France election: Macron defeats Le Pen, to become youngest president on earth

Emmanuel Macron was elected president of France on Sunday with a business-friendly vision of European integration, defeating Marine Le Pen, a far-right nationalist who threatened to take France out of the European Union, early projections showed.

The centrist’s emphatic victory, which also smashed the dominance of France’s mainstream parties, will bring huge relief to European allies who had feared another populist upheaval to follow Britain’s vote to quit the EU and Donald Trump’s election as U.S. president.

Five projections, issued within minutes of polling stations closing at 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET), showed Macron beating Le Pen by around 65 percent to 35 – a gap wider than the 20 or so percentage points that pre-election surveys had pointed to.

Even so, it was a record performance for the National Front, a party whose anti-immigrant policies until recently made it a pariah in French politics, and underlined the scale of the divisions that Macron must now try to heal.

Le Pen’s high-spending, anti-globalization ‘France-first’ policies may have unnerved financial markets but they appealed to many poorer members of society against a background of high unemployment, social tensions and security concerns.

Macron’s immediate challenge will be to secure a majority in next month’s parliamentary election for En Marche! (Onwards!), his political movement that is barely a year old, in order to implement his program.

The 39-year-old former investment banker, who served for two years as economy minister but has never previously held elected office, will become France’s youngest leader since Napoleon with a promise to transcend outdated left-right divisions.

At least one opinion poll published in the run-up to the second round has indicated that the majority he needs could be within reach.

Despite having served briefly as economy minister in President Francois Hollande’s deeply unpopular Socialist government, Macron managed to portray himself as the man to recast a political landscape moulded by the left-right divisions of the last century.

While Macron sees France’s way forward in boosting the competitiveness of an open economy, Le Pen wanted to shield French workers by closing borders, quitting the EU’s common currency the euro, radically loosening the bloc and scrapping trade deals

Boko Haram frees 82 abducted Chibok Girls

one thousand, one hundred and eighteen days after their abduction by terror sect Boko Haram, freedom yesterday came the way of 82 more of the Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State, students.

The girls were among the 227 kidnapped from their dormitory on the night of April 14, 2014.

They were let go by their abductors after another lengthy round of negotiations with the federal government, seven months after the release of the first batch of the kidnapped girls.

Twenty-one were in that first batch set free in October last year.

The 82 girls were released at Banki at the Nigeria/Cameroun border and are currently in the custody of security agencies and 152 Battalion of the Nigerian Army in the town.

A security source confirmed the release, saying: “more Chibok girls have regained their freedom from the insurgents. I think about 82 of them.”

Some foreign news agencies put the figure of the released girls at 50.

Security sources said last night that they will be flown to Maiduguri today before being relocated by the military and security agencies for de-briefing and rehabilitation.

A source, speaking on the development said: “It is difficult to tell you how the freedom was secured because it was a covert or intelligence operation.

“All I can say is that the latest negotiation was well-protected to avoid leaks which could jeopardize the release of the girls.

“Actually when the 21 Chibok girls were released in October 2016, another batch of 56 was expected to follow but the leakage made the insurgents to change their mind.

“This time around, all the parties to the agreement strictly kept to the terms without leaks.”

The source confirmed that the girls were “set free in Banki town, which is a border town with Cameroon and Chad. In fact, on both sides of Banki, you might not know the difference between Nigerians and Cameroonians. This shows that the insurgents are still operating not only in Sambisa but some border villages.

“Banki also hosts an international cattle market. It cannot be ruled out as a strategic supply route for the insurgents.”

Asked which of the factions of Boko Haram granted freedom to the girls, the source added: “I cannot say now.”

Highly placed military sources have confirmed the release of a group of Chibok school girls abducted three years ago by the Boko Haram Terrorists.

The source however could not put a figure to the number of girls released saying “they are more than 50.”

However, Military authorities told The Nation that the news of the release cannot yet be confirmed.

Director Defence Information (DDI), Major General John Enenche said he was not aware of the information and promised to call back as soon as he was briefed.

Also, calls to the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman were not picked.

But sources say the girls are already in Banki village which is close to the Cameroon border. It was also learnt that the girls will be airlifted by the Nigerian Air Force Mi-35M gun ship helicopter to a safe location.

The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, who took part in previous talks to free the girls, was quoted yesterday by PREMIUM TIMES as saying he was aware that “about 85% negotiations had been completed last night (Friday).”

“Although I did not participate in the negotiations, but, I am fully in the know of what was going on,” he said, after tweeting earlier in the day: “Chibok girls shall be free Insha Allah.”

The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) group which has been in the fore front of the agitation of the rescue of the girls said last night that it was awaiting confirmation of the girls’ release.

Its spokesperson, Sesugh Akume, said: “We have been made aware of the yet-to-be-confirmed news that a number of our missing 195 Chibok girls in captivity have been released through negotiation.

“It would be recalled that in October last year when the 21 were released, the Federal Government, specifically the Presidency said that 83 more were ‘on their way’.

“We await official confirmation from the Federal Government and a release of their names. We shall go to work to confirm the news to verify its authenticity, and communicate same to the public.

“Our hopes and expectations are high as we look forward to this news being true and confirmed.”

Leader of the Bring Back Our Girls campaign group, Dr Oby Ezekwesili said she was praying hard that report of the release of 80 Chibok girls by Boko Haram group “is true.”

