The World Bank Group is excited with the growth of Nigeria and expressed satisfaction with the performance of the economy.

The commendation was contained in a statement by the bank on Monday, after the conclusion of a visit to Nigeria by 10 Executive Directors of the bank from May 9 to 12.

According to the statement, the visit was to enable the banks management team get a better understanding of Nigerias development priorities with a special focus on the energy sector.

The Executive Directors held discussions with the Vice President of Nigeria, the Minister of Finance and Governors of Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Edo, Lagos, Taraba and Yobe, other senior government officials.

The Directors discussed the security challenges in the Northeast and Middle belt regions and how to achieve development in these challenging environments.

Our visit to Nigeria was to get a better understanding of the country, assess the World Banks interventions on the ground, and support opportunities that will keep the country on a path of sustained development, said

We commend Nigerias implementation of its new Economic Growth and Recovery Plan (EGRP) and the Power Sector Recovery Plan (PSRP), both of which are important for regional integration.

It will also ensure trade and capital flows, which will ultimately lead to greater growth, says World Bank.

According to the statement, the Executive Directors also met with beneficiaries of the World Bank Group supported projects in agriculture, education, health, youth employment, community development, soil erosion and public financial management.

Similarly, they met with representatives of the private sector, civil society organisations, diplomatic missions and development partners.

The group also visited the newly commissioned Edo Power Plant in Benin City, which was a key project in the governments power sector reform agenda and is supported by three arms of the World Bank Group,

The three arms are; the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the World Bank.

In Lagos, the delegation visited microfinance clients, mostly women, to gain an understanding of how the funds they had received impacted their livelihoods.

They also had an interactive meeting with private sector executives, which highlighted the need to sustain business reforms and provide affordable and reliable power to improve the living standards of all Nigerians.

The Executive Directors observed that Nigeria continues to implement institutional policy reforms for restoring macroeconomic resilience and growth across sectors with support from the World Bank Group.

They reiterated the World Bank Groups commitment to supporting Nigerias growth in a way that is inclusive, job enhancing, and reduces poverty and inequality.

Critical to this inclusive growth objective is reforming the power sector, boosting critical investments in human development, and mobilising finance for development by creating a conducive environment for private sector participation, the bank said.

The bank also emphasised the importance of Nigeria to the sub-region and therefore the countrys central role in its regional strategy for Sub-Saharan Africa.

It will be recalled that Nigeria has been one of IFCs fastest growing portfolios and represents IFCs fifth largest global country exposure, with a committed volume of 1.6 billion dollars.

Also, Nigeria is MIGAs fifth largest country exposure in Sub-Saharan Africa, with current exposure of 334 million dollars.

The Nigeria Country Partnership Strategy extending to 2019 has an investment of 8.8 billion dollars through the International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). (NAN)

Source: NAN

Nigerias Foreign Ministry on Monday said that the Immigration attach, Mr Habibu Almu, who was assassinated in Khartoum, Sudan, May 10, was murdered by a female Sudanese of Nigerian origin.

She was identified as Miss Inas Khalid Maikano. On her Facebook page, where she last made a posting in April 2016, she wrote her name as Enas Maikano. She said she attended Prime College in Kano and now lives in Khartoum Sudan.

The Ministrys Spokesperson, Dr Tope Elia-Fatile in a statement in Abuja alleged that the suspect, a student at the Sudanese-Canadian College in Khartoum, murdered Almu in his official quarters on Thursday.

He said that the suspect had been arrested and detained by the security agency in Sudan.

Consequently, after several arrests and investigations by the host authorities, it was established that the deceased was stabbed to death.

The suspect who isa student of Sudanese-Canadian College in Khartoum is a Sudanese of Nigerian origin.

It was discovered during investigations, authorities discovered that the suspect had stolen some of the deceased personal belongings including cash, he said.

According to him, the suspected allegedly confessed committing the crime and is being held in custody.

Our Mission in Khartoum will continue to monitor and follow up the case to ensure that justice is done on this matter.

In the meantime, the process of conveying the remains of the late Almu to Nigeria for proper burial is being finalised, he said

Source: NAN

Dr. John Kayode Fayemi, winner of the governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti state has apologised to the people for all the errors of omission or commission he made during his first term as governor, between 2010 and 2014.

He made the plea in his speech after being declared winner of the hotly contested primary election, which featured 33 contestants, with one of them withdrawing on Thursday.

Fayemi got 941 delegate votes, out of the 2,313 valid votes cast.

His nearest competitor was also a former governor, Segun Oni, who got 481 votes.

Governor Tanko Al-Makura, who chaired the election committee announced the result after 11pm today in Ado-Ekiti and thanked all the delegates and contestants for their show of maturity, patience and perseverance.

He reserved special praise for the security agents, who were able to maintain peace, unlike last week’s show that ended riotously.

He congratulated Dr Fayemi for winning the party’s primary election and charged him to work together with the other aspirants to enable him achieve his desired goals and objectives in the forthcoming July,14, gubernatorial election.

Fayemi, who was followed to the podium by all the other aspirants, said he was delighted to emerge as the winner of the party’s primary election.

