Maccabi Tel Aviv fans clash with reported pro-Palestinian protesters at Ajax Europa League match

Ajax Amsterdam fans display a tifo before the match. (Reuters)
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Updated 6 min 13 sec ago
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Maccabi Tel Aviv fans clash with reported pro-Palestinian protesters at Ajax Europa League match

  • Israel’s PM aware of ‘very violent incident’ against Israelis in Amsterdam
  • Details of the incidents remain unclear

AMSTERDAM: Supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv clashed with apparent pro-Palestinian protesters before and after a Europa League soccer match between their team and Ajax outside the Dutch team’s home stadium in Amsterdam on Thursday night, media and officials said.
The clashes reportedly erupted despite a ban on a pro-Palestinian demonstration imposed by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, who had feared that clashes would break out between protesters and supporters of the Israeli soccer club.
Details of the incidents remained unclear, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been informed of the details of “a very violent incident” targeting Israeli citizens in Amsterdam, his office said on Friday.
He directed that two rescue planes be sent immediately to assist citizens there, it added in a statement.
Israel’s national security ministry has also urged its citizens in Amsterdam to stay in their hotel rooms following the attacks, the prime minister’s office said in a second statement.
“Fans who went to see a football game, encountered anti-Semitism and were attacked with unimaginable cruelty just because of their Jewishness and Israeliness,” Israeli Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a post on X.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu also called his Dutch counterpart about them.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has asked the Dutch government to help Israeli citizens arrive safely at the airport, Saar told his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp in a phone call on Friday.
Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, also condemned the violence in a post on the social media platform X.
There were no immediate reports of arrests or injuries from the clashes outside the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam, the city’s main arena and Ajax’s home stadium. Ajax won the Europa League match 5-0 after leading 3-0 at halftime.

 


Taiwan coast guard offers rewards for spotting foreign ships

Updated 18 sec ago
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Taiwan coast guard offers rewards for spotting foreign ships

  • Taiwan’s coast guard said Friday it will reward people who report the presence of foreign military ships, including those from China
TAIPEI: Taiwan’s coast guard said Friday it will reward people who report the presence of foreign military ships, including those from China, in waters around the island, as it seeks the public’s help with monitoring “abnormal” activity.
China regularly deploys fighter jets, navy ships and coast guard vessels around Taiwan to press its claims of sovereignty over the island, which Taipei’s government rejects.
Taiwan is massively outgunned by China, which has refused to renounce the use of force to bring the island under its control.
“The Coast Guard’s manpower is limited but the people power at sea is unlimited,” Taiwan’s coast guard said in a statement announcing the rewards.
The coast guard called on people, including fishers, to “stay vigilant to abnormal maritime activities” to help counter the growing “threats from the sea” and “all kinds of grey zone harassment tactics” — actions that fall short of an act of war.
People who reported homicide, piracy, arson and kidnapping to the coast guard could receive up to NT$200,000 ($6,200), while reports of Chinese “stowaways” would be rewarded with NT$50,000, and NT$10,000 for other foreign stowaways.
Verified reports to the coast guard about foreign and Chinese military ships and other vessels would be rewarded with NT$3,000.
China maintains a near-daily presence of naval vessels and warplanes around the island.
Chinese coast guard ships have also been spotted around Taiwan’s outlying islands, at times briefly entering its restricted waters.
A series of incidents involving boats from both sides have fueled tensions across the narrow waterway separating Taiwan and China.
A Taiwanese court in September sentenced a former Chinese naval captain to eight months in prison for illegally entering the island by boat.

Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

Updated 39 min 36 sec ago
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Salman Rushdie’s ‘Satanic Verses’ can be imported in India as court told 1988 ban order untraceable

  • India-born British author’s novel was banned by India in 1988 after some Muslims viewed it as blasphemous
  • Salman Rushdie’s fourth fictional novel ran into a global controversy shortly after its publication in September 1988

NEW DELHI: India’s three-decade ban on importing author Salman Rushdie’s controversial ‘The Satanic Verses’ book has effectively been lifted after a court said the government was unable to produce the original notification that imposed the ban.
The India-born British author’s novel was banned by India in 1988 after some Muslims viewed it as blasphemous. The Delhi High Court was hearing a 2019 case challenging the import ban of the book in India.
According to a Nov. 5 court order, India’s government told the Delhi High Court that the import ban order “was untraceable and, therefore could not be produced.”
As a result, the court said it had “no other option except to presume that no such notification exists.”
“The ban has been lifted as of Nov. 5 because there is no notification,” Uddyam Mukherjee, lawyer for petitioner Sandipan Khan, said.
India’s interior and finance ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Khan’s plea said he approached the court after being told at bookstores that the novel could not be sold or imported in India and then when he searched, he could not find the official import ban order on the government websites.
Even in court the government has been unable to produce the order, he said.
“None of the respondents could produce the said notification ... in fact the purported author of the said notification has also shown his helplessness in producing a copy,” the Nov. 5 order noted, referring to the customs department official who drafted the order.
Rushdie’s fourth fictional novel ran into a global controversy shortly after its publication in September 1988, as some Muslims saw passages about Prophet Muhammad as blasphemous.
It sparked violent demonstrations and book burnings across the Muslim world, including in India, which has the world’s third largest Muslim population.
In 1989, Iran’s then supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, issued a fatwa, or religious edict, calling on Muslims to assassinate Rushdie, sending the Booker Prize-winning author into hiding for six years.
In August 2022, about 33 years after the fatwa, Rushdie was stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York, which left him blind in one eye and affected the use of one of his hands.


Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

Updated 46 min 2 sec ago
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Indonesia’s Prabowo heads to China at start of multi-country trip

  • Prabowo Subianto has signaled he is keen to play an active role on the international stage
  • Prabowo’s agenda for China is unclear, but he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s new leader Prabowo Subianto set off for China on Friday for his first international trip as president, kicking off a tour that will include stops in the United States, Britain, and South America for the APEC and G20 summits.
Prabowo, who won the presidency in February at his third attempt, has signaled he is keen to play an active role on the international stage, demonstrated by his visits to 21 countries during the time he was president-elect.
“It shows that Indonesia is well respected and its presence is needed in bilateral and multilateral meetings to discuss important issues, not only the economy but also the current rising geopolitical tensions,” he told a press conference before flying to China.
“I think all parties are waiting to hear about Indonesia’s stance and role.”
The former defense minister and special forces commander has said that under his presidency, Indonesia would continue its long-held foreign policy of non-alignment.
Prabowo’s agenda for China is unclear, but he is expected to meet President Xi Jinping. He is due to meet US counterpart Joe Biden in Washington and Prabowo’s office has said it was possible he could meet president-elect Donald Trump.
He will go to Britain to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and may also visit several countries in the Middle East, he said. His office has not provided dates for any of the visits.
The trip will include stops in Peru for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit and to Brazil for the summit of the Group of 20 (G20) major economies.
Prabowo is expected to strengthen ties with both the United States and China as Indonesia’s main partners, said Prasetyo Hadi, the state secretariat minister, adding he would discuss potential partnerships in trade, energy, housing and marine sectors.


Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

Updated 58 min 19 sec ago
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Qantas plane returns to Australia airport due to ‘engine failure’

  • The Qantas flight, QF520, was bound for Brisbane

SYDNEY: A Qantas plane made an emergency landing due to a “contained engine failure” soon after taking off from Sydney Airport, the carrier said in a statement.
The Qantas flight, QF520, was bound for Brisbane and was circling for a “short period of time” before landing safely at Sydney Airport, Qantas Chief Pilot Captain Richard Tobiano said in the statement.
“Qantas engineers have conducted a preliminary inspection of the engine and confirmed it was a contained engine failure,” the airline said.
“While customers would have heard a loud bang, there was not an explosion.”
A Sydney Airport spokesperson said it was not yet clear whether the plane’s emergency landing and a grassfire on a nearby runway were linked, but investigations were ongoing.
The grassfire was brought under control by the Aviation Rescue Fire Fighting Service, the spokesperson said.
“With the safe arrival of the aircraft, Sydney Airport’s priority is to conduct a full inspection of its parallel runway and to return it to service as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.
Plane passenger Georgina Lewis told local outlet Channel Nine that she was onboard the flight.
“We were taking off, and we heard a bang. One of the engines appeared to have gone. The pilot came on 10 minutes later to explain that they had a problem with a right-hand engine on take-off,” she said.
Tobiano of Qantas said his staff were “highly trained” to respond to such emergency situations.
“We understand this would have been a distressing experience for customers and we will be contacting all customers this afternoon to provide support,” he said in the statement.
“We will also be conducting an investigation into what caused the engine issue,” he added.
Customers were being moved to alternate flights, Qantas said.


Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

Updated 08 November 2024
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Philippines cleans up after Typhoon Yinxing slams north coast

  • But while nearly 30,000 people took cover in government-run facilities in the days and hours before Yinxing made landfall

MANILA: Authorities cleared uprooted trees and debris in the northern Philippines on Friday as Typhoon Yinxing blew out to sea after pounding the coast overnight, ripping roofs from homes and forcing thousands to seek shelter.
But while nearly 30,000 people took cover in government-run facilities in the days and hours before Yinxing made landfall, there were no reported casualties from the typhoon, which came just two weeks after a major storm killed more than 150.
Yinxing’s 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour winds knocked down power lines, tore trees from the ground and shattered windows as it slammed into the country’s north coast on Thursday, the national weather agency, residents and rescuers said.
Officials reported 242.6 millimeters (0.80 ft) of rain dumped in a 24-hour window.
“Many trees were uprooted. There was also soil erosion in some areas. We are lucky they were not full-blown landslides,” said Cagayan province disaster chief Rueli Rapsing, whose agency has so far reported no casualties.
In the province’s Pamplona municipality, strong winds sent roofs flying through the air and residents scrambling for shelter.
“The fierce wind that we experienced last night was the strongest I’ve ever felt and seen in this town,” 35-year-old resident Patrick Maquiraya told AFP by phone.
“The roof of the house that was being constructed in front of our home suddenly went flying.”
Maquiraya said friends who sought shelter at a gymnasium had to relocate to a nearby church after strong winds shattered the building’s glass windows.
A live video seen by AFP on Thursday showed fierce winds blowing merchandise from store shelves in Santa Ana town, where the typhoon made landfall.
As of 8 am Friday (0000 GMT), Typhoon Yinxing’s center was estimated to be northwest of Laoag city and moving out across the South China Sea, according to the state weather agency.
Rapsing, the Cagayan disaster chief, said power lines were being restored as the province shifted into cleanup mode, with police, firemen and rescuers using excavators and other equipment to clear major roads.
Yinxing is the third storm in less than a month to threaten the Philippines after Severe Tropical Storm Trami and Super Typhoon Kong-rey together left 158 people dead, the national disaster agency said, with most of that tally attributed to Trami.
About 20 big storms and typhoons hit the archipelago nation or its surrounding waters each year, damaging homes and infrastructure and killing dozens of people.
A recent study showed that storms in the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly forming closer to coastlines, intensifying more rapidly and lasting longer over land due to climate change.