“You CAN’T imagine how HARD my heart is beating right now as I furiously PRAY that this news of release of 80 of OUR #ChibokGirls is true,” Ezekwesili wrote on her Twitter handle, Obyezeks.

“None of us CAN EVER imagine how 80 parents of OUR #ChibokGirls would feel should that news be TRUE. NO. ONLY THEY CAN KNOW THAT FEELING,” she added in another tweet.

Only last month during the third anniversary of the abduction of the girls, the group came hard on the federal government for “not doing enough to rescue the girls from Boko Haram.”

It blasted President Muhammadu Buhari for allegedly failing to fulfil his election promise to get the girls out of bondage.

The president denied the allegation and declared that as a parent, “I feel what you feel.”

He said his government was in continuous negotiations through international intermediaries with the captors.

Buhari vowed that his administration would do everything necessary to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

In a message to mark the third anniversary of the abduction Buhari said he was willing to bend over backwards to make the abductors of the girls release them.

His words: “like I have repeatedly said, the Federal Government is willing to bend over backwards to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls.

“We have reached out to their captors through local and international intermediaries, and we are ever ready to do everything within our means to ensure the safe release of all the girls.

“I wish to reassure the parents of the Chibok girls, all well-meaning Nigerians, organisations and the international community that as a government, we are unrelenting on the issue of the safe return of our children.

“I trust God that soon, our collective efforts will be rewarded with the safe return of our schoolgirls to their families, friends and their communities.’’

He stated that Nigerians had every reason to celebrate the return of 24 of the Chibok schoolgirls as well as thousands of other Nigerians who were abducted by the terrorists.

He said government was in constant touch through negotiations and local intelligence to secure the release of the remaining girls and other abducted persons unharmed.

“As a parent, I am eternally grateful to God that some of the girls were found alive and have been reunited with their families,’’ he added.

According to the President, government is doing all within its powers to reintegrate the freed girls to normal life.

He expressed appreciation to the parents and families of the abducted girls that had endured three years of agony and waiting for the return of their children.

He appealed to the parents and all Nigerians not to lose hope on the return of the remaining schoolgirls.

The Nigerian military recaptured Banki in September 2015 after fierce battles with the insurgents.

The Defence Headquarters had in 2015 described the town as a major centre of   economic and trading activities between Nigeria, Cameroon and Central African countries.

It said:”The recapture of the strategic town was facilitated by concerted efforts of the Nigerian Air Force and close liaison with the Cameroon’s Army.

“The recapture of this town apart restoring Nigeria’s territory law, would improve the economic activities in that area.”

The release of the first batch of the 21 Chibok girls last year was also effected in that town.

They were handed over to a team from the International Committee of the Red Cross who provided assistance during the transfer of the girls.

A few hours later this group of young girls landed in Abuja.

The government said at that time that negotiations with Boko Haram would continue to free the 197 students who were still missing

Lifestyle Habits That Kill Your Money Goals

I know you’re tired of being told of how to spend your money, but am also pretty sure that you’re also tired of the shock you get when you see your account on red. For all of the YOLO fanatics, yes life is for the living but how do you truly live without healthy finances? Here are some lifestyle habits that kill your goals to be the next Dangote, and some alternatives to killing those habits.

Going out to eat

Some of us eat like food is becoming extinct. The solution to everything is ‘let’s go out to eat’, and without remorse, you can spend all of your life earnings on food. Unfortunately, this habit will kill your money goals faster than the food even digests.

Alternative – Eat on someone else’s bill, Call a friend who owes you money and let them pay their debts in food. You can also invite yourself to your friend’s house for dinner and offer good gist as compensation.

Impulse spending

Social media adverts have taken over our timelines but if we work together and strategize, they won’t get us! Many of us have fallen prey to seeing the dress of our dreams suddenly pop up on our timelines and even worse, it’s available in our size.

Alternative -Instead of using your fingers to DM the seller, instead of placing that order, tag a friend who you know has a robust budget for charity! Tag them until they either block you or buy it for you. We’ve not tried it before, but it might work.

Unnecessary busy body outings 

 For some of us, busy body and ants in our pants will not allow our savings account to be great. These impulse outings usually result in unnecessary withdrawals and transfers which add plenty of bank charges to your bill!

Alternative – Coerce your friends into taking you out. There are so many perks of the Nigerian culture, one being if you do the inviting, you do the paying. Chop their money, if they don’t care.

If everything else fails in avoiding these common spending habits, you can use the card control feature with ALAT which allows you to enable and disable your account for any channels you desire! You could also try a savings plan where you can set up a savings goal, track progress towards meeting the goal, and get a 10% interest rate on your savings! Download ALAT from your app store and open an account in less than 8 minutes online today to get started!

And above all, A party is cheaper when you attend with friends and Gist is equivalent of cash when you want to eat at a friends house.........OLEH

N30 trillion revenue loss: Senate commences Customs’ probe

THE Senate, on Thursday, gave the go-ahead to its Customs and Excise committee, headed by Senator Hope Uzodinma, to kickstart a probe into the loss of  N30 trillion revenue by the Nigerian Customs Service and some maritime agencies.

senator Uzodinma, who moved the motion at the Senate plenary, said he was seeking the permission of the upper chamber to allow the committee on maritime to also join the probe.

