See Names of Brussel bombers

Two brothers have been named by local media as the suicide bombers behind the Brussels Airport attacks that killed at least 11 people and injured up to 100.

Belgium’s state broadcaster RTBF has named Khalid and Ibrahim el-Bakraoui as the two men who detonated suitcase bombs, killing themselves and several others, at Zaventem airport.

It is a potentially significant development as it recently emerged the el-Bakraoui brothers had clear links to November’s Paris attacks – where 130 people were murdered at the Bataclan, Stade de France and at restaurants and cafés around the capital by jihadists from the so-called Islamic State.

The brothers are suspected of hiring out properties as hideouts for the Paris terror team.

They are, however, well known by authorities for organised crime rather than terrorism. 

The BBC has also quoted a Belgian newspaper, La Derniere Heure, claiming the third man in the airport CCTV image of three men handed out police is Najim Laachraoui.

Belgian newspaper La Derniere Heure said Khalid el-Bakraoui was being sought for terrorist activities while Ibrahim was reportedly on the run after a sentence for other criminal activity.

Belgium has entered its second day of mourning after twin explosions at the airport and another at a metro station on Tuesday left at least 31 dead and 250 wounded.

Arnold Schwarzenegger walks out of interview when questioned about Donald Trump

'This is an interview that I only do about fitness and health, not about politics,' says Arnold Schwarzenegger​

Arnold Schwarzenegger might have been dubbed a “friend” by Donald Trump, but the former California governor has outrightly refused to answer any questions about his billionaire buddy in an awkward interview in Australia.
The 68-year-old actor and bodybuilder brought an abrupt end to an interview on Network 7's Weekend Sunrise program on Saturday morning when asked about the Republican presidential frontrunner.
“This is an interview that I only do about fitness and health, not about politics or my relationships,” Schwarzenegger told host Angela Cox before abruptly terminating the interview.
The journalist’s interest was no doubt piqued by the fact Schwarzenegger will be overtaking Trump’s previous role as host on the Celebrity Apprentice.

Earlier this month, Schwarzenegger endorsed Republican candidate and Ohio Govenor John Kashich in a series of social media posts before joining the candidate at a rally in Columbus in Ohio.

U.S Calls For Release Of Uganda's Opposition Leader

The United States called for the release of Uganda’s opposition leader, Kizza Besigye, who has been under house arrest since Friday, before President Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of a presidential election marred by widespread irregularities.

Mr. Museveni won last week’s vote with more than 60 percent of the vote, according to the electoral commission; Mr. Besigye had 35 percent.

“We call for his immediate release and the restoration of access to all social media sites,” the State Department said Saturday evening. “Delays in the delivery of voting materials, reports of pre-checked ballots and vote buying” and “excessive use of force by police” had undermined the vote, it said.

“The Ugandan people deserved better.”

Mr. Besigye was arrested Friday after the police stormed his party’s headquarters. He was there tallying votes, which his party said included wins at polling sites in Uganda’s north, in Kampala and in other areas of the country. The election ran smoothly around the countryside, according to electoral observers, but not in Kampala, the capital, where opposition parties get much of their support. Voting there started up to seven hours late because the ballot papers were not available.

Mr. Besigye rejected the electoral commission’s results.

On Sunday, access to social networking sites remained blocked. Equally critical, mobile-money services — the equivalent of using a debit card — also remained blocked.

Both Mr. Besigye, as well as another candidate, Amama Mbabazi, the second-most popular challenger, and until recently the prime minister, remained under effective house arrest. Gen. Katumba Wamala was also said to be under scrutiny, after results showed Mr. Museveni had not performed well at the polls at army barracks. A Uganda army spokesman said soldiers were “free to choose anyone they want.”

“Democracy is on trial,” Mr. Besigye said on Twitter, through a virtual private network.

Everything seemed so different last weekend. In elegant dress and sharp suits, the country’s elite rubbed shoulders and cameras followed candidates on the red carpet, as Ugandans watched their president publicly debate politics for the first time. There were several sharp exchanges, but the historic moment was heralded as metamorphic.

Since then, Mr. Besigye has been arrested four times, and at least two people have been killed and over 20 injured in rioting that the authorities have combated using tear gas and clubs.

“The state can do even more,” President Museveni said, in response to clampdowns on communication. “People who think the state is something to joke, that is just a test.” He also hinted he would be ready to work with Mr. Besigye and Mr. Mbabazi if they returned to his governing party, a sign that mediation from foreign powers could become effective.

As night fell on Sunday, so did the veil on communications, and underneath lay the silenced remains of Thursday’s anguish.

“I wll never vote ag’n,” read a Twitter post from one voter who wrote that Mr. Besigye had 1,256 votes compared with 628 votes for Mr. Museveni at his polling site when the results were tallied Thursday. But the commission had said Mr. Museveni garnered 827 votes and Mr. Besigye 260.

One screenshot posted to Twitter of results suggested that Mr. Museveni had earned 760 votes, compared with just two votes for Mr. Besigye, at a polling station with only 437 registered voters.

A video posted online showed voters at one polling site seemingly voting on torn rips of school notebook paper.

“Voice stolen thru ballot stuffing & cheating,” read a Twitter post from Winnie Byanyima, the wife of Mr. Besigye, a political force herself, and the executive director of the charity Oxfam International.

