The move by the UN committee on disabled rights was the latest twist in a long-running legal drama that has ignited a heated debate in France on the right to die.

The case centres on the fate of Vincent Lambert who suffered severe brain damage after a car accident in 2008 which left him a quadriplegic. Since then, he has been kept alive through artificial nutrition and hydration at a hospital in Reims, northeastern France.

In 2014, the doctors, backed by Lambert’s wife Rachel, five of his siblings and his nephew Francois decided to stop his nutrition and hydration in line with France’s passive euthanasia law.

But his parents, deeply-devout Catholics, and his half-brother and sister obtained a court order to halt the move on grounds his condition might improve with better treatment.

Speaking to AFP late Saturday, Jerome Triomphe, a lawyer for Lambert’s parents, said the UN committee had asked France to suspend a decision to halt the intravenous food and water keeping him alive while it conducts its own investigation.

“The application has been filed and this international committee has begun its investigation,” he said, indicating it could take “several years”.

With the inquiry under way, the committee had asked France to ensure that Lambert’s care was continued, in line with the conventions on disabled rights, Triomphe said.

In response, Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said although France would answer the UN committee, it was not under any legal requirement to abide by its request.

“We are not legally bound by this committee, but of course we will take into account what the UN says, and we will respond,” she told BFMTV on Sunday.

“All the legal appeals have been exhausted and all judicial bodies, both national and European, confirm that the medical team in charge of his case has the right to halt (Lambert’s) care.”

– Palliative care or specialised unit? –

“This is a great accomplishment: finally, a specialised body will be able to consider the merits of the case,” Triomphe said.

“Is it right for him to be in a palliative care service… or should he be in a specialised unit?”

Since the legal battle first began, the French courts have largely backed the doctors, upholding a decision earlier this year to withdraw life support for Lambert, a former psychiatric nurse who is now 42.

His parents then appealed to the Council of State, France’s highest administrative court, and when it confirmed the decision late last month, they then turned to the European Court of Human Rights and the UN committee on disabled rights.

In a ruling issued on Tuesday, the European court rejected their appeal for a suspension, echoing a 2015 decision. But it was accepted by the UN committee, which has given France six months to present its observations on the case.

Gerard Chemla, lawyer for Lambert’s nephew Francois, described the latest twist as “appalling”, telling AFP the UN committee’s intervention “in the name of human rights, would violate the rights of a man who has been suffering gratuitously for years”.

Active euthanasia, by which a person deliberately causes a patient’s death, is illegal in France despite recent efforts to ease legislation dealing with the terminally ill.

The small turnout for the Saturday marches — with participants in the hundreds, not the thousands — is another setback for opposition leader Juan Guaido, following a failed military uprising earlier in the week.

Maduro on Saturday instructed the military “to be ready to defend the homeland with weapons in your hands if one day the US empire dares to touch this territory, this sacred earth.”

Underscoring the continued military support for his socialist regime, Maduro delivered his televised address from a base in northwestern Cojedes state — where he appeared alongside his defense minister, Vladimir Padrino, and in the presence of more than 5,000 troops.

The United States has refused to take the threat of military action off the table in its push to oust Maduro — although it so far has limited its campaign to ramping up sanctions.

AFP / Juan BARRETOA woman demonstrates in front of a line of riot police outside the Venezuelan Navy command headquarters in Caracas on May 4, 2019

Guaido’s cause gained renewed support on Saturday from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who issued a video address to the Venezuelan people, telling them: “The time for transition is now.”

“You can hold your institutions, your military and their leaders to the highest standards and demand a return to democracy,” Pompeo said in the message. “The United States stands firmly with you in your quest.”

National Assembly head Guaido, 35, has branded Maduro a usurper over his controversial re-election last year, and in January declared himself acting president, plunging Venezuela into a political crisis that deepened its already grave economic woes.

But Maduro has held firm, bolstered by the continued support of the powerful armed forces.

