Vardy gets footballer of the year award

Leicester City forward Jamie Vardy has been voted the 2016 Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers’ Association (FWA), it was announced Monday.
The 29-year-old striker took the award as a clear winner ahead of team-mates Riyad Mahrez, who had already taken the Player of the Year award voted on by his fellow professionals, and N’Golo Kante.
Vardy has scored 24 goals for club and country so far this season as the Foxes close in on what would be a remarkable Premier League title triumph.
They will be crowned champions should closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur fail to beat Chelsea on Monday.
In total seven Leicester players received votes in the FWA poll, with Danny Drinkwater, goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, captain Wes Morgan and Danny Simpson also receiving votes.
Vardy will be honoured with the prestigious FWA accolade, which has been running since 1948, at a gala dinner in London on May 12.
FWA chairman Andy Dunn, of the Sunday Mirror, said: “It is testament to their all-round excellence that so many Leicester players polled votes from our members. The Jamie Vardy story, though, clearly captured the imagination of so many writers.
“His record-breaking feat of scoring in 11 consecutive matches is the jewel in what will surely be Leicester’s Premier League crown.
“And the Footballer of the Year award is not just a reflection of his fantastic season, but recognition of a remarkable journey from non-league to the international stage.”
Other players to receive votes from FWA members were Tottenham striker Harry Kane, West Ham playmaker Dimitri Payet, Manchester City duo Sergio Aguero and Kevin de Bruyne as well as Spurs midfielder Dele Alli.
Vardy said: “It’s a great honour to win such a prestigious award and to have my name added to a list of previous winners that includes some unbelievable players.”
The England striker added: “We’re all totally focused on getting over the line in the final two weeks of the season and turning a great season into one we’ll never forget.
“Hopefully I can contribute to that and, if selected, carry some good form into the Euros (European Championships) this summer.”

Ronaldo steps up training ahead of City return

Cristiano Ronaldo’s chances of facing Manchester City in the second leg of Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final on Wednesday were boosted as the Portuguese took a full part in training on Monday. Ronaldo has missed Real’s last three games due to a thigh injury, but is expected to return against City with the tie finely balanced at 0-0.
French striker Karim Benzema also stepped up his recovery from a hamstring strain picked up in the first leg in the hope of being fit to face the English side.
“Ronaldo and (Alvaro) Arbeloa completed the session with the group while Benzema was out running alone on the pitch,” Madrid said in a statement on Monday.
Ronaldo has been in blistering form in the Champions League this season, scoring 16 goals in 10 appearances, including a hat-trick in the second leg of their quarter-final with Wolfsburg to overcome a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
However, he expects another tight match against City if Madrid are to make it to their 14th European Cup final.
“If Manchester City have made it to the semi-finals, it’s because they’re an excellent team,” Ronaldo told Madrid’s website.
“Knocking out PSG is not an easy task, but they managed to do it. They are a team with very few weaknesses.”

Nigeria to become largest Free TV platform globally – Expert

Nigeria has been projected to be the largest free digital television platform globally with estimated 30 million TV households by the completion of analogue broadcasting switch off in June 2017.
The Deputy Chairman of Cable Channels Nigeria Ltd., Mr Mohammadu Bawa, disclosed this at a gala night attended by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in Jos on Friday.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports CCNL is the official Nigeria contents aggregator for the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) which the country is expected to completely switch on to by the June 2017.
Bawa said that compared to the UK which had 10 million consumers, Australia with 13 million and New Zealand with three million, Nigeria would be in the lead with its 30 million free TV household by 2017.
He said the free TV broadcast platform would offer home entertainment and educative channels to viewer through the DTT and Digital Satellite (DSAT) which would come on board at a later date.
“The responsibilities of the free TV included platform and contents management, consumer, audience measurement, signal contribution, branding and promotion and other services.
In addition to the free to air channels, he said the DSO would help in the development of more movie and music channels.
Bawa said there would be electronic programming guide to viewers on what were available for viewing and other public information.
“The free TV will comprise of existing national content and local free to air channels, selected thematic channels and selected international free to air channels,’’ he said.
He said the Federal Government through the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) had assigned the distribution of Free-Top Boxes to CCNL.
Free-top box is the receiver to be placed on the television box to convert analogue transmission to digital.
Bawa said the boxes which ought to cost about N10,000 had been subsidised by government to cost N1,500 and it would be produced locally.
He assured effective and efficient circulation of the boxes in the entire DSO region to secure the widest possible reach with value for consumers.
The Acting Director-General of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Alheri Saidu, said the journey to digital broadcasting started in 2006 with the target to conclude the process in 2012.
Saidu said the switch over failed twice – 2012 and 2015 – before the deadline of June 2017 was given.
“It took the efforts of the new administration to pull the string to start the process of moving the country to digital television broadcasting.
“What we are witnessing today is the commissioning of Free TV, the vehicle to which we will be watching a new regime of digital broadcasting in the country,’’ Saidu said.
The Plateau Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mohammed Ahmed, thanked the Federal Government “for singling out Plateau from many capable states to launch DSO’’.
He said with the dossier of being the state where the colour TV started in Nigeria, Plateau was setting another record on DSO.
NAN reports that the minister commissioned the Free TV as a brand, stressing that DSO would democratise information in

