Forbes' list of world's highest-paid athletes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a list of the highest-paid athletes in the world for 2015 as ranked by Forbes magazine on their earnings. Amounts in United States dollar.

Sortable table

Rank	Name	Sport	Nation	Total	Salary/Winnings	Endorsements
1	Floyd Mayweather Jr.	Boxing	United States	$300 million	$285 million	$15 million
2	Manny Pacquiao	Boxing	Philippines	$160 million	$148 million	$12 million
3	Cristiano Ronaldo	Football	Portugal	$79.6 million	$52.6 million	$27 million
4	Lionel Messi	Football	Argentina	$73.8 million	$51.8 million	$22 million
5	Roger Federer	Tennis	Switzerland	$67 million	$9 million	$58 million
6	LeBron James	Basketball	United States	$64.8 million	$20.8 million	$44 million
7	Kevin Durant	Basketball	United States	$54.1 million	$19.1 million	$35 million
8	Phil Mickelson	Golf	United States	$50.8 million	$2.8 million	$48 million
9	Tiger Woods	Golf	United States	$50.6 million	$0.6 million	$50 million
10	Kobe Bryant	Basketball	United States	$49.5 million	$23.5 million	$26 million
11	Ben Roethlisberger	American football	United States	$48.9 million	$46.4 million	$2.5 million
12	Rory McIlroy	Golf	Northern Ireland	$48.3 million	$16.3 million	$32 million
13	Novak Djokovic	Tennis	Serbia	$48.2 million	$17.2 million	$31 million
14	Zlatan Ibrahimović	Football	Sweden	$39.1 million	$33.1 million	$6 million
15	Lewis Hamilton	Formula 1	England	$39 million	$36 million	$3 million
16	Ndamukong Suh	American football	United States	$38.6 million	$38.2 million	$0.4 million
17	Fernando Alonso	Formula 1	Spain	$35.5 million	$34 million	$1.5 million
18	Gareth Bale	Football	Wales	$35 million	$25.5 million	$9.5 million
19	Jon Lester	Baseball	United States	$34.1 million	$33.7 million	$0.4 million
20	Derrick Rose	Basketball	United States	$33.9 million	$18.9 million	$15 million
21	Sebastian Vettel	Formula 1	Germany	$33 million	$32 million	$1 million
22	Rafael Nadal	Tennis	Spain	$32.5 million	$4.5 million	$28 million
23	Mahendra Singh Dhoni	Cricket	India	$31 million	$4 million	$27 million
23	Neymar	Football	Brazil	$31 million	$14 million	$17 million
25	Carmelo Anthony	Basketball	United States	$30.5 million	$22.5 million	$8 million
26	Maria Sharapova	Tennis	Russia	$29.7 million	$6.7 million	$23 million
27	Carson Palmer	American football	United States	$29 million	$28.5 million	$0.5 million
27	James Rodríguez	Football	Colombia	$29 million	$24.5 million	$4.5 million
29	J.J. Watt	American football	United States	$27.9 million	$20.9 million	$7 million
30	Robinson Canó	Baseball	Dominican Republic	$27.6 million	$24.1 million	$3.5 million
31	Dwyane Wade	Basketball	United States	$27.2 million	$15.2 million	$12 million
32	Peyton Manning	American football	United States	$27 million	$15 million	$12 million
32	Kimi Räikkönen	Formula 1	Finland	$27 million	$25 million	$2 million
34	Clayton Kershaw	Baseball	United States	$26.9 million	$25.7 million	$1.2 million
34	Wayne Rooney	Football	England	$26.9 million	$19.9 million	$7 million
36	Gerald McCoy	American football	United States	$26.7 million	$26.5 million	$0.2 million
37	Chris Paul	Basketball	United States	$26.1 million	$20.1 million	$6 million
38	Radamel Falcao	Football	Colombia	$25.9 million	$21.9 million	$4 million
38	Albert Pujols	Baseball	Dominican Republic	$25.9 million	$23.4 million	$2.5 million
40	Ryan Howard	Baseball	United States	$25.6 million	$25 million	$0.6 million
41	Dwight Howard	Basketball	United States	$25.5 million	$21.5 million	$4 million
42	Cliff Lee	Baseball	United States	$25.2 million	$25 million	$0.2 million
43	Miguel Cabrera	Baseball	Venezuela	$25.1 million	$22.1 million	$3 million
44	Amar'e Stoudemire	Basketball	United States	$25 million	$22 million	$3 million
45	Sergio Agüero	Football	Argentina	$24.9 million	$17.9 million	$7 million
46	Blake Griffin	Basketball	United States	$24.7 million	$17.7 million	$7 million
47	Serena Williams	Tennis	United States	$24.6 million	$11.6 million	$13 million
48	Prince Fielder	Baseball	United States	$24.3 million	$24 million	$0.3 million
49	Joe Johnson	Basketball	United States	$24.2 million	$23.2 million	$1 million
