declared his interest to run for gubernatorial race in enugu state on the platform of all progressives party apc in enugu state1 okonkwo said at the state apcs enlarged state executive council and stakeholders meeting held at the partys secretariat in enugu on sunday1 he told newsmen that he joined the race following calls from his people1 the ace actor said he was also moved by the fact that the incumbent gov. ifeanyi ugwuanyi who hails from same enugu north senatorial district and nsukka cultural zone had failed to deliver people-oriented governance to the people1 according to him as it stands today gov. ugwuanyi cannot boast of any enduring legacy in nsukka land and that is why i want to unseat him in 2019 so as to provide the needed democracy dividends for our people and state in general1 my people started the move it is their move. i will be the governor of enugu state in 20191 he also alleged that ugwuanyis administration has a penchant for rehabilitation of roads pointing out that since inception the government has not embarked on the construction of a brand new road in any parts of the state. nan1

Saraki flies Arik to Ghana to promote trade
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bukola saraki @bukolasaraki8 the senate president @spnigeria3 i just arrived in ghana1 @spnigeria who usually commutes with presidential air fleet chose to fly a nigerian operated commercial flight to encourage trade between both countries1 according to omishore saraki chose the indigenous flight to promote trade relations between nigeria and ghana and also to see firsthand areas that require interventions in the nigerian aviation industry1 with reference to the recent dana air near-mishaps omishore said that saraki had promised to take a look at the happenings in the aviation industry so as to find the ills that will require legislations to correct1 saraki also took to his official twitter handle @spnigeria to share some of the pictures and videos of his departure arrival and reception by the speaker of ghanas parliament1 saraki who would be delivering a paper at a symposium to mark the celebration departed on board the local flight in solidarity with other nigerians who fly indigenous airlines1 as part of activities to celebrate 25 years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy in ghana i will be addressing the countrys parliament1 the president of the senate dr bukola saraki on sunday flew aboard an arik air flight to ghana for the 25th anniversary of the ghanaian parliament1 the senate president dr. abubakar bukola saraki is now departing abuja nigeria to accra ghana aboard arik air1 speaking with our correspondent on sunday bamikole omishore sa to saraki on international relations said that the senate president left the comfort of the usual presidential airplane he travels in for arik1 i thank the speaker of the ghanaian parliament rt. hon. prof. aaron mike ocquaye for the invitation and the gracious reception at the airport in accra this evening1 the president of the senate dr. abubakar bukola saraki being hosted by the nigerian high commissioner to ghana ambassador olufemi abikoye1