Solar-powered plane to soar again on round-the-world flight

Solar Impulse 2, an experimental aircraft flying around the world to draw attention to clean energy technologies, is to take flight again on Monday, organizers said.
Pilot Andre Borschberg will take off at 12:00 GMT (5:00AM PT) taking advantage of a “clear weather window” for him to fly from the Mojave Desert to Phoenix Goodyear Airport in Arizona — an effort that should take about 16 hours, they said.
The plane has been in California for a week since crossing the Pacific to land in Mountain View. Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard piloted the craft from Hawaii to California.
Piccard, who has been alternating the long solo flights with teammate Borschberg, has handed over to his teammate who will pilot Solar Impulse across the United States and to New York.
The mission aims to promote the use of renewable energy, with an aircraft powered by 17,000 solar cells.
The plane’s wingspan is wider than that of a jumbo jet but its weight is roughly the same as a family car.
Solar Impulse 2 was grounded in July last year when its batteries suffered problems halfway through its 21,700-mile (35,000-kilometer) circumnavigation.
The crew took several months to repair the damage from high tropical temperatures during the first Pacific stage, a 4,000-mile flight between Japan and Hawaii.
The aircraft was flown on that leg by Borschberg, whose 118-hour journey smashed the previous record of 76 hours and 45 minutes set by US adventurer Steve Fossett in 2006.
Born in Zurich, Borschberg is no stranger to adventure — 15 years ago he narrowly escaped an avalanche, and then in 2013 he was involved in a helicopter crash that left him with minor injuries.
The 63-year-old took catnaps of only 20 minutes at a time to maintain control of the pioneering plane during his arduous flight from Japan, in what his team described as “difficult” conditions.
The Pacific crossing was the most dangerous due to a lack of landing sites in the event of an emergency.
The solar-powered plane, which stores energy in batteries for when the sun is not shining, will stop in New York before a transatlantic flight to Europe. From there the pilots plan to make their way back to the point of departure in Abu Dhabi.

With five-year delay, CIA ‘live-tweets’ bin Laden raid

The CIA has marked the anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden by live-tweeting — with a five-year delay — the raid by US special forces on the Al-Qaeda founder’s compound in Pakistan. Using the hashtag #UBLRaid, the CIA blasted out updates of the May 2011 strike as if it was unfolding in real time — in a highly unusual move for the secretive spy agency.
“To mark the 5th anniversary of the Usama Bin Ladin operation in Abbottabad we will tweet the raid as if it were happening today. #UBLRaid,” @CIA said in announcing its social media blitz.
Tweets included the now famous picture of President Barack Obama and other high-ranking US officials watching matters unfold from the White House’s Situation Room.
“1:51 pm EDT – Helicopters depart from Afghanistan for compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan #UBLRaid,” read one tweet.
“3:30 pm EDT – 2 helicopters descend on compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. 1 crashes, but assault continues without delay or injury #UBLRaid,” read another.
That was followed just minutes later by: “3:39 pm EDT – Usama Bin Ladin found on third floor and killed #UBLRaid.”
The CIA’s Twitter move got quite a bit of attention, with not everyone enthused.
“@CIA Are we tweeting Hiroshima on August 6th too? Or is THAT in bad taste?” tweeted one user, Kris Knight.
Another who identies as Amber V tweeted: “Don’t you have better things to do, like catch living and breathing bad guys, or secretly invade our privacy, or something? @CIA#UBLRaid”
But others reacted positively.
“Watching the @CIA relive on Twitter the #UBLRaid today reminds me of how proud I am of the men and women who do what they do. Thank you,” tweeted Toby Knapp.
– CIA focus on al-Baghdadi –
With 1.33 million Twitter followers, the Central Intelligence Agency has sent 1,662 tweets since it joined the social media service in February 2014.
“We are the Nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go,” reads the Twitter bio.
Previous @CIA tweets in recent days have featured a video about the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine and a counterfeit Nazi stamp.
Amid the tweetstorm, CIA chief John Brennan said Sunday that taking out the head of the Islamic State group would have a “great impact.”
He also warned that Al-Qaeda remained a threat, and that IS was not just an organization but a phenomenon.
“We have destroyed a large part of Al-Qaeda. It’s not completely eliminated. So we have to stay focused on what it can do,” Brennan told NBC’s “Meet the Press” talk show.
“Now, with the new phenomenon of (IS), this is going to challenge us for years to come,” he added.
Asked if removing IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi from action was as important as the Bin Laden get, Brennan, who does not often do interviews, was direct.
“If we got Baghdadi, I think it would have a great impact on the organization. And it will be felt by them,” he said.

