France/Civil unrest: police clashed with anti-NATO campaigners

More tension has been reported before the contentious NATO summit as police clashed with demonstrators, numbering around 150 in the French city of Strasbourg yesterday. Tear gas and anti-riot devices were used to disperse the crowd, according to witnesses. The situation returned to normalcy in the evening.

The NATO is celebrating its 60th foundation anniversary this weekend, while anti-NATO protesters belonging to peace and anti-globalisation groups, trade union and student organisations are denouncing the offensive policies of the military establishment. The protesters also said that their members were prohibited from entering France.

In the meantime, a demonstration "No to War – No to NATO" will be held on the anniversary day. They had criticized that NATO has been hindering world peace and turned itself into a mere instrument for military actions.

Canada/France/Terrorism: terror suspect gets bail with strict conditions

Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Maranger on Tuesday granted bail to Hassan Diab, a teacher who has been accused for carrying out the 1980 synagogue bombing in Paris that killed four people, under strict conditions. He has been ordered to wear an electronic tracking bracelet and banned from leaving his house unaccompanied.  "It's almost a virtual house arrest," said Maranger. The professor is going to face a hearing on extradition to France, where he will face charges of murder, attempted murder and destruction of property.

According to the judge, the bail condition was made strict as Diab might flee the country to Lebanon before his hearing, which has not been fixed yet. "In my view, the risk of flight is a real concern in this matter," said the judge. "He is not a person who has specific long-term roots or family ties in this country. The concern here is that if Mr Diab were to somehow make his way back to Lebanon, he could forever avoid extradition."

Mexico/France/Crime: a French was shot dead in Mexico

A French tourist was killed and his girlfriend wounded in Mexico city late on Wednesday as they were traveling in a bus, said the police. "Two young men walked directly towards those persons and without a word, shot them" said a police source who quoted witness. The reasons of the attacks is still unknown but police found on the scene a bank ticket.

The attackers jumped out the bus after the attack and police is still looking for them.

France/Iraq/Military: 24 military choppers’ deal signed

France has gone forward and signed the Eurocopter EC 635s, an arms deal worth 360 million euros (488 million dollars), with Iraq on Wednesday, following which Paris will sell 24 military helicopters to Baghdad. French Defence Minister Herve Morin signed the deal during a meeting in Paris with his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Qader Obeidi. Pilot trainings and maintenance are also included in the contract.

Apart from the deal, which defence military officials describe as the first deal since the 1990 Gulf War and the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Morin also announced Paris’ decision to "re-open a military mission to Baghdad", which will be probably effective later this year. "We want to return to the relations that France had (with Iraq) up until the 1980s," he said.

Meanwhile, Obeidi also declared other projects in the pipeline with other French companies, but he refused to give further details.

France/Civil unrest: police arrests "Place de la Nation" in Paris

According to journalists, police arrested at 9:00 pm (local time) on Thursday evening, at least 300 persons "Place de la Nation" in Paris, after the demonstration called by the trade unions. Among the arrested there are people who were sitting on the central reservation of the place and some other who launched objects against the police. At the end of the demonstration, about 500 rioters launched dozens of objects, lightly wounding nine police officer. Police fired in retaliation teargas.

France/Demonstration: a student demonstration in Paris turns violent

(Fohlen Corentin/Gamma/Photo News)

Four persons have been arrested overnight during clashes in the XVIII arrondissement of Paris between riot police and youths who were protesting against the government reforms. According to a police spokesman "all along the way the demonstrators damaged property. Lots of shop windows were hit by bottles. They also threw bottles at the security forces, but there was no police charge or fighting." According to the daily newspaper 20minutes which quoted a student, about 1,000 or 1,500 protesters went down the streets. "Our aim was for student voices to be heard. We chanted spontaneous slogans like 'Paris stand up, rise up!' and 'Sarkozy resign'," said the student.

Trade Unions have called a nationwide strike and planned demonstration all over the country on Thursday to protest against the economic policy led by the president Nicolas Sarkozy.

France/Security: parliamentary vote to decide returning to NATO

Following President Nicolas Sarkozy's call, France is looking forward to conduct a parliamentary vote on Tuesday evening to decide gaining control of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) military command.

Sarkozy’s call last week came in contrary to General Charles de Gaulle’s protest of US domination of the NATO and ultimately walking out of it in 1966. The opposition Socialists, Communists and Greens, along with associating parties of the centrist Democratic Movement of François Bayrou are reportedly planning to vote against the call. The nationalists and its right-wing party has reportedly criticized the Sarkozy's call, which is considered an important foreign policy change, as they consider the step a more US-friendly approach.

