As reactions continue to trail the controversial comments made earlier this week by U.S. rapper Kanye West, that slaverywas a choice, a Detroit radio station has said it will ban his music.

Hosts Shay Shay and BiGG of 105.1 the Morning Bounce made the announcement on Facebook with the hashtag Mute Kanye.

Kanye has gone too far with his latest comments, they said. They wrote that they are refusing to give him a platform, according toNew York Post.

We dont want to hear Kanyes music, we dont want to play Kanye on our show, we dont want to talk about Kanye anymore, the post read.

So we are taking a stand and we arent playing his music anymore; we just are refusing to give him a platform.

The ban will be for the entire hip-hop station and will include tracks that West produced or is featured in as well, theDetroit Free Pressreported.

West faced swift backlash following an interview withTMZon Tuesday, where he said when you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.

The music mogul took to twitter shortly after to try and walk back his comments and compared himself to both Nat Turner and Harriet Tubman.

If this was 148 years ago I would have been more like Harriet or Nat, West tweeted, before clarifying the reason he brought up the 400 years point is because we cant be mentally imprisoned for another 400 years.

We need free thought now. Even the statement was an example of free thoughtIt was just an idea.

The two morning DJs didnt announce how long the ban will last, and left it open to a gut feeling.

Thats what it is right now. We need a break, Shay Shay, told thepaper. I think its a gut feeling of when well be able to feel comfortable playing it again, when well want to hear it again, and more importantly, when will our listeners want to hear it again.

West was banned from a Hot 103.5 in Sacramento in 2016 after he attacked radio stations and fellow artists during a concert for his Saint Pablo Tour.

Source: NAN

David Goodall, a 104-year-old Australian scientist who committed assisted suicide in Switzerland today left some parting shots, saying choosing how and when to die should be a right.

Speaking to reporters at a hotel near Spalentor Gate in Basel on Wednesday, Goodall stressed he was happy to have the chance to end his life in Switzerland but would have preferred to do so back home.

Everyone over middle age should have the right unquestioned to end their lives as and when they choose, but we have quite a way to go in Australia for that, he said.

Asked by reporters what would be his last meal, the centenarian wryly noted that he is rather limited in his culinary enjoyments these days.

Goodall said he had no doubts over his chosen course of action and was grateful for the opportunity to come to an end gracefully.

There are many things I would like to do, but its too late.Im content to leave them undone.

My abilities have been in decline over the past year or two, my eyesight over the past six years.I no longer want to continue life. I am happy to have the chance tomorrow to end it, he said.

Goodall died today after taking a fatal sleeping drug and was surrounded by four family members and a close friend.

The renowned ecologist had flown to the clinic from his home in Australia where euthanasia is illegal.

He was not terminally ill but said he had grown tired of living with deteriorating health.

Dr Goodall had arrived at the clinic just before 11am on Thursday morning and enjoyed a final meal of fish and chips and cheesecake, which was his favourite.

Beethovens 9th Symphony was played in the room at the suicide clinic in Liestal, near Basel, as he took the fatal overdose of the sleeping drug.

Goodall arrived in Switzerland on May 7, after visiting relatives in the French city of Bordeaux.

He celebrated his 104th birthday on April 4. The scientist was granted a fast-track appointment at the Life Circle clinic in Basel.

Switzerland is one of the few countries in the world to allow assisted suicide, in which a person is given a lethal drug to administer themselves.

Assisted dying is illegal in Australia. except for one state, Victoria, which in November 2017 voted to legalize euthanasia in some cases.

That law doesnt come into effect until mid-2019 and would not benefit Goodall because he is not terminally ill or suffering from an incurable disease.

Born in London in 1914, he went to Australia in 1948 to teach at the University of Melbourne.

He married three times, has four children and twelve grandchildren. The family is scattered around the world.

By his bedside Thursday will be one of the scientists sons along with some grandchildren, who came from the United States and France respectively.