Klopp frustrated by Liverpool’s learning curve

Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool’s young players have much to learn after his weakened side slumped to a lacklustre 3-1 defeat against Swansea. Two goals from Andre Ayew and one from Jack Cork at the Liberty Stadium on Sunday proved enough for Swansea to guarantee their Premier League safety.
Christian Benteke pulled one back for Liverpool, but Klopp’s team were well beaten in a fixture sandwiched between the more significant business of their Europa League semi-final against Villarreal.
Liverpool will now turn their attention to overturning a 1-0 deficit in Thursday’s semi-final second leg against the Spanish side at Anfield and Klopp was quick to concede the youngsters he brought into a team featuring eight changes were still some way short of the finished article.
“The performance was different to Bournemouth. We did not play as well as we could and our performance was not as good as it could have been,” Klopp said.
“We tried to bring in fresh legs, as we have done in the last few weeks. However, I am only frustrated because we could have played better.
“Had we have played a bit nearer to 100 per cent, it would have been completely different.
“The first two goals were too easy, they deserved the win and we deserved the defeat. But our performance was responsible for that and we have to recover and prepare for a big game in Thursday.
“I cannot change my mind on players after every two days. Everyone said how good they were after Bournemouth, but it is not always a honeymoon period and you have to prove yourself and deliver.
“It is not a problem for the future, only for today. They need to use the information for the future and we have to improve.”
– Disappointed –
Klopp also defended Daniel Sturridge’s decision to make for the dressing room at full time, rather than joining his teammates in thanking the vast numbers of travelling Liverpool fans.
“He was not ignoring the fans, I went in immediately also, I hope our fans know how close we are to them,” Klopp said.
“You want to go home, rest and recover after a game like that. My fault if someone does not say thank you is down to me.”
The suggestion was that England forward Sturridge was disappointed not to have been withdrawn sometime during the second half.
Having played the full 90 minutes, he is now unlikely to start on Thursday after he was an unused substitute in Spain in midweek.
“I spoke to him at half-time, he said he wanted to play and it was no problem,” Klopp said.
“We have a few days. I am happy. I do not know who will play against Villarreal.
“The Europa League is now our focus, but the Premier League will be our focus next weekend. Life is like this, we have played well with different line-ups, today we did not.
“We hope there are five games left this season and that is a good sign as we are still in the competition.”
Swansea’s victory ensured a successful rescue mission for manager Francesco Guidolin, who took over with the club in danger of relegation.
“I am happy for my players, this is the most important thing because they showed they are not on the beach,” Guidolin said.
“I am happy we are safe. I felt we were safe three weeks ago, but not mathematically.
“To have 40 points with five games to go was important, now we have 43 so this is not the worst season Swansea have had in the Premier League.
“I have done my job very well and I thank the players, assistants and staff.
“I am happy. I am proud because this is my first time in the Premier League.”

Yen rally eases after Tokyo hints at intervention

The yen’s soaring rally took a breather in Asian trading Monday after Japanese finance minister Taro Aso warned over the surge, vowing to take action “when necessary”. The weekend remarks hinted at a possible market intervention in the wake of the Bank of Japan’s shock policy decision last week that caused the yen to surge to an 18-month high against the dollar.
On Monday, the greenback edged up to 106.56 yen from 106.31 yen in New York Friday, its lowest level since October 2014.
But the unit was still way down from above 111 yen before the BoJ announcement. Japanese financial markets were closed Friday for a public holiday.
The central bank caught markets off guard Thursday as it held off another round of stimulus, confounding expectations it would act after a double earthquake and a string of weak data readings for the world’s number three economy.
“Our official target continues to be 103, but I personally think the risk of breaking 100 can’t be ruled out, and in that case Japanese authorities are likely to move,” Tohru Sasaki, head of Japan markets research at JPMorgan, told Bloomberg news.
“If dollar-yen breaks 100, and even if Japanese authorities move, probably that’s not enough to provide significant support” for the greenback, he said.
On Saturday, Aso said the yen’s rally was “extremely worrying”.
“The yen strengthened by five yen in two days. Obviously one-sided and biased, so-called speculative moves are seen behind it,” Aso told reporters.
“Tokyo will continue watching the market trends carefully and take actions when necessary.”
Aso has reiterated that Japan could intervene in forex markets to stem the unit’s steep rise, saying moves to halt the currency’s speculative rally would not breach a G20 agreement to avoid competitive currency devaluations.
Japan last intervened in currency markets around November 2011, when it tried to stem the yen’s rise against the greenback to keep an economic recovery on track after the quake-tsunami disaster earlier that year.
In other trading Monday, the euro strengthened to 122.20 yen and $1.1467 compared with 121.75 yen and $1.1452 in US trade.
The dollar has been under pressure since the US Federal Reserve’s go-slow signal on interest rate hikes last week.
Surprisingly weak US consumer data Friday showed Americans spent only 0.1 percent more in March than they had in February, despite rising incomes.
The downbeat consumer report added to concerns about the strength of the US economy — denting hopes for a rate hike — after Thursday’s report showing it grew at only a 0.5 percent annual rate in the first quarter.

