The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) on Monday said it was ready to organise a science competition that would identify and celebrate the best young Nigerian scientists. The FMST Minister, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known during the official commissioning of the Abuja Office of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT). “The ministry will play an important role in helping to promote science and technology culture among our young people. By organising scientific competitions, our young people will benefit tremendously from a new scientific thinking that is needed to increase the awareness of our people for the role of science and technology in nation-building. “FMST will organise a science competition that will identify and celebration the best among young scientists from all the 774 Local Government Areas in the country,” he said. According to him, the NISLT building will serve as a reference centre for scientific equipment needs assessment as well as certification of laboratories for analysis and training. Onu said that he was deeply concerned about the need to diversify national economy, pointing out that the problems facing the nation since independence had been essentially a mono-product economy. “The fragility of our economy had been exposed with attendant consequences of the high rate of high unemployment and undue pressure on our economy. “Nigeria must rise up and employ science and technology as the suitable instrument to help us diversify and strengthen our economy. “I am happy that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to using Science and Technology to diversify our economy,“ he said. Earlier, the FMST Permanent Secretary, Mrs Habiba Lawal stressed that the NISLT would be used by Nigeria scientists and technologies for further greatness of the nation. “Today’s event started in 2003 when the Act formally establishing the institute was enacted by the National Assembly. This was after a period of about 30 years of struggle to have an indigenous regulatory professional body of science laboratory technologies,’’ she added. The NISLT Director-General, Mr Ighodalo Ijagbone, commended the entire management team of the ministry on commissioning of the first office building on the premises. “The next major stage is to put in place appropriate infrastructure to provide the enabling space in carrying out the statutory duties and function as assigned to the institute by the Act,“ he said. Thanks for reading.
FG Set To Celebrate Young Nigerian Scientists – Onu
The Federal Ministry of Science and Technology (FMST) on Monday said it was ready to organise a science competition that would identify and celebrate the best young Nigerian scientists. The FMST Minister, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known during the official commissioning of the Abuja Office of the Nigerian Institute of Science Laboratory Technology (NISLT). “The ministry will play an important role in helping to promote science and technology culture among our young people. By organising scientific competitions, our young people will benefit tremendously from a new scientific thinking that is needed to increase the awareness of our people for the role of science and technology in nation-building. “FMST will organise a science competition that will identify and celebration the best among young scientists from all the 774 Local Government Areas in the country,” he said. According to him, the NISLT building will serve as a reference centre for scientific equipment needs assessment as well as certification of laboratories for analysis and training. Onu said that he was deeply concerned about the need to diversify national economy, pointing out that the problems facing the nation since independence had been essentially a mono-product economy. “The fragility of our economy had been exposed with attendant consequences of the high rate of high unemployment and undue pressure on our economy. “Nigeria must rise up and employ science and technology as the suitable instrument to help us diversify and strengthen our economy. “I am happy that President Muhammadu Buhari is committed to using Science and Technology to diversify our economy,“ he said. Earlier, the FMST Permanent Secretary, Mrs Habiba Lawal stressed that the NISLT would be used by Nigeria scientists and technologies for further greatness of the nation. “Today’s event started in 2003 when the Act formally establishing the institute was enacted by the National Assembly. This was after a period of about 30 years of struggle to have an indigenous regulatory professional body of science laboratory technologies,’’ she added. The NISLT Director-General, Mr Ighodalo Ijagbone, commended the entire management team of the ministry on commissioning of the first office building on the premises. “The next major stage is to put in place appropriate infrastructure to provide the enabling space in carrying out the statutory duties and function as assigned to the institute by the Act,“ he said. Thanks for reading.
Brussels Attack: Buhari Calls For Greater International Cooperation Against Terrorism
President Muhammadu Buhari joins leaders across Europe and the rest of the world in condemning the atrocious terrorist attacks on the Zaventem Airport and Maalbeek Metro Station in Brussels earlier today.
President commiserates with Prime Minister Charles Michel and Belgians over the loss of over 30 lives in the attacks.
The President assures Prime Minister Michel and the people of Belgium that having suffered the horror and anguish of incessant terrorist attacks over several years, Nigeria stands in full solidarity with them on this day of national pain and trauma.
President Buhari believes that the appalling attack on Brussels reinforces the need for greater international cooperation to effectively confront and destroy global terrorism and its perpetrators.
The President assures the global community that under his leadership, Nigeria will continue to work with other countries of the world to ensure that terrorism never triumphs over free, peaceful and law-abiding nations and people of the world.