Goodall is a veteran member of Exit International, an end-of-life choices information and advocacy organisation.

He unsuccessfully tried to take his life earlier this year and had a fall at his home in Perth.

The organization arranged his appointment at Life Circle and raised funds for the scientist to travel business class from Australia to Switzerland.

In the vanguard
Exit International director Philip Nitschke says there is a growing generation of older people who are living longer than ever before, who are not ill, and who are demanding end of life choices.

Professor David Goodall is at the vanguard of this generational change in deciding when and how to die, he said, urging more countries to adopt laws similar to those of Switzerland.

The scientist will take the drug Nembutal, a barbiturate, intravenously. He will turn a knob that will allow a saline solution mixed with the drug to flow into his system.

He will go to sleep within a minute or two and be dead within the hour, says Dr. Fiona Stewart, publisher and co-author of the The Peaceful Pill Handbook.

Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe overdosed on barbiturates in 1962 in a death characterized as a probable suicide. American guitarist Jimi Hendrix died of a similar overdose in 1970.

Stewart says more than 30 Australians have made the trip to Switzerland since the 1998 foundation of Dignitas in Zurich. The number is at least ten times higher for Britons.

The Alpine nation has three assisted suicide organizations catering to foreigners: Dignitas, Basels Life Circle and Ex International in Bern (no relation to Exit International).

Assisted suicide and euthanasia, where the lethal drug is adminsitered by a doctor or medical staff, is at the heart of heated ethical debates that touch on religious, medical, legal and ethical questions.

Goodall, a botanist and ecologist, said he would quite like to be remembered as an instrument of freeing the elderly from the need to pursue their life irrespectively.

Source: NAN

By Nathan Nwakamma

The Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme, has registered more than 80,000 public sector enrollees less than a year after it began operations, its Executive Secretary, Dr Zuoboemi Agadah said on Wednesday.

Agadah made this disclosure in Yenagoa while signing a Memorandum of Understanding with an Heath Maintenance Organisation, United Healthcare International for the schemes technical support.

The State Government started an health insurance scheme for its workforce in June 2017 with a plan to extend the scheme to cover the informal sector in due course.

Agadah, who said that the enrollment was ongoing, added that the feedback from the registration desk was encouraging.

He said that in spite of the growing number of enrollees in the scheme, government had also met its financial obligations to health care providers.

According to him, feedback from the enrollees and other stakeholders in the health sector, shows that the scheme is doing well.

The Executive Secretary attributed the success so far recorded to the adoption of the template already put in place by the National Health Insurance Scheme of the Federal Government.

He said that the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme was also collaborating with other states of the federation where similar schemes were being run.

Agadah said that such collaboration was to overcome the teething problems of the scheme for the benefit of stakeholders.

He said that the scheme was able to face the challenges at the initial stages through an effective Quality Assurance and Compliance Management System.

Agadah applauded the United Healthcare International for its expertise and support for the scheme since inception in June 2017, resulting in high standards in its overall implementation.

He said that the scheme made available quality and affordable health care to enrollees, who paid just 10 per cent of the cost of drugs in addition to the monthly premiums paid by civil servants.

Agadah lauded Gov. Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa for establishing the scheme, adding that plans had reached an advanced stage to cover the private sector.

In his response, Dr Kazeem Mustapha, the Executive Director, United Healthcare, noted that the zeal and commitment of the managers of the Bayelsa Health Insurance Scheme was commendable.

He said that the quick impact of the scheme was informed by the direct result of the determination of the Bayelsa Government to improve the health status of its citizens.

Source: NAN

Source: NAN

The Congo and World Health Organisation (WHO) have hit the outbreak of Ebola with quick response to contain the deadly disease.

I think with this rapid response we will be able to contain it, WHO emergencies director for Africa, Ibrahima Soce Fall, told the Media on Wednesday.

Very clearly the U.N. agency learned its lesson from the crisis, he added.

