Turkish military attaché to Kuwait held in Dammam

July 18, 2016

Jeddah, Jul 18: Saudi authorities in Dammam have detained Turkey's military attaché to Kuwait upon request of the Turkish government, Al Arabiya online news reported Sunday midnight.

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Quoting Saudi sources, Al Arabiya said the military officer, Mikael Ihsanoglu, was to board a plane at Dammam Airport on his way to the city of Dusseldorf, Germany, passing through Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The detention request comes as the Turkish government launched a massive crackdown against participants of a bloody coup attempt that began on Friday.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the Turkish people to go out on the streets and stop the coup plotters, which they did. The coup attempt faltered on Saturday as loyal troops rallied behind Erdogan.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman had congratulated Erdogan for his success in quelling the power grab attempt.

A statement by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday said King Salman telephoned Erdogan and "congratulated him on Turkey's return to normalcy and expressed Saudi Arabia’s welcoming of the security and stability restored by the leadership of his excellency (Erdogan) and the continuation of the activities of the Turkish government.”

Erdogan "thanked the King Salman for his sincere feelings and keen interest in what is happening in Turkey, praising the distinguished relations between the two brotherly countries," said the statement.

On Sunday, Turkey's justice minister said more than 6,000 military personnel and judges have been detained and under investigation for their alleged role in the coup plot.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that 70 generals and admirals, including former air force commander Gen. Akin Ozturk, have been detained as part of ongoing investigations.

Citing the office of the governor of Ankara, Anadolu also said149 police personnel have been detained in the capital .

Of the generals and admirals brought before court, 11 have been put under arrest so far as of Sunday night. The rest are awaiting processing.

Dogan news agency, meanwhile, reported 42 police officers have been dismissed from duty in the southeastern province of Batman.

The new death toll from Friday's failed coup attempt in Turkey is 294.

A Turkish official says more than 190 citizens, most of them military, were killed and more than 1,400 people were wounded in Friday's failed coup attempt.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government rules, said the fatalities excluded "terrorists" in reference to those who acted against the government.

At last count, government officials said at least 104 conspirators were killed in the unrest.

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Agencies
August 4,2020

Beirut, Aug 4: A massive explosion has shaken the Lebanese capital of Beirut, with a very high number of casualties expected.

A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Several smaller explosions were heard before the bigger one occurred.

Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site.

Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke.

The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected.

There was also no immediate casualty count. Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.

The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut.

Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”

Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.

“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.

The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.

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News Network
July 18,2020

Dubai, July 18: An NRI student who passed away in Dubai shortly after shortly after attempting his Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Grade 12 papers in March, has scored an impressive 91.4 per cent on his board examinations, including 100 in his media studies paper.

Ahmed Ziyad, a student of GEMS Our Own Indian School in Al Qouz, Dubai, died on March 19, suffered a heart condition called Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) that stopped him from being active in sporting activities.

Ziyad's parents, teachers, and classmates remember him as a very ambitious pupil, who wanted to launch his own business and achieve great things in his life. His board results are - mass media studies 100, Marketing 97, English 84, Entrepreneurship 82, and Home Science 94.
 
Ziyad's father, Shanavaz Manangath, a real estate professional who has been a resident of Dubai for over two decades said, "Six months ago, he had collapsed while playing with his friends. Since there was an irregularity in his heartbeat, he could not take part in any strenuous activities." He added, "Ziyad had just started playing with his friends on March 19 when he suddenly collapsed and died shortly after. My family has not been able to overcome his loss."

Unable to hold back his tears, an emotional Manangath said Ziyad wanted to do his BBA and launch his own business, "He was very ambitious. Honestly, I haven't looked into his board exam results, but, I know he had studied very hard for the exams."

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News Network
June 30,2020

Dubai, June 30: The United Arab Emirates is all set to reopen mosques and other places of worship at 30 per cent capacity from July 1.

However, Friday prayers will remain suspended in the country, said Saif Al Dhaheri, Spokesperson for the National Crisis & Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) during a virtual press briefing on Monday.

The official said certain mosques in industrial areas, labor residential areas, shopping malls and public parks will remain closed until further notice.

He said health authorities already conducted Covid-19 tests for Imams and workers serving at the mosque to ensure health and safety of the worshippers.

Al Dhaheri also spelt out guidelines that worship centres have to follow to welcome worshippers.

A distance of three metres should be observed between each worshippers and no handshakes are allowed. Worshippers will have to perform ablutions at home. People should bring their own personal copies of Holy Quran or read from digital copies. It is also mandatory for all worshippers to download and activate contract tracing app AlHosn.

"We urge the public to cooperate by following precautionary measures including social distancing. Children under 12 years old, the elderly as well as individuals with chronic diseases should avoid going to mosques," said the official.

The UAE first announced the suspension of public prayers in all places of worship on March 16, which was extended until further notice on April 9.

As Khaleej Times reported, places of worship had been preparing to reopen since the last few weeks by sanitizing parking lots and outdoor areas, entrances, main prayer halls and ablution areas.

The spokesperson also announced that the Private and commercial boat trips and water sports will be allowed to operate at reduced capacity of 50 per cent but by following precautionary measures.

The total number of recovered cases of Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the UAE has reached 37,076 with 665 cases recovered today after receiving treatment. Since the beginning of June, UAE has had a daily recovery average of 660 cases, said Dr. Amna Al Shamsi, Spokesperson for the UAE government.

Guidelines

1. Maintain a distance of 3 metres between worshippers.

2. No handshakes allowed.

3. Ablutions must be performed at home.

4. To read the Holy Quran, worshippers must bring their own copies.

5. All worshippers must download and activate contact tracing app AlHosn

6. People in vulnerable categories like those with chronic diseases and the elderly must not visit the mosques.

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