He wishes the more than 100 persons injured in the attacks a speedy recovery.
Cuba Obama calls for lifting of Cuba embargo and embrace of free market economy
Barack Obama urged Cuba to embrace the free market in a landmark speech in Havana that championed economic liberty rather than political reform as the key to unleashing the potential of its people.
Ignoring calls to echo Ronald Reagan’s famous “tear down this wall” speech in Berlin, President Obama drew another leaf from the cold war playbook and focused instead on the role of capitalism in transforming society from within.
“Many suggested that I came here to Cuba to tear something down, but I am appealing to the young people to lift something up,” Obama told a handpicked audience of 1,000 in the Havana theatre that hosted the last US president to speak in the country, 88 years ago.
Live Obama in Cuba: 'I have come to bury the last remnant of the cold war' – live
The US president delivers historic address in Cuba, opening speech with comments on Brussels attack
Although calling for free elections and an end to the detention of dissidents, Obama’s trip has focused heavily on the growth of small business in Cuba as a sign of internal momentum for change that can circumvent political stalemate.
“We have a clear example of what the Cuban people can build, it’s called Miami,” he said in Tuesday’s televised speech. “Being self-employed is not about becoming more like America, it’s about being more like yourself.
“What changes come will depend on the Cuban people, we will not impose our political or economic system upon you … But having removed the shadow from our relationship, I must speak honestly about the things we believe,” added Obama.
The speech, watched by Cuban president Raúl Castro and many government officials as well as US-invited guests, was received politely, with most applause reserved for Obama’s call on Congress to fully end the trade embargo.
“It is time to lift the embargo, but even if we lifted it tomorrow, Cubans would not realise their potential without more freedom to open a business.”
That was a speech that will perpetuate the dictatorship ...[Obama] didn’t mention the word ‘opposition’ even once
Alier González, democracy activist
A smiling Castro left the theatre to chants of “Cuba! Cuba!” from many in the audience, who gave him a longer and more coordinated ovation when he entered the theatre.
The message will be seen as more palatable to the Cuban leadership than the full-throated attack on political repressions that some activists had hoped for.
Cuban president Raúl Castro gestures after US president Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Gran Teatro de la Havana on Tuesday.
Cuban president Raúl Castro gestures after US president Barack Obama delivered a speech at the Gran Teatro de la Havana on Tuesday. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images
Watching the speech on a vintage television set at her home in Havana, pro-democracy activist Alier González scoffed at the president’s description of a “new era” for Cuba.
“So we are in a new era with the same old dictator? That’s a total contradiction!
“That was a speech that will perpetuate the dictatorship. He didn’t challenge them. He didn’t mention the word ‘opposition’ even once,” she said.
González, whose husband, the dissident Antonio Rodiles, was detained at a peaceful protest on Sunday, said the tone of Obama’s visit had been “naive”. “We need stronger action, not weak words,” she said.
But Obama stuck to the upbeat tone he has adopted throughout this controversial trip, insisting that long-term, irreversible changes are afoot that few politicians can get in the way of.
“I have come here to bury the last remnant of the cold war in the Americas,” said Obama. “To extend a hand of friendship.
“Our grandchildren will look back on this period of isolation as an aberration.”
Obama appealed to the shared bonds of history and culture between the two countries, describing the US and Cuba as “two brothers that have been estranged for many years”.
“We both live in a new world, colonized by Europeans. Cuba was in part built by slaves who were brought from Africa,” he said. “Like the United States, Cuba can trace her heritage to both slaves and slave owners.”
Reflecting his attempts to reset relations with Latin America, he said called for a new sense of unity, breaking into Spanish to say: “Todos somos americanos” – we are all Americans.
He even accepted the validity of some of Castro’s attacks on America’s own civil rights problems and lack of guaranteed healthcare, also acknowledging local fears of a US corporate invasion once trade restrictions are finally lifted.
“Before 1959, some Americans saw Cuba as something to be exploited. I know the history but I refuse to be trapped by it,” said Obama.
Though desperately poor, many ordinary Cubans remain suspicious of US economic intent, especially in a country where there is no McDonald’s, no Starbucks and no Coca-Cola.
American credit cards do not work, and tourists hoping the US dollar is the preferred currency get a rude awakening when they are charged high fees to change them into pesos.
Our grandchildren will look back on this period of isolation as an aberration
Barack Obama
“There is one word that identifies our country since 1868 and that is independence,” said the concierge at one of the luxury hotels frequented by Americans in old Havana.
