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Tag: terrorism

  • Pint-Clutching Man Becomes Symbol Of London’s Defiance Against Terrorism

    Pint-Clutching Man Becomes Symbol Of London’s Defiance Against Terrorism

    A man pictured calmly taking his pint of beer with him as other people fled past him during Saturday’s (Jun 3) deadly attack in London has been cast as an unlikely hero who encapsulates British humour and defiance.

    Dressed in a red t-shirt and sauntering casually with a friend, the drinker stood out in Sky News footage of men and women running down Borough High Street, away from the London Bridge scene of the attack that left seven people dead and 48 injured.

    The image spread like wildfire across Twitter and British newspapers said the man, whose identity is unknown, was a symbol of defiance.

    “True symbol of the British spirit as man flees terrorist attack clutching his pint,” said student Henry Slesser (@HenrySlesser), on Twitter.

    Others joked that it was only right that he should take his beer with him, given London’s notoriously high prices.

    “Evacuate? Well, OK. But this beer cost six pounds (US$7.74) a pint. I’m taking it with me,” said another Twitter user, Andrew Brooks (@taxbod).

    Londoners take pride in, and sometimes joke about, showing fortitude during adversity.

    Tourist shops are awash with memorabilia emblazoned with “Keep calm and carry on”, a slogan drawn from a World War II poster that became popular in the last 10 years.

    Saturday’s attack, in which three men drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before stabbing people in nearby bars and restaurants, occurred five days before a parliamentary election.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May said the vote would go ahead as planned on Thursday.

    Residents of the northern English city Manchester also looked to their city’s culture for solace after a suicide bombing at a pop concert killed 22 people and injured 116 nearly two weeks ago, Britain’s deadliest attack in almost 12 years.

     

    Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com

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

    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/

  • At Least 64 Killed, 320 Injured In Kabul Diplomatic Quarter Blast

    At Least 64 Killed, 320 Injured In Kabul Diplomatic Quarter Blast

    A massive blast rocked Kabul’s diplomatic quarters during the morning rush hour on Wednesday (May 31) the latest attack to hit the Afghan capital.

    Afghan officials said at least 64 people have been killed or wounded by a suicide car bombing, according to AFP.

    A huge plume of smoke could be seen rising from the area but it was not clear what the target was and there was no immediate confirmation of any casualties.

    Witnesses said dozens of cars were blocking roads and some wounded people could be seen.

    FRENCH AND GERMAN EMBASSIES DAMAGED 

    The French and German embassy in Kabul were also damaged in Wednesday’s car bomb attack, said French minister Marielle de Sarnez, who added there were no signs at this stage of any French victims.

    “There has been some material damage in the French embassy, as well as in the Germany embassy,” de Sarnez, who is France’s European affairs minister, told Europe 1 radio on Wednesday. She added she had no information on any possible casualties at the two missions.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack came as the resurgent Taliban are stepping up their annual “spring offensive”.

    Huge blast in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter on Wednesday AFP/AFP

     

    The Islamic State group has also claimed responsibility for several recent bombings in the Afghan capital, including a powerful blast targeting an armoured NATO convoy that killed at least eight people and wounded 28 on May 3.

    Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has warned of “another tough year” for both foreign troops and local forces in Afghanistan, where more than one third of the country is outside of government control.

    The blast was the latest in a long line of attacks in the Afghan capital. Kabul province had the highest number of casualties in the first three months of 2017 thanks to multiple attacks in the city, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.

     

    Source:http://www.channelnewsasia.com

  • 3 Police Officers Killed In Suicide Bomb Attack In Jakarta

    3 Police Officers Killed In Suicide Bomb Attack In Jakarta

    Two suspected suicide bombers have blown themselves up at a busy bus terminal in Jakarta, killing themselves and three police officers.

    Five civilians and another five police officers were also injured in the attack, just after 9:00pm (local time) yesterday.

    National police spokesman Setyo Wasisto said the blasts took place minutes apart.

    “Tonight, to Indonesian citizens and all of us who are here at the scene, I express very deep concern,” he said.

    TV networks showed people helping a victim lying on the ground and three policemen carrying another victim away from the scene.

    Police may have been the target, with extra officers in the area to guard a torch rally to mark the beginning of the Islamic holy month Ramadan.

    Police did not immediately reveal a motive but likened the attack to the events in Manchester and said it was linked to global terror.

    “As you all know that there has been global incidents in Manchester during Ariana Grande’s show, there was an explosion there,” Mr Wasisto said.

    “Then we also heard that in our neighbouring country, the Philippines, there was an attack from ISIS in Malawi city.

    “Thus we’ve actually been prepared — but we didn’t know when and where it was going to happen.

    “In my opinion, this incident is related to global attacks and related to some groups that have attacked several places.”

    Authorities in the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country have been increasingly worried about a resurgence in radicalism, driven in part by a new generation of militants inspired by Islamic State.

    There has been a series of low-level attacks linked to Islamic State since January 2016, when four militants mounted a gun and bomb assault in the heart of Jakarta.

    Eight people were killed in that attack, including the militants.

    More recent attacks have also been linked to the group and targeted police officers, including in Solo in Java, but they have largely failed.

     

    Source: www.abc.net.au

  • At Least 19 Dead In Bomb Attack At Ariana Grande Concert In Manchester Arena

    At Least 19 Dead In Bomb Attack At Ariana Grande Concert In Manchester Arena

    Officials report 19 are dead and 50 injured following explosions at Manchester Arena where an Ariana Grande concert was held on Monday night (May 22).

    Greater Manchester Police released the figure less than three hours after explosions were first reported on the scene.

    NBC reports “Multiple U.S. officials say U.K. authorities suspect Manchester incident was conducted by a suicide bomber.” CBS has also reported that the explosions contained nails.

    Billboard has confirmed Grande is “okay” with the singer’s rep and that her team is further investigating what happened.

    According to British Transport Police, an explosion took place within the Manchester Arena’s foyer area at 10:30 p.m. local time. The foyer area is connected to the Manchester Victoria station adjacent to the venue and contains the arena’s box office, as well as a McDonald’s. Manchester Victoria station is Manchester’s second largest train station.

    The explosion took place shortly after Grande finished her concert as fans exited the arena.

    Speaking with Billboard, an eye witness recalled hearing a large bang outside the arena and then the PA speaker system announcing to evacuate and everyone screaming and running chaotically out of the arena. She said she saw people covered in blood as she left.

    Greater Manchester is the United Kingdom’s second-most populous urban area with a population of 2.55 million.

    This story is still developing. We will update as more details become available.

     

    Source: www.billboard.com