Haque Specialized Group's News

Dozens of people were left suspended in mid-air after a cable car hit a support pillar and came to a stop over the River Rhine in Germany on Sunday. Fire crews and rescue teams in Cologne used a crane to reach the 75 trapped passengers, some of them said to have been as high as 40 metre (130 feet). Pictures show children being flowered to the ground. No injuries were reported. All of the 32 cars believed to have been in operation at the time came to a halt when the incident occurred. The collision took place at around 15.30 (13:30 GMT). The incident is said to have been the result of one of the gondolas clipping a part of the support structure, bringing the entire cable transport system to a standstill.....

Published at: 2017-07-31 00:00:06

Venezuela's election of a controversial new assembly has been disrupted by violence, with widespread protests and at least 10 deaths reported. Those killed include an opposition youth leader, a pro-government candidate, and a soldier, the BBC reports on Monday. The government wants a new constituent assembly with powers to rewrite the constitution and override congress. The opposition says it is a power grab by President Nicolás Maduro and is boycotting the vote. President Maduro says it is the only way to restore peace after months of protests and political stalemate between the government and the opposition controlled National Assembly. Early results are expected within the coming hours. As well as internal opposition, Venezuela faces mounting international criticism over the election and on Sunday the US said it was considering further sanctions. As voting got under way on Sunday morning, anti-government protesters took to the streets despite a government ban and there were reports of clashes with police across the country. At least three people were reported shot dead in the western state of Tachira - two teenagers and a soldier from the national guard. Ricardo Campos, a youth secretary with the opposition Acción Democrática party, was shot dead during a protest in the north-eastern town of Cumana, prosecutors said. Shortly before voting started, José Felix Pineda, a 39-year-old lawyer standing in the election, was also reportedly shot in his home in Bolivar state. In the capital Caracas, an explosion near one demonstration injured several police officers and set a number of their motorcycles on fire. Security forces used armoured vehicles to dispel protesters in the Caracas district of El Paraíso amid the sound of gunfire, local reports said. Voting was extended by an hour until 19:00 (23:00 GMT), electoral officials said, to allow all votes to be cast. The opposition urged further protests on Monday. "We do not recognise this fraudulent process," said opposition leader Henrique Capriles.....

Published at: 2017-07-31 00:00:06

The US says it will not call for a UN Security Council meeting over North Korea's missile tests because it would produce "nothing of consequence". Such a meeting would send a message to North Korea that the international community was unwilling to challenge it, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said. Pyongyang said its tests proved that the entire US was within range. The US has responded by testing an anti-missile system and flying bombers over the Korean peninsula. Ms Haley said in a statement that North Korea was already subject to numerous security council resolutions that they "flout with impunity". "An additional Security Council resolution that does not significantly increase the international pressure on North Korea is of no value," she said. "In fact it is worse than nothing because it sends the message to the North Korean dictator that the international community is unwilling to seriously challenge him." She urged China to rein in North Korea. "China must decide whether it is finally willing to take this vital step. The time for talk is over," she added. On Friday, North Korea test-fired a second intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The launch came three weeks after the state's first ICBM test. Responding, the US military said a projectile fired by the US Air Force had been intercepted over the Pacific by a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) unit in Alaska. Despite fierce objections from China, the US military has begun installing the Thaad system in South Korea with the aim of shooting down any North Korean missiles fired at the South. US B-1 bombers conducted exercises over the Korean peninsula with South Korean and Japanese planes on Saturday. 'SPOILED CHILD' Following the most recent test, US President Donald Trump criticised China for not doing enough to stop Pyongyang's weapons programme while making "billions of dollars" in trade with North Korea. Mr Trump wrote on Twitter that he was "very disappointed" with China, adding that he would not allow the country to "do nothing" about the isolated state. But Victor Gao, a former diplomat and Chinese government adviser, said that Mr Trump's comments were unhelpful, adding that the US was acting like a "spoiled child". China, which shares a land border with North Korea and is its closest economic ally, earlier condemned the North's test launch and urged restraint on all sides. Mr Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed North Korea during talks earlier this year, after which US officials said the two countries were working on "a range of options". But Friday's ICBM launch demonstrates a defiance from the North, which is showcasing "a significant advancement in technology", South Korea said.   ....

