Austria. Ordinata la chiusura delle moschee integraliste Melit Ibrahim e Tewhid.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2020-11-07.

«Austria’s interior and integration ministers have ordered the closure of two “radical mosques” after Monday’s deadly attack by a jihadist in Vienna in which four people were killed»

«It comes after Austria confirmed that all 15 suspects arrested in connection with the deadly rampage are part of the radical Islamist scene and just under half have criminal convictions, some for terrorism offences»

«The shooting on Monday was Austria’s first major attack in decades and its first blamed on a jihadist, identified as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, who was killed by police»

«Integration Minister Susanne Raab told a press conference that the government’s religious affairs office “was informed by the interior ministry that Monday’s attacker, since his release from prison, had repeatedly visited two Vienna mosques”»

«The two mosques are in Vienna’s western suburbs, one called the Melit Ibrahim mosque in the Ottakring district and the other being the Tewhid mosque in the Meidling area»

«The 15 are being held on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organisation»

«Seven of them have criminal convictions»

«Of those, four are for terrorism-related offences, Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf said»

«Switzerland has also arrested two men in connection with the attack, and Austria was in close contact with another unspecified country in its investigation»

«The BKA [polizia criminale tedesca] said a federal judge had issued search warrants for the homes and businesses in the German towns of Osnabrueck, Kassel and in the district of Pinneberg near Hamburg after the Austrian judiciary transferred some of its findings on the attack to German prosecutors»

* * * * * * *

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Non è facile restare, o quanto meno cercare di restare, obiettivi in simili frangenti. Tuttavia almeno il tentativo dovrebbe essere un semplice debito di giustizia.

A nostro sommesso avviso il problema non sono i mussulmani di per sé stessi: la quasi totalità sono gente tranquilla, che desidera solo poter lavorare in pace per mantenere decorosamente la propria famiglia. Se sicuramente esistono problemi di integrazione, altrettanto sicuramente codesti aspetti sembrerebbero poter essere risolvibili.

Per esempio, la città di Londra ha un sindaco islamico, con le sue idee religiose e politiche, ma pur sempre persona ragionevolmente corretta.

Il vero problema sono i terroristi, e con essi tutti i punti islamici di coagulazione di codeste persone.

Con queste persone, a nostro sommesso parere, nessun grado di tolleranza dovrebbe essere usato.

Gran quota degli arrestati erano terroristi noti e le moschee Melit Ibrahim e Tewhid erano ben note per la dottrina che esprimevano.

Ma chiudere le moschee incriminate senza arrestarne almeno i capi altro non fa che sparpagliare dei potenziali terroristi, rendendoli più difficilmente osservabili.

*

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Austria orders closure of ‘radical mosques’, news agency APA says.

VIENNA (Reuters) – Austria’s interior and integration ministers have ordered the closure of “radical mosques” after Monday’s deadly attack by a jihadist in Vienna in which four people were killed, Austrian news agency APA reported on Friday.

Details will be announced at a news conference at 2 p.m. (1300 GMT), APA said.

*

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Austria orders closure of ‘radical mosques’, news agency APA says.

Austria has closed a mosque and an Islamic association frequented by a man who shot four people dead in a rampage through Vienna on Monday, Integration Minister Susanne Raab said on Friday.

The two sites had contributed to the attacker’s radicalisation, she told a news conference.

The 20-year-old convicted jihadist was shot dead by police within minutes of opening fire on bystanders and bars. He was later identified as Kujtim Fejzulai, a native of Vienna.

Police in Germany on Friday searched homes and businesses linked to four people believed to have had ties to the shooter, whom Austrian authorities have described as an “Islamist terrorist”.

People from Germany who were being monitored by German intelligence spent time with the attacker in the Austrian capital in the summer, Vienna police chief Gerhard Puerstl told the news conference.

That information, combined with intelligence from Slovakia that the attacker had tried to buy ammunition there, could have led to a “different outcome” and a different assessment of the threat he posed, Puerstl said.

*

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Vienna terror attack: Austria announces closure of ‘radical’ mosques.

Austria’s interior and integration ministers have ordered the closure of two “radical mosques” after Monday’s deadly attack by a jihadist in Vienna in which four people were killed.

It comes after Austria confirmed that all 15 suspects arrested in connection with the deadly rampage are part of the radical Islamist scene and just under half have criminal convictions, some for terrorism offences.

The shooting on Monday was Austria’s first major attack in decades and its first blamed on a jihadist, identified as 20-year-old Kujtim Fejzulai, who was killed by police.

Integration Minister Susanne Raab told a press conference that the government’s religious affairs office “was informed by the interior ministry that Monday’s attacker, since his release from prison, had repeatedly visited two Vienna mosques”.

The two mosques are in Vienna’s western suburbs, one called the Melit Ibrahim mosque in the Ottakring district and the other being the Tewhid mosque in the Meidling area.

Also read| Vienna terror attack: Austria confirms that all suspects arrested are part of ‘radical Islamist scene’

“We are dealing with a violent perpetrator who was evidently intensely involved in the network of political Islam, of sympathisers, who took on their ideology,” Interior Minister Karl Nehammer said.

The 15 are being held on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist organisation. Seven of them have criminal convictions, Of those, four are for terrorism-related offences, Director General for Public Security Franz Ruf said.

Of those four, two involved acts of violence like assault and two were for attempted so-called honour killings, Ruf said, adding: “One can see that all are to be linked to the radical Islamist milieu”.

Switzerland has also arrested two men in connection with the attack, and Austria was in close contact with another unspecified country in its investigation, Nehammer said.

Separately, German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer told parliament there was a connection between the attack and people in Germany who are “monitored around the clock”.

German police on Friday searched the homes and businesses of four people believed to have had ties to the man being being considered a suspect for the attack. 

“There is no initial suspicion that the four people affected by today’s measures took part in the attack but there are believed to have been links with the suspected attacker,” Germany’s BKA criminal police said on Twitter.

The BKA said a federal judge had issued search warrants for the homes and businesses in the German towns of Osnabrueck, Kassel and in the district of Pinneberg near Hamburg after the Austrian judiciary transferred some of its findings on the attack to German prosecutors.

Midterm. Grafici intriganti della Bbc.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2018-11-09.

La Bbc è uscita con un articolo ricco di grafici, che evidenziano alcuni topic di particolare interesse.

US mid-term election results 2018: Maps, charts and analysis

 

I liberal democratici avevano promesso una Marea Blu che avrebbe conquistato l’84% dei seggi.

Questi risultati non corroborano le loro previsioni.

Confermano invece l’alta densità dei liberal sulla costa dell’ovest e quella del nord-est.

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Come in tutte le votazioni per collegio, ciò che conta è la loro conquista, uno per uno, non la percentuale totale di voti ottenuta. Vincere un collegio con il 51% oppure con l’89% dei voti non cambia il risultato finale. È solo uno spreco di energie.

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La Marea Rosa sembrerebbe essre molto scarna. Sicuramente alcuni casi avranno un grande effetto mediatico, ma ciò che conta sarà poi la resa nel Congresso.

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Questa grafica da molto a cui pensare. Sicuramente i repubblicani sono prevalentemente bianchi. L’incremento delle quote ispaniche o negre nel mondo del lavoro sembrerebbe aver influito poco sull’orientamento del voto. Sarà un dato su cui meditare.

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Le zone rurali sono quasi tutte repubblicane. I liberal non riescono ad ottenere gran ché in quelle lande. Ma sarebbe anche vero l’opposto. Questo dato tende a cristallizzare gli schieramenti.

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Di nuovo, la composizione razziale delle contee è determinante sul voto ai partiti.

Cinesi, gente pratica. Risolto il problema dell’integralismo islamico.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2018-10-17.

Se non avessero ancora un qualche peso politico ed economico, professando per di più un’ideologia balzana e bislacca, i liberal sarebbero davvero gente da baraccone.

Quando la Catalogna fece un referendum per staccarsi dal resto della Spagna, insorsero come un sol uomo per difendere il sacro suolo spagnolo dalle mire secessioniste dei populisti sovranisti. Avvallarono con gioia il fatto che l’allora Premier Rajoy avesse fatto intervenire l’esercito e che avesse fatto arrestare gli esponenti secessionisti. Ancora adesso la Catalogna è tenuta come un dominio spagnolo: i catalani lavorano e producono, gli spagnoli li tassano e si spartiscono il maltolto.

