Latest news with #Islamic
Business Recorder
37 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
HC Bangladesh meets Governor
LAHORE: Bangladesh is committed to strengthening ties with Pakistan in various sectors and there is a vast potential for expanding relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh in the fields of sports and culture. Bangladesh High Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Hussain said this during a meeting with the Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider Khan at Governor House Lahore today. The bilateral meeting explored opportunities for enhancing collaboration between the two countries in diverse areas with special focus on education and trade. Speaking on the occasion, the governor said that Bangladesh and Pakistan are brotherly Islamic countries that share many values including history, religion and culture. He said that the Pakistani people love their Bangladeshi brothers and sisters. He said that there is a need to increase people-to-people contact between the two countries. He expressed the hope that a new history will be written in the relations between the two countries under the current government of Bangladesh. The governor said that Bangladeshi students can pursue higher education in the fields of medical and engineering in Pakistan. He said that the initiative of both countries to open the doors of higher education for students under the scholarship programme is excellent initiative. He said that the Punjab government can also consider providing scholarships to Bangladeshi students. He added that Pakistan and Bangladesh can take trade relations to new heights by increasing import and export in various sectors. He said that Bangladesh can find export opportunities in coal and fishing sectors from Pakistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Bank Islam stands alone as finance sector lags in Syariah compliance
KUALA LUMPUR: Banking and finance remain the least syariah-compliant sector on Bursa Malaysia, with only five counters meeting the criteria set by the syariah Advisory Council (SAC) of the Securities Commission (SC). In its latest biannual review, the SC said just five out of 38 financial services firms, or 13 per cent, are classified as syariah-compliant, with Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd being the only bank among them. The other four are Bursa Malaysia Bhd, MBSB Bhd, RCE Capital Bhd and Syarikat Takaful Malaysia Keluarga Bhd, a reminder that Islamic-compliant players in the finance space remain few and far between. It is worth noting that MBSB, formerly Malaysia Building Society Bhd, is the parent company of the non-listed MBSB Bank Bhd. The May 2025 update, which takes effect today, also saw nine companies dropped from the syariah-compliant list, including Sarawak Cable Bhd, MAG Holdings Bhd and GuocoLand (Malaysia) Bhd. Others removed are Carzo Holdings Bhd, Rhong Khen International Bhd, TP Tec Holding Bhd, VETECE Holdings Bhd, Vsolar Group Bhd and newly listed Saliran Group Bhd, which made its debut on March 13. "These refer to securities which were earlier classified as syariah-compliant but due to certain factors such as changes in the companies' business operations and financial positions, are subsequently reclassified as syariah non-compliant," the SC said. In light of this, investors holding such securities have been advised to dispose of them if the market price on the effective date is equal to or higher than the original investment cost. "Any dividends received up to the effective date and capital gains arising from the disposal of syariah non-compliant securities on the effective date can be kept by the investors," it added. However, the SC noted that any dividends or gains received after that must be channelled to baitulmal or charitable bodies. Meanwhile, 41 new companies have been added to the syariah-compliant list, spanning sectors such as healthcare, property, plantations and logistics. Among the newly classified stocks are Apex Healthcare Bhd, IOI Properties Group Bhd, PLS Plantations Bhd, CJ Century Logistics Holdings Bhd, RichTech Digital Bhd, Oriental Kopi Holdings Bhd and Eco-Shop Marketing Bhd. The SAC said the list is based on audited financial statements issued between Oct 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025. Companies are assessed using a two-tier quantitative screening approach that involves business activity benchmarks and financial ratios, alongside qualitative evaluations of public perception from an Islamic perspective. With the latest changes, 850 out of 1,056 listed companies are now deemed syariah-compliant, maintaining a compliance rate of 80 per cent. Construction and energy remain the most syariah-compliant sectors, with compliance rates of 96 per cent and 93 per cent respectively. Transportation and logistics follow at 91 per cent. The SC updates the list twice a year, in May and November.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Sucks Up to Bin Laden's ‘Attractive' Ex-Henchman