The APC flag bearer said his victory was not his alone, but belonged to all the contestants.

He announced the formation of a Candidate Advisory Committee, with all the contestants as members and said he would be ready to work with all of them to achieve victory for the APC.

” I am delighted to have won the party’s primary election, and am also happy because the delegates voted for me. It shows they believe so much in my abilities to change the lives of the Ekiti people for the better compared to what they are currently experiencing.

” All other aspirants ‎are my friends and colleagues, am going to work with them to ensure that our great party emerges as the winner in the forthcoming gubernatorial election,” he said.

Read Fayemi’s Full Speech:

This is the day the Lord has made, and we rejoice and are glad in it.Today, the people have spoken and their voice has been heard resoundingly.

· What we have witnessed today, is one of the essential elements in the electoral cycle in any democracy – the exercise of the collective will over the aspirations of many – the emergence of the candidate of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the July 14, 2018 gubernatorial election in Ekiti state, out of many eminently qualified aspirants.

· Indeed, it has been a hard fought contest, and I am extremely humbled that our delegates have counted me worthy of the honour of bearing the banner of our great party. This victory is not mine alone, it belongs to all Ekiti people who desire a greater tomorrow.

· The free, fair and transparent process we have witnessed today is a testament to our great party’s democratic credentials that guarantees a level playing field for everyone aspiring to high office. This is a feat we must all be proud of.

· But the battle has only just begun – the contest to Reclaim Our Land and Restore Our Values. The fight to ensure our great party comes out victorious in the July 14, 2018 general election.

· Your Excellences, Distinguished Party Leaders, Honourable Delegates, Members of the press, Observers, Distinguished ladies and gentlemen. Without a doubt, Ekiti is in critical need of rescue. It is imperative that we urgently commence the task of purging ourselves of the bad reputation we have earned in recent years and restore good governance to the state.

· In my valedictory address in 2014, I said that future administrations would be judged by the standards we set during our time in office. It should be clear to any observer that over the past four years, Ekiti has retreated from the progressive values that we espoused in office and our grand ideals of human development.

· We have seen a cynical approach to politics that exploits the penury of the poor and the vulnerability of the marginalised. We have seen the entrenchment of the disdain for elders, traditional institutions, and all forms of constituted authorities.

· Instead of continuing the quest for freedom from ignorance, disease and want, what we have seen is a paradigm that deepens captivity to these ills. In short, the last four years has called into question all that we stand for as a people. The timeless values of honour, dignity, nobility and civility encapsulated in the Omoluabi ethos have been eroded.

· We must resume the march to break the yoke of ignorance that keeps our people down; liberate them from ill-health and other limitations that restrain them from achieving their potentials; and break the stranglehold of poverty which keeps people from living full creative lives.

· In practical and policy terms, what this means is that the APC administration to be sworn in on October 15, 2018, by the grace of God, must resume good governance that was cut short four years ago, and once again prioritise social investments in education, healthcare and other social protection programmes that reduce the cost of living, while raising the quality of life.

· In all electoral contests, tempers often rise and nerves are frayed. I therefore humbly appeal to all my supporters, and to my co-contestants and their supporters, to let go of past differences as we forge ahead to a new dawn.

· I furthermore very respectfully request the support of my brothers and sisters – co-contestants in this primary election. I plead that we put our differences aside and work together as one strong and indivisible party for success in the upcoming general election.

· I would be counting on all my co-contestants to share their wealth of experience, ideas and knowledge in furtherance of our collective desire to make Ekiti great again.

· As I have said ever so often, all those who contested the primary election today are eminently qualified to be Governor. I salute your courage and congratulate you all for enriching the process. However, together we are greater and stronger than the sum of our individual parts, and no individual, myself inclusive, is bigger than our great party.

· As I conclude, I must seize this opportunity to express my gratitude to members of the National Working Committee of our great party, and all those that have contributed to the free, fair and transparent conduct of this exercise.

· I also thank our party’s national leaders, especially those from the southwest that have worked behind the scenes to ensure this process is as free of rancour and strife as possible. We count on them following through with their promise to reunite and strengthen the cohesion of all stakeholders in our great party in Ekiti state in the coming days.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I thank you, once again.
Alale Ekiti a gbe a o.
H.E Dr. Kayode Fayemi,

Source: NAN

Mohamed Salah is now all alone with the English Premier League goal record, netting his 32nd in a season in the first half of the match between Liverpool and Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

The Liverpool forward has set a new record for Premier League goals in a 38-game season, beating the 31 goal record held jointly by Luis Suarez, Cristiano Ronaldo and Alan Shearer.

Alan Shearer made his goal haul at Blackburn in 1995-96, while Ronaldo recorded his during one of the years with Manchester United. And Luis Suarez was also a Liverpool player.

For Salah, it has been a remarkable year at Anfield, winning everything that ought to be won: he is the Premier League Player of the year, the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year and Liverpools Player of the Year. He was also named in the PFA Team of the Year.

Overall, Salah had scored 44 goals this season, with 10 of them in the UEFA Champions League. He is expected to be a star to watch as Liverpool meet holders Real Madrid in the finals in Kiev on 26 May.

