PARIS: Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Wednesday defended French secularism following the resignation of a Paris school principal who received death threats after asking a student to remove her Muslim veil on the premises.
Attal, a former education minister, said the state would be filing a complaint against the student over falsely accusing the headmaster of mistreatment during the incident in late February.
“The state... will always stand with these officials, those who are on the frontline faced with these breaches of secularism, these attempts of Islamist entryism in our education establishments,” he said during the evening news on the TF1 television channel.
Secularism and religion are hot-button issues in France, which is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community.
In 2004, authorities banned school children from wearing “signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation” such as headscarves, turbans or kippas on the basis of the country’s secular laws which are meant to guarantee neutrality in state institutions.
The government last year said it was also banning the abaya — a garment worn by Muslim women that covers the body from the neck to the feet — in schools.
The headmaster’s departure comes amid deep tensions in the country following a series of incidents including the killing of a teacher by an Islamist former pupil last year.
The principal at the Maurice-Ravel lycee in eastern Paris quit after receiving death threats online following an altercation with a student last month, officials told AFP on Tuesday.
On February 28, he had asked three students to remove their Islamic headscarves on school premises, but one of them — an adult who was at the school for vocational training — refused and an altercation ensued, according to prosecutors. The principal later received death threats online.
In a message addressed to the school’s staff, quoted by French communist daily L’Humanite, the principal said that he had taken the decision to leave for his “safety and that of the school.”
Education officials said he had taken “early retirement.”
Attal told TF1 the headmaster had been supposed to retire in June, and decided to leave a little earlier.
The student had lodged a complaint against the principal, accusing him of mistreating her during the incident.
She told French daily Le Parisien that she had been “hit hard on the arm” by the headmaster.
But the Paris prosecutor’s office on Wednesday told AFP that her complaint had been dismissed.
An investigation has been opened into cyber-harassment following the death threats against the headmaster.
Politicians from across the spectrum on Wednesday said they were shocked by the resignation.
“It’s a disgrace,” Bruno Retailleau, the head of the right-wing Republicans faction in the Senate upper house, said on X (former Twitter).
Boris Vallaud, the head of the Socialist deputies in the National Assembly lower house, told television broadcaster France 2 the incident was “a collective failure.”
Marion Marechal, the granddaughter of far-right patriarch Jean-Marie Le Pen and a far-right politician herself, spoke on Sud Radio of a “defeat of the state” in the face of “the Islamist gangrene.”
Maud Bregeon, a lawmaker with President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, also took aim at “an Islamist movement.”
“Authority lies with school heads and teachers, and we have a duty to support this educational community,” Bregeon said.
Socialist Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo called the principal to “assure him of her total support and solidarity,” said her office, adding she was “appalled and dismayed.”
The education ministry earlier said that the principal’s decision to leave his post was “understandable given the seriousness of the attacks against him.”
Education Minister Nicole Belloubet had visited the school in early March and deplored the “unacceptable attacks.”
A 26-year-old man has been arrested for making death threats against the principal on the Internet. He is due to stand trial in April.
The uproar comes as dozens of French schools have received attack threats in recent weeks.
Attal has pledged to “hunt down” the people responsible for sending them.
Around 50 schools in Paris received new bomb threats on Wednesday, some including a “very violent video,” education authorities said. The mayor’s office said classes were briefly interrupted for security checks.
The prime minister pledged to increase security, including near schools, after the Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility for the killing of 137 people at a Moscow concert on Friday.
France’s PM stands with teachers after school chief quits in hijab row
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France’s PM stands with teachers after school chief quits in hijab row
- An investigation has been opened into cyber-harassment following the death threats against the headmaster
Volcano erupts in Iceland, triggering tourist evacuation
“There is lava coming within the barrier at the moment, but it’s a very limited eruption so far,” said Rikke Pedersen, head of the Nordic Volcanological Center
COPENHAGEN: A volcano erupted to the south of Iceland’s capital on Tuesday, spewing lava and smoke in a fiery display of orange and red that triggered the evacuation of tourists and residents, although air traffic continued as normal.
Referred to as a land of ice and fire for its many glaciers and volcanoes, the North Atlantic Island nation has now seen 11 eruptions south of Reykjavik since 2021, when dormant geological systems reactivated after some 800 years.
“Warning: An eruption has begun,” the Icelandic meteorological office said in a statement.
The outbreak penetrated protective barriers close to the Grindavik fishing town, triggering an evacuation of those residents who had returned following previous eruptions, although most houses have stood empty for over a year.
“There is lava coming within the barrier at the moment, but it’s a very limited eruption so far,” said Rikke Pedersen, head of the Nordic Volcanological Center.
Emergency services also evacuated the nearby Blue Lagoon luxury spa in the hours ahead of the eruption, as geologists had warned it was imminent.
Pedersen said the outbreak was similar in size to an eruption from January 2024, which spewed lava into Grindavik.
The eruptions on the Reykjanes peninsula so far have not directly affected the capital city Reykjavik and have not caused significant dispersal of ash into the stratosphere, avoiding air traffic disruption.