“I told the generals and admirals yesterday: loyalty, I want an active loyalty… I trust you, but keep your eyes open, a handful of traitors cannot tarnish the honor, the unity, the cohesion and the image of the armed forces,” the president said in his speech from the military base.

– ‘No confrontation or provocation’ –

On Twitter, Guaido — recognized by more than 50 countries as Venezuela’s interim president — urged his supporters to “mobilize in a civil and peaceful way” to their nearest military base, to persuade the armed forces to abandon Maduro and back a transitional government.

AFP / YURI CORTEZA man with his body painted in the Venezuelan national flag’s colors demonstrates in front of riot police near La Carlota Air Base in Caracas on May 4, 2019

In Barquisimeto in the northeast, the National Guard pushed back marchers with tear gas.

“The goal is to carry our message without falling into confrontation or provocation,” added Guaido.

This protest came days after Guaido tried to incite a military insurrection that fizzled out, with a group of 25 rebel soldiers seeking refuge in the Brazilian embassy in Caracas.

The effort triggered two days of clashes between opposition supporters and government forces that left four people dead and hundreds injured.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Guaido appeared to admit that he had overplayed his hand with the failed military uprising, saying that “we still need more soldiers to support it, to back the constitution.”

– ‘Something bigger’ will happen –

“I don’t think this will produce a military breakdown, but it will contribute to something bigger happening soon,” Marcos Rodriguez, a 24-year-old lawyer, told AFP outside La Carlota air base, the scene of Tuesday’s uprising.

GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File / ALEX WONGUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a direct appeal to the Venezuelan people, urging them to drive President Nicolas Maduro from power and telling them “the time for transition is now”

Small groups of protesters marched on four military bases in Caracas.

In Barquisimeto, a group of women unsuccessfully attempted to pass on to National Guard troops a document containing Guaido’s proclamation to the military to abandon Maduro.

“We’re asking the armed forces to help us end the usurpation and join the people,” unemployed 53-year-old Dina Alonso told AFP.

Jose Aparicio, a 67-year-old lawyer who said he had been to several events organized by Guaido, said that he would “continue to protest in the street until the end.”

Tensions in Venezuela have soared since Guaido invoked the constitution to declare himself acting president.

As major world powers have been drawn in, the US has thrown its support behind Guaido and Russia and China have backed Maduro.

Cuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel, a regional ally of Venezuela’s, said on Twitter he had spoken to Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and “stressed the need for dialogue with President Maduro and respect for Venezuela’s sovereignty and international rights without threats or outside intervention.”

While the United States insists Maduro’s days are numbered, experts say its options are limited and that Washington may have overestimated Guaido’s strength.

The latest flare-up came with Hamas, the Islamist movement that rules the blockaded Gaza Strip, seeking further concessions from Israel under the ceasefire.

Israel said around 250 rockets were fired from the Palestinian enclave and its air defences intercepted dozens of them.

One woman was seriously injured in a rocket strike on the Israeli city of Kiryat Gat, some 20 kilometres (13 miles) from the Gaza border, police said.

Police said a man was also hospitalised in the city of Ashkelon and spoke of other injuries without providing details.

Medics said the woman was 80 and the man was 50.

A house near Ashkelon was damaged while other rockets hit open areas.

The Israeli army said its tanks and planes hit some 120 militant targets.

They included an Islamic Jihad attack tunnel that stretched from southern Gaza into Israeli territory, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said.

Two multi-storey buildings in Gaza City were destroyed, residents said.

Israel said one of the buildings included Hamas military intelligence and security offices.

Turkey said an office for its state news agency Anadolu was located in the building and strongly condemned the strike.

The Gaza health ministry reported a 14-month-old baby and her pregnant mother in addition to two Palestinian men killed in Israeli strikes, while 40 were wounded.

It was not immediately clear if the two men were affiliated with militant groups.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on Twitter challenged the account of the mother and her baby being killed in an Israeli strike, suggesting they may have died from Palestinian fire.

Adraee did not provide more details and the army refused to comment further.

