It will be Chelsea versus Manchester United in Wednesday night’s knockout tie – a quarter-final of the Champions League. This will not be the first time two English teams will engage in a knockout tie.

In 2004 quarter-final, on aggregate after two legs, it’s Arsenal 2 Chelsea 3.

In the 2005 semi-final, on aggregate after two legs, it’s Liverpool 1 Chelsea 0.

In 2008 quarter-final, on aggregate after two legs, it’s Liverpool 5 Arsenal 3.

In 2008 semi-final, on aggregate after two legs, it’s Chelsea 4 Liverpool 3

In  2008 final, it’s Manchester United 1 Chelsea 1

In 2009 quarter-final, on aggregate after two legs it’s Liverpool 5 Chelsea 7.

In 2009 semi-final, on aggregate after two legs, it’s Arsenal 1 Manchester United 4.

Adapted from Sky News

Forces opposed to Ivory Coast leader, Laurent Gbagbo have launched a final attack on the presidential residence where he is held up.

Mr. Gbagbo has been in negotiations with the UN over the terms of his departure, after being besieged by troops loyal to his rival, Alassane Quattara.

A French government source said gunfire erupted at Mr. Gbagbo’s residence in Abidjan

Mr. Gbagbo insists he won last November’s run-off vote but the Ivorian election commission found that Mr. Quattara was the winner – a result certified by the UN.

Two days of heavy fighting stopped late on Tuesday and negotiations with Mr. Gbagbo carried on throughout the night. But by Wednesday morning, it appeared the patience of pro-Quattara forces hard run out

                                                                                   BBC

The presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) retired General Muhammad Buhari has said that the postponed National Assembly election is a blessing to the country.

Buhari who spoke to newsmen at the Benin Airport on his way to Anambra state in continuation of his presidential campaign said, “The postponement is a blessing because sophisticated rigging had been arranged by the Peoples Democratic Party. The ruling party has been exposed.”

Buhari who said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was not ready for last Saturday’s election, wondered how election could have been conducted without result sheets. The non-availability of those sheets, according to him, “was part of the plot by the ruling party to rig the election.”

                                                                                   Daily Trust

 Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday directed that some new ballot papers be printed locally between today and tomorrow to address the problem of states. He also ordered that raw data in the Direct Data Capture, DDC, machines be printed out to address the problem of missing names in the voters register.

Twenty states were discovered last Saturday to have been affected in the missing of logos. And in quite a number of polling units, voting had commenced before the postponement of the election thus exposing and using part of the ballot papers.

                                                                                   Vanguard

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday said he would not hesitate to commence the process of removing the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, the moment he loses confidence in him.

 Speaking to newsmen at a photo exhibition organized in his honour at the Yar’Adua centre, Abuja, Jonathan said since the INEC boss has not done anything against the mandate of his office, he is not in a hurry to inform the National Assembly to commence the process of removing him based on the postponement of the parliamentary elections last Saturday.

 “Jega has any full support. The day I no longer support him, I will, of course, raise the process of removing him,” Jonathan said.

                 Nigeria Compass

The Independent National Electoral Commission may have spent N13bn on the printing of 375 million ballot papers and result sheets for the April elections.

The contracts were awarded to six companies late February. A top INEC official gave the names of the contractors as Tip3, a Spanish company; graphic Inline (GI), Kalamazoo, Aero-vote., San Frano, a German/Polish company; and VI solutions. The official declined to say which of the six contractors defaulted in the delivery of ballot materials.

                                                                                   The Punch

A member of the National Youth Service Corps (name withheld) has accused the Alowa of Ilowa, Oba  Bukola Alli, of raping her in Osogbo, Osun state capital on Friday Mach 25, 2011.

She disclosed at a press conference at the NYSC secretariat in Oshogbo that the Monarch raped her without using a condom

When contacted, the monarch declined to comment. And in a telephone interview the head, Criminal Investigation Bureau in Osogbo, Mr. Gbola Adeyemi said, “The case is already in court,” adding that the monarch was arrested and detained before he was arraigned in court.

                                                                                   The Punch

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has pegged the non-performing loans of banks at fire percent for the entire banking industry.

 Director of Banking Supervision for the apex bank, Chief Samuel Oni, made this known at a press briefing at the CBN headquarters in Abuja.

                                                                                                        The Guardian