Rescued circus lions take first steps on African veld

Thirty-three lions rescued from circuses in Peru and Colombia set paw on the African veld for the first time Sunday after an epic journey by plane and truck.
The lions roared in unison as they arrived shortly after dawn at their new home on the 5,000 hectare Emoya Big Cat Sanctuary in the north of South Africa, where they will live out their lives.
Among the first out of their crates were brothers Junior and Bumbo from Columbia, who came out cautiously, sniffing the trees and grass and marking their territory.
After ambling up and down the fences of their enclosure, they charged playfully at each other and rolled in the dust.
“I am so grateful to have them here finally, it’s a dream come true,” said Savannah Heuser, 19, who runs the sanctuary with her mother.
“They have had a long journey but they are surprisingly calm. Some of them were agitated during the trip and they have some minor injuries, but nothing serious.”
The lions arrived at Johannesburg’s international airport late on Saturday afternoon after flying for more than 15 hours in what is believed to be the biggest airlift of its kind, and were driven through the night to Emoya.
“They have lived a life of absolute hell. They’ve been beaten and they’ve been starved,” Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International (ADI), an animal rights charity that organised the flight, told reporters at the airport.
“They’ve been deprived of everything that makes life worth living for a lion. I believe we have brought them back to paradise, where they belong,” she said.
ADI posted a picture on their Facebook page of a Colombian lion shortly after arriving at Emboya.
“Iron enjoys what is clearly a very satisfying rub against a tree, his first ever,” the caption reads.
The lion enclosures are set in a clearing among natural bush and veld, each with trees, rocks, a hay bale and water filled troughs.
“The lion habitats will be steadily expanded over the coming months as the lions become familiar with their new life and are introduced to each other,” said ADI.
The lions were bred in captivity and many have broken teeth or other ailments — one is almost blind, another has lost an eye and most had their claws removed — which would make it impossible for them to survive in the wild.
The lions were freed with the assistance of the authorities after the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Peru and Colombia.
Twenty-four lions rescued in Peru then were driven from their temporary rescue centre to Lima airport to be picked up by a cargo plane that had brought another nine over from Colombia before taking off for Africa.
“The lions will be in their natural habitat for the first time in their lives,” Creamer said. “They should fit right into that habitat. It’s the best environment for them.”
They will be fed game meat for their first meal at Emoya, which is already home to six rescued lions and two tigers.

‘Sex masochism’ as Van Gaal blasts hairline Huth

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal bizarrely compared Leicester defender Robert Huth’s hair-pull on Marouane Fellaini with “sex masochism” and also tugged a television reporter by the hair in an eccentric attempt to defend his player.

Van Gaal was quizzed on the incident which saw United midfielder Fellaini escape without punishment after elbowing Huth in the neck and opted to explain why the Belgian had reacted that way by getting physical with the reporter.

Claiming Fellaini’s hair had been grabbed by Huth in a deliberate piece of provocation, van Gaal reached out to do the same to his Sky Sports interviewer.

“It was a very difficult match for the referee — when you see what Huth is doing with Fellaini, is that not a penalty?,” van Gaal said.

“When I grab your hair…Your hair is much shorter.

“Every human being who is grabbed with their hair would react.”
Then in a separate interview with the BBC, van Gaal conjured up another odd expression to lambast Huth.

“It is not in the books that somebody has to grab with the hair and pull from behind. Only in sex masochism, then it is allowed,” he said.

United will now wait to see if Fellaini is retrospectively punished by the Football Association for his offence.

Mane treble ruins City’s warm-up for Real clash

Sadio Mane’s hat-trick ensured Manchester City will face Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final on the back of a painful 4-2 defeat at Southampton on Sunday.

Already frustrated at being forced to play this game three days before the trip to the Bernabeu when his side will attempt to build on a scoreless first leg, City manager Manuel Pellegrini’s mood will have only darkened from the moment Shane Long put Southampton on course for a resounding victory.

The loss leaves Pellegrini’s men in fourth place, four points ahead of Manchester United who have a game in hand, and while City striker Kelechi Iheanacho scored twice, there were few positives for the visitors ahead of next week’s decisive clash in Madrid.

Pellegrini, who had contrasted the authorities’ unwillingness to move the game forward with the approach taken in other countries, made eight changes to the side that faced Real at Eastlands last Tuesday, with only Joe Hart, Nicolas Otamendi and Fernandinho starting both games.

And the evidence of the first half suggested City’s thoughts were elsewhere, despite the need to secure their place in the top four.

