French refugee center manager stabbed to death
by asylum seeker – police
19 Feb, 2021 15:42
(FILE PHOTO) © REUTERS/Charles Platiau
The manager of a refugee center in the French city of Pau has died of his injuries, after allegedly being stabbed multiple times by a Sudanese asylum seeker, police said on Friday.
The suspect, a 38-year-old man from Sudan, was arrested following the attack. He was reportedly known to the authorities for acts of violence and has already been in prison, according to French media.
The knife attack took place at around 11am local time in Pau, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. The suspect’s motives for the attack remain unknown, although police sources told local media he had just been refused refugee status by OFPRA, the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. The public broadcaster France Télévisions reported that the man had been in France since 2015.
The victim, the 46-year-old refugee center manager, died at the scene.
“It’s a terrible tragedy,” said Pau Mayor François Bayrou. He described the attack as “all the more appalling as the victim has been involved all his professional life in the defense of migrants and those who applied for asylum.”
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted his condolences to the family of the victim, and said he would be visiting Pau on Friday to meet the center staff and local elected officials.
The suspect remains in custody, and Pau prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the fatal attack.
Gun battles raging, explosions heard across Mogadishu
as Somali govt forces seal off streets
19 Feb, 2021 09:25
© REUTERS/Feisal Omar
Terrified civilians have been sheltering in place as government troops engaged opposition forces in prolonged gun battles across the Somali capital Mogadishu. There have been no reports of casualties as the fighting is ongoing.
Intermittent heavy machine-gun fire and a series of explosions were heard throughout the night ahead of a formal, but illegal, anti-government demonstration on Friday.
“Many forces heavily attacked us, I am now on my chest in an alley. This is a massacre,” protester Farah Omar said.
Eyewitness footage from Mogadishu purports to show the severity of the fighting overnight, with protesters taking to the streets Friday morning regardless of the apparent danger and a government ban on demonstrations.
Somali lawmakers were due to select a new president on February 8, but the decision process was postponed amid a slew of accusations of election-rigging.
Further fracturing of Somalia's already fragile government will play into the hands of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab insurgency which is ongoing for years, threatening the lives of civilians throughout the wider east African region.
Somalia’s former president, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, accused government forces of attacking a hotel where he was staying ahead of Friday's planned demonstration.
Armored vehicles were seen patrolling the streets as civilians sheltered in place on Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Somalia’s Minister of Security Hassan Hundubey Jimale claimed that “Armed militia attacked government forces. We repulsed and overpowered the militias.”
At least three people were killed and several more were injured in a car-bomb attack near the presidential palace last Saturday morning.
The country has been embroiled in a bitter civil war since 1991, with the situation likely to deteriorate amid this latest surge of violence.
U.N. seeks 'proof of life' of Dubai Princess Sheikha Latifa
By Danielle Haynes
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations on Friday asked for proof that the daughter of the Dubai ruler is alive and safe, less than a week after she posted video messages saying she was being held hostage by her family.
A spokeswoman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said her office reached out to the family seeking "proof of life" of Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum.
"We raised our concerns about the situation in light of the disturbing video evidence that emerged this week," spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters during a briefing in Geneva, Switzerland. "We requested more information and clarification about Sheika Latifa's current situation."
The UAE Embassy in London released a statement Friday saying that Sheikha Latifa was under the care of her family and medical professionals at her home.
"In response to media reports regarding Sheikha Latifa, we want to thank those who have expressed concern for her wellbeing, despite the coverage which certainly is not reflective of the actual position," the family statement said.
"She continues to improve and we are hopeful she will return to public life at the appropriate time."
Sheikha Latifa is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates.
On Tuesday, the BBC released videos taken by Sheikha Latifa who said she was imprisoned after attempting to flee the country.
"I'm a hostage. This villa has been converted into jail. All the windows are barred shut, I can't open any window ... I've been by myself, solitary confinement. No access to medical help, no trial, no charge, nothing," she said.
Latifa's friend, Tiina Jauhiainen, told the BBC that she helped sneak Latifa the phone that the videos were recorded on but the messages have recently stopped and she is deeply concerned for her friend.
"She is so pale, she hasn't seen sunlight for months. She can basically move just from her room to the kitchen and back," she said.
Latifa, 35, traveled to international waters to board a boat owned by French businessman Herve Jaubert in February 2018, before the boat was boarded by commandos off the coast of India and she was returned to Dubai.
The videos were recorded over a series of several months about a year after she was returned to Dubai, the BBC reported.
In the videos, Latifa said she fought back against the soldiers who attempted to take her off of the boat and was ultimately tranquilized and placed onto a private jet where she did not awaken until landing in Dubai.
Nigerian authorities negotiate with school kidnappers
By Clyde Hughes
Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Negotiations were underway Friday between Nigerian authorities and kidnappers who took 42 staffers and students Wednesday (3rd story on link).
The armed attack on a boarding school Government Science College in Kagara in north-central Nigeria led to the death of one person. A similar attack in Kanakar in December led to 300 schoolboys being kidnapped before they were rescued.
Niger State Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello said his government is at the final stage of negotiating to get those who were kidnapped released.
"At the moment, there is no additional information apart from the one we have at hand," Sani-Bello said. "Our priority is to make sure we bring back the students safe, things are speculated or rumored, but we cannot work with these in situations like this."
The kidnappers had demanded a ransom but the government initially refused to pay. Authorities said the attackers would only use the money to buy more weapons and increase their attacks.
During the investigation, Niger Police arrested Samaki Azozo, 15, a student at the Government Science School Izoma, in Gurara Local Government Area, on a charge he attempted to kidnap students.
Authorities said Azozo was suspected of posting a letter on the school's notice board about an intention for kidnapping at the school. State Police Commissioner Adamu Usman said the boy claimed the letter was a ploy in hopes they would close the school for the day.
"We don't want to be taken unawares; hence, the need for us to adopt a proactive security measure against any security threat," Usman said. He said that the boy's letter would be fully investigated.
Terrorists don't issue letters of warning! Only Israel does that!
Niger State, Nigeria
Saudi Arabia allows women to join military, but not as officers
Saudi women can be recruited as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals,
sergeants and staff sergeants
Published: February 21, 2021 16:34
Tawfiq Nasrallah, Senior News Editor, Gulf News
Riyadh Saudi Arabia King Fahd National Library
Dubai: Saudi women will now be able to join the Saudi Arabian Army, Royal Saudi Air Defence, Royal Saudi Navy, Royal Saudi Strategic Missile Force, and Armed Forces Medical Services, Al Arabiya reported.
The Saudi Ministry of Defence announced that men and women in the Kingdom can now apply for positions in the military through their unified admission portal. Women can be recruited as soldiers, lance corporals, corporals, sergeants, and staff sergeants, according to the ministry.
These are all enlisted ranks as opposed to commissioned officers. I wonder how this will work if a woman ever makes it to sergeant or staff-sergeant and tries to order a male corporal around. It will require a bit of a cultural shift for it to work.
The move comes under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 initiative, introducing reforms that allow Saudi women to advance in various fields.
To join the armed forces, a woman must be between the age of 21 and 40, be 155 centimetres tall or above, and cannot be a government employee.
She must also pass admission procedures, have a clean record, and be medically fit for service.
A Saudi woman must also hold an independent national identity card, have at least a high school education, and cannot be married to a non-Saudi.
For male citizens wanting to join the armed forces, they must be between the ages of 17 and 40 and be a minimum of 160 centimetres tall.
They must also pass admission procedures, have a clean criminal record, and prove that they are medically fit for service.
No comments:
Post a Comment