50	Joe Mauer	Baseball	United States	$24 million	$23 million	$1 million
51	CC Sabathia	Baseball	United States	$23.9 million	$23 million	$0.9 million
52	Chris Bosh	Basketball	United States	$23.8 million	$20.8 million	$3 million
53	Zack Greinke	Baseball	United States	$23.7 million	$23.7 million	$0 million
53	Eli Manning	American football	United States	$23.7 million	$15.7 million	$8 million
55	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	NASCAR	United States	$23.6 million	$14.6 million	$9 million
56	Justin Verlander	Baseball	United States	$23.4 million	$22.7 million	$0.7 million
57	Andy Dalton	American football	United States	$23.3 million	$22.3 million	$1 million
58	Masahiro Tanaka	Baseball	Japan	$23 million	$22 million	$1 million
58	Mark Teixeira	Baseball	United States	$23 million	$22.5 million	$0.5 million
60	Félix Hernández	Baseball	Venezuela	$22.9 million	$22.7 million	$0.2 million
61	Cole Hamels	Baseball	United States	$22.7 million	$22.5 million	$0.2 million
61	Jimmie Johnson	Auto racing	United States	$22.7 million	$16.2 million	$6.5 million
63	Wladimir Klitschko	Boxing	Ukraine	$22.5 million	$19 million	$3.5 million
64	Andy Murray	Tennis	Scotland	$22.3 million	$6.3 million	$16 million
65	Matt Kemp	Baseball	United States	$22.2 million	$21 million	$1.2 million
66	LeSean McCoy	American football	United States	$22.1 million	$21.3 million	$0.8 million
67	Drew Brees	American football	United States	$22 million	$11 million	$11 million
67	Tony Romo	American football	United States	$22 million	$17 million	$5 million
69	Adrian Gonzalez	Baseball	United States	$21.5 million	$21.1 million	$0.4 million
70	Jacoby Ellsbury	Baseball	United States	$21.4 million	$21.1 million	$0.3 million
70	Tyron Smith	American football	United States	$21.4 million	$21.1 million	$0.3 million
72	Deron Williams	Basketball	United States	$21.3 million	$19.8 million	$1.5 million
73	Usain Bolt	Track and field	Jamaica	$21 million	$0 million	$21 million
73	Luis Suárez	Football	Uruguay	$21 million	$16.5 million	$4.5 million
75	Matt Cain	Baseball	United States	$20.8 million	$20.4 million	$0.4 million
75	David Wright	Baseball	United States	$20.8 million	$20 million	$0.8 million
77	Carl Crawford	Baseball	United States	$20.7 million	$20.4 million	$0.3 million
78	Jayson Werth	Baseball	United States	$20.6 million	$20.4 million	$0.2 million
79	Cesc Fàbregas	Football	Spain	$20.3 million	$15.3 million	$5 million
79	Hanley Ramírez	Baseball	Dominican Republic	$20.3 million	$20 million	$0.3 million
79	Russell Westbrook	Basketball	United States	$20.3 million	$15.8 million	$4.5 million
82	Justin Rose	Golf	England	$20.2 million	$8.2 million	$12 million
83	Yaya Touré	Football	Ivory Coast	$20 million	$17 million	$3 million
84	Rudy Gay	Basketball	United States	$19.9 million	$19.3 million	$0.6 million
85	Jordan Spieth	Golf	United States	$19.8 million	$8.8 million	$11 million
85	Adam Wainwright	Baseball	United States	$19.8 million	$19.7 million	$0.1 million
87	Frank Lampard	Football	England	$19.7 million	$15.7 million	$4 million
87	Kevin Love	Basketball	United States	$19.7 million	$15.7 million	$4 million
87	David Ortiz	Baseball	Dominican Republic	$19.7 million	$15.7 million	$4 million
90	Eden Hazard	Football	Belgium	$19.6 million	$16.1 million	$3.5 million
90	Alex Smith	American football	United States	$19.6 million	$19.1 million	$0.5 million
92	Kei Nishikori	Tennis	Japan	$19.5 million	$4.5 million	$15 million
93	Devin McCourty	American football	United States	$19.3 million	$19.1 million	$0.2 million
93	Mesut Özil	Football	Germany	$19.3 million	$12.8 million	$6.5 million
95	Aaron Rodgers	American football	United States	$19.1 million	$11.6 million	$7.5 million
96	Billy Horschel	Golf	United States	$19 million	$16 million	$3 million
97	Jeremy Lin	Basketball	United States	$18.9 million	$14.9 million	$4 million
97	Maurkice Pouncey	American football	United States	$18.9 million	$18.8 million	$0.1 million
97	Max Scherzer	Baseball	United States	$18.9 million	$18.7 million	$0.2 million
100	James Harden	Basketball	United States	$18.8 million	$14.8 million	$4 million