Iheanacho worked hard to maintain a threat up front and the youngster’s efforts overshadowed those of Raheem Sterling and Wilfried Bony who offered little before the break.

But Pellegrini’s main concerns will be the performance of his back four, with the central defensive pairing of Otamendi and Eliaquim Mangala struggling to contain Long, while left-back Aleksandar Kolarov did little to suggest he should start in the Bernabeu.

Long had already twice exposed the City backline before the home side went ahead, first when he allowed Otamendi to make a covering tackle and then again when he fired into the side-netting after getting behind Mangala.

– Superb reaction –
Long would not be denied a third time, however, when he got ahead of Otamendi to turn the ball home after being set up by Dusan Tadic in the 25th minute.

Moments before that, Southampton keeper Fraser Forster had produced a superb reaction save to keep out Sterling’s close-range effort after a rare moment of threat from the visitors.

And that scare was quickly forgotten when Mane added a second three minutes after Long’s opening goal.
City’s left was once again exposed by Tadic with the Serb’s clever reverse pass taking out Mangala and Kolarov and sending Mane clear to fire past Hart.

The margin of Southampton’s lead could have been even greater, but City clawed their way back into it a minute before the break when Iheanacho reacted well to head past Forster after Samir Nasri’s low cross was deflected into the air.

However, there were few signs City could build on that goal after the break and Southampton asserted their dominance 12 minutes after the restart when Mane hooked the ball home after Virgil van Dijk had met Steve Davis’s corner and headed against the bar.

An awkward afternoon was turning into an embarrassment for Pellegrini’s side, who looked incapable of staging a response.

So there was little surprise when Mane completed his hat-trick in the 68th minute with Tadic once again the provider after Van Dijk had dispossessed Iheanacho, releasing Mane to slide another right-footed finish beyond Hart.

Iheanacho confirmed his status as City’s most effective player when he reduced the deficit with an excellent curling shot from the edge of the area in the 78th minute, but it came too late to spark a fightback.

Obama’s daughter to attend Harvard

US President Barack Obama’s eldest daughter Malia will attend Harvard University in 2017 after taking a year off from her studies, the White House said Sunday.

The 17-year-old will be following in the footsteps of her parents, both of whom went to Harvard Law School.

The news came in a statement from the office of First Lady Michelle Obama, which did not specify what Malia will do during her break after graduating from high school.

Students often use a “gap year” to travel, work or otherwise gain experience outside the classroom.
Malia Obama will attend Harvard starting in the autumn of 2017 and is scheduled to graduate in 2021.

Where Malia would go to college has been a subject of much speculation and interest in Washington.
As part of her college search she visited several Ivy League and liberal arts schools on the East Coast, the New York Times reported.

The Obamas have said they will keep living in Washington after the president leaves office in January, so that their younger daughter, Sasha, can finish her high school studies here.

Ghanaian crowned first ‘Miss Africa Continent’

Miss Ghana, Rebecca Asamoah, is crowned the first ever Miss Africa Continent in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Barefoot, wearing traditional costumes including animal hide skirts and elaborately beaded headdresses, the contestants strutted the stage before Ghanaian Rebecca Asamoah was crowned the first Miss Africa Continent.
The 24-year-old dental hygienist beat 11 finalists drawn from an original list of 40 contestants from across the continent in the inaugural pageant at Johannesburg’s Gold Reef City casino on Saturday night.
Runner-up was Michelo Malambo of Zambia, while South Africa’s Jemimah Kandimiri was placed third.
The swimsuit contest was also a departure from the beauty contest norm, with contestants wearing black t-shirts and tight shorts while dancing barefoot to music such as “Africa” by Mali’s legendary afro-pop musician Salif Keita.
The pageant is the brain child of South African film producer Neo Mashishi, who says it aims to empower young African women.
“This is the first ever Miss Africa Continent,” said Mashishi, adding that it had been five years in the making.
“This is about Africa, we are selling Africa to the world, and we are proud to be Africa”.
“The way everything was done was African, we didn’t emulate anything from Miss Universe, or Miss World,” he said.
Asamoah, who wore braids, entered the stage in a traditional Ghanaian Ashanti gold-coloured beaded crown and then returned in a evening dress made from the country’s trademark kente cloth.
She walked away with a grant to study business management at Monash university in Johannesburg.
Runner up in the 2015 Miss Ghana competition, Asamoah said she wanted to see young people help uplift the continent.
“There are a lot of things to be fixed in Africa — water, education, environmental issues,” she told AFP.
“My main concern is the empowerment of youths… so we can work hand in hand and put our continent in the best place it should be.”
In the weeks running up to the event, the 12 finalists embarked on a series of pre-pageant activities, including showing off their culinary skills in cooking traditional meals from their native countries.
Ultimately, the organisers hope to involve the continental body, the African Union, “so our winner can play a role in uplifting Africa”and spearhead campaigns to fight Africa’s woes such as malaria, poverty and xenophobia.