As the exchange of fire continued, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with security chiefs.

A statement from Hamas ally Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for at least some of the rocket fire and said it was prepared for more.

Its armed wing distributed a video showing militants handling rockets and threatening key Israeli sites, including Ben-Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv.

Israel said it was closing its people and goods crossings with Gaza as well as the zone it allows for fishermen off the enclave until further notice due to the rocket fire.

Egyptian and UN officials were engaged in discussions to calm the situation, as they have done repeatedly in the past, while the European Union called for an immediate halt to rocket fire from Gaza.

The UN envoy for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Nickolay Mladenov, called on “all parties to immediately de-escalate and return to the understandings of the past few months.”

The United States condemned the rocket attacks on Israel and said Washington fully supported the Jewish state’s “right to self-defense against these abhorrent attacks.”

– Visit to Cairo –

The escalation follows the most violent clashes along the Gaza border in weeks on Friday.

Four Palestinians, including two Hamas militants, were killed after two Israeli soldiers were wounded in a shooting during weekly protests on the border.

Israel blamed Islamic Jihad for what it called the sniper attack, but stressed it held Hamas responsible for all violence from Gaza.

Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fought three wars since 2008 and fears remain of a fourth.

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas brokered by Egypt and the United Nations had led to relative calm around Israel’s April 9 general election.

But the past week saw a gradual uptick in violence.

With the ceasefire at risk, a Hamas delegation led by its Gaza head Yahya Sinwar went to Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials.

The ceasefire has seen Israel allow Qatar to provide millions of dollars in aid to Gaza to pay salaries and to finance fuel purchases to ease a severe electricity shortage.

– Eurovision looms –

Several factors may lead Israel to seek to calm the situation quickly.

Netanyahu is engaged in tough negotiations to form a new government following last month’s election, while Israel is due to host the Eurovision song contest in Tel Aviv from May 14-18.

The country also celebrates its Independence Day on Thursday.

On the Gazan side, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in the week ahead.

Palestinians have participated in regular demonstrations and clashes along the Gaza border for more than a year, calling on Israel to ease its crippling blockade of the enclave.

At least 271 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since the protests began in March 2018, the majority along the border.

Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in that period.

Israel accuses Hamas of using the protests as cover to carry out attacks and says its actions are necessary to defend the border and stop infiltrations.

The results of a UN investigation released at the end of February found that Israel may have committed crimes against humanity in responding to the border protests, as snipers “intentionally” shot civilians including children, journalists and the disabled.

Israel rejected the report “outright” but Hamas called for it to be held accountable.

The monument, which contains the French tomb of the unknown soldier, was vandalised during an anti-government demonstration in December that ended in rioting and looting.

Culture Minister Franck Riester said 1.2 million euros ($1.3 million) was spent restoring damaged statues and equipment inside the landmark at the top of the Champs-Elysees.

As well as spraying its walls with graffiti and breaking equipment, rioters smashed artworks, including a 1930s copy of a famous sculpture of “The Marseillaise” by Francois Rude representing Victory, which was moulded from the 19th-century original.

“The restoration has been done in only a few months, which is very fast,” said Riester, while praising the work.

He said everything would be ready Wednesday when VE Day celebrations mark the 74th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the Allies on May 8, 1945.

The monument, which was built by Napoleon to commemorate his many military victories, reopened less than a fortnight after rioters broke into it on December 1, though some areas remained cordoned off.

Each year, more than 1.5 tourists visit the Arc de Triomphe, mostly to take in the view down the Champs-Elysees.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo last month announced that he had received permission to wrap the world-famous landmark next April in the signature style he developed with his late French wife Jeanne-Claude.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s governing Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and hundreds of seats — but the main opposition Labour Party also lost ground, with voters instead turning to smaller parties and independents in Thursday’s polls.

“There was a simple message from yesterday’s elections to both us and the Labour Party: just get on and deliver Brexit,” May said.