Ebola is endemic to Congo, a vast country whose eastern Ebola river gave the deadly virus its name when it was discovered there in the 1970s.

This is the ninth time Ebola has been recorded in Congo and comes less than a year after the last outbreak killed four people.

At least 17 people have died around the village near the northwestern town of Bikoro where the virus was detected this week, health officials said.

WHO is conducting an investigation to see how many people may have come in contact with the infected .

The organisation is prepared to use a new experimental vaccine if needed, said Fall.

Six months after an Ebola outbreak was confirmed in West Africa in March 2014, the World Health Organisation declared an international emergency and called for help.

The disease went on to ravage three countries and kill over 11,000 people.

On Tuesday, Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed two cases of the viral disease.

That same day, WHO helicoptered in a team of experts to the scene and released one million dollars in funding.

The agency was criticised for its slow response to the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone, which was the largest in history.

In the past we didnt have this emergency system.

Its completely different, Fall said, adding that this response was also faster than that in Congo last year.

The cases were first reported on May 3, and medical teams supported by WHO and medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) went to take samples two days later.

That seems to me to be about as fast as you can reasonably expect, said Jimmy Whitworth, a specialist in epidemiology and public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Whitworth said the situation was worrying, but Congo may be better prepared to detect and manage Ebola than other countries since it has had more experience.

If people exposed to the disease are identified and quarantined rapidly, it can likely be contained in an isolated area, he added.

Bikoro lies not far from the banks of the Congo River, an essential waterway for transport and commerce.

It runs past capital Kinshasa and Brazzaville, capital of neighbouring Congo Republic. (Reuters/NAN)

Source: NAN

Source: NAN

By Sheila Offiong
The Royal school of Educational therapy foundation (RSETF) Abuja organised an art exhibition to celebrate the achievements of its students.

The foundation offers Educational therapy and related services for children and adults with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia and Intellectual Disabilities.

The exhibition showcased the talents and intelligence of the children.

NANTV crew was at hand to capture the highlights of the event.

Source: NAN

By Muhammad Nasir Bashir

The Jigawa Primary Healthcare Development Agency (JSPHCDA) says it is targeting 1.6 million children for immunisation against polio in the state.

Dr Kabiru Ibrahim, the Executive Secretary of the agency, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Sunday at the sideline of the ongoing exercise in the state.

Ibrahim said enough personnel had been engaged to conduct the exercise simultaneously across the 27 local government areas in order to ensure that all children under five years are immunised against the diseases.

He said the agency had received enough Oral Polio Vaccines (OPVs) from the Federal Government for the smooth conduct of the exercise.

The executive secretary said all necessary arrangements had been concluded for smooth conduct of the exercise.

Ibrahim sought the support and cooperation of traditional and religious leaders as well as other stakeholders towards the successful conduct of the exercise.

He urged parents to present their children for the immunisation at designated centres in their respective communities for the exercise.

He commended the traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders for their cooperation in ensuring the smooth conduct of the immunisation.

The executive secretary, who expressed satisfaction at the level of compliance by parents, also appealed to them to cooperate with immunisation officials for a hitch-free exercise.

I personally inspected the exercise in many centres and I was impressed with the level of turnout of children.

So far, the exercise is going on smoothly across the state.

We thanked all stakeholders for the successes recorded in the exercise so far, Ibrahim said. (NAN)

Source: NAN

A Los Angeles woman filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against Chris Brown and a fellow rapper, alleging she was repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at Browns home during a drug- and alcohol-fueled party last year.

The woman, identified only as Jane Doe, said she was lured to the singers house following a concert at a nightclub on February 23, 2017 and was raped several times by Lowell Grissom, who performs under the name Young Lo.

She also alleges that another unidentified woman at the party assaulted her, forcing her into performing oral sex.

The assault was all the more gruesome, the lawsuit alleges, as the attacker identified as Doe X was menstruating at the time.

This is one of the most horrific cases involving alleged sexual assault that I have ever seen, Gloria Allred, one of three lawyers representing the woman, said in a statement.

