Month: March 2016
Extradition of Abdeslam to France
RTL INFO
Arrested on March 18th, Salah Abdeslam, presumed jihadist and the suspect number one of the attacks of Paris on November 13th, wants to come back to France.
After initially refusing the extradition, he is now changing his mind :”He understood that the files here, constitute only a small part of what he is accused of,” said his lawyer Sven Mary to explain this abrupt change.
According Mary, Salah Abdeslam wants to explain himself in France, his native country.
The Belgian interior and justice ministers, Jan Jambon and Koen Geens, have offered to resign over the attacks – but Prime Minister Charles Michel refused to accept their resignation.
The council chamber was supposed to decide on Thursday the maintain of Abdeslam in detention, before his lawyer obtained the postponing of the audience to April 7th. Sven Mary thinks that the things will evolve quickly : “I will see the judge to convince her not to be opposed to the departure of Abdeslam to France, a departure which could be done, we hope, as soon as possible.”
Salah Abdeslam would have been in contact with the attacks of Bruxelles on March 22nd information denied by Sven Mary who affirms that :”He wasn’t aware of what had happened in Bruxelles”.
Quentin CORBE, IEJ 1 BIS
SYRIA : Syrian troops enter ancient city of Palmyra
Source : le Figaro
Yesterday, Syrian forces backed by Russian aircraft jets entered the city of Palmyra controlled until now by IS.
This military operation began on March 7, and seems to take a positive turn for the Syrian army fighting for the regime.
Since their hostage taking, the islamic state had destroyed many historic monuments in this world heritage site, protected by UNESCO (among which the famous triumphal arch, or funerary towers) and spread terror among the people.
On several occasions, the Syrian army attempted to regain control of the city against the army of Daesh, without success.
Today, marks one of the most emblematic moments in this war. Syrian army entered the city in order to retake world-renowned archeological site.
According to a Syrian military , “we entered in the city from the north west.” The army seems to be better prepared and supported by foreign countries such as Russia.
This battle is decisive for the regime. To Reconquer Palmyra, will allow the Syrian army to take back the Syrian desert and reach further east towards the border with Iraq, controlled by jihadists.
The war is not over, Palmyra is not yet completely free from Daesh, but it’s on the right track for Bachar Al Assad.
Carla Biancarelli, IEJ 1Bis
RADOVAN KARADZIC SENTENCED TO 40 YEARS OF PRISON FOR GENOCIDE
At 70-year-old Sarajevo psychiatrist, Radovan Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years of prison, for his role in ethnic cleansing operations, when more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica, Serbia in 1995 with the agreement of Karadzic.
The former Bosnian-Serb leader was convicted for 11 counts such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity by the United Nations court, after leading a campaign of terror against Muslim civilians. This case was considered as the bloodiest event that happened in Europe since World WarII.
Radovan Karadzic was the leader of the Bosnian Serbs between 1992 and 1995 and it’s the first time that a politician of that level is sentenced by the international court of the Hague for such high counts.
It’s in 2008, after years in hiding, that Karadzic was arrested in Serbia, while posing as a new-age healer.
In 2009 Karadzic boycotted proceedings against him in the Hague and it’s only in 2014 that the prosecutors condemned him for life imprisonment.
Helder Da Torre IEJ 1bis
France : The Comeback Of The Mad Cow Disease
A new case of mad cow disease was discovered yesterday in France in the region of Ardennes. This is the first time in the country since 2011.
The administrative center published a decree of observation of the cow herds concerned on March 22nd. After confirmation, the infection has been proclaimed yesterday.
The GAD (Général Alimentation Direction), think that the disease can be linked to the cows alimentation. Other herds could be infected according to GAD.
At least it’s almost forty cows that are concerned. Previously a case of BSE was found in Wales in 2013 and Ireland in 2015.
The BSE appeared In Great Britain in 1986. It’s a transmissible, slowly progressive, degenerative, and fatal disease affecting the central nervous system of adult cattle.
French economy increases by 1.2%
According to INSEE (National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies), the growth of the French economy increased by 1.2%, which is better than last year with only 0.2% increase. 1.1% was announced previously and the government was hoping for 1%. This unexpected growth was achieved through “slight changes in different aggregates” used to calculate GDP, says INSEE. Many factors are related to the increase.
Firstly, the weather and Paris attacks during the fourth quarter 2015 allowed the acceleration of the purchasing power during all the year, rising by 1.8% compared to 1.1% in 2014. Expenses finally falling by 0.1% over the last three months of the year, against 0.2% reported in the previous estimation. Expenditure on energy (gas, electricity and refined petroleum products) slipped back sharply (-2.4% after +1.7%), notably because of temperatures above seasonal norms.
Household consumption expenditure fell back by 0.2% in Q4 2015 (after +0.5% in Q3). Expenditure on goods declined (-0.5% after +0.7%), in particular on energy and on clothing. On average over the year, household consumption accelerated (+1.4% in 2015 after +0.6%), recording its strongest increase since 2010.
Investment increased sharply and total GFCF accelerated in Q4 2015 (+0.7% after +0.1%). Investment in manufactured goods was more buoyant (+2.5% after +1.3%), notably in transport equipment. To a lesser extent, investment in market services ramped up too (+0.8% after +0.5%). Over the year 2015, total GFCF declined slightly: -0.2% after -1.2% in 2014.
Then, changes in inventories contributed +0.7 points to GDP growth in Q4 2015, as in Q3 2015. Refined petroleum products and equipment goods, in particular, were stockpiled. Over the year 2015, changes in inventories contributed +0.3 points to activity, after +0.2 points in 2014.
Finally, GDP growth estimation in Q4 2015 is revised upwards by 0.1 points: +0.3% instead of +0.2% initially. This revision is mainly due to the integration of new indicators not available for the first estimation, notably about household investment in new housing, spending on energy and foreign trade, and to revisions of indicators previously available.
BERKANI Ramy IEJ 1Bis
STONES ROLL TO CUBA
source : la critiquerie.
This is the first time that the famous world rock band the Rolling Stones comes to Cuba, for a free show in a country where their music was once silenced.
The Dutch football legend dies at age 68
The Dutch football legend Johan Cruyff died of lung cancer at age 68, on Thursday, March 24th. He was one of football’s greatest players and most influential and visionary coaches.
Source : Independent.fr
Johan Cruyff, was three-time Ballon d’or winner in 1971, 1973 and 1974 , guided the Netherlands to the World Cup Final in 1974 and won European Cups with Ajax three times in a row from 1971-1973. He also spent 8 years as a manager in charge of Barcelona. He also defended the PSG’s colors twice in summer 1975 on the occasion of gala football tournament.
In October Cruyff announced that he was fighting against a lung cancer, and only last month, he said he was ” 2-o up in the first half” of his battle against the disease. Poignantly, that turned out to be his last public statement.
“With great sadness we have learned of the death of Johan Cruyff. Words are not enough,” wrote the Dutch football federation on Twitter. Ajax also wrote a short statement: ” Johan Cruyff has died in Barcelona at the age of 68. The greatest Ajax player of all time had suffered with lung cancer since October last year. Ajax share in this great loss and wish the families much strength.”
The Netherlands and France will reportedly hold a moment of silence in the 14th minute of their friendly match on Friday.
Noëmie Bénéteau, IEJ 1bis
