Turkey slams Austria for closing mosques
Ankara, June 9 : Turkey on Friday slammed Austria over the latter's decision to shut down seven mosques and expel 40 clerics as they are foreign-funded.
"We condemn Austrian politicians, especially Chancellor (Sebastian) Kurz, for trying to achieve political interest from these alarming developments, rather than fighting racism, Islamophobia and xenophobia and the rise of the extreme right," Xinhua quoted Turkish Foreign Ministry as saying.
Kurz said earlier on Friday that his decision was part of a crackdown on "political Islam". He said that investigators found out that the activities of seven mosques, one of which belongs to the Turkish-Islamic Cultural Associations, were found to be forbidden.
The Ministry warned that the Austrian move also contributes to the rise of Islamophobia and racism in Europe, and will affect the ongoing efforts to normalize the bilateral ties.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag called the Austrian step as "unacceptable" as it destroys freedom of religion and conscience, and the values that define Europe.
In a tweet, Turkey's presidential aide Ibrahim Kalin denounced the Austrian move as "an attempt to target Muslim communities for the sake of scoring cheap political points".
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu vowed on Friday to stand against such injustice and defend the rights of Turkish expats.
Cavusoglu, in a phone call with his Austrian counterpart Karin Kneissl, expressed his "discomfort" over Kurz's statement on the issue, the report said.
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
