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Pakistan detains Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others

Pakistani authorities have ordered to detain British-born Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and three others, who were acquitted of Daniel Pearl murder.

They will be detained for three months despite a lower court’s ruling to overturn their convictions.


The US denounced Thursday’s acquittal of the four, with the top American diplomat for south Asia tweeting it was “an affront to victims of terrorism everywhere”.

The Sindh high court on Thursday acquitted the four, including Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was sentenced to death in 2002 for masterminding Pearl’s murder.

The other three, Fahad Nasim Ahmed, Syed Salman Saqib, Sheikh Muhammad Adil, were sentenced to life.

Wall Street Journal reporter Pearl was investigating Islamist militants in Karachi, the capital of Sindh, after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US when he was kidnapped in January 2002, and later murdered.

The Sindh provincial government’s home department issued the order to arrest and detains the four before they were released from prison.

The law to keep them in detention is one the government has often used to keep high-profile suspects, particularly militants, in custody after being unable to successfully prosecute them in court.

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Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

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Police arrest five after anti-asylum protesters target Heathrow hotel

BRITISH police said they arrested five people on Saturday (30) after masked men tried to force their way into a hotel used by asylum-seekers, a day after the government won a court ruling on the use of another hotel to house migrants.

Two groups of anti-asylum protesters marched to the Crowne Plaza Hotel near Heathrow Airport before some demonstrators tried to break in, London's Metropolitan Police force said.

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INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed his support for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine during a telephone conversation with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Modi's office said.

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INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi said New Delhi was committed to improving ties with Beijing in a key meeting with China's president Xi Jinping on the sidelines of a regional security forum on Sunday (31).

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Bashir retired from the force while under investigation but will still face misconduct proceedings. (Photo credit: West Yorkshire Police)

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Former West Yorkshire Police officer jailed for misconduct

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Wasim Bashir, 55, who worked as a detective constable in Bradford District, was found guilty of one count of misconduct in a public office for forming a sexual relationship with a female victim of crime. He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, 29 August.

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Over a dozen councils plan legal action despite Home Office court win

Highlights:

  • Court of Appeal has overturned injunction blocking use of Epping hotel for asylum seekers.
  • Judges say human rights obligations outweigh local safety concerns.
  • At least 13 councils preparing legal action despite ruling.
  • Protests outside the Bell Hotel lead to arrests and police injuries.

MORE than a dozen councils are moving ahead with legal challenges against the use of hotels for asylum seekers despite the Home Office winning an appeal in the Court of Appeal.

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