UCL Quarter-Final: Osimhen’s Late Goal Not Enough As Milan Beat Napoli, Real Madrid Eliminate Chelsea

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April 19, 2023

Napoli’s effort to get an equaliser was futile until the 93rd minute when Osimhen nodded in Giacomo Raspadori’s cross

Victor Osimhen’s journey in the Champion’s League this season with Napoli is officially over after they were edged out on a 2-1 aggregate scoreline by AC Milan.

The Nigerian striker who was unavailable for the first leg in San Siro which Milan won 1-0 scored a late goal in Tuesday’s second-leg clash in Naples.

However, it was not enough to salvage the situation as an earlier goal by Olivier Giroud meant Milan will be moving on to the semi-final of the Champions League for the first time since 2007.

Tuesday’s contest at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium had its fair share of drama as Giroud and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia both saw their penalties saved in the course of the match

After missing the glorious chance of putting Milan in front with his penalty miss in the 22nd minute, Giroud made amends in the 43rd minute by slotting home from a close range after a phenomenal run from Rafael Leao.

Napoli’s effort to get an equaliser was futile until the 93rd minute when Osimhen nodded in Giacomo Raspadori’s cross, but it was too late to make the needed impact,

Real win

Elsewhere, Real Madrid showed class again as they secured a 2-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Two goals from Rodrygo in the second half saw Los Blancos progress with an emphatic 4-0 aggregate scoreline,

The first half ended goalless, with both teams displaying a strong defensive performance.

Real Madrid’s Éder Militão received a yellow card in the 22nd minute for a bad foul, while Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella was also shown a yellow card in the 34th minute.

The first half came to an end with the scoreboard still reading Chelsea 0, Real Madrid 0 with some still nursing hopes the Blues can pull up some surprise.

As the second half began, Real Madrid made a substitution, bringing on Antonio Rüdiger for David Alaba.

The deadlock was broken in the 58th minute when Rodrygo scored his first goal of the night, a left-footed shot from very close range, assisted by Vinícius Júnior.

Chelsea made a series of substitutions in the 67th minute, with Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling, and João Félix entering the pitch, replacing Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernández, and Conor Gallagher respectively.

Real Madrid also made changes, with Aurélien Tchouaméni coming on for Karim Benzema in the 71st minute.

In the 76th and 77th minutes, both teams made further substitutions.

Real Madrid brought on Dani Ceballos for Toni Kroos, while Chelsea replaced Kai Havertz with Mason Mount.

Rodrygo struck again in the 80th minute, scoring his second goal of the night with a right-footed shot from very close range, assisted by Federico Valverde.

Already the most successful team in Champions League history, Real Madrid, are closing in on another title this season as they await either Manchester City or Bayern in the semi-final.

More Than 5,000 migrants Arrive The UK Through English Channel Crossing

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Angel Gimalo

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April 18, 2023

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A total of 5,049 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel so far this year, according to Home Office figures released on Tuesday.

Some 113 migrants were spotted in three boats on Monday, suggesting an average of 38 persons per boat, The Independent reported.

As one of his five key priorities while in power, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is committed to cracking down on migrants crossing the channel illegally in small boats.

However, Sunak confessed last week that his radical policy plans “won’t happen overnight” and declined to guarantee that they will be completed by the time of the next general election.

Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said the figures “show the full scale of the Tory failure to get any grip on channel crossings.”

She added: “All they offer is rhetoric and gimmicks instead of any kind of serious plan. No surprise that Rishi Sunak is rowing back on his promise to stop the boats this year.”

Since the government signed a deal to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda more than a year ago, nearly 45,000 migrants have arrived in the UK via the channel crossing.

U.K. Discovery: Near Clydebank, Archaeologists Find Remnants Of A Roman Fort

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Angel Gimalo

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April 18, 2023

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The remains of a Roman fortlet have been discovered in West Dunbartonshire.
A fort is a place that’s made strong and secure enough to be defended during a war.

New technology has enabled the archaeology team at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to uncover the structure after attempts to find it failed in the 1970s and 1980s.

The fortlet once stood next to the Antonine Wall.

Its buried remains have now been uncovered in a field close to Carleith Primary School in Duntocher, Clydebank.

HES announced the breakthrough on World Heritage Day, the international celebration of cultural heritage.

The Antonine Wall was the frontier that the Romans constructed across central Scotland, and is one of Scotland’s six Unesco World Heritage Sites.

