News

Boko Haram claims responsibility for abduction of Nigerian pupils
December 15, 2020 By Faith Matters

Boko Haram claims responsibility for abduction of Nigerian pupils

Nigeria’s Boko Haram jihadist rebels have claimed responsibility for the abduction of hundreds of pupils in an attack on a boys’ school in northern Katsina state, according to a Nigerian online newspaper. More than 330 children are missing from the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara after gunmen with assault rifles attacked their school on […]

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US holds Iran accountable for presumed death of ex-FBI agent
December 14, 2020 By Faith Matters

US holds Iran accountable for presumed death of ex-FBI agent

The Trump administration for the first time formally blamed Iran for the presumed death of retired FBI agent Robert Levinson, publicly identifying two Iranian intelligence officers believed responsible for his abduction. Mr Levinson disappeared in Iran under mysterious circumstances more than a decade ago, and though US diplomats and investigators have long said they thought […]

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Austrian officials seize weapons destined for Germany’s far-right
December 13, 2020 By Faith Matters

Austrian officials seize weapons destined for Germany’s far-right

Austrian authorities have seized a large cache of weapons and ammunition that were intended to be sold to far-right extremists in Germany. Police raids in recent days led to the seizure of 70 automatic and semi-automatic firearms, more than 100,000 rounds of ammunition and explosives, officials said. The main suspect is a 53-year-old Austrian, interior […]

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One dead as IS targets Kabul with mortar shells
December 12, 2020 By Faith Matters

One dead as IS targets Kabul with mortar shells

The so-called Islamic State terror group has attacked the Afghan capital with a barrage of mortar shells, killing at least one civilian and wounding a second. The extremist group said it was behind the violence on its affiliated Amaq News website, saying it fired 10 Katyusha rockets towards Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport. Three shells […]

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Man denies assaulting children during circumcision procedures
December 10, 2020 By Faith Matters

Man denies assaulting children during circumcision procedures

A man has denied assaulting children while carrying out circumcisions in the community. Mohammad Siddiqui, 54, of Birmingham, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and denied 40 charges relating to 24 procedures between April 2015 and January 2019. They include child neglect and ill-treatment, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and administering prescription-only anaesthetic when […]

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Bomber’s brother appeared to be ‘sympathetic to ideals of Isis’, inquiry told
December 8, 2020 By Faith Matters

Bomber’s brother appeared to be ‘sympathetic to ideals of Isis’, inquiry told

Images recovered from the home of the older brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi indicated he was “sympathetic to the ideals of Isis”, a police chief has told a public inquiry. Ismail Abedi, 27, was arrested the morning after the explosion which killed 22 people and injured hundreds at the end of an Ariana […]

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Report shows how New Zealand mosque shooter eluded detection
December 8, 2020 By Faith Matters

Report shows how New Zealand mosque shooter eluded detection

A comprehensive report into the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings in which 51 Muslim worshippers died sheds new light on how the gunman was able to elude detection by authorities as he planned his attack. The nearly 800-page Royal Commission of Inquiry report released on Tuesday shows the attacker, Brenton Tarrant, kept a low profile and […]

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Indonesia expects halal certificate for experimental Covid-19 vaccine
December 7, 2020 By Faith Matters

Indonesia expects halal certificate for experimental Covid-19 vaccine

Indonesia’s highest Muslim clerical body is expected to issue a halal certification for the experimental Covid-19 vaccine developed by China-based firm Sinovac Biotech. The certification would be a significant step in immunisation efforts in the world’s most populous Muslim country, should the vaccine be approved for use. Indonesia’s human development and culture minister Muhadjir Effendy: […]

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Indonesian police kill six supporters of firebrand cleric
December 7, 2020 By Faith Matters

Indonesian police kill six supporters of firebrand cleric

Indonesian police have shot dead six followers of a firebrand cleric who returned last month from a three-year exile in Saudi Arabia after criminal charges against him were dropped. Jakarta Police Chief Muhammad Fadil Imran said officers were following a car carrying 10 supporters of Rizieq Shihab, the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front, early […]

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First Rohingya refugees arrive at isolated Bangladesh island
December 4, 2020 By Faith Matters

First Rohingya refugees arrive at isolated Bangladesh island

More than 1,500 Rohingya refugees have been sent to an isolated island by authorities in Bangladesh, despite calls by human rights groups to stop the process. The 1,642 refugees boarded seven Bangladeshi naval vessels in the port of Chittagong for the trip to Bhashan Char, according to an official. After about a three-hour trip they […]

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