Ranieri backs Chelsea to bring Leicester title

All eyes will be on Stamford Bridge as the Premier League title race moves to the home of Chelsea on Monday — except those of Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri. Leicester, who drew 1-1 at Manchester United on Sunday, will complete their historic quest for the title if second-place Tottenham Hotspur cannot end a 26-year wait for a victory at Chelsea.
Ranieri, however, will be flying back from Italy, where he said he is due to meet his 96-year-old mother for lunch, and he is not sure if his players will be huddled around a television either.
Asked if the Leicester squad would be assembling to watch the game, Ranieri replied: “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. They are free. They have a day off.”
Should Spurs succeed in defeating Chelsea, last season’s champions, Leicester can secure the title in front of their own fans by beating Everton at the King Power Stadium on Saturday.
But even though Ranieri was sacked by Chelsea in 2004, becoming the first managerial casualty of Russian owner Roman Abramovich’s tenure, he is hoping that his former employers do Leicester’s job for them.
“I want to win. It’s not important when, believe me,” chuckled the 64-year-old Italian.
“If I have a chance to win tomorrow, for us it is important to win. Juventus won (the title) on Monday in Italy (after Napoli lost to Roma). Why not?
“In my mind Tottenham will win all three matches. I am now focused on the Everton match. When I was Chelsea manager, the true derby was against Tottenham. It’s a derby.”
Chelsea preventing Spurs from winning would allow Ranieri to return to Stamford Bridge in triumph for Leicester’s final game of the season, but he is keeping his mind firmly on the here and now.
“I don’t want to speak about so long (ago),” he said.
“I want to speak about the next match (against) Everton. I know all the city is blue, but we must continue to stay concentrated without special fireworks.
“We have to stay there, on the pitch, and think there will be another tough match.”
– ‘Sex masochism’ –
Whatever happens in west London, Leicester will be without Danny Drinkwater against Everton after the midfielder was sent off for two bookings on his return to his former club.
“I am very sad because he will (miss) the next game at home,” Ranieri said. “I hope I don’t miss him.”
It was an unwelcome novelty for United to be involved in a potential title-decider that did not directly concern them, but their manager Louis van Gaal did his best to steal Leicester’s limelight after the match.
Seeking to defend Marouane Fellaini, who is likely to face retrospective action for elbowing Robert Huth, Van Gaal went to great lengths to assert that Huth was to blame for pulling Fellaini’s hair.
To illustrate his point, the Dutchman grabbed a handful of a television reporter’s hair and in a subsequent interview he said that hair-pulling could only be permitted during what he termed “sex masochism”.
Anthony Martial rewarded United’s impressive start by giving the hosts an eighth-minute lead from Antonio Valencia’s cross, but Leicester equalised nine minutes later when Drinkwater crossed for Wes Morgan to head home.
The result left United four points off the Champions League berths, but with fourth-place Manchester City, on whom United have a game in hand, losing 4-2 at Southampton on Sunday ahead of their home game with third-place Arsenal this weekend, hope is not yet lost.
Speaking before City’s game at St Mary’s had finished, Van Gaal said: “I have said you have to win every game that we have to play, so now already we are not closing the gap.
“It is dependable on City, because Arsenal have won (against Norwich City), so that’s a big gap for three matches. Mathematically you can do it, but it shall be very difficult.”

Guardiola under pressure for Atletico return

Bayern Munich’s coach Pep Guardiola knows he needs to prove his critics wrong by overturning a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Atletico Madrid in Tuesday’s crunch home Champions League semi-final. Guardiola and Bayern are bidding to avoid losing a semi-final to a Spanish side for the third year running having lost the first-leg last Wednesday at Atletico after Saul Niguez’s early solo strike.
Having won 14 titles in four years at Barcelona and six titles so far in three years with Bayern, Guardiola hopes to sign off in charge of Munich by lifting the Champions League trophy at the final on May 28 in Milan.
Bayern have exited the Champions League semi-finals for the last two years running with defeats to Real Madrid in 2014, then to Barcelona last year.
Another exit at the hands of Spanish opposition will not go down well in Bavaria, especially in the wake of Guardiola’s decision to start the first leg in Madrid with Germany star Thomas Mueller, Bayern’s top scorer in Europe this season, on the bench.
The decision drew plenty of criticism from the German media and, by his own admission, the Munich leg is Guardiola’s “final bullet” in the battle to prove any critics wrong before he leaves to coach Manchester City next season.
“I have read in a German newspaper that my work in Munich will only be valued, and the job considered done, if I win the Champions League. That’s how it’ll be seen,” Guardiola told reporters after Bayern saw off Benfica in the quarterfinals.
– Strong home record –
Bayern have been unstoppable at home in Europe this season, winning all five games at the Allianz Arena, but needed extra time to come back from 2-0 down to beat Juventus 4-2 at home in the second leg of the last 16.
They have won all 11 home games in Europe since being hammered 4-0 in the Munich leg by Real Madrid in the 2014 semi-finals, having lost 1-0 in Spain.
But, as they demonstrated in Saturday’s 1-1 Bundesliga draw at home to Borussia Moechengladbach, they are simply not currently playing well, as they typically sat back after taking an early lead through Mueller’s header.
The result denied Bayern the victory which would have confirmed them as Bundesliga champions, now they have to wait until Saturday’s away game at Ingolstadt when they could become the first club to win four straight German league titles.
The good news from the Gladbach draw is that Germany defender Jerome Boateng is fit again after 99 days out with a groin injury having played the first 68 minutes in Munich.
“It was important to get a few minutes. I hope with the emotions of the game I’ll have the strength to play for the 90 minutes (against Atletico). The tempo will be very different,” said Boateng.
“Our chances are good. We’re playing at home, the pitch will be good and we want to put pressure on from the start.”
In turn, Diego Simeone’s Atletico were boosted by the news Uruguay defender Diego Godin and Belgium winger Yannick Carrasco took part in training on Sunday after injury.
Godin has missed the last two weeks with a hamstring injury and is set to return as the cornerstone of Atletico’s defence in their bid to repeat their run to the 2014 final, there they lost 4-1 to Real Madrid after extra-time.
“It is the best thing to have great games and the tiredness matters little,” said Atletico’s Antoine Griezmann, the goal-scorer in their 1-0 Spanish league win over Rayo Vallecano on Saturday, when Simeone made seven changes.
“We are very enthusiastic. Every player dreams of playing in a Champions League semi-final and we will give everything.”

