Journalist freed in Mali welcomed in France by Macron

PARIS – French journalist Olivier Dubois, who was held hostage by Islamic extremists for nearly two years in Mali, was welcomed home by French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday, one day after he was released.

Dubois was kidnapped in April 2021

from northern Mali, a region of the country wracked by jihadi violence linked to al-qaida and the Islamic State group.

Leaving the plane at the Villacoublay military airport, southwest of Paris, with a big smile on his face, Dubois was applauded by the group of people waiting for his arrival. He was greeted with great joy by his sister and father, and then hugged Macron.

The conditions of Dubois’ release, including whether it involved a ransom, have not been disclosed.

Reporters Without Borders, also known by its French acronym RSF, thanked French authorities on Monday for “having implemented the necessary means to obtain his release,” without elaborating.

Dubois’ release took place on the same day that an American aid worker was freed in Mali.

Jihadi groups have been abducting hostages for ransom as a way to fund their operations and expand their presence. At least 25 foreigners and untold numbers of locals have been kidnapped in the Sahel – the vast, semi-arid expanse below the Sahara Desert – since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Swedish court OKS activists to sue state over climate policy

STOCKHOLM – A court in Sweden on Tuesday allowed a group of environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, to file a lawsuit against the Swedish state for what they say is insufficient action on the climate.

The youth-led initiative Aurora, which is behind the lawsuit, said on its website that “the Swedish state does not treat the climate crisis as a crisis.”

Last year, more than 600 people under the age of 26 signed a document as the basis for the lawsuit, saying the country has violated its citizens’ human rights with its climate policies. On Nov. 25, hundreds of activists, among them Thunberg holding a sign reading “now we sue the state,” marched through the Swedish capital to the courthouse to file the lawsuit.

The Nacka District Court said the Swedish government has been given three months to submit its response.