Medical students to spend seven years in school – NUC

The National Universities Commission has described as erroneous and misleading the news making the round that Nigerian medical students will now spend 11 years to obtain their first degree.
Its head of information department, Mrs. Adebukola Olatunji, clarified in a statement on Monday that medical students will only spend seven years in school rather than 11 years which was widely reported in the news.
Olatunji said newsmen misrepresented the NUC’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie, who was quoted to have announced the 11-year training period for medical students while giving the keynote address at the matriculation and inauguration of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, on March 12, 2016.
She said nowhere in the keynote address entitled, “Development of Medical Education in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges,” was 11 years mentioned or implied.
According to Olatunji, what Okojie explained was that the NUC’s basic minimum academic standard for Medicine and Surgery had been reviewed such that anyone wishing to study Medicine and Surgery and Dentistry will first have to study any of the four-year basic medical science courses such as Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry and Physiology before proceeding to the clinical training that would run for three years.
She said, “Although, the so-called ‘11-year Medical Programme’ stories have been credited to the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Prof. Julius Okojie’s keynote address titled, ‘Development of Medical Education in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges’, which was delivered at the Matriculation and Inauguration of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, on Saturday, March 12, 2016, nowhere in that lecture was 11 years mentioned or implied.
“Prof. Okojie, who was represented by the Deputy Executive Secretary l, Prof. Chiedu Mafiana, had explained that the new curriculum provides for a seamless seven-year programme.
“With the new curriculum, a medical student would be expected to graduate in Basic Medical Sciences, with options in Anatomy, Medical Biochemistry and Physiology in the first four years, before proceeding for the clinical training that would run for three years.
“Prof. Okojie had further explained that the reviewed BMAS went through a long process, which included wide consultations with the academia, professional associations and regulatory bodies, following the conduct of a market needs assessment.
“According to him, the consensus was that medical training should be post-graduate. The main goal is to ensure that the crop of graduates emerging from the programme are psychologically matured to practice, with a high level of competency.”
Olatunji said NUC’s new basic minimum academic standard not only retained the fundamental learning objectives of the six-year programme and the national development goals for health in the country, it also retained the international outlook to guarantee global competitiveness.
She said, “While noting that the extant six-year programme shall continue to subsist for a period to be determined, Prof. Okojie observed that attempts had been made over the years to run medical programme using course credit system and that the hallmark of the new document is that it clearly apportions credit weightings to all the courses and activities.”

26-year-old hacker gets $3M for self-driving car startup

A 26-year-old hacker just banked millions to take on Elon Musk.

George Hotz is the founder of Comma.ai, an autonomous driving startup that's roughly six months old. On Monday, top VC firm Andreessen Horowitz announced a $3.1 million investment in the company.

Comma.ai is working on a kit that will make it possible to turn regular vehicles into semi-autonomous ones. In October, Hotz purchased a 2016 Acura ILX, cameras and GoPro mounts and started developing the technology out of his San Francisco garage.
The goal is to bring the kit -- both computer vision software and the cameras -- to market for less than $1,000 a pop before the end of 2016. It'll be relatively easy to install, said Hotz, "on par with setting up a piece of IKEA furniture."
Chris Dixon, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, wrote that when he first met Hotz he was skeptical. But that quickly turned to enthusiasm after he tested the car and learned more about the artificial intelligence behind Comma.ai.
Hotz, who Dixon describes as "brilliant," has made quite a dent in Silicon Valley over the past decade.
When he was 17, he discovered a way to hack the iPhone so that all carriers could use the device, not just AT&T (the only carrier to initially have a contract). His alias, Geohot, became legendary in hacker circles.
He went to Rochester Institute of Technology but dropped out after one semester. He interned at Google , worked at Facebook (FB, Tech30), and was sued by Sony over a Playstation 3 hack. He took computer science courses at Carnegie Mellon but didn't earn a bachelor's degree.
"I think college is potentially the greatest scam in history," he told CNNMoney on Monday.
Hotz, who is originally from New Jersey, said he's long been fascinated with artificial intelligence but wasn't quite sure how to approach it.


"For awhile, I thought it was going to be incredibly difficult to contribute," he said. In January 2015, he started working as a researcher at Vicarious, a company that's building artificial intelligence algorithms. "I started reading all the papers. I thought, 'This stuff isn't that hard. This isn't ultra sophisticated. This is basic,'" he said.
Moreover, "the mistakes people are making are basic."
In July 2015, Hotz quit Vicarious in the hopes of striking up a deal with Musk himself. And it wasn't just a pipe dream. Hotz met Musk and proposed a new kind of computer vision system for Tesla. But after three months of conversation, the contract talks ultimately fizzled.
Hotz said it was because Musk wanted to be able to pass on Hotz's tech even if he met all the contract's requirements. Tesla did not immediately respond to request for comment.
That's when Hotz decided to go at it himself.
"I started to look around at the other players. These people are noobs," he said.
In particular, Hotz feels that General Motors (GM) got ripped off in its $1 billion acquisition of startup Cruise Automation, an autonomous driving kit that has yet to ship.
"That's an insane acquisition price for a company that has technology that questionably works," said Hotz. Andreessen Horowitz's investment is the first venture capital funding that Comma.ai has raised.
To date, the longest stretch his technology has successfully navigated is a one-hour ride from Mountain View to San Francisco.
Hotz's team is small -- just four people -- but he's hiring. He said he gets about 100 applications a day from interested candidates.

Ese Walter answers critics over denouncing Jesus, will give all the juicy details in new book

Barely a week after the story that Ese Walter had renounced her Christian faith because she no longer believes in God broke, Ese, who turned 32 last month,  made it very clear to critics that her father isn’t bothered about her decisions and so all haters need to mind their business.
She also stated that she is set to release a book detailing the full, uncensored gist about her experience with Pastor Biodun Fatoyinbo, the married COZA pastor who she had the alleged sexual affair with and how it affected her faith and attitude towards religion.
She wrote on social media: It was my birthday on Tuesday and the daddy called to sing me a birthday song in his usual fashion. He started with “happy birthday to youuuuu, happy birthday to youuuuu, happy birthday to youuuuu…. He got to the part he wanted to sing, ” all glory to god” and he said, “I read on instablog that you no longer beleive in god so I’d sing… ” All glory to whatever you believe innnnnn, all glory to whatever you beleive innnnn, all glory to whatever you beleive innnnnn…..” (He was singing this part fa) We laughed so hard. Birthday song ended.
He acknowledged he was aware I no longer believe. Life continued. That is my father. The one who has been responsible for me all my life.
He doesn’t care about religious bruhaha. Yet, some are carrying my matter on their heads planning to watch as my life goes under because I am “dining with the devil’ or is it end times they call it. Odiegwu! Una go wait taya o. I have decided to leave your religion alone but you won’t leave me and my unbeleif alone? Issorai. I got news though. The book is set to drop next month. All the parts of the story I couldn’t put on the blog for shame and fear is on there.

