EUROPE
JUSTICE – Life for the English nurse who kills newborns London
English nurse Lucy Letby was sentenced on Monday 21 August 2023 to life imprisonment without possible release for the murders of seven newA sentence of exceptional severity to the extent of the dread caused by the crimes of the worst child killer in modern British history.
Lucy Letby, 33, was convicted on Friday in Manchester (north) court of the murder of seven premature infants and six attempted murders in the hospital where she worked. On Monday, she was sentenced to life in prison, a very rare sentence in English law, while questions remain about the real extent of her crimes. You have acted in a manner that is totally contrary to normal human instincts of caring for babies and in flagrant violation of the trust that all citizens place in health professionals,” said Judge James Goss, calling his crimes “cruel, calculated and cynical campaign”. Due to the “exceptional gravity” of the crimes, “you will spend the rest of your life in prison,” the judge added. This woman, “cold, calculating, cruel and tenacious” according to the prosecution, had claimed her innocence throughout her long and trying trial, which began in October 2022. She worked in the intensive care unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital in northwestern England. The murders took place between June 2015 and June 2016. For example, she injected air intravenously into preterm infants, used their naso-gastric tubes to send air or an overdose of milk into their stomach.
Absent
Lucy Letby attacked babies after their parents left, when the nurse in charge was walking away, or at night when she was alone. She then sometimes joined in collective efforts to save newborns, assisting even desperate parents. She wrote cards to grieving parents. At the trial, a mother said she returned to give milk to one of her premature twins in August 2015, heard him scream and found blood around his small mouth. She had been reassured by Lucy Letby. According to the prosecution, the nurse had just pushed medical equipment down the tiny baby’s throat, and had also injected air into him. He died a few hours later. Already absent from court on Friday when she was convicted, Lucy Letby refused to attend her sentencing, broadcast live on British television. This refusal caused frustration and anger among the families of victims, who wanted Lucy Letby to listen to their latest testimonies.
“When we have committed such horrible crimes, it is cowardly not to confront the victims,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday, adding that he plans to legislate that this will not happen again.” At least now there is no debate that, in your own words, you killed them intentionally. “You are evil,” said a bereaved mother on the stand on Monday. These remarks refer to handwritten notes found at Lucy Letby’s house on which she had written: “I am evil, I did it”. On other notes, she claimed her innocence.
Are there any other victims?
Transferred in June 2016 to an administrative service, first arrested in 2018, then in 2019, Lucy Letby had been incarcerated in November 2020. His motives remain unclear despite the ten months of trial. Since Friday, questions have multiplied, including the fact that Lucy Letby was not arrested earlier. According to the British press, doctors issued warnings as early as 2015, but the hospital management did not listen to them or did not act, concerned about the reputation of the institution. Police continue to investigate thousands of files in search of possible additional victims of Lucy Letby. On Sunday evening, The Guardian newspaper reported that police were investigating dozens of “suspicious” incidents, involving 30 babies, at the hospital where she worked.
CULTURE
NINETEENTH FRANCOPHONIE SUMMIT – La Francophonie, un espace d’influence
On 4 and 5 October 2024, France became the world’s cultural epicenter. It hosted the 19th Francophonie Summit, an event that had not been held in France for 33 years. With the theme “Créer, innover, entreprendre en français”, more than a hundred delegations, including several heads of African states, arrived in Villers-Cotterêts and Paris to promote the French language and address major contemporary issues such as politics, the economy, digital and especially culture.
Under the sign of linguistic and cultural diversity
On 4 October, French President Emmanuel Macron, his wife and Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), received several personalities at the Village de la Francophonie at CENTQUATRE-PARIS, from various parts of the world and sharing the French language. It was a unique immersion in the Francophone cultural diversity. More than 30 countries and regions of the world were represented through pavilions, shows and performances, illustrating the creativity and richness of living arts from five continents as well as the vitality and plurality of francophone cultures.
Major diplomatic and political issues
The summit was not only a cultural event. It was also a major political platform, as more than 321 million people around the world share this language. Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Louise Mushikiwabo, opened the event with a fiery speech in Villers-Cotterêts. He highlighted the resilience and reinvention of the French language. “La Francophonie is a space of diplomatic influence that allows us to embrace the challenges of the century,” said the French president, stressing that the French language is a tool for “resistance” and “combat”. True to his style, he used strong language while emphasizing the role of the Francophonie in defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, referring to the conflict in Ukraine and the crises in the Middle East.
Institutions that are stumbling
Founded in 1970, the OIF brings together 88 states and governments and is committed to the promotion of French and international cooperation. This year’s summit sees the addition of two new members, Ghana and Cyprus, strengthening the organization’s global reach. However, the current geopolitical tensions, especially with the Sahelian countries in the grip of coups (Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger), are also at the heart of the discussions. These states, suspended from the OIF’s bodies, were not invited to the event. The summit also addresses crucial issues such as digital regulation. In response to the spread of hate speech online, the OIF launched “l’Appel de Villers-Cotterêts”, a call to digital giants to build a safer and more diverse digital space.