Countering these criticisms, Sarkozy had stated that France is part of the "Western family" and it should serve as a full member of the alliance. Sarkozy also reasoned that France’s remaining uninvolved in the command structure had made its allies doubtful about its campaigns to strengthen European defence. As part of the alliance, France would be able to defend European defence better and continue to maintain its independence, he added.

Afghanistan/Terrorism: French soldier killed by rocket fire in Kapisa province 

A French soldier, a corporal in a mountain unit, has been killed by rocket fire during a large operation to secure a valley used as a transit point by insurgents in Kapisa region, 60 km northeast of the capital Kabul.  

France has 2,800 troops involved in NATO-and U.S.-led military operations in Afghanistan. Twenty-seven French soldiers have died since the start of operations in January 2002.  

President Nicolas Sarkozy “reaffirms his support for the Afghan people and authorities and France’s determination to continue to work toward restoring peace in Afghanistan,” his office said in a statement yesterday.

France/Civil unrest: clashes break up in Nouvelle-Calédonie 
 
Clashes erupted on Wednesday morning in New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Calédonie - France) after a demonstration organised by the trade Union for Kanaks workers and the exploited (USTKE) degenerated in front of the International airport. According to Yves Dassonville, the high commissioner of the Republic, two police officers were lightly injured when demonstrators started to launch cobblestones. In retaliation, police fired teargas. Several demonstrators were arrested but the authorities do not reveal how much.    

Dozens of demonstrators went down the streets on Wednesday morning to protest against the "immigration" and against a text about the work welfare issued by the Caledonian government

France/Civil unrest: a police officer injured during clashes

During the night, several groups of youths have harassed police patrols in Chaudron, a popular suburb of Saint-Denis, La Réunion. One police officer who was patrolling near a supermarket has been lightely wounded at his hip and his arm by a shooting.

According to the authorities, the offices of an insurance company have completely been wrecked and demonstrators tried to attack a pharmacy and a fast food restaurant but police has come just in time to protect the shops. Clashes erupted also in the Port district, north-west of the island. The situation was calm on Wednesday morning.

Authorities said they have arrested 22 persons and 20 police officer have been injured for the demonstations erupted.

France/Terrorism: authorities reveal the Rany Arnaud case

On December 20 last year, judge Philippe Coirre indicted Rany Arnaud, a young student learning in the university Paris-VII for "criminal association linked to a terrorist organisation", said the French daily newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday.
The defendant was planning to commit attacks in France, including against the Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence (Direction centrale du renseignement intérieur - DCRI) in Levallois-Perret. The French Intelligence service has been investigated for months and intercepted its phone calls and its Internet searches before arresting the man. 

According to the DCRI, Rany Arnaud was expecting a large amount of money from Algeria to buy explosives. Source close to the case point out that the young man "was in the operating stage. He had already been sightings and waited to take action." He was close to the young indoctrinated in the "Buttes-Chaumont" network who sent young men from Paris in Iraq before being educated according to the radical Islamic law.

France/Civil unrest: clashes in La Réunion against the prices

Clashes erupted on Monday at 1:00 pm (local time) after demonstrators have thrown stones against the prefecture of Saint-Denis in La Réunion (France). Nearby cars and houses were also damaged but no injuries were reported.  Police answered by launching tear gas against youths especially in the popular suburb of Chaudron.

Demonstrators initially went down the streets to protest against the high prices and to begin the first general strike on the island.

France/Mexico/Diplomacy: Paris and Mexico City signs deal

(Claudia Guadarrama/Polaris/Photo News)

During an official visit to Mexico, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has finalized a deal with his counterpart Felipe Calderon that covers security issues, and setting up a vaccine plant and a $550m (£397m) Franco-European helicopter factory in Mexico. On security issues, President Sarkozy assured helping the Mexican law enforcing agencies in training its officers and providing technology for gathering intelligence, which will possibly solve drug related problems.

Sarkozy said he would support Calderon in his fight against drug cartels and the violence that associate with it. "We want to help Mexico to resolve this alarming problem of insecurity," said Sarkozy. "We are ready to receive Mexican equipment in French police laboratories. We are willing to send equipment to Mexico,” he added.

Meanwhile, Calderon said that the helicopter factory would increase the country’s aeronautics industry and refine the army’s equipments. The case of French citizen Florence Cassez, currently serving a 60-year prison term in Mexico for associating with a kidnapping gang, was also reportedly discussed.

