by admin | May 25, 2021 | World
For representational purpose only
Melbourne : Counter terrorism experts from around the world gathered here on Monday to discuss means to combat global extremism, as Australian police warned of increased possibilities of attacks ahead of the holiday season.
The International Counter Terrorism Forum, a three-day conference being hosted for the first time outside the US, brings together experts from intelligence agencies, officials and academics from countries such as the US, UK, Canada, France, Singapore, New Zealand and Belgium, to focus on terror prevention, reports Efe news.
Ross Guenther of the Victoria Police, which is hosting the forum, said that the “reality is that terrorism is very much a global threat”, and “we recognise that this is something that no single organisation can combat alone”.
In an interview with the Australian daily, Guenther praised the timing of the conference ahead of the upcoming Christmas and holiday season, which in recent years has seen spikes in terror-related violence.
In December 2014, a gunman held 18 people hostage at a shopping mall in Sydney for 16 hours, which ended with the deaths of two hostages and the perpetrator.
Twelve people were killed and 56 injured last year when a truck was driven into a Christmas market in Berlin. The attacker claimed allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) terror group.
The conference comes after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced on Saturday that his forces had defeated IS militants, although other nations such as Australia believe this victory does not mean an end to terrorism.
“Iraq’s liberation does not mean the fight against terrorism and IS in Iraq is over,” Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said in a joint statement.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | Muslim World
Manama : The 24th edition of World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC), the world’s longest running Islamic banking conference, is set to return to Bahrain this December for three days, and will take stock of the most pressing issues affecting the global financial landscape.
Middle East Global Advisors, a leading financial intelligence platform facilitating the development of knowledge-based economies in the MENASEA markets, announced that the largest and most prestigious gathering of Islamic banking and finance leaders in the world will be held from December 4 to 6 at the ART Rotana Hotel in Amwaj Islands, Bahrain, TradeArabia News Service reported.
The theme for WIBC 2017 – Drivers of Economic Growth & Risks: Policymakers & Regulators is in line with the conference’s steady vision to serve as a compass for the global Islamic finance and banking industry, and is expected to draw participation from over 1,300 global industry leaders, policymakers, innovators, and stakeholders, all focused on generating breakthrough insights that help navigate through the complexities of the global financial system, a statement said.
Ehsan Abbas, chairman, Middle East Global Advisors, said: “This year’s event will take place within the context of increasing global political and economic turbulence particularly the growing skepticism against the banking and finance industry attributed to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008-09. Over the years, this skepticism shaped into displeasure towards “the establishment” incumbents in the government, official and private sectors, a sentiment that was echoed in the recent Edelman Trust Barometer.”
Khalid Hamad Abdul-Rahman Hamad, executive director Banking Supervision, Central Bank of Bahrain, said: “The Central Bank of Bahrain takes great pride in supporting the 24th World Islamic Banking Conference. WIBC has a track record of presenting topical issues every year. Some of the key topics this year will be the moral question in finance, the impact of Fintech and new trends in Shariah governance. The deceleration in the growth of Islamic finance worldwide continued tightening of regulations and Fintech provide a significant opportunity to the most efficient and technology savvy players to gain market share at the expense of their less efficient conventional and Shariah-compliant competitors.
“The WIBC will witness a gathering of global subject matter experts who will help the audience understand the dynamics of an industry in transition. It will also provide an excellent networking opportunity to individuals and a platform for companies to exhibit their services,” he said.
Key features for WIBC 2017 include: Governors’ Addresses; High-profile Regulatory Debate among Central Bankers; a conversation with a distinguished Islamic finance veteran – Adnan Ahmed Yousif, chief executive and president, Al Baraka Banking Group on the future course of the Islamic economy, a CIO-focused panel session on harnessing digital technologies with the vision of staying relevant; Panel discussions focusing on dynamic capital markets, sustainable, equitable & inclusive growth, new horizons for Islamic finance, ESG Investing and the influence of energy prices, VAT, the effect of the recent global economic & political developments and much more.
Committed to its vision to innovate year-on-year, the 24th edition will focus on generating thought-leadership via an exclusive WIBC Knowledge-Sharing Series whereby a select group of industry leaders will make focused presentations/speeches that will be followed by opening the floor to questions from the audience and a select panel of experts, who will be further discussing these key topics at length. The exclusive series will touch upon a number of topical issues like Leveraging Islamic Capital Markets for innovative solutions that will focus on Aviation Financing, Alternative/Renewable Energy Financing and the WIBC Islamic Economy Series concentrate on developing a halal ecosystem, amongst others, the statement said.
Industry leaders will also be recognized for their excellence through the WIBC Performance Awards 2017.
—OIC-UNA/IINA
