Many survivors of the 2015 Paris terror attacks were left with “compromised” brain functions due to post-traumatic stress disorder, a study has found.
Scientists who measured the brain activity of more than 100 survivors of the November 2015 massacre said many could no longer suppress traumatic memories as well as before. Some people's PTSD improved within three years of the attacks, while others continued to suffer from chronic stress.
MRI scans revealed changes in the brain's memory control circuits. Some survivors of the ISIS attack, in which 130 people were killed, experienced “intrusive memories” during a task in which they were supposed to block images out of their minds.
Those memories typically involve “intense and uncontrollable negative emotions, such as fear and sadness, profound distress, and the sensation that the traumatic event is happening again”, according to the study published on Wednesday by scientists in France and Switzerland.
Parisians witnessed violence spread across the French capital on the night of November 13, 2015, as gunmen opened fire at the Bataclan concert hall and in bars and restaurants. A bomb was also detonated at the Stade de France during Europe's worst terrorist attack in more than a decade.
Salah Abdeslam, the only known surviving gunman, described himself in court as an “ISIS soldier” during a trial which ended in a life sentence on murder and terrorism charges. Nineteen other people were found guilty over preparations for the attack.
Survivors who testified in court gave harrowing accounts of how they “played dead” for hours to avoid being shot by the terrorists. One who suffered permanent injuries told of his struggle with “survivor's guilt” and with images that continued to haunt him from the attack.
A total of 114 survivors took part in the brain study, about half of whom were diagnosed with PTSD and the rest classed as “resilient”. A year after the attacks, members of the first group “exhibited compromised brain dynamics, failing to distinguish between intrusive and non-intrusive conditions”.
Survivors were tested again two years later, by which point about 20 people's post-traumatic stress had gone into remission but more than 30 others were still suffering from chronic PTSD. “Notably, participants with PTSD in remission had a rebalancing of their memory control mechanisms within two years”, scientists said.
All those taking part in the study were French, aged between 18 and 60 and had no history of psychiatric or memory problems. Compared to a control group of people not exposed to the Paris violence they showed an “imbalance” in their ability to control intrusive memories.
The results demonstrate “the major role of the memory control mechanisms to the persistence of traumatic memory in PTSD”, the authors believe. They said their study could pave the way for new treatments to make survivors of traumatic events more resilient.
France separately marked 10 years on Tuesday since the shooting at the offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The gunmen, who claimed to represent Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, said they were taking revenge for cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.
The study, Plasticity of human resilience mechanisms by Giovanne Leone et al, is published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday.
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Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
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2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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