Quando il Regno Unito si stancò di essere preso a calci nei denti dall’Unione Europea e votò la Brexit. I liberal strillarono come tacchini spennati vivi: l’Unione Europea è una ed indivisibile, ed è a reggenza liberal.

*

Quando però si parla dei movimenti separatisti nella Cina la musica cambia.

I cinesi sono ‘illiberali’, autoritari per non dire totalitari: non consentono alla minoranza di Hong Kong di separarsi dalla madrepatria, mettono fuori legge i separatisti (come hanno fatto peraltro gli spangoli), e guardano con forte sospetto il separatismo islamico, che ospita tra l’altro nuclei terroristici.

*

Due pesi e due misure, come di abitudine per i liberal.

Adesso il Governo centrale cinese ha perso la pazienza.

«Chinese authorities in the far-northwestern region of Xinjiang on Wednesday revised legislation to permit the use of “education and training centers” to combat religious extremism.»

*

«In practice, the centers are internment camps in which as many as 1 million minority Muslims have been placed in the past 12 months»

*

«The amended legislation states that Chinese regional governments “can set up vocational education and training centers … to educate and transform those who have been influenced by extremism.”»

*

«However, besides teaching the Mandarin language and providing vocational skills, the centers are now directed to provide “ideological education, psychological rehabilitation and behavior correction” under the new clause.»

*

«The Chinese government has for decades tried to suppress pro-independence movements among Xinjiang’s Muslim community, spurred largely by frustration over the influx of migrants from China’s Han majority»

*

«Chinese authorities say that extremists in the region have ties to terror groups»

*

«The European Union’s top foreign policy official, Federica Mogherini, expressed similar concerns last week»

* * * * * * * *

I cinesi sono persone pratiche.

Gli islamici uiguri a kazaki non ne vogliono sapere di imparare il cinese?

Gli islamici non ne vogliono sapere di imparare un lavoro?

Gli islamici si baloccano con l’integralismo e si allevano i loro terroristi?

Nessun problema.

Tutti assieme in campo di concentramento, ed il problema è risolto.

È un metodo che potrebbe anche essere valutato nei confronti degli immigrati clandestini illegali nel nostro continente.

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→ Deutsche Welle. 2018-10-11. China’s Xinjiang region legalizes Muslim internment camps

China’s regional government in Xinjiang has amended its laws to effectively legalize internment camps targeting Muslim minorities. Some 1 million Muslims are currently thought to be held in such centers.

*

Chinese authorities in the far-northwestern region of Xinjiang on Wednesday revised legislation to permit the use of “education and training centers” to combat religious extremism.

In practice, the centers are internment camps in which as many as 1 million minority Muslims have been placed in the past 12 months, according to rights groups and NGO reports.

The amended legislation states that Chinese regional governments “can set up vocational education and training centers … to educate and transform those who have been influenced by extremism.”

However, besides teaching the Mandarin language and providing vocational skills, the centers are now directed to provide “ideological education, psychological rehabilitation and behavior correction” under the new clause.

Beijing denies that the centers serve as internment camps but has admitted that even petty criminals have been sent to such centers. Former detainees have told rights groups that they were forced to denounce Islam and made to profess their loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party.

“It’s a retrospective justification for the mass detainment of Uighurs, Kazakhs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang,” James Leibold, a scholar of Chinese ethnic policies at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, told the AP news agency. “It’s a new form of re-education that’s unprecedented and doesn’t really have a legal basis, and I see them scrambling to try to create a legal basis for this policy.”

Members of the Uighur, Kazakh and other Muslim minorities who live abroad have indicated they have been unable to contact their relatives in China.

The Chinese government has for decades tried to suppress pro-independence movements among Xinjiang’s Muslim community, spurred largely by frustration over the influx of migrants from China’s Han majority.

Chinese authorities say that extremists in the region have ties to terror groups, but have given little evidence to support that claim.

The latest legislation comes after the regional government launched a crackdown on halal products and banned the wearing of veils.

China faces international condemnation over camps

Following the Xinjiang region’s law change, a bipartisan group of US lawmakers proposed legislation on Wednesday urging President Donald Trump to condemn the “gross violations” of human rights in the northwestern Chinese region.

The proposal put forward by the Congressional-Executive Commission on China calls on Trump to press his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to immediately shut down what it described as “political re-education camps.”

It also proposes imposing sanctions against Xinjiang’s Communist Party chief Chen Quanguo under the Magnitsky Act, which would prevent him from entering the US and freeze any assets he has in US banks.

“China’s authoritarianism at home directly threatens our freedoms as well as our most deeply held values and national interests,” Florida Senator Marco Rubio and New Jersey Representative Chris Smith, both Republicans, said in a joint statement.

The European Union’s top foreign policy official, Federica Mogherini, expressed similar concerns last week.

The measures proposed by US lawmakers come as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate over tariff disputes and American complaints about China’s technology policy.

Egitto. Fosse possibile, sarebbe un passo verso il futuro.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-10-26.

Corano e tradizione islamica identificano con la denominazione dār al-Islām, دار الإسلام, “casa dell’Islam”, i territori ove i mussulmani siano preponderanti ed abbiano il relativo potere politico. 

Nella dār al-Islām hanno diritto di vivere ed operare esclusivamente i mussulmani. Le religioni del “Libro”, Ahl al-Kitāb, possono vivere in tali regioni geografiche come protetti, e con severe limitazioni, tra le quali il divieto di fare proselitismo, fare manifestazioni pubbliche della propria fede religiosa, accedere direttamente ai tribunali islamici.

Per essere chiari, chi in Arabia Saudita, per esempio, esponesse segni religiosi non islamici sarebbe immediatamente arrestato.

*

Sono norme religiose e politiche che vigono da oltre millequattrocento anni e sono entrate pienamente nel patrimonio culturale mussulmano.

Se tuttavia le giustificazioni storiche sono ragionevoli per i tempi passati, al momento attuale sono in molti gli islamici che si pongono il problema di rivedere criticamente in chiave pratica tali dettami.

Nella civiltà contemporanea lo scontro religioso sembrerebbe aver fatto il suo tempo. Resta sicuramente uno scontro politico che utilizza in modo strumentale le religioni, ma anche questo, come tutte le iniziative politiche, sembrerebbe avviarsi all’epilogo. Si faccia anche grande attenzione, che per i mussulmani non esiste una divisione stato – religione: l’islamismo è politica.

Significativa è questa apertura riportata dal giornale arabo Al Arabyia, ove i mussulmani egiziani si domandano se sia possibile o meno aprire il loro paese al così detto turismo religioso, ossia a pellegrinaggi in luoghi santi per i cristiani.

«Aside from beaches and historic landmarks, religious tourism would attract a different crowd and that was how the revival plan started to take shape»

*

«The most significant step taken towards making this plan materialize was the flying of the Egyptian minister of tourism to Rome where he got the pope’s official blessing for the Holy Family’s trip to Egypt, thus putting the 25 sites by the which the family—Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, and Joseph—passed on the global Christian pilgrimage map»

*

«While this development seems to herald a new era in Egyptian tourism, it still brings back the same old concerns about general safety together with new ones about receiving large numbers of Christians in a country that is not exactly devoid of sectarian tension»

*

«Ishak Ibrahim, head of the Religious Freedom Unit at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, argued that it is not possible to promote Christian pilgrimage in a country where Christians are marginalized. “We can’t be that detached from reality and that is why promoting Christian pilgrimage has to be accompanied by serious steps towards acknowledging Christian presence,” he said.»

*

«Ibrahim cited the example of text books that do not focus at all on Coptic history or the role of Copts in Egyptian civilization which, in turn, does not promote cultural diversity»

*

«Pilgrims are not going to visit sites in a country whose citizens have no respect for their religion»

*

«The tree in whose shadow Virgin Mary sat in Cairo, for example, is totally neglected and the area surrounding it is filthy»

*

Molti gli aspetti da superare.

Il primo in ordine di importanza  è quello della sicurezza fisica dei pellegrini, in un paese ove l’omicidio dei preti e dei fedeli cristiani è predicato nelle moschee.

«Added to this is the number of religious edicts from extremist preachers who incite people against Christians and teach them intolerance»

*

Bene.

