Sports at your door step

60 people have been killed and over 200 others injured in a suicide blast outside a public park in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, health ministry officials said. Al Jazeera's Kamal Hyder, reporting from the capital, Islamabad, said that people from the Christian community were out to celebrate Easter in the park when the bomber detonated himself. Hyder added that the park is popular with families and children. The blast occurred at 6:40pm local time in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, a few metres away from children's swings, officials said on Sunday. Salman Rafique, a health adviser for the Punjab provincial government, told Reuters news agency that "most of the dead and injured are women and children". "The blast was massive and has caused a lot of damage and fatalities," Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman for the emergency service "Rescue 112" told Al Jazeera. "I was a few blocks away from the blast, many people were running...

A suicide bomber has detonated his explosives belt at a football stadium south of the Iraqi capital, killing at least 29 people and injuring 60 others, the security head in Babel province has said. The blast in Iskandariya, a mixed Sunni and Shia Muslim town, happened around 16:15 GMT on Friday at the end of an amateur soccer game, said Falah al-Khafaji, the security head in Babel province. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group that controls swathes of territory in Iraq's north and west was behind the attack, according to Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with the group. Q&A: The Sunni-Shia divide through the eyes of a child At least 60 people were killed earlier this monthin an attack claimed by ISIL 80 km further south, in Hilla, when an explosives-laden fuel tanker slammed into an Iraqi security checkpoint. Shia cleric leads anti-government protest in Iraq An apparent escalation of large bombings targeting areas outside ISIL's primary control sugg...

Carter told at a press conference in Washington on Friday that the US forces had killed a senior ISIL leader known as Haji Iman, marking a further erosion of top leadership in the armed group, also known as ISIS, in Syria and Iraq. "We are systematically eliminating ISIL's cabinet," Carter said. "The removal of this ISIL leader will hamper the ability for them to conduct operations inside and outside of Iraq and Syria," Carter told reporters on the death of Abd al-Rahman Mustafa al-Qaduli, referring to him as Haji Iman and saying he served as finance minister for the group. The US defence secretary said that Haji Iman was a "well-known terrorist" within ISIL's ranks dating backs to its earliest iteration as al-Qaeda in Iraq....            Anti-ISIL operations Al Jazeera's Alan Fisher, reporting from Washington, said that the US defence secretary "stopped short of calling him no ISIL's number two". "We also have to add a n...

Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff died on Thursday at age 68 in Barcelona, Spain, his foundation said in a statement. The former Ajax, Barcelona and Holland star was diagnosed with lung cancer in late October. " On March 24, 2016, Johan Cruyff died peacefully in Barcelona, surrounded by his family after a hard-fought battle with cancer," the statement said. "It's with great sadness that we ask you to respect the family's privacy during their time of grief." Last month Cruyff made an upbeat statement, saying: "Right now, I have the feeling that I am 2-0 up in the first half of a match that has not finished yet. But I am sure that I will end up winning." Cruyff, a former smoker who had heart surgery in 1991, is rated among the all-time greats in football and won the European Footballer of the Year award three times. Silverware as a player included three European Cups (1971-1973) and eight Dutch league titles with Ajax, a league title in his fi...

Pope Francis visited a refugee centre on Thursday to wash and kiss the feet of Muslim, Orthodox, Hindu and Catholic refugees in a gesture of welcome at a time when anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment has spiked following the Brussels and Paris attacks. Francis celebrated the traditional Easter Week foot-washing ceremony at a refugee shelter in Castelnuovo di Porto, outside Rome, inaugurating the most solemn period of the Catholic Church's Easter season. The Holy Thursday rite re-enacts the foot-washing ritual Jesus performed on his apostles before being crucified, and is meant as a gesture of service. Migrant issues highlighted in Pope's Mexico visit Francis was greeted with a banner reading "Welcome" in a variety of languages as he processed down a makeshift aisle to celebrate the outdoor Mass. A fraction of the 892 asylum-seekers currently living at the shelter attended, though others milled around nearby and filmed the event on their smartphones. Vatican r...

Belgian police find nail bomb and Isis flag during raid after blasts at airport and metro. Passengers flee in panic through dust and debris in the immediate aftermath of a double bomb attack at Brussels airport.  Police in Belgium are seeking a suspect believed to be on the run after attacks on the Brussels airport and metro left at least 30 dead and nearly 200 injured. Belgian prime minister Charles Michel joined crowds on Tuesday night to light a candle in memory of the victims. Raids are happening around Belgium after two men “probably” staged suicide bombings at Brussels airport and a third fled, a Belgian prosecutor has said.