Our client, Jane Doe, has been severely traumatized by what she was forced to suffer.

According to the lawsuit, following a concert at 1 Oak club in West Hollywood, the plaintiff and her roommate went to an after party where they met Grissom and Brown and had their phones confiscated.

The suit says that the plaintiff later ended up at Browns home as she was told by Grissom she could retrieve her cell phone at that location, where the party was continuing.

Our client alleges she was forced to go to Browns home because she perceived that she would only be able to retrieve her phone there, Allred said.

The lawsuit said that the 29-year-old rapper provided alcohol and drugs, including cocaine, ecstasy and marijuana, at his home.

He also gave each female guest a clear capsule filled with white powder and instructed them to take it to have a good time, the suit alleges, adding that the plaintiff refused to take the drug.

Wants justice for herself

The complaint says that at one point, the plaintiff was led to a bedroom where several women were having sex with Grissom and Brown.

Plaintiff refused to undress and made it clear that she did not want to engage in any sexual activity with anyone, according to the document.

It said that the plaintiff was subsequently repeatedly raped by Grissom and assaulted by Doe X. She was later allowed to leave the room by Doe X, who instructed her to take a shower.

Plaintiff looked in the mirror and was horrified to see that she was covered in Doe Xs blood because Doe X had been menstruating, the suit states.

It said the victim eventually was allowed to call a ride-sharing service and went to a rape treatment center and to the police where she reported the assaults.

She filed this lawsuit because she wants justice for herself, but she also wants to warn other young women about the potential danger to themselves if they have their phone taken away and if they go to Chris Browns house, Allred said.

Brown and Grissoms publicists could not be immediately reached for comment.

Contacted by AFP, Los Angeles police said there was no open investigation at this time regarding Chris Brown.

The pop star over the years has had several brushes with the law.

He was convicted in 2009 of beating fellow singer Rihanna, his then girlfriend, who was forced to miss the Grammy Awards that year.

In 2016, he was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon after a bizarre hours-long standoff with police in Los Angeles.

Source: NAN

By Busayo Onijala

Media personality, Tolu Oniru Demuren, popularly known as Toolz has launched a lingerie line for fuller-0bus- size women.

She said that the brand, Sablier, would cater for the needs of fuller bust women.

She disclosed this through her Instagram page @toolzo.

Toolz said in the post, super-excited to announce that I have launched Sablier- a premium lingerie line for fuller bust women.

It took a few years of blood, sweat and tears, but so thankful to God that its finally here.

Our sizes are from 34D and go up to 42J for now.

She also said that the prices of the products would be affordable.

Toolz got married to Tunde Demuren, a pilot, in May 2015.

Source: NAN

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!

Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights!

Get up, stand up, dont give up the fight!

Preacher man, dont tell me

Heaven is under the earth

I know you dont know

What life is really worth

Its not all that glitters is gold

Alf the story has never been told

So now you see the light, eh!

Stand up for your rights. Come on!

The above excerpt from Bob Marleys song, `Stand up, Get up could not have been more propitious any other time than nowin a world replete with human rights abuses, racism, poverty among others.

No doubt, many reggae artists today draw their inspirations from the icon whose style of music continues to rub off on various genres of reggaeroots, rub-a-dub, ragamuffin, dancehall, lovers rock among others.

Bob Marley was the first third-world global superstar and the artist responsible for bringing reggae to mainstream audiences.

Marleys unforgettable music alone would have earned him a place in music history, but his status as a moral and religious compass to countless admirers and followers set him above many other such celebrities.

Robert Nesta Marley was born on Feb. 6, 1945 in Nine Mile, Saint Ann, Jamaica. His mother, Cedelia Booker, was an 18-year-old Jamaican girl and his father, the non-present Norval Sinclair Marley, was a much older white English sea captain.

Bob and his mother moved to the tough Trenchtown area of Kingstown when he was ten years old.