A booming Francophonie
The number of French speakers could grow exponentially, especially in Africa where population is expanding. By 2050, this figure could reach 715 million, placing the Francophonie at the heart of global educational and economic issues. However, this ambition requires a significant investment in French language education and support, especially in developing countries. Although the Francophonie is sometimes criticized for its lack of visibility or limited influence, Louise Mushikiwabo remains optimistic about her ability to “move things forward” despite the challenges.
A memorable international event
The year 2024 is a great year for the Francophonie. After the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day and the reopening of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, these historic moments can be said to reinforce the importance of the French language on the international stage. In order to show that the Francophonie is not limited to the French language, several English-speaking countries, such as Ghana, were invited. In a world resolutely turned towards the use of English, the French language still has good days ahead.
EUROPE
FRANCE – A French national arrested in Niamey
Stéphane Jullien was arrested on Friday, 08 September 2023 in Niamey. This French national has lived in Niger for eighteen years. He is the advisor of the French abroad in the country.
According to RFI, his arrest occurred while he was leaving the French Embassy. The Nigerien security forces found in his vehicle several cases including uniforms in the colors of the Burkina Faso army, says the same source.
Detained at the Niamey Prison
This import-export entrepreneur is held at the Niamey Prison. According to a French diplomatic source, Mr Jullien is accused of “complicity in the attack on the security of the territory”.
His case is managed by the Directorate General of External Security, according to RFI. This structure would be attached to the Nigerien Presidency.
“Our embassy is mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot”
Yesterday Tuesday, September 12, Paris demanded his «immediate release» via a statement made public by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. «Since the first day, our embassy has been fully mobilized to ensure consular protection for our compatriot» assures the Quai d’Orsay.
EUROPE
FRANCE – The government formally bans Abaya at school
The wearing of the abaya will be banned at school in France, announced the Minister of National Education Gabriel Attal, a decision made in the name of secularism and supposed to put an end to the controversies around this traditional long dress worn by some Muslim students. «I decided that we could no longer wear abaya to school,» Gabriel Attal told TF1 on Sunday, August 28, 2023.
The minister, who had since he took office this summer, wished firmness on questions of secularism, had judged that going to school in abaya was «a religious gesture, aiming to test the resistance of the Republic on the secular sanctuary that the School must constitute», promising firmness about it. «You enter a classroom, you must not be able to identify the religion of the students by watching them», he explained Sunday on TF1. The question of this traditional garment is sensitive, the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) believes that the abaya, a long dress covering the female body, is not a Muslim religious sign. Its port is «more ambivalent than a veil» according to Haoues Seniguer, lecturer at the IEP of Lyon and specialist in Islamism.
In France, according to the law of 15 March 2004, «in public schools, colleges and high schools, the wearing of signs or dress by which students ostensibly manifest a religious affiliation is prohibited», a circular specifying these signs «the Islamic veil (..) the kippa or a cross of manifestly excessive dimension». The National Education had already seized the abaya in November, in a circular that considered this garment – like bandanas and long skirts, also cited – as outfits that can be prohibited if they are «worn so as to manifest ostensibly a religious affiliation».
The predecessor of Gabriel Attal, Pap Ndiaye, questioned by the unions of heads of establishment on the increase of the incidents related to these outfits, had however refused to «publish endless catalogues to specify the lengths of dresses».
increased attacks on secularism.
According to a note from the state services, of which AFP has obtained a copy, the attacks on secularism, much more numerous since the assassination in 2020 around his college of Professor Samuel Paty, increased by 120% between the academic year 2021/2022 and 2022/2023. The wearing of signs and clothing, which represents the majority of attacks, increased by more than 150% throughout the last school year.
The minister wanted to pay tribute on Sunday to the heads of schools “who are on the front line on these questions of secularism”, and promised to meet “as early as next week (…) to give them all the keys so that they can enforce this rule”. Bruno Bobkiewicz, Secretary General of the National Union of Management Personnel of the National Education Authority, responded to AFP, “The instruction was not clear now and we welcome it.” “Now that the message is out, it has to be implemented in the institutions (…) the heads of schools must not be alone against the abayas,” he added.
On the opposition side, the decision was applauded on the right, with Eric Ciotti (LR) leading on X (formerly Twitter): «We had repeatedly called for the ban of abayas in our schools. I welcome the decision of the Minister of National Education, who agrees with us.” On the left, however, Clémentine Autain (LFI) was outraged by the «clothing police», judging «unconstitutional» the announcement of Gabriel Attal, «contrary to the founding principles of secularism. Symptomatic of the obsessive rejection of Muslims.
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