Wedding Staples: Not Everytime Asoebi & Gele

Wedding Staples: Not Everytime Asoebi & Gele 

As much as we love rocking our gorgeous asoebi styles and designs to weddings, its ok to switch things up a bit. Opt for other wedding staples like jumpsuits, skater and body dresses etc. Ump your outfits with chic and elegant accessories such as little hats, fascinators, beads and tiny purses. Mix up and match prints, fabrics and styles. Let your inner fashionista take over and express your style ego with the choices you make. Yes! not everyday asoebi styles, let these kamdolls inspire you… 

Enjoy!

Look 1: Bonang Matheba

Look 2: Dunia

Look 3: Diana Michael

Look 4: Alexandriah

Look 5: Zimeee

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How To Simplify Your Daily Makeup Routine

As ladies we would always want to dress up, look pretty and take loads of pictures especially at weddings, parties, graduation, award events and the likes. However, with our day-to-day activities, we simply do not have time to go through the entire hair grooming, make up and dress up process. Fortunately the following procedures would help you simplify your daily make up routine.

Simplifying your daily makeup routine: 1. Limit your make up routine:

Do you really need to execute a full makeup job every day? While it is true that many women feel naked until they have applied their “faces,” it is also true that many women look just fine with no makeup at all. If you just can’t bear to go completely bare, try limiting your makeup routine to apply a quick, light covering of powder, a dash of lipstick and 

perhaps a brush of mascara and head out the door. 

2. Focus on one feature:

If the minimal look just doesn’t work for you, go ahead and splash out on a full makeup routine – but limit the attention that you lavish to one feature. Everything else gets the bare or barely-there treatment. For instance, if you really love the smoky eye look and don’t care how much time and effort are involved, go ahead and spend that ten minutes making sure very step is carried out just right, and then spend no more than two minutes on applying powder, lipstick and blush

3. Set out your products and tools in advance:

You may be aware of the trick of laying out the outfit that you want to wear the night before. Placing the right blouse, slacks or skirt and shoes where they are easily accessible saves valuable time that you might otherwise spend staring blankly into your closet, or desperately strewing clothes about trying to find an ensemble that looks good together. The same principle works with your makeup – setting out the makeup and tools that you intend to use will also cut down on the time necessary for your morning routine.

4. Strive for healthy skin:

If your skin is healthy and clear, you don’t need nearly so much makeup because there are no blotches or blemishes to cover. Make an appointment with the dermatologist if you have serious skin problems. To minimize minor breakouts and everyday imperfections, take the time at night to cleanse and condition your skin.

5. Pressed Powder:

Look for products that perform double duty or triple or which are easier to apply than alternatives. For instance, pressed powder is easier to apply in an even layer than loose powder. There are even products that can be used as eye shadow, blush and lip colour.

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PHOTOS – Nigeria Latest Fashion Trends

Nigerian hottest and latest fashion trend . Check out the different fashion style below and tell me which is your favorite?

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Finalists emerge at the MTN Lagos fashion &design week 2011 road show

Ayotomi Rotimi a Business Administration graduate from the University of Lagos has emerged winner of the MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week (MTN LFDW 2011) Awards Screening Road Show. 

The MTN LFDW 2011 Awards Screening Road Show which was recently conducted in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt between the 25th of July and the 3rd of August was aimed at meeting and auditioning the best candidates out of the hundreds of young budding fashion designers, models and creative entrepreneurs that applied for the MTN LFDW 2011 Awards.

The Call for Entries went out on the 30th of June 2011 and by the 25th of July when the team of judges set out for Port Harcourt, thousands of entries had been received from hopefuls residing in the Garden City.

In Port Harcourt, the panel of judges, consisting of Omoyemi Akerele – Project Director of LFDW 2011, Wadami Amolegbe (FashionAfrica.com), Ijeoma Aruguba (British Council) and Kester Osahenye (MTN) met and interviewed prospective winners of the Awards.

On the 28th of July 2011, another team of judges moved to the Federal Capital Territory, where they again assessed future heavyweights in the fields of Nigerian fashion and design.

