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Qatar Calls Decision By Gulf Nations And Egypt ‘Unjustified’; Allegations Against Doha Have ‘No Basis In Fact’

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain say they are severing diplomatic relations with Qatar.

The Saudi kingdom made the announcement via its state-run Saudi Press Agency early on Monday, saying it was taking action for what it called the protection of national security.

The three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries, Reuters news agency reported.

Saudi also closed the border and halted air and sea traffic with Qatar, urging “all brotherly countries and companies to do the same”.

The statement appeared to be timed in concert with an earlier announcement by Bahrain, which was similarly cutting ties and halting air and sea traffic between the two countries.

‘Unjustified’

Qatar’s foreign ministry said it regretted the measures by the Arab nations, calling the decisions “unjustified”.

“The measures are unjustified and are based on claims and allegations that have no basis in fact,” the statement said, adding that the decisions would “not affect the normal lives of citizens and residents”.

“The aim is clear, and it is to impose guardianship on the state. This by itself is a violation of its (Qatar’s) sovereignty as a state,” it added.

Bahrain’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying it would withdraw its diplomatic mission from the Qatari capital, Doha, within 48 hours and that all Qatari diplomats should leave Bahrain within the same period.

Egypt also announced the closure of its airspace and seaports for all Qatari transportation “to protect its national security”, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Etihad Airways, the UAE’s flag carrier, said it would suspend flights to and from Qatar beginning Tuesday morning.

It was not immediately clear how Monday’s announcement would affect other airlines.

A Saudi-led coalition which for more than two years has been fighting Iran-backed rebels in Yemen separately announced that Qatar was no longer welcome in the alliance.

A senior Iranian official said the measures by the Arab nations would not help end the crisis in the Middle East.

“The era of cutting diplomatic ties and closing borders … is not a way to resolve crisis … As I said before, aggression and occupation will have no result but instability,” Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, tweeted, referring to the coalition’s involvement in Yemen.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave a statement on Monday while on state visit in Australia, urging the Gulf states to stay united.

“We certainly would encourage the parties to sit down together and address these differences,” he said in Sydney.

“If there’s any role that we can play in terms of helping them address those, we think it is important that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) remain united.”

Tillerson said despite the impasse, he did not expect it to have “any significant impact, if any impact at all, on the unified fight against terrorism in the region or globally”.

“All of those parties you mentioned have been quite unified in the fight against terrorism and the fight against Daesh, ISIS, and have expressed that most recently in the summit in Riyadh,” he added, using alternative names for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group.

Hacking dispute

The dispute between Qatar and the Gulf’s Arab countries escalated after a recent hack of Qatar’s state-run news agency. It has spiralled since.

Following the hacking on Tuesday, comments falsely attributed to Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, were broadcast in Qatar.

Qatar’s government categorically denied that the comments, in which the country’s leader expressed support for Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah and Israel – while suggesting that US President Donald Trump may not last in power, were ever made.

“There are international laws governing such crimes, especially the cyberattack. [The hackers] will be prosecuted according to the law,” Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign minister, said on Wednesday.

UAE-based Sky News Arabia and Al Arabiya kept running the discredited story, despite the Qatari denials.

Source: http://www.aljazeera.com/

June 5, 2017
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia And The UAE Cut Diplomatic Ties With Qatar

The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Yemeni rebels also announced it was ending Qatar’s membership.

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced on Monday (Jun 5) they were severing diplomatic ties with Qatar, as they accused the Gulf state of supporting terrorism.

Saudi Arabia’s official state news agency, citing an official source, said the kingom decided to sever diplomatic and consular relations with Qatar “proceeding from the exercise of its sovereign right guaranteed by international law and the protection of national security from the dangers of terrorism and extremism”.

Saudi Arabia said it has cut all land, air and sea contacts with Qatar and “urges all brotherly countries and companies to do the same.”

The “decisive” measure was due to the “gross violations committed by authorities in Qatar over the past years”, the Saudi statement said, as the UAE made an announcement to cut ties as well.

The UAE accused its Gulf Arab neighbour Qatar of supporting extremism and undermining regional stability.

The Emirates cut ties and gave diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, citing their “support, funding and embrace of terrorist, extremist and sectarian organisations”, WAM said.

Egypt’s foreign ministry also accused Doha of supporting “terrorism” in a statement as it announced the severing of ties.

The statement said all Egyptian ports and airports would be closed to Qatari vessels.

Bahrain news agency said the kingdom was cutting ties with Doha over its insistence on “shaking the security and stability of Bahrain and meddling in its affairs”.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition fighting Yemeni rebels also announced it was ending Qatar’s membership as most Gulf countries severed ties with Doha amid heightened tension between the neighbouring states.