No regrets for all-change Pellegrini as City eye Madrid

Manuel Pellegrini insisted he had no regrets about making eight changes to his Manchester City side ahead of this week’s trip to face Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. The City manager admitted his team’s 4-2 defeat against Southampton at St Mary’s stadium could affect confidence as the Premier League club prepare for the visit to the Bernabeu Stadium.
But Pellegrini, who was frustrated Sunday’s meeting with Southampton was not moved to Friday or Saturday to give his side more time to prepare, insisted he had no choice but to make wholesale changes and protect his key players.
“We knew before the game it was a risk to put so many players without football against a difficult team but we have to take those risks because we have an important game on Wednesday,” he said.
“Maybe if we had played on Saturday we could put more players but it was a risk similar to the FA Cup that we had to play.
“I would do exactly the same again because we have an important game on Wednesday that we play now for the final in the Champions League.
“We continue in the Premier League what we are going to do in the next two games to be in the top four so that was a risk but one we also had to take.
“I always say the best way to prepare the next game is to win and that’s why we did so well before Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid, we won our games before in the Premier League.
“Today I don’t know why we defended so bad in the first half, those were the two goals that decided the game. We scored one goal, we had another clear chance to equalise but we didn’t and after that the set pieces decided the game.”
Pellegrini made no attempt to disguise his disappointment at his side’s defensive display as Sadio Mane’s hat-trick following an opening goal from Shane Long secured Southampton’s victory.
But he made it clear the performance was the players’ responsibility with only Kelechi Iheanacho, the scorer of both City goals, emerging with credit.
Pellegrini, who confirmed he expects Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and Kevin de Bruyne to be fit to face Real, added: “It’s my responsibility for the starting eleven and after that you have their performance and you must analyse everything.
“I’m very disappointed especially in the defending because we were doing well in the other games. It was the same players who played other games.
“We start thinking tomorrow about what will be the starting 11 for Wednesday. Kelechi today scored two goals and is doing well in all the games but for the moment I am not thinking about that.”
Southampton’s win strengthened their bid for a Europa League place and manager Ronald Koeman sdingled out Mane for praise.
He said: “Sadio can be a bit unpredictable but he was focused and clinical. That was one of my criticisms to all of the strikers but we are very productive at home with more chances to score more.
“He is still a young player and sometimes they need to be more consistent and that is why we train and work with all the players to get a team who knows what they can and when we get problems and that is all about development of the individual player and the development of the team.”

Rescued circus lions take first steps on African veld

Thirty-three lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia set paw on the African veld for the first time Sunday after an epic journey by plane and truck.
The lions roared in unison as they arrived shortly after dawn at their new home on the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of South Africa, where they will live out their lives.
Among the first out of their crates were brothers Junior and Bumbo from Columbia, who came out cautiously, sniffing the trees and grass and marking their territory.
After ambling up and down the fences of their enclosure, they charged playfully at each other and rolled in the dust.
“I am so grateful to have them here finally, it’s a dream come true,” said Savannah Heuser, 19, who runs the sanctuary with her mother.
“They have had a long journey but they are surprisingly calm. Some of them were agitated during the trip and they have some minor injuries, but nothing serious.”
The lions arrived at Johannesburg’s international airport late on Saturday afternoon after flying for more than 15 hours in what is believed to be the biggest airlift of its kind, and were driven through the night to Emoya.
“They have lived a life of absolute hell. They’ve been beaten and they’ve been starved,” Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal rights charity that organised the flight, told reporters at the airport.
“They’ve been deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a lion. I believe we have brought them back to paradise, where they belong,” she said.
ADI posted a picture on their Facebook page of a Colombian lion shortly after arriving at Emboya.
“Iron enjoys what is clearly a very satisfying rub against a tree, his first ever,” the caption reads.
The lion enclosures are set in a clearing among natural bush and veld, each with trees, rocks, a hay bale and water filled troughs.
“The lion habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other,” said ADI.
The lions were bred in captivity and many have broken teeth or other ailments — one is almost blind, another has lost an eye and most had their claws removed — which would make it impossible for them to survive in the wild.
The lions were freed with the assistance of the authorities after the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru and Colombia.
Twenty-four lions rescued in Peru then were driven from their temporary rescue centre to Lima airport to be picked up by a cargo plane that had brought another nine over from Colombia before taking off for Africa.
“The lions will be in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives,” Creamer said. “They should fit right into that habitat. It’s the best environment for them.”
They will be fed game meat for their first meal at Emoya, which is already home to six rescued lions and two tigers.

