Africa - Bangladesh Business News

Egypt's state of emergency after Coptic churches hit

BBN Desk — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 05:36:26 +0000

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Cairo (BBN) - President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has announced a three-month Egypt’s state of emergency after attacks on two Coptic churches that left at least 44 dead.
The measure allows authorities to make arrests without warrants and search people's homes, reports BBC.
It needs to be approved by parliament before it is implemented.
So-called Islamic State (IS) said it was behind the blasts in Tanta and Alexandria on Palm Sunday.
The group has targeted Copts in Egypt recently and warns of more attacks.
Sisi made a defiant speech at the presidential palace after a meeting of the national defence council to discuss the explosions.
He warned that the war against the jihadists would be "long and painful", and said that the state of emergency would come into force after all "legal and constitution steps" were taken. The majority in parliament backs Sisi.
The president had earlier ordered the deployment of the military across the country to protect "vital and important infrastructure".
The attacks coincided with one of the holiest days in the Christian calendar, marking the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem.
IS said that two suicide bombers carried out the blasts.
One targeted St George's Coptic church in the northern city of Tanta, where 27 people were killed, the health ministry said.
Hours later, police stopped the bomber from entering the St Mark's Coptic church in Alexandria, also in the north.
He detonated his explosives outside, leaving 17 dead, including several police officers.
"Crusaders and their apostate allies should know the bill between us and them is very big and they will pay it with rivers of blood from their children, god willing. Wait for us, for we will wait for you," the jihadist group said in a statement quoted by Reuters news agency.
COPTS IN EGYPT: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
DECEMBER 2016: 25 people died when a bomb exploded at the Coptic cathedral in Cairo during a service. IS said it was behind the attack
FEBRUARY 2016: A court sentenced three Christian teenagers to five years in prison for insulting Islam. They had appeared in a video, apparently mocking Muslim prayers, but claimed they had been mocking IS following a number of beheadings
APRIL 2013: Two people were killed outside St Mark's cathedral in Cairo when people mourning the death of four Coptic Christians killed in religious violence clashed with local residents
The blasts came weeks before an expected visit by Pope Francis intended to show support for the country's Christians, who make up about 10 per cent of Egypt's population and have long complained of being vulnerable and marginalised.
This sense of precariousness has only increased in recent years, with the rise of violent jihadism in parts of Egypt, the BBC's Arab affairs editor Sebastian Usher says.
The community's trust in the state's ability and willingness to protect them will now be even more deeply shaken after the attacks, our correspondent adds.
The move by Sisi is likely to raise concerns among human rights activists, observers say.
The president, a former army chief, has been criticised by local and international groups for severe restrictions on civil and political rights in Egypt.
Human Rights Watch says tens of thousands of people have been arrested in a crackdown on dissent, and that security forces have committed flagrant abuses, including torture, enforced disappearances and likely extrajudicial executions.
WHAT IS THE COPTIC CHRISTIAN FAITH?
The Coptic Orthodox Church is the main Christian Church in Egypt.
While most Copts live in Egypt, the Church has about a million members outside the country.
Copts believe that their Church dates back to around 50 AD, when the Apostle Mark is said to have visited Egypt.
Mark is regarded as the first Pope of Alexandria - the head of their church.
This makes it one of the earliest Christian groups outside the Holy Land.
The Church separated from other Christian denominations at the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) in a dispute over the human and divine nature of Jesus Christ.
The early Church suffered persecution under the Roman Empire, and there were intermittent persecutions after Egypt became a Muslim country.
Many believe that continues to this day.
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Somali pirates 'seize India cargo ship'