Source: NAN

Dominic Thiem lost to Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Masters final on Sunday and then said the German is now the best player in the world beneath Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Zverev has long been marked out as a future star of the mens game and his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Thiem suggests the German can be a major threat at the French Open later this month.

Thiem had ousted Nadal in the quarter-finals on Friday and he too will be among the small group capable of preventing the Spaniard from claiming an 11th Roland Garros crown.

But the Austrian was outplayed, and over-powered, by Zverev, who collects his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the most prestigious tier of knock-out tournament beneath the four Grand Slams.

Zverev is now one of five active players to have won three, the others being Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Those four are all aged 30 or older, while Zverev is 21, with Djokovic and Murray both attempting recovery missions after injury.

I would say probably now, besides Roger and Rafa, hes the best, Thiem said. You just need to look at his results.

Ranked third in the world, Zverev is yet to transfer his talent and success in Masters events to Grand Slams, however, where his best result remains reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

On this evidence, that breakthrough is surely close, with the crowd on Manolo Santana court treated to an impressive display of aggressive baseline hitting. Thiems 21 errors to Zverevs 12 were also key.

Rafa is the favourite, no matter where he plays, on a clay court, Zverev said. Hes going to be the favourite in Rome, hes going to be the favourite in Paris. Hes still the guy to beat.

The players in Madrid this week have remarked on the quickness of the courts and that has suited Zverev, whose demon serve was almost untouchable in the opening set.

After conceding an early break for 2-0, Thiems only sniff came at 5-4 when he opened up 0-30 on the Zverev serve. But his opponent did not waver, letting out a roar of relief after clinching the frame.

Another break in the first game of the second meant Thiem was again playing catch-up and Zverev could have moved 3-0 clear had Thiem not saved two more break points.

Instead, Thiem stayed in touch to make Zverev serve out. A sumptuous half-volley opened up two match points and Zverev took the first when a final Thiem forehand floated long.

Its a great feeling, Zverev said. Hopefully this will not be my last, hopefully I can continue to improve, and win a few more.

Source: NAN

Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose on Sunday told his predecessor and current Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr.Kayode Fayemi not to celebrate yet, describing Fayemis victory, at the rescheduled governorship primary of the All Progressives Congress held on Saturday, pyrrhic.

Fayose thanked the APC delegates that picked Fayemi for doing him great favour, saying they had made his task and pain of defeating an APC candidate much easier with the choice of Fayemi as their candidate for the July 14 gubernatorial poll.

In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Idowu Adelusi, Fayose said the former Ekiti state governors victory has only positioned him to suffer a worse and more debilitating defeat than the one he dealt him in 2014.

In 2014 when he was the sitting governor and I was not in power, I trounced him mercilessly. I gave him 16 0, defeating him in all the 16 local governments, including in his home town, Isan Ekiti, he did not win a single local government

Now, I have been in power for more than three years and have served the people of Ekiti well. My legacy projects are there to speak for me, and for my party the PDP, as well as for our candidate in the July 14 governorship election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola-Eleka

I promise that Fayemi will suffer the worst defeat of his political career. after the July 14 election, he will not only suffer embarrassing defeat, he will go into political oblivion afterwards

He has nothing to celebrate because of the electoral disaster awaiting him. The manner of his so-called victory also leaves much to be desired as it has turned many of their party leaders and followers against him

To those who may not know, Fayemis victory has made the condition of APC worse in Ekiti. The party leaders and members know that Fayemi has no use for any of them beyond the July 14 election, Fayose said.

He appealed to those he claimed were trampled by Fayemi, especially those of them who were members of PDP, to return home.

PDP is your natural habitat. This is the time for you to escape from the APCs sinking boat and return home to a rousing welcome. We also invite other politicians not satisfied with the parlous state of affairs of our nation to join hands with PDP to rescue our nation

APC is falling apart everywhere, the party, which was dead before in Ekiti, has now been buried with Fayemis victory.

Fayemi is the final nail on APCs coffin in Ekiti. He may deceive them in Abuja but he is a paper weight at home. His arrogance alienates Ekiti people and any serious politician from him. He will meet his political waterloo on July 14, Fayose boasted.

As if second guessing the reaction of Fayose to his candidacy, Fayemi too last night issued a quit notice to Fayose and his candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, saying that APC is about to purge the state of the bad reputation it has earned under Fayoses stewardship.

We have seen a cynical approach to politics that exploits the penury of the poor and the vulnerability of the marginalised. We have seen the entrenchment of the disdain for elders, traditional institutions, and all forms of constituted authorities.

Instead of continuing the quest for freedom from ignorance, disease and want, what we have seen is a paradigm that deepens captivity to these ills. In short, the last four years has called into question all that we stand for as a people. The timeless values of honour, dignity, nobility and civility encapsulated in the Omoluabi ethos have been eroded.

Source: NAN

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won Kaduna North local government, Governor Nasir El-Rufais council with a landslide.

Mr Saleh Shuaibu, APC chairmanship candidate, is the beneficiary of the resounding vote of confidence the voters passed in the governor.

Announcing the results of the polls, the local government election returning officer, Umar Hayatu said the APC has won with total of 168,572 votes, more than 10 times the votes won by his closest opponent.