Britain’s bitterly-divided MPs have been unable to agree on a divorce deal with the EU, with the two main parties in talks on breaking the impasse that have produced little fruit so far.

“This is a difficult time for our party and these election results are a symptom of that,” May told the Welsh Conservative Conference, having faced down a heckler calling for her to quit.

The results do not bode well for the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the European Parliament elections, set to take place in Britain on May 23.

After voting in June 2016 to leave the European Union, Britain was meant to depart on March 29 this year. However, its exit date has been postponed until October 31 due to the wrangling.

With more than half the English councils having declared results Friday, the centrist Liberal Democrats and left-wing Greens — both anti-Brexit — made gains, along with independent candidates.

“Of course we wanted to do better,” said Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, adding that he was “very sorry” for the party’s losses.

“Some of them were people probably disagreeing with both parties on attitudes towards the EU.

“We’re the only party that seeks to appeal to people however they voted in 2016.”

– ‘Plague on both houses’ –

Voters went to the polls in mainly rural and suburban areas of England, with more than 8,000 seats up for grabs.

All 11 local authorities in Northern Ireland were also contested among the province’s own parties.

“The key message from the voters to the Conservatives and Labour is: ‘a plague on both of your houses’,” polling expert John Curtice told the BBC.

They lost votes most heavily in the wards where they were strongest, he said. Voters typically give the sitting government a kicking at this mid-term point in the electoral cycle.

The ruling Tories are also mired in a scandal over the leaking of news that Huawei was to build parts of the country’s 5G network, leading to the sacking of defence minister Gavin Williamson.

However, left-wing Labour also lost ground — sweeping gains would point to an opposition party being on course for government.

The party’s Brexit position is described by some commentators as constructive ambiguity.

Labour MP Owen Smith, who tried to oust leader Jeremy Corbyn in 2016, said the party’s “Brexit fudge” was “melting under the public’s gaze”.

The party is also losing support over the issue of anti-Semitism, which flared again this week when it emerged leader Corbyn had written the foreword to a book containing what the party called “offensive references”.

– ‘No confidence’ –

The council elections decide who sets local tax rates and runs community services but are often swayed by the national picture.

The Greens appear to have been boosted by the recent climate protests in London, which brought environmental issues to the front-pages.

Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable said voters “no longer have confidence in the Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party prevaricates on the big issue of the day.”

The problems for the two main parties could worsen at the European elections when they will also face two newly-formed forces: the Brexit Party — which leads in the opinion polls — and pro-EU centrists Change UK.

The local election results could sharpen minds on resolving the Brexit impasse.

Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin told BBC radio that if the centre-right party “doesn’t mend its ways pretty quickly, the Conservative Party is going to be toast.”

“We have agreed that we will take six months to reconsider the RTS project again or decide on other alternative plans.

“We will reclaim the land (on which RTS is to be built on). If there are any parties that have taken the land, they must have followed due process.

“We have not got the full report, only rumours that the land has been taken by the Sultan of Johor. About the payment, we do not know,” said the Prime Minister.

He said this to the media after a Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting at Yayasan Al-Bukhary here Friday (May 3).

Dr Mahathir was commenting on reports in various portals quoting sources alleging that a plot of land in Bukit Chagar, which the federal government was supposed to own, is now in the name of Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.

According to the reports, sighting official documents, the 4.5ha plot was one of five lots in Bukit Chagar that Putrajaya received from the Johor government in 2012 as part of a land swap deal to build the Johor Baru Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex (CIQ).

The portals also reported that sources stated that the land was transferred under the previous Barisan Nasional administration sometime between 2017 and 2018.

This means Putrajaya would have to fork out about RM495mil in compensation to acquire the land which it was supposed to own, according to reports.

When asked if the government will buy back the land for the RTS project, Dr Mahathir did not rule it out.

“If he (the Johor Ruler) has paid for it, of course we have to buy back but if he hasn’t paid, we won’t buy back, it is our land. We require that land for the purpose of constructing necessary buildings,” said Dr Mahathir.

