French prisoner, serving multiple sentences, escapes jail in cellmate's bag
A CNN report quoting director of France's prison administration, Sébastien Cauwel, stated on Sunday that the man took advantage of the release of his cellmate to escape from the Corbas prison near Lyon, a city in France's southeast.
Cauwel said that prison officials noted on Saturday that the man had escaped and informed that an investigation had been ordered while acknowledging an 'accumulation of errors'.
Pointing out that Corbas prison is overcrowded, Cauwel said 'This is an extremely rare event that we have never seen in this administration and which clearly shows a whole series of serious failures,' CNN reported.
The 20-year-old man, who escaped the prison, was serving multiple sentences and was under investigation in a case linked to organised crime. The prison officials believe he escaped the jail on Friday, allegedly in the bag of his inmate who was released.
French media reported that a judicial investigation has been ordered into possible 'escape as part of an organised gang and criminal conspiracy.' In June, Lyon Bar Association had expressed concern about overcrowding at the Lyon-Corbas prison.
A report by BFMTV stated that till May 2025, about 1,200 people have been detained in Corbas jail which has a capacity for 678 places.
In 2024, another prisoner escaped the jail in France when he was being transported to prison and gunmen ambushed the convoy in the northern region of Normandy.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- First Post
How efforts to delay Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen unfolded
Nimisha Priya, the Indian nurse on a death sentence in Yemen for her business partner's murder, will not be executed tomorrow (July 16). Hectic parleys were on to delay the sentencing. The top Sunni Muslim cleric, also known as the Grand Mufti, reached out to the victim's family to accept the blood money. The Indian government established informal communication to delay the execution read more Nimisha Priya, the Kerala nurse on death row in Yemen, will not be executed on July 16, say counsel said, according to reports. Image courtesy: Save Nimisha Priya Action council/CNN Lodged in the central prison of Yemen's Sana'a, Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya has a reason to hope. She will not be executed tomorrow (July 16), her counsel has said. The execution was reportedly halted by the authorities in Yemen, sources told CNN-News18. However, the fresh date for her execution was not immediately known. The 38-year-old is facing a death sentence for murdering a Yemeni citizen and her business partner, Talal Abdo Mehdi, in 2017. Back in India, efforts are on at various levels to save Nimisha Priya from the gallows. The latest to step in is the Grand Mufti – top Sunni leader Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD There is only one legal route to save the 38-year-old Malayali nurse: To convince the victim's family to accept blood money. Under the Sharia law, which governs Yemen, this legally sanctioned financial compensation to the family of the murder victim is a valid alternative to capital punishment. However, it has to be accepted by the kin. Here's everything that is being done in India to help Nimisha Priya secure a lifeline. Influential Sunni cleric, Yemen scholar part of negotiations The Grand Mufti joined efforts to convince Mehdi's kin to accept the blood money. Nimisha Priya's lawyer, Subhash Chandran, said that efforts are ongoing to save the nurse's life through the intervention of the influential Sunni cleric. Through Musliyar, also known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad, they have reached out to a family member and some local and religious leaders in Yemen. 'We are trying our best so that the family accepts the blood money and the Kerala nurse is spared from death row,' Chandran told The New Indian Express (TNIE). Those close to the negotiations said that the Grand Mufti had stepped in personally and was making efforts to open a channel of negotiation. He held talks with religious authorities in Yemen who are in touch with the victim's family, the report said. Influential Sunni Muslim cleric Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar has joined the negotiations to save Nimisha Priya. Musliara also reached out to Mehdi's brother through a prominent Yemeni Islamic scholar in a last-ditch effort to save Nimisha Priya. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A negotiation team was working around the clock, knowing that the execution date was fast approaching. An office was opened at Musliyar's headquarters in Kerala to coordinate the process. Following Musaliyar's intervention, under Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Umar bin Hafiz's leadership, discussions are being held in Yemen with the family of the deceased. A Yemeni Supreme Court judge is also part of these talks, say sources. The latest round of talks was held on Monday night, say reports. All the efforts were focused on delaying the execution date. A source told The Indian Express that community leaders, two Yemeni citizens associated with the India mission and a negotiator, Samuel Jerome Bhaskaran, were involved in the discussions. A trust that earlier helped save Abdul Rahim, a Kerala native who was freed from Saudi jail in 2006 by offering blood money, has reportedly offered a Rs 11 crore fund for Nimisha Priya, according to Onmanorama. Nimisha Priya is facing a death sentence for murdering her Yemeni business partner in 2017 The Indian govt opens 'unofficial channels' The matter came up for hearing in the Supreme Court on Monday. The plea was filed by Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council, an organisation fighting to save the nurse's life. The Centre told the top court that the blood money settlement was the only option to save the Kerala nurse. However, Attorney General of India (AGI) R Venkataram added that the government has limited ability to intervene because of the lack of diplomatic leverage. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD India does not have formal diplomatic relations with the Houthis, the rebel group which controls parts of Yemen, including the capital Sana'a where Nimisha Priya is a convict. The AGI informed the apex court that the government was in touch with Yemeni authorities, including the public prosecutor, and was trying to delay the nurse's execution. The Indian government has also opened unofficial channels. The government lawyer said India reached out to 'an influential sheikh' in Yemen to persuade the authorities there. 'We got an informal communication that the execution would be put in abeyance, but we don't know if it will work out,' the AGI added. Advocate Subhash Chandran KR, representing nurse Nimisha Priya, addresses the media in New Delhi. He said that efforts were first focused on delaying the execution. File photo/PTI Kerala CM writes to PM Modi Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan sent a letter to PM Narendra Modi on Sunday (July 13), urging him to intervene and take steps to release Nimisha Priya. 'It is learnt from the media that the execution of Nimisha Priya has been fixed for July 16, 2025. Considering the fact that this is a case deserving sympathy, I appeal to the Prime Minister to take up the matter and intervene with the authorities concerned to save the life of Nimisha Priya,' the letter said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The CM also attached a letter sent to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in March, requesting him to give directions to the Indian embassy to intervene in the matter. Last week, Kerala MPs K Radhakrishnan and John Brittas also urged the Centre to step in with urgent diplomatic intervention. Desperate efforts by Nimisha Priya's family Nimisha Priya's husband, Tomy Thomas, met the Kerala Governor on July 14. He was accompanied by Congress MP Chandy Oommen, who facilitated the meeting with Governor Rajendra Arlekar in Thiruvananthapuram. Thomas told India Today TV, 'The Governor has taken the issue seriously. He has promised me that he will inform the central government about it. He has spoken to them. Chandy Oommen and his mother (former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy's wife) also met the Governor. Nimisha's mother wanted to speak to him. So we called her on video and he asked her to stay strong. He has promised all help.' Nimisha Priya's mother has been in Yemen since last year. She told The Indian Express, 'I met my daughter in jail last month. She is suffering in silence.' The nurse's family made a last-ditch plea for clemency by offering $1 million (approximately Rs 8.6 crore) as blood money to the victim's family. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The case against Nimisha Priya Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Kollengode in Kerala's Palakkad district, moved to Yemen in 2008. She was working at hospitals before starting her clinic with the help of Mehdi. However, she was accused of killing him in 2017. The nurse allegedly faced physical, mental and financial abuse, which led to the murder. A trial court in Yemen awarded Nimisha Priya a death sentence, which was upheld by the country's Supreme Court. Last year, Yemen's President Rashad al-Alimi approved the death sentence for Nimisha Priya. The order has been with the prosecutor since January this year. It remains to be seen if Nimisha Priya can be saved from the gallows. But today is a small victory for all those who have been working tirelessly for the nurse. With inputs from agencies
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Kerala Nurse Nimisha Priya's Execution In Yemen Put On Hold, Her Counsel Says
Indian nurse Nimisha Priya's execution in Yemen, scheduled for July 16, has been halted, her counsel confirmed. Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, on death row in Yemen, will not be executed on July 16, her counsel has said. However, the fresh date for her execution was not immediately known. Sources told CNN-News18 that the Kerala nurse's execution was halted by the authorities in Yemen. The government of India, which has, since the beginning of the case, been rendering all possible assistance in the matter, has made concerted efforts in recent days to seek more time for the family of Nimisha Priya to reach a mutually agreeable solution with the other party. Indian officials have also been in regular touch with the local jail authorities and the prosecutor's office in Yemen. Nimisha Priya, a nurse from Palakkad district in Kerala, is on the death row for the murder of Mahdi, her Yemeni business partner. She was sentenced to death in 2020, and her final appeal was rejected in 2023. She is currently imprisoned in a jail in Sanaa, the capital of Yemen. Earlier today, news agency PTI quoted sources and stated that last-minute efforts to halt Nimisha Priya's execution were underway, under the leadership of a Sufi scholar there, at the behest of influential Sunni Muslim leader Kanthapuram AP Aboobacker