Shuaibu beat Muhammad Sabo Babayaro of the Peoples Democratic Party who got 12,467 votes, while the PRP 4,956 votes.

So far, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won only the Chairmanship and Councillorship election in Zangon Kataf Local Government area, with its chairmanship candidate, `Elias Maza getting 55,643 votes, against the APC candidate, John Hassan who got 31.514 votes.

The All Progressives Congress, however, has won Soba, Zaria, Lere, Ikara, Makarfi, Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kagarko, Kudan, Igabi and Kajuru local councils.

The results in other councils are still being awaited.

Kudan is the local council of Senator Sule Hunkuyi, who is at loggerheads with Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Makarfi is the council of former PDP chairman and governor, Ahmad Makarfi.

Governor El-Rufais candidates also won handily in Senator Shehu Sanis constituency of Kajuru LG.

In Zaria, APC polled 42859 votes, while PDP got 16033. In Soba, APC got 40903, while PDP scored 13835.

The council elections were conducted using electronic voting machines in the area.

This is the first time a state has adopted the use of electronic machines to conduct elections in Nigeria

Source: NAN

Final results for some of the local councils in the election held in Kaduna state yesterday showed the ruling All Progressives Congress, cruising to victory.

According to results announced by returning officers, the APC won in Soba, Zaria, Lere, Ikara, Makarfi,Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kagarko, Kudan, Igabi and Kajuru.

The APC also won in Sabon Gari.The returning officer of the local government, Dr Micah Victor announced Mohammed Ibrahim Usman of the APC as winner with 20, 576 votes against PDPs Suleiman Ibrahim Gambo who got 9,580 votes.

Similarly, Prof. Ahmed Babajo Kofa , returning officer for Igabi local government announced that, Jabir Khamis of the APC was returned as elected chairman of the local government with 47,630, against Abubakar Abubakar of the PDP Who got 2,449 votes.

The results in other councils are still being awaited.

Kudan is the local council of Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, who is at loggerheads with Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Makarfi is the council of former PDP chairman and governor, Ahmad Makarfi. Governor El-Rufais candidates also won handily in Senator Shehu Sanis constituency of Kajuru LG.

ZARIA LG CHAIRMANSHIP:

APC 42859

PDP16033

Soba LG chairmanship

APC-40903

PDP-13835

Kudan LG Chairmanship:

APC : 76,131

PDP: 3,394

GIWA LG (KADUNA CENTRAL)

APC 57,005

PDP 2,636

KAGARKO LG CHAIRMANSHIP:

APC= 63,262

PDP= 14,658

In El-Rufais polling unit, the PDP gave the APC some scares. But the APC still won the Unguwar Sarki ward with overwhelming majority.

Councillor 68 APC, 45 pdp

Unguwar Sarki ward result:

APC 14863

PDP 706

*Updated with the result of Sabon Gari LGA

Source: NAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the Chairmanship and Councillorship election in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

The Returning Officer for the election, Mr Danjuma Baye-Luka, announced the results on Sunday morning in Zonkwa.

He said that Mr Elias Maza of the PDP scored 55,643 votes to defeat APCs John Hassan who polled 31,514 votes.

The All Progressives Congress, however, won Soba, Zaria, Lere, Ikara, Makarfi,Birnin Gwari, Giwa, Kagarko, Kudan, Igabi and Kajuru local councils.

The results in other councils are still being awaited. (Also Read:

Kudan is the local council of Senator Sule Hunkuyi, who is at loggerheads with Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

Makarfi is the council of former PDP chairman and governor, Ahmad Makarfi.

Governor El-Rufais candidates also won handily in Senator Shehu Sanis constituency of Kajuru LG.

In Zaria, APC polled 42859 votes, while PDP got 16033. In Soba, APC got 40903, while PDP scored 13835.

The council elections were conducted using electronic voting machines in the area.

This is the first time a state has adopted the use of electronic machines to conduct elections in Nigeria. (NAN)

Source: NAN

Sudan security operatives are reported to have arrested a woman suspected of killing a Nigerian Immigration Attach at the Nigerian embassy in Khartoum.

Mr. Habibu Almu, Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, was found stabbed to death at his home in the Sudanese capital city of Khartoum on Thursday last week.

In a very short statement, the official news agency SUNA said the Sudanese police arrested the offender, a foreign woman who committed the crime.

It further said she confessed to the murder of the diplomat and that she also stole his possessions.

The Sudanese authorities didnt disclose the circumstances of the crime or the nationality of the killer.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had, in a statement, explained that a team of policemen moved to the residence of the late Passport Officer and arrested a number of suspected persons as part of investigations into the murder.

It pointed out that it was closely following up all the legal procedures in the incident with the concerned authorities.

The Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, confirmed on Sunday that the Sudanese government had communicated the arrest of the principal suspect to his ministry.

The Federal Government had condemned the murder of the diplomat and pledged to would work with Khartoum to arrest the culprit.

Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Tope Adeleye Elias-Fatile, had confirmed the report of the assassination in a WhatsApp message on Thursday in Abuja.

The Ministry has received the sad news of the untimely death of the Immigration Attache in our Mission in Khartoum, Sudan.

