French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that despite security measures in place, there is &quot;not zero risk&quot; of &quot;terrorist crimes&quot; during the the Euro 2016 tournament. 
 
Cazeneuve made the remarks at a news conference after attending a meeting of the ministerial committee on security in Paris today 
 
&quot;We can always be confronted, when taking all the precautions, by individual acts from covert people or groups who have used encrypted ways to commit terrorist crimes. So we have to have the lucidity to say that the sum of precautions that we are taking does not mean there is zero risk, even if these precautions have allowed until now for the competition to carry on under good conditions,&quot; he said. 
 
Cazeneuve said French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence or other unlawful behaviour. Several were handed immediate jail sentences and 21 others were expelled from French territory. 
 
The prospect of a militant Islamist attack remained the main preoccupation, he said. 
 
&quot;The key word for what concerns me and the for what concerns the organisation teams and security teams is absolute vigilance and zero tolerance,&quot; said UEFA Euro 2016 president Jacques Lambert, who also attended the news conference along with the French minister for Cities, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner. 
 
France is on high alert for such an assault since the November 13 attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State. A state of emergency remains in place for the duration of the tournament.

French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence and 21 others were expelled from French territory

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said that despite security measures in place, there is "not zero risk" of "terrorist crimes" during the the Euro 2016 tournament. Cazeneuve made the remarks at a news conference after attending a meeting of the ministerial committee on security in Paris today "We can always be confronted, when taking all the precautions, by individual acts from covert people or groups who have used encrypted ways to commit terrorist crimes. So we have to have the lucidity to say that the sum of precautions that we are taking does not mean there is zero risk, even if these precautions have allowed until now for the competition to carry on under good conditions," he said. Cazeneuve said French police had arrested 557 people to date for violence or other unlawful behaviour. Several were handed immediate jail sentences and 21 others were expelled from French territory. The prospect of a militant Islamist attack remained the main preoccupation, he said. "The key word for what concerns me and the for what concerns the organisation teams and security teams is absolute vigilance and zero tolerance," said UEFA Euro 2016 president Jacques Lambert, who also attended the news conference along with the French minister for Cities, Youth and Sport Patrick Kanner. France is on high alert for such an assault since the November 13 attacks in Paris claimed by Islamic State. A state of emergency remains in place for the duration of the tournament.

Threat remains despite security precautions during Euro games - French Interior Minister

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of &quot;terrorist offences&quot; in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. 
 
&quot;The &#39;Youth Bill&#39; which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night,&quot; an English-language statement said. 
 
It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months &quot;demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors&quot;. 
 
The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing Likud party and the bill&#39;s sponsor, as saying &quot;to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15&quot;. 
 
Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. 
 
Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities.&nbsp;Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces.&nbsp;Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. 
 
&quot;Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law,&quot; media quoted her as saying. 
 
Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. 
 
Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem.&nbsp;The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. 
 
Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence.&nbsp;Israeli rights group B&#39;Tselem criticised the bill and Israel&#39;s treatment of Palestinian youths. 
 
&quot;Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation,&quot; it said in a statement today.&nbsp;&quot;Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future.&quot; 
 
Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. 
 
A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. 
 
(AFP)

In the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, 'Youth Bill' will allow a minor convicted of crimes like murder to be imprisoned

Israeli lawmakers approved jailing children as young as 12 convicted of "terrorist offences" in the wake of repeated attacks by young Palestinians, parliament said today. "The 'Youth Bill' which will allow the authorities to imprison a minor convicted of serious crimes such as murder, attempted murder or manslaughter, even if he or she is under the age of 14, passed its second and third readings Tuesday night," an English-language statement said. It added that the seriousness of attacks in recent months "demands a more aggressive approach, including toward minors". The statement quoted Anat Berko, a lawmaker from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and the bill's sponsor, as saying "to those who are murdered with a knife in the heart, it does not matter if the child is 12 or 15". Violence in the Palestinian territories and Israel since October has killed at least 218 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP count. Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Many of the assailants were young people, including teenagers. Other youths have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces. Israeli justice minister Ayelet Shaked gave the bill full backing when it came before a ministerial committee last year. "Youths, such as Ahmed Manasra, who engage in terror and seek the death of Jewish civilians will not be shown mercy by the law," media quoted her as saying. Manasra, a 14-year-old Palestinian, was convicted in May of the attempted murder of two Israelis in a knife attack last October. He was 13 when he carried out the attack and is yet to be sentenced. Along with a 15-year-old cousin, he stabbed and seriously wounded a 20-year-old and a 12-year-old boy in the Jewish settlement neighbourhood of Pisgat Zeev in annexed east Jerusalem. The cousin was shot dead by security forces, while Manasra was hit by a car as they fled. Manasra, an east Jerusalem resident, was the youngest Palestinian to be convicted by an Israeli civilian court in the current round of violence. Israeli rights group B'Tselem criticised the bill and Israel's treatment of Palestinian youths. "Rather than sending them to prison, Israel would be better off sending them to school where they could grow up in dignity and freedom, not under occupation," it said in a statement today. "Imprisoning such young minors denies them the chance of a better future." Military law, applied to Palestinian residents of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, already allows imprisonment of 12-year-olds. A 12-year-old Palestinian girl from the West Bank, convicted of attempted murder by a military court as part of a plea bargain and sentenced to four months, was released from prison in April. (AFP)

Israel approves law jailing terrorists aged 12

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing,&quot; UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. 
 
&quot;Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks.&quot; 
 
The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. 
 
(Reuters)

The UNHCR said armed groups in the country have been forcibly recruiting young boys in their ranks

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. "They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks." The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. (Reuters)

60,000 South Sudanese flee violence, report looting, killing

The second &#39;jihadist&#39; involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. 
 
The prosecutor&#39;s office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. 
 
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 
 
&#39;Petitjean described perfectly normal&#39;&nbsp; 
 
Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. 
 
Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. 
 
Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/france-20160728104730.jpg" />

<div class="media-description">
Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche
</div>

 
The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. 
 
He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest&#39;s throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. 
 
Both assailants were shot dead by police. 
 
&#39;What was inside his head?&#39; 
 
Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. 
 
&quot;I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It&#39;s incredible,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?&quot; 
 
Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche&#39;s house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. 
 
Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker&#39;s face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. 
 
He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France&#39;s &quot;Fiche S&quot; of people posing a potential threat to national security. 
 
Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean &quot;strongly resembles&quot; a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. 
 
The sources said France&#39;s anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received &quot;reliable&quot; information about a person &quot;about to carry out an attack on national territory&quot;. 
 
Three members of Petitjean&#39;s family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. 
 
Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 
 
 
&#39;Hard to believe&#39; 
 
After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean&nbsp;worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. 
 
&quot;It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all,&quot; said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean&#39;s friend. 
 
His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. 
 
&quot;He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all,&quot; she said. 
 
Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. 
 
His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. 
 
His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: &quot;Don&#39;t worry, everything is fine... I love you.&quot; 
 
On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: &quot;Malik, it&#39;s mum, I don&#39;t know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much.&quot; 
 
 
&#39;Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks&#39; 
 
The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. 
 
A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. 
 
&quot;If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it,&quot; said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. 
 
&quot;Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism.&nbsp;We need a new government, determined to act&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
France to form National Guard&nbsp; 
 
The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. 
 
President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged &quot;patriots&quot; to sign up to become reservists. 
 
Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September &quot;so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French&quot;. 
 
The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. 
 
One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. 
 
(AFP)&nbsp;

The second killer was Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's 'Fiche S' of people posing a potential threat to national security

The second 'jihadist' involved in a French church attack had tried to travel to Syria, prosecutors said today as calls mounted for the prime minister and interior minister to resign after the latest terror attack. The prosecutor's office said that the second killer was 19-year-old Abdel Malik Petitjean, who was listed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security in June after trying to reach Syria from Turkey. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche, 19, and investigators confirmed his identity after a DNA match with his mother. 'Petitjean described perfectly normal' Petitjean was described as perfectly normal by his incredulous family and friends. Unlike his accomplice, Petitjean never raised suspicions for radicalisation among his neighbours, and was unknown to police until last month when he tried to go to Syria. Petitjean was born to a family of Algerian origin and lived in the quiet lakeside town of Aix-les-Bains in the shadow of the Alps, popular with visitors seeking thermal cures. Petitjean, whose face was disfigured after being gunned down by police, had been harder to identify than his accomplice Adel Kermiche The resort is 700 kilometres (430 miles) from the industrial Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray where Petitjean and Kermich stormed a church and took hostages on Tuesday. He and Kermiche, also a Frenchman born to an Algerian family, slit the 86-year-old priest's throat at the altar. Another elderly worshipper was severely injured but several other hostages escaped unharmed. Both assailants were shot dead by police. 'What was inside his head?' Djamel Tazghat, who manages the local mosque in the Aix-les-Bains suburb where Petitjean lived in social housing, said he recognised the young man in a video published by the Islamic State group in which the two pledged allegiance to the jihadist movement. "I liked him a lot. We never had a problem with him at the mosque. No strange observations, he was always smiling... It's incredible," he said. "All the believers are shocked because he was known for his kindness, his calm. We never had any sign of radicalisation. What was going on inside his head?" Petitjean -- whose identity card was found at Kermiche's house -- had never been convicted of a crime in France so his DNA and fingerprints were not available to speed up the identification process. Sources say that after being gunned down by police, the second attacker's face was too disfigured to allow him to be clearly identified, and that his DNA had to be matched to that of his mother. He came onto the radar of French police in June after he tried to travel to Syria from Turkey, and was placed on France's "Fiche S" of people posing a potential threat to national security. Sources close to the investigation said Petitjean "strongly resembles" a man hunted by anti-terrorism police in the days before the attack over fears he was about to carry out an act of terror. The sources said France's anti-terrorism police unit UCLAT sent out a note four days before the attack -- saying it had received "reliable" information about a person "about to carry out an attack on national territory". Three members of Petitjean's family were taken in for questioning, said a source close to the investigation. Unlike Kermiche and other jihadists carrying out recent attacks in Europe, there have been no indications that Petitjean suffered from psychological problems. 'Hard to believe' After finishing high school in 2015, Petitjean worked part-time sales jobs and his resume said he liked science-fiction movies, video games, music and boxing. "It is hard to believe. He was against Daesh. He was not radical at all," said Hakim, 17, who claimed he was Petitjean's friend. His mother, Yamina Boukessoula, refused to believe her son was involved when she spoke to AFP just hours before the official confirmation. "He was a good French citizen. He is gentle. I know my child, I know my son. He was not involved at all," she said. Petitjean grew up with two sisters in a blended family. His mother said he had left their home on Monday to visit his cousin in the northeastern city of Nancy. His last text message to his mother came on Tuesday morning, just before the attack: "Don't worry, everything is fine... I love you." On Wednesday afternoon his mother, still refusing to believe her son was involved, sent him a final message: "Malik, it's mum, I don't know where you are. I have bad news. Call me. The police have come, they are talking rubbish. I hope nothing has happened to you my son. I love you. I miss you so much." 'Government guilty of being unable to stop attacks' The attack came as the government was already facing a firestorm of criticism over alleged security failings after the Bastille Day truck massacre that left 84 dead two weeks ago. A brief show of political unity at a mass attended by different faiths in Paris on Wednesday quickly dissolved as Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve faced fresh calls to resign. "If the government is not responsible for the wave of terrorism, it is guilty of not having done everything to stop it," said Laurent Wauqiez, the deputy leader of the right-wing Republicans party in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper. "Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve must go because they refuse to take vital measures to fight Islamism. We need a new government, determined to act". France to form National Guard The French government has assured the country that everything possible is being done to protect citizens, while warning that more terror attacks are inevitable, after three major strikes and several smaller attacks in the past 18 months. President Francois Hollande confirmed today that the creation of a National Guard to be made up of reserve forces, after the government earlier urged "patriots" to sign up to become reservists. Hollande said parliamentary consultations on the formation of the force would take place in September "so that this force can be created as fast as possible to protect the French". The government has faced tough questions as it emerged both church attackers were on the radar of intelligence services, and had tried to go to Syria. One of the criticisms is that Kermiche had been released from prison while awaiting trial on terror charges after his second attempt to travel to Syria. (AFP)

France church attack: Second suspect 'never raised suspicions for radicalisation'

Rio&#39;s top security official vowed yesterday to review security for the Olympic torch after rioting protesters blocked the relay ceremony and apparently extinguished the flame. 
 