One half of the musical group known as PSquare, Peter Okoye, has said that he has not been on speaking terms with his twin brother, Paul, since December, 2015. The singer made this known in an interview he granted Nigeria Entertainment Today. He said, "Truth is: I have not been in talking terms with Paul since December 2015 and that was why I travelled in January. I had a lot on my mind." In the interview, Peter bared his mind on the sour relationship between him and his brothers, as well as the crisis that is threatening to tear the group apart. Blaming the crisis on his twin brother's 'weakness' and an internal struggle for control of the PSquare, he said, "You know they say change is constant, you can't stay at one spot. As the industry moves, you move. So I won't say the problem we have is money. I think everybody is just dragging power unnecessarily. Imagine Jude telling me that he's in charge of Psquare and there's nothing Peter and ...

Here’s another one from Achievas Entertainment signed artiste, Solidstar and he titles this one “Wait”.  He features HKN’s CEO, Davido, and they both did justice to this video. The video is about the readiness of a man to wait patiently for his woman until she is ready to take the plunge with him. Directed by Avalon Okpe.”

The Citizens face the Ligue 1 champions, guaranteeing that one of the two sides will reach the semi-finals for the first time, while there is an all-Spanish clash elsewhere Manchester City will face Paris Saint-Germain while reigning champions Barcelona take on Atletico Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals. The match between City and PSG guarantees that one of the sides will reach the semi-final for the first time in their history, as Manuel Pellegrini's Citizens tenure begins its final stretch. Laurent Blanc's side, who have already wrapped up the Ligue 1 title, are once again handed a draw against English opposition, after defeating Chelsea in the last-16 with two dominant performances.  Elsewhere, there will be an all-Spanish tie as current trophy holders Barcelona face Atletico, renewing their rivalry on the European stage as the two clubs compete at the top of La Liga. On the other side of the Clasico divide, Real Madrid will be made heavy favourites against...

Two female suicide bombers detonated themselves during Wednesday prayers at a mosque in the Umurari area of Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. According to preliminary data, a twin suicide bombing killed up to 25 Muslim worshippers and injured 18. The first bomber reportedly struck inside the mosque, while the second blew herself up outside as survivors tried to flee.  “This is to confirm that there were twin person-borne improvised explosive attack carried out by two female carriers in Ummarari village near Molai, outskirts of Maiduguri metropolis, Borno State, this morning. The first attack targeted a mosque, while the second blast about 50 metres away, a few minutes later. Sadly, 22 people were killed and 18 others sustained various degrees of injuries.  Troops, security agents and care givers have been mobilized to scene, while the wounded have been evacuated to Molai General Hospital for treatment.  The troops, security agents and...

While Denmark overtook Switzerland as the happiest place in the world, India ranked 118 followed by Mayanmar, Egypt and Armenia, according to a report on Wednesday that urged nations regardless of wealth to tackle inequality and protect the environment. India is among the countries with the largest declines in average life evaluations typically suffered some combination of economic, political and social stresses. The World Happiness Report 2 With input from Reuters 324 0 1 AA 54 Comments FROM AROUND THE WEB Why whistleblowing in the public sector is under-reported? Guardian. Prepared by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and the Earth Institute at Columbia University, showed Syria, Afghanistan and eight sub-Saharan countries as the 10 least happy places on earth to live. The top 10 this year were Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, and Sweden. Denmark was in third place last year, behind Switzerland and Ice...

Cristiano Ronaldo just got the new self-lacing Nike kicks ... and the dude wasted no time showin' 'em off. These things are sick ... they're called the Nike HyperAdapt 1.0 and people are losing their minds over 'em. They're the second self-lacing shoes Nike has done -- following the "Back to the Future Part II" inspired Nike Mags the Swoosh released last year. Knots ... your kids will never learn to tie one.

The Swiss government says it has so far returned $723 million (about N142.43 billion) of the Abacha loot to the Nigerian government over the last 10 years. According to Premium Times, the Swiss government made this known in a memorandum of understanding it signed with the Nigerian government on March 8th. The repatriated funds is excluding the $321million (about N63.24 billion) which the Swiss authorities will be repatriated to Nigeria soon. The agreement, titled “Letter of Intent on the restitution of illegally-acquired assets forfeited in Switzerland,” was signed by Nigeria’s Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the Swiss Head of Foreign Affairs Department, Didier Burkhalter.

