Bombing at northeast Nigeria football pitch kills at least 40: police

KANO: A bombing at a football pitch in Nigeria's restive northeast killed at least 40 people on Sunday in an area previously attacked by Boko Haram, a police officer and a nurse said.

The blast hit the town of Mubi in Adamawa state, one of three in the northeast which has been under a state of emergency for more than a year as Nigeria's military has tried to crush Boko Haram's five-year extremist uprising.

"There has been a bomb explosion at a football field this evening and so far more than 40 people have been killed," said the officer in Mubi who requested anonymity.

The policeman's account was confirmed by a nurse at the Mubi General Hospital, who also requested anonymity, as the health worker was not authorised to discuss the attack with the media.

Adamawa has been hit by far fewer Boko Haram attacks than other parts of the northeast, but the town was the site of a gruesome October 2012 massacre at a post-secondary technical college.

Scores of students were killed in their dorms, including many whose throats were slit.

Mubi is just a few kilometres from Nigeria's border with Cameroon and near the area where two Italian priests and a Canadian nun were seized by suspected Boko Haram gunmen in April.

The three were released earlier on Sunday and flown out on board a military aircraft from the town of Maroua, heading for the Cameroon's capital.

The policeman in Mubi said the bomb exploded at roughly 6:30 pm (1730 GMT) at the pitch in Mubi's Kabang area and targeted fans who were trying to leave the field after watching a local club match.

It was not immediately clear if players were among the casualties, but the officer and the nurse said it appeared most of the victims were fans.

Muhammad Hassan, a Mubi resident who was at the match, said the blast appeared to come from within the crowd of people who were walking across the pitch and heading home after the final whistle.

"Women and children were caught up in the blast," he said. Boko Haram has carried out scores of attacks on targets it says are a product of Western influence, including sports venues and schools teaching a secular curriculum.

The group has killed thousands during its battle against the government since 2009, but the conflict has received unprecedented global attention over the last six weeks following the group’s mass kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls.

The girls were seized on April 14 from Chibok in Borno state, which shares a border with Adamawa.

Nigeria's response to the kidnapping has been fiercely criticised as inept and the crisis has piled intense pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan's government to do more to end the uprising.

Football: Atletico stun Barcelona, holders Bayern progress

PARIS: Atletico Madrid's resurgence continued on Wednesday just a year after they were forced to sell leading scorer Radamel Falcao to reduce their huge debts as they eliminated Barcelona to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 40 years.

A goal by Koke - who has been with the club since he was eight years old - saw them deservedly beat Barcelona 1-0 on the night and progress 2-1 on aggregate and perhaps also register a changing of the guard at the top of Spanish and European football.

Bayern Munich - bidding to become the first team to successfully defend their title - also reached the last four beating Manchester United 3-1, to go through 4-2 on aggregate.

They join United's Premier League rivals Chelsea - who beat Paris Saint Germain on Tuesday - and Atletico's city rivals Real, victors over last season's beaten finalists Borussia Dortmund, in Friday's draw.

Atletico - who last beat Barcelona four years ago - came roaring out of the blocks and got the only goal of the game through Koke, his first in this season's tournament, in the fifth minute.

Atletico, who are also top of La Liga in a three way battle with Barca and Real, could have been 3-0 up after fifteen minutes as former Barcelona striker David Villa hit the woodwork on two occasions.

Barcelona were largely contained by Atletico and star player Lionel Messi had an especially torrid night as he failed to score against Atletico for the sixth successive game.

For Atletico coach Diego Simeone - who last year was forced to sell Falcao for 60 million euros ($83 million) when their debt was officially estimated at 170 million euros but some experts said it was up to 300 million euros - it was another significant victory.

"We maintain the same humility. We understand that the other teams (in the semi-finals) have been there far more than Atletico Madrid," said the 43-year-old, who was a bundle of energy on the touchline urging the crowd to raise the noise level and continually making the sign of the cross.

"We are there 40 years later and we believe in what we are doing." It is the second time that Atletico and Real have reached the semi-finals of European club football's most prestigious tournament in the same season - 1959 being the previous occasion, and is is only the fourth time clubs from the same city have reached the last four.

AC Milan and Inter Milan in 2003 and London duo Arsenal and Chelsea in 2009 being the others. For 22-year-old Koke, who made his senior debut aged just 17, it was an especially emotional night.

"The team were spectacular in this game," said Koke.

"This team has no limits and we must keep on making the fans dream." Defeat will heap the pressure on Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino, but Simeone's compatriot was not focussing on that.

"Of course we feel bad about this defeat," he said.

"However, while we can't win three trophies I don't think this defeat will affect us on the other two fronts. We still have the league, we have a match against Granada on Saturday, and the Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid next Wednesday." While Bayern dominated possession it was United who took the lead through a spectacular long range effort from an unlikely source French fullback Patrice Evra.

However, their joy was not to last long as Bayern went down the other end and Mario Mandzukic headed an equaliser.

Further goals from Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben ensured their place in the last four.

"The first ten minutes after the break were a catastrophe for us as they took the lead," said Robben.

"It was important that we got the equaliser quickly, now we have just one more opponent before the Lisbon final." For United manager David Moyes it will do little to allay speculation over his future which will see the team end without silverware and even struggling to qualify for next season's Europa League.

"I thought the players did a great job tonight, the only crime was that we let them equalise just a few seconds later," said Moyes.

"We contained them for long periods of time, but it wasn't to be."

Jubilation as Pakistan Street Child football team returns home

KARACHI: Pakistani squad that represented the nation at the Street Child Football World Cup 2014 reached Karachi on Tuesday morning.

Pakistan players who rose from the streets of slum areas to clinch third position in the event defeating Indians by 13 goals in their opening game, landed at the city’s Jinnah International Airport.

A large number of people including politicians from various political parties welcomed the team at the airport and showered the young players with rose petals.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad felicitated the team for their great performance in the world cup.

The team will visit the Sindh Assembly and also has been invited to the Chief Minister House.