‘Sex masochism’ as Van Gaal blasts hairline Huth

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal bizarrely compared Leicester defender Robert Huth’s hair-pull on Marouane Fellaini with “sex masochism” and also tugged a television reporter by the hair in an eccentric attempt to defend his player.

Van Gaal was quizzed on the incident which saw United midfielder Fellaini escape without punishment after elbowing Huth in the neck and opted to explain why the Belgian had reacted that way by getting physical with the reporter.

Claiming Fellaini’s hair had been grabbed by Huth in a deliberate piece of provocation, van Gaal reached out to do the same to his Sky Sports interviewer.

“It was a very difficult match for the referee — when you see what Huth is doing with Fellaini, is that not a penalty?,” van Gaal said.

“When I grab your hair…Your hair is much shorter.

“Every human being who is grabbed with their hair would react.”
Then in a separate interview with the BBC, van Gaal conjured up another odd expression to lambast Huth.

“It is not in the books that somebody has to grab with the hair and pull from behind. Only in sex masochism, then it is allowed,” he said.

United will now wait to see if Fellaini is retrospectively punished by the Football Association for his offence.

Mane treble ruins City’s warm-up for Real clash

Sadio Mane’s hat-trick ensured Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on the back of a painful 4-2 defeat at Southampton on Sunday.

Already frustrated at being forced to play this game three days before the trip to the Bernabeu when his side will attempt to build on a scoreless first leg, City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s mood will have only darkened from the moment Shane Long put Southampton on course for a resounding victory.

The loss leaves Pellegrini’s men in fourth place, four points ahead of Manchester United who have a game in hand, and while City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice, there were few positives for the visitors ahead of next week’s decisive clash in Madrid.

Pellegrini, who had contrasted the authorities’ unwillingness to move the game forward with the approach taken in other countries, made eight changes to the side that faced Real at Eastlands last Tuesday, with only Joe Hart, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho starting both games.

And the evidence of the first half suggested City’s thoughts were elsewhere, despite the need to secure their place in the top four.

Iheanacho worked hard to maintain a threat up front and the youngster’s efforts overshadowed those of Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Bony who offered little before the break.

But Pellegrini’s main concerns will be the performance of his back four, with the central defensive pairing of Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala struggling to contain Long, while left-back Aleksandar Kolarov did little to suggest he should start in the Bernabeu.

Long had already twice exposed the City backline before the home side went ahead, first when he allowed Otamendi to make a covering tackle and then again when he fired into the side-netting after getting behind Mangala.

– Superb reaction –
Long would not be denied a third time, however, when he got ahead of Otamendi to turn the ball home after being set up by Dusan Tadic in the 25th minute.

Moments before that, Southampton keeper Fraser Forster had produced a superb reaction save to keep out Sterling’s close-range effort after a rare moment of threat from the visitors.

And that scare was quickly forgotten when Mane added a second three minutes after Long’s opening goal.
City’s left was once again exposed by Tadic with the Serb’s clever reverse pass taking out Mangala and Kolarov and sending Mane clear to fire past Hart.

The margin of Southampton’s lead could have been even greater, but City clawed their way back into it a minute before the break when Iheanacho reacted well to head past Forster after Samir Nasri’s low cross was deflected into the air.

However, there were few signs City could build on that goal after the break and Southampton asserted their dominance 12 minutes after the restart when Mane hooked the ball home after Virgil van Dijk had met Steve Davis’s corner and headed against the bar.

An awkward afternoon was turning into an embarrassment for Pellegrini’s side, who looked incapable of staging a response.

So there was little surprise when Mane completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute with Tadic once again the provider after Van Dijk had dispossessed Iheanacho, releasing Mane to slide another right-footed finish beyond Hart.

Iheanacho confirmed his status as City’s most effective player when he reduced the deficit with an excellent curling shot from the edge of the area in the 78th minute, but it came too late to spark a fightback.

Obama’s daughter to attend Harvard

US President Barack Obama’s eldest daughter Malia will attend Harvard University in 2017 after taking a year off from her studies, the White House said Sunday.

The 17-year-old will be following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom went to Harvard Law School.

The news came in a statement from the office of First Lady Michelle Obama, which did not specify what Malia will do during her break after graduating from high school.

Students often use a “gap year” to travel, work or otherwise gain experience outside the classroom.
Malia Obama will attend Harvard starting in the autumn of 2017 and is scheduled to graduate in 2021.

Where Malia would go to college has been a subject of much speculation and interest in Washington.
As part of her college search she visited several Ivy League and liberal arts schools on the East Coast, the New York Times reported.

The Obamas have said they will keep living in Washington after the president leaves office in January, so that their younger daughter, Sasha, can finish her high school studies here.