Taylor Swift Comes Out On Top At The 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards

Taylor Swift accepts the award for ‘Album of the Year,’ for ’1989,’ onstage at the iHeartRadio Music Awards which broadcasted live on TBS, TNT, AND TRUTV from The Forum on April 3, 2016 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio / Turner)

Taylor Swift started out the night as the leading lady, and when all’s said and done at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards, she ended up winning more than anybody else, which is per usual for the star. Swift won four trophies, including Album of the Year (a category she has triumphed in before at other ceremonies) and Best Tour. The only other acts that won more than a single vertical were Twenty One Pilots and Justin Bieber.

The show was a star-studded affair, though it had to compete with both the Juno Awards in Canada and the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, both of which also attracted their fair share of big names. Some of the best showings on the stage at The Forum in Inglewood included performances by DNCE (who had music industry legend Nile Rodgers join them), Zayn, and Demi Lovato, who brought country star Brad Paisley out for a knockout rendition of her current single, “Stone Cold”.

Here is the full list of winners from this year’s iHeartRadio Music Awards:

Song of the Year – Adele – “Hello”
Female Artist of the Year – Taylor Swift
Male Artist of the Year – Justin Bieber

Recommended by Forbes

Best New Artist – Fetty Wap
Best Duo/Group of the Year – Maroon 5
Album of the Year – Taylor Swift – 1989
Best Tour – Taylor Swift
Alternative Rock Artist of the Year – Twenty One Pilots
Alternative Rock Song of the Year – Twenty One Pilots – “Stressed Out”
Rock Artist of the Year – Foo Fighters
Rock Song of the Year – Zac Brown Band – “Heavy Is The Head (ft. Chris Cornell)”
Country Song of the Year – Chris Janson – “Buy Me A Boat”
Country Artist of the Year – Luke Bryan
Dance Song of the Year – Skrillex & Diplo – “Where Are Ü Now? (ft. Justin Bieber)”
Dance Artist of the Year – Calvin Harris
Hip Hop Song of the Year – Drake – “Hotline Bling”
Hip Hop Artist of the Year – Drake
R&B Song of the Year – The Weeknd – “Earned It”
R&B Artist of the Year – Chris Brown
Latin Song of the Year – Nicky Jam & Enrique Iglesias – “El Perdón”
Latin Artist of the Year – Pitbull
Regional Mexican Song of the Year – Voz de Mando – “Levantando Polvadera”
Regional Mexican Artist of the Year – Banda Los Recoditos
Best Lyrics – Rachel Platten – “Fight Song”
Best Collaboration – Mark Ronson – “Uptown Funk (ft. Bruno Mars)”
Best Cover Song – “Uptown Funk” – Fifth Harmony, Jasmine V, Jacob Whitesides and Mahogany Lox covering Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Best Song from a Movie – Lady Gaga – “Til It Happens To You” (The Hunting Ground)
Most Meme-able Moment – Taylor Swift’s “Crazy Girl” with Running Mascara (from “Blank Space” video)
Best Fan Army – Selena Gomez – Selenators

'Good weed helped me create my album' - Zayn Malik

HomeCelebritynewsdesk

Fomer member of the teen-sensation boy band, Zayn Malik is definitely having the time of his life as a solo artiste.

The singer has set the record as being the first UK male artiste to debut at no. 1 on the Billboard charts with his album, "Mind of Mine" knocking Adele's "25" from the top spot.

Congrats to @ZaynMalik, whose "Mind of Mine" album debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 https://t.co/ssCdHl3M7I pic.twitter.com/jpmDFzfRMF

— billboard (@billboard) April 3, 2016

Malik is the first UK male artist to reach the top of the American charts in 28 years since George Michael’s 'Faith' in 1988 in addition to being the first UK act to top the US charts since his former group, One Direction did in 2012 with "Up All Night".

"Mind of mine" and its lead single 'Pillow Talk' both reached number one in  83 countries on iTunes within 24 hours of it's release. Balling extraordinaire.

In an interesting move, Zayn credited his record breaking success to his smoking pot. Speaking to NME, he said:

"I’ve probably been smoking for a while. I don’t wanna say when I started because I don’t want to influence anyone else. That’s just something I do myself. It helps sometimes with the creative process, if you’re smoking a good weed."

Well, we hope he keeps hitting the pot and dropping more hits then.

Kourtney Kardashian Posts a Poolside, Cheetah Print Bikini-Clad 'Belfie'

The beautiful thing about modern technology is that now not only can you use your telephone to call people, but you can also connect with millions of strangers via social media who will follow your every makeup-free move courtesy of the camera also stored in that same aforementioned device. And as Kourtney Kardashian discovered on Sunday, the cell phone serves another very important purpose: the perfect scapegoat for when you need to take a good old-fashioned belfie.