Siamo solo agli inizi e come tutte le mutazioni sarà necessario del tempo perché le situazioni possano evolvere.

Constatiamo però come sia la prima volta che in un paese mussulmano quale l’Egitto si inizia a parlare di questi aspetti. Sicuramente la possibilità di effettuare pellegrinaggi nei luoghi ove risedette la Sacra Famiglia è solo il movente iniziale, ma per risolverlo con civile convivenza è altresì necessaria la comune reciproca accettazione e, diciamolo pure francamente, reciprocità.

Non è possibile invocare il dār al-Islām e poi pretendere che gli islamici emigrati posano erigersi moschee e praticare apertamente il loro culto.

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→ Al Arabiya. 2017-10-24. Is Egypt’s religious tourism industry ready for Christian pilgrimages?

Tourism in Egypt has been hit by successive blows that have driven several countries to warn their citizens of traveling there and have even led some, including Russia, to take strict measures towards the implementation of such warnings.

Pope Francis’s visit to Cairo in April, which went without incident, unlike many anticipated, inspired a new way out of the impasse.

Aside from beaches and historic landmarks, religious tourism would attract a different crowd and that was how the revival plan started to take shape.

The most significant step taken towards making this plan materialize was the flying of the Egyptian minister of tourism to Rome where he got the pope’s official blessing for the Holy Family’s trip to Egypt, thus putting the 25 sites by the which the family—Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, and Joseph—passed on the global Christian pilgrimage map.

While this development seems to herald a new era in Egyptian tourism, it still brings back the same old concerns about general safety together with new ones about receiving large numbers of Christians in a country that is not exactly devoid of sectarian tension.

Ishak Ibrahim, head of the Religious Freedom Unit at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, argued that it is not possible to promote Christian pilgrimage in a country where Christians are marginalized. “We can’t be that detached from reality and that is why promoting Christian pilgrimage has to be accompanied by serious steps towards acknowledging Christian presence,” he said.

Ibrahim cited the example of text books that do not focus at all on Coptic history or the role of Copts in Egyptian civilization which, in turn, does not promote cultural diversity. “Pilgrims are not going to visit sites in a country whose citizens have no respect for their religion,” he added. Former deacon at the Coptic Orthodox Church Beshoy Sami agreed with Ibrahim and said that dealing with sectarian sentiments among Egyptians is the only ways Christian pilgrimage can succeed in Egypt. “The state has to stop solving Muslim-Christian clashes customary reconciliation sessions rather than the law and the people need to stop viewing Christians as inferior,” he said. “Some countries are not even aware that there are Christians in Egypt.”

Priest murder

Melbourne-based Coptic journalist Ashraf Helmi expected the recent murder in Cairo of Egyptian priest Samaan Shehata to have a negative impact on Christian pilgrimage trips, especially that the state did not handle the situation in the right way and only referred to the murderer as mentally ill. “Added to this is the number of religious edicts from extremist preachers who incite people against Christians and teach them intolerance,” he said in a statement. Helmi warned that Shehata’s murder might, in fact, lead many European countries to ask their citizens not to go to Egypt in general and for religious trips in particular. 

In fact, journalist Mayada Seif sees the attack on Shehata as a reaction to announcement of starting Christian pilgrimage to Egypt. “It is like a message to the world that Christians who come to Egypt will be killed because Egypt is only for Muslims,” she wrote. 

Journalist Osama Salama notes that the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism expects to receive two to three million Christian pilgrims annually and wonders how prepared the state is for such numbers. “The minister of tourism said a film will be made about the holy sites in Egypt to be marketed across the world and pamphlets in many languages are to be printed about those sites. But then what? Is this enough?” he wrote. Salama listed a number of problems that might make pilgrimage trips a failure. “Most of the sites in the journey of the Holy Family are in a deplorable state and need a lot of maintenance.

Time for change

The tree in whose shadow Virgin Mary sat in Cairo, for example, is totally neglected and the area surrounding it is filthy.” Salama cited other issues such as lack of good accommodation in most of the governorates where the sites are located as well the unpaved roads leading to them, which leads to a lot of accidents. “As for trains going to these areas, they are notorious for never leaving or arriving on time in addition to occasional breakdowns and accidents.”

For Salama, it is also not wise to start receiving pilgrims without training a team of tour guides that can accompany them and who should be knowledgeable about this historical era. “Most guides we have are trained in ancient Egyptian history and those won’t be fit for such a job.” 

Economic expert Medhat Nafea is more optimistic for he does not believe that lack of hotels is an obstacle since it is a different type of tourism. “The spiritual nature of pilgrimages allows for a simple and rather primitive atmosphere where luxury accommodation is not needed,” he wrote.

While admitting that turmoil in North Sinai can be a problem, Nafea argues that this is bound to change soon. “With the Palestinian reconciliation and the rapprochement with Hamas, normalcy is expected to be gradually restored to Sinai, which makes it safe for pilgrims to visit sits of the Holy Family journey there.”

Nafea noted that Egypt does get tourists who visit holy sites, but they are few and are not part of a full pilgrimage program. “Most of them come from Jerusalem while many are already in Sinai for recreational purposes and that is why it is hard to know their exact number. They do not exceed a few hundreds in all cases.” 

Trump. Corte Suprema conferma legalità del travel ban.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-09-13.

La Suprema Corte di Giustizia americana ha emanato ieri 12 settembre un Order in pending case, che blocca la pregressa sentenza della Corte di Appello del Nono Circuito. Questa sentenza rigettava l’Ordine Esecutivo di Mr Trump noto come Travel Ban.

Non vogliamo entrare nel merito, poiché la Suprema Corte ha tuttora la causa pendente.

Notiamo però che quando i Giudici Federali della Corte di Appello del Nono Circuito avevano bloccato l’Executive Order del Presidente Trump, i media avevano pubblicato titoli a sei ed otto colonne.

Eccovi adesso in fotocopia le prime pagine di Cnn e del The New York Times.

La differenza è stridente.

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→ Cnn. 2017-09-13. Supreme Court: Trump admin can keep travel ban on most refugees

Washington (CNN)The Supreme Court granted Tuesday a Trump administration request to continue to bar most refugees under its travel ban.

Without comment, the court blocked a federal appeals court ruling from last week that would have exempted refugees who have a contractual commitment from resettlement organizations from the travel ban while the justices consider its legality. The ruling could impact roughly 24,000 people.

The travel ban bars certain people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the US.

The issue concerning the scope of the travel ban has been ricocheting through the courts since last spring when the Supreme Court allowed Trump’s ban to go into effect except for those with a “bona fide” relationship to the United States. The order might give hope to supporters of the ban, but it may also simply reflect a desire on the part of the justices to maintain the status quo until the justices can hear the case next month.

“Although it may be tempting to see the order as a harbinger of how the court is likely to rule on the merits, it’s better understood as a very modest procedural step to stabilize the full scope of the injunctions against the travel ban over the next four weeks,” said Steve Vladeck, CNN Supreme Court analyst and professor of law at the University of Texas School of Law.

The justices did not explain their reasoning, although it took five justices to make the decision.

The court is expected to take up the legality of the travel ban October 10.

This story is breaking and will be updated.

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→ The New York Times. 2017-09-13. Justices Allow Refugee Ban While Case Proceeds

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday temporarily allowed the Trump administration to stop some 24,000 refugees from entering the United States while the court considers broad challenges to the administration’s revised travel ban.

The court’s brief order effectively reversed part of an appeals court ruling that had lifted the travel ban’s restrictions on the nation’s refugee program. There were no noted dissents.

The appeals court had also rejected the administration’s efforts to bar travel to the United States from six predominantly Muslim countries by people with grandparents, uncles, aunts and other relatives here. The administration did not challenge that part of the appeals court’s ruling, and the Supreme Court did not address it.

The court will hear arguments on the lawfulness of the travel ban on Oct. 10. Tuesday’s order was the latest in a series of interim measures interpreting statements in a June ruling in which the court agreed to hear the case. In the meantime, the court temporarily reinstated the travel ban — but only for people without “a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.”

The meaning of that phrase has been contested ever since. The court did not specify which relatives qualified, for instance, but it did say that spouses and mothers-in-law “clearly” counted.

