The trial of suspects accused of involvement in the 2015 assault on the Parisian magazine Charlie Hebdo opened on Wednesday as the nation braced for new revelations on a bloody period in its history.
Thirteen men and a woman have been charged in relation to the 2015 attacks against the satirical magazine and a kosher supermarket in Paris, which marked the beginning of a wave of violence by ISIS in Europe.
Seventeen people and all three gunmen died during the three days of attacks in January 2015.
Later that year, another network of French and Belgian fighters for ISIS struck Paris again, killing 130 people in attacks at the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium, and in bars and restaurants.
Those on trial in France’s terrorism court are accused of buying weapons and cars, and helping with logistics. Most say they thought they were helping to plan an ordinary crime.
Three, including the only woman accused, are being tried in their absence after leaving to join ISIS.
Survivors and family members of victims attended the trial's opening, seated opposite the bench of the accused, visibly emotional and wearing face masks because of coronavirus restrictions.
The attacks between January 7 and 9, 2015, started during an editorial meeting at Charlie Hebdo, the offices of which had been unmarked and guarded by police since it published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed years before.
Brothers Cherif and Said Kouachi gunned down 12 people before stealing a car and fleeing. They claimed the attacks in the name of Al Qaeda.
Two days later, on the eve of the Jewish Sabbath, Amedy Coulibaly stormed the Hyper Cacher supermarket, killing four hostages in the name of ISIS as the brothers took control of a printing office outside the French capital.
The attackers died that day during near-simultaneous police raids.
Since 2012, terrorism capitalised on the prevailing delinquency there is around these terrorists
It took days for investigators to realise that Coulibaly was also responsible for the seemingly random death of a young policewoman the previous day.
It took further weeks to unravel the network of petty criminals and neighbourhood friends linking the three attackers.
By then, Coulibaly's wife had left for Syria with the help of two brothers also charged in the case. Most of the 11 who will appear insist their help in the mass killings was unwitting.
“Since 2012, terrorism capitalised on the prevailing delinquency there is around these terrorists," said Samia Maktouf, a lawyer for one of the attack survivors.
“They are not second fiddles, they are full accomplices. You know, when you provide a weapon it’s not to go and party.”
Failure of French intelligence
Despite a global outpouring of support, the attacks were also regarded as a massive intelligence failure.
French authorities ended a phone tap on one of the Kouachi brothers a few months before they stormed the editorial offices.
At least one had trained with Al Qaeda in Yemen and been convicted of an earlier terrorism offence.
The brothers walked away from the carnage they had caused, escaping easily, and drove through several dragnets before being trapped two days later.
“The government failed. If the intelligence services had done their job this would not have happened,” said Isabelle Coutant-Peyre, lawyer for the only person in court facing a life term.
“The victims don't just want a guilty verdict but real justice. The truth must come out. It's not a justice of vengeance but a justice to know.”
Shortly after the trial opened on Wednesday, another lawyer for one of the defendants blamed French intelligence services, saying the bloodbath "could have been avoided if the intelligence and surveillance services had done their jobs properly".
The trial began under tight security, with police checks for anyone entering the main courtroom or the overflow rooms.
At nearby newsstands, the latest issue of Charlie Hebdo appeared, defiantly reprinting the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed cited by the gunmen who killed so many of its editorial staff.
"They died so that you journalists could do your jobs," said Richard Malka, lawyer for Charlie Hebdo. "Let us not be afraid. Not of terrorism, not of freedom."
The only person in the courtroom facing a life sentence is Ali Riza Polat, who is accused of serving as the link between the Kouachi brothers and Coulibaly.
He appears at each stage of planning the attack, the judicial investigation says, organising secure phone lines, checking the prices of explosives and ammunition, and travelling with Coulibaly to Belgium.
Polat was the first among the accused to speak on Wednesday, briefly confirming his name and date of arrest.
Patrick Klugman, a lawyer for the hostages at the supermarket, said he regretted that the outpouring of support for free speech after the Charlie Hebdo killings was not matched by a similar outpouring over the anti-Semitic nature of the attacks.
“I want to discuss a word, a word that has disappeared from this procedure: anti-Semitism," Mr Klugman said.
"When you attack a kosher market, you are hitting people in their daily lives, their culture, their rituals ...
"They knew that on this day, they were hitting Jews at the most sacred, most familial moment of the week.”
He said that without those being charged "there would be no Coulibaly".
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
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- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
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- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
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- 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
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Zayed Sustainability Prize
MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