Virgin Mary to appear in Bavaria?
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but even if these apparitions are acknowledged by the church this merely means that they do not conflict with the faith. the faithful are not compelled to believe1 the virgin mary smells of roses and is returning to upper bavaria. the mother of god is set to appear in the small st lawrence chapel in unterflossing on march 17 at half past four sharp 1530 gmt1 he denies any personal interest. whether or not this becomes a place of pilgrimage is of no concern to me he says1 the virgin has appeared here twice in the past most recently in september. hundreds made the pilgrimage along with a self-appointed prophet named salvatore caputa. some of them insist they could smell her1 there was this unmistakeable scent of roses says erich neumann chairman of the association of friends of the st lawrence chapel who organized the gathering1 masszi who works as an engineer for city of munich and is also organist and choir leader in several parishes says a woman even saw the mother of god describing her as having brown hair and being dressed in a blue velvet robe1 the archdiocese of munich and freising under the jurisdiction of which unterflossing falls have refrained from commenting on the phenomenon which has generated debate among the faithful and others in the region saying matters outside the churchs purview were involved1 the archdiocese instructed its clerics not to become involved in order to avoid lending any legitimacy to the phenomenon1 even before that father armin thaller the local priest had maintained his distance saying the church first had to test the reports. he spoke of walking a line so sharp that one could cut ones feet to pieces1 reports of marian apparitions are not uncommon among devout catholics. some of the more famous were in lourdes in france where a series of appearances were reported in 1858 and another in fatima in portugal where the mother of jesus is said to have revealed herself in 1917. both are places of pilgrimage for catholics to this day1 other places where the virgin is believed to have appeared are guadelupe in mexico and filipov in the czech republic1 that is according to otto masszi a man who a few years ago bought and renovated the chapel in the village of 100 souls at his own expense1 the question being asked is why mary should appear in unterflossing of all places. there are a few theories1 first benedict xvi the pope emeritus who retired five years ago was born some 30 kilometres away and went to school in the area. there is also altoetting with its famous black madonna dating back to the 14th century. it is nearby and already an established place of pilgrimage1 masszi has his answer ready our lady simply chose to make an appearance in strongly catholic upper bavaria. she had previously tried at a place where she was unwelcome a farmers private chapel in walpertskirchen a little to the west where caputa was awaiting her with his retinue1 according to masszi caputa has close links with the virgin and goes ahead of her when she wishes to appear along with hundreds of pilgrims. that didnt sit well with the son of the farmer who owned the channel and he chased the group off the farm1 he even put his manure cart in the way masszi says in disgust. a tragedy. you cant pull the rug out from under the mother of god. he then took the decision to invite mary to his chapel appealing to caputa to pass on the invitation1 the fact that the mary will appear at 430 pm on the dot does not surprise masszi. she knows the time of day. but he warned guests to come early as those who have not prayed have little chance of seeing her1 prayers will start around noon. following the ban imposed by the archdiocese an afternoon service will be conducted without a priest1 masszi says he is opposed to commerce done in the name of mary at nearby altoetting for example. that does not please the mother of god1 people in the area are preparing for a surge in interest. you are the 300th caller says hans soehl owner of a metalworking company in nearby obertaufkirchen whose phone number has mistakenly been linked to the apparition1 we have nothing to do with the marian apparition apart from the wrong phone number.dpanan1

Political gridlock in Italy, no clear winner in poll
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italys national election produced no outright winner on sunday according to exit polls that pointed to possible political gridlock with voters backing anti-establishment and far-right parties in record numbers1 a rightist alliance emerged with the biggest bloc of votes ahead of the anti-establishment 5-star movement the largest single party polls showed. the ruling centre-left coalition came third hurt by anger over poverty and mass immigration1 full results are not expected for several hours and italian exit polls have previously given misleading initial readings1 heavily indebted italy is the third largest economy in the euro zone and prolonged political stalemate could make it the focal point of market concern now that the threat of instability in germany has receded thanks to the revival on sunday of a grand coalition under chancellor angela merkel1 the euro edged marginally higher in asia early on monday with investors awaiting clearer results from italy1 a poll for rai state television said a bloc of centre-right and far-right parties would win 33-36 percent of the vote short of the 40 percent analysts have said is the minimum needed to secure a majority under italys new electoral law1 within the alliance former prime minister silvio berlusconis forza italia go italy was seen winning 12.5-15.5 percent the same as the league which has allied itself to anti-immigration anti-islam parties across europe1 the 5-star led by 31-year-old luigi di maio was forecast to take 29.0-32.5 percent which would be a remarkable result for a group that was only formed in 2009. it has fed off public fury over entrenched corruption and economic hardship1 we will be a pillar of the legislature said a smiling alfonso bonafede a close ally of di maio told la71 a centre-left alliance dominated by former prime minister matteo renzis ruling democratic party pd was projected to win 25-28 percent but pollsters said the pd itself might end up only the fourth-largest group in the lower house of parliament1