Kourtney Kardashian/Instagram

The reality star spent her weekend lounging poolside in a cheetah print bikini, when the great philosophical paradox of the Kardashian’s existence suddenly struck her—if I don’t Instagram this did any of it really even happen? And so, naturally, a selfie had to be taken, but with nary a professional photographer nor a friend to take one of Kourt’s signature triplegrams in sight, what was a girl to do? Why, strike a dramatic, contorted lounge chair pose, snap a belfie, and blame it on the angle your selfie camera happened to land at, of course.



The caption on this shot, “Selfie camera view,” seems to imply the eldest Kardashian is shirking all responsibility for the taking and posting of this sexy poolside snap. It’s sort of the #IWokeUpLikeThis of the technological world, but also a potentially genius new marketing ploy for Apple. Just think of the time we’d all save if your phone just went ahead and took and posted all of your most scandalous belfies on your behalf!

Angry wife shoots husband's scrotum for cheating on her

A woman in Florida has been arrested for allegedly shooting her husband's scrotum because he had an affair with another woman.

According to Brevard County police, the 60-year-old woman identified as Victoria Reid, fired a gun at her husband's private parts while discussing his affair with another woman.

Police investigation revealed when her husband came home from work, Reid pulled a gun and demanded they have a discussion about his extra-marital activities.

She ordered her husband to sit on the couch and told him that she was going to disfigure him because she was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Reid then threatened her husband that she will shoot him in the face and chest and then fired a shot at his groin area. She was aiming for his left knee but the bullet traveled up his thigh and lodge in his testicles.

Reid was arrested and charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon domestic violence, kidnapping and aggravated assault domestic violence.

She was booked into the Brevard County Jail, and her bail was set at $35,000.

FG urged to arrest, prosecute those selling fuel above official rates

A former chairman of Kazaure local government area of Jigawa state, Alhaji Saleh Yahaya Taki, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to arrest and prosecute dealers of petroleum selling above government’s approved rates.
Speaking in an interview at the weekend in Kano, Taki said those selling petroleum products above government prices were criminals and saboteurs, and urged the President to identify them, withdraw their licences and prosecute them.
According to him, if this is done there will be sanity in the sector and those into this dubious practice will stop henceforth.
“It is not the duty of the President, once he fixes prices or regulates how certain things should be done, to again monitor how it should be implemented; he has Ministers, Advisers, Governors and other supporting staff to do this for him. None of our refineries were bombed. The petroleum minister should invite those who built the refineries to look at them and change what should be changed for them to work again, but corrupt officials of the refineries do not want government from repair them, so, they should be identified and prosecuted.”
He called senators to immediately remove Bukola Saraki as their president “since he is facing trial before a competent court of jurisdiction; this is the only reason our senators would concentrate on their jobs.”
Taki said he had to dump his former party, the PDP, to support President Buhari in 2015 “because PDP ruled Nigeria for 16 years and virtually destroyed the country and had nothing to offer again.”

Bayern wary of a slip-up against ‘dangerous’ Benfica

Bayern Munich’s Spanish head coach Pep Guardiola

Bayern Munich are eager to avoid suffering another Champions League slip-up to Portuguese opposition in the Champions League quarter-finals when they host Benfica on Tuesday in the first-leg. Pep Guardiola’s Bavarians were humbled 3-1 away to Porto at the same stage of the competition last season in the first leg before roaring back with a 6-1 victory in Munich to reach the semi-finals with a 9-2 aggregate win.
After Bayern beat last season’s finalists Juventus 6-4 on aggregate in the last 16, the German media seem to think their passage into the semi-finals is a foregone conclusion before they even face Portuguese league leaders Benfica over two legs.
But the Bavarians insist on taking nothing for granted.
“The game is dangerous. We have to remind ourselves about what we experienced in Porto last year,” said Bayern’s forward Mario Goezte.
Germany’s World Cup winner hopes to face Benfica after his powerful run led to Franck Ribery’s spectacular winning goal in Saturday’s 1-0 league win over Eintracht Frankfurt in a lacklustre performance from the Bavarians, who remain top of the Bundesliga.
Striker Robert Lewandowski admitted they were already thinking of the Benfica game while playing Frankfurt.
Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has warned Bayern need to produce more than Ribery’s stunning bicycle kick against Benfica: “That won’t be enough on Tuesday”.
The Bavarians know they can ill afford a repeat offkey display as they hunt a fifth straight appearance in the Champions League semi-finals.
History is on the Bavarians’ side.
Bayern have won all three previous meetings with Benfica in European competition on their way to winning the 1975/76 European Cup, reaching the 1981/82 European Cup final and lifting the UEFA Cup in 1995/96.
Nevertheless Rui Vitoria will bring his Benfica side to the Allianz Arena knowing it will be “very difficult, but we are up for a challenge”.
Benfica have won 19 of their last 20 games in all competitions, the exception being their 2-1 home defeat to Porto in February.
Brazil striker Jonas has scored 18 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions in 2016 to keep his side top of the Portuguese league.
Bayern have lost at home just once this season when Mainz took their chances and hit Guardiola’s side on the counterattack at the Allianz Arena to seal a 2-1 league win in Germany’s top flight nearly five weeks ago.
Guardiola will be without Netherlands captain Arjen Robben, who has a groin injury, but France winger Kingsley Coman should be fit after missing their win over Frankfurt with a leg knock.