Details of the fortlet were thought lost for hundreds of years.

It was referenced in 1707 by antiquarian Robert Sibbald, who wrote that he had seen a fortlet in the area around Carleith Farm. Excavation teams looked for it decades ago, but the exact location remained unknown.

After employing gradiometry, a geophysical surveying technique which looks under the soil without the need for excavation, the discovery was made.

The technique measures small changes in the earth’s magnetic field to detect archaeological features otherwise invisible from the ground surface.

It allowed archaeologists to identify the stone base of the fortlet, which remains buried underground. On top of this base, turf would have been laid to build a rampart about 2m high.

This fortlet would have been part of several along the Antonine Wall.

In its prime, it would have been occupied by 10 to 12 Roman soldiers who were stationed at a larger fort nearby, likely to be Duntocher. They would have manned the fort for a week at a time before being replaced by another detachment.

The fortlet would have been made up of two small wooden buildings to house the soldiers staying there and will have been used for the 20 years (AD142 – AD162) that the Antonine Wall was defended as the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire.

Incredible Spiral Swelling Appears In Alaska Sky

By

Angel Gimalo

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April 18, 2023

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A spiral formed in the Alaskan sky, adding to the spectacle of the northern lights.

The spiral occurred just before 2 a.m. on Saturday while Don Hampton and Jason Ahrns from the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute were recording a time-lapse of the auroras.

The aurora’s swirling colors can be seen in the video before a dazzling, white spiral appears within the green and vanishes in a flash.

The SpaceX Transporter-7 mission’s rocket engine exhaust, which launched late on Friday at the Californian Vandenberg Space Force Base, is most likely to blame for the spiral.

The spiral was most likely produced by water vapor in the engine exhaust freezing at high altitudes and catching the sun as the launch flew over Alaska.

Exploring Repovesi National Park, Finland

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Angel Gimalo

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April 18, 2023

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Repovesi National Park is an impressive area with forests, hills and lakes, located in the municipalities of Kouvola and Mäntyharju, in the southern part of the Republic of Finland.

As the rugged forests are dotted with blue lakes and ponds, the Repovesi National Park in the past was a site for intensive commercial forestry, however, it transformed successfully into a pristine park for the adventurous people in 2003.

Due to the vastness of the area, Repovesi is one of the best places for hiking, as there are over 40 kilometers (25 miles) of trails with various difficulty.

Many of the trails are quite demanding, because of the changes in altitude, nevertheless, there are stairs and duckboards in places, which are the most difficult to traverse.

The interesting fact is that the Finnish Army is using the east and northeast part of the park, which is a restricted area, therefore entering that specific area could get every person in trouble.

With a total area of 15 square km (6 square mi), there are many attractions that are offered there, such as: the Olhavanvuori hill, popular among climbers, and the Kultareitti water taxi route.

Also located in the park are the Kuutinlahti bay with its restored timber rafting channels, the Lapinsalmi suspension bridge, and many observation towers.

The timber rafting channels can be seen throughout the park, as it was practiced from 19th century, up until 1960s.

Logging was done by men and horses up to then. In winter the timber was taken onto the ice covering lakes, and in spring when the ice melted it was floated down streams to larger lakes.

Log floating flumes were built across rocky streams, among which the Kuutinkava Canal was one of the better known.

The trees that dominate the park are pine and birch, and from the fauna the red-throated diver, the Eurasian lynx, the moose, many owls and several galliformes are roaming wild together with bears, deer and various birds.

A thrill seeking place for the Scandinavian landscape lovers, this is definitely the place to be if someone would want to experience the wilderness of Finland which is so close to the capital Helsinki, and yet so far from civilization.

Once Upon A Time – April 18 – 1025 – Bolesław Chrobry Is Crowned 1st King Of Poland

By

Angel Gimalo

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April 18, 2023

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1025 Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland

1506 The cornerstone of the current St. Peter’s Basilica is laid in the Vatican by Pope Julius II

1775 Paul Revere and William Dawes ride from Charlestown to Lexington warning “the regulars are coming!”

1783 American Revolution: George Washington issues General Order announcing the end of hostilities with Britain, giving thanks to the Almighty, and offering congratulations and authorizing an extra ration of alcohol to the troops to celebrate

1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire kills nearly 4,000 while destroying 75% of the city

1954 Egyptian Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser seizes power and appoints himself Prime Minister

Historical Events Today Events in 2023
Today in Film & TV
2018 “Black Panther” is the first film shown at a commercial cinema in 35 years in Saudi Arabia as cinemas are reopened