Nigeria looks to bring to book those behind the murder of immigration attach Habibu Almu.

The Guardian Nigeria (@GuardianNigeria)

Source: NAN

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State on Sunday rejected the results of local government council elections, saying it would go to court to challenge the outcome of the polls.

The party announced its plans just as its chairmanship candidate in Kachia local council was declared the winner.

Mr Nuhu Garba, SIECOMs returning officer for the council, said Mr Peter Agite of the PDP won the chairmanship seat with 42,242 votes beating his APC counterpart, Peter Dan-Baki, who got 33, 817 votes in the polls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECOM) had through its local government returning officers, released some of the results with the ruling APC winning in most of the local government areas released so far.

So far, the APC has won 17 local councils, while PDP has won two. The election in two local councils, Jaba and Kauru was postponed, while tallying has not been concluded for Chikun local council.

There are 23 local councils in Kaduna state.

The Chairman of PDP, Mr Felix Hassan Hyet, who addressed a news conference in his office on Sunday, however, alleged that his party had been shortchanged going by the results released in 13 local government areas of the state.

He said the party would soon release its field results of the just concluded local polls.

According to him, the PDP agents have submitted their reports which, he claimed, were at variance with the results announced by the local government returning officers.

Hyet further claimed that most of the results announced so far were through radio stations rather than the returning officers, whom he alleged disappeared after the conclusion of the election.

The Chairman, however, appealed to the party supporters to remain calm, assuring that the party would follow legal means to address the injustice.

He said the commission should have requested some of the manufacturers of the Electronic Voting Machines stay behind to monitor the machines to avoid malfunction experienced in some polling units.

Hyet alleged that some machines were snatched to unknown destinations and results were later released by the returning officers.

We call you to brief you on the update of the local election results of 13 local government so far released.

Some local government results were not announced by the returning officers but by radio stations. At the moment we have some local government areas like, Kaduna South,Chikun,Kajuru,Jemaa,Kagarko,Sanga, still awaiting to be announced.

The returning officers have disappeared completely. Even some of the wards returning officers also disappeared.

We are waiting for the returning officers to come out and announce the results in local government areas yet to be announced.

Our agents have submitted the results to us and we will take necessary legal steps to address the injustices, Hyet said.

Source: NAN

Levante stunned Barcelona on Sunday with a 5-4 defeat, ending the Catalans unbeaten run in the season despite Philippe Coutinhos hat trick.

Ernesto Valverde rested Lionel Messi for his teams penultimate match of the campaign but it was a defensive horror-show that allowed Emmanuel Boateng to score a hat trick of his own and Enis Bardhi a brace at the City of Valencia Stadium.

The La Liga and Copa del Rey champions trailed 5-1 after an hour and still came within a whisker of a sensational comeback as Coutinhos second and third goals, and a Luis Suarez penalty, set up a grandstand finish.

But Levante held on for a thrilling victory, which ended their opponents hopes of becoming the first ever club to finish a 38-game La Liga season as invincibles.

After drawing at home to Real Madrid last weekend, despite playing the second half with 10 men, and thrashing Villarreal, Barcelona sat just two games away from the historical feat.

It was 1932 when the last side, Real Madrid, went unbeaten in the top-flight but even that was across only 18 matches, in a 10-team division.

This was Barcelonas first league loss since slipping up against Malaga on April 8 last year and while it has minimal impact on the table, Valverde will have questions to answer, not least with regards to leaving out Messi.

This defensive collapse was reminiscent of their Champions League meltdown against Roma, which has soured an otherwise successful campaign. The unbeaten record was supposed to help atone for the European failure.

For Levante, this is their eighth win in 10 matches under new coach Paco Lopez, who took charge with the club in danger of relegation but has overseen a remarkable transformation. They move up to 15th.

Pacos players exploded out of the blocks and pulled ahead in the ninth minute when Boateng nipped in at the near post after Jose Luis Morales weaving run down the left.

Bardhi hit the woodwork with a lifted finish over Marc-Andre ter Stegen but Barca failed to heed the warnings and Boateng made it two after half an hour, latching on to Sasa Lukics threaded ball through.

Coutinho pulled one back with a rasping shot before half-time but three Levante goals in 10 minutes after the interval sent the home fans into delirium.

Bardhis blistering shot restored the two-goal advantage before Boateng completed his hat-trick as Barcas defence was ripped apart again on the break.

Another counter just before the hour ended with another crisp Bardhi finish, as Barca were now staring at a four-goal deficit.

The game looked dead but Coutinho scored twice in six minutes, the first a close-range finish after Ousmane Dembeles shot spilled loose, the second an instinctive shot from the edge of the area.

When Boateng brought down Sergio Busquets in the area and Suarez drove the penalty down the middle with 20 minutes left, it felt inevitable Barca would find a fifth.

But without Messi even to bring on, Levante withstood the late onslaught and should even have scored a sixth only for Ruben Rochina to shoot wide after a dreadful backpass by Busquets. It was the final mistake of an error-strewn display.

