World Briefs


 

 

Christian groups fight Scottish law giving every kid a government guardian

(WNS)–Christian and family groups in Scotland are making a last ditch effort to stop implementation of a new law that would assign a state guardian to every child in Scotland. While supporters claim the comprehensive legislation will streamline child welfare agency processes, opponents argue the plan to appoint a government-employed “named person” for every child violates human rights and infringes on privacy. “[The law is] an insult to the fundamental human rights of mums and dads to bring up their children the way they see fit,” said Colin Hart, director of The Christian Institute, one of the plaintiffs in the case. He added that there is no way for parents to opt-out or be the named person for their own child. The law, approved in 2014 and set to go into effect in August, assigns a guardian—a teacher, nurse, midwife, social worker, or other government-employed person—to monitor the “wellbeing” of every Scottish child from birth to age 18.

Migrants clash with police in Macedonia as France clears Calais camp

(WNS)–Iraqi and Syrian migrants stuck in Greece clashed with Macedonian police on Feb. 29 as they attempted to storm the border between the two countries. Police used tear gas and stun guns to beat back the desperate migrants, who chanted “Open the border!” and “We want to go to Serbia!” About 6,500 migrants have gathered at the Idomeni crossing, but Macedonian officials have allowed only a trickle through so far. The standoff at Idomeni is just the latest battle in the migrant crisis that threatens to tear Europe apart. In France, refugees amassed in coastal towns, hoping for a chance to sneak across the English Channel, are growing increasingly desperate. A French court last week ruled officials can evict migrants and refugees from parts of “the Jungle,” a shantytown outside Calais. But mindful of the explosive situation, authorities are moving cautiously and said they will not raze the entire camp, Reuters reported

Fugitive Paris attacker arrested in Brussels

(WNS)–Police in Belgium captured one of the men responsible for the November terror attack in Paris during a raid March 18 on an apartment in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek. Salah Abdeslam, a Belgian national, has been on the run for about four months. He is one of three involved in the Paris attack who escaped being killed or captured. In the days after the attack, Abdeslam slipped through a police dragnet, crossing the border from France to Belgium. Although officials quickly realized their mistake, they could find no sign of him. During his arrest, Abdeslam was shot in the leg. Officials have not released any other information about his condition.




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