Sunday, 12 March 2017
Friday, 10 March 2017
UN accuses Turkey of ‘serious’ abuses in Kurdish region
UN accuses Turkey of 'serious' abuses in Kurdish region<br />
The UN on Friday accused Turkish security forces of committing serious abuses during operations against Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey after a regional ceasefire collapsed in July 2015.
A report from the United Nations’ rights office details evidence of “massive destruction, killings and numerous other serious human rights violations committed between July 2015 and December 2016 in southeast Turkey”.
“Government security operations” have targeted more than 30 towns and displaced 355,000 to half a million people, mostly Kurds, the report said.
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) has waged an insurgency against Turkey since 1984, though the violence was contained during the truce agreed in 2013.
But fighting resumed when the ceasefire fell apart in summer 2015.
Satellite images of areas affected by the latest unrest “indicate an enormous scale of destruction of the housing stock by heavy weaponry”, the report said, with some neighbourhoods “razed to the ground”.
In Cizre, a mainly Kurdish town on the Syrian border, residents described the devastation of neighbourhoods as “apocalyptic”, the UN said.
In early 2016, nearly 200 of the town’s residents, including children, “were trapped for weeks in basements without water, food, medical attention and power before being killed by fire, induced by shelling,” it said.
– No accountability –
The allegations come at a delicate time for Ankara, which is gearing up for an April referendum on whether to create an executive presidency that would expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers.
UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein criticised Erdogan’s government directly, saying he was “particularly concerned by reports that no credible investigation has been conducted into hundreds of alleged unlawful killings.”
“Not a single suspect was apprehended and not a single individual was prosecuted,” Zeid said in a statement.
The UN rights office said it had been seeking access to areas affected by the anti-PKK operations for more than a year, but Erdogan’s government had not approved a visit.
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2n7cABA
Friday, 24 February 2017
Akeredolu takes oath of office (Read full details)
Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State acknowledges cheers from the crowd during his inauguration in Akure on Friday. PHOTO: NAN
The newly sworn-in governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) has promised to make the collective interest of the state his paramount focus.
Akeredolu said this on Friday in Akure in his address shortly after taking oath of office amidst pump and pageantry.
Akeredolu also pledged not to renege on his campaign pledge that the peoples’ welfare shall form the basis of his government.
“We listened to our people in the course of our campaign to all nooks and crannies of the state. We heard them loud and clear through their votes.
“We witnessed firsthand the deplorable conditions under which they exist, and we are determined to make the difference with the specific mandate of redemption liberally handed over to us.
““Our platform for change is erected on strong pillars which consist of the core sectors of government activities that our blue print lays emphasis on,” Akeredolu said.
According to him, these core sectors are finance and management of state resources, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commerce and industrial development, education and Technology, Land, Housing and Environment, among others.
The governor said that the main mission of his administration was to lead a patriotic, highly inspired and competent team “to rescue the ship of our state”
Akeredolu, who acknowledged the enormous challenges faced by the state, pointed out that the blue print of his administration was anchored on five cardinal programmes popularly known as “our platforms for change”
According to him, the cardinal programmes are: Job creation through Agriculture, Entrepreneurship and industrialisation; massive infrastructural development and maintenance; provision of functional growth and technological growth; provision of accessible and qualitative health care and social service delivery; rural development and community extension services.
Many dignitaries, including Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Senate President Bukola Tinubu, former governor Olusegun Osoba, Governor Ayodele Fayose, former governor Segun Oni and others.
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Wednesday, 22 February 2017
Smog may force U-17 World Cup out of Delhi…See full details
Indian pedestrians walk near the India Gate monument amid heavy smog in New Delhi on October 28, 2016 | AFP/File |<br />
FIFA could pull Under-17 World Cup matches out of New Delhi because of concerns over air quality in the world’s most polluted capital city, the tournament director said.
Javier Ceppi said that air quality in Delhi was a “serious concern”, particularly after the Hindu Diwali festival which this year falls in October — the month the tournament will be held.
“The match schedule is not finalised yet. One of the reasons for that is the pollution. And pollution in Delhi is a serious concern,” the FIFA official told the Indian Express daily, in comments published Wednesday.
“You cannot reduce pollution from one day to the next, to the amount that would need to be reduced for hosting games,” Ceppi added.
A spokesman for the local organisers told AFP only marquee matches in Delhi slated after Diwali were likely to be affected over pollution concerns.
“The scheduling has not been finalised and only marquee matches post Diwali could be pulled out from Delhi,” he said.
FIFA announced in 2013 that India would be the host nation for the U-17 World Cup, to be held in six cities across the country including Delhi.
Last year saw record pollution levels in Delhi around Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, during which tens of thousands of revellers let off firecrackers.