Icelandic experts predict that the so-called fissure eruptions, characterised by lava flowing out of long cracks in the earth’s crust rather than a single volcanic opening, could repeat themselves for decades, or even centuries.
The North Atlantic Island, home to nearly 400,000 people, attracts thousands of tourists every year who come to explore its rugged nature, including geysers, hot springs and volcanoes.
Iceland sits astride the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are pulling apart, and is largely covered by black lava fields, contrasted with glaciers and blankets of vibrant green moss.
Defiant French far right insists ‘we will win’ despite Le Pen ban
- Addressing her lawmakers on Tuesday, Le Pen accused “the system” of rolling out “the nuclear bomb” in a bid to end her presidential hopes
- “If they use such a powerful weapon against us, it’s obviously because we’re about to win an election“
PARIS: French far-right leader Marine Le Pen insisted Tuesday that her movement could still win 2027 presidential elections after she was banned from standing for office as part of an embezzlement conviction.
She was given a prison term and fine on Monday after being convicted of a fake jobs scheme at the EU parliament, a verdict that sparked an international echo including from US President Donald Trump.
But the most serious part of the conviction was a five-year ban — effective immediately — on standing for office, which eliminates her from the race.
Addressing her lawmakers on Tuesday, Le Pen, who considered herself the favorite in the 2027 election where President Emmanuel Macron cannot stand again, accused “the system” of rolling out “the nuclear bomb” in a bid to end her presidential hopes.
“If they use such a powerful weapon against us, it’s obviously because we’re about to win an election,” said Le Pen, 56. “We won’t let this happen.”
Le Pen has said she will appeal the “political decision,” though a new trial is not expected to take place for at least a year.
Should that fail, there is also a “plan B,” a candidacy by her protege and RN party leader Jordan Bardella, a 29-year-old with a slick television and social media presence.
Le Pen’s conviction sparked angry reactions from far-right figures across Europe but also from the Kremlin, X owner Elon Musk and Trump, while Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed concern.
“She was banned from running for five years and she is the leading candidate. That sounds like this country,” said Trump, comparing her conviction to the “lawfare” he says was waged against him before becoming president.
But the French government and prosecutors hit out against attacks on the judiciary and in particular against Benedicte de Perthuis, 63, the judge specialized in financial crimes who issued the verdict.
Analysts said the court decision could deepen France’s political crisis. Her National Rally (RN), which is the largest single party in parliament, can complicate life for Prime Minister Francois Bayrou, who does not have a majority in the lower-house National Assembly.
“Guilty,” French daily Liberation said on its front page, calling the ruling a “political earthquake.”
“No one is untouchable: she made a mistake, she must pay for it,” Nathanael Fichou, a waiter, said in the southern port of Marseille.
Nicole Prolhac, 78, said she was “annoyed” because Le Pen represented millions of French voters.
“But can we let someone who has committed embezzlement lead the country?“
Bardella said the party would seek to organize “peaceful” rallies this weekend.
Speaking to Europe 1 radio, Bardella said that Le Pen had been judged with “brutality and violence” and that her only mistake was to “have the capacity to take the national camp to victory.”
“Everything will be done to prevent us from coming to power,” he said.
He added that the situation could boost the fortunes of the RN.
“I tell the French do not lose hope. I think that what is happening will make millions of people who do not vote for the RN, vote for the RN,” he said.
“We are wounded. But we are far from being dead.”
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin denounced “unacceptable” threats made against the judges while France’s prosecutor general Remy Heitz said the verdict was “not a political decision but a legal one.”
Le Pen took over the former National Front (FN) from her father Jean-Marie Le Pen in 2011 and has since sought to clean up its image. Her father, who died in January, was often accused of making racist and anti-Semitic comments.
After three unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 2012, 2017 and 2022, polls had shown Le Pen to be on course to easily top the first round with a chance of winning the presidency in the second round run-off.
She was given a four-year prison term by the Paris court. Two years were suspended and the other two would be served outside jail with an electronic bracelet.
Le Pen was convicted for a scheme where the party was found to have eased the pressure on its own finances by using European Parliament monthly allowances to pay “fictitious” parliamentary assistants, who actually worked for the party.
Twenty-four people — including Le Pen — were convicted, all of them RN party officials or assistants.
18 dead in India firework factory blast: officials
- The fiery blast sent chunks of rock and metal flying far from the factory complex in the town of Deesa
- Authorities have launched a probe into the incident
AHMEDABAD, India: Eighteen people were killed and five others injured in an explosion at an illegal firecracker factory in western India on Tuesday, officials said.
The fiery blast sent chunks of rock and metal flying far from the factory complex in the town of Deesa in Gujarat state.
“There was a huge blast in the factory causing the concrete roof to collapse, killing 18 people and injuring five others,” government spokesman Rishikesh Patel told reporters.
The factory was operating without a license, he added.
Authorities have launched a probe into the incident.
Fireworks are hugely popular in India, particularly during the Hindu festival of Diwali, as well as for use during wedding celebrations.
Explosions are common in firecracker workshops, with owners often disregarding basic safety requirements.
Last year, 11 people died in a firework factory explosion in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.
