A girl, 8, was rescued in Switzerland on Sunday, five days after being kidnapped from her grandmother's French home in a "military-style" operation with the alleged involvement of her mother.
After an intensive search, investigators found the girl, Mia, and her mother, Lola Montemaggi, in a squat inside an abandoned factory in the Swiss municipality of Sainte-Croix, French prosecutors said.
Ms Montemaggi, 28, was arrested along with five others accused of helping her.
Three of the men posed as child welfare officials, with forged identifications, to convince Mia's maternal grandmother to hand her over at their home in the village of Poulieres, near France's border with Switzerland, on Tuesday.
No violence was used in the abduction, but the Public Prosecutor of Nancy, Francois Perain, said it was like a "military operation", with the "extremely well-prepared" kidnappers giving it the codename Operation Lima.
They had walkie-talkies, camping gear, fake licence plates and a budget of €3,000 ($3,590) to cover expenses, the prosecutor said.
The kidnappers were not known to police but were described as sharing a "community of ideas".
"They are against the state and mobilised against what they call a health dictatorship," Mr Perain said.
He said the suspects believed that "children in care are unfairly taken from their parents".
After the kidnapping, three of the men and the mother walked over the French-Swiss border, taking turns to be with the child.
Then a man nicknamed Romeo picked up Mia and Ms Montemaggi in a Porsche and drove them to a Swiss hotel.
They spent a night with a woman who was a "sympathiser of the movement" before arriving in Sainte-Croix.
Five people linked to the kidnapping, aged 23 to 60, were arrested in France between Wednesday and Friday.
Mia is safe and in good health, and a psychologist and social worker would take care of her before she was handed back to her grandmother, the prosecutor said.
But with the story becoming big news in France, intense media pressure meant they would not immediately be reunited in Poulieres, investigators said.
Ms Montemaggi did not resist arrest when Swiss investigators arrived at the abandoned factory in two vans, although Mia screamed, AFP reported.
She was taken into Swiss police custody and was expected to soon be the subject of a European arrest warrant for her extradition to France.
Nearly 200 police officers were part of the search effort.
Her grandparents said her rescue was "a huge relief".
"It is the end of nights of anguish and fear for the life of our little girl, in particular because of the extremist commitments of the kidnappers," they said.
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait this month is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
UAE’s fixtures: Fri Apr 20, UAE v Qatar; Sat Apr 21, UAE v Saudi Arabia; Mon Apr 23, UAE v Bahrain; Tue Apr 24, UAE v Maldives; Thu Apr 26, UAE v Kuwait
World T20 2020 Qualifying process:
- Sixteen teams will play at the World T20 in two years’ time.
- Australia have already qualified as hosts
- Nine places are available to the top nine ranked sides in the ICC’s T20i standings, not including Australia, on Dec 31, 2018.
- The final six teams will be decided by a 14-team World T20 Qualifier.
World T20 standings: 1 Pakistan; 2 Australia; 3 India; 4 New Zealand; 5 England; 6 South Africa; 7 West Indies; 8 Sri Lanka; 9 Afghanistan; 10 Bangladesh; 11 Scotland; 12 Zimbabwe; 13 UAE; 14 Netherlands; 15 Hong Kong; 16 Papua New Guinea; 17 Oman; 18 Ireland
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to vote
Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.
They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi
Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
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