France/Morocco/Organised Crime: French Navy seize 3.2 tons of cannabis

French Naval Commandos intercepted on Friday a “go-fast boat” carrying 3.2 tons of cannabis in the Alboran Sea, off the Spanish coast. Four Morocco nationals were arrested during the operation and sent to Court in Marseilles. According to the Préfecture maritime of Toulon, it was the largest seizure in the Mediterranean Sea since the setting-up of a new anti-drug mechanism in early 2006. “Since two years, we have combed this area in search of the fast boats that leave the Moroccan coast almost every day in the direction of the Balearics or the Catalan coast,” said Marseilles’ prosecutor Jacques Dallest. “Since June 2006, we stopped 16 go-fast boats and seized a total of 13 tonnes of cannabis,” added Captain Bernard Celier, spokesman of the Préfecture maritime of Toulon. “We also believe that another 25 tons of drugs were returned to the sea during these operations,” he added.

Last Friday, “Hound operation” involved a Customs aircraft and a Navy ship, which were managed from the Mediterranean Sea anti-drug co-ordination centre (Ceclad-Med) in Toulon. This structure was inaugurated on December 1, 2008, with the aim of coordinating more effectively the actions of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Maltese police against drug traffickers. Moroccan, Algerian, Libyan and Tunisia anti-drug agents could eventually join the staff.

France/Civil unrest: workers protests economic crisis nationwide

More than a million workers took to the streets on Thursday, demanding President Nicolas Sarkozy to take serious actions against the economic crisis and protect their jobs and wages, said Bernard Thibault, head of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT). In Paris, tens of thousands of protesters marched from the Place de la Bastille towards the centre of the city.

Soon after 7h00 PM, clashes between police and protestors occured in the French capital while demonstration was ending in Place de l'Opéra. Between 100 and 200 youths clashed with police. One police officer was lightely wounded and 13 people were arrested. In Saint-Nazaire, clashes occured also in front of the prefecture. Police fired teargas to scatter the crowd

Dubbed as “Black Thursday”, the nationwide strike called by eight major French unions affected the public transport networks. Flights were either cancelled or delayed. The unions also formed a joint list of demands for the government and companies. The demands included better pay and conditions for public transport workers, drop plans to reform hospitals, cut 13,500 jobs in education this year and change the status of the state-owned post office. Schools, banks, hospitals, post offices and courts were hit as workers stayed at home, however, officials said just over a third of teachers, a quarter of postal, telecoms and state electricity workers and 15 percent of air traffic controllers were on strike.

Spain/France/Terrorism: ETA will continue its fight “by all means”

The Basque terrorist organisation ETA expressed today in a statement its willingness to “continue the fight by all means” for the independence of the Basque country. The text was published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the terrorist organisation. Several extracts were published in the daily newspaper Garra, close to “Euskadi Ta Askatasuna” (Basque country and Freedom).

ETA called for the “union of forces” in the Basque country to “take the path of independence by peaceful and democratic ways”. According to the organisation this purpose is however thwarted by “wrong states as Spain and France” that show no signs to grant independence. “Meanwhile, we must continue to fight with all our forces and by all means,” says ETA, which seems to announce a continuation of its attacks.

ETA is considered as a terrorist organisation by the European Union. It is involved in the death of 825 people during 40 years of violence. ETA has resumed its actions in 2007 after a 15 months truce.

Israel/Terrorism: Hamas vows to exchange Guilad Shalit against Palestinian prisoners

Khalil al-Hayya, one top leader of the Hamas in the Gaza Strip said on Friday that Gilad Shalit, the French-Israeli soldier abducted in June 2006 on the border with the Gaza strip “won’t see the light of the day” until prisoners jailed in Israel are freed. “We are ready to make effort, quickly, to free our members” he said to the crowd in front of the Gaza Parliament. Israel demands that Hamas releases Cap. Gilad Shalit and Jerusalem will open the crossing point along the border.

On Tuesday, the father of the abducted soldier Noam Shalit met with French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Last week, the French president talked with its Syrian counterpart Bachar al-Assad about this issue. He insisted that Damas pushes Hamas to bring the terrorist organisation to release the soldier.

