Students allowed to opt out of exam with image of controversial Charlie Hebdo cover
Some Grade 12 French-immersion students in Manitoba will be allowed to opt out of a take-home provincial exam that included a section showing a controversial image from the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, which printed an offensive caricature of the Prophet Muhammad in 2011.
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Associated Press
35 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Red Cross confirms office closures in Niger and the departure of its foreign staff
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The International Committee of the Red Cross announced the closure of its offices in Niger and the departure of its foreign staff, four months after the ruling junta ordered the organization to leave the country. The ICRC confirmed the closure and departure in a statement on Thursday. 'We reiterate our willingness to maintain constructive dialogue with the authorities of Niger with a view to resuming our strictly humanitarian protection and assistance activities,' Patrick Youssef, the ICRC's regional director for Africa, said in the statement. In February, Niger's Foreign Affairs Ministry had ordered the ICRC to close its offices and leave the country. No official reason was given for the military junta's decision to shut down the organization's operations in the country at the time. The ICRC said it had been in dialogue with Niger's authorities since February to understand the reasons for their decision and provide any necessary clarification but that these efforts were unsuccessful. On May 31, Niger's junta leader, Abdourahamane Tchiani, justified the ICRC expulsion on Nigerien state television, accusing the organization of having met with 'terrorist leaders' and funding armed groups. The ICRC refuted the accusations in its statement on Thursday, saying that dialogue with all sides in the conflict is necessary to carry out its humanitarian mandate and that it 'never provides financial, logistical, or any other form of support' to armed groups. The humanitarian organization had been active in the West African country since 1990, mainly helping people displaced by violence by Islamic extremists, food insecurity and natural disasters. According to the organization, it provided humanitarian aid to more than 2 million people in Niger. Niger's military rulers took power in a coup two years ago, the latest of several military takeovers in Africa's Sahel, the vast, arid expanse south of the Sahara Desert that has become a hotspot for extremist violence by militant groups. Since the coup, Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, such as France and the United States, turning instead to Russia for security. Last November, the country's military junta banned the French aid group Acted from working in the country amid tensions with France.
Axios
36 minutes ago
- Axios
Haitian is the third-most-spoken language in Florida, after English and Spanish
Haitian, Portuguese and French are the three most commonly spoken languages in Florida other than English and Spanish, per new census data. Why it matters: Florida has the largest Haitian population in the nation, most of whom lawfully live and work in the state. But the community's been saddled with uncertainty since President Trump took office. He rolled back protections for Haitian migrants in February and this week issued a ban against all travelers and immigrants from Haiti. The big picture: The myriad languages spoken nationwide reflect both the settlement and colonization of centuries long past, as well as more modern immigration patterns. While Spanish is far and away the predominant non-English language nationwide, with about 41.2 million speakers, putting it aside offers insight into other groups and population centers around the country. By the numbers: About 426,000 people in Florida speak Haitian, 139,000 speak Portuguese, and 103,000 speak French, per U.S. Census Bureau survey data. That's for languages spoken at home during the 2017-2021 period among people 5 years and older. Between the lines: Many multilingual people speak one language at home with family but use English at work, school and elsewhere.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
French grandmother files 'genocide' complaint over Gaza killings
The grandmother of two children with French nationality killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza has filed a legal complaint in Paris, accusing Israel of "genocide" and "murder", her lawyer said Friday. Jacqueline Rivault filed her complaint with the "crimes against humanity" section of the Court of Paris, lawyer Arie Alimi said. Rivault hopes the fact her daughter's children, aged six and nine, were French citizens means the country's judiciary will decide it has jurisdiction to designate a magistrate to investigate the allegations. Rights groups, lawyers and some Israeli historians have described the Gaza war as "genocide". But Israel, created in the aftermath of the Nazi Holocaust of Jews during World War II, vehemently rejects the explosive term. The complaint states that "two F16 missiles fired by the Israeli army" killed Janna, six, and Abderrahim Abudaher, nine, in northern Gaza on October 24, 2023. They and their family had sought refuge in another home "between Faluja and Beit Lahia" after leaving their own two days earlier due to heavy bombardment, the 48-page document stated. One missile entered "through the roof and the second directly into the room where the family was", it said. Abderrahim was killed instantly, while his sister Janna died shortly after being taken to hospital. The complaint argues the "genocide" allegation is based on the air strike being part of a larger Israeli project to "eliminate the Palestinian population and submit it to living conditions of a nature to entail the destruction of their group". Though formally against unnamed parties, the complaint explicitly targets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli government and the military. - Mother convicted - The children's brother Omar was severely wounded but still lives in Gaza with their mother, identified as Yasmine Z., the complaint said. A French court in 2019 convicted Yasmine Z. in absentia of having funded a "terrorist" group over distributing money in Gaza to members of Palestinian militant groups Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Militants abducted 251 hostages, 55 of whom remain in Gaza, including 32 the Israeli military says are dead. Israel's retaliatory offensive in Hamas-run Gaza has killed 54,677 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry there, figures the United Nations deems reliable. No court has so far ruled the ongoing conflict is a genocide. But in rulings in January, March and May 2024, the International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest judicial organ, told Israel to do everything possible to "prevent" acts of genocide during its military operations in Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued arrests against Netanyahu and ex-defence minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. It also issued an arrest warrant for Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the October 7 attack, but the case against him was dropped in February after confirmation Israel had killed him. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan initially sought warrants against Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Ismail Haniyeh as well, but dropped those applications after their deaths in Israeli attacks. gd/ah/sjw/jhb