Source: NAN

Dominic Thiem lost to Alexander Zverev in the Madrid Masters final on Sunday and then said the German is now the best player in the world beneath Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

Zverev has long been marked out as a future star of the mens game and his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Thiem suggests the German can be a major threat at the French Open later this month.

Thiem had ousted Nadal in the quarter-finals on Friday and he too will be among the small group capable of preventing the Spaniard from claiming an 11th Roland Garros crown.

But the Austrian was outplayed, and over-powered, by Zverev, who collects his third ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title, the most prestigious tier of knock-out tournament beneath the four Grand Slams.

Zverev is now one of five active players to have won three, the others being Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Those four are all aged 30 or older, while Zverev is 21, with Djokovic and Murray both attempting recovery missions after injury.

I would say probably now, besides Roger and Rafa, hes the best, Thiem said. You just need to look at his results.

Ranked third in the world, Zverev is yet to transfer his talent and success in Masters events to Grand Slams, however, where his best result remains reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon last year.

On this evidence, that breakthrough is surely close, with the crowd on Manolo Santana court treated to an impressive display of aggressive baseline hitting. Thiems 21 errors to Zverevs 12 were also key.

Rafa is the favourite, no matter where he plays, on a clay court, Zverev said. Hes going to be the favourite in Rome, hes going to be the favourite in Paris. Hes still the guy to beat.

The players in Madrid this week have remarked on the quickness of the courts and that has suited Zverev, whose demon serve was almost untouchable in the opening set.

After conceding an early break for 2-0, Thiems only sniff came at 5-4 when he opened up 0-30 on the Zverev serve. But his opponent did not waver, letting out a roar of relief after clinching the frame.

Another break in the first game of the second meant Thiem was again playing catch-up and Zverev could have moved 3-0 clear had Thiem not saved two more break points.

Instead, Thiem stayed in touch to make Zverev serve out. A sumptuous half-volley opened up two match points and Zverev took the first when a final Thiem forehand floated long.

Its a great feeling, Zverev said. Hopefully this will not be my last, hopefully I can continue to improve, and win a few more.

Source: NAN

Juventus sealed a seventh straight Serie A title on Sunday and their 34th, after a goalless draw against ten-man Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

The Turin giants had needed just a point to officially seal another title and become the first team to complete the league and Cup double for four consecutive seasons.

Roma played the final twenty minutes a man down after Radja Nainggolan was sent off for a second yellow card after a foul on Argentina striker Paulo Dybala.

It is the 34th Scudetto in Juventuss history.

Massimiliano Allegris side also won the Italian Cup in the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday with a 4-0 win over AC Milan.

With one game left to play Juventus cannot be caught by second-placed Napoli who are four points behind after winning 2-0 at Sampdoria on Sunday.

Eusebio Di Francescos Roma team had already sealed their Champions League place next season after Inter Milans 2-1 loss against Sassuolo.

Juventus had early chances with Edin Dzeko firing over, a Lorenzo Pellegrini right footer flying wide and Aleksandar Kolarovs free-kick hitting the side netting.

Paulo Dybala threatened early and broke through early in the second half after an Alex Sandro cross but the goal was disallowed because the Argentina striker was offside.

Nainggolan received two yellow cards in the space of five minutes and left Roma down to 10 men for the final 20 minutes.

But Juventus did not take advantage of their advantage although Dybala did have penalty appeals.

Source: NAN

By Aminu Garko

The Registrar of National Examinations Council (NECO), Prof Charles Uwakwe, has been suspended over alleged financial mismanagement and abuse of office.

Also suspended are two deputy directors in charge of finance and procurement, respectively, in the council.

Rumour had made the rounds that the three top officials of the council had been sacked, but a competent source in the council disclosed on Sunday that the men were on suspension.

According to the source, they are on suspension pending the outcome of investigation of allegation of misappropriation of funds against them.

The source said that the officials were suspended for allegedly awardingcontracts to the tune of N25 billion without following due process.

They were said not to have sought approval fromMinistry of Education, the supervisory ministry or from the Governing Board of the council.

Uwakwe was also alleged to be involved in recruitment in the council without following due process.

I can tell you that nobody was sacked but there was a suspension pending an investigation of certain alleged misdeeds,which details have not been made public, the source said.

The source stated that the most senior Director in the council, Mr Abubakar Gana, had been appointed Acting Registrar.

According to the source, the letter suspending the council officials emanated from the parent ministry.

Another source said that the Non-Academic Staff Union at NECO petitioned the Minister of Education, accusing Uwakwe of financial impropriety, irregular recruitment and flouting of procurement procedures.

All effort to speak with spokesman of the council failed as he did not take calls put to his telephone lines or responded to short messages.

Source: NAN

By Abiemwense Moru

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has urged media practitioners in the country to refrain from reporting fake news.

Onaiyekan, who gave the advice on Sunday in Abuja at a forum to mark the 2018 World Communications Day, said fake news destroys character and communal living.

He also advised journalists to desist from sharing or lifting unverified sources of information from social media as this is capable of destroying the peaceful co-existence of a country.

Onaiyekan, who was represented by the Director of Social Communications in the Archdiocese, Rev. Patrick Alumuku, said media men must continue to work in truth in pursuit of peace.

