Archive May 12, 2025

Real Madrid want Alonso in place for Club World Cup

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Real Madrid want Xabi Alonso in place as their new manager in time for the start of next month’s Club World Cup.

Sources say the plan is for Alonso, 43, to travel to Madrid on 1 June to prepare the team for their first game of the inaugural Fifa tournament on 18 June against Saudi side Al-Hilal in Miami.

Former Real, Liverpool and Spain midfielder Alonso announced on Friday he was leaving German side Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season.

It was not Alonso’s intention to join up with Real this early but conversations took place last week and the club felt it did not make sense to use an interim before the Basque manager took over.

Current Real manager Carlo Ancelotti will be given a send-off, probably at the final home game of the season against Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu on 25 May.

Real’s La Liga defence was dealt a decisive blow on Saturday as they lost 4-3 to league leaders Barcelona to leave them seven points adrift with three games remaining.

Conversations with Real started months ago when they let Alonso know he would be the replacement if Ancelotti did not continue next season.

By March a verbal agreement was in place and in the last two weeks negotiations started to focus on the details.

Right now, nothing has been finalised about the timing of his arrival, but Real have let him know that he should take over in the USA as they consider the Club World Cup a very important competition.

The Spanish side are also hoping to complete the signing of Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold before the start of the Club World Cup.

Leverkusen had a gentlemen’s agreement with Alonso by which he could leave if one of this former clubs came calling, a door open to Liverpool, Bayern Munich and Real. His original idea has always been to manage Liverpool at some point in his career.

Last year the former Liverpool star led Leverkusen to the double of a Bundesliga title – without losing a game – and the German Cup in his first full season as a senior club manager.

Alonso played for Real between 2009 and 2014 following a five-year spell at Liverpool, before ending his playing career after three years at Bayern Munich in 2017.

BBC Sport reported last month that Ancelotti is set for further talks about taking over as Brazil coach before the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in June.

Ancelotti took charge of Real for a second spell in 2021 and has won the Champions League three times with the club.

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ASUU election: Prof. Chris Piwuna in, Prof. Victor Osodeke out

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has elected Prof. Chris Piwuna, a consultant psychiatrist at the University of Jos Teaching Hospital in Plateau State as its president.

Piwuna, who is also the Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Jos, succeeds Victor Osodeke, a Professor of Soil Science from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State.

The election was held at the 23rd National Delegates Congress of the union in Benin on Sunday.

The election was contested between Piwuna and Prof. Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.

Persecondnews reports that Piwuna’s election comes amid growing concerns of potential industrial action in the education sector.

The controversy surrounds the Federal Government’s recent announcement on the sharing formula for Earned Academic Allowances and the ongoing brain drain in universities.

Notably, on April 23, 2025, Minister of Education Dr. Mahfud Alausa revealed President Bola Tinubu’s approval of N50 billion to settle outstanding allowances owed to university workers.

JAMB Orders Review Of 2025 UTME After Outrage, Complaints

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has ordered an immediate review of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) following a wave of public complaints alleging technical glitches, incomplete questions, and unusually low scores.

The Board, in a statement issued by its Public Communication Advisor, Fabian Benjamin, acknowledged what it described as an “unusual volume of complaints” since the release of the UTME results last Friday.

It said the development had prompted it to fast-track its annual post-examination review process, which typically takes place months after the exercise.

“We are particularly concerned about the unusual complaints originating from a few states within the federation. We are currently scrutinising these complaints in detail to identify and rectify any potential technical issues,” the statement read.

The spokesperson explained that the annual review covers three stages of the UTME cycle—registration, examination, and result release.

He added that if any faults are found in the system, JAMB would not hesitate to implement “appropriate remedial measures.

“To assist in this process, we have engaged a number of experts, including members from the Computer Professionals Association of Nigeria, Chief External Examiners, who are heads of tertiary institutions, the Educational Assessment and Research Network in Africa, measurement experts, and Vice Chancellors from various institutions.”

The exam board noted that “If it is determined that there were indeed glitches, we will implement appropriate remedial measures promptly, as we do in the case of the examinations themselves.”

Candidates Threaten Legal Action

JAMB’s intervention comes amid reports that thousands of candidates are preparing to file a class-action lawsuit against the Board over the alleged irregularities.

Many claim they encountered technical malfunctions and inconsistent question displays during the examination.