The violent clashes on late Wednesday in Angra dos Reis, a coastal resort south of Rio, cast a shadow over final preparations for South America`s first Olympics, which start August 5. 
 
In another worry for organisers, Rio metro employees threatened yesterday to go on strike on the eve of the Games if they do not get a 9.83 per cent salary raise, raising the possibility of transport chaos for some 500,000 tourists expected to attend.&nbsp;Rio de Janeiro state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame said that policing during the torch relay - which will have visited more than 300 Brazilian cities by the time of the opening ceremony in Rio`s Maracana stadium - needs improving. 
 
&quot;There has never been a problem,&quot; he was quoted as saying by G1 news site. &quot;Yesterday there was one. This needs to be reevaluated and we will be paying more attention to this question.&quot; 
 
&quot;Extinguishing the torch is a crime,&quot; he warned.The crowd, protesting a lack of public transport and the late payment of salaries by the nearly bankrupt Rio state, attacked the procession in Angra dos Reis before being driven off by police using tear gas and rubber bullets. 
 
In footage of the clashes shared online and on Globo television, someone can be heard shouting triumphantly: &quot;The torch has been put out!&quot; as the torch bearer, carrying an unlit torch, is hustled into the safety of a bus. 
 
The Rio organising committee said in a statement that the torch relay &quot;had to be temporarily interrupted&quot;.&nbsp;However, &quot;out of consideration to the inhabitants of the city who wanted to attend the relay,&quot; it was restarted at the next stage &quot;after an evaluation by the security team.&quot; 
 
Organisers portray the torch`s nationwide journey as a chance to ignite public enthusiasm for the Olympics.&nbsp;But repeated security incidents have turned the torch into a symbol of organisational glitches and social discontent. 
 
Highlight reels of torch mishaps have gone viral online, including several attempts to extinguish the flame, runners falling over, a police motorbike crashing into the parade, a man attempting to seize the torch, and political protests. 
 
In June, a rare, captive jaguar - the same animal chosen as Brazil`s Olympic mascot - was shot dead after escaping handlers at a torch ceremony.There was better news for Rio organizers in the arrival overnight of Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt, who hopes to defend his multiple gold medals. 
 
Wearing a black tracksuit with white stripes, sunglasses and headphones, Bolt was in a hurry to leave the airport. &quot;I didn`t sleep on the flight,&quot; he told a welcoming committee of journalists and officials. 
 
A more controversial set of arrivals were expected later in the day, with some 70 Russian athletes due to arrive in the early evening, their team slashed by bans in a scandal over state-sponsored doping. 
 
Rio organizers were also still racing to complete emergency repairs to the athletes` Village, where some 19,000 team members will live. 
 
Half of the buildings had problems ranging from blocked toilets to faulty wiring when teams began moving in over the weekend. 
 
Although these glitches were expected to be ironed out by the end of yesterday, new controversy was brewing over allegations by government labor inspectors that the approximately 600 workers are being made to work nearly around the clock without legal contracts. Meanwhile, officials said that a Brazilian man was arrested at his home in Nova Iguacu, in Rio de Janeiro state, on terrorism charges. However, no details of the allegations were given. 
 
The justice department said the indictment against Chaer Kalaun, 28, a Brazilian of Lebanese descent, was sealed, but had been filed under anti-terrorism laws. 
 
His lawyer, Edson Ferreira, said the allegations lacked substance.&nbsp;&quot;There`s nothing more than suspicions that he put posts on Facebook,&quot; the lawyer said.&nbsp;&quot;He did not pledge allegiance, he was not recruiting, or bringing people or collaborating or encouraging any projects of the Islamic State.&quot; 
 
Ferreira said his client is a Muslim and lived in Lebanon when he was an adolescent. 
 
Unconfirmed Brazilian media reports said police suspect Kalaun of recruiting for extremist organisations in Brazil. He was also arrested during the 2014 World Cup on charges of illegal firearms possession. 
 
The arrest came a week after 12 other Brazilian men were arrested for allegedly trying to form a terrorism cell. Officials downplayed the seriousness of the group, calling them &quot;amateur&quot; and &quot;disorganised.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

The crowd protested late payment of salaries by the Rio state. Employees also threatened metro strike for a 9.83% salary raise yesterday

Rio's top security official vowed yesterday to review security for the Olympic torch after rioting protesters blocked the relay ceremony and apparently extinguished the flame. The violent clashes on late Wednesday in Angra dos Reis, a coastal resort south of Rio, cast a shadow over final preparations for South America`s first Olympics, which start August 5. In another worry for organisers, Rio metro employees threatened yesterday to go on strike on the eve of the Games if they do not get a 9.83 per cent salary raise, raising the possibility of transport chaos for some 500,000 tourists expected to attend. Rio de Janeiro state security secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame said that policing during the torch relay - which will have visited more than 300 Brazilian cities by the time of the opening ceremony in Rio`s Maracana stadium - needs improving. "There has never been a problem," he was quoted as saying by G1 news site. "Yesterday there was one. This needs to be reevaluated and we will be paying more attention to this question." "Extinguishing the torch is a crime," he warned.The crowd, protesting a lack of public transport and the late payment of salaries by the nearly bankrupt Rio state, attacked the procession in Angra dos Reis before being driven off by police using tear gas and rubber bullets. In footage of the clashes shared online and on Globo television, someone can be heard shouting triumphantly: "The torch has been put out!" as the torch bearer, carrying an unlit torch, is hustled into the safety of a bus. The Rio organising committee said in a statement that the torch relay "had to be temporarily interrupted". However, "out of consideration to the inhabitants of the city who wanted to attend the relay," it was restarted at the next stage "after an evaluation by the security team." Organisers portray the torch`s nationwide journey as a chance to ignite public enthusiasm for the Olympics. But repeated security incidents have turned the torch into a symbol of organisational glitches and social discontent. Highlight reels of torch mishaps have gone viral online, including several attempts to extinguish the flame, runners falling over, a police motorbike crashing into the parade, a man attempting to seize the torch, and political protests. In June, a rare, captive jaguar - the same animal chosen as Brazil`s Olympic mascot - was shot dead after escaping handlers at a torch ceremony.There was better news for Rio organizers in the arrival overnight of Jamaican sprinting superstar Usain Bolt, who hopes to defend his multiple gold medals. Wearing a black tracksuit with white stripes, sunglasses and headphones, Bolt was in a hurry to leave the airport. "I didn`t sleep on the flight," he told a welcoming committee of journalists and officials. A more controversial set of arrivals were expected later in the day, with some 70 Russian athletes due to arrive in the early evening, their team slashed by bans in a scandal over state-sponsored doping. Rio organizers were also still racing to complete emergency repairs to the athletes` Village, where some 19,000 team members will live. Half of the buildings had problems ranging from blocked toilets to faulty wiring when teams began moving in over the weekend. Although these glitches were expected to be ironed out by the end of yesterday, new controversy was brewing over allegations by government labor inspectors that the approximately 600 workers are being made to work nearly around the clock without legal contracts. Meanwhile, officials said that a Brazilian man was arrested at his home in Nova Iguacu, in Rio de Janeiro state, on terrorism charges. However, no details of the allegations were given. The justice department said the indictment against Chaer Kalaun, 28, a Brazilian of Lebanese descent, was sealed, but had been filed under anti-terrorism laws. His lawyer, Edson Ferreira, said the allegations lacked substance. "There`s nothing more than suspicions that he put posts on Facebook," the lawyer said. "He did not pledge allegiance, he was not recruiting, or bringing people or collaborating or encouraging any projects of the Islamic State." Ferreira said his client is a Muslim and lived in Lebanon when he was an adolescent. Unconfirmed Brazilian media reports said police suspect Kalaun of recruiting for extremist organisations in Brazil. He was also arrested during the 2014 World Cup on charges of illegal firearms possession. The arrest came a week after 12 other Brazilian men were arrested for allegedly trying to form a terrorism cell. Officials downplayed the seriousness of the group, calling them "amateur" and "disorganised." (AFP)

Brazil reviews Olympic torch security after protesters extinguish flame

Pro-opposition gunmen locked in a protracted stand-off with police in the Armenian capital Yerevan today took four medics hostage, officials said, after a shootout left five people wounded. 
 
Police said the medics were held after entering a police compound seized by the assailants 10 days ago to treat two gunmen injured in clashes that also left two attackers and a police officer hospitalised. 
 
&quot;The doctors who went into the captured territory to assist two members of the armed group who refused to go to hospital have been taken hostage,&quot; police spokesman Ashot Aharonyan wrote on Facebook. 
 
&quot;The police are taking steps to free the doctors through negotiations.&quot; 
 
 
Lengthy stand-off shakes&nbsp;tiny Caucasus republic &nbsp; 
 
The lengthy stand-off has shaken the tiny Caucasus republic and sparked clashes between police and protesters furious over the handling of the incident.&nbsp; 
 
Gunmen supporters of fringe jailed opposition leader Zhirair Sefilyan, stormed a police building in Yerevan on July 17, killing one officer, taking several more hostage and seizing a store of weapons. 
 
Over the weekend, they released the final four police officers being held captive but remained holed up inside the police building surrounded by law enforcement officers. 
 
The group has demanded the resignation of the ex-Soviet nation&#39;s President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of Sefilyan. 
 
Sefilyan, the leader of a small opposition group named the New Armenia Public Salvation Front and six of his supporters were arrested in June accused of preparing to seize government buildings and telecoms facilities in Yerevan. 
 
A fierce critic of the government, he was previously arrested in 2006 over calls for &quot;a violent overthrow of the government&quot; and jailed for 18 months. He was released in 2008. 
 