He said this has to be done despite the government realising that the RTS – linking Johor Baru and Singapore – would not solve congestion problems between the two countries.

“RTS would not solve the traffic problems. If we build the train, it cannot carry all passengers going to and from Singapore and it cannot carry all motorcycles. And the train is limited in terms of capacity,” Dr Mahathir added.

It was reported that the government is committed to continue with the RTS Link project despite asking for a six-month extension from Singapore.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said both sides are currently working on a supplementary agreement as Malaysia is looking at options to further reduce the cost.

The project, signed early 2018 during the former Barisan administration, was initially scheduled for construction this year and was expected to be completed by December 2024.

The 46-year-old’s appointment this week continues a rapid rise through the ranks that has fuelled speculation that she might run for Prime Minister Theresa May’s job when the time comes.

For now, however, she says she is “delighted” to take a role for which she has rare experience and which she is said to have been long angling for.

Mordaunt was promoted from international development secretary on Wednesday after Gavin Williamson was summarily sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from the government’s National Security Council.

She took her place alongside military chiefs and Prince William at a ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on Friday marking 50 years of Britain’s at-sea nuclear deterrent.

Unlike many cabinet ministers, Mordaunt has experience in her brief: she is a Royal Navy reservist and has served as a junior defence minister.

Her father was a paratrooper, who reportedly named her after a World War II cruiser, HMS Penelope, and she also represents the naval city of Portsmouth.

Most voters know Mordaunt for her strong support for Brexit in the 2016 referendum campaign.

However, she drew criticism for repeatedly saying Turkey was about to join the EU and that the UK would not be able to veto the move — a claim dismissed as “completely wrong” by the then prime minister David Cameron and EU leaders.

Her continued enthusiasm for leaving the bloc has prompted reports she could quit the government over May’s handling of Brexit, but has made her popular with grassroots members of the Conservative Party.

Phnom Penh Municipal Court Judge Ros Piseth handed down two guilty verdicts against Rainsy for “Inciting Military Personnel to Disobedience and Demoralising the Army” and “Insulting King Norodom Sihamoni”.

Rainsy was sentenced to four years in prison with a fine of 10 million riel ($2,500) on each charge.

“The court sentences Sam Rainsy, born March 10, 1949, to four years in prison and orders him to pay a fine of 10 million riel for “Inciting Military Personnel to Disobedience and Demoralising the Army”, under articles 471 and 472 of the Criminal Code. The offence was committed on December 5, 2017.

“[The court] orders security forces to arrest and send him to prison,” Judge Piseth said at the hearing.

The judge handed down the same punishment in the case of “Insulting King Norodom Sihamoni” and again ordered Rainsy’s arrest.

“It’s an honour to be sentenced to a heavy jail term under a dictatorship for conducting peaceful political activities. It proves that you are a real freedom fighter,” Rainsy told The Post via email on Thursday.

The incitement charge was brought against Rainsy by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) after he made an appeal to the military on December 5, 2017.

“Please all armed forces, soldiers and police, don’t follow the orders of the dictator if he orders [you] to shoot at and kill innocent people, ” he wrote on Facebook.

To incur the charge of insulting the King, Rainsy alleged in June on Facebook that a letter released by the monarch calling on people to vote in last year’s national elections was “a forgery” and “made under duress”.

Ministry of National Defence spokesman Chhum Socheat declined to comment, saying it was up to the court to rule in legal cases.

Both Vong Pheakdey, a lawyer representing the RCAF, and Sam Sokong, Rainsy’s defence lawyer in the incitement case, could not be reached for comment.

After the hearing on April 22, Pheakdey called on the court to hand Rainsy the maximum possible punishment, while Sokong requested the charge be dropped, saying his client had only appealed to the military to not kill innocent people.

The four-year sentences Rainsy received on Thursday are just the latest of a number of jail terms handed down to the CNRP co-founder by the courts.