Music was already the focal point of Bobs life by the early 1960s. He was recording and playing gigs with friends Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, and they were enjoying moderate success in Jamaica. Marley was also writing original songs. Johnny Nash had a minor hit with Bobs Stir it Up while Eric Clapton later had a much bigger one with I Shot the Sheriff.

Success outside of Jamaica for Bob Marley and the Wailers, as they were now styling themselves, finally came in the mid-1970s, with hits including No Woman No Cry, Exodus, Waiting in Vain, Jamming, and Is This Love.

But Marley was much more than a Rastafarian Dylan writing catchy songs about the pressing issues of his times. During the late 70s, Jamaica was an island undergoing immense social and political upheaval.

Bob used his considerable influence in an effort to promote peace and find a middle ground between rival political factions in his country. He was the victim of an assassination attempt for his troubles.

He traveled the world, not only as a touring musician, but also as a goodwill ambassador for Jamaica and the Rastafarian religion. In 1978, he made his first trip to Ethiopia, the spiritual home of Rastafari, and stayed on a settlement donated by Emperor Haile Selassie I.

Two years later, Bob Marley and the Wailers were invited to perform at the Zimbabwe Independence concert by the brand new nations brand new president. Bobs song Zimbabwe had been an anthem for the soon-to-be-ex-colony of Rhodesia.

Marley was a hero to countless Africans and was seen as an inspirational and unifying figure.

In 1977, Marley learned that he had a type of melanoma in one of his toes. His doctors recommended amputation, but Bob refused for religious reasons and instead simply had the toe nail and nail bed removed in hopes that would remove all the cancer. It didnt. The disease metastasized throughout his body.

In 1980, he agreed to seek a somewhat controversial treatment at the clinic of Dr. Josef Issels in Germany. Issels Combination Therapy, which has been labeled ineffective by the American Cancer Society, was indeed ineffective in Marleys case.

Bob wanted to die at home in Jamaica, but the trip back was too much for him. He passed away in a Miami hospital on May 11, 1981.

Bob Marleys death stopped Jamaica in its tracks. He was awarded the countrys Order of Merit, Jamaicas third highest honor, for outstanding contribution to his countrys culture.

The government provided him a state funeral ten days after his death as the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley O.M., with Prime Minister Edward Seaga and the Opposition Party Leader Michael Manley in attendance.

The streets were lined with countless thousands of mourners who watched Bobs funeral procession wind from Kingston to Marleys mausoleum in his birthplace of Nine Mile.

Bob Marley was laid to rest with a soccer ball, his Les Paul guitar, and a bud of marijuana.

Source: NAN

By Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma,
`Dont scatter your sand until you mold your blocks, is an adage employed recently by a foremost entrepreneur, Mrs Ibukun Awosika, to strongly tell female creative professionals to save money and create wealth for the rainy day.

The occasion was Women in Entertainment Wealth Management Series organised by FirstBank to educate and encourage women in the entertainment industry on the need to build wealth.

It was a gathering of celebrities such as Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha and Ufoma McDermott at the Victoria Crown Plaza on Victoria Island, Lagos.

FirstBank organised the event to serve as a tool to help the professionals to manage their incomes more effectively in peak and off peak seasons.

According to the bank, the event was borne out of the need for wealth creation and management, especially by the creative female professionals.

FirstBank says it seeks to provide the women with the principles of wealth management, investment and savings through its female proposition product, FirstGem.

FirstGem, an account designed specifically to meet financial needs of women was officially launched in December 2016.

It was designed to suit women from age 18 to achieve their financial goals and aspirations and encourage more women to save to be able to invest and build personal wealth.

Since the launch, the initiative has encouraged over 10,000 women to actively build a healthy savings culture, according to the organisation.

Awosika, the Chairman of First Bank Plc, sensitised participants at the Entertainment Wealth Management Series to the need to be disciplined to make a difference in their profession.