BBN Desk — Mon, 03 Apr 2017 09:56:58 +0000

Puntland, Somalia (BBN) - Somali pirates have hijacked an Indian cargo ship off the coast of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, officials there say.
One source said the vessel was heading towards Somali shores, reports BBC.
There were no details of the crew or destination.
Some two weeks earlier an oil tanker en route to Mogadishu was seized by pirates who then released the boat apparently without conditions.
That incident was the first hijack off the Somali coast since 2012.
"We understand Somali pirates hijacked a commercial Indian ship and [it is heading] towards Somalia shores," Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, a former director of Puntland's anti-piracy agency, told Reuters news agency.
The privately-owned Daynile website said that attack happened some 50km (30 miles) south of the port town of Hobyo.
Piracy off the Somali coast - usually for ransom - has reduced significantly in recent years, in part because of extensive international military patrols as well as support for local fishing communities.
At the height of the crisis in 2011, there were 237 attacks and the annual cost of piracy was estimated to be up to $8bn (£7bn).
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Somalia: 110 dead from hunger in last 48 hours of drought

BBN Desk — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 05:33:39 +0000

Mogadishu, Somalia (BBN) - Somalia's Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Haire, says 110 people have died from hunger in a single region in the past 48 hours amid a severe drought.
The figure for the south-western Bay region is the first official death toll announced during the crisis, reports BBC.
The full impact of the drought on the country is still unknown.
Humanitarian groups fear a full-blown famine will follow.
Currently, almost three million people in Somalia face food insecurity.
Local news outlet Alldhacdo reported dozens of deaths due to cholera in the town of Awdinle, also in the Bay region. The disease is often spread due to lack of clean drinking water.
Somalia's President, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, declared the drought a national disaster on Tuesday.
The drought in Somalia has been partly caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon which has affected east and southern Africa.
As well as the lack of food caused by the drought, there are many cases of dehydration.
Domestic animals are also dying in large numbers, and carcasses litter the landscape.
Nearly 260,000 people died during the famine that hit Somalia from 2010 to 2012.
Some 220,000 people died during another famine in 1992.
The nation is one of four identified by the United Nations as currently at risk of extreme hunger and famine - along with Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen.
A formal famine has already been declared in the Unity state in South Sudan - the first official famine declared since Somalia in 2011.
The United Nations uses famine as a technical term, which only applies in very specific circumstances:
When 20 per cent of households cannot cope with food shortages
Acute malnutrition exceeds 30 per cent
The death toll exceeds two people per day per 10,000 population
The Disasters Emergency Committee, which makes appeals on behalf of 13 leading UK aid charities, reported on Somalia's food crisis last month.
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Gunmen launch fatal Somali hotel attack

BBN Desk — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 10:09:30 +0000

Mogadishu, Somali (BBN)-A number of people have been killed after a suicide car bomb exploded and gunmen opened fire at a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu.
The attack took place at the Dayah hotel, where some members of parliament were thought to be staying, police said on Wednesday, reports BBC.
At least seven people are reported to have been killed, although some reports suggest the figure could be higher.
The Islamist militant group al-Shabab has said it carried out the attack.
The Reuters news agency quoted a police officer, Major Mohamed Ahmed, as saying: "At least 13 people, including forces and civilians, died in two blasts at the hotel. A dozen others were injured.
He added that the death toll could rise.
'SECURITY INSIDE'
Eyewitnesses said the attackers used a vehicle laden with explosives to blast their way into the hotel and once inside they started shooting.
Shortly after the first blast another vehicle exploded, killing and wounding more people who had gathered around.
Police officer Colonel Abdiqadir Hussein told Reuters security forces later managed to secure the building.
"We have rescued the people and concluded the operation at Dayah hotel," he said.
"The security forces are now inside the hotel and we shall give further details of casualty later."
The hotel is located less than a mile away from Somalia's presidential palace and is popular with dignitaries, including MPs.
The attack comes at a time when the country is preparing for indirect elections where MPs are set to choose a president.
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Mali: 5 UN peacekeepers killed in attack