Bisola Edun, one of the judges and a designer, Tae Woman said: “I commend the work of Omoyemi Akerele, MTN and British Council. In 2008, I won the British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur Award, and I can fully attest to the difference it makes in the career of a budding creative to be recognised by such noteworthy organisations. The British Council workshops I attended thereafter played a very significant part in the growth of my ambition”.

Moving to Lagos on the 2nd of August, the final set of auditions was held at the British Council in Ikoyi. On the panel of judges were Folake Folarin Coker (Tiffany Amber), Uche Eze (BellaNaija.com) and Ojoma Ochai (British Council Nigeria).

With a collection titled ‘Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’, a vintage- and bridalwear inspired collection was expected. However, Jenny le Roux of Habits twisted this perception and what was seen was a fresh, colour-drenched collection of easy, relaxed silhouettes.

The runway saw floral print for 70’s off-the-shoulder, floaty dresses, floor sweeping, bare backed maxi dresses and roomy jumpsuits. The florals and brights faded into crisp white pieces which added an element of freshness to the collection.

Lagos models semi-finalists

After the weeklong deliberation by the judges, semi finalists were short listed from the nationwide screening process and the finalists announced: with Ayotomi Rotimi hitting top list as winner, MTN British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year.

Ayotomi who began to explore the business of fashion, while at university, selling fitted shirts, scarves and tailored trousers to friends and students to augment her allowance, after graduation worked at Fountain Trust bank where she continued to design and market her fashion pieces as a lucrative hobby.

After three years in the banking industry and with a growing passion for designing she enrolled in a course at the London Centre for Fashion studies and resigned to pursue fashion design full time.

This was almost ten years ago and since then her “lucrative hobby” has grown into a successful fashion label in Nigeria, Xclamations, which focuses on affordable, accessible ready to wear clothes.

Speaking on the project Omoyemi Akerele, Project Director of the MTN Lagos Fashion & Design Week, said after the Lagos auditions: “Lagos has produced by far the most impressive of the candidates we have seen.

Whilst we want to ensure fair representation across the 3 different regions, it is however also very important that this platform remains credible, and produces a deserving winner.”

Omoyemi Akerele continued: “I feel even more strongly now that the Nigerian government needs to provide more support for fashion education and training in Nigeria. We need to ensure that our fashion industry continues to grow and to produce names and brands that can represent Nigeria beyond our shores.”

Other Finalists are:

MTN British Council Young Creative Entrepreneur of the Year Awards: Port – Harcourt Mary Ebubedike. Abuja; Bimpe Ogunmakin Fatima Hamza Lagos Rukky Ladoja Ayotomi Rotimi Temilola Osifade, Amaka Ofili, Tale Kevin Agono, Terence Sambo, Adebayo Oke Lawal, Wonu Odunsi, Anthonia Adefuye,

The 12 MTN British Council Young Designer of the Year finalists; Port – Harcourt, Akpos, Ibitein Thompson, Beatrice Black. Abuja; Binta Shuaibu, Onanma Okeke. Lagos; Mo Alatise , Xenia Ejidike , Bubu Ogisi, Kate Williams, Oroma Cookey-Gam, Bola Yinka Obebe, Ejiro Amos-Tafiri

The 12 MTN Young Model of the Year Finalists; Port Harcourt, Sandra Iwuoha , Abuja; Genevieve Aken, Chika McKay, Lateefat Garuba, Jill Odeh, Amina Jibrin,.Lagos; Oyinkansola Ayodele Temitayo Adaramoye , Monisade Gbobaniyi, Stephanie Okwu, Kemi Awoyemi, Oluwatobi Fadeyibi

The MTN LFDW 2011 Awards, which is co-sponsored by the British Council, is an initiative that aims to promote the development and growth of creatives in the industry by nurturing, fine tuning and harnessing their skills as well as providing them with a solid platform for achieving their goals.

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Tips to an amazing look this Christmas

With the christmas season here, there are many ways in which you can look amazing at your  Christmas party without putting a hole in your pocket. Looking and feeling great isn’t about spending all your money. It’s about relaxing, having fun and being creative with what you have.

Here are some simple, but effective ways you can look good and dazzle your fellow partygoers whilst being on a tight budget.

GO FOR GOLD!