The coalition said the measure was due to Qatar’s “practices that strengthen terrorism, and its support to (terrorist) organisations in Yemen, including Al-Qaeda and Daesh, as well as dealing with the rebel militias,” according to a statement carried by SPA Saudi official news agency.

Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Etihad Airways said it will suspend all flights to and from Doha from Tuesday morning until further notice.

The last flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha will depart at 02:45 local time on Tuesday, the airline’s spokesman said in an email to Reuters.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

June 5, 2017
A Different Kind Of Saman: When You Park Your Bike Illegally Outside TKC This Ramadan

Someone shared on FB that he was making a quick stop to buy food for break fast outside TKC. He had no choice but to do an illegal parking since there was no lots, and when he got back to his bike, he saw a saman paper stuck to his seat. Which rider won’t curse when you kena saman right, even in Ramadan? But lucky upon inspecting the saman paper, the guy found out that it was something entirely different.

FB post:

Ouh now i get the joke 😂😂😂😂
I was at geylang bazar and the parking lot was full and breakfast timing was like in 40mins so we just park At the side like everyone else and buy a quick bite and when we get back to our motor bike we got saman and when we read properly they just selling helmet bag 😂😂😂😂

Source: EllyaSya Mi AMor

(PS:Get Hilikus.sg brilliant advertising man!)

June 5, 2017
575 Needy Muslim Families Get Help At Ramadan Event

Close to 600 families received cash and vouchers worth over S$200,000 at the Muslim Converts’ Association of Singapore’s Ramadan Zakat Disbursement ceremony yesterday. The 575 recipients included the low-income, the elderly and those with chronic diseases.

For the first time in the association’s annual drive, which began more than 20 years ago, beneficiaries also received sponsored items from corporate donors, such as Zac Butchery and Al-Wadi Restaurant, as well as actor Suhaimi Yusof. The items included turkey ham, dates and tea.

The guest of honour, Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (Marsiling-Yew Tee) Halimah Yacob, said the institution of zakat was “well-organised and strong” in Singapore. Zakat is the obligatory act of almsgiving and is one of Islam’s pillars.

“People are brought together through the sharing of wealth, while at the same time performing their Islamic duty,” she said.

“Today’s event reminds us of the strong spirit of charity and unity among Singaporean Muslims. This innate sense to help one another is not only nurtured in Islam; it has always been part of the values upon which the Singaporean community builds itself.”

The recipients, 103 of whom are converts to Islam and 472 of whom were born into the religion, each received S$255 from the zakat and NTUC FairPrice vouchers of S$110 from fidyah, which are religious donations made when a fast is broken.

They said the money will come in handy for groceries and medical expenses. “This zakat can help me a lot. I can buy (household items and use it) for my children’s school fees and maybe new clothes for Hari Raya,” said Mdm Peng Hui Mei @ Nur Ain Peng Abdullah, 43, whose three children are aged nine to 21. The patient service associate at a public hospital said it was her first time receiving zakat.

Father-of-five Jeyaseelan @ Abdul Ghani, 47, said his wife has been on kidney dialysis for almost 12 years and that doctors have said her heart is failing. His three elder children in polytechnic help by working part-time, and the Uber driver said he was also grateful for the support of staff at the Muslim Converts’ Association of Singapore, or Darul Arqam Singapore, who inform him of avenues of financial assistance.

Mdm Halimah, who has been suggested as a potential candidate for the Presidential Election in September, shook hands and mingled with the recipients, but did not speak to reporters. She has so far kept mum on the coming election, which is reserved for the Malay community, and on the likelihood of her candidacy.

Source: http://www.todayonline.com

June 5, 2017
7 Injured As Lorry Rams Vehicles Outside Al-Ameen Restaurant In Woodlands

Seven people, including two children, were injured when a lorry rammed two parked cars and another lorry near Al-Ameen Eating Corner in Woodlands on Sunday (Jun 4) morning.

The police said they were alerted to the incident, which involved two cars and two lorries, at around 6am along Woodlands Avenue 5 towards Woodlands Avenue 9.

Five people between the ages of 16 and 35 were taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Two children, aged 10 and 11, were taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Channel NewsAsia understands that two cars and a lorry were parked alongside the road near Al-Ameen restaurant when a moving lorry hit one of the cars, triggering a chain collision.

Police said that the lorry driver is currently assisting with investigations.

Eyewitness Nur’Ain Rosman posted photos and videos of the aftermath of the accident, which she said involved her friends.

She said that five of her friends had head injuries and fractured limbs as a result of the accident. The three adults and two children are currently in hospital for observation, she told Channel NewsAsia.

Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/

June 5, 2017