President Donald Trump has heaped praise on Syria's president, a former al Qaeda fighter, calling him an 'attractive' and 'tough guy.' Speaking aboard Air Force One on his way to Qatar, Trump continued his charm offensive in the Middle East by speaking highly of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, 42, after the pair met earlier that day in Saudi Arabia. 'Young, attractive guy, tough guy. Strong past, very strong past—fighter,' Trump said. 'He's got a real shot at pulling it together.' Trump met with Sharaa on Wednesday after announcing he would lift sanctions on Syria, which were originally imposed to pressure the since-overthrown Syrian dictator, Bashar al-Assad. It was the first time an American president had met a Syrian leader in 25 years; the previous was Bill Clinton, who met with Assad's father Hafez al-Assad. Sharaa formerly led the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which spearheaded the effort to oust Assad in Dec. 2024. The U.S., the European Union, and the United Nations all designate HTS as a terrorist organization. Sharaa has urged the removal of the terrorist designation as he attempts to reshape Syria's image following the brutal regime of his predecessor. After taking power and declaring himself Syria's president, Sharaa began wearing shirts and ties, rather than his usual military attire, in an effort to legitimize his leadership. HTS was originally established in 2012 as the al-Nusra Front, which soon became the official Syrian affiliate of al Qaeda while fighting Assad. In 2016, the group rebranded as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham and announced it was distancing itself from al Qaeda. Sharaa, then known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, was slapped with a $10 million U.S. bounty in 2017 after being accused of multiple terrorist offenses during the Syrian civil war. The U.S. removed bounty soon after Sharaa took charge in Syria. But his involvement in Islamic terrorism goes back to 2003 when he joined al Qaeda in Iraq to fight against U.S. troops in the aftermath of George W. Bush's disastrous invasion. In 2005, Sharaa was held at the U.S.-run detention center Camp Bucca. During his imprisonment, he met future ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who convinced him to go to Syria to set up what would become the al-Nusra Front. He later split from al-Baghdadi, who himself set up ISIS, presided over an horrific regime in parts of Syria and Iraq which beheaded hostages on social media, threw gay people to their deaths from roofs and sponsored terror attacks around the world. Al-Baghdadi was finally killed by U.S. special forces in 2019 in Syria, close to ISIS' former capital of Raqqah, in a raid which Trump watched from the White House situation room. During his meeting with Sharaa on Wednesday, Trump urged Syria to normalize ties with Israel by signing the Abraham Accords. The landmark deal, which Trump helped broker during his first term, was originally signed between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates in Sept. 2020 as part of efforts to normalize relations and reduce tensions in the Middle East between Arab countries and Israel. Trump also called for 'all foreign terrorists' to leave Syria, the deportation of 'Palestinian terrorists,' assistance in stopping the 'resurgence' of ISIS, and for Syria to 'assume responsibility for ISIS detention centers in Northeast Syria,' according to a readout from White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Trump will appear in Doha, Qatar, next as part of his four-day diplomatic tour, where the issue of his gifted $400 million jet from the country's royal family is expected to take center stage.