A simple gold necklace can turn the most boring outfit into something classic and stunning instead. There’s something about the unique sheen that emanates from even the most basic of gold pieces. Forget decking yourself out in head to toe jewellery and go for that one piece, whether it’s a bracelet, a ring or a necklace.

MAKE A STATEMENT

Having one statement piece of clothing or jewellery means that everything else can and should be understated. For example, your reasonably priced (okay REALLY cheap) LBD and shoes will look amazing when teamed with a statement necklace, brooch or handbag. So many people make the mistake of thinking that everything they wear at the Christmas party needs to be new and expensive, that is not true.

EXPERIMENT WITH MAKE-UP

Like your clothes, one statement element of your makeup can transform your look completely, whether its Twiggy style mascara, ruby red lips or that iconic smoky eye. If you go for the makeup “statement”, everything else can and definitely should be minimal.

Think glistening ruby red lips with just a small slick of eyeliner on your top lids or smoky eyes with a small amount of nude lipstick. But don’t go overboard on the blusher! Why not experiment with your look using the ultimate makeover tool?

TRANSFORM YOUR HAIR

Having great hair doesn’t always mean spending so much  at the hairdressers. if you one that wears your natural hair, all you need is some hairspray, some hair clips and a good hairdryer, to transform your hair to a pretty updo.

If you are often in weaves you should try the long or short  braids for new you. And the good news is which ever braids you choose is pocket friendly.

So this party season, have fun, get creative and dress to impress.

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Elections: Still work in progress…

MARCH 28 has come and gone and here we are. The days after the presidential election continue to unfold. The results of one of the most keenly contested elections in the history of Nigeria’s democracy have not been released yet but snap shots of the results are emerging.

Privileged to see unofficially verified results from 93 local governments within 11 states it is clear PDP won the 16 LGS in Ekiti while from the results of the 24 out of 31 LGs in Osun, APC is winning. For many the results are the most important aspect of the elections but there are other aspects of the presidential and national assembly elections to recognize and appreciate.

The card readers: The most disparaged and most anticipated use of technology in the elections was the card reader that was supposed to do at least three things. It was designed to provide a two-step accreditation process of each voter by authenticating the permanent voters card (PVC) and confirming that the voter is at the right polling unit.

Numbers of voters accredited

The cards should automatically keep count of the number of voters verified and finally, it was to aid authenticity of the election results i.e., no polling unit would be able to declare results which when tabulated would exceed the number of voters accredited. According to Jega, these numbers of the accredited voters would be centrally collated to give the country the exact number of Nigerians who came out to vote.

The good news is that in most PUs the readers achieved the first objective albeit with uneven success at fingerprint authentication. Unfortunately, while we know that the number of readers with issues is statistically insignificant i.e., 450 out of 150,000, as a result of the announcement that readers could be dispensed with, we will never know the actual number of voters.

For the purpose of transparency, the PUs where readers were dispensed with should be public.

Logistics and general preparedness: We are still struggling to get this right. In the FCT, less than 50 per cent of the PUS opened at 8am and in many places the process went on long into the night to make up for the late arrival of the INEC teams and the delays caused in some places by the card readers. INEC teams could be better prepared, better informed and better cared for. For instance, in one polling unit, the INEC team claimed they spent the night before the Saturday elections in a field without so much as a mattress between them and the ground.

This is not the frame of mind and body we want those managing our elections to be in. Candidates to the national assembly in Delta will have to wait another two weeks – enduring a total of 8 weeks of postponement because ballot material was still not available. INEC will acknowledge that there is a lot of room for improvement but it is anyone’s guess how well we will fix these things in time for April 11 or even 2019.

The good old rigging mechanism: It was only when Governor Amaechi raised an alarm over result sheets that many volunteer observers across the country wondered if they should have asked to see this. And maybe this is not something the polling unit officials have to show anyone, but for those with a keen understanding of how elections are rigged, the lack of result sheets has caused concern in many states, particularly Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

What is the protocol to be followed by INEC when they get reports that a governor or a person has hijacked ballot material and manipulated the results? Indeed, when does INEC consider itself ‘notified’ of allegations of irregularity? When candidates and stakeholders cry out, hold press conferences, write letters to their RECs and the leadership of INEC with evidence in the form of pictures and videos what, ideally should happen? Considering how far back in history our elections have been tainted with allegations of rigging it is disheartening that the checks and balances are not clear. As state returning officers troop into Abuja today  – what will INEC do to independently erify the results from states where alarms have been raised?