“As for entities,” the court said, “the relationship must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading” the executive order. It gave examples: students admitted to American universities qualified, as did workers with job offers from American companies and lecturers invited to address American audiences.

On the other hand, the court said, relationships formed for the purpose of evading the travel ban did not count.

The Trump administration interpreted both parts of the June ruling narrowly. It said that only some relatives of American residents — parents, children, spouses, siblings, parents-in-law, sons- and daughters-in-law and people engaged to be married — could enter. The administration barred other relatives, including grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins.

The administration also said that relationships between refugees and resettlement agencies were too attenuated to qualify for an exception to the ban because the arrangements had been made by an intermediary: the government.

In July, Judge Derrick K. Watson of United States District Court in Honolulu disagreed with the administration’s interpretation on both points. “Common sense,” he said, for instance, required grandparents to qualify as close relatives.

Judge Watson also ruled in favor of those refugees whom resettlement agencies were prepared to assist.

“An assurance from a United States refugee resettlement agency, in fact, meets each of the Supreme Court’s touchstones,” he wrote. “It is formal, it is a documented contract, it is binding, it triggers responsibilities and obligations, including compensation, it is issued specific to an individual refugee only when that refugee has been approved for entry by the Department of Homeland Security.”

A unanimous three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, sitting in Seattle, agreed on both points. At the Supreme Court, the government challenged only the part of the appeals court’s ruling concerning refugees, arguing that there is no direct connection between refugees and resettlement agencies.

“The absence of a formal connection between a resettlement agency and a refugee subject to an assurance stands in stark contrast to the sort of relationships this court identified as sufficient in its June 26 stay ruling,” the government’s brief said. “Unlike students who have been admitted to study at an American university, workers who have accepted jobs at an American company, and lecturers who come to speak to an American audience, refugees do not have any free-standing connection to resettlement agencies, separate and apart from the refugee-admissions process itself, by virtue of the agencies’ assurance agreement with the government.”

In response, lawyers for Hawaii, which is challenging the travel ban, said the administration was mistaking form for substance.

“One would not, for example,” the brief said, “deny the existence of a ‘relationship’ between a couple and the child they plan to adopt from overseas, even though the couple has not had ‘direct contact’ with the child, and even though the only formal agreement is between the couple and the adoption agency.”

On Monday, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy temporarily blocked the Ninth Circuit’s decision, which would have gone into effect on Tuesday. The order from the full court on Tuesday supplanted that temporary measure.

Boko Haram. Un video particolarmente crudo, ma vero.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-06-17.

Stiamo vivendo in un mondo di checche effeminate.

Ma si è pervertiti prima nella mente e nel cuore, poi nel corpo.

Stiamo vivendo in un mondo di femministe d’assalto, che ci sono rappresentate nei loro mega uffici all’ottantesimo piano di Manhattan, donde guidano società finanziarie di risonanza mondiale. Una su di un milione: le altre sgobbano come serve.

Stiamo vivendo in un mondo che ci si presenta in una veste volutamente asettica, surreale, dove non si può pubblicare la fotografia di un foruncolo che tutti gridano allo scandalo. Come se nelle sale operatorie il bisturi non affondasse nelle carni.

Parlare di sofferenza, di malattia, di morte è diventato un “reato di odio“.

*

Nulla di più adulterato.

I nostri stati sono stati edificati nel sangue e con il sangue dei concittadini.

La libertà i nostri avi se la sono conquistata prima e mantenuta dopo con la draganassa in mano, poi con lo schioppo.

I resti delle mura medievali della mia città sono ancora intrise del sangue di quanti difesero la loro patria.

Ci siamo dimenticati dei Bragadin o dei don Giovanni d’Austria, dei Sobieski, e di tutta una lunghissima serie di eroi.

E questa generazione perversa rigetta non solo il proprio retaggio religioso, storico, culturale, sociale, ma si atteggia a gente piena di buonismo malnato e peggio vissuto.

Questa è la generazione ove gli occidentali finanziano a piene mani Boko Haram. Poi fingono di piangere sui poveracci che riescono a sfuggir loro di mano.

*

Ma la realtà quotidiana del mondo è quella che ci è presentata dal video dell’Israel Video Network.

Guardandolo pensateci sopra bene: in un domani seduti ad aspettare il vostro turno ci sarete Voi. E con voi ci saranno i vostri cari.

Avete votato partiti politici che sostengono gli islamici? Vi farà benissimo star seduti lì, ad aspettare il vostro turno.

Siete stati cinici nel non voler vedere? Benissimo. La gente dirà di voi “dei buonisti di meno“!

I media diranno semplicemente che siete “dispersi“.

Nota.

Sono debitore di questo video al sig. Adriana Tota, che ringrazio.

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Boko Haram mass executions – WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC!

«I waited two days wondering if I should post this at all, but I cannot help but think that because Boko Haram is working in Africa – the “West” doesn’t really care.

This clip shows them beheading prisoners, one by one. If you cannot watch this, I can understand – but the message needs to be sent out!

It is clear that Boko Haram is a group that needs eradication – will the world wake up?»

‘Facebook exposed identities of moderators to suspected terrorists ‘

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-06-17.

«A security lapse that affected more than 1,000 workers forced one moderator into hiding – and he still lives in constant fear for his safety»

*

«Facebook put the safety of its content moderators at risk after inadvertently exposing their personal details to suspected terrorist users of the social network»

*

«The security lapse affected more than 1,000 workers across 22 departments at Facebook who used the company’s moderation software to review and remove inappropriate content from the platform, including sexual material, hate speech and terrorist propaganda»

*

«A bug in the software, discovered late last year, resulted in the personal profiles of content moderators automatically appearing as notifications in the activity log of the Facebook groups, whose administrators were removed from the platform for breaching the terms of service»

*

«The personal details of Facebook moderators were then viewable to the remaining admins of the group»

*

«Of the 1,000 affected workers, around 40 worked in a counter-terrorism unit based at Facebook’s European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland»

*

I terroristi hanno la memoria di ferro e sono anche vendicativi. Anche a distanza di anni.

Si spera che alle persone interessate sia stata data una adeguata copertura.

→ The Guardian. 2017-06-17. Revealed: Facebook exposed identities of moderators to suspected terrorists

A security lapse that affected more than 1,000 workers forced one moderator into hiding – and he still lives in constant fear for his safety.

*

Facebook put the safety of its content moderators at risk after inadvertently exposing their personal details to suspected terrorist users of the social network, the Guardian has learned.

The security lapse affected more than 1,000 workers across 22 departments at Facebook who used the company’s moderation software to review and remove inappropriate content from the platform, including sexual material, hate speech and terrorist propaganda.

A bug in the software, discovered late last year, resulted in the personal profiles of content moderators automatically appearing as notifications in the activity log of the Facebook groups, whose administrators were removed from the platform for breaching the terms of service. The personal details of Facebook moderators were then viewable to the remaining admins of the group.

Of the 1,000 affected workers, around 40 worked in a counter-terrorism unit based at Facebook’s European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland. Six of those were assessed to be “high priority” victims of the mistake after Facebook concluded their personal profiles were likely viewed by potential terrorists.

The Guardian spoke to one of the six, who did not wish to be named out of concern for his and his family’s safety. The Iraqi-born Irish citizen, who is in his early twenties, fled Ireland and went into hiding after discovering that seven individuals associated with a suspected terrorist group he banned from Facebook – an Egypt-based group that backed Hamas and, he said, had members who were Islamic State sympathizers – had viewed his personal profile.

Facebook confirmed the security breach in a statement and said it had made technical changes to “better detect and prevent these types of issues from occurring”.

“We care deeply about keeping everyone who works for Facebook safe,” a spokesman said. “As soon as we learned about the issue, we fixed it and began a thorough investigation to learn as much as possible about what happened.”

The moderator who went into hiding was among hundreds of “community operations analysts” contracted by global outsourcing company Cpl Recruitment. Community operations analysts are typically low-paid contractors tasked with policing Facebook for content that breaches its community standards.

Overwhelmed with fear that he could face retaliation, the moderator, who first came to Ireland as an asylum seeker when he was a child, quit his job and moved to eastern Europe for five months.

“It was getting too dangerous to stay in Dublin,” he said, explaining that his family had already experienced the horrifying impact of terrorism: his father had been kidnapped and beaten and his uncle executed in Iraq.