The controversy reached a boiling point after JAMB revealed in its viral statistical data that over 1.5 million out of the 1.9 million candidates who sat for this year’s UTME scored below 200 out of a possible 400 marks.

This statistic triggered national concern and social media uproar.

The hashtag #ThisIsNotMyResult has been trending across platforms, with candidates and parents expressing shock over the low scores.

Minister, Registrar Reacts

Meanwhile, speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief last week, the Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, attributed the mass failure to the efficacy of JAMB’s anti-malpractice technology.

He defended the results, stating that the Board’s computer-based testing system “had made cheating nearly impossible” and should be extended to other national examinations such as WAEC and NECO.

JAMB Registrar, Is-haq Oloyede, also dismissed claims that the 2025 results were unprecedented.

He pointed out that similar performance trends have been recorded in previous years.

Married At First Sight UK star engaged to convicted drug dealer after whirlwind romance

After flogging her Married At First Sight wedding down online, Holly Ditchfield will be walking down the aisle again after Aaron Summers proposed over dinner this weekend

Holly Ditchfield has announced she is engaged to her convicted drug dealer boyfriend(Image: INSTAGRAM)

Married At First Sight star Holly Ditchfield has announced she is engaged to her convicted drug dealer boyfriend weeks after the pair went official.

Father-of-three Aaron Summers popped the question this weekend over dinner after the TikTok personality surprised the reality star on Saturday night.

She will be a bride again after her marriage to 28-year-old aviation operator Alex Henry, from Birmingham, crumbled on the E4 show.

Days after they started dating, it was revealed Aaron, 28, had pleaded guilty to possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply back in 2021. He also pleaded guilty to being in possession of criminal property.

Holly Ditchfield on MAFS UK
Married at First Sight star Holly Ditchfield will need to buy a new dress(Image: Channel 4)

She announced her big news on Instagram, writing: “The easiest ‘YES’. You bring the best out of me, you care about my opinion, you make me feel safe with being vulnerable, you allow my imperfect days, we work through conflict, you’re my support network, you give me 100 per cent every single day.

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“I finally understand the meaning of ‘finding the one’. I love you.”

A source told The Sun in March he has been honest with Holly from the start. “Holly and Aaron had been talking for a few weeks and finally met up last weekend,” they said.

Aaron Summers
The couple only started talking in February (Image: INSTAGRAM)

The 29-year-old reality star from Huddersfield is among the cast of the 2024 season of E4’s chaotic dating show – which sees strangers get married the moment they meet. She may regret selling her dress online last year after flogging it on Vinted. She initially planned to sell the gown for £800 but had to slash the price after buyers failed to show interest.

Listed as “My MAFS wedding dress”, the reality star wrote: “£700 till Friday! ( will deliver or collection is available if local) to save delivery rates.” Her original posting image it clear that the dress was worth more than double what she is now asking for.

Listed as “My MAFS wedding dress”, the reality star wrote: “£700 till Friday! ( will deliver or collection is available if local) to save delivery rates.” Her original posting mage it clear that the dress was worth more than double what she is now asking for.

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Disney’s ‘worst movie of all time’ is available to watch at home this week

The live-action remake of the animated classic was a box office flop and was widely panned by critics

Disney’s latest venture into live-action remakes has unfortunately not been the magical success story we’re used to. Snow White, set for digital release this Tuesday, 13th May, has been met with grim reviews and dismal box office returns.

Regrettably, this highly anticipated fantasy tale turned out to be more of a nightmare, scraping together just $202.8 million globally on a mammoth budget estimated between $240–270 million, marking it as one of Disney’s most notable flops.

The film, which stars Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, will be up for grabs on platforms like Prime Video, Sky Store, Apple TV, and Google TV, though it won’t join the ranks of free streaming offerings or make an appearance on Disney+ for now.

If you’re keen to watch, brace yourselves – it’ll cost you roughly £19.99 to own or £15.99 to rent what many have decried as one of the decade’s worst films.

Critics on Rotten Tomatoes handed it a lacklustre 40 percent, yet moviegoers were kinder, bestowing a 72 percent approval.

Rachel Zegler steps into the role of the iconic Disney princess
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Despite once being the lowest-rated movie on IMDb ever, Snow White has certainly stirred up strong feelings across the board, reports the Mirror US.