Violence: Our elections continue to live up to the reputation of being deadly. Bombs went off in Anambra and Enugu, Boko Haram killed 41 in Gombe and in Ekiti, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, people lost brothers, husbands and fathers. We continue to encourage the Ministry of Justice to fill in the gap and prosecute the perpetrators. As long as our elections remain violent, it will continue to keep people away – creating the vacuum required for manipulation and retaliatory violence. For instance, @inibeheEffiong tweeted a picture of a dead man, Richard Frederick Okon, allegedly killed by a commissioner in Akwa Ibom yesterday – will this case ever be investigated and the killer brought to justice?

Civic Engagement: Those who wanted to – old, invalid, young and voting for the first time, women with babies strapped to their backs – were determined to vote and largely orderly, patient and vigilant. Such was the desire to exercise this 1 in 4 years opportunity that people unable to transfer their voter registration travelled across states to vote.

Registered voters

But there are also those who have disengaged from the process for all the things that are wrong with it. In one polling unit of 2545 registered voters, only 661 were accredited.

All across Nigeria on Saturday night, voters stayed in their polling units – in PU 023 in the FCT, counting only finished at 9.50pm and there were still over 150 people waiting to hear the results and counting aloud with the polling unit officer.

It was magnificent and awe inspiring to experience the passion and belief in the power of their votes – one part of democracy in action. Whatever the final results are – we hope the second part, government accountability, will develop as deeply in order to balance the equation and strengthen our practice of democracy, for however imperfect our processes, our best option is to continue to work at it.

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Thanks Nigerians

NIGERIANS are determined to save their country. They may never get credit for the efforts they make to get the country going, but there are instances when the Nigerian spirit is too obvious to ignore.    March 28 was one of such days when the patriotism of the Nigerian was put to test. Nigerians excelled.

While the ineptitude of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, stood between them and voting, Nigerians saved the day. Stories of late delivery of election materials, the late decision to revert to manual accreditation, hours after the smart card readers were not meeting expectations, did not produce the agitations that would have been expected. Nigerians wanted to vote and nothing could stop them. The elderly, some on wheelchairs, all trooped out.

INEC officials arrived late or without adequate materials, they waited. Card readers did not work, they were patient. They refused to be instigated by the inabilities of INEC, now blamed on its logistics partners, to get the materials to the destinations.

Neither the sun, nor the downpour, could disperse the long queue of voters. They improvised electricity when darkness came and saw through processes that produced the atmosphere that held the country together. Commendations for the setting go to the people, whose major peaceful conducts eclipsed the few violent incidents in some places.

If Nigerians were unwilling to accommodate the lapses that attended the elections, we would have had a different situation. It is also important to note that the people were able to take their own decisions to be peaceful, not following some of the most inflammatory messages that preceded the elections.

We are again on the verge of glossing through the activities of INEC and adding them to national lamentations that are meant to remain unaddressed. When would we have elections without complaints about late arrival of materials? Would INEC staff ever be trained enough to do their work? Are Nigerians content with the quality of service INEC provides each election season?

However, nothing would be done to correct them until elections are seen as serious affairs that should be accorded importance for their central roles in the enthronement of democratic governments. No explana-tions are adequate to ameliorate the impact of INEC’s lapses.

While INEC should be praised for the introduction of the smart card reader that made rigging harder, it should accept responsibility for the lapses at various polling booths, which the people overlooked because the most important thing to them was casting their votes.

Our electoral processes should    be built on more certainty than the temperament of the people which could be different on a different day.

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APGA accuses PDP of conspiracy with Army, INEC to rewrite results

By Nwabueze Okonkwo

ONITSHA — The All  Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, yesterday, accused the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, of conspiring with the Army, Police and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to rewrite last Saturday’s National Assembly elections results and announced a falsified one in favour of the PDP.

A member of Board of Trustees, BoT of APGA, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, who made the accusation in a telephone chat with newsmen, said the results announced yesterday by INEC which gave PDP victory in all the three senatorial zones and 11 House of Representatives seats, was exactly the opposite of what APGA scored during the exercise.