Pastor Okotie advises El-Rufai on preaching bill

The Chairman, Fresh Democratic Party, Pastor Chris Okotie, has advised the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, to change his plan to introduce a law that would require preachers to obtain a licence before preaching in the state.
Okotie, in a statement issued by his media aide, Ladi Ayodeji, on Saturday, said the proposed law would adversely affect the image of the All Progressives Congress.
He said, “The governor should also consider that religion is on the exclusive list, and the parameters for effectively executing such a widely berthed licensing action are beyond the purview of government understanding of the numerous religions.
“The criteria for licensing would be impossible for the government to decide.”
Okotie said he was aware that the new law was intended to check the activities of religious extremists in the state, but warned that it could cause an outrage.
The cleric warned that any action that could upset the growing amity between various religious groups in the country must be avoided.
“Instead, we should all unite with the governments in its battle to contain cult
violence, street crimes, kidnapping, child abuse and youth restiveness across the country.
“It is not good for the governor to enact a law that could inflame religious passions at a time when his party, the APC, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, appears to be defeating the Boko Haram insurgent, with the hope of their final defeat clearly on the horizon,” the statement added.
Okotie also commiserated with the family of the late Dr. Tunji Braithwaite.

Arms Deal: Prove your innocence - EFCC tells Metuh

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the spokesperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, to disprove the allegation of fraud and money laundering against him rather than seeking to malign the judge with the aim of scuttling his trial.
The EFCC argued that Metuh’s unsubstantiated allegation of bias against Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and his claim that they (Metuh and Justice Abang) were mates at the Law School do not constitute a sufficient ground to ask the judge to quit the trial .
EFCC is prosecuting Metuh and Destra Investment Limited on a seven-count charge of fraud and money laundering in relation to the N400 million he allegedly received unlawfully from ex-National Security Adviser (NSA) Sambo Dasuki and the $2 million he allegedly got as gift at the last PDP national convention where ex-President Goodluck Jonathan was adopted as the party’s sole candidate for the last election.
They have been on trial in Justice Abang’s court since January 15 till the prosecution closed its case after calling eight witnesses, who were cross-examined by defence lawyers.
When they were to begin their defence, Metuh and his company, represented by a team led by Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN), made a no-case submission, which the judge, on March 9, dismissed on the grounds that the prosecution made a case against them, which required them to enter a defence.
The EFCC, in its counter affidavit against their motion for the judge to quit and another for indefinite adjournment until the determination of their application at the Court of Appeal for a stay of proceedings at the Federal High Court, argued that Metuh and his company were trying to scuttle the trial.
Lead prosecution lawyer Sylvanus Tahir noted, in his written submission to the counter affidavit, that the allegations of bias and other claims by Metuh and Detra were intended to frustrate the trial as they had submitted to the court’s jurisdiction even when Metuh knew he was the judge’s schoolmate.
“All manner of allegations, as stated by the defendants, were cooked up by them just to justify frustrating the stalling of proceedings. We submit that the antics and gimmicks deployed by the defendants are nothing but mere afterthought and pure blackmail aimed at intimidating the court to drop the case in the guise or pretext of bias by the judge.
“The allegations of bias levelled by the defendants against the court relate merely to the exercise of judicial powers by the court, without any evidence of facts or circumstances that suggest that the court did, in fact, favour one side unfairly,” Tahiir said.
On Metuh’s claim that he was the judge’s school mate, Tahir argued that by virtue of the oath of office subscribed to by a judicial officer, a judge handling a case was only required to administer justice without fear or favour, irrespective of parties involved.
“In the circumstances of this case, even if the judex and the 1st defendant (Metuh) were classmates, one would have thought that relationship would have given more concern to the prosecution than the defence for obvious reasons. The prosecution would have been the one to entertain fear that the court may favour its classmate,” he said.
In response to Metuh’s allegation that there had been a “frosty relationship” between him and the judge , Tahir argued that Metuh’s refusal to duel on what constituted the supposed “frosty relationship” amounted to mere allegation without substance.
“The 1st defendant suddenly woke up when it is time to open his defence to remember an alleged ‘frosty relationship’ that had existed over the years. This is blackmail of unprecedented proportion, which cannot be a ground to disqualify his lordship (the judge),” he said.
Tahir also faulted Metuh’s claim that the judge frustrated his appeal by allegedly refusing to release records of proceedings, noting that the only decision of the judge, which Metuh appealed against was that given on March 9 and for which the judge released to him, a type-written copy of the proceedings on March 17.
“Other tendentious and mundane allegations of bias remain unsubstantiated and unproven. Even the normal practice of a litigant (either in civil or criminal cases) standing either in the dock or witness box until his counsel draws the attention of the judex, with an oral request for the litigant to sit down, which is acceded to by the court, has become an issue of bias.
“Another germane issue on the allegation of bias is that the test of real likelihood of bias is that of a reasonable man, not that of a man, who has made up his mind to pull down the institution of justice in a desperate bid to undermine the judicial process and get off the hook by all means,” Tahir said.
The prosecution lawyer urged the court to refuse Metuh’s application for indefinite adjournment pending the Court of Appeal’s determination of his (Metuh’s) motion for a stay of proceedings in relation to the trial.
Tahir faulted the application, citing sections 396(3) & (5) and 306 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, and Section 19 (2) and 40 of EFCC Act. He argued that the defendants, knowing that their application for indefinite adjournment was unknown to law, failed to “state the particular rules of court under which the application for adjournment was brought.
“The point needs to be stressed that this is a criminal proceeding. The applicants did not bring their application for adjournment under any relevant section of the ACJA, 2015 to enable the court grant the application.
“The motion, brought pursuant to Section 6 (6) of the Constitution, is hopelessly incompetent and should be dismissed without much ado,” Tahir said.
Justice Abang is expected to entertain parties’ arguments on all applications by Metuh and his company on April 8, following which it would be determined whether the defence would be accorded the last opportunity to open its case or the judge to quit, for proceedings to commence afresh before a new judge.