Awosika, also the Convener of the wealth management series, says wealth creation is about setting goals, priorities and right principles.

According to the entrepreneur, who spoke on The Anatomy and Mindset of Wealth, there is time and season for everything including time for savings and wealth creation.

Dont scatter your sand until you have molded your blocks, Awosika advises women.

She notes that FirstBank created FirstGem in recognition of the importance of women in driving socio-economic growth and change.

According to her, the initiative has encouraged more than 10,000 women to actively build a healthy saving culture.

The chairman is convinced that savings culture will lead to investment culture.

Awosika is of the opinion that investment culture will avert spending without planning.

She promises that FirstGem will also give access to soft loans (business and personal), annual medical and health programmes, and leadership trainings on women empowerment to be sponsored by First bank.

The entrepreneur emphasizes the need for women to separate needs from wants for enhanced wealth creation.

She urges that women should not engage in frivolities and should know that they cannot afford everything they want.

Even if you have all the money in the world and have not developed the habit of living within certain rules, you will still go broke.

This is why a footballer, basket baller and athlete can earn and accumulate millions of dollars but can still go broke, few years after retirement.

Plan for what you can see, dont plan on what you are expecting, Awosika urges.

Dr Remi Banjoko, Chief Executive Officer, dkbMarkets Ltd., who spoke on Roadmap to Wealth Creation,believes that wealth could be guaranteed by inheritance, ideas and right investment.

Banjoko is convinced that artistes can go bankrupt due to overspending, lack of finance knowledge, poor investment decision and hanging out unnecessarily.

According to him, 60 per cent of adults globally are financial illiterates.

Financial literacy is key for generational wealth, he says.

Banjoko lists seven steps to generational wealth to include knowing how to value money, control money, save money and invest money.

He says the others are knowing how to make money, shield money and share money through charity, mentoring and encouraging people.

He is of the opinion that prosperous people earn compound interest, while poor people pay compound interest.

On long-term investment, controlling and saving money, Banjoko advises investment in fixed income securities,stock market, currency market or foreign exchange market as well as commodity.

According to him, understanding ones investment risk is essential before embarking on any investment.

Banjoko advises investors to widen their investment across a variety of different asset classes and geographical regions by diversifying across shares, bonds andproperty, among others.

This, he believes, will reduce the impact of price change in any of the asset classes on the overall value of their investment portfolio.

He wants artistes to harness their expertise through other streams of income such as screen writing, creative content, establishing internet TV channels such as Iroko TV, establishing film production companies and branding.

One of the participants and a renowned actress, Mrs Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, says many entertainers are investors.

Most of us are investors and creative minds; we live the life.

Cutting down on certain expenses is like cutting out our skins, but personally, I dont go out much; the realistic reason is I cant afford it.

I cant afford the time. I cant afford the expenses. I cant buy a dress for an event knowing I can only wear it once.

Savings and investments have been a struggle and we need something especially for the creative industry because it is a complex business and practicalising savings is complex in our industry.

When others are struggling with just paying bills. We are struggling with paying bills and showing up.

Analysts call on women and all Nigerians to imbibe savings culture and take advantage of relevant products and programmes to create wealth to prepare for the rainy day. (NANFeatures)

Source: NAN

Austrian Dominic Thiem beat Kevin Anderson of South Africa for the first time at the seventh attempt to reach the Madrid Open final for the second successive year on Saturday.

The fifth seed won 6-4 6-2 as he continued with the scintillating form which ended top seed Rafa Nadals year-long unbeaten run on clay the day before.

Anderson, seeded sixth, was playing in his first Masters 1000 semi-final but faded after a solid start.

While Thiem had a 0-6 record against Anderson, the pair had never met on the Austrians favoured clay surface, and the longer rallies suited his heavy baseline game.

Thiem needed a single break of serve in the opening set and broke twice in the second to wrap up victory.

He will meet either Alexander Zverev or Canadian Denis Shapovalov in Sundays final.

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

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

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

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