Sarkisian, a pro-Russian former military officer, has been president of the country of 2.9 million people since winning a vote in 2008 that saw clashes between police and supporters of the defeated opposition candidate in which 10 people died. 
 
(AFP)

Police said medics were held after entering a police compound seized by assailants 10 days ago to treat two gunmen injured in clashes

Pro-opposition gunmen locked in a protracted stand-off with police in the Armenian capital Yerevan today took four medics hostage, officials said, after a shootout left five people wounded. Police said the medics were held after entering a police compound seized by the assailants 10 days ago to treat two gunmen injured in clashes that also left two attackers and a police officer hospitalised. "The doctors who went into the captured territory to assist two members of the armed group who refused to go to hospital have been taken hostage," police spokesman Ashot Aharonyan wrote on Facebook. "The police are taking steps to free the doctors through negotiations." Lengthy stand-off shakes tiny Caucasus republic The lengthy stand-off has shaken the tiny Caucasus republic and sparked clashes between police and protesters furious over the handling of the incident. Gunmen supporters of fringe jailed opposition leader Zhirair Sefilyan, stormed a police building in Yerevan on July 17, killing one officer, taking several more hostage and seizing a store of weapons. Over the weekend, they released the final four police officers being held captive but remained holed up inside the police building surrounded by law enforcement officers. The group has demanded the resignation of the ex-Soviet nation's President Serzh Sarkisian and the release of Sefilyan. Sefilyan, the leader of a small opposition group named the New Armenia Public Salvation Front and six of his supporters were arrested in June accused of preparing to seize government buildings and telecoms facilities in Yerevan. A fierce critic of the government, he was previously arrested in 2006 over calls for "a violent overthrow of the government" and jailed for 18 months. He was released in 2008. Sarkisian, a pro-Russian former military officer, has been president of the country of 2.9 million people since winning a vote in 2008 that saw clashes between police and supporters of the defeated opposition candidate in which 10 people died. (AFP)

Armenia stand-off drags on: Pro-opposition gunmen take 4 medics hostage

The United Nations has documented at least 120 cases of rape since a recent flareup of violence in South Sudan and is investigating allegations that its peacekeepers did nothing to stop the violence, a spokesman said yesterday. 
 
&quot;We take very seriously the allegations that peacekeepers did not render aid to civilians in distress,&quot; said UN spokesman Farhan Haq. 
 
&quot;Of course that is exactly what they are supposed to do and there would be serious repercussions if they failed in their duty,&quot; he added. 
 
Media reports quoted witnesses who said peacekeepers looked on and did nothing during at least one assault on a woman. 
 
The Associated Press interviewed a witness who said at least 30 peacekeepers from Chinese and Nepalese battalions watched as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers near the base&#39;s gate. 
 
Haq said the command of the UN force in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, was looking into the allegations that peacekeepers failed to protect civilians. 
 
South Sudanese soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes were allegedly involved in the sexual violence, including gang rapes, against civilians near a UN base in Juba and other areas of the capital, said Haq. 
 
Some of the victims were minors, he added. 
 
Juba was rocked by several days of heavy fighting starting on July 9 between government forces and those loyal to rebel chief Riek Machar, the latest upsurge in the two and half year war. 
 
Nearly 300 people died in the violence and thousands rushed to UN peacekeeping bases for safety. 
 
In response to the increase in rapes, UN peacekeepers have stepped up patrols around the base and in the city. 
 
They are also accompanying women who venture out of the base to collect firewood and procure other items, said Haq. 
 
UNMISS has 13,500 troops and police deployed across South Sudan under a mandate that calls for the protection of civilians. 
 
(AFP)

Chinese and Nepalese battalions watched as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers, a witness told Associated Press

The United Nations has documented at least 120 cases of rape since a recent flareup of violence in South Sudan and is investigating allegations that its peacekeepers did nothing to stop the violence, a spokesman said yesterday. "We take very seriously the allegations that peacekeepers did not render aid to civilians in distress," said UN spokesman Farhan Haq. "Of course that is exactly what they are supposed to do and there would be serious repercussions if they failed in their duty," he added. Media reports quoted witnesses who said peacekeepers looked on and did nothing during at least one assault on a woman. The Associated Press interviewed a witness who said at least 30 peacekeepers from Chinese and Nepalese battalions watched as a woman screamed for help during an assault by two soldiers near the base's gate. Haq said the command of the UN force in South Sudan, known as UNMISS, was looking into the allegations that peacekeepers failed to protect civilians. South Sudanese soldiers in uniform and men in plain clothes were allegedly involved in the sexual violence, including gang rapes, against civilians near a UN base in Juba and other areas of the capital, said Haq. Some of the victims were minors, he added. Juba was rocked by several days of heavy fighting starting on July 9 between government forces and those loyal to rebel chief Riek Machar, the latest upsurge in the two and half year war. Nearly 300 people died in the violence and thousands rushed to UN peacekeeping bases for safety. In response to the increase in rapes, UN peacekeepers have stepped up patrols around the base and in the city. They are also accompanying women who venture out of the base to collect firewood and procure other items, said Haq. UNMISS has 13,500 troops and police deployed across South Sudan under a mandate that calls for the protection of civilians. (AFP)

UN peacekeepers accused of failing to stop South Sudan rapes

Islamic State&#39;s news agency on Wednesday posted a video of two men it said were those who attacked a church in France in which they pledged allegiance to the group&#39;s leader. 
 
The video was posted by Amaq news agency a day after two men burst into the Catholic church in Normandy during a service, forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat. 
 
The two men who identified themselves as Abu Omar and Abu Jalil el-Hanafy appeared in the one-minute video sitting on a staircase pledging loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State&#39;s leader. 
 
One of the two attackers has been named as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, who was under close surveillance after two failed attempts to reach Syria last year, France&#39;s anti-terrorism prosecutor said yesterday 
 
The second attacker remains unidentified. Police shot and killed both assailants as they emerged from the church. 
 
(Reuters)

The two men identified themselves as Abu Omar and Abu Jalil el-Hanafy in the one-minute video and pledged loyalty to Islamic State's leader

Islamic State's news agency on Wednesday posted a video of two men it said were those who attacked a church in France in which they pledged allegiance to the group's leader. The video was posted by Amaq news agency a day after two men burst into the Catholic church in Normandy during a service, forced the priest to his knees and slit his throat. The two men who identified themselves as Abu Omar and Abu Jalil el-Hanafy appeared in the one-minute video sitting on a staircase pledging loyalty to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State's leader. One of the two attackers has been named as 19-year-old Adel Kermiche, who was under close surveillance after two failed attempts to reach Syria last year, France's anti-terrorism prosecutor said yesterday The second attacker remains unidentified. Police shot and killed both assailants as they emerged from the church. (Reuters)

Islamic state posts video of men it says were French church attackers

French Prosecutor Francois Molins yesterday that one of two jihadists who attacked a&nbsp;church&nbsp;in a Normandy town, and slit a priest&#39;s throat, was 19-year-old Adel Kermiche. 
 
Adel Kermiche had been charged with terror links and held before being freed on bail, a source close to the investigation said. 
 
Both men were shot dead by police outside the church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. 
 
The source said one of them was known to France&#39;s anti-terrorism police and had tried twice to go to Syria in 2015.&nbsp;After his release, he had to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet that allows police to locate him at all times. 
 
He had already threatened to attack a church, according to witness testimony collected in his neighbourhood. 
 
&quot;We knew he wanted to go to Syria,&quot; a 60-year-old neighbour of the assailant&#39;s family, who added that he &quot;never saw him go to the mosque&quot; that he attended. 
 
The attacker was detained the first time in Germany, while he was on his way to Syria, the source close to the probe said. He was not yet 18 years old at the time. 
 
The second time, which was after he had turned 18, he went through Switzerland, and was detained in Turkey. He was sent back to Switzerland and then France. 
 
He was charged and jailed for associating with criminals with terror links. He was then released and fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. 
 
During Tuesday&#39;s attack on the church, 85-year-old priest Jacques Hamel had his throat slit and another parishioner was seriously wounded. 
 
&quot;He never spoke to us,&quot; said the neighbour.&nbsp;&quot;The last time I saw him was on Friday. He was playing football in his garden.&quot; 
 
Threats 
 
Another of the town&#39;s residents, a teenager who said he knew the attacker, told the RTL radio station that he was not surprised by what happened yesterday. 
 
&quot;He talked about it all the time. He spoke about Islam, that he was going to do stuff like that. He told me two months ago, &#39;I&#39;m going to do a church.&#39; I didn&#39;t believe him. He said a lot of things,&quot; said the teenager. 
 
Another resident who said he knew the attacker, however, told the same radio station, &quot;He was a young guy like us. I don&#39;t understand how he changed like that.&quot; 
 
&quot;What he did has nothing to do with Muslims, he did that of his own accord,&quot; he added. 
 
(AFP)

Adel Kermiche had tried twice to go to Syria in 2015 and had already threatened to attack a church

French Prosecutor Francois Molins yesterday that one of two jihadists who attacked a church in a Normandy town, and slit a priest's throat, was 19-year-old Adel Kermiche. Adel Kermiche had been charged with terror links and held before being freed on bail, a source close to the investigation said. Both men were shot dead by police outside the church in the Normandy town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray. The source said one of them was known to France's anti-terrorism police and had tried twice to go to Syria in 2015. After his release, he had to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet that allows police to locate him at all times. He had already threatened to attack a church, according to witness testimony collected in his neighbourhood. "We knew he wanted to go to Syria," a 60-year-old neighbour of the assailant's family, who added that he "never saw him go to the mosque" that he attended. The attacker was detained the first time in Germany, while he was on his way to Syria, the source close to the probe said. He was not yet 18 years old at the time. The second time, which was after he had turned 18, he went through Switzerland, and was detained in Turkey. He was sent back to Switzerland and then France. He was charged and jailed for associating with criminals with terror links. He was then released and fitted with an electronic monitoring bracelet. During Tuesday's attack on the church, 85-year-old priest Jacques Hamel had his throat slit and another parishioner was seriously wounded. "He never spoke to us," said the neighbour. "The last time I saw him was on Friday. He was playing football in his garden." Threats Another of the town's residents, a teenager who said he knew the attacker, told the RTL radio station that he was not surprised by what happened yesterday. "He talked about it all the time. He spoke about Islam, that he was going to do stuff like that. He told me two months ago, 'I'm going to do a church.' I didn't believe him. He said a lot of things," said the teenager. Another resident who said he knew the attacker, however, told the same radio station, "He was a young guy like us. I don't understand how he changed like that." "What he did has nothing to do with Muslims, he did that of his own accord," he added. (AFP)

One French church attacker identified, was charged for terror link

India plans to reconsider the use of pellet guns by security forces when controlling crowds, its home minister said on Thursday, after widespread resort to the weapons caused multiple casualties and stirred public anger. 
 
Home minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers the government would set up a panel to look for an alternative to the pellet gun in response to questions about responses to a recent surge of violence in the Kashmir region. 
 