LeMonde
2 hours ago
- Climate
- LeMonde
Central Nigeria floods kill more than 115: 'The toll keeps rising,' officials say
Flash floods that ripped through parts of central Nigeria have killed at least 115 people and injured dozens of others, emergency services officials said on Friday, May 30, with the toll expected to rise further. Teams of rescuers continued to search for missing residents after torrential rains late on Wednesday through early Thursday washed away and submerged dozens of homes in and around the town of Mokwa, located on the banks of Niger River, in Niger state. "We have so far recovered 115 bodies and more are expected to be recovered because the flood came from far distance and washed people into the River Niger," Ibrahim Audu Husseini, a spokesman for the Niger State Emergency Management Agency, told AFP. "Downstream, bodies are still being recovered. So, the toll keeps rising." He said many were still missing, citing a family of 12 where only four members have been accounted for. "Some bodies were recovered from the debris of collapsed homes," he said, adding that his teams would need excavators to retrieve corpses from under the rubble. At least 78 people have been hospitalized with injuries, the Red Cross chief for the state, Gideon Adamu, told AFP. According to the Daily Trust newspaper, thousands of people have been displaced and more than 50 children in an Islamic school were reported missing. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) described it as an "unprecedented flood." The police and military have been roped in to help with the disaster response. An AFP journalist in Mokwa, more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the capital Abuja, saw emergency services conducting search and rescue operations with residents going through the rubble of flattened buildings as flood waters flowed alongside. 'We lost everything' Local media reported that more than 5,000 people have been left homeless, while the Red Cross said two major bridges in the town were torn apart. Displaced children played in the flood waters, heightening the possibility of exposure to water-borne diseases as at least two bodies lay covered in banana leaves and printed ankara cloth. An emotional woman in a maroon headscarf sat with tears dripping down her face. Mohammed Tanko, 29, a civil servant, pointed to a house he grew up in, telling reporters: "We lost at least 15 from this house. The property (is) gone. We lost everything." Fisherman Danjuma Shaba, 35, said he slept rough in a car park. "I don't have a house to sleep in. My house has already collapsed," he said. Describing how she escaped the raging waters, Sabuwar Bala, 50, a yam vendor, said: "I was only wearing my underwear, someone loaned me all I'm wearing now. I couldn't even save my flip-flops." "I can't locate where my home stood because of the destruction," she said. Nigeria's rainy season, which usually lasts six months, is just getting started for the year. Flooding, usually caused by heavy rains and poor infrastructure, wreaks havoc every year, killing hundreds of people across the West African country. Scientists have also warned that climate change is already fuelling more extreme weather patterns. In Nigeria, the floods are exacerbated by inadequate drainage, the construction of homes on waterways and the dumping of waste in drains and water channels. "This tragic incident serves as a timely reminder of the dangers associated with building on waterways and the critical importance of keeping drainage channels and river paths clear," said NEMA in a statement. The Nigerian Meteorological Agency had warned of possible flash floods in 15 of Nigeria's 36 states, including Niger state, between Wednesday and Friday. In 2024, more than 1,200 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced in at least 31 out of Nigeria's 36 states, making it one of the country's worst flood seasons in decades, according to NEMA.
Miami Herald
6 hours ago
- Science
- Miami Herald
Viking-era silver treasures found on farm in Sweden and restored. See them shine
Sifting through the stony soil of southern Sweden, archaeologists uncovered dozens of Viking-era structures and hundreds of artifacts. One remarkable find stood out from all the rest: a collection of ancient silver treasures. A team of archaeologists excavated a massive Viking Age farm and adjacent burial ground in Täby from 2020 to 2021. The site had been occupied for roughly 500 years — from 500 to 1050 A.D. — and still had many traces of its ancient inhabitants, Arkeologerna said in a May 30 news release. When the dig finished, archaeologists had found 34 ruined buildings, about 15 ritual deposits, five graves and over 1,450 artifacts. The finds took them years to document, analyze, preserve and clean. The effort resulted in two detailed reports published in early May John Hamilton, a project manager with Arkeologerna, described the Täby site as incredibly exciting because of its variety — and its unique silver treasures. The excavation at Täby uncovered a buried pot filled with silver arm rings, necklaces, beads, coin pendants, an amulet, a ring and some fabric, archaeologists said in a report. The Viking-era collection was astonishing for its size, variety and quality of preservation. The treasure might have been buried in honor of a high-ranking individual and involved a long, grand ceremony, Hamilton said in the release. Reconstructions show how the collection was originally buried. Several of the ancient silver items had braided or twisted designs and ended in a diamond-shaped piece, photos show. Archaeologists identified the 12 coin pendants as a mixture of European and Islamic coins all dating between 904 and 997 A.D. Photos show two of these items, which have added hooks to allow them to be worn as pendants. Arkeologerna described the silver treasures as unusual and astonishing. Other finds from Täby included pottery, bones and seeds. Archaeologists analyzed the DNA of several people buried at the site and confirmed several were related. Täby is a town roughly 10 miles north from Stockholm. Google Translate was used to translate the news release from Arkeologerna, part of Sweden's National Historical Museums (SHM).
