Haque Specialized Group's News

At least 48 people have been killed in a landslide at a vast rubbish dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, officials say, reports BBC. They say dozens of people are still missing since the landslide on Saturday night at the Koshe landfill. A resident said 150 people were there at the time. A number of makeshift houses are now buried under tonnes of waste. The area has been a dumping ground for Addis Ababa's rubbish for more than five decades. A city spokeswoman told AP news agency that many children were among the dead. There are fears the death toll could rise further. Local resident Musa Suleiman Abdulah told AFP he heard "a big sound" and saw "something like a tornado... rushing to us" when the landslide occurred. Tebeju Asres said that the family's house had been swallowed by the landslide. "My mother and three of my sisters were there when the landslide happened. Now I don't know the fate of all of them," he told AP. Hundreds of people attempt to make a living by scavenging at the landfill site, sifting through the rubbish for items they can sell, the BBC's Emmanuel Igunza in Addis Ababa reports. Some people even resided at the rubbish dump permanently. The authorities have been building Africa's first waste-to-energy plant near the landfill. They plan to burn rubbish generated by the capital's estimated four million people and convert it into electricity.....

Published at: 2017-03-13 00:00:05

Several EU leaders have criticised Turkey, amid a growing row over the Turkish government's attempts to hold rallies in European countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Germany and the Netherlands of "Nazism" after officials blocked rallies there. Dutch PM Mark Rutte called his comments "unacceptable", while Germany's foreign minister said he hoped Turkey would "return to its senses". Denmark's leader has also postponed a planned meeting with Mr Erdogan. Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was concerned that "democratic principles are under great pressure" in Turkey. He added that he had postponed the meeting because: "With the current Turkish attacks on Holland the meeting cannot be seen separated from that." The rallies aim to encourage a large number of Turks living in Europe to vote yes in a referendum expanding the president's powers. However, planned rallies in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands were blocked after officials cited security concerns or said the rallies could stoke tensions. A gathering in France however went ahead after local officials said it did not pose a threat. Ties between the Turkish and Dutch leaders became particularly strained at the weekend after two Turkish ministers were barred from addressing rallies in Rotterdam, with one of them escorted to the German border. Mr Erdogan likened the Netherlands to "a banana republic", demanded international organisations impose sanctions on the Netherlands, and accused countries in the West of "Islamophobia". "I have said that I had thought that Nazism was over, but I was wrong. Nazism is alive in the West," he added. On Sunday, Mr Rutte demanded Mr Erdogan apologise for likening the Dutch to "Nazi fascists". "This country was bombed during the Second World War by Nazis. It's totally unacceptable to talk in this way." The Netherlands would have to consider its response if Turkey continued on its current path, he added. Meanwhile, German ministers also appeared to harden their rhetoric against Turkey. Despite Chancellor Angela Merkel saying her government was not opposed to Turkish ministers attending rallies in Germany, as long as they are "duly announced", her interior minister said he was opposed to Turkish political gatherings in Germany. "A Turkish campaign has no business being here in Germany," Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told local media. Separately, Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said Turkey had "destroyed the basis for further progress in co-operation". Reports say the owner of a venue in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, also cancelled a pro-Erdogan rally on Sunday that was to have been attended by Turkey's agriculture minister. Sweden's foreign ministry said it was not involved in the decision and that the event could take place elsewhere. Turkey is holding a referendum on 16 April on whether to turn from a parliamentary to a presidential republic, more akin to the United States. If successful, it would give sweeping new powers to the president, allowing him or her to appoint ministers, prepare the budget, choose the majority of senior judges and enact certain laws by decree. What's more, the president alone would be able to announce a state of emergency and dismiss parliament. There are 5.5 million Turks living outside the country, with 1.4 million eligible voters in Germany alone - and the Yes campaign is keen to get them on side. So a number of rallies have been planned for countries with large numbers of eligible voters, including Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Many of the countries, including Germany, have cited security concerns as the official reason. Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz said Mr Erdogan was not welcome to hold rallies as this could increase friction and hinder integration. Many European nations have also expressed deep disquiet about Turkey's response to the July coup attempt and the country's perceived slide towards authoritarianism under President Erdogan. Germany in particular has been critical of the mass arrests and purges that followed - with nearly 100,000 civil servants removed from their posts.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-13 00:00:05