Peter Okoye seems to be going forward as a solo artist. He updated his Instagram bio adding the stage name "Mr P" and contact information of his new management. He wrote: "Work Mood. Thanks for all the love, support and concern pls continue to remain blessed as always.  |

Peter Okoye seems to be going forward as a solo artist. He updated his Instagram bio adding the stage name "Mr P" and contact information of his new management. He wrote: "Work Mood. Thanks for all the love, support and concern pls continue to remain blessed as always.  |

‘The day you see either one of us do a solo song, then you can come back and ask if we ha ve broken up, until then we still remain together’. These were the words of Paul Okoye of Psqaure in a recent interview when he was asked about the break-up tale trailing the duo.  Sadly, the day has come. One half of Psquare, Peter Okoye has done a solo song, so it’s invariably safe to assume and conclude that indeed we have seen the END of Psquare. Need more reasons to believe? On March 7, 2016, Peter Okoye finally released his first solo single ‘Look Into My Eyes’ At the moment, Peter Okoye is now known and addressed as Mr P, while Paul is now called ‘Rudeboy’. The both own and run solo record labels. Peter owns ‘P-Classic’ records while Paul owns ‘Rudeboy Recordz’. Peter Okoye will perform as a solo artist for the first time in Dubai on April 7, 2016.  5. Peter has also started working on more solo songs, he recently shared a photo of himself in the studio alone with S...

Rafa Benitez who was appointed Newcastle manager in a move no one foresaw is set to earn a £3million bonus if he steers the side to safety and keeps them in the premier league, that is aside his £6million-a-season deal. Benitez has a difficult task on his hands trying to steer Newcastle away to safety, with the club currently 19th in the Premier League on 24 points with just 10 games to go.

Below is the statement issued today by the Enugu State Police Command:    "To the deceased one Akabuike Onyedika of about 22 years, he never knew that his exit from the world would have been so untimely and through the process that brought about his death. Before now,the deceased has been hale hearty and always engage in his bricklaying profession until on 5/3/16 when he was sited by team of police men from where he allegedly hung himself under a cashew tree in the bush. The Deceased Akubuike Onyedika who is believed to be from in Isiukwuato Abia state and a bricklayer living at Umunkpume orba in Udenu Local Government Area Of Enugu state was said to have gone out and never seen until security operatives were alerted who upon information conducted a search where the deceased was seen hung under a cashew tree with rope on his neck. A full scale investigations have commenced into the alleged incident while the dead body of the deceased is now deposited at Prince Eze Hospital...

Former Delta state governor and one-time Senator of Federal Republic of Nigeria, Felix Ibru, has died. According to family sources, the late Ibru died today March 12th after a brief illness. Until his death, he was the President General of the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU). He was born on 7 December 1935 at Agbarha-Otor in the Ughelli North local government area of Delta State. He was elected as the first governor of Delta state in 1992 and was also elected a senator in 2003. May his soul rest in peace Amen.

The US computer programmer came up with the idea of electronic messages that could be sent from one network to another in 1971. His invention included the ground-breaking use of the @ symbol in email addresses, which is now standard. Tomlinson died of an apparent heart attack on Saturday, according to reports. He sent what is now regarded as the first email while working in Boston as an engineer for research company Bolt, Beranek and Newman. The firm played a big role in developing an early version of the internet, known as Arpanet. However, Tomlinson later said he could not remember what was in that first test message, describing it as "completely forgettable". His work was recognised by his peers in 2012, when he was inducted into the Internet Hall of Fame.

Billionaire Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death forcorruption, justice officials say. He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations.Zanjani, 42, was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing. One of Iran's richest men, Zanjani was blacklisted by the US and EU for helping Iran evade oil sanctions.Two others were sentenced to death along with him and all were ordered to repay embezzled funds. The ruling can be appealed.In a separate development, a cargo of Iranian crude oil arrived at a Spanish refinery in San Roque on Sunday, the first delivery to an EU state since sanctions were lifted. The Monte Toledo offloaded 1m barrels at the refinery belonging to Spanish oil company Cepsa. Before the oil embargo imposed by the EU in 2012, one in every five barrels of crude Iran exported was sold to refineries ...

The wife of the Minister of state for Labor and Employment, James Ocholi, Blessing Fatima Ocholi, has died. She was involved in the fatal accident that killed her husband and her son along the Kaduna-Abuja expressway this afternoon. She was in a coma for a few hours after which she lost the battle to live. May their souls rest in peace, Amen.

Los Blancos offered no mercy to their visitors as they exploded into life after the break, the Portuguese superstar scoring four while Pepe, Jese and Gareth Bale also on target. Real Madrid tore apartCelta Vigo, thanks in large part to aCristiano Ronaldo hat-trick, as they made an explosive continuation to their efforts to repair their Primera Divisiontitle challenge with a 7-1 triumph. Pepe opened the scoring in the run-up to half-time before Ronaldo stepped up a gear after the break, netting his first three goals in a period of less than 15 minutes beforegoing on to hit a fourth. Iago Aspas had scored a consolation goal for the visitors but Jese Rodriguez and Gareth Bale completed the rout with efforts of their own. The result provides huge relief to head coach Zinedine Zidane, who has now overseen two straight wins since facing criticism for the derby defeat by Atletico Madrid - a team who now sit just one point clear in second spot ahead of their game against Valencia on Sunda...