“The only reason we’re in Ireland was to escape terrorism and threats,” he said.

The moderator said that others within the high-risk six had their personal profiles viewed by accounts with ties to Isis, Hezbollah and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Facebook complies with the US state department’s designation of terrorist groups.

“When you come from a war zone and you have people like that knowing your family name you know that people get butchered for that,” he said. “The punishment from Isis for working in counter-terrorism is beheading. All they’d need to do is tell someone who is radical here.”

Facebook moderators like him first suspected there was a problem when they started receiving friend requests from people affiliated with the terrorist organizations they were scrutinizing.

An urgent investigation by Facebook’s security team established that personal profiles belonging to content moderators had been exposed. As soon as the leak was identified in November 2016, Facebook convened a “task force of data scientists, community operations and security investigators”, according to internal emails seen by the Guardian, and warned all the employees and contracted staff it believed were affected. The company also set-up an email address, nameleak@fb.com, to field queries from those affected.

Facebook then discovered that the personal Facebook profiles of its moderators had been automatically appearing in the activity logs of the groups they were shutting down.

Craig D’Souza, Facebook’s head of global investigations, liaised directly with some of the affected contractors, talking to the six individuals considered to be at the highest risk over video conference, email and Facebook Messenger.

In one exchange, before the Facebook investigation was complete, D’Souza sought to reassure the moderators that there was “a good chance” any suspected terrorists notified about their identity would fail to connect the dots.

“Keep in mind that when the person sees your name on the list, it was in their activity log, which contains a lot of information,” D’Souza wrote, “there is a good chance that they associate you with another admin of the group or a hacker …”

“I understand Craig,” replied the moderator who ended up fleeing Ireland, “but this is taking chances. I’m not waiting for a pipe bomb to be mailed to my address until Facebook does something about it.”

The bug in the software was not fixed for another two weeks, on 16 November 2016. By that point the glitch had been active for a month. However, the bug was also retroactively exposing the personal profiles of moderators who had censored accounts as far back as August 2016.

Facebook offered to install a home alarm monitoring system and provide transport to and from work to those in the high risk group. The company also offered counseling through Facebook’s employee assistance program, over and above counseling offered by the contractor, Cpl.

The moderator who fled Ireland was unsatisfied with the security assurances received from Facebook. In an email to D’Souza, he wrote that the high-risk six had spent weeks “in a state of panic and emergency” and that Facebook needed to do more to “address our pressing concerns for our safety and our families”.

He told the Guardian that the five months he spent in eastern Europe felt like “exile”. He kept a low profile, relying on savings to support himself. He spent his time keeping fit and liaising with his lawyer and the Dublin police, who checked up on his family while he was away. He returned to Ireland last month after running out of money, although he still lives in fear.

“I don’t have a job, I have anxiety and I’m on antidepressants,” he said. “I can’t walk anywhere without looking back.”

This month he filed a legal claim against Facebook and Cpl with the Injuries Board in Dublin. He is seeking compensation for the psychological damage caused by the leak.

Cpl did not respond to a request to comment. The statement provided by Facebook said its investigation sought to determine “exactly which names were possibly viewed and by whom, as well as an assessment of the risk to the affected person”.

The social media giant played down the threat posed to the affected moderators, but said that it contacted each of them individually “to offer support, answer their questions, and take meaningful steps to ensure their safety”.

“Our investigation found that only a small fraction of the names were likely viewed, and we never had evidence of any threat to the people impacted or their families as a result of this matter,” the spokesman said.

Details of Facebook’s security blunder will once again put a spotlight on the grueling and controversial work carried out by an army of thousands of low-paid staff, including in countries like the Philippines and India.

The Guardian recently revealed the secret rules and guidelines Facebook uses to train moderators to police its vast network of almost two billion users, including 100 internal training manuals, spreadsheets and flowcharts.

The moderator who fled Ireland worked for a 40-strong specialist team tasked with investigating reports of terrorist activity on Facebook. He was hired because he spoke Arabic, he said.

He felt that contracted staff were not treated as equals to Facebook employees but “second-class citizens”. He was paid just €13 ($15) per hour for a role that required him to develop specialist knowledge of global terror networks and scour through often highly-disturbing material.

“You come in every morning and just look at beheadings, people getting butchered, stoned, executed,” he said.

Facebook’s policies allow users to post extremely violent images provided they don’t promote or celebrate terrorism. This means moderators may be repeatedly exposed to the same haunting pictures to determine whether the people sharing them were condemning or celebrating the depicted acts.

The moderator said that when he started, he was given just two weeks training and was required to use his personal Facebook account to log into the social media giant’s moderation system.

“They should have let us use fake profiles,” he said, adding: “They never warned us that something like this could happen.”

Facebook told the Guardian that as a result of the leak it is testing the use of administrative accounts that are not linked to personal profiles.

Moderation teams were continually scored for the accuracy and speed of their decisions, he said, as well as other factors such as their ability to stay updated training materials. If a moderator’s score dropped below 90% they would receive a formal warning.

In an attempt to boost morale among agency staff, Facebook launched a monthly award ceremony to celebrate the top quality performers. The prize was a Facebook-branded mug. “The mug that all Facebook employees get,” he noted.

Il terrorista dei Champs Elysées aveva già fatto un altro attentato.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-04-21.

I capi di stato non sono stati eletti per presenziare con volto annoiato ai funerali delle vittime del terrorismo.

Sono stati eletti per estirpare il terrorismo stesso.

Ma è conflittuale finanziare il terrorismo islamico in Medio Oriente ed in Africa, dargli copertura politica ed armarlo, viziare e coccolare gli islamici già presenti sul territorio, finanziare le moschee ove si predica il  terrorismo, rimettere in libertà terroristi già fermati e condannati da un Tribunale, e poi fingere di dolersi se il terrorismo colpisce ancora, facendo morti ammazzati.

Anche alla ipocrisia dovrebbe essere posto un limite.

Il killer sembrerebbe aver usato un kalashnikov: sembrerebbe che in Francia sia più facile procurarsi un kalashnikov che il permesso di parcheggiare l’automobile per strada.

*

«L’attentatore era noto ai servizi di sicurezza»

*

«Aveva già sparato ad un agente nel 2001»

*

«Era nato nella periferia di Parigi»

*

«Un francese, Karim C., forse appoggiato da un complice belga, ha ucciso con un kalashnikov un poliziotto sugli Champs-Elysees e ne ha feriti altri due»

*

«l’attentato è stato compiuto da qualcuno denominato ‘Abu Yusuf al Beljiki’, ovvero “il belga”»

*

«Si chiamava Karim C., era schedato dalla polizia, radicalizzato, con pesanti precedenti»

*

«già 15 anni fa era stato condannato per tentato omicidio di un agente, quindi per aver assalito una guardia in carcere»

* * * * * * *

Cerchiamo di ragionare.

– L’attentatore è un cittadino francese, madrelingua francese, nato nelle banlieue parigine, indottrinato nelle moschee che usano i finanziamenti statali per propalare il terrorismo. Non è un poveraccio immigrato.

– Nel 2001 aveva fatto un attentato sparando ad un agente, condannato per tentato omicidio ma rapidamente rimesso in libertà da una Magistratura connivente.

– Intanto, per perfezionare il curriculum, aveva assalito una guardia in carcere.

– Avrebbe dovuto essere un sorvegliato speciale dei servizi antiterrorismo, invece ha potuto agire indisturbato, come se si fosse preparato per andare a pescare nella Loira.

*

I responsabili di questo ultimo attentato, e di tutti i precedenti, sono il Presidente Hollande, il suo governo socialista, i Magistrati, e tutti i buonisti che frignano sui poveri terroristi incuranti del sangue sparso dalle vittime innocenti.

Adesso, alla luce di quanto successo, rileggetevi bene il manifesto pubblicato dalla massoneria francese:

I massoni francesi esortano al voto. Domenica conteremo quanto valgono.

Queste logge massoniche sono causa efficiente del terrorismo.

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→ Ansa. 2017-04-21. Parigi, ucciso un agente agli Champs Elysées. Abbattuto l’aggressore. L’Isis firma attacco. Presunto complice si presenta ad Anversa

Feriti gravemente altri due agenti. Spari di kalashnikov diretti alla polizia. L’attentatore era noto ai servizi di sicurezza: ‘Aveva già sparato ad un agente nel 2001’. L’episodio è avvenuto a tre giorni dalle elezioni presidenziali in Francia.

