Nico Rosberg wins Spanish Grand Prix ahead of Lewis Hamilton with Sebastian Vettel in third place at Circuit de Catalunya

Nico Rosberg stood on his car and waved his hands like a conductor bringing in the percussion section of the Berlin Phil.

For the German, Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix was a symphony of relief.

It proved the title fight is not a closed issue, the whoops of delight from the cockpit of Rosberg’s Mercedes a musical celebration — of sorts — of his victory in the Barcelona sun.



Nico Rosberg won the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon at the Circuit de Catalunya

Rosberg lets the champagne flow on the podium at the Circuit de Catalunya after his victory on Sunday afternoon

He hugged his pregnant wife Vivian, attending her first race of the season. Lewis Hamilton, who finished second, congratulated his team-mate, less enthusiastically but with perfect magnanimity.

Hamilton’s lead in the drivers’ championship is 20 points over Rosberg as they head to Monte Carlo to gamble their hopes on the narrow streets made famous by the Casino.

This track at Catalunya is no match for the magic of Monaco and not only because it is not redolent of Grace Kelly and Belle Epoque splendour, but because it usually serves up a soporific race. (True, Monaco has few overtaking opportunities, but it offers thrilling danger at every turn in a way Barcelona does not.)

This event had a strangely subdued atmosphere all weekend, and the manner of Rosberg’s win was in keeping with the wider mood: serene rather than exciting, a masterclass in front-running having started from pole position.

Instead, such tension as there was played out down Hamilton’s radio. This frustration was born of the Briton losing a place at the start — going from second to third on the 800-yard run to the first corner. It left him behind Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. Then a poor first stop due to a slow left-wheel change — he was stationary for 5.4sec compared to Vettel’s 2.3sec a lap later — meant he was still behind the red car.

Hamilton got close to Vettel’s tail but could not force his way through. The Ferrari had too much speed for that.



Rosberg sprays champagne from the podium after his win at the first European race of the season

Hamilton’s race engineer Peter Bonnington said: ‘Were going to have to do this on track, mate.’ That was met by Hamilton’s response: ‘I can assure you that’s pretty much impossible to do, so you’re going to have to come up with another plan.’

A few minutes later Hamilton snapped: ‘Please, Bono, please, try not to speak to me in the corners.’

Hamilton finally got ahead of Vettel in the second round of pit stops. It put him into second place through the middle section of the race, but he was never close enough to reel in Rosberg.

Hamilton moved to Plan B — three stops — and led the race for 10 laps after Rosberg had made his second and final stop.

It was short-lived, and the natural order of the race was restored when Hamilton peeled in for his third stop. He was back into second place, ahead of Vettel but too far off Rosberg.

Hamilton was soon told it wouldn’t be possible to catch the other Silver Arrow and that he should ‘consolidate’ his position. 

The Mercedes team celebrate with Rosberg after he jumped out of his car following his race victory

Hamilton (left), Mercedes' Tony Ross (second left), Rosberg and Vettel wave to the crowd from atop the podium

Rosberg waves to the crowd with his winner's trophy as he and Hamilton make their way off the podium in Spain



Rosberg claimed his first win of the season with victory at the Spanish Grand Prix to close the gap on Hamilton in the championship


Rosberg finally got the better of his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in 2015 to win in Barcelona

The German Mercedes driver started on pole and was in control for all of the race on Sunday

‘Is it impossible?’ asked Hamilton for clarification. ‘That is the question.’ The answer came back ‘Yes’. True, as Rosberg won his first race since Brazil last November by 17.5sec. Vettel was third.

‘A perfect weekend,’ was Rosberg’s take. Hamilton called it a ‘hiccup’ and promised to ‘sort it out for the next race’.

The warm weather did little to lift the mood at McLaren-Honda.



Rosberg was away cleanly from the start while Sebastian Vettel jumped Lewis Hamilton into second place

Hamilton spent most of the race behind the Ferrari of Vettel and couldn't find a way past the German

They arrived here speaking about upgrades but left embarrassed by their form. Fernando Alonso retired with a brake problem that caused him to run into the jack as he entered the pit box. He simply could not stop his car.

