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Lionel Messi is always Barcelona's most important player. In 2017-18, however, he has arguably been even more influential than ever for the Catalan club. Especially in La Liga. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner hit a hat-trick as Barca wrapped up the title on Sunday thanks to a hard-fought 4-2 win away to Deportivo La Coruna which saw the Catalans crowned champions with four games to spare. And the Blaugrana are on course to complete an unbeaten campaign in the Primera Division. None of that would have been possible without Messi. In fact, it did not appear possible at all back in the summer when Neymar left the club and Barca lost 3-1 and 2-0 to Real Madrid in the Spanish Supercopa series in August. In pre-season, Barca had played 4-3-3 with Neymar on the left, Luis Suarez in the middle and Messi on the right. But, after the Brazilian's €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain, Ernesto Valverde switched to 4-4-2. That gave added strength to the midfield an

Warning:  This post contains spoilers for  Avengers: Infinity War . Both Spider-Man and Iron Man show off new suits with new technology in  Avengers: Infinity War . Peter Parker finally gets to don the suit that Iron Spider suit that was offered him at the end of  Spider-Man: Homecoming . It has a new color scheme and legs that emerge from the back. Meanwhile, Tony has a new electromagnet installed in his chest, even though he no longer needs to repel shrapnel from his heart. Tony brags that the chest device powers new nanotech that allows the suit to generate and regenerate on Tony’s body. There’s little time in the jam-packed film for Tony Stark to explain the various features of the new outfits and how they work. But these suits have a storied history in the comic books, and the film nods to that lore. Here’s what you need to know: The Iron Spider Suit Tony makes the Iron Spider suit for Peter in the comic books. That’s true in the movie too: We see Stark offer Peter

The Portuguese does not believe that he will be able to sign Willian from Chelsea, but has suggested another South American may arrive Jose Mourinho has teased Manchester United fans over the identity of a summer target – but the Portuguese says he does not think he will be able to sign Willian from Chelsea. The attacker has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but after the Blues sold Nemanja Matic to United last summer and were criticised for doing so, he does not believe another player is likely to make his way direct from Stamford Bridge. He did, however, suggest he could be after a Brazilian. . “But also, a squad with three or four Brazilian athletes, depending on their profile, cannot make a great team too. I'm kidding! “I think their talent is fantastic and the creativity of the Brazilian player cannot be measured. If a European team, like, very European, could have a Brazilian in their squad, it would bring a 'Brazilian thing' to the game and I t

"I may have been one of those involved in the herdsmen/farmers’ clashes if i had not gone to school." President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he may have been one of those involved in the herdsmen/farmers’ clashes had he not gone to school. He stated this in a speech he delivered during his two-day state visit to Bauchi State on Thursday at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi, where he inaugurated  the 261 Nigerian Air Force Referral Hospital, some roads and five tractors and some farm implements. Buhari, while addressing the thousands of Bauchi residents in Hausa who thronged the stadium to welcome him on his first visit to the state since 2015, encouraged them to allow their children to go to school. He said, “Make every effort to put your children in school, plead with them to be patient and read hard. In this generation, you cannot make it except you are educated. “Now, look at the farmers/herdsmen’s clashes in the northern part of this country

The sentence comes after Genena claimed to be in possession of documents that could incriminate senior army officials. An Egyptian military court has sentenced Hisham Genena, the country's former top auditor, to five years in prison for "spreading news that harms the armed forces." Genena, a top campaign aide to former presidential hopeful Sami Anan, was  arrested on February 13  after allegedly threatening in an interview to release "documents and evidence" of corruption in the army's higher ranks if Anan was harmed in detention. Anan, a retired army general, had been  detained in January , just three days after announcing his short-lived presidential bid.  The trial on Wednesday was contested by Genena's lawyers who argued the case did not fall under the military court's jurisdiction. According to local media, Anan's son accused Genena of slander and was looking to take legal measures against the former chief auditor. A journali

As women around the world stand up to harassing and abusing men, the struggle is alive and well in Africa. Like a baton pass in the world's most painful relay race, revelations that powerful men have - presuming a right to pleasure - sexually harassed their female colleagues have spread around the world. It started in the entertainment industry (the first allegations were against Hollywood executive Harvey Weinstein) and then moved to politics, the media and the not-for-profit sector. In the latter, the hashtag #AidToo has shown that despite its noble intentions, the development and humanitarian industry is as susceptible to abuses of power and the violence that most of its organisations campaign against. Despite this groundswell, many have remarked that the African continent seems largely silent on the topic of sexual harassment - and gender-based violence more broadly - pointing to respectability politics (the taboo of speaking out), cultural norms, shame and