The problem is exacerbated by the burning of crop stubble after the harvest in neighbouring agricultural areas at the same time of year.
In 2016 schools in the Indian capital were forced to shut as authorities ordered a series of emergency measures to try to ease the crisis, including a temporary ban on construction.
A 2014 World Health Organization survey of more than 1,600 cities ranked Delhi as the most polluted.
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Osinbajo withholds assent to four bills passed by Senate
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has withheld assent to four Bills including the National Lottery Amendment Bill 2016.
Osinbajo conveyed his position in a letter to the Senate, read on the floor Wednesday by President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki.
According to the Acting President, he declined to sign the Lottery Bill because of the existence of a pending legal challenge to the competence of the National Assembly to legislate on the subject matter.
The letter reads: “Pursuant to section 58(4) of the constitution, I hereby convey to the senate my decision to withhold assent to the National Lottery Amendment Bill 2016 recently passed by the National Assembly.
“The rationale for withholding assent to the Bill is the existence of a pending legal challenge to the competence of the National Assembly to legislate on the subject matter.
“Distinguished Senate President please, accept the assurances of my highest considerations”.
“Similarly, I withhold assent to Dangerous Drugs Amendment Bill 2016.
“The rationale for withholding assent to the Bill are the concerns regarding certain words and phrases utilised in the draft Bill that may be inconsistent with the Principal Act. For example section 6 of the Bill with section 21 of the Principal Act and the spirit behind the proposed amendments.”
Others the Acting President said are the Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund Amendment Bill 2016 saying the reasons for withholding assent to the Bill are the concerns surrounding board composition, proposals to increase level of un-collateralised loans from N5000 to N250, 000.
The fourth Bill which the Acting President withheld assent to was the Currency Conversion Freezing Orders Amendment Bill 2016.
“The rationale for withholding assent to the Bill is the concern regarding modalities for the communication of asset forfeiture orders,” he said.
In a swift reaction, Sen. Dino Melaye (APC-Kogi) said that democracy was standing on the basic principle of Separation of Powers which stipulated the different functions of the three arms of government.
“The role of the executive is to carry out their fundamental objectives by signing anything that has being passed by this House.
“If withheld, it becomes so dangerous for our democracy and our powers to legislate will be taken away from us as enshrined in chapter four of the constitution.
“So the role of the executive is to assent to any law passed by this House. And anyone who has problem with it can go to court.
“May it not be a pathway for democracy if we keep quiet and allow the power of the legislature to be usurped by the noncompliance to the provisions of the constitution,” he said.
Also speaking, Sen. George Sekibo (PDP-Rivers) said that the National Assembly had power to override the veto of the President.
“The way the constitution is framed, they have their own roles to play, we have our own roles. We check each other.
“The matter is in the court and based on our rule we cannot discuss on it. If it is just that the President did not give assent, we have to look at the merits of the particular Bill if it meets the standard.
“And if the court matter is not going to impede on what we are going to do, then we can override the veto of the President,” he said.
In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki said that the Senate would refer the matter to its legal department for advice on the interpretations to some of the things.
“It is a matter that we must take seriously because it goes down to the issue of Separation of Powers.”
Vía The Guardian Nigeria http://ift.tt/2lFRitf
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Jolie has warm words for estranged husband Pitt
Hollywood star Angelina Jolie (2nd L) and her children including Maddox Jolie-Pitt (C) as they gather at the royal residence for a meeting with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni in Siem Reap. Angelina Jolie had warm words for her estranged husband Brad Pitt and is optimistic about the future of their family, the Hollywood star said in an interview on February 21, 2017. Jolie and Pitt, once Hollywood's most celebrated couple known as "Brangelina," are in the midst of a high-profile divorce and last month reached an agreement to keep private the details of their split and battle over custody of their six children."We are focusing on the health of our family," Jolie said on ABC's "Good Morning America."<br />/ AFP PHOTO / TANG CHHIN SOTHY
Angelina Jolie had warm words for her estranged husband Brad Pitt and is optimistic about the future of their family, the Hollywood star said in an interview Tuesday.
Jolie and Pitt, once Hollywood’s most celebrated couple known as “Brangelina,” are in the midst of a high-profile divorce and last month reached an agreement to keep private the details of their split and battle over custody of their six children.
“We are focusing on the health of our family,” Jolie said on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
“We will be stronger when we come out of this because that’s what we’re determined to do as a family.”
The actress was asked if she still thought of Pitt as a wonderful father, which is how she had described him in the past.
“Of course. Of course. We will always be a family. Always.”
Jolie, 41, filed for divorce in September, citing irreconcilable differences. She accused Pitt of hitting their teenage son on a flight that month from France to Los Angeles, sparking tabloid gossip and an FBI probe.