France/Defence: Paris to withdraw 1,900 troops from Africa
 
(Photo News)

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon announced on Wednesday that Paris plans to withdraw 1,900 of its soldiers from the African nations of Chad and Ivory Coast. Speaking at a parliamentary debate on France's military missions overseas, Fillon said around 1,000 soldiers of France's 1,650-strong mission to protect refugees in Chad will be withdrawn by this summer, adding that the 1,800-strong contingent in Ivory Coast will be cut by half.

The Prime Minister said France will continue to furnish logistical aid to the UN force. Another French contingent in Chad since 1986 will aid the UN mission as it helped EUFOR deploy. France also is cutting to 900 the number of its troops in Ivory Coast, another former African colony, Fillon said, adding that security challenges in Ivory Coast have lost their intensity. "Regrouped in Abidjan, our troops will remain able to ensure the protection and eventual evacuation of our countrymen," the prime minister said. The French troops also will help UN force in the event of further conflicts, he said. France has 200 soldiers in the UN force, also to return home this year, Fillon said.

France/Terrorism: gendarmerie targeted in upper-Corsica

(Grégoire Elodie/Gamma/Photo News)

The Gendarmerie barrack of Corte, Corsica, was targeted on Tuesday evening by a rocket attack that caused no casualties. One police officer’s car, which was parked inside the facility, was completely destroyed by the explosion and two other cars were damaged in the attack that occurred at about 7:20 pm (local time). “Incredible risks were taken because of the presence of children and adults nearby” said an anonymous police source. The public prosecutor department of Paris will investigate the case that was not claimed. The Interior minister Michele Alliot-Marie condemned “a despicable, criminal and irresponsible act whose consequences could have been dramatic”, she said.

In early January, the independence movement Front of national Liberation of Corsica (Front de libération nationale de la Corse - FNLC) had threatened the island’s elected representatives of retaliation after Charles Pieri, the nationalist leader was arrested.

Mexico/Criminality: a French researcher critically wounded by thieves

A French researcher working for the University of Mexico was critically wounded when armed thieves opened fire at the airport of Mexico, hitting him at his head. The thieves stole 4,800 euros from him in a street near the airport said Luis Vasquez, the deputy public prosecutor.  The French Embassy of Mexico has not confirmed the identity of the victim.

The head of the police of Mexico, Manuel Mondragon said that gangs use people who are on watch near a bureau de change. Those people then advise attackers who are waiting for the victim outside the office. They often use violence. According to the victim’s driver, two cars were following them after they have left the airport. The attackers opened fire as the researcher refused to give his bag.

Nigeria/Kidnapping: ransom demanded for the kidnapped Total employee

(Michael Kamber/Polaris/Photo News)

Kidnappers have demanded a ransom of  10 million naira (66,000 dollars) to release a Nigerian employee working for the French oil giant Total. According to a company source, the man worked in southern Nigeria when he was abducted.

Earlier this month, another Total employee was released after being kidnapped for one week in the Niger Delta region. According to security sources, a ransom was paid for the employee's release, but it declined to mention the ransom amount.

The Niger delta region is infested with armed groups who claim to be acting on behalf of the local population. These armed groups are responsible for the increase in violent attacks on Nigeria's oil industry and the kidnappings of both local and foreign employees. The militancy has also reduced the overall oil output of the country by more than one quarter. As compared to 2.6 million barrels of oil a day three years ago, the current production stands around 2 million barrels.

France/Anti-Semitism: 2 youths in custody linked to a synagogue attack

The examining magistrate who is investigating about the synagogue attack that occurred in Toulouse on January 5 has remanded two 16 years-old youths in custody on Thursday, said Michel Valet, the public prosecutor. The two minors were placed under investigation for “voluntary degradation due to an explosive substance and fire with aggravating circumstances that the acts were committed because of the affiliation of the person or persons or users of property damaged to a race or a religion,” said the prosecutor. They were also indicted for "theft of a vehicle," he added. On January 5, at least three people were seen fleeing just after the front door of a synagogue in Bagatelle, a suburb of Toulouse was damaged by a ram raiding in fire. The police was looking for the suspects.

On Monday, 4 people, including three children suspected to be linked to this case were arrested. Two of them were released on Wednesday.