Alonso said: ‘It was scary. I had no brakes for the whole in-lap, and for the pit stop even less. We are a long way off and we need to make double steps because everyone else is improving.’

Jenson Button finished 16th in the other McLaren. ‘The first 30-odd laps were the scariest 30 laps of my life,’ he said. ‘Any time I touched the throttle, the rear was gone. It just wasn’t normal. The rear felt as if it wasn’t connected to the front — as if every gust of wind had a massive snap.’

Hamilton's decision to switch to a three-stop strategy helped him secure second place



Vettel was made to settle for third after holding his own against Hamilton for the majority of the race

This kind of performance from a rich team dedicated to winning, an organisation its chairman Ron Dennis compares to Manchester United, must prompt a serious investigation into what has gone so spectacularly wrong.

McLaren’s last constructors’ title came in 1998 — too long a fallow spell, as they would be the first to admit, and one that may hint at structural problems.

Button, who has been upbeat throughout the unremitting travails of the season, made an extraordinary forecast. ‘I don’t expect points at all this year, but hopefully today was an off-day. It didn’t feel right,’ he said.

Red Bull, who won four straight titles between 2010 and 2013, are not in much better shape and team principal Christian Horner admitted reliability is so poor that he wants Renault to use the season to develop their engine.

He said: ‘This year is pretty much a write-off. It would be better to learn in preparation for next year.’

Valtteri Bottas held off a late charge from Kimi Raikkonen to hold onto a fourth-placed finish


Raikkonen was made to settle for fifth place as he lost more ground on team-mate Vettel and the two Mercedes drivers

Learnt from Mail Online

Steven Gerrard suffers final anguish against Chelsea as Champions League dream dies

Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard’s Champions League dream ended at the home of the Premier League champions.

The Liverpool captain, who is leaving for the United States, received a standing ovation from Chelsea fans and manager Jose Mourinho after being substituted late on in the 1-1 draw that virtually hands Manchester United the last Champions League slot.

But for most of the match, Gerrard, 34, was taunted by home supporters about his slip against them last season that played a pivotal role in the Anfield club’s failed title bid.



Steven Gerrard shows his appreciation to both sets of fans as he comes off at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho and his players join in the standing ovation for the Liverpool captain

Gerrard refused to thank the Chelsea fans after the match however, despite the ovation

Gerrard is congratulated for his goal and performance by Rodgers as he leaves the field against Chelsea

Gerrard was scathing about the Chelsea fans in his post-match interview, despite their applause

Gerrard said: ‘The Chelsea fans showed respect for a couple of seconds but slaughtered me all game, so I’m not going to get drawn into wishing them well. It’s nice of them to turn up for once today.

‘A standing ovation is always nice but what’s important to me is the Liverpool fans, and they have been there since day one.’

Liverpool are six points adrift of United with two games to go and their goal difference is 14 worse.

Gerrard added: ‘Qualifying for the Champions League has been the plan but we have come up a bit short. We’ll keep fighting but everyone knows it’s going to be tough.

'It’s important the lads get some rest after these last couple of games and the owners try to dig deep and make some additions to help the manager.

There is a great core of players here with terrific potential and the future is looking all right. But it is important that you try to compete with the giant clubs in the league because they are all going to spend big.’ 

Departing captain Gerrard was unmarked as he headed home Liverpool's equaliser against Chelsea

Gerrard celebrates with his team-mates after scoring in his last game against Chelsea before LA Galaxy move

Gerrard hands over the captains armband to Jordan Henderson as he is subbed at Stamford Bridge

Mourinho stands and applauds Gerrard after claiming the Liverpool star made him a better manager

Gerrard admitted he would have signed for Mourinho but for his deep allegiance to Liverpool. The Portuguese tried to land him while at Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and Gerrard said: ‘He is the best manager in the world. I’d have signed for him three times if Liverpool weren’t in my heart.