Pitt, 53, was later cleared by both the FBI and social workers.
Jolie is seeking sole custody of their six children, while Pitt wants joint legal and physical custody.
The A-listers got married in France in August two years ago, but had been a couple since 2004.
Jolie spoke to the ABC morning news program from Cambodia, where she is promoting her new film “First They Killed My Father,” a true-life account of the Khmer Rouge genocide.
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Saturday, 18 February 2017
Five-minute Gameiro hat-trick spurs Atletico win
Atletico Madrid's French forward Kevin Gameiro (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match Real Sporting de Gijon vs Club Atletico de Madrid at El Molinon stadium in Gijon on February 18, 2017.<br />MIGUEL RIOPA / AFP
Substitute Kevin Gameiro hit the second fastest hat-trick in La Liga history in five minutes as Atletico Madrid maintained their grip on fourth in La Liga with a 4-1 win at Sporting Gijón.
Gameiro was only introduced 28 minutes from time but struck in the 80th, 81st and 85th minutes to move Atletico to within four points of leaders Real Madrid, who are in action later at home to Espanyol.
Yannick Carrasco had bundled Atletico into the lead seconds into the second-half before Sergio Alvarez levelled three minutes later.
Defeat leaves Sporting still languishing in the relegation zone, two points off safety.
Atletico boss Diego Simeone named a strong side despite a trip to Bayer Leverkusen to come in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday.
However, Atletico were sluggish in the first 45 minutes with Sporting’s giant 6ft 8in striker Lacine Traore twice coming close to opening the scoring.
The visitors got a break right at the start of the second period when Carrasco was allowed to bear down on goal despite Antoine Griezmann standing in an offside position and tapped home at the second attempt after Ivan Cuellar had saved his first effort.
The lead lasted just three minutes as Atletico’s once solid defence was breached by Alvarez as his effort evaded the attempts of Stefan Savic to clear off the line.
Atletico have now conceded more goals in La Liga so far this season than all of last season in La Liga.
Gameiro was summoned from the bench just after the hour mark as Atletico upped the pressure in search for a winner.
Griezmann was harshly denied by the offside flag 15 minutes from time.
However, the French international did have a vital role to play in Gameiro’s first as it was his through ball from which Gameiro rounded Cuellar to slot home.
Thomas Partey teed up Gameiro to thrash home seconds later and Gameiro completed his hat-trick with another composed finish on the counter-attack.
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Saturday, 28 January 2017
US begins implementation of Trump’s order, detain arrivals from Muslim countries
US authorities wasted no time implementing Donald Trump’s order halting Muslim arrivals, detaining travelers arriving at American airports within hours of the US president signing the tough new measures, media reports said Saturday.
The New York Times reported that airport officials as early as Friday night began detaining travelers, some of whom already had been aboard their flights when Trump announced his executive order closing America’s borders to refugees.
Trump’s order suspends entry of all refugees to the United States for 120 days and indefinitely halts the admission of refugees from Syria.
It also bans entry into the United States from travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen — for 90 days.
The order paved the way for what Trump has pledged will be “extreme vetting” of visa applicants’ backgrounds — with some exceptions made for members of “religious minorities,” a caveat many see as a way to apply favorable treatment to Christians from majority Muslim states.
The move makes good on one of Trump’s most controversial campaign promises, when he vowed to stem immigration from various Muslim countries which he insists pose a terror threat to the United States, and to subject future arrivals to “extreme vetting.”
The Times said the detentions have been met with early legal challenges, as lawyers representing two Iraqi refugees being held at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport filed a court appeal for their release, alleging that the two travelers were being unlawfully detained.
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Britain’s May woos Turkey for trade, presses on rights (Read full details)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and British Prime Minister Theresa May speak after their meeting at the presidential complex in Ankara on January 28, 2017. British Prime Minister Theresa May on January 28 promised steps to ramp up trade between Turkey and Britain ahead of Brexit but also urged Ankara to uphold human rights following a failed coup. On her first visit to Turkey as premier and fresh from meeting new US President Donald Trump at the White House, May held three hours of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.<br />Adem ALTAN / AFP
British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday promised steps to ramp up trade between Turkey and Britain ahead of Brexit but also urged Ankara to uphold human rights following a failed coup.
On her first visit to Turkey as premier and fresh from meeting new US President Donald Trump at the White House, May held three hours of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
May sought to strike a delicate balance between showing Britain’s keen interest in expanding trade with Turkey following the June vote to leave the European Union while echoing European alarm over the scale of the crackdown after the July 15 attempted coup.
May announced the creation of a joint group to boost trade ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU and also oversaw the signing of a deal for Britain’s BAE Systems to develop a new Turkish fighter jet.