“It is as simple as that. Maybe it will be a good thing that McDonald’s doesn’t open. It will be the first step towards our death,” he said.
The president seems well aware of such sentiment, calibrating his speech to avoid causing offence and trying instead to inspire.
“Part of Cuba’s identity is in being a small island nation that can stand up for its rights and stand out in the world. [But] Cuba doesn’t have to be defined as being against the United States.”
After the speech, Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry met a group of dissidents, including Rodiles, at the US embassy, where he said that there are still “deep differences” with the Cuban government on issues of freedom and democracy.
Praising the activists for their “extraordinary courage”, Obama said: “My hope is that by listening and hearing from them that we can continue to refine our policy in such a way that ultimately the Cuban people are able to live freely and prosperously.”
Outside Obama’s speech however, the US visit is, as far as the Cuban public is concerned, a virtually private affair, witnessed by the world’s media and the Cuban elite but not ordinary citizens of the capital.
Because there is no internet in the city outside the luxury hotels and special “Wi-Fi parks”, few in Havana seem to know much of Obama’s schedule this morning other than that their city centre is in complete lockdown.
An army of volunteers was operating a human barrier at a six-block radius from Parque Central, site of another symbolic speech on this three-day trip.
It means nobody, apart from those who live in the old city, will get to see anything other than Obama’s lengthy convoy speeding down the ocean-hugging boulevard, the Malecon.Thanks for reading.
Breaking: 13 Dead As Twin Explosions Hit Brussels Airport
At least 13 people are feared dead and many wounded after two explosions hit Brussels Airport and at a Metro station in the Belgian capital.
Witnesses told UK Independent that the airport blasts happened shortly before 8am local time (7am GMT) in the departure hall near the check-in desks for American Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
Little over an hour later, another explosion was reported at the Maalbeek (Maelbeek) station, near the European Council headquarters and other EU buildings. The capital’s entire public transport system was being shut down.
The explosion reportedly took place in the Departures lounge, beyond airport security areas.
The Belga news agency reported that shots were fired before the explosions and shouting was heard in Arabic.
Authorities have not released a statement confirming casualty figures but the VRT News quoted officials saying at least 13 had died and 35 were injured.
Clinton and Trump trade insults on CNN with sights set on general election
The two leading candidates for the US presidency did not come face to face on Monday, but they still managed to trade insults on primetime television.
Hillary Clinton, the Democratic favourite, launched her most direct attack yet on Donald Trump, accusing him of “bigotry and bluster and bullying” and inciting violence at his campaign rallies.
The Republican frontrunner, meanwhile, renewed his claim that Clinton lacked the “stamina” and “strength” needed for the presidency, while also fending off charges of sexism ahead of the latest round of primary voting on Tuesday.
Clinton and Trump’s attacks were lobbed during a CNN event featuring all five remaining presidential candidates from both parties. They did not directly debate each other, rather they were interviewed by CNN stalwarts Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer.
Trump’s principal rival for the nomination, Texas senator Ted Cruz, used the platform to argue that although he understands why people are supporting Trump, “his entire campaign is built on a lie”.
“The lie behind Donald’s campaign is that he will stand up to Washington. He is the system. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are flip sides of the same coin. Donald Trump has made billions buying influence in Washington. Hillary Clinton has made millions selling influence in Washington.”
Cruz predicted that he – and not a surprise establishment candidate – would beat Trump in a head-to-head battle if the Republican convention were to be contested.
Trump, Clinton and more candidates take the stage at Aipac - as it happened
Protesters blocked a Trump rally in Arizona, where Tuesday there are Republican and Democratic caucuses, in addition to Utah caucuses and Idaho’s primary
Clinton, who had earlier criticised Trump in a speech to Aipac, a pro-Israel lobby organisation, was even more specific in an interview with Cooper. “I think it’s important to listen to what he says,” she said. “You have to take him at his word so to speak. He has been engaging in bigotry and bluster and bullying.
“And I think when it comes to understanding what he would do as president there are serious questions that have been raised in this campaign. Should he be the nominee we’ll have to address them.”
Like Trump’s Republican rivals, Clinton is regarded as a conventional politician who in a general election would have to devise a winning strategy against the maverick who thrives on his anti-establishment candidacy.
Asked by Cooper if she believes Trump really is a bully, Clinton replied: “Well, I think his behaviour certainly qualifies for that. I think his incitement of violence, his constant urging on of his supporters in large numbers to go after protesters, his saying I want to punch people in the face and telling somebody who did punch somebody I will pay your legal bills – I think that raises very serious questions.”
