Kuwait City: An Indian nurse from Kerala was stabbed in Kuwait City and is under treatment at Farwaniya Hospital there. India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, tweeting about the incident, said that India has taken up the issue of security of Indians in Kuwait at the highest level. "Our Embassy has taken up the matter at the highest level in Kuwait to ensure safety and security of Indian nationals there," she said. "I was informed about the stabbing of Mrs. Gopika Shajikumar an Indian national from Kottayam. I asked for an immediate report and we have complete details of the unfortunate incident," Swaraj tweeted.
Iraqi forces capture Mosul airport from IS
Mosul: US-backed Iraqi security forces captured Mosul airport, state television said, in a major gain in operations to drive out Islamic State terror group from the western half of the city. Elite counterterrorism forces advanced from the southwestern side and also entered the Ghozlani army base along with the southwestern districts of Tal al-Rumman and al-Mamoun. Iraqi forces hope to use the airport as a launch pad for their campaign to drive the militants from Iraq's second largest city. After the capture, more than 100 civilians fled towards Iraqi security forces from al-Mamoun.
Russian MP skips House session, sends cutout instead
Moscow: A Russian MP has reportedly skipped a meeting in regional parliament, and asked his assistant to bring a cardboard cut out of himself instead. Vladimir Petrov, who had a broken leg, wanted to draw his colleagues' attention to the fact that many do not participate in parliamentary life opting to “stay silent and press buttons as they are told.” The event occurred at a parliamentary meeting for the Leningrad region. The action sparked anger among fellow MPs, with some asking for Petrov's assistant to be detained. “Can we all bring cardboard versions of ourselves to meetings or is just him? Does this mean that his vote will still be considered?” MP Andrei Lebdev said, asking for the cardboard cut out to be turned against the wall.
Muhammad Ali Jr. detained at Florida airport
Miami: Muhammad Ali Jr., son of the late legendary boxer, was reportedly detained for several hours by immigration officials at an airport in Florida. According to the report, Ali Jr. and his mother Khalilah Camacho-Ali were arriving at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport from a Black History Month event in Jamaica on February 7 when they were pulled aside by customs and asked if they were Muslims. Ali's lawyer Chris Mancini told the Courier-Journal that while Camacho-Ali was let go, her son was questioned for almost two hours about his origin, where he was born and his religion.
Pakistan returns 252 Afghans in goodwill gesture
Islamabad: Pakistan has returned 252 Afghan nationals to their home country in a goodwill gesture even as it kept the border entry points with Afghanistan shut for security reasons in the wake of a series of bombings. The Afghan nationals, who were returned, spent a week under the open sky as the Torkham border crossing point between two nations remained closed for nearly 10 days. Trade between Islamabad and Kabul has come to a halt as Pakistani authorities closed the Torkham and Chaman crossing points with Afghanistan due to security concerns in the wake of series of terror attacks across the country. People with valid travel documents were allowed to cross the border on foot, a Pakistani official said.
Gunmen fire at Lanka prison bus; seven killed
COLOMBO: Gunmen opened fire on a prison bus in Colombo, killing five prisoners and two warders on their way to court in what was believed to be a gangland dispute. Thushara Upuldeniya, spokesman for the Prison Department, said an armed gang blocked the bus transporting the prisoners, who included an underworld figure. "All five prisoners and two prison officers died. Nine other officers were admitted to hospital with injuries,” Upuldeniya said. Police Spokesman Priyantha Jayakody said investigations had revealed that the attack was a result of a long-standing dispute between two gangs.
Pak thwarts terror strike by killing six LeJ militants
Lahore: Six suspected terrorists of the banned Lashkar-eJhangvi (LeJ) terror group were shot dead in Pakistan's Punjab province, police said. The counter-terrorism department (CTD) of Punjab police got a tip-off about the presence of LeJ terrorist Yasin in Muzaffargarh's Patti Sultan. Yasin along with his accomplices was planning to target offices of the law enforcement agencies in south Punjab, a senior officer said. A CTD team along with police raided the hideout of the terrorists and challenged them to surrender. The terrorists opened fire on the raiding team which returned the fire, killing six terrorists including Yasin.
Death for 5 in Bangladesh for murder of Japanese
Dhaka: A Bangladesh court sentenced five members of an extremist group to death for killing a Japanese national in 2015. Japanese national Hoshi Kunio, 65, was shot dead near his farm in Rangpur district on October 3, 2015. One year later, authorities charged eight people belonging to the Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) group - one of whom was later acquitted and two others were killed in police clashes. "The court sentenced five accused to death as the prosecution could successfully prove the allegation against them," Special Public Prosecutor Abdul Malek told Efe news.
Hijab-wearing White House staffer quits in 8 days
Washington: A bold hijab-wearing Muslim ex-White House staffer of Bangladeshi-origin has said she quit her job after US President Donald Trump announced his controversial travel ban, lasting just eight days in the new administration. Rumana Ahmed was hired in 2011 to work at the White House and eventually the National Security Council (NSC). “My job there was to promote and protect the best of what my country stands for. I am a hijab-wearing Muslim woman - I was the only hijabi in the West Wing - and the Obama administration always made me feel welcome and included,” she wrote in an article published in The Atlantic.