BBN Desk — Mon, 30 May 2016 06:48:41 +0000

Mopti, Mali (BBN)-Five United Nations peacekeepers have been killed and another was seriously injured in an attack in central Mali.
The soldiers - who were from Togo - were travelling in the Mopti region when their vehicle came under fire before hitting a landmine, reports BBC.
The area is known as a stronghold for the Macina Liberation Front, a jihadist group with suspected al-Qaeda links.
The UN mission was set up in 2013 to stabilise Mali following a rebellion by Islamist and Tuareg fighters.
Militants have been mounting sporadic assaults on peacekeepers in northern and central regions.
No group has said it carried out the latest attack.
It occurred near the town of Sevare, on the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.
Last year, 120 UN personnel were killed in peacekeeping operations in 16 countries.
France, the former colonial power in Mali, initially intervened in January 2013 when the rebels seized the north of the country and threatened to march on the capital Bamako.
In July that year, the UN force took over responsibility for security after the main northern towns had been recaptured.
Militancy in Mali
October 2011: Ethnic Tuaregs launch rebellion after returning with arms from Libya
March 2012: Army coup over government's handling of rebellion; a month later Tuareg and al-Qaeda-linked fighters seize control of north
January 2013: Islamist fighters capture a central town, raising fears they could reach Bamako. Mali requests French help
July 2013: UN force, now totalling about 12,000, takes over responsibility for securing the north after Islamists routed from towns
July 2014: France launches an operation in the Sahel to stem jihadist groups
Attacks continue in northern desert area, blamed on Tuareg and Islamist groups
2015: Terror attacks in the capital, Bamako, and central Mali
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EgyptAir: Crashed flight MS804 'did not swerve'

BBN Desk — Tue, 24 May 2016 05:46:19 +0000

Cairo, Egypt (BBN)-An EgyptAir flight that crashed in the Mediterranean did not swerve and change direction before disappearing, an Egyptian official says.
The Airbus A320 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people aboard when it vanished from radar early on Thursday, reports BBC.
Greece's defence minister said the plane turned 90 degrees left and then did a 360-degree turn towards the right before plummeting.
But a senior Egyptian aviation official said there was no unusual movement.
Ehab Azmy, the head of Egypt's state-run provider of air navigation services, told the Associated Press that the plane had been flying at its normal height of 37,000ft (11,280m) before dropping off the radar.
Some debris has since been found.
"That fact degrades what the Greeks are saying about the aircraft suddenly losing altitude before it vanished from radar," he said.
The reason for the discrepancy between the Greek and Egyptian accounts of the plane crash is not clear.
Greece's defence minister Panos Kammenos had said the radar showed the Airbus A320 making two sharp turns and dropping more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea.
Mr Azmy added that there were no problems with the plane as it entered Egyptian airspace, where it was tracked for "nearly a minute or two before it disappeared".
Greek aviation officials had said air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal.
They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond".
Last week, the Aviation Herald reported that smoke detectors went off in the plane's toilet and the aircraft's electrics three minutes before it disappeared.
In a statement to Egypt's al-Ahram newspaper, Mr Azmy also denied a report there had been contact between the pilot of the plane and Egyptian air traffic control.
Mr Azmy did not elaborate on his denial to al-Ahram in further interviews with AP and Reuters.
On Sunday, Egypt deployed a robot submarine to search for the flight data recorders of the missing EgyptAir plane.
President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi said there was "no particular theory we can affirm right now" for what caused flight MS804 to crash.
Egypt's civil aviation minister has said the possibility of a terror attack was stronger than technical failure, but Mr Sisi said establishing the cause could take a long time, adding "all scenarios are possible".
The Egyptian military released images on Saturday of life vests, personal items and debris showing the EgyptAir logo which were found during the search in the Mediterranean Sea.
The search has also reportedly found body parts and luggage.
The main body of the plane and the two "black boxes" which record flight data and cockpit transmissions have not yet been located.
Air accident investigator Hani Galal told Reuters that, when found, the flight recorders would be analysed in Egypt, unless they were badly damaged.
They are believed to be in waters between 2,500m and 3,000m deep.
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'Smoke detected' before EgyptAir crash

