France on Thursday marked the 10th anniversary of the ISIS Bataclan attacks as calls grew for emergency workers caught up in the atrocity to receive compensation.
French judges have, in most cases, refused to grant victim status to firefighters, police officers, paramedics or passers-by who helped people during the terror attacks in Paris, according to support group Galea. The status opens the door to state compensation.
Luc Demompion was a volunteer first aider on the evening that armed gunmen opened fire near the Stade de France and at restaurants in the east of the capital, killing 132 people.
All night, he triaged victims in the 11th arrondissement's city hall, before supporting their families for four days. He described being left with “feelings of failure, powerlessness, guilt”.
Mr Demompion is a member of Galea, a support group that was created in 2015 but also includes first aiders who intervened in other attacks, including the July 2016 in the southern city of Nice. It has about 50 members.
Galea said first aiders suffered “post-traumatic stress” and “invisible wounds”, French media reported before the commemorations.
“We readily present them as ambassadors of courage in the face of barbarity, but 10 years after the wave of attacks for which we needed their strength, we still too often tell them that … they were just doing their job,” the support group says.
On the anniversary, politicians reflected on lessons learnt from the attacks. The Eiffel Tower was illuminated with the colours of the French national flag on Wednesday to honour the victims.
The church bells at Notre Dame and other Paris churches were scheduled to ring on Thursday evening to signal the beginning of the official commemoration ceremony attended by President Emmanuel Macron at a memorial garden in the city centre.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
'Painful but necessary'
A Terrorism Memorial Museum, due to open in 2029, is expected to house around 500 objects linked to the attacks or the victims, most of them donated by the bereaved families.
Francois Hollande, who was president in 2015, said that his five-year term was “marked by terrorist attacks”, in the same manner that “each generation is marked by a crisis, an ordeal, a major event”.
He described commemoration ceremonies as “painful but necessary”. In a live chat with readers of daily newspaper Le Monde, he said: “But they must also serve an educational purpose for a country. What has made us stronger? What troubles us today? How can we maintain trust in institutions, law enforcement, and community life? From this perspective, a ceremony is a political act aimed at [maintaining] unity and harmony.”
Mr Hollande was in the crowd at the Stade de France for a France vs Germany match when the attacks erupted. He was whisked out of the audience before reappearing on national television later that night, describing what had happened as a “horror”.
On Thursday, there will be heavy security deployed around the stadium as it hosts a France vs Ukraine football match, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said.
Mr Nunez warned that the terror threat in France remains high. Six attacks were thwarted in 2025, he said. “Zero risk does not exist; those who say otherwise are lying,” he told BFMTV.
This week, the ex-girlfriend of the only surviving 2015 attacker, Salah Abdeslam, 36, was charged with two other people with allegedly planning a terror attack on French soil.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