One particularly dissatisfied Google reviewer didn’t mince words: “This film is a disgrace to the original classic-a soulless, uninspired cash grab that lacks charm, heart, or any justification for its existence.

“What a shame. This movie is garbage.”

Summarising the general sentiment, a Reddit user remarked: “I’d go with like a 3.5/10. Way too many musical numbers and any not involving Zegler were pretty bad imo.

“That led to not enough dialogue and a really weak plot and character development. The love story was so weak that for a while I was certain they hadn’t even introduced the love interest yet.

“Also the costume design was pretty laughable. The dwarves were really the only redeeming quality imo.”

Gadot’s performance was also singled out by fans as detrimental: “This movie was painfully bad. Gal Gadot made this so unbearable.

“CGI was absolute s***. Don’t [even] get me started on the writing and dialogue. The only positive thing about this film was Rachel.

“Great showing from her but everything else no Bueno. Save yourself the trouble and don’t see this.”

Gal Gadot and Rachel Zegler
Audiences have slammed the performance by Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen

However, not everyone’s thumbs were pointing down. In stark contrast, another user argued in favour of the reimagining, saying: “The Snow White remake is everything I hoped for in a modern reimagining.

“It maintains the heart of the original story while expanding it with new storylines and beautiful songs.

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“In many ways, it feels like a West End or Broadway adaptation – taking the core material and transforming it with fresh ideas, characters, and a more immersive experience.”

As opinions diverge, the question hangs in the air – will you hit play or pass on the Snow White remake when it drops this week?

Kate Middleton hugs William and issues heartfelt message in deeply personal new video

The Princess of Wales has revealed “nature has been my sanctuary” during her cancer treatment in a brand new video series celebrating the beauty of the UK in the changing seasons. The footage, which shows both Kate and Prince William enjoying their wedding anniversary on the Isle of Mull last month, forms part of a video called ‘Mother Nature’, which will be part of a quarterly series that is being spearheaded by the princess.

The aim of the series is to highlight humanity’s longstanding connection to nature, as well as nature’s capacity “to inspire us and help us to heal and grow in mind, body and spirit”. The three-minute film is narrated by Kate, who is now in remission from cancer, and shows her admiring the beauty of Mull as well as hugging her husband.





The Prince and Princess of Wales in a new video celebrating nature

She says: “Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary. The natural world’s capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations.

“It is through nature, that we can fully understand the true interconnectedness of all things, the importance of balance and the importance of renewal and resilience. Connecting to nature helps us to experience a deeper sense of ourselves, the world around us, and each other.

“Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings. From the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation, and positive, hopeful change. Just as nature revives and renews so too can we. Let us reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts.

“It is often from the smallest of seeds that the greatest change can happen, and in this ever-growing complex world, we need to hold on to what connects us all. Spring is here, so let’s make the most of it together.”

The video’s release coincides with the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, which begins today. The film spotlights Spring and will be followed by Summer, Autumn and Winter editions in due course.

In a personal message with the video, Kate adds: “This year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, we are celebrating humanity’s longstanding connection to nature, and its capacity to inspire us and help us to heal and grow in mind, body and spirit. As we confront the challenges of an increasingly complex and digital world, the importance of the connection between humanity and nature takes on even more significance.

“The Mother Nature series is a reminder and reflection of the beauty and complexity of the human experience. It is a tribute to the lessons we can learn from nature, helping us to foster our own growth, strengthen our bonds with the world around us and each other. C.”

Kate’s interest in nature follows on from her ‘Back to Nature’ garden at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2019 and her longtime relationship with the Scouts, which focuses on enabling children and young people to experience the outdoors and natural world.

It has also been a theme of her charitable work – engaging with children in nature through the Natural History Museum and seeing the benefit that nature has for children and their families receiving hospice care at East Anglia Children’s Hospice and more recently, Ty Hafan children’s hospice in Wales.

Kate has long advocated the benefits of spending time in the natural world, previously revealing how nature became her family’s ‘sanctuary’ in the wake of her cancer diagnosis and during her chemotherapy treatment.

She also opened up last month in personal insight into what nature means to her, admitting: “I find it a very spiritual and very intense emotional reconnection I suppose, these environments.

“Not everyone has that same relationship perhaps with nature, but it is so therefore meaningful for me as a place to balance and find a sort of sense of peace and reconnection in what is otherwise a very busy world.”

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