She itemised some of Trump’s problematic statements from the past few months, ranging from “calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals, saying John McCain was not a war hero, being reluctant to denounce the Ku Klux Klan and David Duke. And the list goes on.”
Likewise Trump, who has prospered by attaching labels to his rivals, offered a clue to his potential line of attack against Clinton. He told Blitzer: “I think she doesn’t have the stamina. You watch her life. You watch how she’ll go away three or four days; she’ll come back.”
He added: “Look, we’ve got to beat China in trade. We’ve got to beat Isis. We’ve got so many problems in this country; I say she does not have the stamina to be a good president ... doesn’t have the energy, she doesn’t have it. Doesn’t have the strength to be president, in my opinion.”
During the interview with Blitzer, Trump was confronted with a recent TV advert from a Republican Super Pac in which women repeat some of his most outlandishly sexist comments including: “A person who is very flat-chested is very hard to be a 10”; “I’d look her right in that fat, ugly face of hers”; “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that?; “I like kids. I mean, I won’t do anything to take care of them. I’ll supply funds, and she’ll take care of the kids.”
After playing the clip, Blitzer asked Trump: “Has your language come back to haunt you?”
“No. I think people understand,” Trump said. “First of all, half of that was show business. The dropping to the knees, that was in The Apprentice. The Rosie O’Donnell stuff. But I think people understand. Look, these politicians, I know them. They say far worse when they’re in closed doors or where they’re with a group of people that they trust.”
“But that’s not how you feel about women in those words?”, Blitzer pressed.
Trump replied: “Of course not. Nobody respects women more than I do. Nobody takes care of the women – and they take care of me because they do such a great job.”
Trump also defended his persistent attacks on Fox News presenter Megyn Kelly. “Every night, the show, it’s like an infomercial, always negative stuff, always negative stuff, always. Not fair. So I will fight back with Twitter. I will let people know she’s a third rate talent. I will say what I have to say, it’s very simple. But it’s not fair that she – you know, let her not talk about me. And by the way, seriously, if she didn’t talk about me, her ratings would go down like a rock.”
On a day when Trump’s foreign policy credentials were under the spotlight at the Aipac conference in Washington, he said the US should rethink its involvement in Nato more than two decades after the end of the cold war. “It’s costing us too much money, and frankly, they have to put up more money,” he said in remarks likely to raise eyebrows in Europe. “They’re going to have to put some up also.
“We’re paying disproportionately, it’s too much, and frankly, it’s a different world than it was when we originally conceived of the idea and everybody got together. We’re taking care of, as an example, the Ukraine. I mean, the countries over there don’t seem to be so interested. We’re the ones taking the brunt of it. So I think we have to reconsider – keep Nato but maybe we have to pay a lot less toward the Nato itself.”
Republican primaries will be held in Arizona and Utah on Tuesday, and Trump, who is facing the possibility of the first contested convention in decades, insisted that it does not matter if he falls short of the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination on the first ballot.
Referring to past comments that an attempt to deny him the prize could lead to riots, Blitzer asked: “Will you unequivocally say to your supporters, you don’t want any violence, you don’t want any riots at the convention?”
Trump answered: “Of course I would, 100%. But I have no control over the people ... Wolf, these people have been disenfranchised. They lost their jobs. They make less money now than they made 12 years ago. .
“They see their jobs going to Japan and to China and to Mexico. Mexico, forget it, it’s the new China. You know what, they’re very – they’re not by nature angry people, but I will tell you, right now they’re angry people.”
Cruz said that he understood why people were supporting Trump, since they were fed up with Washington but insisted that his rival had long “been enmeshed in the corruption of Washington”.
Cruz insisted that he could achieve the 1,237-delegate target but acknowledged that he and Trump might both fall short. “And if that happens, then the convention is going to decide,” he said. “Now they’re not going to do what people in the fevered swamps of Washington want, which is bring in a white horse who wasn’t on the ballot, who wasn’t running. That’s not going to happen.
“The delegates are going to decide between Donald and me. And if we go in with a bunch of delegates each, I believe we win that and we win that by earning the support of the delegates elected through the democratic process.”
Meanwhile, John Kasich, the governor of Ohio, who is trailing in third, gave no hint of dropping out. “I don’t think anybody’s going to have enough delegates to win the nomination before the convention,” he said. “Delegates are gonna think about two things: who can win? I’m the only one who can win in a general election. And number two: who can be president?”
He ruled out becoming Trump or Cruz’s running mate. “There’s zero chance I would be vice-president for either of them: zero. Less than zero.”