*

Il terrorismo irrompe nelle elezioni francesi: ieri sera un 39enne armato di kalashnikov ha sparato sugli Champs-Elysees a Parigi uccidendo un poliziotto e ferendone altri due, prima di venire abbattuto. Rivendicazione dell’Isis. Hollande ha convocato per stamattina un Consiglio di difesa. Presunto complice si presenta alla polizia ad Anversa, ma per procura non c’è alcun legame con il Belgio. Fermate tre persone vicine al killer.

E’ ripreso stamattina il traffico sugli Champs Elysees dopo l’attacco di ieri sera. Come previsto, e’ cominciato questa mattina all’Eliseo un Consiglio di difesa convocato d’urgenza ieri sera dal presidente francese Francois Hollande. 
“Nulla deve ostacolare l’appuntamento democratico”, ha dichiarato il premier francese Bernard Cazeneuve.

Il belga segnalato dalle autorità di Bruxelles a Parigi in relazione all’attentato si è presentato spontaneamente al commissariato di polizia di Anversa. 

“Non c’è al momento nessun legame” tra l’attacco a Parigi e il Belgio. Lo ha affermato la Procura federale belga, secondo quanto riporta la tv pubblica fiamminga Vrt. L’uomo presentatosi spontaneamente al commissariato ad Anversa, che ha un alibi e che nega ogni coinvolgimento nei fatti di Parigi, è noto per casi gravi di traffico di stupefacenti ma non ha legami con il terrorismo né è noto per essere radicalizzato, riferisce la Procura.

Diverse armi sono state ritrovate nell’Audi 4 del terrorista ucciso dopo la sparatoria sugli Champs-Elysées: un fucile a pompa e delle armi bianche, tra cui un coltello da cucina.

Tre persone ritenute vicine all’assalitore sono state fermate e interrogate dai servizi antiterrorismo. Si trovavano nelle abitazioni perquisite durante la notte dalla Polizia.

L’attentato, due giorni fa l’avvertimento. Ieri sera, a tre giorni dal primo turno, il terrorismo ha fatto irruzione nelle elezioni presidenziali francesi. Un francese, Karim C., forse appoggiato da un complice belga, ha ucciso con un kalashnikov un poliziotto sugli Champs-Elysees e ne ha feriti altri due. Poi si è dato alla fuga, ma è stato ucciso dopo pochi metri. Prima di mezzanotte, la rivendicazione dell’Isis: l’attentato è stato compiuto da qualcuno denominato ‘Abu Yusuf al Beljiki’, ovvero “il belga”. A Parigi, il killer – come confermato dal procuratore Francois Molins – è stato identificato e la sua abitazione in banlieue di Parigi già perquisita. Si chiamava Karim C., era schedato dalla polizia, radicalizzato, con pesanti precedenti: già 15 anni fa era stato condannato per tentato omicidio di un agente, quindi per aver assalito una guardia in carcere. Era nato nella periferia di Parigi. Il panico si è propagato in pochi istanti, l’intera avenue, la più celebre della capitale, è stata blindata dai furgoni di polizia, dalla Concorde fino all’Etoile. Tutte le fermate del metrò sono state sbarrate, gli abitanti sono stati invitati a non avvicinarsi al quartiere.

L’agenzia Amaq, legata allo Stato Islamico, ha riferito che l’attacco è stato compiuto da “combattenti” dell’Isis, uno dei quali viene individuato in Abu Yusuf al Beljiki, ovvero “il belga”. Lo riferisce il Site.

Erano passati pochi minuti dalle 21 e gli 11 candidati alle presidenziali di domenica erano impegnati da un’ora nell’ultima performance in diretta tv su France 2 quando diverse raffiche di armi automatiche hanno seminato il terrore sugli Champs-Elysees, all’altezza del civico 102, in prossimità dei grandi magazzini britannici ‘Marks & Spencer’. Un uomo è sceso da un’Audi 80 grigia, si è avvicinato ad un furgone parcheggiato con alcuni poliziotti all’interno – agenti della stradale e della municipale – e ha fatto fuoco con un kalashnikov. Un agente è stato ucciso sul colpo, altri due feriti, una passante – una turista straniera – colpita da schegge. L’assalitore si è dato alla fuga, a piedi, abbandonando l’auto. Dopo pochi metri, è stato abbattuto da altri colleghi degli agenti aggrediti, che stavano pattugliando la strada. Testimoni hanno parlato di “una vera e propria esecuzione”. La procura antiterrorismo è stata immediatamente incaricata delle indagini, dopo aver escluso in pochi minuti che si trattasse di una rapina o di criminalità comune. Panico nella strada, in pochi minuti tutto è stato blindato, i tanti negozi ancora aperti sono stati invitati a chiudere immediatamente. Poliziotti e teste di cuoio hanno perquisito ogni centimetro quadrato dei negozi, in particolare il grande magazzino ‘Marks & Spencer’, poi si sono riversati in un parcheggio poco distante, per il sospetto che un complice potesse essere in fuga proprio lì. Sul presunto ‘secondo uomo’, però, non ci sono conferme in Francia, mentre dal Belgio rimbalza la notizia – e la foto – di un complice “arrivato in treno da Bruxelles”. Il suo domicilio belga sarebbe stato già perquisito. 

 Intanto, sul canale pubblico France 2 andava in onda l’ultimo dibattito elettorale, a 3 giorni dalle urne. Per 40 minuti, i candidati si sono succeduti nello studio ma di attentato a Parigi non si è mai parlato. Emmanuel Macron è stato il primo ad esprimere il cordoglio e il dolore per il poliziotto ucciso, Marine Le Pen è indicata da molti come la candidata che più potrebbe trarre vantaggio dall’attentato. All’Eliseo, il primo ministro Bernard Cazeneuve ha raggiunto pochi minuti dopo i fatti il presidente Francois Hollande, che in serata ha confermato come la pista terroristica sia quella che stanno seguendo le autorità. Per questa mattina alle 8, il presidente ha convocato all’Eliseo un Consiglio di difesa, annullando una visita in Bretagna. Anche Le Pen e Fillon hanno annullato gli ultimi comizi previsti per oggi, confermati invece da Macron, Melenchon e Hamon.

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→ Bbc. 2017-04-21. Paris shooting: Gunman was ‘focus of anti-terror’ probe

The gunman who shot dead a policeman in Paris on Thursday has been identified from papers left in his car, but French officials are yet to release his name.

Local media say the 39-year-old lived in the city’s suburbs, and had been seen as a potential Islamist radical.

The gunman wounded two police officers before being shot dead by security forces on the Champs Elysees.

A pump-action shotgun and knives were found in his car, the French TV station BFMTV reported.

Another man suspected of possible links to the attack has turned himself in to Belgian police.

French police have also taken three family members of the gunman into custody, Reuters reports, citing a legal source.

Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said security forces, including elite units, were fully mobilised ahead of Sunday’s presidential poll.

“Nothing must be allowed to impede the fundamental democratic process of our country,” he said after an emergency security cabinet meeting.

So-called Islamic State (IS) has said one of its “fighters” carried out the attack.

What happened on Thursday on the Champs-Elysees?

A car pulled up alongside a police bus just before 21:00 (19:00 GMT) and a man got out, opening fire on the bus with an automatic weapon, Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said.

After killing an officer, the man attempted to run away while shooting at other officers, two of whom he injured, the spokesman added.

He was then shot dead by security forces.

Terrified eyewitness later recounted scenes of panic as they ran for cover after hearing gunfire.

The whole of the Champs Elysees was evacuated.

Because of its worldwide renown and its large number of visitors, the avenue has long been seen as a potential target, the BBC’s Hugh Schofield in Paris reports.

Overnight, a property in the eastern Parisian suburb of Chelles was searched by investigators, who want to know who else – if anyone – may have known about the gunman’s plans.

What is known about the attacker?

Paris prosecutor François Molins said shortly after the shootings that “the attacker’s identity is known and has been verified”.

“I won’t reveal it, because investigations and raids are already under way, in particular to establish whether there is any evidence or not of complicity [in this attack],” he said, adding that more information would be released on Friday.

According to French media, the attacker served several years in prison for firing on police officers with a gun in the early 2000s.