‘He is the reason why my head was turned on a couple of occasions but he understood why I couldn’t do it and it’s because I love Liverpool Football Club.’

Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed Cesc Fabregas should have been dismissed for a challenge on Raheem Sterling in the first minute. Rodgers said: ‘Fabregas was out of control. He should have been sent off.’



Grown men hold up laminated signs poking fun at Gerrard during their game at Stamford Bridge 

Chelsea fans had earlier given the former England some stick at Stamford Bridge

Learnt from Mail Online

FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER CUTS SHORT GUYANA TRIP AFTER NOT FEELING WELL

Carter Center officials say former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has cut short an election observation visit in Guyana due to health reasons.

Sunday's statement from the Center says the 90-year-old ex-president is returning to Atlanta. It did not disclose specifics, only saying Carter was "not feeling well."

The Guyana observer mission marks the Carter Center's 100th mission. Staffers will remain in the South American country to observe the vote.

It would have been Carter's 39th trip to personally observe an international election.

Guyana's national elections are being held Monday more than a year earlier than schedule because President Donald Ramotar had suspended Parliament to avoid a no-confidence vote. The vote pits his People's Progressive Party against an opposition coalition.

Learnt from ABC Online

LEBRON JAMES HITS JUMPER AT BUZZER TO PULL CAVS EVEN WITH BULLS

CHICAGO -- LeBron James hit a jumper from the corner at the buzzer to give theCleveland Cavaliers an 86-84 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Sunday, tying the Eastern Conference semifinal series at 2-2.

James finished with 25 points to help the Cavaliers win in another wild finish, returning the favor after Chicago took Game 3 on Derrick Rose's banked 3-pointer at the buzzer.

This time, James got whistled for an offensive foul when he elbowed Mike Dunleavy Jr.That led to a tying layup for Rose with just under 10 seconds left.

But instead of going to overtime, James ended it with the jumper from the corner overJimmy Butler.

Game 5 is Tuesday night in Cleveland.

James committed eight turnovers and struggled again from the field, hitting 10 of 30 shots. He is 18-of-55 the past two games. But he also had 14 rebounds and eight assists.
Kyrie Irving, playing with a sore foot, was 2-of-12 and had 12 points and two assists.

Timofey Mozgov had 15 points and nine rebounds. J.R. Smith came on strong down the stretch, scoring all but two of his 13 in the fourth quarter.

Rose scored 31 points and Butler added 19 for Chicago, which was playing without Pau Gasol. He sat out with a strained left hamstring, and his status for Game 5 is in question.

Rose hit two free throws with 1:32 remaining to make it 82-79, but he missed a 3 with about a minute remaining after Joakim Noah took a charge against James.

Cleveland's superstar then hit two free throws to make it a five-point game.

Butler buried a 3 with 27 seconds left to cut it to 84-82.

The Cavaliers called a timeout with 21.2 seconds left and burned two more timeouts trying to inbound it. They finally got the ball to James, who then got whistled for elbowing Dunleavy.

Rose drove for a tying layup with 9.4 seconds left.

James had a layup blocked, but he made a fadeaway jumper off a feed from Matthew Dellavedova with Butler closing in on him.

TIP-INS

Cavaliers: Even though the Cavaliers didn't practice Saturday, coach David Blatt wanted to keep his players loose. So they went through a yoga session. "It was simply a matter of wanting to keep the guys off their feet and at the same time to activate them and stretch them and work their muscles in a rehabilitative manner," Blatt said. "We weren't going in the gym yesterday anyway. It was a good thing for us to do."

Learnt from ESPN

Andy Murray crushes Rafael Nadal in Madrid Open final to land second clay title in a week and first Masters crown on the dirt

The freshly wed Andy Murray scrawled ‘Marriage works’ on the TV camera lens immediately after beating Rafael Nadal to register his finest result since winning Wimbledon.

Well something is certainly happening for the 27 year-old Scot, who produced his finest performance in nearly two years to dethrone the king of clay with a stunning 6-3 6-2 victory in the final of the Madrid Open.

