Tanzanian President, H.E. Dr Mrisho Jakaya Kikwete to inaugurate IITA Science Building dedicated to the fight against hunger and poverty

The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency, Dr Mrisho Jakaya Kikwete, will, on 13 May, inaugurate the IITA Science Building in Dar es Salaam.

President Kikwete will be the Guest of Honor. Other dignitaries at the event include the President of Zanzibar, His Excellency, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein; and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, former President of Nigeria and IITA Goodwill Ambassador. The event will also be graced by members of the diplomatic and donor community, the public and private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and the farming community.

The inauguration will be followed by a workshop with the theme "Grow Africa and the role of agricultural research by national systems, IITA, and its partners."

The ultra-modern and environmentally friendly Science Building has five modern laboratories that would deal with agricultural challenges such as plant pests and diseases, poor soil fertility, and crop value addition. With a capacity of 70 researchers, the building will be open to researchers from national partners and students from higher learning institutions in the region.

Its construction is part of IITA's efforts to boost agriculture through capacity development and improve the livelihoods of small-holder farmers in eastern Africa through its research-for-development approach.

Date: 13 May 2013
Venue - IITA, Mikocheni, Dar es Salaam
Time - 0900 a.m. to 04.30 pm

Editor's Note:
About IITA (www.iita.org)

Africa has complex problems that plague agriculture and people's lives. We develop agricultural solutions with our partners to tackle hunger and poverty. Our award-winning research for development (R4D) is based on focused, authoritative thinking anchored on the development needs of sub-Saharan Africa. We work with partners in Africa and beyond to reduce producer and consumer risks, enhance crop quality and productivity, and generate wealth from agriculture. IITA is an international non-profit R4D organization established in 1967, governed by a Board of Trustees, and supported primarily by CGIAR.

About CGIAR (www.cgiar.org)

CGIAR is a global agriculture research partnership for a food secure future. Its science is carried out by the 15 research centers who are members of the CGIAR Consortium in collaboration with hundreds of partner organizations.

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CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt's interior minister said on Saturday police arrested members of an Al-Qaeda-linked cell that plotted to carry out a suicide bombing against a Western embassy and other targets in the country.

Police "have delivered a successful blow against a terror cell plotting suicide bomb attacks," including a plot to attack a Western embassy which was in its final stages, Mohammed Ibrahim said at a news conference.

The minister did not identify the embassy.

Ibrahim named three people arrested by police and said they were captured with 10 kilos of chemicals that could be used to make explosives and a computer containing instructions on bomb-making.

The militants had been in touch with an Al-Qaeda leader outside the country, said Ibrahim, and had received training in Pakistan and Iran.

Egypt has in the past announced the arrests of Qaeda-linked militants, including a group now on trial in Cairo.

LIBREVILLE (AFP) - Human Rights Watch on Friday urged the Central African Republic's new government to reign in its rebel forces, accusing them of "horrific abuses" such as pillage, summary executions, rape, and torture.

The rights watchdog said that after the Seleka rebel coalition seized power on March 24 in a bloody coup, its militants "went on a looting spree, killing civilians, raping women, and settling scores with members of the Central African Armed Forces."

Some 5,000 fighters took part in the battle for Bangui, the rights group said and many of the post-coup killings happened "in broad daylight."

The rebel coalition, which ousted President Francois Bozize after a peace deal fell apart, is made up of four rebel groups which have been operating in the northern part of the country since 2003.

The rights group had previously reported that in this region in 2007, Bozize's armed forces engaged in grave abuses such as summary executions, unlawful killings, house burnings, and using child soldiers.

"If the Seleka coalition, as it claims, wants to undo the wrongs of the previous government, it should immediately end its horrific abuses," said Daniel Bekele, Africa director at Human Rights Watch.

"The government should show it is committed to the rule of law by investigating and prosecuting attacks by Seleka troops against civilians."

The HRW report follows a 10-day investigation in Bangui in late April.

According to the group, the new transition government accused members of the ousted Bozize regime or "fake Seleka" of carrying out the abuses, and insisted it had control over its troops.

"But Human Rights Watch interviewed multiple witnesses who provided compelling evidence, including eyewitness accounts, that Seleka forces were responsible for the majority of abuses against civilians both immediately before and after the coup."

The group also documented many cases in which Seleka rebels killed their own members.

"The government has an obligation to control the rebels who brought it to power, to prevent abuses, and punish those who commit them," Bekele said.

The International Crisis Group said last week that Bangui "experienced bank robberies, killings, and systematic looting of private houses and ministries" with "at least 130 people reportedly killed by Seleka since the coup".

The country's economy has also been crippled by the unrest and new strongman Michel Djotodia has said state coffers are empty.

CAIRO (AFP) - Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak appeared in court on Saturday to face a new trial over his involvement in the deaths of protesters during the 2011 uprising that ousted him.

The 85-year-old Mubarak -- who is facing trial along with his two sons, his former interior minister and six security chiefs-- was taken into court in a wheelchair, dressed in white and wearing sunglasses.