PARIS: A man was shot and fatally wounded yesterday in the eastern French city of Strasbourg while being arrested by police in a nationwide anti-terrorist operation, judicial and police sources said.
About 10 others were arrested as part of the operation directed at a suspected Salafist network. The anti-terror sweep was continuing on Saturday in several cities around France.
According to initial reports, when police entered the suspect’s home in Strasbourg he shot at them. They returned fire and fatally wounded him, a source close to the inquiry said, without giving further details.
Another man arrested in the Paris suburbs was said to be armed and “dangerous.”
Police swooped simultaneously in several cities, among them Cannes in the southeast, where a man was detained without offering resistance.
The police operation was part of the investigation into an incident on September 19 when “a minimally powerful explosive” was hurled into a kosher grocery store in Sarcelles, in the Paris suburbs, a judicial source said.
That incident left one person slightly injured but triggered strong reaction in the town’s large Jewish community.
The inquiry into the incident has been handed over from local investigators to the specialist anti-terrorist authorities.
A source close to the inquiry, asked about the readiness of extremists to carry out other attacks against places frequented by the Jewish community, called for caution.
But he said that the suspects had “a list of objectives” and the inquiry had to determine whether plans were well advanced or had simply been discussed among the suspects.
In the Strasbourg operation, three police officers were lightly wounded, protected by their bullet-proof vests and helmets, the judicial source added. The dead man’s woman companion was arrested.
A police source said the suspects targeted in the operation could belong to a Salafist extremist network.
Investigators have declined to link the Sarcelles attack to the recent anti-Islam film.
Moshe Cohen-Sabban said after the incident that there were no “special” religious tensions in the working-class area with a population of about 60,000 and large numbers of Muslims and Jews, many of the latter immigrants from North Africa in the 1960s and their descendants.
But the council representing Jewish institutions in France (CRIF) said it feared that the incident in Sarcelles was related to the violence surrounding the anti-Islam film and Israel’s ambassador to France, Yossi Gal, condemned it as an “anti-Semitic attack.”
It came during a busy period in the Jewish calendar, between the Jewish New Year and the Day of Atonement Yom Kippur.
One killed in French anti-extremist operation
One killed in French anti-extremist operation
Indonesian researchers unearth 500,000-year-old elephant fossils in Java
- Researchers say found elephant fossils may be almost complete
- Central Java is also location of archaeological site Sangiran, where ‘Java Man’ was found
Jakarta: Indonesian researchers have discovered fossils of a prehistoric elephant in Central Java, which they estimate are around 500,000 years old.
The fossils were found in Patiayam, an archaeological site and mountainous area situated on the border of the Kudus and Pati regencies in Central Java, where, throughout the years, ancient animal fossils have been found.
In 2024, a collaborative team organized by the Center for Prehistory and Austronesian Studies, the Dharma Bakti Lestari Foundation and the National Research and Innovation Agency, known locally as BRIN, launched a research project at the site to explore fossil possibilities.
Though the initial discovery was made then, researchers postponed the project until this year and expanded the site of excavation, which is still ongoing.
“Based on the geological formation of the site where it was found, we estimate that the fossils are at least 500,000 years old, give or take. We have yet to conduct a direct dating of the fossils, so this is based on a relative dating of the soil layer,” Mohammad Ruly Fauzi, researcher at CPAS and BRIN, told Arab News.
“We have been able to identify that these belong to an elephas type, but not the specific species … What’s clear is that this is a very big elephant, nothing like elephants today …. It’s prehistoric, not early historic period.”
He said the excavation has made about 50 percent progress and that the elements found so far make up the front part of an elephant.
“It’s interesting because this is shaping up to be an almost complete fossil … They are all situated pretty closely.”
Once the excavation is completed, the fossils will be preserved as part of a collection at the Patiayam Archaeological Museum. The discovery might help Patiayam gain recognition as a cultural heritage site, Fauzi added.
“Every site has its own unique qualities, but Patiayam site is particularly interesting and very deserving to gain status as a national cultural heritage site in our opinion … This research can help serve as a foundation for officials to decide,” he said.
Central Java, where Patiayam is located, is also home to the Sangiran Early Man Site, a UNESCO World Heritage site renowned for its significant collection of Homo erectus fossils, dating from 1.1 million to 800,000 years ago, including the “Java Man.”
Ukraine has cleared 20 percent of mined land, PM says
Most of the remaining mined areas are farmland, Shmyhal added.
Ukraine is a global major grain grower but it reduced harvests sharply after Russia’s 2022 invasion left large areas occupied and mined.
Shmyhal said about 9,000 people from 112 specialized companies are now involved in mine clearance.
Military analysts say Ukraine needs at least 10 years to demine all territories.
India defense minister heads to China summit
- Rajnath Singh will join fellow regional defense ministers in China’s Qingdao city for SCO summit starting Wednesday
- He will call for joint, consistent efforts to eliminate “terrorism” and extremism in the region, says Indian defense ministry
NEW DELHI: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China this week for talks with his regional counterparts, New Delhi said Tuesday.
Ties between the world’s two most populous nations have improved in recent months, after hitting a low in 2020 over a deadly clash between their troops on the Himalayan border.
Singh will join fellow defense ministers in the eastern city of Qingdao for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit starting Wednesday.
He will “outline India’s vision toward achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region,” a defense ministry statement said.
Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China and Russia, which are alliance members alongside Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.
Ahead of the two-day SCO meeting, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks in Beijing with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
Doval “underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations,” New Delhi said Monday.
Wang said relations have “seen some positive developments” since the two countries’ leaders met last year, China’s foreign ministry said.
Beijing has granted permission to Indian pilgrims wishing to trek to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a site holy to Hindus and Buddhists, for the first time since the deadly 2020 clash.
The rival countries have also agreed to expedite resuming direct flights.
France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’
PARIS: French anti-fraud authorities said on Tuesday they have ordered US electric car giant Tesla’s local subsidiary to stop “deceptive commercial practices” after an investigation found several violations harmful to consumers and contrary to law.
The fraud prevention and consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) said its agents investigated Tesla’s French subsidiary between 2023 and 2024 after reports were filed on a consumer complaint platform.
The probe revealed “deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers,” it said.
The agency also cited delays in refunding canceled orders, a lack of information on the location of deliveries and incomplete sales contracts, among other violations.
Tesla was given four months to comply with regulations.
It faces a daily fine of 50,000 euros ($58,000) if it fails to stop deceptive commercial practices over the fully autonomous driving option of certain Tesla models.
Tesla did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Tesla sales have tanked in Europe in recent months owing to an aging fleet of cars, rising competition and consumer distaste for Elon Musk’s role in US President Donald Trump’s administration.
Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory
- The test was conducted as Japan accelerates its military buildup to acquire strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China
TOKYO: Japan’s army announced Tuesday that it conducted a missile test for the first time on Japanese territory.
The test-firing of the Type-88 surface-to-ship short range missile was conducted Tuesday at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
The exercise by the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade was joined by about 300 soldiers who fired at an unmanned boat about 40 kilometers (24 miles) off the southern coast of Hokkaido, officials said.
Officials were still examining the results of the test, they said.
The test was conducted as Japan accelerates its military buildup to acquire strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China.
Japan plans to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahauks, beginning later this year.
Japan has previously conducted missile tests overseas, including in the territories of its defense partners such as the United States and Australia.