Ghanaian crowned first ‘Miss Africa Continent’

Miss Ghana, Rebecca Asamoah, is crowned the first ever Miss Africa Continent in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Barefoot, wearing traditional costumes including animal hide skirts and elaborately beaded headdresses, the contestants strutted the stage before Ghanaian Rebecca Asamoah was crowned the first Miss Africa Continent.
The 24-year-old dental hygienist beat 11 finalists drawn from an original list of 40 contestants from across the continent in the inaugural pageant at Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City casino on Saturday night.
Runner-up was Michelo Malambo of Zambia, while South Africa’s Jemimah Kandimiri was placed third.
The swimsuit contest was also a departure from the beauty contest norm, with contestants wearing black t-shirts and tight shorts while dancing barefoot to music such as “Africa” by Mali’s legendary afro-pop musician Salif Keita.
The pageant is the brain child of South African film producer Neo Mashishi, who says it aims to empower young African women.
“This is the first ever Miss Africa Continent,” said Mashishi, adding that it had been five years in the making.
“This is about Africa, we are selling Africa to the world, and we are proud to be Africa”.
“The way everything was done was African, we didn’t emulate anything from Miss Universe, or Miss World,” he said.
Asamoah, who wore braids, entered the stage in a traditional Ghanaian Ashanti gold-coloured beaded crown and then returned in a evening dress made from the country’s trademark kente cloth.
She walked away with a grant to study business management at Monash university in Johannesburg.
Runner up in the 2015 Miss Ghana competition, Asamoah said she wanted to see young people help uplift the continent.
“There are a lot of things to be fixed in Africa — water, education, environmental issues,” she told AFP.
“My main concern is the empowerment of youths… so we can work hand in hand and put our continent in the best place it should be.”
In the weeks running up to the event, the 12 finalists embarked on a series of pre-pageant activities, including showing off their culinary skills in cooking traditional meals from their native countries.
Ultimately, the organisers hope to involve the continental body, the African Union, “so our winner can play a role in uplifting Africa”and spearhead campaigns to fight Africa’s woes such as malaria, poverty and xenophobia.

Police arrest 530 fans during Frankfurt derby

German police arrested 530 football fans and detained 159 of them after trouble marred the Eintracht Frankfurt-Darmstadt derby in the German league, it was confirmed on Sunday.

Relegation-threatened Eintracht boosted their survival chances with a 2-1 fight-back win on Saturday at Darmstadt, which is only 35 kilometres (21 miles) south of Frankfurt, thanks to goals by Japan midfielder Makoto Hasebe and Stefan Aigner.

The result means Eintracht are only in the bottom three on goal difference with two games left this season.
Trouble had been expected for the key derby, especially with hosts Darmstadt just above the relegation places.

But officers had to step in after disturbances throughout the day in Darmstadt with Hessen police reporting cases of “rioting, flares being set off, bullying, insulting behaviour and damage to property” from “several violent groups” of fans.

Despite a huge police presence in Darmstadt’s city centre, there was a brawl between rival fans after the match which was quickly dealt with.

Police say four officers were lightly injured during disturbances and one football fan had to be treated in hospital after pepper spray was used during an arrest.

I’ll be at Man Utd next season, says Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has reiterated his belief that he will still be at the club next season, in comments published by several British newspapers on Sunday.

Van Gaal’s position has been under scrutiny for several months and recent media reports have suggested that Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, has already agreed to take over at the end of the season.

But Van Gaal, who has led United to the FA Cup final, is determined to see out the final year of his three-year contract, saying: “I knew it would be like this. That’s why they hired me and we spoke about it.

“We always knew that the process would take three years. I wanted to sign only for two years. The club wanted me to sign for three years, not me. I signed for three years, so next year you will see me again.

“Every week for six months I have been ‘sacked’, and yet I am still here. But this has happened to me at every club I have been at.”

United welcome Leicester City to Old Trafford later on Sunday, when victory for the visitors will give them the first top-flight title in their history.

Venezuelan president decrees 30 percent minimum wage boost

President Nicolas Maduro, speaking in a national broadcast on the eve of International Workers’ Day, decreed a 30 percent increase in the minimum wage for Venezuelan workers.

In his late Saturday presentation Maduro also called on his followers to join May Day rallies in Caracas.
While the minimum wage increase may seem substantial, given Venezuela’s triple-digit inflation rate that brings the amount to the equivalent of $40 a month at the official exchange rate, or just $14 a month at the black market rate.

The decree, which come into effect on Sunday, includes pay raises for public workers, pensioners and members of the military.

Once-booming Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has plunged into economic chaos as global crude prices have collapsed. Its economy has been in recession since 2013.

The leftist Maduro government blames the situation on an “economic war” waged against the country by capitalists, and has vowed to press on with the socialist “revolution” launched by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez in 1999.

Maduro’s emboldened political opposition however, has been pushing to drive him from office since it took control of the legislature in January.

Protesters in Green Zone, Iraq PM calls for punishment of rioters

Thousands of protesters were inside Baghdad’s Green Zone Sunday after breaking into the fortified area and storming the parliament, as Iraq’s premier called for rioters to be pursued and punished.

