Nine people were reported dead on Wednesday in a school shooting in Serbia.
A 13-year-old pupil at Belgrade's Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School is suspected of carrying out the attack.
The boy, identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, was arrested on school grounds, Serbia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said.
The ministry said eight children and a security guard were killed.
Six children as well as a teacher were injured in the attack at the school, it said.
A local official told journalists the guard was killed and the teacher seriously wounded as they tried to protect pupils.
The guard “wanted to prevent the tragedy and he was the first victim”, said Milan Nedeljkovic, president of the local government district in Belgrade.
“Probably the tragedy would be even bigger if the man did not stand in front of the boy who was shooting.”
Belgrade Police Chief Veselin Milic identified the dead pupils as seven girls and one boy, born between 2009 and 2011.
Chief Milic said the gunman had made weeks-long preparations for the attack, including sketching classrooms and making a list of targets.
The motive for the shooting was not clear.
Police at the scene were “intensively working to shed light on all the facts and circumstances that led to this tragedy”, the interior ministry said.
Education Minister Branko Ruzic was quick to blame “the cancerous, pernicious influence of the internet, video games, so-called western values”. Serbia is an aspiring EU member but has various quarrels with the bloc and western powers.
The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell offered “deep condolences to the families and close ones of the victims”.
The assailant called the police himself when the attack was over, though authorities received a call reporting the shooting two minutes earlier, officials said.
Footage on local TV showed a commotion outside the school as police took the suspect, whose head was covered, to a car parked in the street.
There were doubts over whether the boy would be subject to criminal proceedings because of his age.
Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic said the weapons were licensed and kept in a safe but the boy apparently knew the code. His father was also arrested.
Mass shootings are rare in Serbia, which has strict gun laws, but many weapons remain unregistered after the wars and unrest of the 1990s.
Authorities declared three days of nationwide mourning starting on Friday. Schools across Belgrade were closed following the shooting, according to state media.
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Credits
Produced by: Colour Yellow Productions and Eros Now
Director: Mudassar Aziz
Cast: Sonakshi Sinha, Jimmy Sheirgill, Jassi Gill, Piyush Mishra, Diana Penty, Aparshakti Khurrana
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Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