Published at: 2017-07-31 00:00:06

At least three people were killed and 10 others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck in Ghoga Battola area of Sherpur upazila of Bogra district on Monday. Two of the deceased were identified as Moslem Uddin, 30, son of Abdur Rashid, hailing from Moyenpur village in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur district and Ali Hossain, 38, hailing from Comilla, reports UNB. Khan Md Erfan Ali, officer-in-charge of Sherpur Police Station, said that the accident took place when the Rangpur-bound 'Shyamali Paribahan' bus collided with the Dhaka-bound maize-laden truck around 6:00 am, leaving two dead on the spot and 11 other people injured. Among the injured, one succumbed to his injuries at Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital.....

Published at: 2017-07-31 00:00:06

Asian shares turned positive after solid Chinese data on Monday following a lackluster start, while the dollar edged up but remained capped by US political uncertainty. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan reversed early losses to rise 0.1 per cent. Chinese shares rose, with the blue-chip index up 0.15 per cent and the Shanghai Composite up 0.2 per cent. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.6 per cent. The official Chinese manufacturing and services purchasing managers' indices both slipped in July, but remained above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction on a monthly basis. Investors remained wary after North Korea conducted another missile test late on Friday that it said proved its ability to strike the US mainland. The US responded by flying two bombers over the Korean peninsula on Sunday. "The geopolitical overhang will likely keep top side moves in check early in the week as the disorganised US and China policy towards North Korea is not helping matters," Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at OANDA, wrote in a note. The Korean won was up 0.1 per cent on Monday at 1,122.2 won to the dollar, after sliding almost 0.7 per cent on Friday. South Korea's KOSPI fell 0.3 per cent. Australian shares advanced 0.3 per cent. The perceived safe-haven Japanese yen strengthened, with the dollar shedding 0.2 per cent to 110.48 yen, touching its weakest levels since mid-June. Japan's Nikkei fell 0.1 per cent, with the firm yen offsetting news the country's industrial output rebounded in June from a decline in May. On Wall Street on Friday, the S&P and Nasdaq indexes fell after earnings from companies including Amazon, Exxon Mobil and Starbucks disappointed. But the Dow closed higher and set an intraday record, lifted by Chevron's strong earnings. US corporate results overall have come in better than expected for the second quarter. More than halfway through reporting season, S&P 500 companies are on track to have increased earnings by 10.8 per cent, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. The dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of six major peers, edged up 0.1 per cent to 93.376, after Friday's 0.6 per cent decline. Markets are awaiting speeches by Cleveland Federal Reserve President Loretta Mester and San Francisco Fed President John Williams on Tuesday for further insight into whether the central bank has turned more dovish in light of recently muted inflation. Investors will also be keeping a close eye on data including eurozone core inflation for July on Monday; the Reserve Bank of Australia's rate decision, at which it is expected to stay on hold, and US manufacturing conditions, due Tuesday; the Reserve Bank of India's meeting on Wednesday, at which it is expected to cut rates; and Bank of England on Thursday, where it is likely to leave rates unchanged. A raft of private manufacturing surveys will also be released on Tuesday. "It's a huge week on the data front, but for USD bulls there's an unpalatable reality that with (European Central Bank) members sounding increasingly hawkish and their (Fed) counterparts ever so dovish. Anything to confirm this bias will be pounced on by traders," Innes wrote. The euro was steady at $1.1741, following Friday's 0.6 per cent gain. In commodities, oil prices rose for their sixth straight session on bigger-than-expected inventory drawdowns and signs that Saudi Arabia will reduce output further in August. US crude futures rose 0.3 per cent to $49.85 a barrel, after earlier hitting $50.06, their first foray above $50 in two months. Brent crude advanced 0.3 per cent to $52.69, adding to Friday's 2 per cent surge. Gold rose to $1,1270.98, its highest since June 14 early on Monday and was last steady on the day at $1,26789 an ounce.   ....

Published at: 2017-07-31 00:00:06