Jose Mourinho expects some of the younger members of his Manchester United squad to get a chance to earn regular places next season. The boss was asked after Saturday's FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham if he expected a lot of investment this summer to enhance his squad. Although admitting he would need to strengthen in midfield, Jose was keen to stress he expects existing players to develop. Scott McTominay has been introduced from the Under-23s this season and taken his chances when being trusted in some big matches. Several promising youngsters are out on loan and could return to fight for a place, while there are others showing real potential within the system. "We are going to invest the basic to improve our squad," explained the United manager. "There is always in the group of players, in the squad, there is always a player or a couple of players who are not playing a lot, and they will obviously try to leave, so we are going again to touch [tweak]

Big Brother Naija winner alongside CeeCee and Nina. [Photo credit: BBNaija official Instagram page] The just-concluded third season of the reality TV show, Big Brother Naija “Double Wahala”, has made N5.1billion from viewers, a PREMIUM TIMES analysis shows. The host of the show, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, revealed that over 170 million votes were cast in the course of the season, 30 million of it coming in the final week. Based on how the BBNaija game works, viewers were asked to cast votes for their favourite housemates to keep them in the house as the housemate with the highest votes would win. The cost of voting was N30. This shows that BBNaija made a total of N5.1billion from viewers votes alone and 17.6 per cent of sum (N900 million) came in the final week of the show. When compared to the amount made from votes, the winner took home a meagre 0.88 per cent of the sum in a N45 million package containing N25 million in cash, a new SUV worth N12 million, a complete home ent

Dino Melaye Nigerian Senator  Dino Melaye  has been arrested. The politician confirmed the arrest on Monday. He said on Monday that he was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja. It was not immediately clear which agency carried out the arrest, but Mr Melaye was declared wanted for his alleged involvement in a murder case and provision of support for criminal elements in his home state of Kogi. “I have just been arrested at the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport on my way to Morocco for an official engagement sponsored by the Federal Govt after checking in,” he said on Twitter. The senator later told PREMIUM TIMES that he was blocked as he was undergoing security and immigration screening. He said he was told that the police had place him on its ‘no fly’ list and that he was therefore barred from travelling at the airport. Mr. Melaye said he “snatched back” his passport from the official who confiscated it and made to procee

Nabi Tajima, the great-great-great-grandmother regarded as the world’s oldest person has died in Japan at the age of 117, ABC News reports. An official in the southern Japanese town of Kikai said Nabi Tajima died in a hospital on Saturday night. She had been there since January. Ms Tajima was born on August 4, 1900, and reportedly had more than 160 descendants, including great-great-great grandchildren. Her town of Kikai is in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s four main islands. She became the world’s oldest person seven months ago after the death of Violet Brown in Jamaica, also at the age of 117. Guinness World Records certified 112-year-old Masazo Nonaka of northern Japan as the world’s oldest man earlier this month, and was planning to recognise Ms Tajima as the world’s oldest person. The US-based Gerontology Research Group said another Japanese woman, Chiyo Yoshida, was now the world’s oldest person in its records. She is due to turn 117 i

Even relatively mild brain injuries may increase your risk of developing the  neurodegenerative condition Parkinson’s disease ,   according to a new study . The research, which was published Wednesday in the journal  Neurology , found a strong connection between traumatic brain injuries such as concussions and a heightened risk of Parkinson’s, regardless of the severity of the injuries. The findings specifically pertain to veterans whose data had been recorded in Veterans Health Administration databases between 2002 and 2014. Compared to those who had never suffered a TBI, the increase in Parkinson’s risk — while still relatively low overall — ranged from 56% for veterans who had sustained mild injuries, to 83% for those with moderate to severe TBIs, according to the study. (Those who did not lose consciousness at the time of their injury, the least serious form of TBI, had a non-significant 33% increase.) These trends held true even after the researchers accounted for other fa

Miracle (right) with Egbuka the presenter who announced the result at the Big Brother Naija house The show started on January 28. Miracle will go home with N25 million. The Big Brother Naija five finalists are Miracle, Cee-C, Tobi, Alex and Nina Find below the percentage scores by each of the Big Brother Naija contestants Miracle had 38.18%, Cee-C 28.04%, Tobi 22-54%, Alex 7.07% and Nina 4. 18% Miracle, has been a lucky one in the contest as he won many of awards put up. He emerged winner of the BigBrotherNaija (Double Wahala) final wager challenge. The lucky Big Brother Naija housemate, had earlier emerged winner of the season’s Payporte arena games challenge with a prize of N1 million. He also won the Pepsi Challenge carting away the sum of 1 million naira. Miracle was again lucky to have won N200,000 wager allowance after picking the box tagged number two. Miracle won the cash in a contest with seven other Big Brother Naija housemates. They were all in

