Barcelona on rampage as Gary Neville's Valencia Coach was humiliated

Gary Neville's Valencia suffered a humiliating defeat as they were crushed by Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp.

Luis Suarez scored four goals, while Lionel Messi also helped himself to a hat-trick and Neymar missed a penalty.

Valencia's cause was not helped when defender Shkodran Mustafi was sent off for fouling Messi in the first half.

Neville is also without a league win in eight attempts since taking over the club in December.

Former England and Manchester United full-back Neville was returning to the scene of one of his greatest triumphs.

As a 24-year-old he was part of the United team who won the Champions League with a spectacular late comeback against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final at the Nou Camp.

This time there was to be no miraculous turnaround.

These are testing times for the 40-year-old who was already under pressure before the game against the European champions.

The Copa del Rey had hitherto offered eight-time Premier League winner Neville some solace after five draws and three defeats in La Liga.

All four of his wins from 14 games in charge in Spain have come in this competition - yet this was nothing short of embarrassing.

Valencia were shocking from start to finish and there was only going to be one outcome once Barca went 2-0 up in 12 minutes.

Suarez broke the deadlock after racing on to Neymar's pass before the former Liverpool player doubled the lead, curling home from 10 yards after a breathless move.

Messi completed a delightful move to make it 3-0 before a frantic end to the half.

The Argentina star was denied by the bar and Neymar hit the post from the penalty spot - after being fouled by Mustafi, who was sent off.

It went from bad to worse in the second half, Suarez's back-heel allowing Messi to pick his spot inside the area and take his career tally to 500 goals.

Terrible defending by Valencia allowed Messi to complete his hat-trick and make it 5-0 after winning the ball back before firing past the keeper, who should have saved.

Suarez's hat-trick goal was a close-range header and there was still time for the Uruguay international to get his fourth - and Barca's seventh - as he found the net via the near post.

The return leg takes place at the Mestalla next Wednesday.

We will fulfil all our promises despite economic crunch - Osinbajo

The Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo yesterday assured Nigerians that despite the economic downturn as a result of fall in oil price, the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration would fulfil all its campaign promises.

Osinbajo insisted that the government would leave no stone unturned in ensuring that standard of living of Nigerians are improved tremendously.

The Vice President who spoke in Ayetoro, Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State where he commissioned some “legacy” projects to mark the State’s 40th anniversary pledged that as soon as the National Assembly passes the 2016 budget, government would start full implementation of its programmes.

“Let me say this, all what we promised to do at the federal government level will be fulfilled. Our administration’s priority is employment for our teeming youths, especially, the graduates.

“What we promised as little incentive for our youths will be fulfilled but not as a free gift. We will recruit 500,000 youths and train them as volunteer teachers”, Osinbajo affirmed.

He added, “Also, we have programmes for the women and our market people, even, the down trodden. No one will suffer in this government, all what we promised, by God’s grace, we will fulfill them”.

Governor Ibikunle Amosun who later addressed the people of Ota and its environs, thanked them for their “unalloyed support for his government in the last five and half years”.

He appealed to the people to remain calm and resilient, promising that, all uncompleted projects will be completed “and more will still be done”.

The Governor assured that all on-going project would be completed as soon as possible.All those who spoke at the ceremony, including the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Roqeeb Adeniji, Senator Gbolahan Dada, representing Ogun West Senatorial District and other top politicians commended Governor Amosun’s achievements in the last five years.

The Vice President later commissioned the Iganmode-Ilo- Awela road amid jubilation from residents of the area and later left for Sagamu in Sagamu local council area to commission some projects.

With The Guardian

BREAKING: Supreme Court upholds Akwa Ibom, Abia govs’ elections

                                                            Ikpeazu and Emmanuel

The Supreme Court late on Wednesday upheld the election of Udom Emmanuel as the governor of Akwa Ibom State.

In upholding the election, the court reversed the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which annulled the election.

Emmanuel had approached the apex court expressing dissatisfaction with the judgement of the appellate court.

In another judgement, the election of Victor Okezie Ikpeazu as the governor of Abia State has been upheld by the Supreme Court on Wednesday night.

Ikpeazu had approached the apex because he was dissatisfied with the judgment of the Court of Appeal which had declared his main opponent, Alex Otti of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the winner of the April 11, 2015 governorship election..

Court of Appeal in its ruling on December 31, 2105, cancelled the entire results of Obingwa, Osisioma and Isiala Ngwa North local government areas, which had over 300,000 registered voters, out of which 228,932 had collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVC). With the cancellation, the five-member Court of Appeal panel ruled that Mr. Otti won with 164,444 valid votes as against 114,444 valid votes for Governor Ikpeazu.

India mob strips Tanzanian student in Bangalore

A Tanzanian student was assaulted and partially stripped by a mob in the southern Indian city of Bangalore after a Sudanese student's car ran over and killed a local woman.

The mob attacked the 21-year-old woman and her three friends - all Tanzanians - as they were passing by the accident site a little later.

The crowd chased the young woman and "removed her top", police said.

Tanzanian embassy officials have sought a report into the incident.

The incident took place on Sunday night, but was first reported only on Tuesday.

Police told BBC Hindi's Imran Qureshi in Bangalore that a mob gathered in Hessarghatta area after an allegedly drunk student from Sudan ran his car over a woman sleeping on the roadside.

The mob beat up the man and set fire to his car, but he managed to escape.

"About 30 minutes later, the four [Tanzanian] students, including the woman, were passing by when they stopped to inquire what had happened. That was when they were attacked," Bernandoo Kafumu, president of the Tanzanian students' association at the local college, said.

"The woman did not even know the [Sudanese] man who was involved in the accident," said a member of the association who did not want to be named.

"After they were attacked, the Tanzanians ran back to their car and tried to drive away, but there was an obstacle on the road. So they got down and ran. She ran for her life. The local people chased her and removed her clothes," he added.

The mob also set the women's car on fire.

A senior police official confirmed that "her top was torn and removed, but there was no sexual assault".

"After the news appeared in a section of the local media on Wednesday, we asked her to lodge a complaint. We are now following all procedures, we are getting her medically examined," TR Suresh, deputy commissioner of police for north Bangalore, told BBC Hindi.

Bangalore, often called India's Silicon Valley for being the hub of global software firms, is home to hundreds of foreign students, including 150 from Tanzania.

But, there have been clashes between them and locals.

"We are living in fear. The government and the police must do something about it," an African woman studying in the city said.

"There have been small incidents. It largely relates to some students playing loud music at night," Mr Kafumu said.

PHOTOS: Buhari leaves France for London

President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived London after departing France where he addressed the Plenary Session of the European Parliament and attended Bilateral Meeting with the President of the European Commission in Strasbourg.

In London the President is expected to participate in the Supporting Syria Conference 2016, which is aimed at raising the money needed to help millions of people whose lives have been torn apart by the devastating civil war.

With The Punch