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Wednesday, May 9, 2012

BOMB SCARE AT MURTALA MUHAMMED AIRPORT



There was pandemonium at the arrival wing of the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos on Tuesday as officials and security men sought to unravel the content of an abandoned bag found at the busy airport.

The PUNCH had gathered that airport officials invited the police anti-bomb squad to examine the bag after waiting, vainly, for hours for the bag to be claimed.
The incident started at about 7:30pm and lasted for about an hour.  Our correspondent gathered that the police, on arriving at the scene, had ordered the evacuation of all travelers and airport workers from the building.
The order reportedly threw the gathering of passengers, airport workers and other users of the facility into confusion.
The confusion, according to an eyewitness, deepened after the bag emitted a loud sound while the anti-bomb policemen were trying to open it.  On hearing the bang, those present at the airport at the time reportedly took to their heels.
However, after it was opened by men of the anti bomb squad the bag was discovered to contain the personal effects of a British Airways passenger.
Hours after the incident, British tabloid, the Daily Mail, reported that a blast tore through the cargo section of the airport.
However, a statement by the Director General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, Dr. H.O. Demuren, late last night, said the bag belonged to a British Airways passenger named Salami A. Atolagbe-Aro.
The stament titled, No Bomb Blast at MMIA, reads, “It was an abandoned carry-on baggage/handbag with a British Airways tag with passenger name Salami A. Atolagbe-Aro that was discovered at E-Arr frontage 1948hrs.
“The bag was thereafter diffused (sic) by three men from the Police Bomb Disposal Unit at about 2058hrs. The contents of the bag were taken and (they) were personal effects and are currently in the custody of the FAAN Aviation Security Crime Investigation Bureau.
“BA has confirmed that the passenger actually arrived on their flight this evening. The bag was sighted by Avsec officers unattended and the Police Bomb Disposal Unit personnel called in as standard procedure.
“They placed the bag under surveillance and went ahead to open it and thus  creating the sound. No bomb explosion.”
There have been speculations that the fundamentalist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, could attack Lagos as parts of its campaign of violence against the Federal Government.
As a result, the airport authorities have increased security at the local and international airports.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Airport Command, Mr. James Olatunji, said the speed with which the Bomb Disposal Unit arrived at the scene might have caused the apprehension at the airport.
“You know when the Anti Bomb Disposal Unit people parked their vehicle at the scene and started examining the bag, the scene created apprehension. There was really nothing.
“We have discovered that the bag was left by a passenger that arrived aboard British Airways this evening. BA has confirmed that and they are trying to get the passenger to know why the bag was left,” he said.
Meanwhile, security men were said to have been deployed at sensitive positions at the airport following the development.
About two weeks ago, the airport command of the police had beefed up security at the airport following the bombing of media houses in Abuja and Kaduna.

LED LIGHT BULB TO LAST MORE THAN 20 YEARS

Light bulbs that are said to last for more than two decades while consuming very little energy may go on sale later this year.


US firm General Electric, Dutch company Philips and UK-based Sylvania all showcased their products at the Light Fair industry conference in Las Vegas.
Using light-emitting diodes (LEDs) instead of filaments, the bulbs are meant to produce as much light as a 100-watt incandescent alternative.
However, LEDs are not usually cheap.
In April, Philips introduced its LPrize LED that will cost $60 (£37) - but consumes only 9.7 watts while giving off the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent lamp.
The company has arranged discounts with shops that will sell the bulb for as little as $20 (£12). The new EnduraLED from Philips looks similar, but is said to be equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent bulb while consuming nearly four times less energy.
Both Philips and Sylvania said their products are due to appear in stores later this year, while GE plans to sell its bulb early next year. The firm currently sells a 9-watt LED bulb that is made to replace a 40-watt incandescent, for about $50 (£31).
All three bulbs are meant to last more than 20 years, if used about three hours per day. Saving energy
In 2011, the UK's Energy Saving Trust (EST)carried out a study, measuring the performance of more than 4,250 LED light fittings installed at 35 sites around the UK.
The authors of the report claim the technology can deliver huge energy savings, reduce costs and makes residents feel safer.
"LEDs promise to be the way forward for the whole sector," explained James Russill, EST's technical development manager, in an earlier interview with the BBC.
"There are so many benefits: they can be smaller, brighter; it is one of those rare technologies where the trial has shown it performs better than the lighting systems it is replacing but, at the same time, uses less energy."

Saturday, May 5, 2012

MASSIVE RISE IN ASIAN EYE DAMAGE

Up to 90% of school leavers in major Asian cities are suffering from myopia - short-sightedness - a study suggests.