BBN Desk — Sat, 21 May 2016 06:48:42 +0000

Cairo, Egypt (BBN)-There were smoke alerts inside the cabin of the EgyptAir passenger plane before it crashed in the Mediterranean on Thursday, reports say.
Smoke was detected in the toilet and the aircraft's electrics, just minutes before the signal was lost, according to data published on air industry website the Aviation Herald, reports BBC.
However, there has been no official confirmation of the data.
Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 people on board.
The Aviation Herald said it had received flight data filed through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) from three independent channels.
It said the system showed that at 02:26 local time on Thursday (00:26 GMT) smoke was detected in the Airbus A320 toilet.
A minute later - at 00:27 GMT - there was an avionics smoke alert.
The last ACARS message was at 00:29 GMT, the air industry website said, and the contact with the plane was lost four minutes later at 02:33 local time.
ACARS is used to routinely download flight data to the airline operating the aircraft.
Philip Baum, the editor of Aviation Security International Magazine, told the BBC that technical failure could not be ruled out.
"There was smoke reported in the aircraft lavatory, then smoke in the avionics bay, and over a period of three minutes the aircraft's systems shut down, so you know, that's starting to indicate that it probably wasn't a hijack, it probably wasn't a struggle in the cockpit, it's more likely a fire on board.
"Now whether that was a technical fire, a short circuit, or whether it was because a bomb went off on board, we don't know," he added.
Greece earlier said that radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before plunging into the sea.
Debris and body parts were found on Friday by teams searching for the wreckage of the Airbus320, Greek and Egyptian officials said.
Items including seats and luggage have also been retrieved by Egyptian search crews.
The debris was discovered about 290km (180 miles) north of Alexandria, the Egyptian military said.
European Space Agency satellites spotted an oil slick in the area where the flight had vanished - but the organisation said there was no guarantee it was from the plane.
The search is now focused on finding the plane's flight recorders, the Associated Press news agency reports.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has expressed his "utmost sadness and regret" at the crash.
The focus of the investigation
Egypt has said the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault.
However, there has been "absolutely no indication" so far as to why the plane came down, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Friday.
Three investigators from the French air accident investigation bureau, along with a technical adviser from Airbus, have joined the Egyptian inquiry.
The BBC has learned the plane that disappeared was forced to make an emergency landing in 2013 after the pilot noticed the engine overheating, but an official report said the defect had been repaired.
In October, an Airbus A321 operated by Russia's Metrojet blew up over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, with all 224 people on board killed.
Sinai Province, a local affiliate of the Islamic State jihadist group, said it had smuggled a bomb on board.
What do we know about what happened?
The names of some of those who were on board have emerged, but most have not been identified publicly.
Those on board included:
Richard Osman, a 40-year-old geologist and father-of-two from South Wales;
Canadian national Marwa Hamdy, a mother-of-three and an executive with IBM originally from Saskatchewan, but who had relocated to Cairo;
Pascal Hess, a photographer from Normandy, France, who had lost his passport last week - only for it to be found in the street, allowing him to catch the flight;
An unnamed couple in their 40s from Angers in north-west France, as well as their two children;
Ahmed Helal, the Egyptian-born manager of a Procter and Gamble plant in Amiens, northern France
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EgyptAir flight MS804 missing over the Mediterranean

BBN Desk — Thu, 19 May 2016 08:47:39 +0000

France, Paris (BBN)-Airbus has confirmed that missing flight MS804 has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
The manufacturer said the A320 operated by EgyptAir "was lost" at around 2.30am local time during its scheduled flight from Paris to Cairo, reports the Independent.
"Our concerns go to all those affected," a spokesperson said. "In line with ICAO annex 13, Airbus stands-by ready to provide full technical assistance to French Investigation Agency - BEA - and to the Authorities in charge of the investigation."
The aircraft involved, registration SU-GCC, had recently flown to Tunis, in Tunisia, Asmara, in Eritrea, Brussels, in Belgium, Alexandria, in Egypt, and Beirut in Lebanon.
Airbus said it was delivered to EgyptAir from the production line in November 2003 and had accumulated approximately 48,000 flight hours.
The first A320 entered service in March 1988 and more than 6,700 of the aircraft are in operation worldwide.
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Boko Haram links to IS alarm UN