It could be wedded bliss, the inspiration of his expecting coach Amelie Mauresmo, the addition of Jonas Bjorkman to his team or all three, but he has not looked this good since that heady afternoon in SW19 back in July 2013.



World No.3 Andy Murray gives a thumbs up posing with the Madrid Open trophy, having emphatically defeated Rafael Nadal in the final

Andy Murray celebrates having landed the Madrid Open title, his first Masters title on clay, by beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets 6-3, 6-2

Murray smiles for the assembled cameras with his opponent Nadal having won his first ever clay court Masters 1000 title on Sunday


Yes it is true that Nadal is below the level we are accustomed to seeing on clay, but his confidence was never allowed to recover as he was buried beneath the clay of the Caja Magica at what is the biggest tournament staged in his home country.

After an hour and 28 minutes of being on the wrong end of relentlessly positive and precision tennis Nadal's adoring public had been reduced to an almost embarrassed hush.

Having gone ten years on the circuit without winning a clay court title Murray has now claimed two within six days, following on from the BMW Open in Munich. It was also his first win over one of the 'Big Three' in twelve matches, having gone through a barren patch against them following the historic Wimbledon win over Novak Djokovic.

His entry onto the European clay court circuit was delayed by his wedding to Kim Sears, and he stated afterwards that was a factor in this sudden spike in clay court form.

'I have always said that when you private life is under control and you are happy that helps you on court,' he told Sky Sports afterwards. 'But also I haven't been in this good physical shape on the clay in the last couple of years so I owe a big thanks to my team.

'I played a very good match and made very few errors, I changed the height of the ball extremely well and that's a reason why he was mis-hitting some of his shots. I dealt with the nervy moments pretty well too.'

IS THE KING OF CLAY SET TO BE DETHRONED?


1st - Andy Murray’s win was his first over Rafael Nadal on clay — he had lost their previous six meetings.

4th - Murray is just the fourth player to beat Nadal in a final on clay, joining Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Horacio Zeballos, who won in 2013 when Nadal was returning from injury.

2 - Murray had never won a title on clay. Now he has won two in a week, in Munich and Madrid.

10 - This is the first time in a decade that Nadal has been ranked outside the top five — he is now seventh.

4 - Nadal has lost four matches on clay this season, his worst record since his debut year in 2003.

9-0 - Murray has made his best ever start to a clay court season, winning nine straight matches.

14 - Nadal was on a 14-match winning streak at the Madrid Open until Murray’s win.

2004 - This was Nadal’s worst loss on clay since 2004, when he lost 6-2, 6-3 to Gaston Gaudio in Sweden



The Scot was in blistering form in Madrid on Sunday evening as he defeated reigning Madrid Open champion Rafael Nadal in straight sets

This was Murray's tenth Masters level title (the tier below the Grand Slams) and his first on clay. A health warning about the result is that Novak Djokovic sat the event out, and that the altitude of Madrid that makes the ball 'fly' a little bit differently to Roland Garros.

But Murray handled it all so much better than a deflated Nadal, who has now lost four times on clay this year and will drop out of the top five for the first time in a decade. He is at a low ebb and this could be the year the guard finally changes at Roland Garros.

That should not detract from the effort of the British number one, who in the past two weeks has just got on with whatever the weather and schedulers have thrown at him.

At the BMW Open he had two days washed out before winning the delayed final on a Monday, meaning he was a late arrival in Madrid. Then he had to contend with a 3am finish in his first match.

Far from rueing his luck, which he might have done in his younger years, he phlegmatically accepted his lot, come torrential rain or eccentric orders of play. It would seem a strange move for him to pull out of this week's Italian Open when he is on such a roll.

From the start last night he dictated matters by often taking the ball early and hitting with a ferocity, especially on the backhand side, that it is hard to recall. Nadal likes to invite opponents to play to his forehand, but found his stronger flank overwhelmed by the depth and accuracy of the balls fired at it.