Soldiers clash with suspected cultists in Rivers

There was a heavy shootout on Sunday between soldiers and some suspected cult members in Ubete community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Though the casualty figure could not be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, it was gathered that the shootout began on Saturday after soldiers raided some of the criminal hideouts within the area.
Sources said the soldiers had stormed four local government areas in the state, including Ahoada West, where crime was believed to have gone to a worrisome level, with a view to arresting those involved in violence and other crimes.
The deafening shootout in Ahoada West, according to sources, forced some residents of the area to stay indoors.
It was gathered that the armed youths, who appeared not to be scared by the heavy presence of soldiers in the areas, had engaged the security operatives in a fierce gun battle.
An indigene of the area, who gave his name as Joseph, said, “We learnt that a rival cult group killed a member of another cult group on Saturday. While the deceased was about to be buried, his colleagues decided to unleash mayhem to show their anger.
“I learnt that nobody was killed, but motorists and other people making use of the main road in the community were molested. I think that is why some soldiers came. Policemen were also around yesterday when the tension was building up in the community.”
Confirming the shootout between the soldiers and suspected criminals, the Assistant Army Public Relations Officer of 2 Brigade, Captain Eli Lazarus, said the Army had embarked on an operation in Ahoada West.

‘Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved in one year’

Alhaji Muktari Mapia, an All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Sokoto State has urged Nigerians to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in its efforts to reposition the country.
Mapia told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Sokoto on Monday that such support was necessary as the nation’s problems cannot be solved in one year.
He stressed that what the administration requires at this critical stage, was the collective support and understanding of all Nigerians.
He said that the administration inherited myriads of problems, urging Nigerians to be patient and align with the change mantra of the Federal Government to reposition the country.
Mapia advised Nigerians irrespective of religious and political affiliations to pray for God’s intervention in the nation’s socio-economic and political activities.

Chelsea appoint Conte on a three-year deal

Italian national soccer headcoach Antonio Conte

Chelsea have appointed Italy’s national team coach  Antonio Conte as new coach on a three-year contract.
A message on the club’s website said Conte, whose formal appointment came earlier than the summer generally expected, will begin work in London following his country’s participation in this summer’s Euro 2016 tournament.
The 46-year-old said: ‘I am very excited about the prospect of working at Chelsea Football Club. I am proud to be the coach of the national team of my country and only a role as attractive as manager of Chelsea could follow that.
‘I am looking forward to meeting everyone at the club and the day-to-day challenge of competing in the Premier League.
‘Chelsea and English football are watched wherever you go, the fans are passionate and my ambition is to have more success to follow the victories I enjoyed in Italy.
‘I am happy we have made the announcement now so everything is clear and we can end the speculation. I will continue to focus on my job with the Italian national team and will reserve speaking about Chelsea again until after the Euros.’
The manager would be be the fifth Italian to manage Chelsea, following Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti and Roberto Di Matteo.

Jonathan bastardised Nigeria – Shettima

Governor Kashim Shettima

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has said the All Progressives Con­gress (APC)-led Federal Government is trying to re­build the country after it was bastardised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ad­ministration led by former president Goodluck Jona­than.
Governor Shettima, who is also the chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, assured that the fuel scarcity being experienced in the country at the moment would end in a couple of weeks.
BORNO State Governor, Kashim Shettima, has said the All Progressives Con­gress (APC)-led Federal Government is trying to re­build the country after it was bastardised by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ad­ministration led by former president Goodluck Jona­than.
Governor Shettima, who is also the chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum, assured that the fuel scarcity being experienced in the country at the moment would end in a couple of weeks. He said President Muhammadu Bu­hari has put necessary ma­chinery in place to get things right.
Shettima stated this in Ow­erri, Imo State, yesterday, while fielding questions from newsmen when he visited Governor Rochas Okorocha with the governors of Ni­ger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sanni Bello and Jigawa State, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar Monmni. He noted that “the hiccups faced by the nation at the moment was expected, as the APC government is in the process of rebuilding the nation from the bastardized state it was left by the PDP.
“When PDP was misrul­ing the country, the price of oil was hovering around 140 dollars per barrel. The price has now plummeted to less than 40 dollars per barrel. It is to the credit of President Buhari that the nation is still moving despite the decline in revenue. If the PDP had con­tinued in power, the nation would have disintegrated,” Governor Shettima said.
He continued: “The in­tegrity of the president has earned Nigeria respect in the global community as corrup­tion has reduced drastically and impunity is a thing of the past now. Nigerians should give President Buhari the benefit of doubt because he has shown sincerity in his de­sire to build a nation of our collective dreams and aspira­tions.”
Governor Shettima said Boko Haram has been dealt a deadly blow by the APC-led Federal Government as all the roads that were pre­viously closed have been reopened while the local governments have been re­covered from the insurgents.
“The APC government has scored a great deal in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency. All the roads in Borno State have been opened for business unlike before when Boko Haram was occupying some local government areas”.
Also speaking, Gover­nor Okorocha said: “There was enough evidence that Nigeria was almost go­ing down the drain before the emergence of the APC government. God loves this country and that is why he brought APC at this point in time to save the nation from imminent collapse.
He said President Muhammadu Bu­hari has put necessary ma­chinery in place to get things right.
Shettima stated this in Ow­erri, Imo State, yesterday, while fielding questions from newsmen when he visited Governor Rochas Okorocha with the governors of Ni­ger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sanni Bello and Jigawa State, Alhaji Badaru Abubakar Monmni.
He noted that “the hiccups faced by the nation at the moment was expected, as the APC government is in the process of rebuilding the nation from the bastardized state it was left by the PDP.
“When PDP was misrul­ing the country, the price of oil was hovering around 140 dollars per barrel. The price has now plummeted to less than 40 dollars per barrel. It is to the credit of President Buhari that the nation is still moving despite the decline in revenue. If the PDP had con­tinued in power, the nation would have disintegrated,” Governor Shettima said.
He continued: “The in­tegrity of the president has earned Nigeria respect in the global community as corrup­tion has reduced drastically and impunity is a thing of the past now. Nigerians should give President Buhari the benefit of doubt because he has shown sincerity in his de­sire to build a nation of our collective dreams and aspira­tions.”
Governor Shettima said Boko Haram has been dealt a deadly blow by the APC-led Federal Government as all the roads that were pre­viously closed have been reopened while the local governments have been re­covered from the insurgents.
“The APC government has scored a great deal in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency. All the roads in Borno State have been opened for business unlike before when Boko Haram was occupying some local government areas”.
Also speaking, Gover­nor Okorocha said: “There was enough evidence that Nigeria was almost go­ing down the drain before the emergence of the APC government. God loves this country and that is why he brought APC at this point in time to save the nation from imminent collapse.

