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Iran refuses to accept Swedish envoy after latest Quran burning incident

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Iran’s foreign minister said on Saturday that until Sweden takes decisive action against the burning of the Holy Quran, Tehran will not accept a new ambassador to Stockholm. 

Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in an interview with state TV that Iran would also not send its own envoy to Sweden. 

This comes after the last Quran burning incident in the Nordic country.

“Upon the conclusion of the Swedish envoy’s tenure in Tehran, we will refrain from receiving his successor until there is decisive action from the Swedish government against the offender who disrespected the Quran,” Amirabdollahian said. 

In a previous announcement earlier this month, Amirabdollahian had said Iran would not be sending an ambassador of its own to Stockholm.

Earlier, Iran had summoned the Swedish Ambassador Matthias Lentz to protest the repeated desecration of Islam’s holy book and to hold the Swedish government accountable for offending the feelings of Muslims around the world, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

According to a statement by the ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanaani: “We strongly condemn the repeated desecration of the Holy Quran and Islamic sanctities in Sweden, and we hold the Swedish government fully responsible for the consequences of inciting the feelings of Muslims around the world.

“Continuing to desecrate Islamic holy places and spreading hatred in this way is considered a perfect example of organized violence and a hostile action against the world’s two billion Muslim population, God-believing people and followers of the heavenly religions,” the spokesman said. 

Early Thursday morning, a crowd of Iraqis stormed Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad and set it ablaze in protest of the June 28 burning of a copy of the Quran by Salwan Momika, an Iraq-born man who now lives in Sweden.

Sweden’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on its embassy in Baghdad, calling it a “serious violation” of the Vienna Convention.

Many countries, including the US, Russia, Türkiye, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Afghanistan, as well as other Islamic states, decried the attack.

Following the storming of Sweden’s diplomatic mission, Momika desecrated another copy of the Quran by stepping on it and the Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm.

In response to the repeated act, the Iraqi government warned Sweden that it would break diplomatic relations if such desecrations of the Holy Quran continued.

Baghdad also declared Sweden’s ambassador in the country a persona non grata after the holy book was desecrated for the second time in a month, ordering him to leave the country.

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Floods, landslides kill 56 in India and 14 in Nepal

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

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Heavy rain and storms have triggered floods and landslides that killed 56 people in India, while in Nepal, 14 have died and another 11 are missing, with authorities there warning on Sunday ​that more flash floods are possible, Reuters reported.

India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of ​rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a ⁠normal 7.6 mm for the period, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, the state’s relief commissioner, said on Sunday.

Authorities are ​carrying out rescue operations in waterlogged areas and distributing relief, while officials have been told to assess ​crop damage and provide compensation.

In addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.

Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half ​facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.

Shanti ​Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot, areas hit by ‌last month’s deadly ⁠floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.

Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, energy ministry officials said.

Flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and ​transmission-line towers of a ​40-megawatt hydropower project, Water ⁠Resources and Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha said.

In India, the Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.

Several major rivers, including ​the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels, read the report.

Floods and ​landslides also disrupted ⁠telecommunications in parts of Nepal after damage to optical fibres and power supplies, Communications Minister Bikram Timilsinha said.

In a separate incident in Nepal, 10 local workers were also missing after an avalanche buried the base camp ⁠of the ​7,126-metre (23,379-ft) Himlung Himal in the northern Manang district, hiking officials ​said.

The workers had been setting up tents for foreign climbers, who were not present when the avalanche struck.

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Aimal Wali Khan calls Dera Ismail Khan attack a ‘state failure’

Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.

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Awami National Party (ANP) President and Senator Aimal Wali Khan has condemned the suicide attack on the Aman Mela checkpoint in the Darazinda area of Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan district, describing it as a failure by the state to ensure the security of citizens.

According to Dawn, Khan called on the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments to take greater responsibility for protecting citizens and addressing the deteriorating security situation in the province.

In a statement, Khan said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is experiencing one of the darkest periods in its history. He alleged that the Pashtun population is facing systematic violence and said prolonged insecurity has left the province deeply affected by terrorism.

Khan also condemned an attack on an ambulance reportedly carrying the body of a person killed in the blast, describing it as an “inhumane act.”

The ANP leader questioned the government’s response to the worsening security situation, saying that blaming groups referred to by authorities as “Fitna al-Khawarij” and “Fitna al-Hindustan” does not absolve the state of its responsibility to protect citizens.

He urged the federal and provincial governments to stop blaming each other and instead focus on restoring peace and strengthening security across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

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Blast in Pakistan’s Dera Ismail Khan kills 11, injures 30

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Eleven people were killed and ​30 injured in a blast ‌in Dera Ismail Khan in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, emergency service Rescue ​1122 said.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for ​Saturday’s attack.

The blast occurred near ​Aman Mela in the Darazinda area of ‌the ⁠district, Rescue 1122 said in a statement.

Rescue teams from the Darazinda station reached the scene ​and began ​relief operations, ⁠providing medical assistance to the wounded and taking ​them to hospital, the ​service ⁠said.

Security incidents have continued in the district this month, including attacks ⁠involving ​the Pakistani Taliban.

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