He was given a five-year jail term over forged Cambodian and Vietnamese border documents in 2016, and a 20-month sentence for defaming Hun Sen after he accused the prime minister of being responsible for the murder of political analyst Kem Ley, also in 2016.

Rainsy was convicted in absentia in December of that year and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on charges of being an accomplice in faking public documents and incitement.

This case originated from a video clip which was posted on Rainsy’s Facebook page back in August 2015.

In the more than 10-minute-long video clip, a then Sam Rainsy Party senator presented a “fake” version of a 1979 treaty that purported to dissolve the border between Cambodia and Vietnam.

In the other case, Rainsy took to Facebook once more to describe Ley’s murder as an act of “state-sponsored terrorism”, after the political analyst was shot dead at a Caltex petrol station in Phnom Penh in 2016.

Rainsy was convicted of defamation and incitement to cause chaos in society by Phnom Penh Municipal Court in March 2017.

    Mayhew died on Tuesday at his home in Texas, surrounded by loved ones, the family said in a statement released on the actor’s Twitter account.

“He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films from his knock-kneed running, firing his bowcaster from the hip, his bright blue eyes, down to each subtle movement of his head and mouth,” the statement said.

“But, to him, the Star Wars family meant so much more than a role in a film. The relationships that began then grew into the friends and family that he would love for decades to come.”

    The towering British-born actor, who was the son of a policeman, measured seven feet three inches (2.21 meters) and was working as a hospital attendant in London when he was discovered by film producer Charles Schneer.

He was first cast in the film “Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger,” in an uncredited role.

But he then was cast in the role that would define his career — as the co-pilot and best friend of Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in the original “Star Wars” film released in 1977.

The role was unconventional to say the least — a giant, hairy, 200-year-old humanoid from the planet Kashyyyk.

Mayhew once joked at a fan convention in 2013 that all he had to do when auditioning for the role of “Chewie” — as the beloved character — was to show his height.

“In George’s office, he had a sofa,” he said, referring to “Star Wars” creator George Lucas. “So I sat down on the sofa waiting for him to come in through the door. He and (producer) Gary Kurtz walked in.

“I did the natural thing, I stood up,” he added. “Basically, that was the interview. He turned to Gary and said, ‘I think we’ve found him’.”

Chewbacca communicated in roars and growls, but Mayhew did not provide the vocals — those signature noises came from a sound engineer.

   – ‘Gentlest of giants’ –

After the original film, Mayhew would go on to appear in “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980), “Return of the Jedi” (1983) and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005) — the third film in the prequel trilogy.

Mayhew’s family said he had “fought his way back from being wheelchair-bound to stand tall and portray Chewbacca once more in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’,” which was released in 2015.

He then worked to coach his successor in the role, Joonas Suotamo, the family statement said.

As news of Mayhew’s death became public, tributes began to pour in on social media, including from several of his “Star Wars” co-stars and Lucas himself.

Ford, who piloted the legendary Millennium Falcon with Chewie at his side, paid tribute to the “wit and grace” Mayhew brought to his “Star Wars” character.

“We were partners in film and friends for over 30 years and I loved him,” the actor said in a statement.

“He invested his soul in the character and brought great pleasure to the Star Wars audience. Chewbacca was an important part of the success of the films we made together.”

Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the iconic films, described Mayhew as the “gentlest of giants — A big man with an even bigger heart who never failed to make me smile & a loyal friend who I loved dearly.”

Lucas, in a statement to US media, said Mayhew “was the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature… and I learned to always let him win.”

Suotamo thanked Mayhew for his “tutelage and kindness as we sought to bring Chewbacca to life for a new generation,” adding: “Rest assured his legacy will live on.”

Mayhew effectively made “Star Wars” his career. Other than the films, he made guest appearances as the character, notably on “The Muppet Show” and musical comedy series “Glee.” He had very few roles outside the franchise.

The actor is survived by his wife Angie and three children.

The family said a memorial service would be held on June 29. A separate memorial for fans will take place in early December in Los Angeles at “Star Wars” convention Empire Con.