Dr Kaisar Ahmad, principal of Government Medical College Srinagar, said that over 280 had been treated for pellet injuries since July 9 when violence broke out in Kashmir during protests sparked by the death of a separatist militant. 
 
In his talk with lawmakers, Singh said one person had been killed from pellet shots in the most recent violence in India&#39;s northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the total number of deaths from the weapon there to seven since 2010. 
 
In addition, 53 had suffered eye injuries in the past six years, Singh said. &quot;It is a fact that people were injured by the use of non-lethal weapons,&quot; Singh told lawmakers. 
 
&quot;We will form an expert committee on this that will give its report in two months so that such incidents are not repeated in future.&quot; 
 
Amnesty International this week asked the Indian government to prohibit the use of pellet-firing shotguns during street demonstrations, saying that police should look for &quot;less harmful&quot; devices. 
 
Though meant to be a non-lethal weapon, a senior police officer said that security forces are often forced to use pellet guns at close range to protect themselves against mob attacks. 
 
Insha Malik, a 15-year-old student, was hit in her eyes by pellets when she was watching protests from the window of her house in the South Kashmiri town of Shopian. Her father, Mushtaq Ahmad, says she will never regain her eyesight again. 
 
&quot;She often asks me about her regaining her eyesight. I tell her a lie (to console her) that she will, but it will take time,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)

Pellet shots caused severe injuries and one death in the recent Jammu and Kashmir violence, attracting criticism from many quarters

India plans to reconsider the use of pellet guns by security forces when controlling crowds, its home minister said on Thursday, after widespread resort to the weapons caused multiple casualties and stirred public anger. Home minister Rajnath Singh told lawmakers the government would set up a panel to look for an alternative to the pellet gun in response to questions about responses to a recent surge of violence in the Kashmir region. Dr Kaisar Ahmad, principal of Government Medical College Srinagar, said that over 280 had been treated for pellet injuries since July 9 when violence broke out in Kashmir during protests sparked by the death of a separatist militant. In his talk with lawmakers, Singh said one person had been killed from pellet shots in the most recent violence in India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, bringing the total number of deaths from the weapon there to seven since 2010. In addition, 53 had suffered eye injuries in the past six years, Singh said. "It is a fact that people were injured by the use of non-lethal weapons," Singh told lawmakers. "We will form an expert committee on this that will give its report in two months so that such incidents are not repeated in future." Amnesty International this week asked the Indian government to prohibit the use of pellet-firing shotguns during street demonstrations, saying that police should look for "less harmful" devices. Though meant to be a non-lethal weapon, a senior police officer said that security forces are often forced to use pellet guns at close range to protect themselves against mob attacks. Insha Malik, a 15-year-old student, was hit in her eyes by pellets when she was watching protests from the window of her house in the South Kashmiri town of Shopian. Her father, Mushtaq Ahmad, says she will never regain her eyesight again. "She often asks me about her regaining her eyesight. I tell her a lie (to console her) that she will, but it will take time," he said. (Reuters)

India to consider alternatives to pellet gun, says home minister Rajnath Singh

Kashmir residents said today they are facing shortages of prescription drugs, as parts of the region remained under curfew for an 11th day following deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. 
 
As the overall death toll from days of violence rose to 45, shopkeepers warned supplies were running low because trucks were unable to reach them, while residents complained of being &quot;caged&quot; in their homes. 
 
&quot;People are suffering without medicines. A lot of people are struggling for medicines for diabetes, hypertension and anti-depressants,&quot; said Nazir Ahmed who owns a pharmacy in the old part of the main city of Srinagar. 
 
With most vehicles ordered off the roads under the curfew, Ahmed said he walked five kilometres to a warehouse to buy medicines. 
 
&quot;No fresh supplies are coming from outside. This will last two to three days for my neighbourhood,&quot; Ahmed said, carrying plastic bags full of medicines. 
 
Shops and other businesses have been shuttered under the curfew which the government says is needed to curb the street clashes that erupted after the death of a Hizbul Mujahideen commander on July 8. 
 
Burhan Wani, killed during a gunbattle with government forces, was commander of the region&#39;s biggest separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, listed as a terror group by India, United States and the European Union among others, one of several fighting for decades against Indian troops deployed in the territory. 
 
The clashes are the deadliest in Muslim-majority Kashmir since 2010 when massive demonstrations were held against Indian rule. 
 
Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since independence in 1947, but both claim the Himalayan territory in full. 
 
In the latest violence two protesters were killed late Monday when soldiers opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators in the south. 
 
The army said in a statement troops were forced to shoot when a &quot;large mob turned violent&quot; and &quot;attempted to snatch weapons from the soldiers&quot;, adding that the deaths were regretted. 
 
In parts of Srinagar today, residents kept watch for volunteers from local charities delivering supplies including food on foot. 
 
An elderly woman suffering from hypertension and a heart condition said she hoped they would bring medicines soon. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t have my medicines. Some volunteers came, but they did not have the medicines I need,&quot; Noora, 80, who uses one name, said from her doorstep. 
 
&quot;We are just caged inside our home,&quot; her son, Ghulam Nabi Ahangar, added. 
 
Ahangar said security forces were firing tear gas and pepper spray at night to deter people from venturing outside. 
 
&quot;The poisonous gases stay inside our home and lungs the whole night. Our children are falling sick and cannot sleep,&quot; Ahangar told AFP. 
 
Some pharmacies outside hospitals are open but few residents can reach them, while internet and phone services remain patchy. 
 
&quot;Patients who have not been able to reach hospitals will come in large numbers once the curfew is lifted. It will be another huge emergency,&quot; said Kaisar Ahmed, head of Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital and six other government hospitals in Srinagar. 
 
(AFP)

Shopkeepers warned supplies were running low as trucks were unable to reach them. Residents complained of being 'caged' in their homes

Kashmir residents said today they are facing shortages of prescription drugs, as parts of the region remained under curfew for an 11th day following deadly clashes between protesters and security forces. As the overall death toll from days of violence rose to 45, shopkeepers warned supplies were running low because trucks were unable to reach them, while residents complained of being "caged" in their homes. "People are suffering without medicines. A lot of people are struggling for medicines for diabetes, hypertension and anti-depressants," said Nazir Ahmed who owns a pharmacy in the old part of the main city of Srinagar. With most vehicles ordered off the roads under the curfew, Ahmed said he walked five kilometres to a warehouse to buy medicines. "No fresh supplies are coming from outside. This will last two to three days for my neighbourhood," Ahmed said, carrying plastic bags full of medicines. Shops and other businesses have been shuttered under the curfew which the government says is needed to curb the street clashes that erupted after the death of a Hizbul Mujahideen commander on July 8. Burhan Wani, killed during a gunbattle with government forces, was commander of the region's biggest separatist group Hizbul Mujahideen, listed as a terror group by India, United States and the European Union among others, one of several fighting for decades against Indian troops deployed in the territory. The clashes are the deadliest in Muslim-majority Kashmir since 2010 when massive demonstrations were held against Indian rule. Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since independence in 1947, but both claim the Himalayan territory in full. In the latest violence two protesters were killed late Monday when soldiers opened fire on stone-throwing demonstrators in the south. The army said in a statement troops were forced to shoot when a "large mob turned violent" and "attempted to snatch weapons from the soldiers", adding that the deaths were regretted. In parts of Srinagar today, residents kept watch for volunteers from local charities delivering supplies including food on foot. An elderly woman suffering from hypertension and a heart condition said she hoped they would bring medicines soon. "I don't have my medicines. Some volunteers came, but they did not have the medicines I need," Noora, 80, who uses one name, said from her doorstep. "We are just caged inside our home," her son, Ghulam Nabi Ahangar, added. Ahangar said security forces were firing tear gas and pepper spray at night to deter people from venturing outside. "The poisonous gases stay inside our home and lungs the whole night. Our children are falling sick and cannot sleep," Ahangar told AFP. Some pharmacies outside hospitals are open but few residents can reach them, while internet and phone services remain patchy. "Patients who have not been able to reach hospitals will come in large numbers once the curfew is lifted. It will be another huge emergency," said Kaisar Ahmed, head of Sri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital and six other government hospitals in Srinagar. (AFP)

Kashmir unrest: Residents under curfew face medicine shortage

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged Sunday, as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. 
 
A source close to the investigation told AFP that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he &quot;expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons&quot;.&nbsp;He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France&#39;s national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. 
 
Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city&#39;s seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. 
 
While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of &quot;a recent shift to radical Islam&quot;, said a police source.&nbsp;But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. 
 
An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice on Sunday. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him.&nbsp;Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. 
 
One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. 
 
The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months.&nbsp;Lahouaiej-Bouhlel&#39;s estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released Sunday after two days of questioning. 
 
Slow identification of victims 
 
In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones.&nbsp;Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. 
 
&quot;We have no news, neither good nor bad,&quot; said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. 
 
At least 10 children were among the dead, as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about 10 people from Russia, a local Russian association said.&nbsp;Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. 
 
&#39;Radicalised very quickly&#39; 
 
Despite several brushes with the law for petty crime, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had never appeared on the radar of intelligence services.&nbsp;Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday he &quot;seemed to have been radicalised very quickly, from what his friends and family&quot; told police. 
 
People who went to the same gym as Lahouaiej-Bouhlel - where he took salsa dancing classes and lifted weights - described him as a vain man who &quot;flirted with anything that moved&quot;. 
 
The Islamic State group said one of its &quot;soldiers&quot; carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. 
 
Cazeneuve described the massacre as a &quot;a new kind of attack&quot;. 
 
&quot;We are now confronted with individuals open to IS&#39;s message to engage in extremely violent actions without necessarily having been trained or having the weapons to carry out a mass (casualty) attack,&quot; he said. 
 
Patriots called to volunteer 
 
France&#39;s third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety.&nbsp;Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. 
 
&quot;I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve,&quot; said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. 
 
The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. 
 
France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a &quot;social and ethnic apartheid&quot; that alienates its large Muslim community.&nbsp;Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. 
 
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to &quot;directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means&quot;. 
 
&quot;Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting,&quot; he said, using an Arabic name for IS. 
 