Several attacks against the Jewish communities were reported in France as Israel launched its military operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. French authorities warned to not bring the conflict in France but the Jewish community was nonetheless targeted.

France/Justice : Jean-Marie Le Pen condamnation is confirmed

The Court of Appeal of Paris has confirmed the condemnation of “negation of war crimes” of the Right-wing Leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and his suspended sentence to three months in jail and to pay a fine of 10,000 euros. The leader of the Front National had said to the newspaper Rivarol that “in France (...), the German occupation was not particularly inhumane, even if there were some blunders, inevitable in a country of 550,000 km2”. The public prosecutor and several associations also criticized his shocking speech about the massacre in Ascq during which 86 French were executed in retaliation against the derailment of a German train during the night between 1 and 2 April 1944.  Le Pen’s lawyer, Wallerand de Saint-Just announced its intention to appeal in cassation, arguing that the decision of the Court is "an extraordinary achievement to freedom of expression."

France/Defence: Paris reluctant to send more troops to Afghanistan

(Bassiganc Gilles/Gamma/Photo News)

French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Wednesday that his government will not accept any immediate request by US President Barack Obama to deploy additional troops in Afghanistan. Replying to a question in a radio interview as how France would react if Obama were to call for more contributions to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Morin pointed out that his country already sent additional troops in 2007 and 2008. "So for France, we have made the necessary effort. Considering additional reinforcements is out of the question for now," he told broadcaster Europe 1. Morin also said Paris was likely to reduce the number of troops it is deploying in Africa.

France has about 2,800 troops in Afghanistan, making it the fourth-largest contributor to foreign forces fighting the Taleban, after the United States, Britain and Germany. Obama has vowed to send more US forces to tackle the worsening insurgency in Afghanistan, but his European allies have been unwilling to join him. On Tuesday, a Harris poll for the Financial Times showed majority of voters in Britain, France, Germany and Italy believed their governments should resist any call for more troops by Obama.

France/Terrorism: 7 PKK suspects charged for terrorism

Seven suspected members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), who were arrested in Marseille last week, have been charged for financing terrorism, said a judicial official. The seven were charged on Saturday "for conspiring terrorist activities, assault and attempted extorsion". Five of the seven were taken in custody. According to some judicial sources in Marseille, the suspects also allegedly extorted from the Kurdish community to fund the terror group.

Protests erupted in Marseille and in Paris following the arrests, while the Kurdish Federation of France (KFF) released a statement, urging the authorities to "stop treating Kurds like criminals". On the other hand, 5,000 strong KFF members accused Paris for heeding to Turkey’s call on making the arrests.The PKK is blacklisted as a terror group by the European Union and the United States.

In a separate case last week, a Paris court sentenced 11 Kurds for three to five months in jail for their part in petrol bomb attacks on two Turkish bars and a cultural centre in Bordeaux in 2007.

France/Terrorism: police arrested 2 alleged ultra left militants

The anti terror section of the criminal brigade in Paris has arrested two people, including a young lawyer, who are suspected of trying to burn down cars in the French capital on Thursday. According to the police, the lawyer and his boyfriend were arrested at 3h00 (AM- local time) while they tried to burn down two cars which were parked near the former police station “Combat” in the 19th district of Paris. They are charged of  “damages by fire in relation to a terrorist and criminal association in preparation for acts of terrorism” and their hearing could last 96 hours.  According to the police they could be linked to the autonomous ultraleft cell that has sabotaged the high speed railway in France on November 7 last year.

According to sources close to the investigation the lawyer was already seen in a demonstration in Paris that occurred in November 2003 in front of the prison of Health. She also  participated in a meeting on December 6 in Montreuil (Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris) during which she was criticizing the arrests that occurred in Tarnac. His boyfriend is also well known “for having demonstrated its active support to Julien Coupat”

France/Terrorisme : Julien Coupat’s girlfriend will remain in custody

The public prosecutor’s department has appealed on Wednesday evening the decision of the examining magistrate to free on probation the Julien Coupat’s girlfriend. Yldune Lévy will so remain in custody. The prosecutor’s department has explained its decision because of the “concentration of fraudulent risks” between the women and the seven other defendants currently free.