Manchester City passed Swansea City off the pitch on Sunday to set a new Premier League benchmark.  The Etihad Stadium had a party atmosphere this weekend as the new champions took to the field for the first And those celebrations apparently filtered down to their players, who enjoyed every minute of a vintage 5-0 victory over the Swans It marks the first time since 2003-4 that a team have managed so many completed passes, and contributed to a dominant 83% share of possession which is also a new 14-year high as the visitors barely touched the ball over the 90 minutes. Swansea in comparison attempted just 202 passes, less than a fifth of the 1015 tried by their opponents - the first time any side have beaten the thousand mark. One of City's goalscorers was Kevin De Bruyne, who has had a season to remember at the heart of the side's midfield.  De Bruyne netted from outside the area for the fifth time this season in the Premier League, more than any other player

Alexis Sanchez says it’s been tough going adapting to life at a "big club" since his January   move from Arsenal to Manchester United, but he is looking forward to a third FA Cup final after scoring a goal in the 2-1 semi-final win over Tottenham on Saturday . Sanchez headed home his eighth goal in eight Wembley appearances, and his fourth in three FA Cup semi-finals, as United came from behind to see off Mauricio Pochettino’s side at Wembley. And while he has won the trophy twice with Arsenal, he says it hasn’t been an easy transition since arriving at the more demanding surroundings of Old Trafford in the winter transfer market. “In truth it’s been very hard for me, coming to a big club, it changed everything. So today I’m really happy, for the team, the goal and for the attitude we showed throughout the game,” the Chilean told reporters after the game. “It was a great pass from Paul Pogba, and when the ball was in the air I wanted to hit it to the near post b

Seventy-six-year-old former president of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, is set to marry for the seventh time. His bride-to-be is 24-year-old Nonkanyiso Conco, who confirmed to  TimesLIVE  that she and the embattled former president are set to wed. “Yes‚ we are getting married‚ but that is all I can say. I need to consult before I give any interviews‚” she told the South African website. Conco is a director of the Pietermaritzburg-based Nomkhubulwane Culture and Youth Development Organisation‚ aimed at protecting the cultural practices of young Zulu women. Conco reportedly resides in the plush Ballito Estate Hilltop‚ home to some of the city’s most well-heeled residents. She would be Zuma’s youngest bride‚ at 52 years his junior. Zuma‚ who has always been a proponent of polygamy‚ is currently married to Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo‚ Thobeka Madiba-Zuma and Bongi Ngema-Zuma. He is divorced from Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and separated from Nompumelelo MaNtuli Zuma.

The Queen marked turning 92 with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening. But that is only one of the two birthdays the Queen celebrates. What is traditionally the bigger birthday is actually still to come. The monarch having two birthdays is a measure that was introduced 250 years ago, and it's still going strong. Below is all you need to know about why the Queen gets two days to mark her birthday every year instead of one. The Queen was born at 2.40am on April 21 at her maternal grandfather's London house. But she also has an official birthday in June - usually on the second Saturday. This year it falls on Saturday June 9. The reason for this second birthday all comes down to the British weather. Since 1748, the monarch's official birthday has been marked by the parade known as Trooping the Colour - usually held on the king or queen's actual birthday. But Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910, was born in November. Due to the harsh Novemb

Jose Mourinho felt his Manchester United team deserved to reach the Emirates FA Cup final at Tottenham Hotspur’s expense on Saturday evening. The Reds  came from behind to beat Spurs 2-1  at Wembley Stadium, thanks to goals from Alexis Sanchez and Ander Herrera, and reach a record-equalling 20th final of the famous competition, where we will play Chelsea or Southampton on 19 May.   Here are the key points from the boss in his interviews with  MUTV  and  BBC Sport , and in his post-match press conference... WE DESERVED TO WIN “I am very happy. We deserved it. If we split the match into periods, we were the best team for many of these periods. Even when they had the ball, when we were winning we were totally in control. We lost control after the 1-0. At half-time we spoke - we came back late for the second half because we spoke a lot - and organised ourselves. When you play away from home the supporters were phenomenal.” THERE IS TOO MUCH CRITICISM OF US  “We should ask