He said his committee had conducted some investigations which, so far, had revealed that Nigeria was bleeding through activities of the Customs and the maritime agencies.

“We have started this assignment and, honestly speaking, we have identified that between 2006 and 2017, over N30 trillion worth of foreign exchange in form of approved ‘Form M’ made for imports and for which there is no evidence that the goods came into this country.

“Rather, what the commercial banks do is to apply for foreign exchange and the Central Bank of Nigeria approves it. The money is transfered to foreign banks but there are no documents that the goods come in. There has been round tripping with the limited foreign exchange that we have in Nigeria.

“The recent one, which is mind-blowing, was that shipping companies now load cargoes worth billions of naira, come into the country, go to warehouse terminals and offload, but Nigerian government will not collect one kobo. All they do is informal negotiations with the terminal operators and regulators and they will offload.

“This is an international crime. We have identified over 228 vessels with their destination numbers and terminals where they offloaded. We have gone through Customs’ ASCUDA database, tracking every shipment and every vessel that came and offloaded,” he said.

The lawmaker added that there was also an act by all the Asian companies to move their goods to Cotonou, in Benin Republic, adding that these goods were meant for Nigerian market.

“By midnight, the vessels will change their documents as if the shipment is from Ivory Coast or even Cotonou, and they will move in. We are losing trillions of naira annually as a result of these infractions. There is incorrect classification, undervaluation, under-declaration and incorrect origin,” he said.

Uzodinma said his motion was to bring the activities to the notice of the Senate and requested that the committee on marine transport should join the investigation.

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the sitting, ruled that the committee on marine transport should join the N30 trillion probe, to ensure holistic investigation into the matter.

“This is one area that the law enforcement agencies should move in quickly and ensure that these monies are recovered. We cannot be going to China and all around the world trying to borrow money when we can recover easily, monies lost through corrupt practices. This is where the Senate must be praised for actually blowing the whistle. This is the real whistle,” he said.

Banky w, actress Adesua Etomi set to get married!

Olubankole Wellington Nigeria’s Rythem and Blues singer aka Banky W and Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi are set to get married.

 Nollywood actress Adesua Etomi in her Instagram page announced her engagement to Banky W.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/05/banky-w-actress-adesua-etomi-set-get-married/

Dangers of Processed Food Consumption.... By Nduka Oleh

Based on our research it has  being shown that at least four of the 10 leading causes of death like  heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes are directly related to food that human being consumed.

Now as identified, protein malnutrition is a major public health problem in the developing world, leading to prevalence of killer diseases.such as stroke, cancer and heart diseases

According to us the nutritionist “nutrition is an important factor that affects human health and quality of life.” of which a situation can change in dietary habit. thus, advising that people should eat functional food to stay healthy and live long.

Individuals who want to stay healthy should eat more of vegetables and fruits and avoid junk foods.

The unfortunate part of this world right now is its global increase in the consumption of heavily processed foods, of which the increase in the consumption of processed food, coupled with lifestyle changes, particularly, the cultural shifts from fresh and wholesome homemade meals to out door meals inorder to take-outs, have contributed to high rates of preventable chronic diseases.

“Today, there are different problems related to diet and lifestyles. There are many modern systemic diseases in which dietary pattern plays significant role in the incidence and pathogenesis of such diseases. Proper nutrition and healthy lifestyles may represent good pre-requisites for the prevention/management of these diseases.”

Now Quoting the Greek physician, Hippocrates who said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food,” am linking this  in order to subdue the killer diseases to dietary pattern.

Furthermore, functional foods, are foods or food components that confer additional health benefits to the consumer beyond their conventional nutritive values.

In the sense that the science of nutritionally made food is a junction between two important concepts: ie food and health. in which by adhering to these, can   promote health and prevent diseases which has been seen over the centuries, especially in ancient Indian and Chinese traditional medicine.

Please, there is an urgent need to explore innovative strategies for promoting healthy eating.

some common staples in Nigeria vis-à-vis, and their nutritive and medicinal potentials have being discovered which are these foods that are always on our door steps which are green leafy vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, pepper fruits, tomatoes and spices of which the are potent antioxidants.

But the unfortunate part of it is that we denature them by therefore blanching them.. that is why often times we seems not to see their efficacy on us 

 Stay safe! and above all, desist from eating processed food......Nduka Oleh(Nutritionist and your dietitian) 

Mourinho bans Manchester United players from social media

Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho has enforced a social media ban on his players in order to limit the extent of information going out of the first-team squad.

Various United players have hit the headlines for posts made on their various social media 

And the Portuguese has grown increasingly frustrated with the tendency of his players to turn to social media, particularly when recovering from high-profile injuries.

Defender Luke Shaw drew his manager’s anger when he posted a photograph of him training away from the club as he looked to make a comeback from a leg injury, and Chris Smalling recently posted a video of himself running under reduced weight in a hydrotherapy pool as he looks to return after a knee injured picked up when training with England in March.

As a result all this, the former Real Madrid boss has taken the step to stop his players from sharing any snaps from training or recovery sessions and has also restricted their use of any social media service 48 hours before their matches.

It is believed that Smalling’s recent video brought about the ban.

“It’s about the philosophy and mentality around them,” he said of Jones and Smalling after they were ruled out of last week’s Manchester derby.