At 1-4 in the first set he looked to be firing into life but Murray brilliantly choked off his recovery by saving break points. In the second set the Scot missed a simple volley to go 3-0 up but rode his frustration and went on to break him anyway.

There were no alarms in closing it out. Some food for thought for Djokovic, and some real worries for Nadal.

British tennis had two notable weekend successes at lower levels of the men's tour. Aljaz Bedene, the 25 year-old who has acquired British citizenship, won the Rome Challenger – beating experienced Italian Pototo Starace - to score his first title since playing under the Union flag. Birmingham's Dan Evans, who looked poised for the world's top 100 before dropping off the radar last summer, marked a return to action by winning the Futures title in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.


Murray reaches for a block return during his straight sets victory in the Madrid Open final on his way to land a first Masters clay title

Murray and Nadal played out the Madrid Open final in the magnificent 'Magic Box' arena on Sunday evening

The 'King of Clay' Rafael Nadal struggled with his forehand in the Madrid Open final against Murray and was very tense



The world No.3 sprints to chase down a Nadal drop shot at the 'Magic Box' arena in Madrid on Sunday night



Murray was in fantastic form to topple the reigning champion in straight sets in the Madrid Open final with a straight sets win

A despondent Nadal looks at the runner's up trophy having suffered a heavy straight sets defeat against Andy Murray on Sunday

Murray thanked all of his coaching team including Amelie Mauresmo (left) after his impressive triumph over Nadal in the Spanish captial



Murray is lost amongst the ball kids during a photo having won the Madrid Open, his second clay court title within a week

Learnt from Mail online

Black boxes of crashed A400M plane found in Spain

Spanish authorities on Sunday found the two cockpit recorders of the Airbus A400M military plane that crashed near Seville airport, killing four people, as Britain, Germany and Turkey grounded their models of the aircraft.

The recorders were found at the scene of Saturday’s crash and turned over to the judge who is leading the judicial investigation into the accident, the public works ministry said in a statement.

The military transport plane crashed in a field and burst into flames just north of Seville’s airport after hitting a power line during an apparent attempt at an emergency landing.






Four people on board died while another two, a mechanic and an engineer, were taken to hospital where they are listed in serious but stable condition.

Dozens of investigators, some wearing a protective white suit, scoured the crash scene on Sunday for clues into the cause of the accident.

Aircraft manufacturers equip all their planes with two black boxes ?- a flight data recorder and a cockpit voice recorder.

The flight data recorder records a stream of flight information such as altitude and air speed, while the cockpit voice recorder stores conversations and other noises made in the cockpit.

The plane, due for delivery to the Turkish air force in June, was one of the new A400M troop and vehicle transporters manufactured by European aerospace group Airbus.

The crash was the first involving one of the aircraft, which Airbus assembles at a plant in Seville.

Britain, Germany and Turkey said they would temporarily stop flying their A400M transport planes until the causes of the accident were known.

France, the largest operator of A400Ms, said it was not grounding its planes at this point.

“We have no reason to lead us to stop our A400 fleet,” said Colonel Jean-Pascal Breton, head of the press service of the French air force.

Malaysia, which received its first A400M plane in March, has not yet announced its position.

There are a total of 12 A400M planes in use at the moment — France has six, Britain and Turkey have two each and Malaysia and Germany each have one.

Learnt from punchng

GEJ:Friends deserted me.

Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan said Sunday that some of his friends deserted him shortly after he conceded defeat to his rival General Muhammadu Buhari in the March election.

Jonathan publicly conceded defeat to Buhari on March 31, a decision which was commended by local and foreign commentators and doused tension in the country.

“Some hard decisions have their own costs. No doubt about that. It is a very costly decision but I must be very ready to pay for it,” Jonathan said during a farewell church service in Abuja.

Thanksgiving & Farewell service in honour of President Jonathan & First Lady, Church of the Advent, Abuja

Thanksgiving & Farewell service in honour of President Jonathan & First Lady, Patience at the Church of the Advent, Abuja, Sunday.