Protesters pulled down or scaled slabs of heavy concrete blast wall to enter the fortified area where Iraq’s main government institutions are located, the culmination of weeks of political turmoil and inaction by parliament.

While there is still the potential for escalation, the situation was calm on Sunday, with protesters touring the area and taking photos of places they have rarely if ever been able to access.

“This is the first time I’ve been here since I came with my school under Saddam (Hussein),” said 32-year-old Yusef al-Assadi, who took a “selfie” in front of the unknown soldier’s monument.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places to be in Baghdad. It should be for everyone, yet the people were not allowed here,” he said.

Assadi said it was striking “how rich this place is. Here, there is air conditioning and electricity everywhere, but the people of Iraq suffer from power cuts all the time.”

Many Iraqi politicians live in luxury, while most average citizens make do with abysmal services that include only a few hours of government-provided electricity per day at the height of summer.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said he had ordered that rioters be pursued, but security forces were not taking action against those inside the Green Zone on Sunday.

Abadi “directed the interior minister to pursue the elements who attacked the security forces and citizens and members of parliament and vandalised state properties and to refer them to the judiciary to receive their just punishment,” a statement said.

Protesters attacked at least one MP as well as cars they believed belonged to lawmakers on Saturday, and broke into offices in parliament.

But others sought to contain the destruction, and many were content to take photographs of themselves in parliament, with some sitting in seats usually occupied by lawmakers.

The protesters broke into the Green Zone on Saturday afternoon after MPs again failed to approve new cabinet ministers to replace the current party-affiliated cabinet.

Many of the demonstrators were supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and members of his Saraya al-Salam militia group deployed around parliament on Saturday night.

‘Obama out’: President gets in final laughs with US media

President Barack Obama cracked jokes and poked fun at rivals Saturday in his last appearance as US leader at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, ending his performance with a mic drop and the words "Obama out."
The black-tie event -- at which the president, followed by a bona fide comedian, regale journalists and their celebrity guests with jokes about government and the media -- is an annual inside-the-beltway ritual.
Obama poked fun at himself, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, and reporters. On a serious note he praised Washington Post former Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, released in January after 18 months in an Iranian prison.
"This is a big and intimidating room," Rezaian said when he was given an award. "But it beats solitary confinement."
Obama made fun about how he has aged on the job and how in his final year his approval ratings have been rising.
"The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major," Obama said, a reference to smoking pot in college.
- Bipartisan jabs -
"Here we are. My eighth and final appearance at this unique event," Obama said. "If this material works well, I'm going to use it at Goldman Sachs next year. Earn me some serious Tubmans."
That was a jab at Hillary Clinton, criticized for not releasing the transcripts of speeches to the bank she delivered in 2013 and for which she was reportedly paid $675,000. And 19th-century abolitionist Harriet Tubman will soon appear on the $20 bill.
Democrat Bernie Sanders - who wore a suit and tie instead of a tuxedo - was the sole presidential candidate present.
"Bernie, you look like a million bucks. Or, to put it in terms you will understand, you look like 37,000 donations of $27 each," Obama said, a reference to the flood of small contributions to Sanders' insurgent campaign.
"I am hurt though, Bernie, that you have distanced yourself from me. That's not something that you do to your comrade."
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus "is here as well," Obama said. "Glad to see that you feel that you have earned the night off.
"Congratulations on all of your success. The Republican Party, the nomination process, it's all going great. Keep it up."
The Republicans are split and in disarray over what to do with Donald Trump, the 2016 Republican White House frontrunner.
- Trump absent, still a target -
Trump, a frequent event guest, was absent on Saturday. He was the target of some pointed jabs at the 2011 dinner and said he would not attend this year's event.
Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. however were among the guests, as was billionaire Republican former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who earlier toyed with the idea of entering the presidential race.
"Mike, a combative, controversial New York billionaire is leading the GOP primary and it's not you," Obama told Bloomberg.
"That has to sting a little bit. Although it is not an entirely unfair comparison between you and The Donald. Mike was a big city mayor. He knows policy in depth, and he is actually worth the amount of money that he says he is."
Obama said that he was "a little hurt" that Trump was absent. "We had so much fun the last time... and it's surprising, you have a room full of supporters, celebrities, cameras, and he says no. Is this dinner too tacky for The Donald? What could he possibly be doing and saying? Is he at home eating a Trump steak? Tweeting insults to Angela Merkel?"
Contrary to what critics say, Obama said that Trump has foreign policy experience. "He has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world -- Miss Sweden, Miss Argentina, Miss Azerbaijan..." a reference to Trump's role in beauty pageants.
The president also mocked reporters for giving Trump so much coverage, noting that the bombastic billionaire has received "the appropriate amount of coverage befitting the seriousness his candidacy. You all ought to be proud of yourselves."
- "Obama out" -
Obama ended with the words "Obama out" followed by a microphone drop, a celebrity and pop culture way of saying that the performance was so good there is nothing to add.
A slew of Hollywood A and B-list celebrities were among the 2,600 dinner guests, including Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson and Priyanka Chopra. "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher came with a French bulldog name Gary.
Also present: singers Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and sports celebrities including US football star Hope Solo.
Lost among the glitterati and big names, there were also some White House correspondents.