Anderson, Del Potro battle in Acapulco final
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in the other semi-final del potro blasted six aces and broke alexander zverevs serve three times en route to a 6-4 6-2 win on friday night1 south africas kevin anderson moved one step closer to capturing his second consecutive title with a 6-3 4-6 6-3 victory over american qualifier jared donaldson at acapulcos atp mexican open1 the world no. 8 anderson has plenty of confidence heading into saturdays final where he will face argentinas juan martin del potro1 it just feels great to win tonights match anderson said. when youre out there youre not really thinking about finals and what happened before. in the heat of the battle i thought it was a really tough match1 since last january when he plunged to 80th in the world anderson has made five finals comprising washington d.c. the us open pune new york and now acapulco. he was runner-up at the 2017 us open1 anderson saw his ranking fall of as a result of a variety of injuries and health issues1 anderson of johannesburg won the new york open crown two weeks ago1 del potro who is seeded sixth won 78 percent of his first-serve points and 55 percent of his second serves in the one hour 31 minute match1 zverev of germany hammered 10 aces but had two double faults1 on the womens side of the draw defending champion lesia tsurenko earned a ninth straight victory at this event as she held off a late charge from daria gavrilova to return to the wta final with a 6-2 6-4 win1 tsurenko will have the opportunity to play for her fourth career wta title against swiss stefanie voegele who cruised past swedish qualifier rebecca peterson 6-4 7-6 751 i just really like it here. i think all the conditions for the tournament are just great and i know that all the players enjoy to play here the ukrainian tsurenko said1

Aruna Quadri one step to ITTF Africas final
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im very happy to reach the semi-finals. im also very happy for each win because here the conditions are not normal. some players are playing well because they are used to playing in high altitude but the players who play at normal altitude cannot even put two or three balls on the table. so this makes it a little bit interesting. i really dont know its very interesting that the organizers came here to play the altitude is really very unique. omar assar1 nigerias aruna quadri and female compatriot offiong edem are into the semi finals of the 2018 ittf-africa top 16 cup being decided in nairobi1 places in the liebherr 2018 mens world cup and 2018 womens world cup are at stake1 in the mens singles event egypt is very much in evidence in the penultimate round omar assar the top seed faces congo brazzavilles saheed idowu ahmed ali saleh the no.3 seed opposes nigerias quadri aruna1 similarly in the womens singles competition there is a strong egyptian presence at the semi-final stage dina meshref seeded no.1 plays nigerias offiong edem the no.4 seed cameroons sarah hanffou confronts algerias lynda loghraibi1 listed at no.16 on the current mens world rankings omar assar starts as the clear favourite against saheed idowu named at no.311 but the two have never met in recent times on the international stage and it would appear omar assar has some concerns1 both the semi-finals and finals will be played today1 a first meeting for omar assar and saheed idowu not for quadri aruna and ahmed ali saleh they are no strangers. notably in world ranking events ahmed ali saleh won the five encounters starting with the success at the 2010 african championships in yaound1 however the most recent two engagements have gone the way of quadri aruna he succeeded at the 2015 african games in congo brazzaville and at the 2016 african championships in agadir1 meanwhile when past results are taken into account both dina meshref and sarah hanffou start as favourites. at the african games in 2011 in maputo dina meshref lost to offiong edem but one must remember she was only 16 years when she experienced the defeat. ever since that date eight meetings in succession dina meshref has won on each occasion1 it is not too dissimilar a situation for sarah hanffou three contests against lynda loghraibi she has won all three the most recent being the 2016 olympic qualification tournament in khartoum1 past results point in certain directions but could they key be the player who can adapt the player who can succeed at high altitude and reach the heights1 reported by ian marshall ittf publications manager1