Jonathan’s public admission of defeat in the nail-biting election came more than six hours after he rang Buhari to concede, earning him widespread praise for statesmanship.

“If you take certain decisions, you should know that people close to you will even abandon you at some point. I tell people that more of my so-called friends will disappear.”

Many party faithful and erstwhile loyalists of Jonathan have either crossed over to Buhari’s All Progressives Congress or made harsh statements against Jonathan’s party or its leaders.

Jonathan said he was not surprised by the desertions or statements by his former loyalists, adding that former South African president Frederik de Klerk faced a similar situation when he decided to abolish minority rule in that country.

Jonathan said that de Klerk’s marriage to his wife, Marike, broke down after he took that decision.

“But that is the only decision that made South Africa to still be a global player. If by this time w still have minority rule in South africa, nobody would have been talking about South Africa in the present generation,” he said.

He said that ministers who served under him should brace themselves for “persecution” following his loss and his decision to concede defeat.

Buhari, a former military leader, is scheduled to be sworn into office on May 29.

Learnt from the Sun

Nigerian Senator elect vows not to travel to US to face drug charges

Kashamu Buruji

The fugitive senator-elect, Buruji Kashamu, has vowed never to travel to the US where he is wanted for drug-related offences.

Mr. Kashamu, elected to represent Ogun East Senatorial District, restated his claim that he was innocent of the drug charges and had been cleared of same by a British court.

“I am not under any obligation to go to the US to answer the same charges after the true judgement of the British court has exonerated me of the same allegations,” he told Sahara TV in an interview. “Asking me to take the next available flight to the US so as to clear my name is like asking me to jump in a fire – may the Almighty rescue me from it.”

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, politician accused American authorities of bias in his trial.

“If the US prosecutor could hide important evidence that later exonerated me in the UK court, only God knows what they will do in their country.

“I have done a lot of things to clear my name. I spent four years in detention at the hands of the US authorities to prove my innocence before I was eventually exonerated. This was also in the presence of the US prosecutors and other agencies in various countries, like the Republic of Benin, Nigeria. It was after a rigorous trial with pictorial and documentary evidence that I was discharged.”

Mr. Kashamu, a close ally of outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan, indicated his willingness to face extradition trial in a Nigerian court.

“I have cleared my name and myself in London. If anybody believes that they have any other case against me, they should come through due process. I am ready to challenge it. I am ready to face it without any problem,” he said.

The controversial politician also claimed he had never been to the US and could not have dealt in drugs in the country.

“I have never in my life put my foot into the United States. I have never demanded for their sticker,” he said. “I have been a businessman right from 18 years old. Up till today, I continue doing my business. My last submission is that I know nothing about what they are saying over there.”

Since Mr. Kashamu’s PDP and President Goodluck Jonathan lost the general elections in March and April, he has faced renewed pressure on the drug charges and has made repeated efforts to plead his innocence as well as court leaders of the incoming ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. In April, he courted Bola Tinubu, a leader of the APC, describing him as his role model.

“Truth be told, men like you are made up of sterner stuff and are rare to come by in every generation. Little wonder you are called the Asiwaju and Jagaban of Borgu. I doff my hat,” Mr. Kashamu wrote in an open letter addressed to Mr. Tinubu.

Mr. Tinubu, however, promptly denied the Ogun politician.

“Kashamu may be prodigal but he is no political son of Tinubu,” Mr. Tinubu said in a statement signed by Sunday Dare, his media adviser.

It is expected that the US will demand Mr. Kashamu’s extradition after the swearing-in of the APC led government on May 29; a request, which if made, would face a length legal process in Nigeria.

“I am a Nigerian. I am not running away from my fatherland. If anyone thinks he has a case against me, he should follow due process and we will take it up from there,” Mr. Kashamu said

Learnt from premiumtimesng

Fayose orders verification of 48,977 Ekiti workers

Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose distributing chicken, rice and money to the widow and aged in Ado Ekiti Saturday for the Christmas under the stomach infrastructure programme of his administration

As part of measures to rid the public service of ghost workers, the Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has ordered the verification of the over 48, 977 workers in the state’s payroll.

