Keir Starmer and Narendra Modi praise trade deal as UK secures new Indian investment
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, hailed their countries’ new trade deal during talks in Mumbai, with London...
A Chechen refugee’s challenge to France’s restrictive MICAS orders highlights growing concerns over civil rights. Despite no criminal record, Khaled faces limits on movement amid heightened security for Strasbourg’s Christmas market. Courts call the measures excessive.
The first time French police informed a Chechen refugee in Strasbourg that he could not leave the city and had to report daily, he did not challenge the decision. With France ramping up security for the summer Olympics, he assumed authorities would dismiss his concerns due to his alleged ties to individuals labelled "pro-Jihadist."
When the Ministry of Interior extended the restrictions in August to protect Strasbourg’s Christmas market—targeted in a deadly 2018 attack—the refugee, known as Khaled, appealed to a local court.
Judges ruled the measures "disproportionate," lifting most restrictions except a ban on visiting the market. However, the decision came too late for Khaled to enrol in a cybersecurity course he had been accepted into.
"I lost my place. This year is wasted," said Khaled, who fears public exposure of his surveillance status could harm his future.
Friday’s deadly car-ramming attack at Germany’s Magdeburg Christmas market has renewed scrutiny of European security policies. However, French human rights activists and lawyers were already questioning the broad use of powers under a 2017 anti-terror law, particularly the controversial MICAS orders, which allow authorities to restrict individuals deemed potential threats without criminal charges.
According to a December parliamentary report, 547 people were subjected to MICAS orders during the Paris Olympics, with some extended for Christmas markets. Courts have overturned or suspended at least 55 of these orders this year due to insufficient evidence. Critics, including lawyers like David Poinsignon, argue that MICAS measures are now being applied indiscriminately, creating "predictive justice."
Khaled’s case highlights these concerns. Intelligence reports cited his acquaintanceship with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offences and others identified as "pro-Jihadist," yet he himself has no criminal record. The reports also referenced an alleged comment Khaled made on the eve of a 2020 teacher’s assassination, which he denies, claiming the conversation was about a wedding.
The interior ministry, which has defended MICAS as a tool for managing high-risk individuals, did not comment on specific cases. A U.N. expert has urged France to use these measures sparingly to avoid abuse or discrimination.
Strasbourg’s Christmas market, France’s largest, attracts millions annually but remains a security focal point after the 2018 attack that killed five people. While MICAS orders were initially used mainly for post-prison monitoring, their application has broadened significantly.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, hailed their countries’ new trade deal during talks in Mumbai, with London unveiling £1.3 billion in new Indian investments and both leaders pledging deeper cooperation in technology and education.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 9th of October, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russia’s central bank has ruled the state violated minority shareholders’ rights in seized assets, signalling rare pushback against nationalisation.
A newly elected German mayor survived multiple stab wounds in a family attack.
Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to Bloomberg, which tracks the world’s richest individuals.
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