(AFP)

Only 35 victims have been officially identified as prosecutors take painstaking measures to avoid errors seen during November's Paris attack

The Nice truck attacker staked out the seafront for two days before striking, it emerged Sunday, as investigators pieced together details of the IS-claimed massacre and questioned possible accomplices. A source close to the investigation told AFP that Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian, sent a text message just before the attack in which he "expresses satisfaction at having obtained a 7.65mm pistol and discusses the supply of other weapons". He also took a selfie at the wheel of the 19-tonne truck in the days before he ploughed it into a crowd of people who had been enjoying a fireworks display on Bastille Day, France's national day, killing 84 and injuring about 300. Mangled bodies were left strewn across the Riviera city's seafront in the grisly attack by a man described by those who knew him as a loner with a history of violence and depression. While some relatives and friends described the delivery driver as someone who drank heavily and never attended the local mosque, others questioned by investigators spoke of "a recent shift to radical Islam", said a police source. But there has been no evidence yet linking him to the Islamic State group, which on Saturday claimed the attack. An Albanian suspected of providing the driver with the pistol was arrested in Nice on Sunday. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel fired at police who sprayed his rampaging truck with gunfire, eventually killing him. Two replica assault rifles and a dummy grenade were also found in the truck, which he rented a few days earlier and used for reconnaissance on the seafront on the two consecutive days before the attack. One of five other people being held over the carnage is a 22-year-old suspected of lending logistical support, said his lawyer Jean-Pascal Padovani. The lawyer said the pair had only known each other for a few months. Lahouaiej-Bouhlel's estranged wife, the mother of his three children, was released Sunday after two days of questioning. Slow identification of victims In Nice, many people were still desperately waiting for news of their loved ones. Prosecutors said only 35 victims have been officially identified as they take painstaking measures to avoid errors of identification seen during the Paris attacks last November. "We have no news, neither good nor bad," said Johanna, a Lithuanian who was looking for her two friends, aged 20. At least 10 children were among the dead, as well as tourists from the United States, Ukraine, Switzerland, Germany and about 10 people from Russia, a local Russian association said. Health Minister Marisol Touraine said 85 people were still hospitalised, 18 of them in critical condition. 'Radicalised very quickly' Despite several brushes with the law for petty crime, Lahouaiej-Bouhlel had never appeared on the radar of intelligence services. Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday he "seemed to have been radicalised very quickly, from what his friends and family" told police. People who went to the same gym as Lahouaiej-Bouhlel - where he took salsa dancing classes and lifted weights - described him as a vain man who "flirted with anything that moved". The Islamic State group said one of its "soldiers" carried out the attack in response to its calls to target countries from the US-led coalition engaged in airstrikes against the group. Cazeneuve described the massacre as a "a new kind of attack". "We are now confronted with individuals open to IS's message to engage in extremely violent actions without necessarily having been trained or having the weapons to carry out a mass (casualty) attack," he said. Patriots called to volunteer France's third major attack in the past 18 months has left the government fending off criticism over security failures and scrambling to reassure citizens about their safety. Cazeneuve called for volunteers to boost the security forces who were already on high alert under an eight-month-old state of emergency. "I want to call on all French patriots who wish to do so, to join this operational reserve," said Cazeneuve of a force currently made up of 12,000 volunteers aged between 17 and 30. The latest attack comes after a French parliamentary inquiry last week criticised numerous failings by the intelligence services following jihadist assaults in January and November last year. France is a prime target of IS, due to its role in fighting the group in Iraq and Syria, its emphasis on secular values, and what the government has admitted is a "social and ethnic apartheid" that alienates its large Muslim community. Hundreds of French jihadists have gone to fight alongside IS in Iraq and Syria. French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian noted that IS had recently repeated calls for supporters to "directly attack the French, Americans, wherever they are and by whatever means". "Even when Daesh is not the organiser, Daesh breathes life into the terrorist spirit that we are fighting," he said, using an Arabic name for IS. (AFP)

Nice attack investigation unfolds gradually

Curfew today remained in force across Jammu and Kashmir, and normal life paralysed for the eighth day in the wake of clashes following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. 
 
&quot;Curfew continues to remain in force in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley today as precautionary measure for maintaining law and order,&quot; a police official said. 
 
He said the decision to continue the curfew was taken in view of large number of stone-pelting incidents across the valley yesterday. 
 
Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said. 
 
Mobile telephone services in the Valley also remained suspended to prevent any rumour-mongering.&nbsp;&quot;Only postpaid connections of BSNL are working,&quot; the official said. 
 
Mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended for the seventh day today while trains are also off the tracks in the Valley as a precautionary measure. 
 
Violent protests rocked Jammu and Kashmir last weekend following the killing of Burhan Wani and two of his associates in an encounter with security forces on July 8 in the &nbsp;Kokernag area of the Anantnag district. 
 
In the ensuing clashes 38 persons, including one cop, have been killed, while 3,140 persons, including 1,500 security force personnel, have been injured. 
 
Normal life has remained paralysed since last Saturday in Kashmir on account of both separatist-led strikes and curfew-like restrictions imposed by authorities. 
 
The separatists groups, both factions of Hurriyat Conference and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, have been issuing strike calls, a practice reminiscent of the 2010 summer agitation.&nbsp;The separatists groups yesterday extended the strike call till Monday evening. 
 
(PTI)

Mobile telephone service is also suspended to prevent rumour-mongering

Curfew today remained in force across Jammu and Kashmir, and normal life paralysed for the eighth day in the wake of clashes following killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. "Curfew continues to remain in force in all 10 districts of the Kashmir Valley today as precautionary measure for maintaining law and order," a police official said. He said the decision to continue the curfew was taken in view of large number of stone-pelting incidents across the valley yesterday. Police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in strength across the Valley for strict implementation of the prohibitory orders, the official said. Mobile telephone services in the Valley also remained suspended to prevent any rumour-mongering. "Only postpaid connections of BSNL are working," the official said. Mobile Internet services continued to remain suspended for the seventh day today while trains are also off the tracks in the Valley as a precautionary measure. Violent protests rocked Jammu and Kashmir last weekend following the killing of Burhan Wani and two of his associates in an encounter with security forces on July 8 in the Kokernag area of the Anantnag district. In the ensuing clashes 38 persons, including one cop, have been killed, while 3,140 persons, including 1,500 security force personnel, have been injured. Normal life has remained paralysed since last Saturday in Kashmir on account of both separatist-led strikes and curfew-like restrictions imposed by authorities. The separatists groups, both factions of Hurriyat Conference and Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front, have been issuing strike calls, a practice reminiscent of the 2010 summer agitation. The separatists groups yesterday extended the strike call till Monday evening. (PTI)

Curfew in Kashmir Valley remains

Myanmar is cracking down on Buddhist extremism, aiming to curb ethnic and religious tension that saw two mosques destroyed and scores of Muslim residents fleeing their villages in recent weeks. 
 
Nobel Peace Prize winner and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under criticism from human rights activists and lawyers for not cracking down on the perpetrators of the attacks aimed at the Muslim minority. 
 
In an apparent response to the criticism, the government has made a surprisingly decisive move against an organisation of radical nationalist monks, known as the Ma Ba Tha, threatening legal action if it spread hate speech and incites violence. 
 
Today the government launched a taskforce to prevent violent protests as part of a broader push to stop religious violence. 
 
Religious tension simmered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012 in the west of the country into clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. 
 
Violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other areas followed in 2013 and 2014. 
 
President Htin Kyaw said in a statement the taskforce will not only move against violent protesters, but also investigate and hold accountable anyone inciting violence. 
 
&quot;We do not want to disturb peaceful protests, but we do not allow violence while protesting,&quot; said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the state councillor&#39;s office occupied by Suu Kyi. 
 
A government-appointed body that oversees Myanmar&#39;s Buddhist monkhood, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, issued a statement this week, saying it had never endorsed the nationalist and anti-Muslim Ma Ba Tha. 
 
In June, a group of 200 villagers destroyed a mosque and injured a Muslim man in central Myanmar after a dispute over the construction of a Muslim school. 
 
In a separate incident in northern Myanmar in early July, nearly 500 Buddhists burned down a Muslim prayer hall. Police arrested five in connection with the attack, media said. 
 
In both incidents, Muslim residents fled from their homes fearing more widespread violence. 
 
Some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the 2012 violence remain in camps in the west. 
 
(Reuters)

Myanmar has threatened legal action against radical Buddhist organisation, Ma Ba Tha, if it spreads hate speech and incites violence

Myanmar is cracking down on Buddhist extremism, aiming to curb ethnic and religious tension that saw two mosques destroyed and scores of Muslim residents fleeing their villages in recent weeks. Nobel Peace Prize winner and government leader Aung San Suu Kyi has come under criticism from human rights activists and lawyers for not cracking down on the perpetrators of the attacks aimed at the Muslim minority. In an apparent response to the criticism, the government has made a surprisingly decisive move against an organisation of radical nationalist monks, known as the Ma Ba Tha, threatening legal action if it spread hate speech and incites violence. Today the government launched a taskforce to prevent violent protests as part of a broader push to stop religious violence. Religious tension simmered in Buddhist-majority Myanmar for almost half a century of military rule, before boiling over in 2012 in the west of the country into clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists. Violence between Muslims and Buddhists in other areas followed in 2013 and 2014. President Htin Kyaw said in a statement the taskforce will not only move against violent protesters, but also investigate and hold accountable anyone inciting violence. "We do not want to disturb peaceful protests, but we do not allow violence while protesting," said Zaw Htay, spokesman of the state councillor's office occupied by Suu Kyi. A government-appointed body that oversees Myanmar's Buddhist monkhood, the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, issued a statement this week, saying it had never endorsed the nationalist and anti-Muslim Ma Ba Tha. In June, a group of 200 villagers destroyed a mosque and injured a Muslim man in central Myanmar after a dispute over the construction of a Muslim school. In a separate incident in northern Myanmar in early July, nearly 500 Buddhists burned down a Muslim prayer hall. Police arrested five in connection with the attack, media said. In both incidents, Muslim residents fled from their homes fearing more widespread violence. Some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims displaced by the 2012 violence remain in camps in the west. (Reuters)

After violence, Myanmar moves to curb religious extremism

South Sudan&#39;s President Salva Kiir called on arch-rival Riek Machar on Thursday to meet for talks to salvage peace after days of intense gun battles in the capital Juba. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t want any more bloodshed in South Sudan,&quot; Kiir said, speaking in public for the first time since fighting erupted on Friday. &quot;I want Dr Riek Machar, the first Vice-President of the republic, to be near me, so we can chart the way forward.&quot; 
 
Kiir spoke at the bullet-scarred presidential palace, standing alongside ceasefire monitoring chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswanan president, and African Union special envoy Alpha Oumar Konare, a former president of Mali. 
 
He called for Machar to meet him for talks to save the peace deal but acknowledged the deep mistrust that led to days of intense fighting that has left hundreds dead. 
 
&quot;I talked with Dr Machar today, in the morning, and I asked him to come, but it was difficult for him to accept,&quot; Kiir said, adding that he did not know Machar&#39;s exact whereabouts but that neither he nor his allies were in any danger. 
 
&quot;If there was anyone hunting for them, they could find them,&quot; Kiir said. &quot;I am ready to protect Dr Machar if he comes.&quot; 
 
(AFP)

He calls on arch-rival Machar to meet for talks

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir called on arch-rival Riek Machar on Thursday to meet for talks to salvage peace after days of intense gun battles in the capital Juba. "I don't want any more bloodshed in South Sudan," Kiir said, speaking in public for the first time since fighting erupted on Friday. "I want Dr Riek Machar, the first Vice-President of the republic, to be near me, so we can chart the way forward." Kiir spoke at the bullet-scarred presidential palace, standing alongside ceasefire monitoring chief Festus Mogae, a former Botswanan president, and African Union special envoy Alpha Oumar Konare, a former president of Mali. He called for Machar to meet him for talks to save the peace deal but acknowledged the deep mistrust that led to days of intense fighting that has left hundreds dead. "I talked with Dr Machar today, in the morning, and I asked him to come, but it was difficult for him to accept," Kiir said, adding that he did not know Machar's exact whereabouts but that neither he nor his allies were in any danger. "If there was anyone hunting for them, they could find them," Kiir said. "I am ready to protect Dr Machar if he comes." (AFP)

'I don't want any more bloodshed in South Sudan,' says President Kiir

Israeli government on Sunday approved nearly $13 million in financing for the West Bank settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, officials said, following a wave of Palestinian attacks in the area. 
 