Researchers say the "extraordinary rise" in the problem is being caused by students working very hard in school and missing out on outdoor light.
The scientists told the Lancet that up to one in five of these students could experience severe visual impairment and even blindness.
In the UK, the average level of myopia is between 20% and 30%.
According to Professor Ian Morgan, who led this study and is from the Australian National University, 20-30% was once the average among people in South East Asia as well.
"What we've done is written a review of all the evidence which suggests that something extraordinary has happened in east Asia in the last two generations," he told BBC News.
"They've gone from something like 20% myopia in the population to well over 80%, heading for 90% in young adults, and as they get adult it will just spread through the population. It certainly poses a major health problem."
Eye experts say that you are myopic if your vision is blurred beyond 2m (6.6ft). It is often caused by an elongation of the eyeball that happens when people are young.
According to the research, the problem is being caused by a combination of factors - a commitment to education and lack of outdoor light.
Professor Morgan argues that many children in South East Asia spend long hours studying at school and doing their homework. This in itself puts pressure on the eyes, but exposure to between two and three hours of daylight acts as a counterbalance and helps maintain healthy eyes.
The scientists believe that a chemical called dopamine could be playing a significant part. Exposure to light increases the levels of dopamine in the eye and this seems to prevent elongation of the eyeball.
"We're talking about the need for two to three hours a day of outdoor light - it doesn't have to be massively sunny, we think the operating range is 10-20,000 lux, we're not sure about that - but that's perfectly achievable on a cloudy day in the UK."
'Massive pressures'
Cultural factors also seem to play a part. Across many parts of South East Asia, children often have a lunchtime nap. According to Professor Morgan they are missing out on prime light to prevent myopia.
"Children suffer from a double whammy in South East Asia," says Professor Morgan.
"As a result of massive educational pressures and the construction of a child's day, the amount of time they spend outside in bright light is minimised."
A big concern is the numbers of students suffering from "high" myopia. According to Professor Morgan, this affects between 10% and 20% of students in Asian cities. It can lead to vision loss, visual impairment and even blindness.
"These people are at considerable risk - sometimes people are not told about it and are just given more powerful glasses - they need to be warned about the risk and given some self-testing measures so they can get to an ophthalmologist and get some help."
For decades, researchers believed there was a strong genetic component to the condition. It was believed that people from China, Japan, Korea and other countries were particularly susceptible to developing myopia. But this study strongly suggests an alternative view.
In Singapore, where there are large numbers of people from Chinese, Malay and Indian backgrounds, all three ethnic groups have seen a dramatic rise in short-sightedness.
Professor Morgan says you cannot rule out genetics completely, but for him it's not the major factor.
"Any type of simple genetic explanation just doesn't fit with that speed of change; gene pools just don't change in two generations.
"Whether it's a purely environmental effect or an environmental effect playing a sensitive genome, it really doesn't matter, the thing that's changed is not the gene pool - it's the environment."
Further evidence on the impact of light is provided by UK researchers. Kathryn Saunders from the University of Ulster was part of a team which compared short-sightedness in children in Australia and Northern Ireland.
"White UK kids are much more likely to be myopic than white Australian children," Dr Saunders told BBC News. "We've proposed that this might be due to the protective effect in Australia of increased exposure to bright sunlight.
"This requires further exploration and research, but I guess we might want to encourage children to spend more time outside when the sun is shining. It's unlikely to do them any harm."
By Matt McGrath

TOP MINISTER SACKED IN TANZANIA AMID CORRUPTION SCANDAL

Tanzania's President Jakaya Kikwete has sacked six ministers amid allegations of government corruption.


He has been under pressure to deal with the scandal following a report by a body overseeing public finances.
The inspector of the government's accounts noted the rampant misuse of funds in at least seven ministries.
The ministers who have been dropped from cabinet all hold high-profile portfolios: Finance, energy, tourism, trade, transport and health.
'Taken to task'
In November, the ruling CCM party promised to implement anti-corruption measures, but there have been heated calls from the opposition for heads to roll.
Announcing the cabinet reshuffle, President Kikwete said that accountability would be taken seriously and ministers' subordinates and even executives working for state-owned companies would also be held responsible over any embezzlement.
"It is not enough for a minister to take responsibility alone but the new approach is that even those who caused the mishap will be taken to task as well," Mr Kikwete told journalists at State House in Dar es Salaam.
The BBC's Hassan Mhelela in Dar es Salaam says the ministry of energy, which oversees the lucrative mining sector, and ministry of tourism - two of the major revenue generators for the government, were criticised most in the Controller and Auditor General's annual report.
There have been mixed reactions to the sackings, our reporter says.
Many are pleased that the government has acted at last but some feel there should be prosecutions too, he says.
Mr Kikwete was re-elected in 2010 for a final five-year term.
His government has struggled to tackle corruption which has adversely hampered economic growth in Tanzania where the rate of inflation rate stands at 19%.
Last year, donor countries cut funding pledges to Tanzania after expressing concern about corruption and the slow pace of reforms.