Today in Music
1985 “Wham!” becomes the first western pop act to release an album in China

Today in Sport
1809 First run of 2,000 guineas horse race at Newmarket, England

1924 1st crossword puzzle book published by Simon & Schuster

1934 1st “Washateria” (laundromat) opens (Fort Worth, Texas)

Famous Weddings
1599 Valencia arch duke Albrecht of Austrian marries Isabella of Spain

1951 Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz (28) weds Joyce Halverson

1956 American film actress Grace Kelly (26) weds Prince Rainier III of Monaco (33) in a civil ceremony at the Prince’s Palace in Monaco-Ville, Monaco

Police Burst IPOB/ESN Camp, Recover Explosive Devices In Imo

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 18, 2023

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The Imo State police command on Tuesday said that it’s men dislodged a camp of Eastern Security Network located at Ubah Agwa / Izombe tropical forest in the Oguta Local Government Area of the state.

A statement issued by the spokesperson for the police in the state, Henry Okoye, disclosed that three Automatic Pump Action guns, Thirty-One (31) rounds of live cartridges, Fifty Nine (59) rounds of AK 47 ammunition, one Police hand grenade, IPOB/ESN insignia, blue and black colour Police uniforms, P-Cap, Police belt, military camouflage uniforms, one black colour tiger 150 motorcycle, one red Daylong Motorcycle, One black KYMCO motorcycle, one Sliver Color Honda Lady’s Motorcycle, one black travelling bag ‘Akubuokwu’ and phone number 07035470794, suspected to belong to a kidnapped or armed robbery victim were recovered during the operation.

The statement read “acting on diligently gathered actionable intelligence that members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militia affiliate (ESN), whose modus operandi is gorilla-like operation, that is, they unleash surprise terror attack and go into hiding in their criminal hideout, have once again reassembled and formed a camp at Ubah Agwa/Izombe tropical rain Forest in Oguta LGA of Imo State, strategizing how to perpetrate another dreadful crime, operatives of the Command’s Tactical teams swiftly swung into action, tactically maneuvered their way into the identified criminal hideout and raided it.

Gunmen kill Imo Police Inspector, Dump corpse

“The hoodlums on sighting the Police Operatives engaged them in a fierce gun duel but were overpowered by the superior fire power of the operatives who professionally took vantage position and returned fire forcing them to flee with various degrees of gunshot injuries. Concerted effort is on top gear to arrest the fleeing suspects.

“On searching the dislodged terrorist camp and shrine, Three (3) Automatic Pump Action guns, Thirty-One (31) rounds of live cartridges, Fifty Nine (59) rounds of AK 47 ammunition, one Police hand grenade, IPOB/ESN insignia, blue and black colour Police uniforms, P-Cap, Police belt, military camouflage uniforms, one black colour tiger 150 motorcycle, one red Daylong Motorcycle, One black KYMCO motorcycle, one Sliver Color Honda Lady’s Motorcycle, one black travelling bag ‘Akubuokwu’ and phone number 07035470794, suspected to belong to a kidnapped or armed robbery victim were recovered.

The commissioner of Police, CP Mohammed Ahmed Barde psc(+), while commending the officers and men for their gallantry, ordered operatives of the command to continually raid criminal hideouts and mop up illicit firearms. He thanked Imolites for their unalloyed support and assured them of the Command’s commitment in wiping out crime and criminality in the State.

“The well-meaning residents of the state are encouraged to be wary of persons living within their neighborhoods and to report any person seen with or treating bullet wounds to the nearest Police station or via the Command’s emergency numbers 0803773600 or 08098880197.”

Unilorin Set To Launch Electric Bus, Train Services

By

Rhoda Onuzulike

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April 18, 2023

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University of Ilorin is set to introduce home-grown electric bus and train services to ease transportation challenges being faced by students and staff.

Its Vice Chancellor, Abdulwahab Egbewole, stated this when he hosted media professionals at an event in Ilorin.

“Aside from the effort which the institution is making on the railway transportation, we are also looking at electric bus transportation. The good thing about it, is that this is home grown as few of our colleagues in the Department of Electrical Engineering are already working on that model and because we just released the Senate research grant, we are hoping part of the grant will be used to work on that model,” he said.

UK’s Electric Vehicle Charging Sites To Open Welsh Seaside Resort

The vice chancellor also said that, in the interim, more buses would be injected into the university transportation system, adding that discussions had been held with some investors that intend to introduce more buses on the road.