May said after meeting Erdogan at his palace she was “proud” Britain had stood with Turkey’s democratically-elected government when the coup struck.
But she added: “Now it is important that Turkey sustains that democracy by maintaining the rule of law and upholding its international human rights obligations, as the government has undertaken to do.”
May stressed that Turkey was one of Britain’s “oldest friends” with relations going back over 400 years, referring to the establishment of relations between the Ottoman Empire and England under Elizabeth I.
Earlier, a spokeswoman countered criticism from some MPs that Britain was cosying up to Turkey while turning a blind eye to its human rights record. The spokeswoman said: “I don’t think there are any issues that the prime minister is afraid to bring up.”
Around 43,000 people are under arrest on charges of links to the coup bid, which Ankara blames on the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. He denies the charges.
May’s visit is also seen as the first to Ankara by a major Western leader since the attempted putsch, although then US vice president Joe Biden held talks with Erdogan in August.
Her visit came hours after Erdogan had hosted the American actress Lindsay Lohan — a keen supporter of Erdogan’s vision of a multipolar world — in his vast presidential palace in Ankara.
– ‘Post-Brexit trading relationship’ –
Erdogan said the two sides were targeting increasing annual trade from over $15 billion to $20 billion.
Meanwhile, May said Britain and Turkey have agreed to set up a working group to “prepare the ground for our post-Brexit trading relationship” after Britain leaves the European Union.
“We both want to build on our existing links and I believe that doing so will be to the benefit of both of our countries and for the prosperity of both our nations,” she said.
Under a non-binding agreement, BAE Systems and state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will establish a partnership for the development of the TF-X fighter jet.
May said it indicated that “Britain is a great, global, trading nation and that we are open for business”, after the Brexit vote. She added that “it marks the start of a new and deeper trading relationship with Turkey.”
The initial phase is worth over 100 million pounds (117 million euros), Downing Street said. But the agreement can pave the way for further deals potentially worth billions of pounds over a 20-year lifespan, May’s spokeswoman told reporters.
– ‘Unsavoury rulers’ –
Back in the UK, some MPs have urged May not to let her focus on trade overshadow human rights concerns over the crackdown in Turkey.
“The Conservative Brexit government is so desperate for trade deals with anyone but the mature democracies of the European Union that even the most unsavoury rulers are to be subjected to the prime ministerial charm,” opposition Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Olney wrote in the Guardian newspaper.
Erdogan and May also discussed the battle against jihadists in Syria and efforts to reunify Cyprus, where both Ankara and London are guarantor powers, as well as aviation security.
“I am pleased with the steps we have taken and I believe in the continuation of this success in the future,” Erdogan said after the talks.
Britain’s May woos Turkey for trade, presses on rights
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El-Rufa’i to stop the use of blackboards in public schools
Gov. Nasiru El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State on Saturday said the use of blackboards as teaching facility in public schools across the state would be stopped.
Speaking as the Chief Host at the 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Zaria Education Development Association (ZEDA) held in Zaria, the governor said the measure was aimed at eliminating the hazard posed to health of teachers by the facility.
Represented by Prof. Andrew Nok, Commissioner for Education, El-Rufa’i also said that government was prepared to give intensive ICT training to public school teachers in rural areas to enable them cope with the present e-learning challenges.
He said that government had already procured 5,000 Tablets (minicomputer facilities) for distribution to teachers in public schools.
According to him, about N3 billion has been committed for infrastructural development in unity schools across the state.
In his speech, the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BOT), ZEDA, Prof. Idris Abdulkadir, who is also the former Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), said the association had since inception 25 years ago, focused its energy towards enhancing the education of children in Kaduna State and Nigeria at large.
Dr Abdul Alimi-Bello, Chairman, Central Working Committee (CWC) of ZEDA, stressed the need for commitment from all and sundry to enable children gain admission into universities and institutions of higher learning.
Alimi-Bello observed that despite series of achievements recorded by the association, it still had some laudable programmes lined up but were yet to be implemented due to financial constraints.
He appealed to well-meaning Nigerians to support ZEDA towards complementing the efforts of government in developing the education sector.
In his speech, Emir of Zazzau, Dr Shehu Idris, pleaded with members of the society, especially well-to-do and elites, to contribute their quota in enhancing education of the youth.
The Emir, who was represented by a traditional title holder of ‘Fagacin Zazzau’,Alhaji Umar Mohammed, lauded the achievements recorded by ZEDA and urged it to continue the good work.
In his remark, Proprietor of Prof. Ango Abdullahi International School, Zaria, Dr Aliyu Shamsuddeen, announced a 50 per cent scholarship to 50 students from Zaria Emirate to study in his primary and secondary school.
During the occasion, representative of the governors inaugurated a multi-million Naira 100-seater capacity e-library at the ZEDA secretariat.
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