According to Ezeonwuka, “these results credited to PDP was what APGA scored in the election but the PDP bought over the Army, the Police and INEC to rewrite the result in favour of PDP and thereafter announced this falsified result.”

He, however, expressed optimism that APGA would go to the tribunal and other courts of competent jurisdiction to recover its stolen mandate.

But the Director-General of Princess Stella Oduah Campaign Organisation, Chief Edwin Pandola Okwuosa, told  Vanguard on phone that the landslide victory recorded by Princess Oduah, former Aviation Minister and PDP candidate for Anambra North senatorial zone, was a reflection of her general acceptability by the electorate in the zone.

Okwuosa noted that the total of 143,478 votes scored by Oduah against APGA’s Dubem Obaze’s 70,906 votes was a great margin to show that Oduah had the people’s confidence which prompted such an overwhelming mandate.

He, therefore, commended the electorate for the confidence reposed in Oduah and assured them that she would give them effective representation as contained in her manifestoes.

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Presidential Election: Buhari leads, PDP kicks

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor, Clifford Ndujihe, Henry Umoru & Jude Opara

ABUJA — Erstwhile Head of State, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) was last night sustaining his lead over President Goodluck Jonathan in the declared results of the presidential elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, last night.

President Jonathan has, however, protested results declared from Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States, alleging malpractices.

Jonathan’s protest articulated by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was, however, followed by another statement late last night in which it claimed it was not perturbed by the results from the North-West, stronghold of Buhari.

Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, APC, has also protested the results submitted from Rivers State on the basis that there was no election in the state.

As at the time the commission suspended announcement of results late last night, Buhari had scored 10,101,497 votes from 21 states and the FCT, to President Jonathan, who has so far polled 6,798,254 votes, to second place.

The results were declared by the returning officers from the states.

Of the 21 states declared, Buhari won the polls in 13 states of Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Ondo, Oyo, Kwara, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Gombe, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kaduna.

Jonathan won the polls in eight states namely Ekiti, Enugu, Nasarawa, Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Imo and Plateau. Jonathan also won the polls in the FCT.

Buhari had so far marshalled more than 25 per cent in 16 states while the president grabbed 25 per cent in 15 of the states so far declared.

The results from Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Lagos, Niger, Rivers, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara were outstanding at press time and would likely be declared today.

The results earlier submitted from Rivers State, however, turned into a matter of investigation after the APC sent a strongly worded petition rejecting the results. The results returned had given Jonathan 1,487,075 votes, representing 95 per cent of the votes.

Under-aged voters

Addressing journalists, yesterday, in Abuja, Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, gave the seven states the party has petitioned INEC for the cancellation of the polls to include Kano, Jigawa, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina and Kogi States.

Secondus alleged that in the seven states, under-aged children were allowed to vote in contravention of the Electoral Act and he also alleged that voting took place late in the night in the affected states, adding: “In Kano and some of these states in the North, majority of voters were under-aged. Voting also took place in the night, and you know that in the night rigging can take place. We have completed our reports from the Kano State chapter.”

We’ll resist rigging—Fani-Kayode

Also yesterday, PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, PDPPCO, reiterated its claim that its candidate, President Jonathan, was winning the presidential election.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Director, Media and Publicity of PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode threatened that any attempt to manipulate figures or rig out the PDP from any quarter would be firmly resisted.

Fani- Kayode said: “We wish to take this opportunity to make it clear to the Nigerian public that according to the figures made available to us, we are ahead in the presidential elections by at least two to three million votes.

“We have our own Situation Room and we have collated all our figures from the various polling booths, wards, local government areas and states in the federation.

“Despite the propaganda of the opposition, we are confident of victory. They and all other stakeholders can be rest assured that we will accept nothing less than the announcement of an election result that is truthful and that reflects the true will of the Nigerian people.

“Any attempt to manipulate figures or to rig us out from any quarter will be firmly resisted.”

INEC probes Rivers result

Announcing the constitution of a high-powered investigation team to investigate the allegation that voting did not take place in Rivers State, the commission in a statement issued by Mr. Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the fact-finding mission would ascertain the veracity of the claims and allegations and advise it and the Chief Electoral Commissioner/Returning Officer for the Presidential election appropriately.