“Cautious. Cautious. Cautious. Just a cautious approach. It’s a profile. It’s the philosophy of work. Just that.

Hazard ‘agrees’ to join Madrid Read more

EDEN HAZARD has agreed a deal to make a sensational switch to flogged to Manchester United  to create funds for the mega-money move with Roman Abramovich demanding at least £85million. Eden Hazard  But that fee could be cut as the Spanish giants are planning to let  Alvaro Morata go in the opposite direction as part of the deal. Hazard – who is up for the PFA Player of the Year award  – even  hinted that he has ambitions to play for another club. He said: “When it’s not PSG, it’s  Real Madrid, then maybe it’s Bayern Munich… strangely last year there wasn’t anybody. “I may also have personal ambitions to play in other clubs. “But I’m trying to focus on the present, end up in  Chelsea  this year. I have a contract until 2020. For now, I’m here and good here.”

A female dragonfly plays dead to avoid copulating.....

(Phys.org)—A biologist with the University of Zurich has discovered a species of dragonfly whose females play dead to avoid copulating with other males once her eggs have already been fertilized. In his paper published in the journal Ecology, Rassim Khelifa recalls his first experience with a female mooreland hawker dragonfly playing dead, and what he found after further study of the species

As Khelifa describes it, he was out collecting larvae in the Swiss Alps one day, when he happened to notice one dragonfly chasing another—suddenly, the one being chased simply stopped flying and crashed to the ground, belly up. The pursuer, he notes, paused for a moment, then moved on. As Khelifa approached the dragonfly on the ground he noted it was female and then was surprised when she suddenly awoke, turned over and flew away.

Intrigued, and suspecting the behavior was intentional, Khelifa initiated a study of the species in their native environment, watching 31 male/female pursuits over time. He reports that the females tried the fake death routine 27 times, and that it worked 21 times. He notes further that in each of the fake death attempts, the female had just left her eggs, or was on her way to tend to them again.

After noting the fake death behavior, Khelifa reports that it makes sense for the female hawker, because unlike other species of dragonfly, the males do not quit attempting to mate once finding success, nor do males assist in protecting the eggs. He notes also that with the hawker species, the males have the ability to pull sperm from prior males out of the female reproductive tract with their penises, and perhaps even worse, can cause damage if he mates with a female that has already laid her eggs.

Khelifa also notes that the females tended to hide among dense vegetation when searching for food, likely another means for warding off ardent male pursuers. He points out that the feigned death behavior is the first observed in a dragonfly, but suggests it likely occurs with other species with females that go it alone after laying their eggs.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-female-dragonflies-fake-death-male.html#jCp

Michelle Obama's Girl Education Program Not Being Scrapped By Trump Administration

Amid report about former first lady Michelle Obama's signature girls' education initiative, "Let Girls Learn," being scrapped by the administration of President Donald Trump, a White House spokesman clarified Monday the program was not shutting down.

The White House response came hours after CNN reported about an internal document, which it had obtained, suggesting the program started by Michelle and her husband, former President Barack Obama, in 2015, would cease operation immediately.
Read: Barack And Michelle Obama Enjoy French Polynesia With Others Celebs
Sheila Crowley, acting director of the Peace Corps, sent an email to employees this week saying the education program was shutting down. “Moving forward, we will not continue to use the ‘Let Girls Learn’ brand or maintain a stand-alone program,” Crowley wrote in the message obtained by CNN.
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the U.S. government. Its mission is to help people outside the U.S. to understand American culture, and to help Americans understand the culture of other countries, as well as provide technical assistance to train men and women in other countries, according to its website. Education is the Peace Corps' largest program area.
The Obamas introduced the "Let Girls Learn" program after meeting with Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani teenager who was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen for speaking out in support of girls’ education, in 2013 in the Oval Office. As part of the program, federal agencies were directed to put additional resources toward helping girls attend school, the Washington Post reported.
The program was launched March 2015, bringing together the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Department of Labor, the Department of Agriculture and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief. It aims to address the challenges that prevent adolescent girls from attaining a quality education, which in turn could empower them to perform to their full potential, according to "Let Girls Learn" website.
In her first public appearance since leaving the White House, Michelle Obama said last week she was eager to continue the "Let Girls Learn" program initiative.
"One issue that I am excited about continuing to work on is... to help young girls get an education around the world. The plight of women and girls is real. ... The struggles are real," she reportedly said Thursday at the American Institute of Architects’ annual convention in Orlando.
Some other analysts also questioned if Ivanka Trump, who, works toward several women-related issues would let the "Let Girls Learn" program shut down. According to the Post, Carl Sferrazza Anthony, a historian with the National First Ladies’ Library, said: “Given that Ivanka Trump and Melania Trump have both, in a general way, spoken about the need for gender equity, especially among young women, it would seem that both or either of them would have a strong interest in ascertaining why this Peace Corps program is being cut, reviewing the process for its possible restoration or, at the very least, creating a venue for private fundraising and funding so that it continues."
Anthony's comments were made before the White House asserted it would continue backing “Let Girls Learn."