The cleric, who spoke on the theme, Journalism for Peace, stressed that communications emanated from God right from creation and the church had always encouraged peaceful and sustainable communication in the family and society.

Media men and women are called to work in truth and in the pursuit of peace. The church wants good news to reach the whole world, but we cant achieve this without the media.

It is as a result of this that the church is investing in the training of media personnel, especially in social media, he said.

The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, reiterated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to uniting the nation and ushering in enduring peace.

He advised Nigerians not to despair but have absolute faith in the ability of the president to bring sustainable development and unity of purpose.

I want to assure you that the president is really working round the clock to ensure that peace is maintained in our nation.

Mr President is committed to improving the lot of the citizenry and I would appeal to Nigerians to give him a chance.

We know things are tough but tough times dont last forever and we shall overcome. I can assure you Nigeria will soon return to its old glory, he said.

In his remarks, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, gave an assurance that the challenges facing the nation would soon be a thing of the past.

He urged Nigerians to believe in the nation, stressing that the hardship many Nigerians may be undergoing would soon end.

We must believe in Nigeria instead of balkanising it. Nigeria may be in distress and this may be a challenging period for some of us but Nigeria will soon overcome this hardship, he said.

Source: NAN

South Africas former president Jacob Zuma is hugging the headlines again with reports that he has fathered a new baby from a 24-year-old woman.

She gave birth to his child in a Durban hospital last week Thursday on his birthday, News24 said.

TimesLIVE identified the woman as Nonkanyiso Conco and went further to say she is set to become Zumas seventh wife.

Zuma is 76 years old.

Yes we are getting married but that is all I can say. I need to consult before I give any interviews she said.

Conco is a director of the Pietermaritzburg-based Nomkhubulwane Culture and Youth Development Organisation aimed at protecting the cultural practices of young Zulu women.

Conco reportedly resides in the plush Ballito Estate Hilltop home to some of the citys most well-heeled residents.

According to News24, the woman delivered the child at the Busamed Hillcrest Private Hospital last Thursday Zumas birthday.

Zuma is a polygamist who has fathered 22 known children from at least 11 women.

News24 relying on three sources reportef thar that Zuma came to visit his baby under strict security on Thursday night.

They had to clear the maternity ward for other patients. Hospital staff made it clear that this was strictly confidential, a source with direct knowledge of the birth told News24.

Ray Zuma, who is related to the former president, confirmed to News24 that Zuma was going to wed a woman named Nonkanyiso Chonco.

When asked if Conco was the same woman who had given birth to a baby earlier this month, Ray Zuma responded by saying: So?

I cant see why you are interested. When he was still the president, you [the media] were terrorising him, and now you are all of a sudden interested in him.

When asked about the details of the wedding, he said he was not privy to the details.

No date has been set yet. Both families must come together to decide on the date. We are still in the pre-nuptial phases of the process.

Zumas son Edward told News24, when asked about the baby: We are not going to respond, or entertain any of that nonsense.

When News24 visited the hospital earlier in the week, an employee confirmed that Zuma had visited the facility.

Yes he was here last week. I saw him with his security. I do not know why he came through.

But other sources confirmed the baby was Zumas. Hospital staff were briefed to keep it a closely guarded secret and only told this is JZs child and a VIP delivery.

Hillcrest Private Hospital management declined to comment saying they would not divulge details of any patient.

Reported by News 24

Source: NAN

Zimbabwe has followed Lesotho by legalisingthe production of marijuana for medicinal and scientific purposes, making it the second African country to turn the drug into a source of revenue.

However, recreational use of the drug known in the country as mbanje or dagga remains illegal.

A government notice by the health and child care minister, Dr David Parirenyatwa says individuals and corporations can apply for licenses to grow marijuana, whose production and possession had brought up to 12 years in prison.

Producers of mbanje must be licensed by the minister, reported Zimbabwe Herald.

The notice was contained in a Government Gazette Statutory Instrument 62 of 2018 (Dangerous Drugs Production of Cannabis for Medicinal and Scientific Use Regulations).

An application for the issue of a licence in terms of section 27 of the Act shall be made to the Minister, in duplicate and shall be accompanied by the appropriate fee and three copies of a plan of the site proposed to be licensed which shall comply with the requirement specified in these regulations.

In case of an individual, proof of citizenship or proof of being ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe or proof of an exemption by the Minister (will be required), reads the regulations.

In the case of a company, proof of citizenship or proof of being ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe of the majority of directors or proof of an exemption by the Minister and proof of incorporation in Zimbabwe of the company; and a declaration, signed and dated by the proposed authorised person in charge, stating that the authorised person in charge, the proposed responsible person in charge and, if applicable, the proposed alternate responsible person in charge, are familiar with the provisions of the Act (will be required), reads the regulations.

The application for the licence must also provide a detailed description of the method that the applicant proposes to use for keeping records.

The Minister has powers to audit the activities of the licensed producer with respect to cannabis.

The application shall also contain the following (a) if applicable, the maximum quantity expressed as net weight in grammes of fresh cannabis, dried cannabis, cannabis oil to be produced by the applicant under the licence and the production period . . . and the maximum number of cannabis plants to be sold or provided by the applicant under the licence and the period in which that quantity is to be sold or provided, read the regulations.