Police arrest 530 fans during Frankfurt derby

German police arrested 530 football fans and detained 159 of them after trouble marred the Eintracht Frankfurt-Darmstadt derby in the German league, it was confirmed on Sunday.

Relegation-threatened Eintracht boosted their survival chances with a 2-1 fight-back win on Saturday at Darmstadt, which is only 35 kilometres (21 miles) south of Frankfurt, thanks to goals by Japan midfielder Makoto Hasebe and Stefan Aigner.

The result means Eintracht are only in the bottom three on goal difference with two games left this season.
Trouble had been expected for the key derby, especially with hosts Darmstadt just above the relegation places.

But officers had to step in after disturbances throughout the day in Darmstadt with Hessen police reporting cases of “rioting, flares being set off, bullying, insulting behaviour and damage to property” from “several violent groups” of fans.

Despite a huge police presence in Darmstadt’s city centre, there was a brawl between rival fans after the match which was quickly dealt with.

Police say four officers were lightly injured during disturbances and one football fan had to be treated in hospital after pepper spray was used during an arrest.

I’ll be at Man Utd next season, says Van Gaal

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has reiterated his belief that he will still be at the club next season, in comments published by several British newspapers on Sunday.

Van Gaal’s position has been under scrutiny for several months and recent media reports have suggested that Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, has already agreed to take over at the end of the season.

But Van Gaal, who has led United to the FA Cup final, is determined to see out the final year of his three-year contract, saying: “I knew it would be like this. That’s why they hired me and we spoke about it.

“We always knew that the process would take three years. I wanted to sign only for two years. The club wanted me to sign for three years, not me. I signed for three years, so next year you will see me again.

“Every week for six months I have been ‘sacked’, and yet I am still here. But this has happened to me at every club I have been at.”

United welcome Leicester City to Old Trafford later on Sunday, when victory for the visitors will give them the first top-flight title in their history.

Venezuelan president decrees 30 percent minimum wage boost

President Nicolas Maduro, speaking in a national broadcast on the eve of International Workers’ Day, decreed a 30 percent increase in the minimum wage for Venezuelan workers.

In his late Saturday presentation Maduro also called on his followers to join May Day rallies in Caracas.
While the minimum wage increase may seem substantial, given Venezuela’s triple-digit inflation rate that brings the amount to the equivalent of $40 a month at the official exchange rate, or just $14 a month at the black market rate.

The decree, which come into effect on Sunday, includes pay raises for public workers, pensioners and members of the military.

Once-booming Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has plunged into economic chaos as global crude prices have collapsed. Its economy has been in recession since 2013.

The leftist Maduro government blames the situation on an “economic war” waged against the country by capitalists, and has vowed to press on with the socialist “revolution” launched by his late predecessor Hugo Chavez in 1999.

Maduro’s emboldened political opposition however, has been pushing to drive him from office since it took control of the legislature in January.

Protesters in Green Zone, Iraq PM calls for punishment of rioters

Thousands of protesters were inside Baghdad’s Green Zone Sunday after breaking into the fortified area and storming the parliament, as Iraq’s premier called for rioters to be pursued and punished.

Protesters pulled down or scaled slabs of heavy concrete blast wall to enter the fortified area where Iraq’s main government institutions are located, the culmination of weeks of political turmoil and inaction by parliament.

While there is still the potential for escalation, the situation was calm on Sunday, with protesters touring the area and taking photos of places they have rarely if ever been able to access.

“This is the first time I’ve been here since I came with my school under Saddam (Hussein),” said 32-year-old Yusef al-Assadi, who took a “selfie” in front of the unknown soldier’s monument.

“It’s one of the most beautiful places to be in Baghdad. It should be for everyone, yet the people were not allowed here,” he said.

Assadi said it was striking “how rich this place is. Here, there is air conditioning and electricity everywhere, but the people of Iraq suffer from power cuts all the time.”

Many Iraqi politicians live in luxury, while most average citizens make do with abysmal services that include only a few hours of government-provided electricity per day at the height of summer.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s office said he had ordered that rioters be pursued, but security forces were not taking action against those inside the Green Zone on Sunday.