Despite the media reports in Washington suggesting that Democratic senators are gently leaning on Bernie Sanders to quit the race against Clinton, Sanders insisted: “I think we have a road – a narrow road – but a road to victory. We’re going to drive up the voter turnout in November no matter who the nominee is.
“I am not a quitter – we are gonna fight this to the last vote,” Sanders said, appearing on CNN via a videolink.
Sanders also took a swipe at Clinton as “the candidate of the establishment”, adding: “She has the support of public officials across America. What is also clear is that we are running an insurgent campaign across the country.
“I think as people look at our records, how we raise money, what our views are on income and wealth inequality, that is Bernie Sanders, and that is why we are creating so much excitement at the grassroots level.”
Thanks for reading.
EU’s military mission in Mali attacked by gunmen
Gunmen have attacked the European Union military training mission’s headquarters in the Malian capital, Bamako, in what appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks on Western interests in the region.
Armed forces killed at least one man. It was not immediately known how many people had launched the assault.
Sgt Baba Dembele from the anti-terrorism unit in Bamako said it was believed some attackers had entered the Hotel Nord-Sud, where the mission is headquartered.
The EU mission later said on Twitter that no personnel had been wounded and its forces were securing the area.
EU soldiers, the Malian army, national police and other security forces stood outside the hotel.
The assault comes about four months after jihadis attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital, killing 20 people. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was their first joint attack since al-Mourabitoun joined al-Qaida’s north Africa branch in 2015.
In January, other extremists from the same militant groups attacked a cafe near a hotel popular with foreigners in Burkina Faso’s capital, killing at least 30 people. And last week al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for an assault on a beach in Ivory Coast that left at least 19 dead, identifying the three attackers as members of al-Mourabitoun and Sahara units.
This week marks the fourth anniversary of the coup that unleashed widespread chaos in Mali. After the overthrow of the democratically elected president, extremists in the northern half of Mali took over the major towns and began implementing their strict interpretation of Islamic law. The amputations and public whippings only ended when a French-led military mission forced them from power in 2013.
Over the past year, the jihadis have mounted a growing wave of violent attacks against UN peacekeepers who are trying to help stabilise the country.
Thanks for reading.
Drinks makers consider legal action against sugar tax
Soft drink makers are considering taking legal action against the government over its controversial sugar tax as George Osborne’s budget shows further signs of unwinding. Suing the government is one option that companies are considering as they await more details on the tax, which will come into force in 2018 and cost £1bn to implement, almost double the amount that it is expected to raise. The cost of the sugar tax has been revealed in documents published by the Office for Budget Responsibility alongside the budget. The extra cost will come from a predicted rise in accrued interest that the government will have to pay on debt that is linked to the rate of inflation. The new tax will add 24p a litre to soft drinks with the highest sugar content, a cost that could be passed on to shoppers through higher prices, meaning inflation would rise. The chancellor has predicted the tax will raise £520m in its first year, far less than the cost of introducing the levy. Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said: “This just reaffirms our view that this tax is ill-considered. The evidence does not suggest it will be effective and taxpayers will be left paying a heavy price for it.” The announcement of the sugar tax led to sharp falls in the share prices of major drinks companies, such as Britvic, the maker of Robinson, and AG Barr, the maker of Irn-Bru. The leading companies are now considering how to respond to the tax, with legal action against the government one option. The soft drink makers could sue the government through European courts on the basis that other types of food and drink – such as fruit juice and milkshakes – are not included. Similar taxes in Scandinavia have been successfully challenged. Partington added: “At this stage all options are on the table. We need clarification about how this tax is going to work, exactly what’s excluded and what’s not. Nothing can be ruled out at this stage.” Coca-Cola also refused to rule out legal action. A Coca-Cola Great Britain spokesperson said: “We need to know more about the levy and how the government plans to implement it. Once this is clear to us, we’ll decide on what steps to take as a business and how best to continue the work we have done to help people consume less sugar and calories from our drinks.” However, the government defended the tax, claiming the chancellor was putting the next generation first, and that the soft drink makers had two years to cut the sugar content in their products. A HM Treasury spokesperson said: “He introduced a new levy on the soft drinks industry to pay for a doubling of dedicated sport funding for every primary school in the country, a huge expansion of breakfast clubs to ensure that every child gets the best start to the day, and new funding for a longer school day. “The chancellor also made clear that this was a policy aimed at driving meaningful change. The new levy will not be introduced until 2018, giving companies plenty of time to change product mix and reduce sugar content.” Thanks for reading.