Nigeria Telecommunication giant, Globacom has denied terminating the contract of musical duo, P-Square, as its brand ambassadorsIn a statement released in Lagos on Thursday, the telecom company insisted that the twin brothers remained the company’s brand ambassadors. Recall, that some sections of the media reported last week that the twin brothers were dropped by Globacom following a stint of controversy, regarding their manager and elder brother, Jude Okoye. However, the telecommunications carrier dismissed the report, stating that it was only reviewing the contracts with its ambassadors, including P-Square.“We have not disengaged P-Square or any of our other ambassadors. We are currently in the process of reviewing our contracts with the brand ambassadors,” the statement read.The company added that “P-Square had been among its flagship brand ambassadors since 2010, and that it had been a mutually rewarding relationship between the two parties. “We are...

ENGLAND - PREMIER LEAGUE - REGULAR SEASON                           PTS GP W D L 1 Leicester City 57 28 16 9 3 2 Tottenham     54 28 15 9 4 3 Arsenal Fc      51 28 15 6 7 4 Manchester City 47 27 14 5 8 5 Manchester United 47 28 13 8 7 6 West Ham United 46 28 12 10 6 7 Stoke City 42 28 12 6 10 8 Liverpool 41 27 11 8 8 9 Southampton 40 28 11 7 10 10 Chelsea Fc 39 28 10 9 9 11 Everton 38 27 9 11 7 12 Watford 37 28 10 7 11 13 West Bromwich Albion 36 28 9 9 10 14 Crystal Palace 33 28 9 6 13 15 Bournemouth 32 28 8 8 12 16 Swansea City 30 28 7...

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The Forbes Magazine annual billionaires list for 2016 is out and contains names and assets of 1,810 billionaires from around the world. The dwindling oil prices and strength of the dollar made so many drop off the list. Bill Gates for about 20 years has been top on the list and he still retained his position as the richest man in the world. American presidential candidate Donald Trump also made the list and ranked 324th richest man in the world with a total net worth of $4.5 billion- meaning Nigeria’s Aliko Dangote and Mike Adenuga are richer than he is. Nigerians Who Made the List Five notable Nigerians made the list, four men and one woman. Our very own Aliko Dangote made it and has retained his position as the richest man in Africa and 51st in the world. Aliko Dangote’s net worth, according to Forbes, has risen to $15.4bn from $14.7bn in 2015. He was ranked 67th in the 2015 list. Dangote founded and chairs Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer...

https://www.yahoo.com/politics/rubio-momentum-stalls-again-as-trump-extends-lead-070325399.html Donald Trump extends lead as Marco Rubio falters again

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Tuesday released the text of Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis address to over 35,000 IPOB members who gathered last Sunday at the Vatican City for the weekly Angelus, saying that Pope has warned their oppressors, the government and Nigeria Military and their agents to repent, stop killing Biafra agitators or face the wrath of god that will be catastrophic. The text of the Catholic Pontiff address which was made available to Vanguard by the IPOB Media and Publicity Officer, Mr. Emma Powerful, disclosed that the Pope advised the Biafra agitators and the crowd that gathered at St Peters Square from the balcony of the Apostolic Palace to be patient in all they are doing, that Gods patience towards their oppressors is without limit but the time for change of heart from their oppression is now. IPOB quoted the Pontiff to have said that "it is never too late to convert an oppressor to change from his evil activities, including murderous activities, ...

Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo's son, Oba Obasanjo, is reported to have been involved in a terrible auto accident earlier today, February 29, 2016. The accident, according to reports, occurred on his way from Ilesha in Osun State, where he had gone to attend the 75th birthday party ceremony of his stepmother, Mabel. His car, we learnt, was completely totalled, with Oba and passengers sustaining serious injuries. Oba and others injured in the accident have been taken to the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, Oyo State for treatment.

MOST Beautiful Girl In Nigeria 1992, Sandra Petgrave and her husband, George Chukwuka, have been sentenced to jail in the United States (US) for their roles in a $5.8 million mortgage fraud that spanned five years. Sandra and Chiedu have six children together. Investigations by FBI showed that Chiedu led the fraud ring that operated from 2006 to 2011. Sandra was sentenced to one and a half years imprisonment while her husband was sentenced to nine years in jail.    Below is how FBI reported their sentencing.. "Chiedu "George" Chukwuka has been sentenced in connection with his lead role in a mortgage fraud ring that spanned five years and caused millions in losses. Chukwuka, along with his co-defendants and other co-conspirators, engaged in a massive property-flipping scheme resulting in over $5.8 million in actual losses to financial institutions between 2006 and 2011. "At the height of the recent mortgage-fraud crisis, this property-flipping scheme caused scor...