Laptop banned on Direct Flight to UK and US owing to IS Threat
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
The US and UK have announced new carry-on restrictions banning laptops on certain passenger flights.
The so-called Islamic State group (IS) has been working on ways to smuggle explosives on to planes by hiding them in electronics, US sources tell ABC.
The tip-off was judged by the US to be "substantiated" and "credible".
Inbound flights on nine airlines operating out of 10 airports in eight countries are subject to the US Department of Homeland Security ban.
Phones and medical devices are not affected.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is hosting a two-day meeting of ministers and senior officials from 68 nations to discuss the threat from IS.
The Washington talks will be the first full meeting of the coalition since December 2014.
The BBC's Barbara Plett-Usher looks ahead to the Washington meeting:
This will be a chance for the Trump administration to put its stamp on the global battle against the Islamic State group, and for the reticent secretary of state to put his stamp on a foreign policy issue that the president has identified as a priority.
The State Department says the meeting aims to accelerate efforts to defeat IS in its remaining strongholds: the Iraqi city of Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa.
On the campaign trail Mr Trump claimed to have a secret plan to obliterate the group. But his Pentagon has largely stuck with Barack Obama's strategy of supporting local ground forces, albeit with increased US military participation as the assault on Raqqa nears. Coalition members will also discuss how to stabilise and govern the cities after the conflict; and they're looking to see if Washington remains committed to a longer term effort to secure the region.
Will the new US travel rules affect me?
What about the parents?
UK flight ban on devices announced
What do we know of the threat?
Eric Swalwell, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC News there was "a new aviation threat".
"We know that our adversaries, terrorist groups in the United States and outside the United States, seek to bring down a US-bound airliner. That's one of their highest value targets. And we're doing everything we can right now to prevent that from happening."
Another member of that committee, Republican Peter King, told the New York Times he was forewarned about the ban.
"It was based on intelligence reports that are fairly recent. Intelligence of something possibly planned."
The restriction is based, we are told, on "evaluated intelligence", BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner writes.
That means that US intelligence has either intercepted discussion of a possible extremist plot or has been passed word of one by a human informant.
Which airlines are affected?
The nine airlines covered by the US ban are Royal Jordanian, EgyptAir, Turkish Airlines, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Kuwait Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad Airways.
The British ban, announced hours after the American measure, is similar but applies to different airlines, including British Airways and EasyJet.
It covers direct passenger flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.
The 10 airports affected by the US ban are:
Mohammed V International, Casablanca, Morocco
Ataturk Airport, Istanbul, Turkey
Cairo International Airport, Egypt
Queen Alia International, Amman, Jordan
King Abdulaziz International, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
King Khalid International, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Kuwait International Airport
Hamad International, Doha, Qatar
Abu Dhabi International, United Arab Emirates
Dubai International, United Arab Emirates
The airlines included in the US decision have been given a deadline of 07:00 GMT on Saturday to impose the ban, officials said, adding that the restriction had no end date.
However, an Emirates spokeswoman told Reuters news agency the airline understood that the US directive would come into effect on 25 March and remain valid until 14 October 2017.
Large number of teachers and students of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jamia Milia Islamia today joined together with a call to SAVE universities from the fierce attack and onslaught of Akhil Bharatiya Vidya Parishad(ABVP). Earlier, the ABVP had carried out " Tirangana March" from Ramjas College to the Faculty of Arts.The students alongside teachers held placards and posters with messages" Your nationalism is not above our democracy". Protesters mainly comprising students of left forums like All India Students Association( AISA) shouted slogans which read as " ABVP Go Back" and Azaadi" as it march through North Campus towards Arts Faculty. There was a heavy police deployment to prevent the possible break out of clashes between ABVP and AISA.
Myanmar’s de-facto leader, former democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, in a televised speech on March 30 on occasion of the one-year anniversary of the installation of her government, for the first time acknowledged disappointment over the state of the country. She said she was prepared to step down if people are dissatisfied with her leadership. “When I joined politics, I said I promise one thing: that I will do my best’. That’s all. I can’t do better than that,” Suu Kyi said. “So, if you all think I am not good enough for our country and our people, if someone or some organisation can do better than us, we are ready to step down,” she added. Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy took power last year amid high expectations after a landslide election victory which ended five decades of military rule in the impoverished country. But while her government has started enacting major reforms, many believe its performance has fallen shor...
The financing agreement for the " Tejaswini" socio-economic empowerment of adolescent girls and young women project worth US $ 63 million was signed with the World Bank .The project beseech to strengthen and empower adolescent girls with skills and provide them with the opportunities to acquire market driven training or completion of secondary education depending on the tendency of beneficiary. Three main components of the projects are Expanding social, educational and economic advancement; Highly concentrated service delivery; and State building and implementation support. Around 6,80,000 adolescent girls and women are expected to benefit from the project.
Comments
Post a Comment