The governor made this known through his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka.

The verification, said the governor, is meant to block the over N500 million being lost monthly by the government through the e-payment system contracted by the immediate past administration, to a private firm.

Mr. Fayose, however, directed that the April salary be paid as workers are verified, adding that the exercise was not meant to delay payment of wages in the state.

“Those insinuating that the verification exercise was meant to delay payment of April salary are
just playing cheap politics because the arrangement is such that the moment verification is concluded on daily basis, salary of those cleared will be paid,” Mr. Fayose said.

“The implication of this is that those verified on Tuesday, May 12, will receive their April salary on Wednesday, May 13, while those verified on Wednesday will get paid on Thursday. By Friday, May 14, seventy percent of the workers would have received their April salary.”

Giving details of how the exercise will be carried out, Mr. Olayinka said staff of core Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, will be verified from May 12. Staff of the state’s Health Management Board and six local government areas would also be verified on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The six local councils to be verified on Tuesday and Wednesday include Ado, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Moba and Oye while staff of Ise/Orun, Ikere, Emure, Ekiti West, Ido/Osi, Ikole, Ilejemeje and Irepodun/Ifelodun, Gbonyin and Ijero would take their turn on Thursday and Friday.

Also to be verified on Thursday and Friday are staff of the Local Government Training School, Local Government Service Commission, Loans Board and Pension Board, as well as primary school teachers in Ado, Efon, Ekiti East, Ekiti South West, Ekiti West, Emure, Gbonyin, Ido/Osi local councils. Others include staff of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB and Local Government Education Authority, LGEA.

On May 16 and May 18, primary school teachers in Ijero, Ikere, Ikole, Ilejemeje, Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ise/Orun, Moba and Oye local governments, as well as all secondary school teachers in the state would go through the verification process.

Learnt from premiumtimesng

Five killed in Switzerland shooting

Five people have been found dead after a shooting in a town in northern Switzerland, police say.


Residents heard shots in the town of Wuerenlingen shortly after 11pm local time on Saturday, police said.


Officers then found five bodies, including that of the suspected attacker, in a quiet residential neighbourhood.


Police said the attacker was 36-year-old but did not reveal his identity. He was a father of three but no longer living with his family.


He did not have a gun license and did not fire with a military weapon, the police spokesman said.


The suspected attacker first killed three people - a 58-year-old man, a 57-year-old woman and a 32-year-old man - in a house, criminal police official Markus Gisin said.


He is then believed to have killed a 46-year-old neighbour outside the house before shooting himself.


The victims in the house were the parents-in-law and brother-in-law of the suspected attacker, a 36-year-old who lived in Schwyz canton (state), south of Zurich. All were Swiss nationals.


Previously 'investigated'


The shooting appears to have been a "relationship crime", or the result of domestic dispute, Michael Leupold, Aargau canton (state) police chief, said.


Police "were able to rule out a terrorist background" or any other danger, he said.


The assailant's wife and three children were not targeted in the shooting.


The shooter had a record of violence and lived apart from his family in the nearby canton of Schwytz. In 2007, he was investigated for causing bodily harm and in 2012 he was probed after making verbal threats.


Police had searched his home on April 2 this year but no firearms were found.


Saturday's attack came after the man's wife and children left the family home and were housed in a shelter.


"The mother and her children are safe," said local police official Markus Gisin.


He said the investigation into the shooting was made difficult by the fact that there "are several crime scenes."


Wuerenlingen is a town of some 4,500 people northwest of Zurich, near the German border.


Learnt from Aljazeera

Water Scarcity Hits Kaduna Residents

Acute water scarcity has hit Kaduna state, Northwest Nigeria, as a result of the breakdown of services by the state’s water board.


The problem has been attributed to damaged power transmission line to the Malali water treatment plant which supplies water to the metropolis and environs, coupled with the recent strike embarked by electricity workers last Monday.

