Pope: Priest killed by militants is a martyr
VATICAN CITY • Pope Francis said yesterday the French priest knifed to death at his altar by Islamist militants in July was a martyr, and indicated that Father Jacques Hamel was already on the road to sainthood. Pope Francis spoke at a special Mass for pilgrims from the Rouen area of France where two attackers stormed into the church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, forced the 85-year-old Hamel to his knees and slit his throat while they chanted in Arabic.
REUTERS
Man sets Muslim woman's shirt on fire
NEW YORK• Police were on the hunt for a man who set fire to a veiled British woman's clothing in Manhattan, as the American Muslim community faces growing Islamophobia.
The attack took place late on Saturday in front of a luxury boutique on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The British woman, aged 35, said she was walking when she suddenly felt her shirt sleeve on fire.
On Monday, the police released images of the incident caught by surveillance cameras and asked the public to help find the suspect.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
19-year-old charged over terrorist plans
SYDNEY • A 19-year-old man has been charged in connection with planning a terrorist act in Australia, the police said yesterday, after the Prime Minister recently warned the threat of an attack was "real".
Police said the man, who is being held in jail over a separate issue, has been charged with making a document connected with preparation for a terrorist act.
The Sydney Morning Herald said that documents allegedly found in the man's cell included a letter discussing plans to behead people.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
London fostering ties with US, Canada
LONDON • London Mayor Sadiq Khan kicked off a five- day visit to the US and Canada yesterday as he seeks to build ties and reassure investors after Britain voted to leave the European Union.
Mr Khan will meet Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal before travelling to Chicago and New York to promote the UK capital as a centre for business, investment and tourism, his office said in an e-mailed statement.
BLOOMBERG