Abadi “directed the interior minister to pursue the elements who attacked the security forces and citizens and members of parliament and vandalised state properties and to refer them to the judiciary to receive their just punishment,” a statement said.

Protesters attacked at least one MP as well as cars they believed belonged to lawmakers on Saturday, and broke into offices in parliament.

But others sought to contain the destruction, and many were content to take photographs of themselves in parliament, with some sitting in seats usually occupied by lawmakers.

The protesters broke into the Green Zone on Saturday afternoon after MPs again failed to approve new cabinet ministers to replace the current party-affiliated cabinet.

Many of the demonstrators were supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and members of his Saraya al-Salam militia group deployed around parliament on Saturday night.

‘Obama out’: President gets in final laughs with US media

President Barack Obama cracked jokes and poked fun at rivals Saturday in his last appearance as US leader at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, ending his performance with a mic drop and the words "Obama out."
The black-tie event -- at which the president, followed by a bona fide comedian, regale journalists and their celebrity guests with jokes about government and the media -- is an annual inside-the-beltway ritual.
Obama poked fun at himself, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates, and reporters. On a serious note he praised Washington Post former Tehran correspondent Jason Rezaian, released in January after 18 months in an Iranian prison.
"This is a big and intimidating room," Rezaian said when he was given an award. "But it beats solitary confinement."
Obama made fun about how he has aged on the job and how in his final year his approval ratings have been rising.
"The last time I was this high, I was trying to decide on my major," Obama said, a reference to smoking pot in college.
- Bipartisan jabs -
"Here we are. My eighth and final appearance at this unique event," Obama said. "If this material works well, I'm going to use it at Goldman Sachs next year. Earn me some serious Tubmans."
That was a jab at Hillary Clinton, criticized for not releasing the transcripts of speeches to the bank she delivered in 2013 and for which she was reportedly paid $675,000. And 19th-century abolitionist Harriet Tubman will soon appear on the $20 bill.
Democrat Bernie Sanders - who wore a suit and tie instead of a tuxedo - was the sole presidential candidate present.
"Bernie, you look like a million bucks. Or, to put it in terms you will understand, you look like 37,000 donations of $27 each," Obama said, a reference to the flood of small contributions to Sanders' insurgent campaign.
"I am hurt though, Bernie, that you have distanced yourself from me. That's not something that you do to your comrade."
Republican Party Chairman Reince Priebus "is here as well," Obama said. "Glad to see that you feel that you have earned the night off.
"Congratulations on all of your success. The Republican Party, the nomination process, it's all going great. Keep it up."
The Republicans are split and in disarray over what to do with Donald Trump, the 2016 Republican White House frontrunner.
- Trump absent, still a target -
Trump, a frequent event guest, was absent on Saturday. He was the target of some pointed jabs at the 2011 dinner and said he would not attend this year's event.
Trump's sons Eric and Donald Jr. however were among the guests, as was billionaire Republican former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who earlier toyed with the idea of entering the presidential race.
"Mike, a combative, controversial New York billionaire is leading the GOP primary and it's not you," Obama told Bloomberg.
"That has to sting a little bit. Although it is not an entirely unfair comparison between you and The Donald. Mike was a big city mayor. He knows policy in depth, and he is actually worth the amount of money that he says he is."
Obama said that he was "a little hurt" that Trump was absent. "We had so much fun the last time... and it's surprising, you have a room full of supporters, celebrities, cameras, and he says no. Is this dinner too tacky for The Donald? What could he possibly be doing and saying? Is he at home eating a Trump steak? Tweeting insults to Angela Merkel?"
Contrary to what critics say, Obama said that Trump has foreign policy experience. "He has spent years meeting with leaders from around the world -- Miss Sweden, Miss Argentina, Miss Azerbaijan..." a reference to Trump's role in beauty pageants.
The president also mocked reporters for giving Trump so much coverage, noting that the bombastic billionaire has received "the appropriate amount of coverage befitting the seriousness his candidacy. You all ought to be proud of yourselves."
- "Obama out" -
Obama ended with the words "Obama out" followed by a microphone drop, a celebrity and pop culture way of saying that the performance was so good there is nothing to add.
A slew of Hollywood A and B-list celebrities were among the 2,600 dinner guests, including Will Smith and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, Helen Mirren, Bryan Cranston, Rosario Dawson and Priyanka Chopra. "Star Wars" actress Carrie Fisher came with a French bulldog name Gary.
Also present: singers Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and sports celebrities including US football star Hope Solo.
Lost among the glitterati and big names, there were also some White House correspondents.