Although the workers have called off the strike, the scarcity has left residents scrambling for alternative clean water sources for their daily usage.

Some of the areas worst affected by the scarcity include Barnawa, Sabon Tasha, Zaria, Romi, Tirkaniya, Gonin Gora, Taiwo Road, Abubakar Kigo Road, Costain Quarters and environs.

A resident of Barnawa, says most of them in the area now rely on commercial borehole operators and water vendors popularly called ‘Mai Ruwa’ for their daily water supply.

Some of them who spoke to Channels Television blamed the state water board for the scarcity. They said this is not the first time they are facing such situation, and wondered why government cannot find an alternative means of providing them with water pending when it repairs the fault at its transmitting station.

Only few houses are privileged enough to have boreholes within them, and are slightly immune from the problem. But lack of electricity to pump water becomes a problem.

Learnt from Channelstv

Agent: Real team mates not passing to Bale

MADRID (Reuters) – Gareth Bale is suffering at Real Madrid because his team mates are not passing him the ball enough but he has no plans to quit the club, according to the Wales winger’s agent.

Bale’s troubled second season in Spain hit a new low with a poor performance in last week’ Champions League defeat at Juventus and he again failed to spark in Saturday’s 2-2 La Liga draw at home to Valencia.

He has been whistled by disgruntled fans at the Bernabeu, a startling turnaround for a player who scored in the finals of the Champions League and the King’s Cup last term.

Real broke the transfer record to buy the 25-year-old but he has lately been struggling to live up to expectations in a season partly disrupted by injury.

“Real have to work with Gareth and pass the ball to him more,” Bale’s agent Jonathan Barnett was quoted as saying in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

“Give him more of the ball and let him show everybody what he’s good at,” Barnett added.

“He’s going to be the best player at Real Madrid when his team mates work with him and help him.”

Real are in danger of ending the season without defending their Champions League crown or securing a first La Liga title since 2012.

Eliminated from the King’s Cup by Atletico Madrid in January, Real lost the semi-final, first leg at Juve 2-1 and are four points behind leaders Barca in second in La Liga with two matches left.

Bale’s statistics are actually similar to last season, with 17 goals and 10 assists in 46 matches compared to 22 goals and 12 assists in 44 games in 2013-14.

However, he has been criticised for being selfish in front of goal and not contributing enough in defence.

“Most people would have been broken by this but he is determined,” Barnett said.

“He could have screamed and shouted or knocked on the manager’s office door but he doesn’t want to upset anyone.

“Every top club in the world would want to sign him but he will be at Real Madrid next season.

“There’s no way he is going anywhere in the summer. When we said he always wanted to play for Real, it was 100 percent true and he’s determined to be a success there.”

Learnt from pmnewsnigeria

Pensioner dies in Trafford blaze as wife manages to flee to safety out of window

Ellan Brook Lodge

A elderly man has died after a fire tore through his home in Trafford.

Two people were injured after the blaze ripped through a sheltered accommodation property at Ellan Brook Lodge in Brooklands, Sale, at around 7am on Sunday morning.

The fire claimed the life of a 77-year-old man, whose wife was able to escape.

Residents desperately called 999 after reports of smoke coming from the flat window, with a man trapped inside.

Fire crews rushed to the scene, but not before a brave neighbour tried to fight the fire himself.

He smashed a window and attempted to use an extinguisher to douse the flames.

The man suffered burns to his hand and was treated for smoke inhalation. An elderly woman, understood to be the deceased man’s wife, managed to escape out of a window, but her husband was trapped inside.

He was rescued by firefighters, but sadly died.

Station manager Billy Fenwick said: “The crew worked really hard at the scene, they searched the flat and rescued a 77-year-old man from inside.

“They did all they could to help the three people who were injured until paramedics arrived.”

The fire was quickly extinguished and crews remained at the scene to offer support and reassurance to residents. It is understood the flat is surrounded by retirement homes and sheltered accommodation.

A joint investigation between Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Police is underway into the cause of the fire.

Learnt from manchestereveningnews