Idowu said the committee of National Electoral Commissioners to handle the investigation included Mrs. Thelma Iremirem, Head and Supervisory National Commissioner for Rivers State, Col. M.K Hammanga and Professor Lai Olurode as members.

He said: “They have departed for Rivers State and it is expected that they will submit their report before the end of the collation of results of the other states and the FCT. Following the consideration of the report, the commission will make its decision known.”

The PDP also suffered significant losses in the Senate elections.

The APC swept the three seats in Kogi, Oyo, Lagos, Kwara, Kebbi and Sokoto. The PDP, however, won in Abia, Imo and Ebonyi.

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Roberto Firmino's goal helped Brazil extend their winning run to eight matches at the expense of South American rivals Chile at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

Roberto Firmino's goal helped Brazil extend their winning run to eight matches at the expense of South American rivals Chile at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium.

Hoffenheim striker Firmino latched on to Danilo's pass and took the ball around Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

It was the highlight of a low-quality match punctuated by fouls.

Chile's Gary Medel was lucky to escape unpunished for treading on Barcelona striker Neymar in the first half.

With the Copa America starting in Chile on 11 June, it was the last chance for the players to impress before the squads are announced on 1 June but enthusiasm appeared to be lacking.

Neymar's free-kick from deep was close to sneaking in at the far post and Bravo was forced to push the ball wide for a corner before Douglas Costa missed Brazil's best chance of the half.

Brazil have won all their matches since the 2014 World Cup

Marcelo's cross from the left found the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder but he fired wildly over the bar from 10 yards.

The setting was familiar for Arsenal striker Alexis Sanchez and the striker had Chile's first meaningful attempt on goal in the 65th minute when he curled a free-kick over the bar from 20 yards.

Brazil boss Dunga has enjoyed victory in every match of his second spell in charge since taking over after the 2014 World Cup.

That record looked in jeopardy until a fine pass from Danilo released Firmino. The striker was too quick for Medel and calmly took the ball around Bravo to score.

It was harsh on Chile, who have now suffered three defeats in their last four internationals.

Neymar came close to doubling Brazil's advantage when he whipped a free-kick narrowly wide in stoppage-time.

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Luis Suarez: Liverpool are only English team I would play for

Luis Suarez says Liverpool is the only team he would play for in England if he ever returned to the Premier League.

Suarez left the Reds for Barcelona last summer and was back at Anfield on Sunday for an all-star charity game.

He told Liverpool TV: "You never know in football what the future holds but if I ever play in England again I will play for the Liverpool team and not another team.

"I've missed the fans. They know they are in my heart."

Suarez spent three and a half years with Liverpool and scored 31 times in the Premier League last season as Brendan Rodgers's side finished second to Manchester City.

The Uruguay international, 28, came on as a second-half substitute in the charity match between a Steven Gerrard XI and a team led by ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

Past and present players and a few special guests, including ex-Arsenal star Thierry Henry, graced Anfield

Gerrard, who is currently serving a three-match ban for his sending-off in Liverpool's 2-1 defeat by Manchester United a week ago, scored two penalties for his side.

Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli and Chelsea's Didier Drogba had earlier put Carragher's team 2-0 up in the game, which featured six members of Liverpool's 2005 Champions League-winning side.

As well as Gerrard and Carragher, John Arne Riise, Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Harry Kewell also appeared.

Former Arsenal legend Thierry Henry and Chelsea's former England captain John Terry played in the game, which was a sell-out, with funds raised going to the Liverpool FC Foundation, Alder Hey Children's Hospital and other charitable organisations in Liverpool.

Gerrard's XI : Brad Jones, Anthony Gerrard, Glen Johnson, John Terry, John Arne Riise, Kevin Nolan, Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Ryan Babel, Thierry Henry, Jerome Sinclair. Substitutes: Scott Dann, Ashley Williams, Luis Suarez, Fernando Torres, Charlie Adam, Jay Spearing, Stephen Warnock, Joao Carlos Teixeira.