Musliyar. A meeting between representatives of prominent scholar and Sufi leader Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, and the family of Talal Abdo Mahdi – the Yemeni national allegedly killed by Nimisha Priya in 2017, was is expected to be held at Dhamar on Tuesday, it mentioned. The development follows after the 94-year-old Musliyar, who is officially known as Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad and holds the title of Grand Mufti of India, held talks with religious authorities in Yemen. Kanthapuram's office told PTI that a close relative of the deceased Talal, who is also the Chief Justice of the Hodeidah State Court and a member of the Yemeni Shura Council, had arrived in Dhamar, Talal's hometown, to take part in today's talks, following the advice of Sheikh Habib Umar. On Monday, the Centre had informed the Supreme Court that the government could do 'nothing much" in the case. Attorney General R Venkataramani had informed a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that the government was doing 'utmost possible". 'The Government of India is trying its best," Venkataramani said, 'and has also engaged with some sheikhs who are very influential people there." view comments First Published: July 15, 2025, 13:46 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
Pakistan's New Punjab Blueprint: Golden Temple At The Heart Of ISI's Hybrid War Plan
Intelligence inputs accessed on July 14, 2025, reveal a renewed push to use the sacred site as both a shield and a trigger. A sinister new blueprint by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), accessed by CNN-News18, aims to destabilise Punjab using a hybrid warfare model that mixes terrorism, psychological operations, digital propaganda, and religious manipulation. Intelligence agencies have confirmed that ISI is reviving tactics reminiscent of the 1980s insurgency period — this time with advanced tools and global collaboration — to trigger unrest centered around the Golden Temple. Golden Temple: Symbol, Shield, and Target The core of the new operational blueprint is the tactical and symbolic exploitation of the Golden Temple. Intelligence inputs accessed on July 14, 2025, reveal a renewed push to use the sacred site as both a shield and a trigger. The recent bomb threat email received by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), referencing RDX, points to coordinated efforts by ISI-backed groups to provoke mass outrage through calculated targeting of religious sensitivities. Officials warn that any miscalculated action near the shrine could lead to a nationwide standoff, comparable to the events of 1984. The Golden Temple's sanctity makes it difficult to fully police, thereby creating security blind spots that ISI intends to exploit for arms dumps, propaganda filming, and sheltering operatives. The convergence of religious emotion, political symbolism, and lack of surveillance provides ISI with a potent recipe for unrest. Tech, Terror, and Trauma: Tools of Psychological Warfare Social media platforms, encrypted messaging apps such as Threema and Element, and diaspora-driven campaigns are being weaponised to incite separatist sentiment. Unofficial Khalistan referendums have been inflated with false participation claims — 127,000 in San Francisco, 55,000 in Calgary, and 37,000 in New Zealand — used not only for propaganda but also as fundraising tools through NGO fronts. Gangster-Terror Nexus and Cross-Border Logistics Pakistan's strategy leans heavily on the deepening nexus between gangsters and Khalistani terror outfits. Operatives like Goldy Brar have claimed responsibility for killings in Russia and California, showcasing a chilling international reach. The assassination attempt on Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Badal near the Golden Temple by Chaura, a Pakistan-trained Babbar Khalsa terrorist, is another example of targeted violence backed by decades-old terror linkages. Drone incursions continue to be a critical conduit for cross-border smuggling. In 2024 alone, Punjab recorded 286 such instances involving AK rifles, heroin, IEDs, and even satellite phones. Border districts like Tarn Taran and Ferozepur have emerged as key nodes for these operations. Digital Insurgency and Diaspora Involvement Key figures like Gurpatwant Singh Pannun have escalated their rhetoric, threatening events such as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas and invoking terror tactics similar to Hamas. From prison, Amritpal Singh has announced the launch of a political party, pledging to declare Khalistan within a year if elected — further blurring the lines between secessionist ideology and democratic posturing. The use of psychological tactics is relentless. The 19 fake threats to Air India in three days during 2024, later traced to SFJ's digital disruption campaigns, underscore the new era of 'keyboard insurgency." Posters glorifying Bhindranwale, calls for embassy attacks, and AI-generated narratives about injustice against Sikhs continue to flood diaspora and domestic spaces. Crackdown and Countermeasures Indian agencies have responded with intensified crackdowns. In 2024, 66 terrorists were arrested, 12 active modules were neutralised, and 1,099 kg of heroin was seized. The NIA blocked over 7,500 radical URLs, seized Rs 73 crore from terror-linked scams, and invoked the UAPA to target SFJ operatives' digital and financial assets. Courts have denied bail in key cases, signalling a firm judicial stance. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
