LONDON: A woman appeared in a London court Thursday accused of helping in the genital mutilation of a four-year-old girl, a common but risky practice in parts of Africa, the Mideast and Asia
Amina Noor, 39, who required a Somali interpreter, pleaded not guilty to an offense dating back 16 years to when the alleged victim was aged just four.
Noor, from Harrow in northwest London, faces a single charge of assisting a non-UK resident to mutilate female genitalia while abroad.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is now aged 20 and a British citizen.
A trial will take place in October, the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey in central London was told.
The practice is common in some African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries and involves the partial or total removal of a young girl’s clitoris and labia.
The procedure — also known as “female circumcision,” often under unsterile conditions — can lead to severe complications.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to the practice.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is illegal in the UK and many other nations. It is also a criminal offense for UK nationals or permanent residents to perform or help to perform it overseas.
The maximum penalty is 14 years in prison.
Woman faces UK trial for genital mutilation of girl, 4
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Woman faces UK trial for genital mutilation of girl, 4
- The practice is common in some African, Middle Eastern and Asian countries and involves the partial or total removal of a young girl’s clitoris and labia
- More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been subjected to the practice: WHO
Trump discussing how to acquire Greenland; US military always an option, White House says
- Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States
- Strong statements in support of Greenland from NATO leaders have not deterred Trump
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and his team are discussing options for acquiring Greenland and the use of the US military in furtherance of the goal is “always an option,” the White House said on Tuesday.
Trump’s ambition of acquiring Greenland as a strategic US hub in the Arctic, where there is growing interest from Russia and China, has been revived in recent days in the wake of the US arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.
The White House said in a statement in response to queries from Reuters that Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to “deter our adversaries in the Arctic region.”
“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,” the White House said.
A senior US official said discussions about ways to acquire Greenland are active in the Oval Office and that advisers are discussing a variety of options.
Strong statements in support of Greenland from NATO leaders have not deterred Trump, the official said.
“It’s not going away,” the official said about the president’s drive to acquire Greenland during his remaining three years in office.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said options include the outright US purchase of Greenland or forming a Compact of Free Association with the territory. A COFA agreement would stop short of Trump’s ambition to make the island of 57,000 people a part of the US.
A potential purchase price was not provided.
“Diplomacy is always the president’s first option with anything, and dealmaking. He loves deals. So if a good deal can be struck to acquire Greenland, that would definitely be his first instinct,” the official said.
Administration officials argue the island is crucial to the US due to its deposits of minerals with important high-tech and military applications. These resources remain untapped due to labor shortages, scarce infrastructure and other challenges.
Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people.