The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#39;s right-wing cabinet will see some $12.8 million allocated to &quot;strengthen&quot; the communities. 
 
&quot;Government offices, I must note, have all been recruited to assist the residents who stand heroically in the face of vicious terrorism,&quot; Netanyahu said, ahead of the approval. 
 
The money will be allocated over three years and be designated to a variety of issues, including social, education and security services, and come from the budgets of the relevant ministries. 
 
Kiryat Arba is a large settlement near Hebron, the largest Palestinian West Bank city, which is also host to several hundred Jewish settlers in a tightly guarded enclave. 
 
The Hebron area settlers have been affected by the recent wave of violence that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. 
 
At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed. 
 
The army has said that around 80 of the attacks on Israelis have been carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. 
 
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. 
 
The United States, the European Union and many others in the international community have called for a halt to settlement building. 
 
Netanyahu&#39;s government is considered to be the most right-wing in Israel&#39;s history, and key members of his cabinet are strong supporters of settlement building and opponents of a Palestinian state. 
 
A similar decision, allocating $18 million to a variety of settlements, was announced last month. Two officials said Sunday&#39;s decision was about new monies. 
 
Also on Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers marched between the Palestinian village of Tarama and the Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. 
 
The marchers demanded more security for settlements following a wave of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians in the area during the past week. 
 
(AFP)

The money will be allocated over three years and be used for issues like education and security services

Israeli government on Sunday approved nearly $13 million in financing for the West Bank settlements of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, officials said, following a wave of Palestinian attacks in the area. The decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing cabinet will see some $12.8 million allocated to "strengthen" the communities. "Government offices, I must note, have all been recruited to assist the residents who stand heroically in the face of vicious terrorism," Netanyahu said, ahead of the approval. The money will be allocated over three years and be designated to a variety of issues, including social, education and security services, and come from the budgets of the relevant ministries. Kiryat Arba is a large settlement near Hebron, the largest Palestinian West Bank city, which is also host to several hundred Jewish settlers in a tightly guarded enclave. The Hebron area settlers have been affected by the recent wave of violence that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since last October. At least 214 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese have been killed. The army has said that around 80 of the attacks on Israelis have been carried out by Palestinians from the Hebron area. Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are considered illegal under international law and major stumbling blocks to peace as they are built on land Palestinians view as part of their future state. The United States, the European Union and many others in the international community have called for a halt to settlement building. Netanyahu's government is considered to be the most right-wing in Israel's history, and key members of his cabinet are strong supporters of settlement building and opponents of a Palestinian state. A similar decision, allocating $18 million to a variety of settlements, was announced last month. Two officials said Sunday's decision was about new monies. Also on Sunday, hundreds of Israeli settlers marched between the Palestinian village of Tarama and the Israeli settlement of Otniel, south of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. The marchers demanded more security for settlements following a wave of deadly attacks carried out by Palestinians in the area during the past week. (AFP)

Israel okays millions to West Bank settlements after attacks

The United States demanded an immediate end to renewed fighting in the capital of South Sudan on Sunday, ordering all non-essential personnel out of the troubled country. 
 
&quot;The United States strongly condemns the latest outbreak of fighting in Juba today between forces aligned with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and those aligned with first vice president Riek Machar Teny, including reports we have that civilian sites may have been attacked,&quot; US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. 
 
&quot;In response to ongoing violence in South Sudan, the Department of State ordered today the departure of non-emergency personnel from the US Embassy in Juba.&quot; 
 
Urging Americans in the country to take security precautions, he warned that &quot;the embassy&#39;s ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Juba is extremely limited.&quot; 
 
The battles are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since rebel leader Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April, under an accord to end a bloody civil war. 
 
Washington is pressing &quot;both leaders and their political allies and commanders to immediately restrain their forces from further fighting, return them to barracks and prevent additional violence and bloodshed,&quot; Kirby said. 
 
&quot;The United States is determined to ensure appropriate measures are taken to hold accountable those responsible for continuing fighting and violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and targeting of civilians.&quot; 
 
Kirby said the United States was in touch with senior African Union and regional leaders. 
 
(AFP)

The battles are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since rebel leader Machar returned as vice president in April

The United States demanded an immediate end to renewed fighting in the capital of South Sudan on Sunday, ordering all non-essential personnel out of the troubled country. "The United States strongly condemns the latest outbreak of fighting in Juba today between forces aligned with President Salva Kiir Mayardit and those aligned with first vice president Riek Machar Teny, including reports we have that civilian sites may have been attacked," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement. "In response to ongoing violence in South Sudan, the Department of State ordered today the departure of non-emergency personnel from the US Embassy in Juba." Urging Americans in the country to take security precautions, he warned that "the embassy's ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Juba is extremely limited." The battles are the first between the army and ex-rebels in Juba since rebel leader Machar returned to take up the post of vice president in a unity government in April, under an accord to end a bloody civil war. Washington is pressing "both leaders and their political allies and commanders to immediately restrain their forces from further fighting, return them to barracks and prevent additional violence and bloodshed," Kirby said. "The United States is determined to ensure appropriate measures are taken to hold accountable those responsible for continuing fighting and violations of international humanitarian law, including attacks on the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and targeting of civilians." Kirby said the United States was in touch with senior African Union and regional leaders. (AFP)

US urges end to South Sudan fighting

Congolese student Arnold Mutumbo Muama refuses to be cowed by a spate of racist violence towards Africans in India&#39;s capital New Delhi, defiant after a friend was beaten up by security guards at his apartment block. 
 
&quot;The guard called him a &#39;monster&#39; in Hindi before taking him to the basement and beating him,&quot; recalled Muama, 29, who chairs a Congolese welfare association. 
 
Racism against Africans in India was thrown into the spotlight following the brutal stoning to death in May of Congolese national Masunda Kitada Oliver in a dispute over an auto-rickshaw, a motorised three-wheeler. 
 
Following the attack, African ambassadors in New Delhi threatened to recommend to their governments that they don&#39;t send students to the capital &quot;as their security is not guaranteed&quot;. 
 
Around 30,000 Africans live in New Delhi, according to police, and they have told AFP of numerous humiliations they face, from insults in the street to housing discrimination and even violent attacks. 
 
This week, television footage showed police officers in the southern city of Bangalore forcefully restraining a Nigerian woman following an altercation at a market.&nbsp;She was tied up with ropes before being injected with sedatives. 
 
Despite these incidents, IT student Muama believes it is &quot;out of the question to live in fear&quot;. 
 
&quot;You have to be aware of your rights,&quot; he said. 
 
&#39;They eat dogs&#39;&nbsp; 
 
In Khirki Extension, a bustling set of interlacing streets in the south of the Indian capital long home to a sizeable Nigerian community, prejudices remain on display. 
 
&quot;The way they eat, drink, live... Everything is different,&quot; said Inderjeet Singh, a real estate agent who has been in the neighbourhood for 15 years.&nbsp;&quot;People say they eat street dogs, families fear they cut their children into pieces and eat them,&quot; the 53-year-old said. 
 
The number of Nigerians living in the district has dwindled since January 2014, when it was the scene of a crackdown by a member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Somnath Bharti. 
 
Bharti, accompanied by supporters of his anti-corruption party and night vision cameras, took to the streets to denounce an alleged prostitution and drug trafficking network run by Nigerians and Ugandans. 
 
Bharti attempted to force the police to search several apartments, and reportedly ordered four Africans to take urine tests to detect any traces of drugs. 
 
In an attempt to now tackle racist views, India&#39;s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has promised an awareness campaign in neighbourhoods with large numbers of African inhabitants. 
 
&quot;We are trying to break the communication gap between the locals and our African friends,&quot; RP Upadhyay, a senior Delhi Police official in charge of the campaign told AFP. 
 
&quot;We are requesting everyone that whenever anything happens, report it to the police.&quot; 
 
&#39;Good friendships&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The death of the Congolese student comes as India is seeking to charm African nations, seeking to rival China, which has long staked its interest on the continent. 
 
Following an India-Africa summit last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited four African countries in early July. 
 
Nigerian, Cameroonian and Congolese residents in New Delhi interviewed by AFP say that while they encounter difficulties in daily life, many Indians are open and tolerant towards them. 
 
Congolese student Loic Ipanga, 24, believes the &quot;racist reactions&quot; he experiences are often due to ignorance of Africa. 
 
&quot;It is very shocking that every time an Indian sees you, he asks you if you are Nigerian, thinking that because of my skin colour I must be Nigerian,&quot; he says.&nbsp;&quot;This is sometimes a disturbing issue.&quot; 
 
Yet he says he has &quot;very good friendships with Indians, who are willing to get up in the middle of the night to help you&quot;. 
 
&quot;We must act like adults -- mature and wise. You cannot lay a hand on anyone,&quot; he said. 
 
(AFP)

30,000 Africans who live in Delhi face numerous humiliations, from insults in the street to housing discrimination and violent attacks

Congolese student Arnold Mutumbo Muama refuses to be cowed by a spate of racist violence towards Africans in India's capital New Delhi, defiant after a friend was beaten up by security guards at his apartment block. "The guard called him a 'monster' in Hindi before taking him to the basement and beating him," recalled Muama, 29, who chairs a Congolese welfare association. Racism against Africans in India was thrown into the spotlight following the brutal stoning to death in May of Congolese national Masunda Kitada Oliver in a dispute over an auto-rickshaw, a motorised three-wheeler. Following the attack, African ambassadors in New Delhi threatened to recommend to their governments that they don't send students to the capital "as their security is not guaranteed". Around 30,000 Africans live in New Delhi, according to police, and they have told AFP of numerous humiliations they face, from insults in the street to housing discrimination and even violent attacks. This week, television footage showed police officers in the southern city of Bangalore forcefully restraining a Nigerian woman following an altercation at a market. She was tied up with ropes before being injected with sedatives. Despite these incidents, IT student Muama believes it is "out of the question to live in fear". "You have to be aware of your rights," he said. 'They eat dogs' In Khirki Extension, a bustling set of interlacing streets in the south of the Indian capital long home to a sizeable Nigerian community, prejudices remain on display. "The way they eat, drink, live... Everything is different," said Inderjeet Singh, a real estate agent who has been in the neighbourhood for 15 years. "People say they eat street dogs, families fear they cut their children into pieces and eat them," the 53-year-old said. The number of Nigerians living in the district has dwindled since January 2014, when it was the scene of a crackdown by a member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly Somnath Bharti. Bharti, accompanied by supporters of his anti-corruption party and night vision cameras, took to the streets to denounce an alleged prostitution and drug trafficking network run by Nigerians and Ugandans. Bharti attempted to force the police to search several apartments, and reportedly ordered four Africans to take urine tests to detect any traces of drugs. In an attempt to now tackle racist views, India's foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has promised an awareness campaign in neighbourhoods with large numbers of African inhabitants. "We are trying to break the communication gap between the locals and our African friends," RP Upadhyay, a senior Delhi Police official in charge of the campaign told AFP. "We are requesting everyone that whenever anything happens, report it to the police." 'Good friendships' The death of the Congolese student comes as India is seeking to charm African nations, seeking to rival China, which has long staked its interest on the continent. Following an India-Africa summit last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited four African countries in early July. Nigerian, Cameroonian and Congolese residents in New Delhi interviewed by AFP say that while they encounter difficulties in daily life, many Indians are open and tolerant towards them. Congolese student Loic Ipanga, 24, believes the "racist reactions" he experiences are often due to ignorance of Africa. "It is very shocking that every time an Indian sees you, he asks you if you are Nigerian, thinking that because of my skin colour I must be Nigerian," he says. "This is sometimes a disturbing issue." Yet he says he has "very good friendships with Indians, who are willing to get up in the middle of the night to help you". "We must act like adults -- mature and wise. You cannot lay a hand on anyone," he said. (AFP)

Facing racist abuse, Africans in India refuse to give in to fear

Police in Rio de Janeiro state, which hosts next month&#39;s Olympics, killed at least 645 people in the last year and 8,000 over the decade, a rights group said today. 
 