In 2019, at least 18 people were killed in a similar explosion in Punjab state, and another 10 were killed the same year in Uttar Pradesh.
Irregular immigration curbed, Germany’s outgoing government says
- “Migration policy isn’t something for jokers, but a management assignment you have to work on seriously,” Faeser said
- While the number of asylum claims halved over the past two years, she said, the number of people illegally present in Germany who were then repatriated had risen 55 percent
BERLIN: Germany’s interior minister claimed victory for her outgoing government in its battle against irregular immigration, saying deportations were up and asylum claims down in an apparent center-left pitch to be part of the next ruling coalition.
Nancy Faeser, a Social Democrat, remains as acting minister until her party and the election-winning conservatives agree on a new coalition deal, with how to handle immigration the sharpest dividing line between the would-be partners.
Conservative leader Friedrich Merz, seeking to win back voters his Christian Democrats (CDU) lost to the far right, pledged during the campaign to turn away at the borders people with the wrong documents. The SPD opposes this hard-line approach, saying it violates European Union law.
“Migration policy isn’t something for jokers, but a management assignment you have to work on seriously,” Faeser said in a statement asserting that outgoing Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government had run a successful migration policy.
While the number of asylum claims halved over the past two years, she said, the number of people illegally present in Germany who were then repatriated had risen 55 percent and the number of skilled workers who had immigrated legally had risen by 77 percent.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” she said. “Today we are a country that invests more in integration and is more attractive to talented and qualified workers from the world over.”
Talks between the two parties last week went into a second round after leaders acknowledged the drafts prepared so far fell far short of what was needed for a government program. Merz has said he wants to form a government by Easter.
FAR RIGHT RISES IN POLLS
Merz, the likely next chancellor, won the February 23 election but with a poorer-than-expected 28.5 percent of the vote. That left the SPD as Merz’s only possible partner if he sticks to his pledge not to cooperate with the runner-up far-right AfD party, or form an unstable three-way coalition as Scholz did.
Leaked drafts of coalition negotiating positions show the parties far apart on immigration policy. The conservatives demand more powers to expel and turn away migrants, while the SPD is focusing on integration of migrants and steps to recruit foreign skilled workers for labor-short German industries.
Concerns that commitments on migration and fiscal rigour could be watered down under the next government have preoccupied right-wing voters in particular — the AfD has gained three points in the polls since the election while the conservatives have lost three.
A series of deadly street attacks during the election campaign, blamed in some cases on foreigners illegally present in Germany, ensured the contest was dominated by a raw and angry debate over migration.
“We must carry out the migration debate without rancour, always in the awareness that we’re talking about people here,” said Faeser, who could stay on as interior minister or in another senior cabinet role if a conservative-SPD “grand coalition” comes to fruition.
AI and satellites help aid workers respond to Myanmar earthquake damage
- “The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,” said Microsoft’s chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres
- “There’s no way to see through clouds with this technology”
MANDALAY, Myanmar: Just after sunrise on Saturday, a satellite set its long-range camera on the city of Mandalay in Myanmar, not far from the epicenter of Friday’s 7.7 magnitude earthquake that devastated the Southeast Asian country’s second-largest city.
The mission was to capture images that, combined with artificial intelligence technology, could help relief organizations quickly assess how many buildings had collapsed or were heavily damaged and where helpers most needed to go.
At first, the high-tech computer vision approach wasn’t working.
“The biggest challenge in this particular case was the clouds,” said Microsoft’s chief data scientist, Juan Lavista Ferres. “There’s no way to see through clouds with this technology.”
The clouds eventually moved and it took a few more hours for another satellite from San Francisco-based Planet Labs to capture the aerial pictures and send them to Microsoft’s philanthropic AI for Good Lab. By then it was already about 11 p.m. Friday at Microsoft headquarters in Redmond, Washington. A group of Microsoft workers was ready and waiting for the data.
The AI for Good lab has done this kind of AI-assisted damage assessment before, tracking Libya’s catastrophic flooding in 2023 or this year’s wildfires in Los Angeles. But rather than rely on a standard AI computer vision model that could run any visual data, they had to build a customized version specific to Mandalay.
“The Earth is too different, the natural disasters are too different and the imagery we get from satellites is just too different to work in every situation,” Lavista Ferres said. For instance, he said, while fires spread in fairly predictable ways, “an earthquake touches the whole city” and it can be harder to know in the immediate aftermath where help is needed.
Once the AI analysis was complete, it showed 515 buildings in Mandalay with 80 percent to 100 percent damage and another 1,524 with between 20 percent and 80 percent damage. That showed the widespread gravity of the disaster, but, just as important, it helps pinpoint specific locations of damage.
“This is critical information for teams on the ground,” Lavista Ferres said.
Microsoft cautioned that it “should serve as a preliminary guide and will require on-the-ground verification for a complete understanding.” But in the meantime, the tech company has shared the analysis with aid groups such as the Red Cross.
Planet Labs says its satellites — it has 15 of them orbiting the Earth — have now photographed roughly a dozen locations in Myanmar and Thailand since Friday’s quake.