Carragher's XI : Pepe Reina, Jon Flanagan, Jamie Carragher, Alvaro Arbeloa, Martin Kelly, Harry Kewell, Stewart Downing, Lucas, Jonjo Shelvey, Didier Drogba, Mario Balotelli. Substitutes: Peter Gulacsi, Luis Garcia, Craig Noone, Alberto Moreno, Gael Clichy, Fabio Borini, Craig Bellamy.

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina spent nine years as a Liverpool player before joining Bayern Munich via a loan spell at Napoli

Old foes Jamie Carragher and John Terry were again on opposite sides at Anfield

Gerrard, who leaves for LA Galaxy this summer, made his Liverpool debut in November 1998

Bayern Munich's Xabi Alonso helped Liverpool win the 2005 Champions League

Mario Balotelli

Didier Drogba swapped a Chelsea shirt for a Liverpool one and scored again at Anfield

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Kashmir floods: Srinagar residents told to move to safety

A flood alert has been issued in Indian-administered Kashmir following torrential rain and a surge in the water level of the Jhelum river.

Authorities have asked people living near the river to leave their homes and move to safer places.

Many areas of the main city of Srinagar are already under water.

The alert comes after more than 250 people died in September in what was described as the worst flooding in the region in half a century.

The deputy chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, Nirmal Singh, said the authorities were on "full alert" after heavy rain in the Kashmir Valley and the "situation is being monitored continuously".

More than 200 families have been moved from low-lying areas to tents, government buildings and to the homes of their relatives on higher ground.

The main road connecting Srinagar with Jammu has been closed following landslides and authorities have issued avalanche warnings in seven districts, reports say.

Forecasters are predicting more rain this week.

Last September's floods affected more than 1.2 million people and damaged more than 180,000 houses in the state.

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Obama smells smoke at Science Fair prompting British joke

Over 100 students from 30 states exhibited their award-winning science projects at the 5th White House Science Fair on Monday.

But one project in particular caught President Obama's attention, when the stench of something burning interrupted his speech.

The president remained calm, cracked a few jokes and ultimately gave the students a history lesson - with a British bent.

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French local elections: Exit polls suggest Conservative win

France's Conservative UMP Party and its allies appear to have come first in the final round of departmental elections.

The UMP, led by former President Nicolas Sarkozy, appeared set to secure at least 65 local councils, exit polls suggested, up from 41.

Marine Le Pen's far-right National Front also appeared to have made gains, while the ruling Socialists and their allies may lose about 30 departments.

These elections are seen as a test case ahead of 2017's presidential election.

Paris and Lyon, France's two biggest cities, were excluded from Sunday's election.

The National Front appeared to have won a significant number of seats in Sunday's second round of elections, but did not appear to have gained control of any councils, the exit polls said.

Nonetheless, leader Marine Le Pen hailed a "historic" day for the FN, saying: "I thank all our voters for this magnificent success."

"The goal is near, reaching power and applying our ideas to redress France."

French Prime Minister Manual Valls admitted it was "incontestable" that the Socialist Party had lost ground.

"The French have declared... their anger at a daily life that is too difficult," he said. He vowed to redouble efforts to boost the economy, and said his focus was "jobs, jobs, jobs".

He added that the rise in the National Front's popularity was "a sign of a lasting upheaval of our political landscape and we will all need to draw lessons from it".

'Repudiation to Socialists'

Mr Sarkozy said voters had "massively rejected" the policies of his successor as president, Francois Hollande.

"Never has our political family won so many councils," he told supporters. "The repudiation of those in power is without question."

Mr Hollande has suffered from slumping personal ratings, boosted only briefly by his response to January's terror attacks in Paris.

One presidential adviser told AFP: "Everyone is scared they will be eliminated in the first round in 2017."

Bastions of the Socialists like the Nord department around Lille have swung to the right, as has President Hollande's own fiefdom of the Correze in central France, the BBC's Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

However, as ever in France's two-round elections, voters from left and right united in round two to keep the National Front from power, our correspondents adds.

Turnout on Sunday was 41.94% at 17:00 (15:00 GMT), three hours before polls closed. Surveys suggested about 50% of those eligible took part in the polls, Le Monde reported.

Voters have been electing representatives in 101 departments, or counties, in the two rounds of the local elections. The departments are charged with issues like schools and welfare.

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