Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

France's Charlie Hebdo sells out with Mohammed cartoons reprint

FRENCH satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the target of a jihadist attack in 2015, has said that its latest edition reprinting controversial caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed had sold out in just one day.

Wednesday's (2) issue featured a dozen cartoons mocking the prophet of Islam, including images that sparked huge protests when first published, to mark the start of the trial this week of alleged accomplices to the massacre.


Charlie Hebdo distributed three times its normal print run on Wednesday, but eager readers pounced on the paper and many intending to grab their copy later in the day were left frustrated.

A new batch of 200,000 copies is currently being printed and will hit French newsstands from Saturday(5).

"It shows that we are supported, that freedom of expression, secularism and the right to blasphemy are not obsolete values, and that they are supported by the French public who chose to buy the issue," a Charlie cartoonist who goes by the pen name "Juin" said.

Twelve people, including some of France's most celebrated cartoonists, were killed on January 7, 2015, when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi went on a gun rampage at the paper's offices in Paris.

"We will never lie down. We will never give up," director Laurent "Riss" Sourisseau wrote in an accompanying editorial to Wednesday’s issue, which was headlined: "All of this, just for that."

The decision to reprint the cartoons sparked angry condemnations from Pakistan, Iran and Turkey as well as Egypt's highest Muslim authority Al-Azhar.

On Friday (4), thousands rallied in anti-France demonstrations across Pakistan, with protestors calling for boycotts and the French ambassador's expulsion.

But Charlie Hebdo defended its decision in the editorial, arguing that republishing the cartoons was "essential."

"We worked on the principle that some people don't know the cartoons, some weren't even born when they were published by Charlie in 2006, and they need to understand why the attacks happened," Juin said.

"The right to blasphemy and freedom of speech exist if we use it. For us, it was justifiable to reprint the cartoons because it shows that these rights still exist and allows us to defend them," he added.

More For You

Vijay-Mallya-Getty

Vijay Mallya, accused of loan defaults of over about £756 million, has been living in the UK and is contesting extradition. (Photo: Getty Images)

UK team inspects Delhi jail as India pursues extradition of fugitives

INDIA’s efforts to secure the extradition of high-profile economic offenders from the United Kingdom, including Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, have moved forward with a recent visit by a team from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to Tihar Jail in Delhi, an official said on Sunday (September 7).

The CPS delegation visited the prison last week to review jail conditions as required by UK courts before deciding on extradition requests, the official said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Shabana Mahmood

The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.

Getty Images

Shabana Mahmood warns of visa cuts for countries refusing to take back migrants

Highlights:

  • Mahmood warns countries refusing to take back migrants could face visa suspensions
  • More than 1,000 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats over the weekend
  • Mahmood hosted Five Eyes ministers from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in London
  • Home secretary says border security will be her main focus after Cabinet reshuffle
  • NEWLY-APPOINTED home secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday (September 8) outlined a tougher approach on immigration, warning that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa suspensions.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    migrants cross Channel

    Migrants wade into the sea to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France.(Photo: Getty Images)

    Over 1,000 migrants cross Channel on Shabana Mahmood’s first day as home secretary

    MORE than 1,000 migrants arrived on small boats across the Channel on Shabana Mahmood’s first full day as home secretary, taking total arrivals this year past 30,000.

    The Home Office said 1,097 migrants crossed on Saturday after nine days without any arrivals. It was the second-highest daily total this year, after 1,195 on May 31. Crossings have now reached 30,100 — 37 per cent higher than at this point in 2023 and 8 per cent higher than 2022, the record year.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    Nepal protests

    Demonstrators gather at the entrance of the parliament during a protest against corruption and government’s decision to block several social media platforms, in Kathmandu, Nepal September 8, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)

    Protests erupt in Nepal over social media shutdown, corruption allegations

    Highlights:

    • Thousands of young Nepalis march in Kathmandu against social media ban and corruption
    • Government blocks 26 unregistered platforms, citing fake news and fraud concerns
    • Police use tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse protesters
    • Critics accuse government of authoritarianism and failure to deliver on promises

    THOUSANDS of young Nepalis marched in Kathmandu on Monday demanding that the government lift its ban on social media platforms and address corruption.

    Keep ReadingShow less
    English Channel

    People try to board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Government plans to use military sites for migrant housing

    THE UK government said on Sunday it is examining the use of military sites to house migrants, amid growing criticism over the practice of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.

    "We are looking at the potential use of military and non-military use sites for temporary accommodation for the people who come across on these small boats," defence secretary John Healey told Sky News.

    Keep ReadingShow less