Feature
Al Qaeda again plotting 9/11 like attacks on airports, passenger planes
London: A “resurgent” Al Qaeda is looking to carry out terror attacks on passenger planes and airports, UK Security Minister Ben Wallace has warned following the widespread chaos at the country’s Gatwick Airport over multiple drone sightings that triggered security concerns and led to numerous flight cancellations.
In an interview with British newspaper The Sunday Times, Wallace said Al Qaeda-the group behind the World Trade Centre attacks that killed almost 3,000 people in the US on September 11, 2001-“still aspires for aviation attacks” and was developing technology to bring down airliners.
“The aviation threat is real. Al Qaeda have reorganized. They are pushing more and more plots towards Europe and have become familiar with the new methods,” he said.
The rise of the Islamic State overshadowed the Al Qaeda threat in recent years — particularly after its most prominent leader, Osama bin Laden, was taken down by the US forces in Pakistan’s Abbottabad in 2011.
But Wallace said the danger had never truly diminished. “Al Qaeda sat quietly in the corner and tried to work out what the 21st century looked like while IS became the latest terrorist boy band.”
“But they have not gone away,” he said.
Resurgent Al Qaeda looking to carry out terror attacks on passenger planes, airports:
Al Qaeda and its affiliates are now active in Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya and other countries in the Middle East under a new generation of leaders. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden’s former deputy, is still its spiritual head.
Wallace said improvements in airport security meant terrorists were less likely to smuggle explosive through terminal security systems.
“They have explored other ways of getting bombs on planes. We’ve talked publicly about an insider threat issue. If you can’t get in the front door, you’re going to try to get in the back door,” he told the Times.
Wallace said British intelligence chiefs were concerned about US President Donald Tump’s decision to pull out troops from Syria and said that it will create a “new safe haven for Islamists to launch attacks on the West”.
Wallace’s statements came amid several drone sightings at Gatwick Airport over the weekend that triggered a security concern and led dozens of flights to be cancelled.
However, according to the British authorities the incident was not terror-related.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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