Ivanka Trump was also criticized on social media soon after rumors started floating about Trump considering shutting down "Let Girls Learn" program

N.Korea says US bomber flights push peninsula to brink of nuclear war

SEOUL, May 2 (Reuters) - North Korea accused the United States on Tuesday of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war after a pair of strategic U.S. bombers flew over the area in a training drill with the South Korean air force.
The two supersonic B-1B Lancer bombers were deployed amid rising tensions over North Korea's dogged pursuit of its nuclear and missile programs in defiance of United Nations sanctions and pressure from the United States.
The flight of the two bombers on Monday came as U.S. President Donald Trump said he was open to meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the appropriate circumstances, even though Pyongyang suggested it would continue with its nuclear tests.
South Korean Defence Ministry spokesman Moon Sang-gyun told a briefing in Seoul that Monday's joint drill was conducted to deter provocations by the North and to test readiness against another potential nuclear test.
The U.S. air force said in a statement the bombers had flown from Guam to conduct training exercises with the South Korean and Japanese air forces.
North Korea said the bombers conducted "a nuclear bomb dropping drill against major objects" in its territory at a time when Trump and "other U.S. warmongers are crying out for making a preemptive nuclear strike" on the North.
"The reckless military provocation is pushing the situation on the Korean peninsula closer to the brink of nuclear war," the North's official KCNA news agency said on Tuesday.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have been high for weeks, driven by concerns that the North might conduct its sixth nuclear test in defiance of pressure from the United States and Pyongyang's sole major ally, China.
China's Global Times, a state-backed tabloid that does not necessarily reflect national policy, said in an editorial late on Monday that the United States should not rely on China alone to pressure Pyongyang into giving up its nuclear ambitions.
April could prove a "turning point," the paper said, but "Washington ... must also continue to exert its own efforts on the issue."
It was widely feared North Korea could conduct its sixth nuclear test on or around April 15 to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of the North's founding leader, Kim Il Sung, or on April 25 to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the foundation of its Korean People's Army.
The North has conducted such tests or missile launches to mark significant events in the past.
Instead, North Korea conducted an annual military parade, featuring a display of missiles, on April 15 and then a large, live-fire artillery drill 10 days later.
"MAJOR CONFLICT"
Trump said on Monday he would be "honored" to meet the North's young leader.
"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it," Trump told Bloomberg News in comments that drew criticism in Washington.
Trump did not say what conditions would needed for such a meeting to occur or when it could happen. The White House said later North Korea would need to meet many conditions before it could be contemplated.
"Clearly conditions are not there right now," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said.
"I don’t see this happening anytime soon."
Trump warned in an interview with Reuters on Thursday that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea was possible, while China said last week the situation on the Korean peninsula could escalate or slip out of control.
In a show of force, the United States has already sent an aircraft carrier strike group, led by the USS Carl Vinson, to waters off the Korean peninsula to conduct drills with South Korea and Japan.
The U.S. military's THAAD anti-missile defense system has reached initial operational capacity in South Korea, U.S. officials told Reuters, although they cautioned that it would not be fully operational for some months.
North Korea test-launched a missile on Saturday that appeared to have failed within minutes, its fourth successive failed launch since March. It has conducted two nuclear tests and a series of missile-related activities at an unprecedented pace since the beginning of last year.
The North is technically still at war with the South after their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a treaty, and regularly threatens to destroy the United States, Japan and South Korea. (Additional reporting by James Pearson in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd in BEIJING, and Ayesha Rascoe in WASHINGTON;

Trump says he's willing to consider raising gas tax

 WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday said he will explore the possibility of higher gasoline and diesel fuel taxes, suggesting an increase could pay for his ambitious infrastructure plan.
"It's something that I would certainly consider," Trump told Bloomberg News in an interview.
The president indicated that the additional money would be directed toward highway construction and repair. That's been a problem area because fuel taxes have been unchanged since 1993 and created financial challenges for preserving the Highway Trust Fund.
The federal government currently finances its trust fund with an 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gasoline and a 24.4 cents per gallon tax on diesel fuel, neither of which are adjusted for inflation so the revenues raised has effectively fallen over time.
To keep a positive balance in the trust fund, lawmakers have injected an additional $143 billion into it since 2008, according to a report last year by the Congressional Budget Office. Highway-related tax revenue raised just $37.4 billion in fiscal 2015, meaning that maintenance has been deferred as potholes and traffic jams have worsened.
It's a rare tax increase that enjoys support from the businesses most likely to bear the higher costs.
The U.S. trucking industry — which shoulders roughly half the cost of the fuel taxes — would welcome an increase if it's dedicated to fixing infrastructure. The industry benefits because better roads reduce travel times, curb the frequency of vehicle repairs and improve roadway safety.
"The cost of doing nothing is more expensive than a higher fuel tax," said Chris Spears, president of the American Trucking Associations.
By increasing fuel taxes by 35 cents a gallon and indexing them to inflation, the federal government would raise an additional $473.6 billion over the next decade, according to the staff of the congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.White House spokesman Sean Spicer said at the Monday news briefing that the president was only considering raising fuel taxes out of respect to requests from the trucking industry.
"He has an open mind," Spicer said.
Raising fuel taxes has generally been opposed by Republican lawmakers at the state level.
Trump also told Bloomberg News that the personal and corporate income tax plan his administration outlined last week is just the starting point for negotiations with Congress.
"Everything is a starting point," the president said.
Trump's proposed plan would slash the corporate tax rate to 15 percent and lower rates for individuals, likely increasing the deficit substantially if passed
© The Associated Press President Donald Trump speaks in the Kennedy Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 1, 2017, to the Independent Community Bankers Association. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

May Day shocker: MTN sacks 280 staff

The 2017 Workers’ Day celebration turned bleak for about 280 staff of MTN Nigeria following their disengagement by the telecom over current economic and operational reasons.