France/Terrorism: bomb in Ajaccio

An explosive device dammaged on Thursday night the shutter of a garage used for storage and three cars in the city of Ajaccio, Corsica.

"The garage apparently used for storage referred to an importer of Asian furniture, but there is uncertainty about the target. Indeed, it is possible that a phone-point, used by many immigrant workers had been targeted," said tonight the public prosecutor, Jose Thorel. "However, no graffiti or claim (in this sense) has been found at the scene of the attack," he also said. The investigation was entrusted to the judicial police of Ajaccio.

France/Security: politicians receive death threat

(Didier Lebrun/Photo News)

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and three of his cabinet ministers received death threatening letters and live ammunitions, said the police on Tuesday. the other leading rightwing politicians who received similar letters are Justice Minister Rachida Dati, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie, and Culture Minister Christine Albanel. "You think you control our lives – well, no, it's us who control yours and those of your family and friends," the letters were reported to have said.

Till now, seven of the ten politicians named in the letter have already received the same packages, said officials. Last week, La Canourgue mayor Jacques Blanc and Beziers senator-mayor Raymond Couderc received coppies of the letters, accompanied with the bullets. It was not clear where the two-paged letter, signed Solidarity Earth, were mailed from but according to the first investigations they were send from the Hérault region and the adress were hand-written.

The anti-terrorist unit of the Paris prosecutors' office as well as anti-terrorist police in Paris and the southwestern district of Herault will investigate the case. According to a police officer, "the words are very confused, or very disjointed". Some recipients are presented as "dead in suspended sentenced, but dead-locked." "Ministers, MPs, senators, outfitters of laws freedoms (...) you're dead in that sentence". Investigators rather see the work of an mentally disturbed person.

Interpol/Terrorism : Interpol's chief reminds governments of terrorism threat

The general secretary of Interpol Ronald K. Noble said on Tuesday during a meeting in Lyon that "additional ressources to strengthen police cooperation" between states have to be allocated to prevent the terrorist threat. "Political leaders are unaware of terrorism which could damage the world more seriousely than the current economic crisis," he said, opening the 5th annual Interpol's conference of national offices chiefs.

Ronald K. Noble has planned a tour to remind the governments "that the police should not suffer from the crisis". He also underlined that "budgetary contributions required from the 187 Interpol member states would not increased in 2010". He also insisted that "we must do more with fewer resources".

A letter Threatens to murder the French president

According to the French police, a letter threatening to murder Nicolas Sarkozy has been sent by unidentified men to the French president last week. A 9mm bullets was joined to the letter.

Previously, Alain Juppé, Rachida Dati and Michele Alliot-Marie have also received death threats

France/Defence: a date for troop pullout

(Bassiganc Gilles/Gamma/Photo News)

French Defense Minister Herve Morin said during his visit in the United States on Monday that NATO should set a particular timetable for plans to withdraw alliance troops from Afghanistan. "Once we have redefined our overall concept in Afghanistan, linked to the increased contribution by the Americans, I think we must define some dates fairly rapidly," said Morin. "And why not set, also fairly rapidly, a date that could announce the start of the withdrawal of alliance forces?" he added, but did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, senior US officials declared the necessity of reassuring the Afghans that NATO troops are not an occupying force. There are around 38,000 American troops deployed in Afghanistan and US President Barack Obama had announced last month to send additional 17,000 troops to flush out the Taleban. France has 2,800 troops deployed in the country, standing as the fourth largest party following the US, Britain and Germany.

France/Diplomacy: Sarkozy named special envoy for Afghanistan, Pakistan

French President Nicolas Sarkozy named Pierre Lellouche to be France’s special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, French officials said on Sunday. One of the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a formal announcement of Lellouche’s appointment would be made at the start of this coming week. The announcement will be followed by the creation of a special team that will bring together all government ministries involved with developments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

57-year-old Lellouche, who belongs to Sarkozy’s conservative UMP party, is a member of the National Assembly and sits on its defence committee. Lellouche also heads the French delegation to the NATO parliamentary assembly. As a special envoy, Lellouche will make frequent visit to the region.

France/Terrorism: a bomb exploded in Corsica

A bomb exploded on Wednesday morning in a house located in  the town of Patrimonio, Corsica. No wounded were reported although the owner was inside the building. The low powered bomb was located on the terrace of the house when it exploded at 4:30 am. No claim or inscription was found on site and the gendarmerie of Saint-Florent will investigate the case.