Yldune Lévy and Julien Coupat are the only members of the ultraleft anarcho autonomous “Le comité invisible” to have been indicted on last November 15 for “destruction in a meeting and criminal gang with terrorist purposes”. They could be linked to the destruction of the High speed railway in France. Both, the man and his girlfriend were arrested because the Central Directorate of Domestic Intelligence (Direction Centrale des Renseignements intérieurs– DCRI) saw them on November 7 near the railway targeted by terrorists.

France/Organised Crime : rocket attack against money transport company

Unknown gunmen fired a rocket against The Brink's money transport company’s head office in Marseille, South of France, at 23h30 on Wednesday night. According to Police, the Eastern Europe-made rocket was fired against building’s parking entry. Vehicles parked nearby were also damaged by the explosion, but the criminals could not enter into the building. No injuries were reported.

By way of press of by SMS, the calls to boycott “Jewish” and American enterprises are flourishing in North Africa and Middle East. Those banks and companies are said to “support Israel”.

France/Terrorism: police operation against the PKK in Marseille

The French police has taken in for questioning on Tuesday five people during an anti-terrorsit operation in the city of Marseilles (France). The people arrested are suspected to be militants of the Turkish separatist worker Party PKK. They are accused of having intimidated and extorted money from members of the Kurdish community in Marseille.

France/Anti-Semitism : 55 anti Jewish acts registered

(Marchi Alexandre/Gamma/Photo News)

According to the president of the Jewish Students Union of France, Raphael Haddad, 55 anti-Semitic attacks have been recorded since the beginning of the military operation "Cast Lead" in the Gaza Strip. The acts recorded are more violent than in 2001 when the second Intifada broke out in the Palestinian territory said also Raphael Haddad during a meeting in Paris organised by urban affairs minister Fadela Amara. Another issue is also the anti-Jewish comments, e-mails and sms that are commonly used to talk about the Middleeast conflict or in conversations.

According to Hafid Bouchefa from a community group in the suburb of Paris, tensions were running high in ethnically-mixed neighborhoods. "There are young people there who are not thinking things through. These are the same ones who torched cars during the 2005 riots," he said.

Three synagogues have been targeted by pro Palestinians militants including one in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, last sunday against which nine firebombs were thrown.

France/Anti-semitism : synagogue attackers will be punished said  Alliot-Marie

(Grégoire Elodie/Gamma/Photo News)

French Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie said on Monday that France will punish the reponsible of the attacks that targeted on Sunday two synagogues near Paris and in the Bas-Rhin. "Everything will be done to find those responsible for this attack and to bring them to justice for this intolerable act," she said. On Sunday, Molotov coktails were thrown againt a synagogue in Seine-Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris, and in Schiltigheim, in the Bas-Rhin. The police has found pieces of glass corresponding to a bottle of 75cl on the ground. Nobody has claimed the responsability of those attack and no injuries were reported. "Three people were seen by a witness and then fled," said the chairman of the National anti-semitism Vigilance office (bureau  national de vigiligance de l'antisémitisme), Sammy Ghoslan. A synagogue in Toulouse suffered a similar petrol bomb attack last week.

The latest attack is feared to increase anti-Jewish activities in France, particularly after the rally on Saturday when more than 100,000 people protested Israel's assault in Gaza. Indeed, a bus station, a public phone and some shops were dammaged during the demonstration. According to the Jewish students' association UEJF, the attack was the 30th anti-Semitic action in France since Israel began its offensive on Gaza.

Nigeria/France/Piracy : the Bourbon Leda is free

The french company Bourbon has announced on Wednesday that the vessel and its nine crew hostage that were hijacked on Sunday off Nigeria waters were freed. "The Bourbon Leda and its nine crew members kidnapped off Nigeria during the night from Saturday 3 to Sunday 4, were freed. All the crew is safe" said Bourbon in a statement. No further details were given about any ransom or the condition of this liberation. 

Bourbon provides specialist boats for the oil and gas industry in this waters oil-rich region. Nigeria's delta region and the nearby Gulf of Guinea are among the world's most pirate-infested waters, ranking only after sea routes near Somalia and Indonesia.