More recently the intelligence services identified him as a potential Islamist radical.

Meanwhile, IS named the attacker as Abu-Yusuf al-Baljiki, in a statement carried by its Amaq news outlet.

The Belgian interior minister told VRT public broadcaster that the perpetrator was a French national.

Could the attack influence the elections?

The attack took place as 11 candidates in Sunday’s closely fought presidential election were engaged in a final joint TV appearance to argue their policies.

Three of the four main candidates, centrist Emmanuel Macron, centre-right Francois Fillon and far-right Marine Le Pen, have called off planned events on Friday, which would have been the final day of campaigning.

Front National candidate Marine Le Pen told a French radio station on Friday morning she feared further attacks, and said France should immediately reinstate border checks.

She tweeted: “I feel for and stand by our security forces, who have been targeted again.”

Meanwhile, Independent centrist Emmanuel Macron urged French citizens not to “give in to fear” in a interview with the RTL station.

He said it was a president’s “first duty to protect” and he expressed his “solidarity” with the police.

Mr Fillon, of the Republican Party, also went on Twitter to pay “tribute to the security forces who give their lives to protect ours”.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, standing for the far left, tweeted: “I strongly feel for the policemen killed and wounded and their families. Terrorist attacks will never go unpunished, accomplices never forgotten.”

Islamist militancy is a major issue in the polls after recent mass attacks claimed by IS, with 238 people killed in jihadist attacks in France since 2015, according to data from AFP news agency.

And how did the world react?

At the White House, US President Donald Trump said people had to be strong and vigilant.

“Our condolences from our country to the people of France,” he said. “It looks like another terrorist attack and… what can you say? It just never ends.”

In the UK, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The UK strongly condemns the appalling terrorist attack in Paris. The Prime Minister (Theresa May) has tonight passed on her condolences to President Hollande.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to remain “strong and determined” alongside France.

Russia. Inviati reparti militari in Egitto.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2017-03-14.

«Russia appears to have deployed special forces to an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya in recent days»

*

«The U.S. and diplomatic officials said any such Russian deployment might be part of a bid to support Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar»

*

«the United States has observed what appeared to be Russian special operations forces and drones at Sidi Barrani, about 60 miles (100 km) from the Egypt-Libya border»

*

«Russia also used another Egyptian base farther east in Marsa Matrouh in early February»

*

«Russian military aircraft flew about six military units to Marsa Matrouh before the aircraft continued to Libya about 10 days later»

*

«Several Western countries, including the U.S., have sent special operations forces and military advisors into Libya over the past two years»

*

«Questions about Russia’s role in north Africa coincide with growing concerns in Washington about Moscow’s intentions in oil-rich Libya, which has become a patchwork of rival fiefdoms in the aftermath of a 2011 NATO-backed uprising against the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was a client of the former Soviet Union»

*

«A force of several dozen armed private security contractors from Russia operated until February in a part of Libya that is under Haftar’s control»

*

«It is pretty clear the Egyptians are facilitating Russian engagement in Libya by allowing them to use these bases»

* * * * * * *

A quanto sembrerebbe, i russi avrebbero dislocati in Egitto solo un modestissimo numero di militari e, sempre apparentemente, senza particolari armamenti.

Di certo, lo hanno fatto con il consenso, o forse anche su richiesta, dell’Egitto. Secondo Izvestia i russi starebbero allestendo una base aerea.

La Libia è tuttora un teatro turbolento ed instabile. Sembrerebbe quasi che lo sport in gran voga nei paesi occidentali sia quello di fomentare torbidi e guerre civili in quella povera nazione.

I russi sono già impegnati in Siria ed hanno stretto rapporti privilegiati con l’Iran.

Questa mossa potrebbe anche essere l’inizio di un loro impegno non solo nel Medio Oriente, ma anche in Africa del Nord.

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→ Reuters. 2017-03-14. Exclusive: Russia appears to deploy forces in Egypt, eyes on Libya role

Russia appears to have deployed special forces to an airbase in western Egypt near the border with Libya in recent days, U.S., Egyptian and diplomatic sources say, a move that would add to U.S. concerns about Moscow’s deepening role in Libya.

The U.S. and diplomatic officials said any such Russian deployment might be part of a bid to support Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, who suffered a setback with an attack on March 3 by the Benghazi Defence Brigades (BDB) on oil ports controlled by his forces.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States has observed what appeared to be Russian special operations forces and drones at Sidi Barrani, about 60 miles (100 km) from the Egypt-Libya border.

Egyptian security sources offered more detail, describing a 22-member Russian special forces unit, but declined to discuss its mission. They added that Russia also used another Egyptian base farther east in Marsa Matrouh in early February.

The apparent Russian deployments have not been previously reported.

The Russian defense ministry did not immediately provide comment on Monday and Egypt denied the presence of any Russian contingent on its soil.

“There is no foreign soldier from any foreign country on Egyptian soil. This is a matter of sovereignty,” Egyptian army spokesman Tamer al-Rifai said.

The U.S. military declined comment. U.S. intelligence on Russian military activities is often complicated by its use of contractors or forces without uniforms, officials say.

Russian military aircraft flew about six military units to Marsa Matrouh before the aircraft continued to Libya about 10 days later, the Egyptian sources said.

Reuters could not independently verify any presence of Russian special forces and drones or military aircraft in Egypt.

Mohamed Manfour, commander of Benina air base near Benghazi, denied that Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) had received military assistance from the Russian state or from Russian military contractors, and said there were no Russian forces or bases in eastern Libya.

Several Western countries, including the U.S., have sent special operations forces and military advisors into Libya over the past two years. The U.S. military also carried out air strikes to support a successful Libyan campaign last year to oust Islamic State from its stronghold in the city of Sirte.

Questions about Russia’s role in north Africa coincide with growing concerns in Washington about Moscow’s intentions in oil-rich Libya, which has become a patchwork of rival fiefdoms in the aftermath of a 2011 NATO-backed uprising against the late leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was a client of the former Soviet Union.

The U.N.-backed government in Tripoli is in a deadlock with Haftar, and Russian officials have met with both sides in recent months. Moscow appears prepared to back up its public diplomatic support for Haftar even though Western governments were already irked at Russia’s intervention in Syria to prop up President Bashar al-Assad.

A force of several dozen armed private security contractors from Russia operated until February in a part of Libya that is under Haftar’s control, the head of the firm that hired the contractors told Reuters.

The top U.S. military commander overseeing troops in Africa, Marine General Thomas Waldhauser, told the U.S. Senate last week that Russia was trying to exert influence in Libya to strengthen its leverage over whoever ultimately holds power.

“They’re working to influence that,” Waldhauser told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

Asked whether it was in the U.S. interest to let that happen, Waldhauser said: “It is not.”

REGAINING TOE-HOLD

One U.S. intelligence official said Russia’s aim in Libya appeared to be an effort to “regain a toe-hold where the Soviet Union once had an ally in Gaddafi.”

“At the same time, as in Syria, they appear to be trying to limit their military involvement and apply enough to force some resolution but not enough to leave them owning the problem,” the official added, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Russia’s courting of Haftar, who tends to brand his armed rivals as Islamist extremists and who some Libyans see as the strongman their country needs after years of instability, has prompted others to draw parallels with Syria, another longtime Soviet client.

Asked by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham whether Russia was trying to do in Libya what it did in Syria, Waldhauser said: “Yes, that’s a good way to characterize it.”

A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Russia was looking to back Haftar, although its initial focus would likely be on Libya’s “oil crescent.”

“It is pretty clear the Egyptians are facilitating Russian engagement in Libya by allowing them to use these bases. There are supposedly training exercises taking place there at present,” the diplomat said. 

Egypt has been trying to persuade the Russians to resume flights to Egypt, which have been suspended since a Russian plane carrying 224 people from the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh to St Petersburg was brought down by a bomb in October 2015. The attack was claimed by an Islamic State branch that operates out of northern Sinai.

Russia says that its primary objective in the Middle East is to contain the spread of violent Islamist groups.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pledged this month to help unify Libya and foster dialogue when he met the leader of the U.N.-backed government, Fayez Seraj.

Russia, meanwhile, is also deepening its relations with Egypt, which had ties to the Soviet Union from 1956 to 1972.