The grisly toll includes dozens of execution-style killings in addition to the lethal violence used during standard police work in the state, the report from Human Rights Watch said. 
 
The international rights group identified 64 cases in the last eight years in which Rio police allegedly tried to cover up extrajudicial killings of 116 people, including at least 24 minors. 
 
&quot;Killing criminals was a requirement from my superiors as a way of showing that we were performing well,&quot; one of 30 police officers interviewed for Human Rights Watch&#39;s study alleged. 
 
The officer, who like all the others spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of &nbsp;reprisals, said he had been stationed in one of Rio&#39;s most dangerous neighborhoods where he took part in operations against heavily armed drug traffickers. The strategy was to kill them as a way to reduce crime, he said. 
 
The officer, who is still on the force, was quoted as saying that some police would capture suspected drug traffickers and kill them, sometimes to gain status as killers and to boost their own extortion rackets. 
 
The pressure to play along makes honest policing difficult in Rio, according to the report, titled &#39;Good cops are afraid:&#39; The toll of unchecked police violence in Rio de Janeiro.&quot; 
 
&quot;Illegal executions by police colleagues turn an already dangerous job into something even more dangerous&quot; and stokes anger against the authorities, the report said. 
 
Rio state&#39;s prosecutor general, Marfan Martins Vieira, also told Human Rights Watch that a large proportion of shoot-outs reported by police are faked. 
 
However, he said that his office had only taken on &quot;a very small number&quot; of cases involving murder by police. 
 
Vieira accused the Civil Police, which investigates homicides, of not fulfilling its task, but Human Rights Watch says the ultimate responsibility lies with prosecutors and that they should be pursuing the culprits. 
 
Only eight of the 64 cases investigated by Human Rights Watch have gone to trial and only four of those resulted in prison terms for police. 
 
(AFP)

They killed 645 people last year, the grisly toll includes dozens of execution-style killings

Police in Rio de Janeiro state, which hosts next month's Olympics, killed at least 645 people in the last year and 8,000 over the decade, a rights group said today. The grisly toll includes dozens of execution-style killings in addition to the lethal violence used during standard police work in the state, the report from Human Rights Watch said. The international rights group identified 64 cases in the last eight years in which Rio police allegedly tried to cover up extrajudicial killings of 116 people, including at least 24 minors. "Killing criminals was a requirement from my superiors as a way of showing that we were performing well," one of 30 police officers interviewed for Human Rights Watch's study alleged. The officer, who like all the others spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said he had been stationed in one of Rio's most dangerous neighborhoods where he took part in operations against heavily armed drug traffickers. The strategy was to kill them as a way to reduce crime, he said. The officer, who is still on the force, was quoted as saying that some police would capture suspected drug traffickers and kill them, sometimes to gain status as killers and to boost their own extortion rackets. The pressure to play along makes honest policing difficult in Rio, according to the report, titled 'Good cops are afraid:' The toll of unchecked police violence in Rio de Janeiro." "Illegal executions by police colleagues turn an already dangerous job into something even more dangerous" and stokes anger against the authorities, the report said. Rio state's prosecutor general, Marfan Martins Vieira, also told Human Rights Watch that a large proportion of shoot-outs reported by police are faked. However, he said that his office had only taken on "a very small number" of cases involving murder by police. Vieira accused the Civil Police, which investigates homicides, of not fulfilling its task, but Human Rights Watch says the ultimate responsibility lies with prosecutors and that they should be pursuing the culprits. Only eight of the 64 cases investigated by Human Rights Watch have gone to trial and only four of those resulted in prison terms for police. (AFP)

Rio police kill, torture with impunity: Rights group

A Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh today, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists. 
 
Shyamananda Das, who helped conduct prayers at the Radhamadan Gopal Bigraha Math in Jhenaidah district, was killed by three men on a motorcycle as he was walking on a highway adjacent to his temple early in the morning, police said. 
 
&quot;They hacked him on his neck three times and there was one stabbing mark in his head,&quot; deputy police chief of the district Gopinath Kanjilal told AFP. 
 
&quot;He died after he was brought to a hospital.&quot; 
 
Kanjilal said Das, also known as Babaji, was &quot;a priest&quot; in the temple. But local police station chief inspector Hasan Hafizur Rahman told AFP the 50-year-old man was &quot;a temple volunteer who helps conduct prayers&quot;. 
 
&quot;He was an itinerant temple volunteer who travels from one temple to another to serve the Hindu devotees. He came to this temple only yesterday,&quot; he said. 
 
Police said no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but that it the bore the hallmarks of the recent murders of people from the country&#39;s religious minorities by suspected home-grown Islamist militants. 
 
&quot;The pattern of the killing is similar&quot; to ones carried out by local Islamist militants, Rahman said. 
 
Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was also hacked to death in a rice paddy field in the same district near his home. 
 
Deputy police chief Kanjilal said a student activist from the country&#39;s largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been arrested over the attack and he had allegedly admitted his role in the killing. 
 
Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have some 50 people dead in the last three years. 
 
Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. 
 
Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s 160 million-strong population is Muslim and about one in ten are Hindu. 
 
(AFP)

Police say the attack bears the hallmarks of the recent murders of people belonging to the country's religious minorities

A Hindu temple worker was hacked to death in western Bangladesh today, police said, the latest in a series of attacks on religious minorities by suspected Islamists. Shyamananda Das, who helped conduct prayers at the Radhamadan Gopal Bigraha Math in Jhenaidah district, was killed by three men on a motorcycle as he was walking on a highway adjacent to his temple early in the morning, police said. "They hacked him on his neck three times and there was one stabbing mark in his head," deputy police chief of the district Gopinath Kanjilal told AFP. "He died after he was brought to a hospital." Kanjilal said Das, also known as Babaji, was "a priest" in the temple. But local police station chief inspector Hasan Hafizur Rahman told AFP the 50-year-old man was "a temple volunteer who helps conduct prayers". "He was an itinerant temple volunteer who travels from one temple to another to serve the Hindu devotees. He came to this temple only yesterday," he said. Police said no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but that it the bore the hallmarks of the recent murders of people from the country's religious minorities by suspected home-grown Islamist militants. "The pattern of the killing is similar" to ones carried out by local Islamist militants, Rahman said. Last month a Hindu priest, 70-year-old Ananda Gopal Ganguly, was also hacked to death in a rice paddy field in the same district near his home. Deputy police chief Kanjilal said a student activist from the country's largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, has been arrested over the attack and he had allegedly admitted his role in the killing. Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of murders of secular and liberal activists and religious minorities that have some 50 people dead in the last three years. Victims of the attacks by suspected Islamists have included secular bloggers, gay rights activists and followers of minority religions. Although it is officially secular, around 90 per cent of Bangladesh's 160 million-strong population is Muslim and about one in ten are Hindu. (AFP)

Hindu temple worker hacked to death in Bangladesh

A Palestinian attacker stabbed a 13-year-old girl to death at her home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead by security guards, the Israeli army said. 
 
The army said the Palestinian killed the girl in her bed after breaking into her house in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the city of Hebron. 
 
Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, said the army. 
 
The Palestinian health ministry identified the attacker as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city. 
 
Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year. 
 
Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. 
 
The violence since October has killed at least 211 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. 
 
Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. 
 
Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. 
 
Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. 
 
Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. 
 
The number of attacks has declined in recent months but the deadliest yet hit Tel Aviv earlier this month when Palestinian gunmen shot dead four people at a popular nightspot. 
 
The two attackers, cousins from the Hebron area, were arrested. 
 
(AFP)

Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of such violence

A Palestinian attacker stabbed a 13-year-old girl to death at her home in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank on Thursday before being shot dead by security guards, the Israeli army said. The army said the Palestinian killed the girl in her bed after breaking into her house in the Kiryat Arba settlement outside the city of Hebron. Security personnel rushed to the house and fired on the attacker, who wounded a guard before being shot dead, said the army. The Palestinian health ministry identified the attacker as Mohammed Nasser Tarayra, 19, from the village of Bani Naim, just outside the city. Hebron has been a flashpoint in a spate of deadly unrest that has rocked Israel and the Palestinian territories since October last year. Several hundred Jewish settlers live in a tightly guarded enclave in the heart of the city of more than 200,000 Palestinians, a persistent source of tensions. The violence since October has killed at least 211 Palestinians, 33 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese. Most of the Palestinians were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities. Others were killed in clashes with security forces or by Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Analysts say Palestinian frustration with Israeli occupation and settlement-building in the West Bank, the complete lack of progress in peace efforts and their own fractured leadership have fed the unrest. Israel says incitement by Palestinian leaders and media is a leading cause of the violence. The number of attacks has declined in recent months but the deadliest yet hit Tel Aviv earlier this month when Palestinian gunmen shot dead four people at a popular nightspot. The two attackers, cousins from the Hebron area, were arrested. (AFP)

Palestinian kills teen in West Bank home, shot dead: Army

Nearly 200 people have died in the last month at a camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram violence in northeast Nigeria, an aid agency said Wednesday, warning of a growing malnutrition crisis. 
 
A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team on Tuesday visited the camp, home to around 24,000 people including 15,000 children, and found what it called &quot;a catastrophic humanitarian emergency&quot; unfolding. 
 
One in five of over 800 children it examined had severe acute malnutrition, while 16 severely malnourished children &quot;at immediate risk of death&quot; were referred to its in-patient treatment centre. 
 
At least 188 people have died in the internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Bama, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Maiduguri, since May 23 -- about six a day -- mainly from diarrhoea and malnutrition, MSF said in a statement. 
 
