A UK minister has called for a Briton in a Houthi jail in Yemen to be freed as part of a release of political prisoners in the run up to Ramadan.
Luke Symons has been held since 2017 and accused of spying for the UK but he has never been put on trial.
Foreign office minister James Cleverly said it was more important than ever to release him because of the risk of coronavirus.
"As Ramadan approaches, we urge the Houthis to release all political prisoners now," he said in a tweet.
“This must include Luke Symons, a British national illegally detained in Yemen since 2017. Given the risks of coronavirus, it is more important than ever that Luke is reunited with his family.”
He also cited the promise by Houthis last month to free Baha'i prisoners including Hamid bin Haydara who was arrested on December 2013 and was described as a "destroyer of Islam and religion".
"Almost a month has passed and they are still not free," said the minister.
Mr Symons, originally from Cardiff, Wales, moved to Yemen after converting to Islam and was teaching as war in the country intensified.
He was arrested at a security checkpoint in the capital in April 2017 after several failed attempts to leave the country with his Yemeni wife and their young son to escape the fighting.
He was only detained because he was carrying a British passport when he was stopped, his family says.
An investigation found no evidence that Mr Symons was involved in espionage, according to a document signed by a member of the Houthis' top decision-making body.
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Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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Mubalada World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
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Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
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3rd place play-off 5pm
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Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
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Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
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September 6
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
More on Quran memorisation:
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