World football lawmakers approve VAR for Russia World Cup
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afp25 footballs lawmakers on saturday approved video assistant referee technology var for this summers world cup in one of the biggest changes to the sport in years1 we came to the conclusion that var is good for football infantino told reporters shortly after ifab announced the decision1 he added that the final decision to use the technology at the world cup in russia will be made when the fifa council world footballs top decision-making body meets in colombia later this month1 we will hope and encourage the council to take a favourable decision infantino said voicing confidence that var will secure final approval1 ifab said in a press release that the decision represents a new era for football with video assistance for referees helping to increase fairness in the game1 var can only be used when there is doubt surrounding any of four key game-changing situations goals penalty decisions straight red cards or mistaken identity1 it has already been implemented in top european leagues including the german bundesliga and italys serie a along with tests in multiple other leagues1 spains la liga on friday began training officials ahead of the technologys expected introduction next season1 opinion is still divided players and managers have complained of referees being too eager to defer to technology while fans in stadiums have been left in the dark as to why decisions are being made1 uefa president aleksander ceferin said this week that european footballs governing body would not introduce var in next seasons champions league due to ongoing confusion surrounding its use1 the international football association board ifab meeting in zurich rubber-stamped a move already backed by fifas top brass including president gianni infantino1 that is an issue confronting major north american sports like baseball and american football where different forms of video replay have been in use for several years leading to renewed calls to shorten the length of games1 some sceptics also have reservations about implementing such a significant change at the world cup before all the kinks have been resolved at lower-profile competition1 but the desire to avoid disputed calls especially in a competition with such a large global audience tipped international football officials to support using var at this summers tournament in russia1 one iconic example that var could theoretically have prevented is diego maradonas hand of god goal that saw argentina beat england in the 1986 world cup1 for infantino international football had to ensure world cup officials have access to the same images as fans1 in 2018 we cannot anymore afford that everyone in the stadium and everyone in front of a tv screen can see within a few minutes on his phone whether the referee has made a big mistake or not and the only one who cannot see it is the referee he said last month1 representatives of the 32 teams that have qualified for the world cup meeting in the black sea resort of sochi this week voiced confidence that the expected var rollout would be a positive for the tournament1 this is the new life. this is modern life said iran head coach carlos queiroz1 it is obvious that football cannot go on with its eyes closed to the modern world1 others have voiced concern about video assistance slowing down the game and possibly breaking a teams momentum1

ITTFAfrica Cup: Assar dethrones Aruna Quadri as African champion
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omar assar of egypt is the new champion of african table tennis dethroning nigeriasaruna quadri in a thrilling seven games at the ittfafrica cup in nairobi kenya1 the nigerian had rallied from 1-3 down to force the seventh game which assar won 11-81 quadri had defeated another egyptian ahmed saleh in the semi-final for the final battle royale with assar1 assar in his own semi-final defeated saheed idowu a nigerian who plays for congo brazzaville1 egypt also claimed the third place after ahmed ali saleh beat saheed idowu1 nigerias veteran segun toriola claimed the fifth position next in the order of merit came algerias sami kherouf followed by tunisias thameur mamia and ghanas derek abfrefa1 an egyptian dina meshref also won the female championship defeating sarah hanffou of cameroon. nigerias edem offiong won the bronze1 said assar it is unbelievable for me to win this tournament and it came at the right time i needed my confidence after starting the year not too well at the hungarian open and in the german bundesliga. there has been a lot of pressure on me after moving clubs. i think winning this will restore my confidence. i am grateful to my club werder bremen for their support. i also think aruna played very well and he deserved to win as well. this final was a good showcase for africa and i am happy that we1 the win means that omar assar gains an invitation to compete in the liebherr 2018 mens world cup to be staged in october in paris1 it will be the third time that he has competed in the prestigious annual event he was present in 2015 in the swedish west coast city of halmstad and last year in saarbrcken1

Neymar begins race for World cup with surgery over
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afp25 neymar jr brazil and paris saint germains megastar has begun a race to recuperate before the world cup in russia next year moments after officials announced that the surgery on his broken right foot went successfully saturday1 just after midday 1500 gmt a spokesman from the brazilian football federation announced that the operation was over1 neymar is already in his room. it went well he said1 neymar broke his fifth metatarsal the bone leading to his small toe during a 3-0 drubbing of marseille on february 251 the striker whose transfer from barcelona cost psg a record 222 million euros 264 million last august has scored 28 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for the club1 neymar will miss psgs make-or-break game against real madrid next tuesday. but with lasmar predicting a recovery period of two and a half to three months brazil is worried that neymar 26 may not be fit for the world cup in russia starting in june1 the operation performed by brazilian national team surgeon rodrigo lasmar began early on saturday morning in the mater dei hospital in belo horizonte1 the report said that neymar was initially found to have suffered a minor fracture and that psg was shocked to hear lasmar say thursday that it was a serious break requiring a longer than expected recuperation1 globoesporte.com reported that psg also insisted it control any future information on the players health1 staff at the hospital in belo horizonte were put on paparazzi lockdown with a ban on using cellphones anywhere near the star1 after a remarkable turnaround in fortunes since the shambolic exit in a 7-1 semifinal loss to germany in the 2014 world cup brazil are seen as top contenders in russia1 but a big part of that optimism depends on the talented neymar who missed that infamous semifinal four years ago and looks likely to miss two warm-up friendlies against russia and germany in march1 the rival demands from club and country appeared to erupt into tension just as he went under the knife with paris newspaper lequipe reporting saturday that psg believes lasmar lied about neymars condition1