This was as insider sources hinted that the telco was not yet done with the exercise as it intends to prune its over 1,800 permanent workforce and contract staff by 25 per cent to allow for fresh strength in Nigeria’s harsh operating environment.

Daily Sun source, however, hinted that over 15 per cent of the company’s Nigerian workforce was shoved out, in an exercise that affected every department including 200 permanent employees and 80 contract staff across various cadres, ranging from new graduates to senior managers.

The dismissed workers were however given a dismal severance package of 75 per cent of their gross monthly income multiplied by the number of years they served the company.

However, MTN has yet to release an official statement to that effect but a source disclosed that the mass sack was woven round recession and the changing dynamics of the telecoms industry in recent times.

MTN had recently introduced the Voluntary Severance Scheme (VSS) to provide a window for one week in April, for persons who have served in MTN for five years and above to take up. And those who offered to opt out under the VSS were paid the equivalent of their three weeks gross salary for every year they worked with MTN.

“What that implies is that when an MTN employee works for five years, he would be paid three weeks of their gross salaries times five.”

Meanwhile, one of the affected employees said the sack was more of office politicking and the current economic situation that is biting hard on all the industry. He, however, added that over 200 of those affected had agreed to leave the company voluntarily under the scheme.

Mass sack appeared to be the dominant operator’s stock in trade, especially since the sponsorship of the Big Brother Africa reality television programme, an industry watcher, who pleaded anonymity stated.

According to him, MTN had sacked 63 employees in 2009 and prevented them from securing jobs in the sector for four years; the case is still in court because the company kept appealing. He maintained that there was consecutive lay-off in 2013 and 2015 respectively by the telco.

“This is not the first time, MTN is laying off staff, but, in fact, the sixth in a row. In 2016, some call centre agents were laid off while others’ salaries were slashed by 67 per cent and forced to relocate to Ibadan. The 2017 mass sack appears to be a May Day shocker for the industry. MTN is the only telco that has the largest incidence of mass sack in the industry

Nigerian-cooked jollof rice is the best in the world – Osinbajo

Abuja – Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice-President on Monday described Nigerian-cooked jollof rice as “the best in the world”.

The New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that recently, while responding to a question by Richard Quest, CNN International business editor, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture, was quoted to have said that the Senegalese make the best jollof rice on the continent.

Although Quest made attempt to defend the minister, saying the minister did not hear his answer correctly, the incident sparked off unpleasant reactions on social media among a cross-section of Nigerians.

The Vice-President gave the score card while speaking at “The Platform Nigeria,” a Global Media live broadcast LIVE on Channels TV and online convened by Poju Oyemade, Senior Pastor of the Covenant Christian Center, in Lagos.

He said:“And by the way, we all know that Nigerian jollof rice is the best, we beat the Ghanaians and the Senegalese hands down.”

“We have everything, and our people are doing incredibly innovative things.

“Our music and entertainment industry is the fastest growing in the world,and of course, nobody is as funny as Nigerians, whether professional or amateur,”he noted.

The VP also extolled Nigerians innovative feats in various fields,especially in recent times.

“Last year Oluyinka Olutoye, a Nigerian surgeon successfully took out a baby from her mother’s womb, operated on the womb, and put the baby back in.

“The baby was carried full term and was born naturally — a feat previously unheard of.

“Only last year, a Nigerian girl Morolake Akinosun won a gold medal at the Olympics.

“Last Saturday, a Nigerian boxer Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua won the WBA, becoming the boxing champion of the world.”

Jollof rice is a staple meal among Africans, however over the years, Nigerians, Ghanaians, Senegalese and other African countries have claimed to make the best of the meal.

Once Rejected by Nigeria, How Anthony Joshua Became Champion of the World

The new IBF and WBA heavyweight champion of the world, Anthony Oluwafemi Joshua, could have fought Vladimir Klitschko, as world boxing champion, under the green white green banner of Nigeria rather than the British Union Jack.
But for one small and now ultimately significant rejection by Nigerian boxing officials in 2008, when he wanted to represent the country of his parents at the Olympic Games, was to alter the course of history, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Maybe his career would have taken an entirely different fork at the crossroads if he had been flying the green and white colours nearly a decade ago.

Joshua makes no secret of his Nigerian heritage. If anything, he embraces it. His middle name, Femi (short for Oluwafemi), is as Nigerian as they come. On numerous occasions he has not been shy to speak about his Nigerian roots.
Joshua was born in Watford to a Nigerian mother and a British father of Nigerian and Irish descent. He made his professional debut in 2013.
In a post-fight interview muck-around with Nigerian reporter Oma Akatugba, he even attempted to speak some of his native Yoruba language, and the map tattooed on his shoulder tells its own cultural tale.
It is a reflection of how connected he has tried to remain to his African roots.
Indeed, some of 27-year-old Joshua’s early years were spent in Ijebu-Ode Nigeria before he returned to the UK halfway through Year Seven to join Kings Langley Secondary School.
Growing up on the Meriden Estate in Garston, Hertfordshire, Joshua was called ‘Femi’ by his friends and former teachers. He excelled at football and athletics and broke the Year Nine 100m record with a time of 11.6 seconds.