Ekiti: Two ex-govs, 60 others meet in Abuja

Two former governors of Ekiti State, Chief Niyi Adebayo and Chief Segun Oni, were among the 62 leading members of the All Progressives Congress, who met in Abuja, on Tuesday, as part of the moves to reposition the state chapter of the party.

The four-hour-long meeting initiated by Oni, who is the APC deputy national vice-chairman (South), came up at the party’s national headquarters.

Briefing newsmen after the meeting, Adebayo, who was flanked by Oni, said the meeting was convened to reconcile members who had for one reason or the other left the party.

According to him, the meeting has provided the needed tonic for the state chapter of the party to reinvent and reposition itself towards providing leadership for the long-suffering people of the state.

Adebayo said, “We held a meeting of (APC) stakeholders of Ekiti State. We had issues with some of our members that left to go and contest the 2015 general elections on different political platforms.

“We have met today and I can say categorically that, finally, all the issues that separated us at the time have been resolved and we are one big happy family now.”

Responding to a question on the absence of the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Adebayo explained that the minister had sent an apology over his absence.

Adebayo said that Fayemi was meeting with the members of the National Assembly with regard to issues bordering on the 2016 budget of his ministry.

Adebayo, who spoke on behalf of the stakeholders, also expressed displeasure over the state of affairs in Ekiti.

He noted that the Ayodele Fayose-led Peoples Democratic Party administration had turned Ekiti State into a pariah state, adding that the state’s airport project was not only a misplacement of priority, but a waste of scarce resources.

Speaking in a similar vein, a former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, said the meeting provided an opportunity for the progressives in Ekiti State to come together and chart a new course for the state.

Bamidele said the meeting was not about any individual but about Ekiti, Nigeria and the kind of politics the state should all be playing.

He said the stakeholders were united in the quest to give Ekiti a better deal.

Source: PUNCH.

10 "Men Aliko Dangote Cannot Do Without'' (Photos)

By KIKELOMO IWAJOMO

That billionaire businessman Alhaji Aliko Dangote runs one of the most successful conglomerates in the world is not in doubt. Dangote, who is the President/Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, has a powerful management team of managers who ensure the smooth running of his billion-dollar conglomerate.. Below, Dawn-To-Dusk News unveils 10 powerful men the Kano-born billionaire businessman can't do without.

SANI DANGOTE
Alhaji Sani Dangote is Aliko Dangote's brother. An established businessman with investments in key sectors of the economy including manufacturing, agriculture and oil services, he is the Group Vice President of Dangote Group. Alhaji Sani Dangote also sits on the Board of several other companies including Nigerian Textile Mills Plc, Nutra Sweet Limited, Gum Arabic Limited, Dangote Textile Mills Limited, and others.

ABDU DANTATA
Alhaji Abdu Garba Dantata, Aliko Dangote's cousin, is the Group Executive Director(GED) in charge of Logistics and Distribution. Before he was appointed GED, he was the Executive Director, Sales & Marketing. As Group Executive Director(GED) in charge of Logistics and Distribution in the Dangote Group, he is responsible for coordinating the sales and marketing of all products manufactured or imported by the Group.

JOSEPH MAKOJU
Engr. Joseph Makoju is the Honorary Adviser to Alhaji Aliko Dangote. He has held this position from 2009 to date. Makoju holds a BSc (1st Class) honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom and an M.Phil. in Mechanical Engineering from the same university. Before his current position, Engr. Makoju was Chief Operating Officer, Dangote Cement.

OLAKUNLE ALAKE
Mr. Olakunle Alake is the Chief Operating Officer of the Dangote Group, a position he has held since January 2007. He holds a Bachelors degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (1983) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria.

KNUT ULVMOEN
A Norwegian, Mr. Knut Ulvmoen is the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc in charge of Sales and Marketing and International Trade in the African continent. He holds a Masters of Science degree in Business and is a member of the Norwegian Association of Authorised Accountants.

SADAN BAKI
Alhaji Sada Ladan-Baki has about 30 years experience in public service and fund administration. He is a graduate of Economics from the Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration. He sits on the board of several companies and belongs to many professional associations.

DEVAKUMAR EDWIN
Mr. D.V.G. Edwin is the Group Managing Director / CEO of Dangote Cement Plc. He holds a Graduate and Masters Degree in Engineering from the Madras University in India and he is also a Chartered Engineer. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IITM, Holland. Mr. Edwin joined the Dangote Group in 1992 as a General Manager.

TAJUDEEN SIJUADE
Alhaji Tajudeen Sijuade, the Chief Financial Officer of Dangote Group, is a qualified Chartered Accountant (1984) with experience spanning 38 years. He joined the Dangote Group in October 1989 as a Chief Accountant. Before then, he had worked for Nestle Nigeria Plc and Akintola Williams-Chartered Accountants. He became General Manager in the Dangote Group in January 1998.

USEN UDOH
Mr. Usen Udoh is the Group Chief Human Resources Officer of the Dangote Group. Mr. Udoh is an alumnus of the prestigious Harvard Business School and holds an MBA from the University of Leicester School of Management, his first degree being of Bachelors of Engineering (with Hons). Prior to joining Dangote on May 2, 2014, Usen worked across several industries leading major industry change programmes.

KUZHYIL RAVINDRAN
Kuzhyil Ravindran is the Chief Financial Officer of Dangote Group. A qualified Chartered Accountant, he is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has over 36 years exp