Salah shoots Liverpool second at EPL
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son struck again in the 54th minute timing his run perfectly to meet harry kanes cross with a bullet header past huddersfield goalkeeper jonas lossl1 mohamed salah and sadio mane fired liverpool into second place in the premier league with a 2-0 victory against newcastle. they are now a point ahead of manchester united who will meet relegation threatened crystal palace on monday1 salah struck in the 40th minute at anfield to maintain his superb form in his first season with liverpool following his move from roma1 the egypt winger took alex oxlade-chamberlains pass and shot low under martin dubravka for his 32nd goal of the season and his eighth in his last seven appearances1 liverpool took complete control 10 minutes after half-time when roberto firmino drove at the heart of the newcastle defence playing in senegal winger mane who claimed his 14th goal of the season with a clinical finish1 a fourth win in their last five league games took jurgen klopps side one point above manchester united who drop to third but can regain second spot with a win at crystal palace on monday1 leaders manchester city sit 15 points clear of liverpool and host chelsea on sunday1 newcastle are two points above the bottom three after their first defeat in five matches1 at wembley son put tottenham ahead in the 27th minute with his 14th goal of the season as dele allis pass sliced open the huddersfield defence and the south korea forward raced clear to finish emphatically1 tottenham also cemented their top four berth as son heung-min inspired a 2-0 win over huddersfield on saturday1 fourth-placed tottenhams third successive league win lifted them five points clear of fifth-placed chelsea in the race to qualify for next seasons champions league via a top-four finish1 i hope i can score many more goals for tottenham. the manager has to choose 11 players. i try my best and try to be ready at all times son said1 the pass from harry kane was very good for me it made it easy to score. we feel comfortable at wembley we know how we play here1 swansea climbed out of the relegation zone and pushed west ham deeper into trouble with a 4-1 win at the liberty stadium1 south korea midfielder ki sung-yueng drove a 20-yarder past west ham goalkeeper adrian in the eighth minute for only his second goal of the season1 leicester 1 -1 afc bournemouth1 burnley 2-1 everton1 southampton 0-0 stoke city1 watford 1-0 west bromwich albion1

Mark reconciles Ekiti PDP ahead of guber primary
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dr. olafeso said all the parties agreed to a free fair and credible primary to elect a gubernatorial candidate for the july polls1 the peoples democratic party pdp in ekiti state is now set for a rancor free and an unhindered party primary election following the reconciliation of warring factions1 this is contained in a statement issued by paul mumeh media assistant to the former president of the senate david mark in abuja on saturday1 the senator david mark led reconciliation committee members included senator enyinaya abaribe ambassador ibrahim kazaure alhaji yusuf ayitogo ambassador fidelia njeze and dr. eddy olafeso secretary 1 the aspirants who have indicated interest for the plum position so far are the current deputy governor prof. kolapo olusola eleka senator biodun olujimi prince dayo adeyeye amb. dare dejide and barr owoseni ajayi 1 reeling out the resolutions of the peace parley the secretary of the reconciliation committee dr. eddy olafeso said the state governor ayo fayose and all the aspirants attended the meeting1 this is the outcome of a reconciliation meeting headed by former president of the senate and pdp stalwart sen. david mark in abuja1 olafeso added that governor fayose pledged to work with any of the contestants who emerges at the primary 1 he said that nobody was persuaded or compelled to withdraw from the race 1 trouble started in ekiti state ahead of the election when governor fayose allegedly adopted his deputy as his successor1 senator mark had cautioned the gladiators that only peace justice free and fair primary would guarantee success at the ekiti state polls1 the former senate president appreciated the warring parties for their display of maturity and understanding towards the resolution of the dispute1 the mark reconciliation committee was set up by the uche secondus led national working committee nwc of the pdp to reconcile the members in ekiti1