At 11, he joined his Nigerian mother Yeta in the most populous black nation on earth for six months and attended a boarding school within that period.
Joshua told MailOnline that he felt he went to Nigeria on holiday. “I thought I was going there (Nigeria) on holiday,” he said.
“I wasn’t prepared for it. It was a boarding school as well. It was a change and I thought I was going to go for the full course: 5.30am in the morning, up fetch your water, put like an iron in your water to warm it up. Your clothes had to be washed and ironed.
“It wasn’t an issue but I wasn’t prepared. It was good discipline. We got beaten. That’s my culture: beating. The (British) government raises your kids now; parents aren’t allowed to raise their kids, because there is so much control (here) about what you do or what you say.

“In the (Nigerian) culture it’s family, outside support; everyone has a role in raising the kids.”
At the end of six months, which he believed taught him discipline, Joshua and his family returned to the UK, and he resumed the path that led to him being discovered as a promising amateur fighter.
It was that connection that drove him to try and represent Nigeria at the 2008 Olympic Games, only to be turned down by the country’s boxing coaches.
Obisia Nwankpa, former Commonwealth champion, world title contender and chief coach of the Nigerian boxing team, tells the story: “He reached out to us, asking to be part of our Olympic team, so we invited him to come down and take part in the trials.
“Unfortunately, he did not appear when we asked him to and came down only when we had finished our trials, finalised our team and were about to travel for a training tour. Maybe other coaches would have accepted it, but I could not.

“It’s a pity he did not get his chance at that time, but the two boxers we selected then, Durodola Olanrewaju and Onorede Ohwarieme, were outstanding and experienced and there was no way I was going to drop them for somebody I had not even seen.”
Both Olanrewaju and Ohwarieme failed to go beyond their first bouts at the Beijing Olympics. Olanrewaju lost to Cuba’s Osmay Acosta, who went on to win bronze, while Ohwarieme was beaten by Lithuania’s Jaroslavas Jaksto. But Nwankpa remains convinced that Joshua would not have fared any better at the time.
“Those two were great boxers and the reason they did not do so well was partly because our preparations were not really so good, and partly because there is also some politics in the way they judge these fights at amateur level.”
However, Jeremiah Okorodudu who represented Nigeria at the 1984 Olympic Games, has another take on why Joshua was rejected. His relationship with Nwankpa is frosty at best and they do not often agree.

Okorodudu claimed that some stinging words were said to the young boxer.
“When they turned him back, they told him that if he was that good he should have fought for Britain,” Okorodudu alleged.
That snub, it seems, provided additional motivation which spurred the young boxer to fight his way into the British Olympic team. Four years later, Nigeria’s rejected nugget had become Great Britain’s cornerstone Olympic gold medalist. So is it possible that Joshua dodged a bullet by that rejection?
Nwankpa grudgingly agreed: “Well, maybe if he had represented Nigeria at that time he would not have won gold at the Olympics. And possibly, even if he had won, he may not have achieved what he is achieving now.
“Being born in England gives him a certain amount of preference and because he is representing them, he also gets a lot of support from them; good management, and world class preparation.

“Here, it would have been difficult for him to get the kind of support that he has now. And if he doesn’t have that support, he won’t have fights and if he doesn’t have fights, he cannot be champion,” Nwankpa argued.
Okorodudu again holds opposite views to Nwankpa: “I believe he could still have achieved all that if he had fought for Nigeria. We have had boxers who have done well fighting for Nigeria. Peter Konyegwachie won silver in 1984. David Izonritei also won silver and I trained Samuel Peter for three years before he went to the Olympic Games and later became a world champion.
“So if Joshua had been given a chance here, I believe he could still have won gold and still be a world champion.”
On further reflection, however, Okorodudu admitted it would have been a harder journey for the young champion.
“Lack of fights is a big problem for our boxers. They turn professional and there is no promotion. Joshua is where he is because he is getting good promotion, so maybe it would have been tougher for him.
“But because he was born in England, he could still have moved abroad, like Peter did, and that would have worked for him,” Okorodudu added.
Nwankpa, who was close to being a world champion himself until he lost the WBC title fight to Saoul Mamby, however, maintained that he has no regrets about his decision to cold-shoulder Joshua.
“I would do it again because we must always do things the right way. Simply because somebody was born abroad does not mean he can just walk into our team without taking part in our trials.