A total of 1,233 graves, many of them of for children, had been dug near the camp in the past year, the agency said. 
 
&quot;This is the first time MSF has been able to access Bama, but we already know the needs of the people there are beyond critical,&quot; said MSF head of mission in Nigeria, Ghada Hatim. 
 
&quot;We are treating malnourished children in medical facilities in Maiduguri and see the trauma on the faces of our patients who have witnessed and survived many horrors.&quot; 
 
&#39;Walking corpses&#39;&nbsp; 
 
The Borno state government and international aid agencies have previously warned about acute food shortages for IDPs in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region. 
 
On June 15, the Borno state government said it had transferred nearly 700 people, most of them children, from Bama to Maiduguri for treatment for severe malnutrition. 
 
Sixty-one young children and babies were said to be &quot;critically malnourished&quot;. 
 
A civilian vigilante and a soldier based in the remote town of Banki, 60 kilometres from Bama near the Cameroon border, told AFP 
this month at least 10 people were &quot;starving to death&quot; every day. 
 
The vigilante said 376 people had been buried in the last three months and those still alive were like &quot;walking corpses&quot;. 
 
- Security issues - 
 
Boko Haram, whose seven-year Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria has left at least 20,000 dead and displaced more than 2.6 million, controlled swathes of territory in the northeast in 2014. 
 
But the Nigerian government has said IDPs housed in camps or host communities can return after a military counter-offensive pushed the militants out of captured towns and villages. 
 
Despite assurances the northeast is largely clear of the rebels, sporadic attacks continue and security remains an issue, while houses, businesses and farms have largely been destroyed. 
 
Domestic and international aid agencies are mainly based in Maiduguri and dependent on Nigerian army assistance to access camps outside the city. 
 
The Borno state governor Kashim Shettima last week ordered police to investigate reports that relief material, including bags of rice meant for IDPs, was being stolen. 
 
The UN&#39;s children&#39;s agency, UNICEF, said it has been working with its partners in Bama since March and has provided health and nutrition support for some 19,000 people. 
 
Its primary health care centre sees on average 140 patients a day for conditions ranging from malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhoea, as well as malnutrition screening and treatment. 
 
(AFP)

One in five of over 800 children had severe acute malnutrition, while 16 severely malnourished children 'at immediate risk of death'

Nearly 200 people have died in the last month at a camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram violence in northeast Nigeria, an aid agency said Wednesday, warning of a growing malnutrition crisis. A Doctors Without Borders (MSF) team on Tuesday visited the camp, home to around 24,000 people including 15,000 children, and found what it called "a catastrophic humanitarian emergency" unfolding. One in five of over 800 children it examined had severe acute malnutrition, while 16 severely malnourished children "at immediate risk of death" were referred to its in-patient treatment centre. At least 188 people have died in the internally displaced people (IDP) camp in Bama, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) from Maiduguri, since May 23 -- about six a day -- mainly from diarrhoea and malnutrition, MSF said in a statement. A total of 1,233 graves, many of them of for children, had been dug near the camp in the past year, the agency said. "This is the first time MSF has been able to access Bama, but we already know the needs of the people there are beyond critical," said MSF head of mission in Nigeria, Ghada Hatim. "We are treating malnourished children in medical facilities in Maiduguri and see the trauma on the faces of our patients who have witnessed and survived many horrors." 'Walking corpses' The Borno state government and international aid agencies have previously warned about acute food shortages for IDPs in northeast Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad region. On June 15, the Borno state government said it had transferred nearly 700 people, most of them children, from Bama to Maiduguri for treatment for severe malnutrition. Sixty-one young children and babies were said to be "critically malnourished". A civilian vigilante and a soldier based in the remote town of Banki, 60 kilometres from Bama near the Cameroon border, told AFP this month at least 10 people were "starving to death" every day. The vigilante said 376 people had been buried in the last three months and those still alive were like "walking corpses". - Security issues - Boko Haram, whose seven-year Islamist insurgency in northeast Nigeria has left at least 20,000 dead and displaced more than 2.6 million, controlled swathes of territory in the northeast in 2014. But the Nigerian government has said IDPs housed in camps or host communities can return after a military counter-offensive pushed the militants out of captured towns and villages. Despite assurances the northeast is largely clear of the rebels, sporadic attacks continue and security remains an issue, while houses, businesses and farms have largely been destroyed. Domestic and international aid agencies are mainly based in Maiduguri and dependent on Nigerian army assistance to access camps outside the city. The Borno state governor Kashim Shettima last week ordered police to investigate reports that relief material, including bags of rice meant for IDPs, was being stolen. The UN's children's agency, UNICEF, said it has been working with its partners in Bama since March and has provided health and nutrition support for some 19,000 people. Its primary health care centre sees on average 140 patients a day for conditions ranging from malaria, respiratory infections and diarrhoea, as well as malnutrition screening and treatment. (AFP)

200 die in one month at camp for people made homeless by Boko Haram violence

Protesters burnt vehicles and set tires on fire to barricade roads in South Africa&#39;s capital on Tuesday, June 21, after the ANC named a mayoral candidate not nominated by the ruling party&#39;s regional branches. 
 
The violence spread overnight from the townships and started after a member of the African National Congress (ANC) was shot dead on Sunday, June 19, as factions clashed at a meeting in Pretoria to decide on the candidates for mayor of Tshwane municipality, where Pretoria is located. 
 
The ANC then named senior party member and former cabinet minister, Thoko Didiza, as its candidate for Tshwane, saying that it made the decision after wrangling between members at the party&#39;s headquarters over who should lead the municipality. 
 
According to local media, residents want the incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to be allowed to run on the ANC ticket but Ramokgopa has publicly backed Didiza&#39;s selection and called for calm. 
 
The ANC said its members were not to blame for the violence. 
 
Local elections in August pose a major test for the ANC as it gears up for a 2019 presidential vote in the face of a slowing economy and a strong challenge from the opposition 
 
(Reuters)

The violence spread overnight, starting after a member of the African National Congress was shot dead on Sunday

Protesters burnt vehicles and set tires on fire to barricade roads in South Africa's capital on Tuesday, June 21, after the ANC named a mayoral candidate not nominated by the ruling party's regional branches. The violence spread overnight from the townships and started after a member of the African National Congress (ANC) was shot dead on Sunday, June 19, as factions clashed at a meeting in Pretoria to decide on the candidates for mayor of Tshwane municipality, where Pretoria is located. The ANC then named senior party member and former cabinet minister, Thoko Didiza, as its candidate for Tshwane, saying that it made the decision after wrangling between members at the party's headquarters over who should lead the municipality. According to local media, residents want the incumbent mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa to be allowed to run on the ANC ticket but Ramokgopa has publicly backed Didiza's selection and called for calm. The ANC said its members were not to blame for the violence. Local elections in August pose a major test for the ANC as it gears up for a 2019 presidential vote in the face of a slowing economy and a strong challenge from the opposition (Reuters)

Protesters in Pretoria burn cars, tires after unnominated man becomes mayoral candidate

Actress Amber Heard has given a statement to Los Angeles police accusing estranged husband Johnny Depp of domestic violence, her lawyers said on Tuesday, a week after she filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against Depp. 
 
Heard`s attorneys said in a statement that in an attempt to &quot;protect her privacy and Johnny`s career&quot; the actress initially declined to report to police a May 21 incident between her and Depp that she claimed left her with a bruised eye. 
 
&quot;Johnny`s team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts ...,&quot; Heard`s lawyers Samantha Spector and Joseph P. Koenig said. 
 
&quot;Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny,&quot; they said. 
 
Representatives for Depp did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Liliana Preciado declined to comment, citing privacy. 
 
Depp`s 17-year-old daughter Lily-Rose supported her father on Instagram, posting a photo captioning her father as &quot;the sweetest most loving person I know.&quot; 
 
Heard, 30, said in court papers filed in Los Angeles last week that Depp, 52, had been abusive to her throughout their relationship, culminating in an argument during which he hurled a cell phone at her face and shattered objects in her apartment. 
 
Depp`s lawyer argued in a court document that Heard &quot;is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse.&quot; 
 
Judge Carl H. Moor granted a temporary restraining order requiring Depp to stay at least 100 yards away from Heard and move out of the couple`s shared downtown Los Angeles condominium. A hearing was scheduled for June 17. 
 
Heard, who will star in upcoming superhero ensemble &quot;The Justice League Part One,&quot; said she was seeking $50,000 a month for spousal support. 
 
Depp, one of Hollywood`s leading actors and box office draws, and Heard married in February 2015 after meeting on the set of 2011`s &quot;The Rum Diary.&quot; 
 
Heard`s lawyers said they held off serving Depp with the divorce petition at the Hollywood premiere of his latest film &quot;Alice Through the Looking Glass&quot; last week because the actress wanted to keep it private. 
 
The Disney film failed to perform strongly at U.S. and Canadian box offices this past weekend, grossing $28.1 million, with some critics blaming the poor performance on negative headlines.&nbsp;

Actress Amber Heard has given a statement to Los Angeles police to this effect, a week after she filed for divorce

Actress Amber Heard has given a statement to Los Angeles police accusing estranged husband Johnny Depp of domestic violence, her lawyers said on Tuesday, a week after she filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against Depp. Heard`s attorneys said in a statement that in an attempt to "protect her privacy and Johnny`s career" the actress initially declined to report to police a May 21 incident between her and Depp that she claimed left her with a bruised eye. "Johnny`s team has forced Amber to give a statement to the LAPD to set the record straight as to the true facts ...," Heard`s lawyers Samantha Spector and Joseph P. Koenig said. "Amber has suffered through years of physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Johnny," they said. Representatives for Depp did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Los Angeles Police Department spokeswoman Officer Liliana Preciado declined to comment, citing privacy. Depp`s 17-year-old daughter Lily-Rose supported her father on Instagram, posting a photo captioning her father as "the sweetest most loving person I know." Heard, 30, said in court papers filed in Los Angeles last week that Depp, 52, had been abusive to her throughout their relationship, culminating in an argument during which he hurled a cell phone at her face and shattered objects in her apartment. Depp`s lawyer argued in a court document that Heard "is attempting to secure a premature financial resolution by alleging abuse." Judge Carl H. Moor granted a temporary restraining order requiring Depp to stay at least 100 yards away from Heard and move out of the couple`s shared downtown Los Angeles condominium. A hearing was scheduled for June 17. Heard, who will star in upcoming superhero ensemble "The Justice League Part One," said she was seeking $50,000 a month for spousal support. Depp, one of Hollywood`s leading actors and box office draws, and Heard married in February 2015 after meeting on the set of 2011`s "The Rum Diary." Heard`s lawyers said they held off serving Depp with the divorce petition at the Hollywood premiere of his latest film "Alice Through the Looking Glass" last week because the actress wanted to keep it private. The Disney film failed to perform strongly at U.S. and Canadian box offices this past weekend, grossing $28.1 million, with some critics blaming the poor performance on negative headlines.

Amber Heard accuses Johnny Depp of domestic violence

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