The President on Saturday gave his assent to three bills, including the ‘Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2017’ that has a special provision allowing underage marriages under ‘special circumstances.’ The two other bills are the Battalion Ansar (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and the Bangladesh Unnayan Gobeshona Council Bill, 2017, said an official release. The three bills were adopted in the 14th session of the 10th Jatiya Sangsad (parliament). An online news agency said the JS passed the ‘Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2017’ on February 27 keeping intact the provision that allows marriage of underage girls and boys in ‘special circumstances’, with 18 and 21 as minimum marriageable age for women and men respectively. After passage of the bill in the JS, different right bodies have urged the President Md Abdul Hamid not to give his consent to the bill.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-12 00:00:04

The Netherlands barred Turkey's foreign minister from landing in Rotterdam on Saturday in a row over Ankara's political campaigning among Turkish émigrés, and President Tayyip Erdogan retaliated, branding his NATO partner a "Nazi remnant", reports Reuters. The extraordinary incident came hours after Mevlut Cavusoglu declared he would fly to Rotterdam despite being banned from a rally there to marshal support for sweeping new powers Erdogan seeks. Europe, he said, must be rid of its "boss-like attitude". Cavusoglu, who was barred from a similar meeting in Hamburg last week but spoke instead from the Turkish consulate, accused the Dutch of treating the many Turkish citizens in the country like "hostages", cutting them off from Ankara. "I sent them so they could contribute to your economy," he told CNN Turk TV, days ahead of Dutch polls where immigration may play a significant part. "They're not your captives." "If my going will increase tensions, let it be...I am a foreign minister and I can go wherever I want," he added hours before his planned flight to Rotterdam was banned. Cavusoglu threatened harsh economic and political sanctions if the Dutch refused him entry, a threat that proved decisive for the Netherlands government. It cited public order and security concerns in withdrawing landing rights for Cavusoglu's flight. But it said the sanctions threat made the search for a reasonable solution impossible. Dutch anti-Muslim politician Geert Wilders, polling second ahead of elections on Wednesday in the Netherlands, said in a tweet on Saturday: "To all Turks in the Netherlands who agree with Erdogan: Go to Turkey and NEVER come back!!" Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: "This morning on TV (the Turkish minister) made clear he was threatening the Netherlands with sanctions and we can never negotiate with the Turks under such threats. So we decided...in a conference call it was better for him not to come.” Spillover fear Four planned Turkish rallies in Austria and one in Switzerland have also been cancelled in the dispute. "Listen Netherlands, you'll jump once, you'll jump twice, but my people will thwart your game," Erdogan said at a rally. "You can cancel our foreign minister's flight as much as you want, but let's see how your flights come to Turkey now. "They don't know diplomacy or politics. They are Nazi remnants. They are fascists." Dutch Prime Minister Rutte called his reference to Nazis and Fascists "a crazy remark of course". "I understand they're angry but this is of course way out of line.” Erdogan chafes at Western criticism of his mass arrests and dismissals of people authorities believe were linked to a failed July attempt by the military to topple him. He maintains it is clear the West begrudges him new powers and seeks to engineer a "no" vote in the referendum. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country Erdogan compared last week with Nazi Germany, has said she will do everything possible to prevent any spillover of Turkish political tensions onto German soil. Cavusoglu said Turks in Germany were under systematic pressure from police and intelligence services. Erdogan is looking to the large number of emigre Turks living in Europe, especially Germany and the Netherlands, to help clinch victory in next month's referendum which will shape the future of a country whose position on the edge of the Middle East makes it of crucial strategic importance to NATO. He has cited domestic threats from Kurdish and Islamist militants and a July coup bid as cause to vote "yes" to his new powers. But he has also drawn on the emotionally charged row with Europe to portray Turkey as betrayed by allies while facing wars on its southern borders. All, again, cause to back strong leadership.  ....

Published at: 2017-03-12 00:00:04

Women will drive 20 per cent of the vehicles of recently launched post e-commerce service of the Bangladesh Post Office as they are 'careful' drivers, Tarana Halim has has said. “The women wearing the uniform would soon be seen driving the post office vehicles,” the state minister for post and telecommunications said at an International Women's Day programme in Dhaka on Saturday. "I think women are careful as drivers and cause fewer accidents," she said. "That's why women will be appointed as drivers for 20 per cent of the vehicles we are procuring," she added. – source BSS  ....

Published at: 2017-03-12 00:00:04