“Transportation problem has reduced because we have created, at least, within our campus and the university gate, a smooth ride. We are also looking at the government of Kwara State concluding the ongoing Tanke bridge project which we hope would further reduce the transportation challenge,” he said.

On where he sees the university by the end of his tenure, the vice chancellor expressed optimism in making the institution the number one university in Nigeria, Africa and to be one of the prominent key players in the world.

“Our academic calendar is progressing smoothly, continuous assessment of our students is ongoing, and we recently had our matriculation. Our university is set to improve on the feat as the most subscribed university by maintaining it for the fifth time in next Joint Admission and Matriculation Board examination,” he said.

A New NPFL Board To Come Alive In Four Weeks

By

Emenike Agu

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April 18, 2023

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The Nigeria Football Federation board has ordered a composition of the Nigeria Premier Football league board within the next one month.

It also directed that the boards of the lower leagues should also be constituted.

That was the high point in the communique issued on Tuesday after its Monday meeting in Abuja.

The current Nigeria Premier league is being organised by the Interim Management Committee following the disbandment of the League Management Company which ran the league from the 2012/13 season.

The IMC is currently running what is easily the smoothest league in the country as the rule of law has been strictly upheld.

The upcoming board will be the third time a body will be constituted since a governing body, called the Nigeria Football League was established in the 2005 season and inaugured on 18 January 2005.

The body had a 15-man interim management committee headed by Chief Obaseki. It was inaugurated by the then NFA Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Galadima, at the Le Meridian Hotel, Abuja.

The body ran the premier league till the

2012/2013 Season when the NPL board was pronounced illegal by a court.

The NFF then issued the license to organize and regulate the top tier league to the League Management Company (LMC) for the purpose of organizing and promoting the league to meet global technical and commercial standards. The franchise was granted following the near collapse of the Nigeria Premier League (NPL) organized by the Nigeria Football League (NFL) which arose from intractable legal, contractual, administrative and financial impediments.

It all began with the composition of an Interim Management Committee, IMC, which in turn supervised the formation and incorporation of the LMC which was owned by the NFF and the participating clubs.

According to the LMC, its promoters were allotted 25% shares in compliance with the provisions of the Nigeria Companies and Allied Matters Act, 1990.

Thus the NFF boss, as the representative of the association held five per cent of the allotted shares, whilst the Hon. Nduka Irabor as Chairman of the interim League Management Committee had 20% in trust.

The shares held by Irabor on behalf of the LMC were to be relinquished as soon as the Board of the company is appropriately constituted.

A sworn affidavit to this effect was deposited at the rightful public repository.

At first, club officials, nicknamed “Club Owners” kicked against the IMC-turned LMC.

With controversies settled, the league kicked off belatedly nearly four months behind schedule on March 9, 2013.

Ihf Women’s Trophy: Nigeria U18 Women’s Team Crowned Champions

By

Emenike Agu

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April 18, 2023

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Nigeria’s U18 girls were on Saturday, crowned champion of the IHF Women’s Trophy Africa Zone 3 Phase after defeating Benin Republic in Accra, Ghana.

The fans at the Tennis Arena of the Accra Sports Stadium, were in awe of Coach Shittu Agboola Adewunmi’s tutored girls as they conveniently earned a 42-17 victory over Benin Republic with goalkeeper Babatunde Kehinde getting the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match for a wonderful performance. She is the twin sister of Babatunde Taiwo who got the MVP in Nigeria’s first match against Liberia.

Thus, Nigeria qualifies for the IHF Women’s Trophy Continental Phase, winning four matches without losing any game in the competition.

Also, Nigeria’s Esther Matthew was voted as the Most Valuable Player of the championship while Goalkeeper Precious Samuel was picked by organizers as the Best Goalkeeper of the competition

President of the Handball Federation of Nigeria (HFN) Mr. Samuel Ocheho, who is in Accra in his capacity as the president of IHF Africa Zone 3. said he is excited that the development programmes of the HFN to discover talents are yielding dividends.

“I am super excited that the programmes of the HFN to discover players through our underage competition are yielding dividends.

“This is a testament to the successes of our programs and we will continue to ensure that we continue to development of the game and its continued growth,” Ocheho said.

Nigeria will represent Africa Zone 3 the continental phase of the IHF Trophy Africa phase in a yet-to-be-announced host country in a few months.