The two countries held joint military exercises – something the U.S. and Egypt did regularly until 2011 – for the first time in October.

Russia’s Izvestia newspaper said in October that Moscow was in talks to open or lease an airbase in Egypt. Egypt’s state-owned Al Ahram newspaper, however, quoted the presidential spokesman as saying Egypt would not allow foreign bases.

The Egyptian sources said there was no official agreement on the Russian use of Egyptian bases. There were, however, intensive consultations over the situation in Libya.

Egypt is worried about chaos spreading from its western neighbor and it has hosted a flurry of diplomatic meetings between leaders of the east and west in recent months.

Berlino ripensa all’attacco terroristico.

Giuseppe Sandro Mela.

2016-12-29.

 

«How many massacres and fatalities will have to happen until our governments stop letting a massive number of migrants into our borderless countries, although we’re perfectly aware that Islamist terrorists mingle among them?» [Marine Le Pen]

In sintesi: “Merkel vattene“.

*

«His corpse is the emblem of a crazy and tragic journey that began five years ago and stands for many aspects of the new threat we face. Maybe he even represents all the aspects. Illegal immigration, religious radicalization and terrorism: all of this was encapsulated by this body in the street, the paper said. Added to this was the incapability of German authorities to send people like Anis Amri back to their home country. And so a person who was classified as dangerous by security forces was able to maintain his contacts with other militants who probably encouraged him in the phase of mobilization that precedes every such deed»

*

«The second story is of how over many years a generation of young men and women was marginalized and exposed to radicalization, and this is a story that many in Tunisia are still reluctant to admit»

*

«evidence of an increasingly common link between criminality and radicalization; the two communities often overlap in recruitment»

*

«The story of a dangerous journey via the Balkan route to Germany, the long wait for decisions being made by overwhelmed authorities, a joyless existence in a defunct airport without prospects of finding work, combined with petty crime, Islamist propaganda on the Internet and at the end, the attack»

* * * * * * * *

La storia si ripete in modo implacabile.

Attorno al letto del paziente affetto da terzana maligna si alternano le pie donne che lo tamponano con pannicelli caldi alternati a quelli freddi, gli legano il fiocchetto rosso al braccio sinistro, cercano di fargli bere il semolino tiepido. Il cerusico di turno lo salassa, mentre l’altro si appresta a fargli un nuovo enteroclisma. Le prefiche intanto piangono calde lacrime sulla sorte avversa, sull’imprudenza di non aver seguito le calde raccomandazioni mettersi un quadrifoglio verde nel portafoglio e di non aver appeso un ritratto di Schulz e Merkel alla parete.

A nessun che gli venga in mente di dargli tre compresse di chinino.

Le emergenze si combattono con emergenze, non con piani a lungo termine.

Dopo un terremoto dapprima si soccorrono i terremotati e dopo, solo dopo, si inzia a ricostruire. Sarebbe illogico e disumano dire ad un terremotato che ha perso tutto: “tra dieci anni ti daremo da mangiare e ti avremo ricostruito la casa“. Gli si dia da mangiare ed un alloggio provvisorio subito, poi si vedrà.

Qui i terroristi islamici ci stanno ammazzando alla grande, e, diciamolo pure apertamente, con la complicità di molte formazioni politiche oggi al governo nei paesi europei.

– Il modo più efficiente per non avere terroristi islamici è non accoglierne più e far sgombrare quelli già arrivati.

– Problemi a rimandare a casa loro i sospetti, i segnalati, quelli con la fedina penale sporca? Benissimo. Si allestisca un campo di concentramento e ve li si mettano dentro. Trattamento umano, lavoro obbligatorio, impossibilità di uscire e fuggire.

– Cessare la persecuzione di chi affermi che i migranti sono troppi e che sono troppo pericolosi. I buonisti hanno già lasciato alle loro spalle una scia troppo lunga di cadaveri.

– Una dirigenza visibilmente non in grado di gestire la situazione dovrebbe dimettersi.

 

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→ Deutsche Welle. 2016-12-25. International media reflect on the Berlin terror attack

International media have many takes on Monday night’s tragic events in Berlin. One thing has been clear in all the commentaries that have been written: The challenges are huge.

*

The journey of alleged terrorist Anis Amris ended near Milan – on a patch of asphalt in the municipality of Sesto San Giovani, to be exact.

 “His corpse,” writes the Italia newspaper “Corriere della Sera,” “is the emblem of a crazy and tragic journey that began five years ago and stands for many aspects of the new threat we face. Maybe he even represents all the aspects.” Illegal immigration, religious radicalization and terrorism: all of this was encapsulated by this body in the street, the paper said. Added to this was the incapability of German authorities to send people like Anis Amri back to their home country, it wrote, adding: “And so a person who was classified as dangerous by security forces was able to maintain his contacts with other militants who probably encouraged him in the phase of mobilization that precedes every such deed.”

Anis Amri is also a symbol of a global problem, writes the newspaper “La Repubblica.” “It is terrorism that can unexpectedly hit anywhere: France, Belgium, Germany, the USA, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. The terrorists’ motives depend on the size of the Islamic community in the country they live in, the degree of integration and the competence of security forces.” But there is one more phenomenon, writes “Repubblica”: the “banlieus,” meaning the impoverished suburbs of large cities. This was where many uprooted people lived, it said, fostering “the fight of an angry class whose members find terrorism appealing.”

One country, two stories

At the same time, the life story of the terrorist Amri also sheds light on the situation in Tunisia. The North African country can tell two stories, writes the British “Telegraph.” On one hand, there is the story of the revolution that has led to happy and successful democratic conditions. “The second story is of how over many years a generation of young men and women was marginalized and exposed to radicalization, and this is a story that many in Tunisia are still reluctant to admit. “

Instead, they prefer to point out the seductive power of international jihadism. But this does not absolve them of responsibility, the paper says: Amri’s career reveals something else, being “evidence of an increasingly common link between criminality and radicalization; the two communities often overlap in recruitment.”

‘General anger’

The London-based Arabic newspaper “Asharq al-Awsat” says that material conditions initially disappointed many refugees in Germany, many of whom end up “sleeping in makeshift, windowless enclosures that – though clean and well-supplied – have walls that don’t reach the high ceiling and echo with the slightest sound.”

 It was thus actually quite easy to find a story to explain how terrorism was engendered, the paper said. “The story of a dangerous journey via the Balkan route to Germany, the long wait for decisions being made by overwhelmed authorities, a joyless existence in a defunct airport without prospects of finding work, combined with petty crime, Islamist propaganda on the Internet and at the end, the attack.”

It is an attack that also upset Tunisians, according to the website G Net. “The news gives you goose bumps. The shock is collective, there is general anger. The name of a Tunisian has been added to the list of those who spread fear through international terror. Helpless and powerless, we can only vehemently condemn thos who sully our reputation in front of the entire world.”

Threat of polarization

The Arabic-language newspaper “Al-Araby Al-Jadeed” writes that the attack could have other consequences. “It feeds the fear of Europeans that their countries are no longer safe from terrorism, which is increasingly threatening them. The series of attacks with dozens left dead could undermine the sense of security. That leaves governments with the difficult task of striking an appropriate balance between peace and freedom.”

And this, in turn, poses another danger, the paper says. “The first beneficiaries of these events, which promote the polarization of European societies, are the far-right and nationalist parties and the slander campaigns against Muslims. All indicators point to the fact that right-leaning parties will be sitting in European parliaments after the coming elections.”

But it hasn’t come to that yet, “Asharq al-Awsat” assures its readers. “The incident and its aftermath won’t, however, destroy the spirit of this vital, unsentimental, vastly tolerant and wildly mischievous city. Berlin will mourn, as it often has, and it will move on as it has always done.”

22,000 potential jihadists

The Spanish paper “El Pais” believes that Angela Merkel probably sees things this way too. She, too, is aware how seductive populist slogans can sound. “But she also knows that they do not deal with the root of the problem. So she confronts them with the force of moral conviction, no matter how unpopular it may be. By doing so, she will turn into the only political leader worthy of the title.”

At the same time, European states face great challenges, writes the Spanish newspaper “El Mundo.” This is especially applies to putting the appropriate security measures in place, it says. “But we must not forget that absolute security is impossible. The roughly 22,000 potential jihadists  – according to estimates made by security services in Europe – show us the scale of the danger we face.”