In case of an application for a licence to sell or provide fresh cannabis or cannabis oil under, the applicant must provide the Minister before commencing to sell or provide the substance, with the dried cannabis equivalence factor determined under section 73 and the method that they used to determine it.

If an applicant intends to possess, produce, sell, provide, ship, deliver, transport or destroy cannabis at more than one site, a separate application must be submitted for each proposed site.

A licensed producer designate one authorised person in charge to have overall responsibility for management of the activities conducted by the licensed producer under their licence at their site who may, if appropriate, be licensed producer.

The latest move on marijuana by Zimbabwe is a marked shift from the traditionally tough stance in the largely conservative country.

The tiny nation of Lesotho last year became the first African country to issue a license for medical marijuana.

Countries including Malawi and Ghana are reportedly exploring ways to legalise the drug. Nigerias National Drug Law and Enforcement Agency continues to arrest people in possession of marijuana.

A South African court last year ruled that private use of marijuana was legal but the government appealed.

Source: NAN

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg announced Tuesday the worlds largest social network will soon include a new dating feature while vowing to make privacy protection its top priority in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Zuckerberg unveiled the plans as he addressed Facebooks annual developers conference in San Jose, California emphasizing that the focus would be on helping people find long-term partners.

This is going to be for building real, long-term relationships, not just hook-ups, Zuckerberg said in presenting the new feature, noting that one in three marriages in the United States start online and that some 200 million Facebook users identify as being single.

Under the new feature, users will be able to create a separate dating profile not visible to their network of friends, with potential matches recommended based on dating preferences, points in common, and mutual acquaintances.

Zuckerberg did not specify whether the feature would be free of charge, in line with Facebooks core offer but the announcement was enough to send shares in the online dating giant Match.com tumbling by 17 percent.

The 33-year-old CEO also said the dating offer was built from the ground-up with privacy and safety in mind, as he underscored the firms commitment to boosting privacy protections.

Facebooks closely-watched developer conference comes as the giant faces intense global scrutiny over the mass harvesting of personal data by Cambridge Analytica, a British political consultancy that worked for Donald Trumps 2016 election campaign.

Facebook has admitted up to 87 million users may have had their data hijacked in the scandal, which saw Zuckerberg grilled at length by the US Congress last month.

We need to make sure that never happens again, Zuckerberg told the audience.

Clear history

In a related move, Facebook Tuesday announced an upcoming feature called Clear History that will allow users to see which apps and websites send the network information, delete the data from their account, and prevent Facebook from storing it.

The social network has already moved to limit the amount of data it shares with third-party applications and plans further steps to prevent a repeat of the Cambridge Analytica debacle, Zuckerberg said.

Facebook is also reviewing applications overall as well as auditing those that accessed large amounts of data to make sure access isnt abused, he said.

Security isnt a problem than you ever fully solve, Zuckerberg said, outlining the slew of efforts by Facebook to battle election interference, misinformation, spam among other challenges.

This is an arms race; we are going to be working to stay ahead of our adversaries forever.

Message translation

Facebook separately announced Tuesday that its popular Messenger app would soon be able to translate missives in real time, deploying artificial intelligence to enable text conversations between people using different languages.

Source: NAN

Twitter on Thursday urged its more than 300 million users to change their passwords, saying they had been unintentionally unmasked inside the company by a software bug.

The social media site said it found no sign that hackers accessed the exposed data, but advised users to change their passwords to be safe.

Twitter practice is to store passwords encrypted, or hashed, so they are masked to even people inside the company, Twitter chief technology officer Parag Agrawal explained in a blog post.

Due to a bug, passwords were written to an internal log before completing the hashing process, he said.

We found this error ourselves, removed the passwords, and are implementing plans to prevent this bug from happening again.

The San Francisco-based internet company did not specify how many passwords were exposed or how long the glitch made data vulnerable to snooping.

Out of an abundance of caution, we ask that you consider changing your password on all services where youve used this password, Agrawal told users.

We are very sorry this happened, he said.

The stumble comes as the sector faces intense scrutiny over the protection of personal data online, in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal which saw information from tens of millions of Facebook users hijacked and misused.

Twitter shares ebbed about a percent to $30.36 in after-market trades that followed word of the password mishap.

Going public with a security slip and getting users to take precautions is preferable to remaining mum and hoping no data was taken, according to independent technology industry analyst Rob Enderle.

When in doubt, it is better to have people change passwords than to be wrong, Enderle said.

With security, it is always better to err on the side of caution.

The analyst thought it unlikely people would abandon Twitter simply for being asked to change passwords.

Openly admitting our mistakes quickly, learning, and moving on, Twitter co-founder and chief executive Jack Dorsey said in a tweet that including a link to Agrawals blog post.

I love my teammates.

Twitter last week reported its second consecutive quarterly profit, boosting the outlook for the platform after years in the red.

The social network earned $61 million in the first three months of the year, helped by strong growth in advertising revenue and modest gains in users.

First quarter revenues rose 21 percent from a year ago to $665 million, and the key metric of monthly active users increased by six million from late last year to 336 million.

Source: NAN