BBN Desk — Sat, 14 May 2016 05:52:06 +0000

New York, US (BBN)-The UN Security Council has said it is alarmed by ties between Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants and the Islamic State (IS) group.
In a statement, it said Boko Haram - which pledged allegiance to IS in 2015 - continued to "undermine the peace and stability" in West and Central Africa, reports BBC.
Meanwhile, a senior US official said there were reports of Boko Haram fighters joining IS in Libya.
Nigeria is to host a summit on Saturday on fighting Boko Haram.
President Muhammadu Buhari will welcome counterparts from Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger for the gathering in Abuja, along with French President Francois Hollande, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
'MORE CONTACTS'
In the statement, the 15-member UN Security Council expressed "alarm at Boko Haram's linkages with the Islamic State".
It also voiced its support for Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari's "crucial initiative" to hold the security summit in Abuja.
Meanwhile, Mr Blinken - who is already in Nigeria - said he was concerned by reports that Boko Haram militants were going to Libya, where IS influence has grown in recent months.
"We've seen that Boko Haram's ability to communicate has become more effective," he said.
"They seem to have benefited from assistance from Daesh [IS]."
Mr Blinken added: "So these are all elements that suggests that there are more contacts and more co-operation, and this is again something that we are looking at very carefully because we want to cut it off."
At the same time, he declined to comment on whether the US would agree to a Nigerian request to sell it American war planes to fight Boko Haram.
BOKO HARAM AT A GLANCE
Founded in 2002, initially focused on opposing Western-style education - Boko Haram means "Western education is forbidden" in the Hausa language
Launched military operations in 2009
Thousands killed, mostly in north-eastern Nigeria, hundreds abducted, including at least 200 schoolgirls
Joined so-called Islamic State, now calls itself IS's "West African province"
Seized large area in north-east, where it declared caliphate
Regional force has retaken most territory this year
Boko Haram militants have been attacking civilian targets as the Nigerian military seeks to wrest territory from their control.
The Islamist group's seven-year insurgency has killed some 20,000 people and driven more than two million people from their homes.
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Deadly attack on hotel in Somalia

BBN Desk — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 07:05:50 +0000

Mogadishu, Somalia (BBN)-Militants have stormed a hotel in the Somali capital Mogadishu, leaving at least nine people dead, in an attack claimed by al-Shabab.
The attackers set off a car bomb outside the heavily fortified Somali Youth League hotel before moving in, reports BBC.
An explosion also targeted a popular park known as the Peace Garden. Police say the attack is now over after they shot and killed four attackers.
Al-Shabab, an al-Qaeda affiliate, is waging an armed insurgency in Somalia.
The BBC's Ibrahim Aden in Mogadishu heard a loud explosion on Friday evening, followed by gunfire.
Our reporter says 40 minutes after the first car bomb went off, another explosion of the same magnitude was heard.
Al-Shabab told the BBC they were "in control" of the hotel.
"We have attacked the SYL Hotel and we've forced our way into the hotel," they said.
However, one resident at the hotel told the BBC Somali Service the gunmen had not managed to get inside and had been repelled by security guards.
The hotel, situated near the presidential palace, is popular with government personnel.
Eyewitnesses at the Peace Garden said there were many people in the park at the time of the attack.
"My sister, class mates and I were taking pictures at the peace garden when the car bomb hit the gate of the park," eyewitness Halima Nur told Reuters.
"We all rushed through the back gates," she added.
It is not unusual for al-Shabab to launch attacks in Mogadishu on Fridays, the first day of the Somali weekend.
The operation comes a day after a mortar attack on the presidential palace in Mogadishu in which three people were killed.
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