The week at a glance ... Europe
Europe
Paris
Fighting back: French Prime Minister François Fillon vowed revenge on al Qaida this week for killing a French hostage in North Africa. Al Qaida’s North African branch said it had killed Michel Germaneau, a 78-year-old engineer, in retaliation for a raid against it by French and Mauritanian forces. Germaneau had been taken hostage in April. “We are at war against al Qaida. France thwarts several attacks every year,” said Fillon, who didn’t specify whether he meant attacks in France or abroad. He said France would redouble its efforts to battle al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, a group that began as an Algerian Islamist militia and formally merged with al Qaida in 2006. The group is based in the desert region that straddles the borders dividing Mauritania, Mali, Algeria, and Niger.
Middelburg, Netherlands
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Girl can sail: A 14-year-old Dutch girl who wants to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world has won a court battle allowing her to attempt the feat. Last fall, a Dutch court placed Laura Dekker under the supervision of child protective services, ruling that her father’s encouragement of her planned voyage made him an unfit parent. A higher court overturned that verdict this week, clearing the way for Dekker to begin outfitting her 26-foot boat, which she has named Guppy. Dekker was born on a yacht, had her own boat by age 6, and began sailing the ocean alone at age 10. To beat the record set just a couple of months ago by Australia’s Jessica Watson, Dekker will have to complete the two-year voyage before she turns 16, in September 2012.
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