Iceland’s Prime Minister urged to resign after Panama Papers leak

Iceland’s prime minister was under pressure to quit Monday after the leak of the “Panama Papers” tax documents showed he and his wife used an offshore firm to allegedly hide million-dollar investments. A former prime minister urged Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson to resign after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism on Sunday released 11.5 million financial records detailing the holdings of a dozen current and former world leaders.
They included Gunnlaugsson of Iceland’s right-wing Progressive Party and his wife Anna Sigurlaug Palsdottir, as well as criminals and celebrities.
“The prime minister should immediately resign,” former Social Democratic prime minister Johanna Sigurdardottir said in a message posted on Facebook.
More than 16,000 Icelanders have also signed a petition demanding his resignation, while the opposition has said it will seek a vote of no confidence in parliament, likely to be held this week.
According to the documents, Gunnlaugsson and Palsdottir purchased the offshore company Wintris Inc. in the British Virgin Islands in December 2007. He transferred his shares to his wife in 2009 for the symbolic sum of one dollar.
Gunnlaugsson on Sunday denounced the release of the documents and called it a witch hunt against him and his wife.
“She (Palsdottir) has been adamant to pay taxes on it (Wintris) to the Icelandic society rather than saving money by paying taxes abroad.
“She has neither utilised tax havens nor can you say that her company is an offshore company in the sense that it pays taxes abroad rather than in Iceland,” Gunnlaugsson said on his website.
Gunnlaugsson was elected in 2013 by promising full transparency but he has been in the hot seat since his wife acknowledged the existence of the company in mid-March.
In an interview with Swedish public broadcaster SVT that aired Sunday in Iceland, Gunnlaugsson stormed out and refused to answer any questions when pushed to explain the nature of the offshore company.
“There have not been any of my assets hidden anywhere,” Gunnlaugsson said.
“It’s like you are accusing me of something,” he said.
His spokesperson told SVT that the couple had followed all Icelandic law and had declared all income and property since 2008.
Despite media requests, his tax records had not yet been publicly released.
A demonstration calling for Gunnlaugsson’s resignation was to be held Monday evening in Reykjavik.
“People should not have a prime minister they are ashamed of… The prime minister expressed a distrust of the currency and the Icelandic economy by putting money in a tax haven,” said Sigurdardottir, the former prime minister.

We’re clearing 16 years of PDP’s mess – Tinubu

Senator Bola Tinubu, national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) should be held responsible for the ongoing crises in the power and petroleum sectors of the country.
He also said the APC was kept busy repairing the damage the PDP left behind, and as such, Nigerians must be realistic and objective.
The APC chieftain stated this in the face of lingering blackouts, scarcity of petrol and biting economic hardship nationwide.
Tinubu told newsmen at the weekend in Lagos: “We want to stay focused and redirect Nigeria. We want to reverse the decay of 16 years. We are hearing comments from the PDP left and right. We are saying we want to clear the mess they created. For 16 good years, the PDP destroyed the country. We should not be lamenting over petrol queues today if they had seen what was necessary and done what was necessary for this country.
“We can’t be emotional and live in self-denial. They should have done the Awolowo Road and the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. If they put priority on our railroad, if they put priority on electricity generation and distribution, we will not be in this mess today.
“Nigerians are not impatient with the APC government; they just want to see the direction of the economic policy and want to be certain of the future. They want to be assured that we will not continue the leaderless, directionless and hopelessness of the past 16 years.
“The fact is that Nigerians do not want the importation of toothpicks to continue, we can make toothpicks out of our bamboo trees. Nigeria does not want to import rice or plastic. Nigeria does not want to continue in the direction of the past 16 years.
“What did they leave behind in our account? Why should certain things that we bring into this country become our priority? Why do we have to import those things that we can produce? The country needs surgical operation in the hands of a very honest Nigerian.”