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More Than 700 Sentenced To Prison Over French Riots

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More than 700 people have been sentenced to prison over riots in France late last month, the country’s justice minister said Wednesday while lauding the fast-track trials that have alarmed some defence lawyers.

In total, 1,278 verdicts have been handed down, with over 95 per cent of defendants convicted on a range of charges from vandalism, theft, arson or attacking police officers.

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Although minor prison terms can usually be converted into a non-custodial punishment — usually the wearing of an electronic bracelet — around six hundred people have already been jailed, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said.

“It was extremely important to have a response that was firm and systematic,” he told RTL radio. “It was essential that we reestablish national order.”

READ ALSO: France Protesters Defy Bans To Rally Against Police Violence

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The most intense urban violence in France since 2005 began on June 27 after a police officer shot dead a 17-year-old French-Algerian boy during a traffic stop west of Paris, in an incident recorded by a passerby.

The riots were contained after four nights of serious clashes thanks to the deployment of around 45,000 security forces, including elite police special forces and armoured vehicles.

Dupond-Moretti had led calls for courts to hand down harsh sentences as a deterrent, with some staying open over the weekend during the clashes to handle a backlog of cases.

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Many suspects faced immediate appearances under a fast-track system that has raised concerns about the fairness of the judicial process and the heavy sentences for sometimes first offenders.

The average age of the over 3,700 people arrested was just 17, with the minors appearing in separate children’s courts.

READ ALSO: France Riot: What I Expect From Nigerian Youths – Charly Boy

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Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that around 60 per cent of those arrested had no previous criminal record.

Facing widespread shock and anger over the destruction, the government has also encouraged police and prosecutors to investigate people who had used social media such as Snapchat to encourage or organise rioting.

Last week, a 38-year-old man from a suburb of Lyon was sentenced to one year in prison after being found guilty of public incitement of crime with messages on Snapchat.

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Dupond-Moretti said it was important to “remind young people that Snapchat is not a hide-out” and if they use it to organise a crime “we can find them.”

President Emmanuel Macron told a meeting of mayors that it might be necessary in the future to “cut off” social media during major civil unrest, but ministers later said the idea was not under active consideration.

The government has floated the idea of new legislation to enable the state to fine parents whose children take part in the rioting.

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READ ALSO: ‘Our Diversity’ll Bring Prosperity’ – Tinubu Meets Nigerians In France

Existing legislation means parents can already be prosecuted for “compromising the health, security, morality and education of their child” by failing to uphold their legal obligations.

Dupond-Moretti said some parents would be pursued over the riots but on a case-by-case basis.

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“It’s not about punishing the mother who works at night and is bringing up her child on her own,” he said.

Around 23,000 fires were lit during the riots, 273 buildings belonging to the security forces were damaged, along with 168 schools and 105 mayor’s offices, according to a provisional tally from the interior ministry.

Elsewhere, prosecutors in the western city of Lorient said Tuesday they had opened an enquiry into claims that a group of young men, possibly marine commandoes from a nearby military base, helped police detain rioters.

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The number of people sentenced to prison over the latest riots exceeds the number after the 2005 unrest when around 400 people were sent to jail.

AFP

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Again, Russia Claims Another Village In Ukraine’s Region

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The Russian army Monday claimed to have captured another village in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, moving deeper into Ukrainian territory as peace efforts stall.

Russian forces are slowly but steadily gaining ground in costly battles for largely devastated areas in eastern and central Ukraine, normally with few inhabitants or intact buildings left.

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Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had seized the settlement of Zaporizke in the region, which Russian troops recently advanced into for the first time in the three-and-a-half-year offensive.

READ ALSO:Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Kyiv denies that Russian troops have gained a foothold in the Dnipropetrovsk region, an important industrial hub.

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After another push by US President Donald Trump to broker a Ukraine-Russia summit, hopes for peace dimmed when Russia last week ruled out any immediate meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky.

The central region of Dnipropetrovsk has previously been largely spared from fighting that has ravaged swathes of eastern and southern Ukraine, until Russia said its forces broke through in July.

READ ALSO:Russian Politicians Mock European Leaders After White House, Ukraine Talks

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Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five Ukrainian regions — Donetsk, Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Crimea — that Moscow has publicly claimed as Russian territory.

Ukraine said Russia had launched over 100 drones Monday, killing a 37-year old civilian driver and wounding two people in the northeastern Sumy region.

Moscow said Kyiv had launched about two dozen drones targeting western Russia

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US Comedian Reggie Carroll Shot Dead In Mississippi

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A United States comedian, Reginald “Reggie” Carroll, has been shot dead in Southaven, Mississippi.

The 52-year-old Carroll, widely known as the Knockout King of Comedy, was reportedly killed on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

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The Southaven Police Department confirmed the incident in a Facebook statement on Saturday.

“Southaven officers located one male victim suffering from gunshot wounds.

READ ALSO:US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

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The officers and medical personnel provided life saving techniques but the individual succumbed to his injuries,” the statement partly read.

The victim was later identified as Carroll, a Baltimore native.

Police said one suspect was arrested and charged with his murder.

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One male is in custody and has been charged with the murder of Reginald Carroll.

READ ALSO:Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

“Our thoughts are with the family of Mr. Carroll.

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“Thank you to the community for their patience and understanding,” the department added.

The police further assured that there was no ongoing threat to residents, describing the case as “an isolated shooting.”

Carroll, who built his career in stand-up comedy, gained national recognition touring with Katt Williams and headlining his own showcase, Knockout Kings of Comedy.

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READ ALSO:Leader Of UK Christian Group Convicted Of Sexually Abusing Women

He also featured in the 2000 edition of Showtime at the Apollo, appeared on the UPN sitcom The Parkers alongside Mo’Nique and Countess Vaughn, and starred in the 2022 television film Rent & Go.

In 2023, he produced the stand-up special Knockout Kings of Comedy.

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The Southaven Police Department disclosed that an investigation into his death is ongoing.

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US Defends New Social Media Vetting For Nigerian Visa Applicants

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The U.S. Mission in Nigeria on Monday reaffirmed that the safety and security of the United States remain the cornerstone of its visa application and decision-making process.

The US said this following its directive last week that mandates Nigerians to disclose all social media usernames and handles used over the past five years as part of the visa application process.

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US Mission said Nigerian visa applicants must provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form, and warned that omitting the information could lead to visa denials.

READ ALSO:US Ambassador To Paris Slams Macron Over Rising Antisemitism

Reacting to the development, the Federal Government said US citizens intending to visit Nigeria will be subjected to the same measures.

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“The best we can do is to carry out reciprocal action. Some people from the US might want to apply for a visa, and we will adopt the same measures,” spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, said last Monday.

However, in a statement released Monday on X, the US Mission said prospective visa applicants undergo careful vetting to maintain a safe and welcoming environment in the US.

READ ALSO:US Suspends Work Visas For Nigerian, Foreign Truck Drivers

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It said, “The safety and security of the United States is at the heart of every #USVisa application and decision process.

“That’s why prospective applicants undergo careful screening to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for all.”

The Mission added, “These measures help protect American citizens and communities while supporting secure and responsible travel.”

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