A mountain of trash gave way in a massive garbage dump on the outskirts of Ethiopia’s capital, killing at least 46 people and leaving several dozen missing, residents said, as officials vowed to relocate those who called the landfill home. Addis Ababa city spokeswoman Dagmawit Moges said most of the 46 dead were women and children, and more bodies were expected to be found. It was not clear what caused Saturday night’s collapse at the Koshe Garbage Landfill, which buried makeshift houses and concrete buildings. The landfill has been a dumping ground for the capital’s garbage for more than 50 years. (WaPo http://wapo.st/2mB4AqW)
And the fastest growing city in the world is…Cairo’s population is set to grow by 500,000 this year, more than any other city in the world, adding to the pressure on an Egyptian economy struggling to recover from six years of political turmoil. (VOA http://bit.ly/2nsSg9Y)
Quote of the day: “We stand at a critical point in history. Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations.” — Stephen O’Brien, the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs (CSM https://yhoo.it/2mfVEVh)
Top Stories
Cyclone Enawo killed at least 50 people and affected 176,000 people after it hit Madagascar earlier this week, the national disaster management agency said Saturday, with thousands forced into emergency shelters. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2mzmg4z)
At least 34 people have been killed and 17 injured when a bus plowed into a crowd outside the northern Haitian city of Gonaives. (Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/2mBeMzX)
Shi’ite-dominated Iraqi paramilitaries fighting alongside Baghdad government forces to liberate the city of Mosul from Islamic State extremists say they have found a mass grave at a prison containing the remains of hundreds of people executed by the jihadists in 2014. (VOA http://bit.ly/2nt6IyB)
A group of Afghan women who were held captive by Islamic State in eastern Afghanistan finally broke their silence and spoke about IS torture and mistreatment. They said the terror group kept them in confined quarters for days at a time. (VOA http://bit.ly/2ncOF3H)
Turkey achieved a milestone in its goals in Syria: It established a foothold in the heart of the country’s north after driving Islamic State militants away from its borders and seizing al-Bab, one of the extremist group’s major strongholds and a major supply route. (AP https://yhoo.it/2lQOdIk)
President Donald Trump’s revamped travel ban is facing its first major legal setback, after a federal judge halted enforcement of the directive that would deny U.S. entry to the wife and child of a Syrian refugee already granted asylum. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2mAIrsJ)
The Philippine government and communist rebels have agreed to resume peace talks and restore separate cease-fires after an escalation of deadly clashes, officials said Sunday. (VOA http://bit.ly/2nj052J)
The U.N. accused Turkish security forces of committing serious abuses during operations against Kurdish militants in the southeast after a ceasefire collapsed in July 2015. (AFP https://yhoo.it/2mAAyDN)
Bolivians have a new law that nearly doubles the amount of land where coca plants can be legally grown. (VOA http://bit.ly/2nd1mLV)
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress needs to end corruption and party divisions, and deliver on promises to tackle poverty if it is to halt declining voter support, a new policy document said on Sunday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2nj01A1)
The number of corruption cases heard by Chinese courts jumped by about one-third last year, as the country’s top prosecutor vowed on Sunday there would be no let up in China’s campaign against deep-seated graft. (Reuters https://yhoo.it/2mfM456)
Opinion/Blogs
Why a Test That Tells When TB Is Cured Is Needed to Help Tackle Resistance (The Conversation http://bit.ly/2mXlyB4)
PODCAST: The Crisis in Northern Nigeria, Fighting Ebola, and Lessons Learned from a Career in Disaster Relief. (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/2mB5BiF )
The Border Crossing (Africa is a Country http://bit.ly/2miEWoB)
‘Global gag rule’ impact already being felt, family planning advocates warn (Devex http://bit.ly/2mDgy3n)
The Ethiopian boomtown that welcomes water firms but leaves locals thirsty (Guardian http://bit.ly/2miMZl9)