“That would be unfair to those who sweated to take part and qualified. So no, I have no regrets at all. But I am happy for him,” Nwakpa told ESPN before Saturday’s fight.
Choices: we are the sum total of the choices we make. For Joshua, he is the sum of choices stemming from one made by Nwankpa.
Hard not to think that in his moments of quiet introspection, he will find himself thankful for the little mercy of having suffered that rejection early in his career.
Meanwhile, after winning the historic fight in front of 90,000 people at Wembley and with millions watching all over the world, Joshua challenged another heavyweight great, Tyson Fury, to a match.
Fury beat Klitschko in 2015, but was stripped of his titles shortly afterwards and has not fought since.
Taking up the challenge, Fury responded to Joshua calling him out immediately after his victory over Klitschko by saying “challenge accepted”.
“Tyson Fury, where (are) you at baby?” asked Joshua.
“Come on, is that what you want to see? I enjoy fighting. I love fighting. Tyson Fury I know he has been talking a lot and wants to come back and compete.
“I want to give 90,000 people another chance to come back and watch some boxing here,” shouted out Joshua who is now a three-belt champion as he also holds the IBO title.
Tyson Fury accepted the challenge – some have called this next bout to be one of the biggest in 500 years of boxing history.
Fury last year surrendered the world heavyweight titles he won by beating Klitschko in an effort to focus on his mental health problems.
The 28-year-old has won all 25 of his professional fights so far, 18 by knockout.
Joshua now boasts a perfect 19-0 record following his win over Klitschko, with all of the 27-year-old’s victories coming inside the distance.

Protesting workers demand to see Buhari

Millions stage violent rallies to mark May Day in Nigeria, U.S., France, Russia, others

A rally planned for the Eagle Square in Abuja to mark this year’s May Day was disrupted yesterday as thousands of unionists demanded that President Muhammadu Buhari “must address the suffering workers.”

As in Nigeria, millions of protesters across the world hit the streets to mark the day. The protests became violent in some parts of Nigeria, France, Turkey, United States of America (USA), Spain and Russia, among others. In Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, hoodlums violently disrupted a rally organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) forcing participants to flee.

Known as May Day, the first day of every fifth month is set aside either to celebrate workers’ rights or as a day of protests and riots. It traces its modern roots back to a world-changing explosion in Chicago. It was originally an ancient pagan holiday celebrating the start of summer. Different groups overtime adapted the celebration to suit their specific cultures and beliefs.

Nigerian workers have been pressing for as much 300 per cent increase in minimum wage — from the current N18, 000 (less than $50) — to mitigate the impact of official pump price of petrol which jumped from N86 per litre to N145.

The drama in Abuja started, when the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, failed to appear in person to address the workers, but said he would only deliver President Buhari’s message to them.

The workers, who claimed to have been deceived on many occasions by Ngige, approached the podium and disallowed further proceedings, warning that they would only listen to the president they voted for in 2015, especially as he had promised to help cushion the sufferings of millions of Nigerian workers.

The scenario, took an uncontrollable twist when former Labour leader Adams Oshiomhole, who is also the immediate past governor of the South-South state of Edo, also mounted the podium to test his popularity thinking it was the solution to calm the aggrieved and disenchanted workers. He was, however, met with stiffer opposition as the chanting crowd assured him of a showdown.

The unfortunate event, threw the dignitaries, including the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and the representative of the Senate President, into confusion.  They were later shielded and rescued out of the venue by security men.

The workers, who defied police water tanks, also took over the podium and seized the microphones chanting ‘Ole …Ole’ (thief..thief) Some aggrieved workers later told The Guardian that the Eagle Square faceoff was a better opportunity to confront a Federal Government that has continued to deceive the people since its inauguration in 2015.

A senior civil servant, Mr. Isaac Omololu, said the large crowd that greeted this year’s May Day celebration at the Eagle Square depicted the apathy Nigerian workers had for the present government.

“Do not be deceived; do not think that we are here to praise government. All the people you see here have ears to hear one thing and that is the possibility of increasing the minimum wage, any other thing short of that is useless.”

“Our own mumu (foolishness) don too much. See how this people dey use us,” Mrs. Jane Yunus, another civil servant told The Guardian.   “The children of these government officials are abroad studying, yet we can’t pay school fees for our children in Nigeria. We are saying no to their sins”

The President of a faction of the NLC, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said government must be held responsible for the suffering of Nigeria’s under-paid workers, even as inflation bites harder.

Wabba told the media that what happened at the event was nothing but a show of pure anger at what the workers are passing through in the last two years. In her good will message to Nigerian workers, the Head of Service, Winifred Oyo-Ita enjoined them to sustain a focused support for the current government, as there are efforts to pay outstanding salaries soon.

The scenario in Nigeria also played out in other parts of the world as protesters took to the streets. Turkish government arrested hundreds as anti-government rallies swept through cities. Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Turkish police yesterday fired tear gas and plastic bullets at protesters seeking to march to Istanbul’s Taksim Square to celebrate May Day, in defiance of an official ban.

Istanbul police authorities said they arrested 165 people in connection with the protests, including 139 people for “unauthorised marches.” Police tried to stop around 200 protesters in the Gayrettepe district on the European side of Istanbul who wanted to walk to the famous Taksim Square in spite of the ban by city authorities, an AFP journalist said.

In France, the violence took a more dangerous dimension as French CRS anti-riot police officers were engulfed in flames as they faced protesters during a march for the annual May Day workers’ rally in Paris. The protesters had pushed a burning trolley towards them.

Also in Madrid, Spain, AFP yesterday reported thousands of people venting their anger at rampant corruption, as Spain’s ruling Popular Party (PP) finds itself embroiled in a new scandal.

The Moscow capital city of Russia also had its own share of the May Day violence yesterday, according to the AFP, as almost a million and a half people turned out in central Moscow the annual parade — many more than in past years — Russian police said.

“Nearly 1.5 million people marched on May 1,” AFP cited the Moscow police as saying in a statement quoted by Inter fax news agency.