France recognizes a Palestinian state, AFP wants its journalists out of Gaza and the Macrons sue US far-right podcaster

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This week is rather meaty in substance from the heavy hitters to even and the small neutral Alpine nations with much from the Middle East looming large…

PARIS, FRANCE – Macron says France recognizes a Palestinian state in late night post on X

CNN reports French President Emmanuel Macron said in a late night post Thursday on X that France recognizes a Palestinian state, following similar moves by Ireland, Norway and Spain, taking some G7 leaders by surprise.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the move Thursday night and said France's move "rewards terror," a sentiment that "was quickly echoed by the United States," with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a "reckless decision" that "only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace".
The recognition of Palestine as a state has been expected for months but was delayed due to the 12-day Israel-Iran war that delayed a summit on Israel and Palestine with Saudi Arabia and other European allies. France, the UK and Germany are to speak today about mounting humanitarian concerns in the Gaza strip.

PARIS, FRANCE – AFP calls on Israel to allow its journalists in Gaza to exit due to hunger

NPR reports the global French state news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) called on the Israeli government to allow its journalists to exit the war-torn Gaza Strip on Monday as its reporters and photographers are at risk due to widespread hunger as aid supplies in lagger.
AFP's global news director Phil Chetwynd told the US public radio station's "Morning Edition" that the news organization's journalists are "spending so much time and energy trying to source food" that "just the ability physically to, you know, get to a story is diminished."
On Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he hoped the journalists could be evacuated "in the coming weeks" and called on the Israeli government to permit international journalists into Gaza.

PARIS, FRANCE – Macrons sue far-right US blogger over claim Brigitte born a man

Reuters reports the French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against notorious far-right blogger Candace Owens over her repeated claims that the French First Lady was born a man under the name of her older brother, Jean-Michel Trogneux.
In the 22-count complaint, filed in the US state of Delaware, the Macrons allege Owens engaged in a "campaign of global humiliation" and "relentless bullying" in order to promote her podcast to "frenzied" followers. The Macrons assert Owens' claims are "invasive, dehumanizing and deeply unjust." As public figures, US law protects a broad array of speech but to prevail, the Macrons must show Owens engaged in "actual malice," in other words, she knows the claims are false and showed "reckless disregard for the truth."
Owens profile in the US far-right space is considerable since the first Trump presidency when she championed the "Blexit" movement around the 2020 election to encourage Black Americans to vote for Donald Trump and subsequently closed a Yeezy fashion show with disgraced rapper Kanye West in Paris in a "white lives matter" t-shirt. The American Jewish group the Anti-Defamation League also has compiled an extensive backgrounder on Owens due to her numerous repeated antisemitic statements notably since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.

PARIS, FRANCE – Culture Minister faces corruption charges over work with Carlos Ghosn

Politico reports French Culture Minister Rachida Dati will face trial on corruption charges after she allegedly received €900,000 ($1.15 million) between 2010 and 2012 for "consultancy work" from a Renault subsidiary at a time when the ousted fugitive former CEO of Renault-Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, was in power, despite performing "little or no actual cconsulting," according to a Ministry of Justice official on Tuesday.
Dati is charged with "passive corruption and influence peddling" in her role as a public official in an international organization in her capacity as a Member of the European Parliament. She was formally placed under investigation in July 2021.
Ghosn is considered a fugitive from the law in both France and Japan after he escaped Tokyo for his native Lebanon in 2019, a country which refuses to extradite nationals of the country to stand trial elsewhere. New charges against him include "abuse of power by a company executive," "breach of trust," and "active corruption and influence peddling."

LIMOGES, FRANCE – Masked individuals attack cars on highway, clash with police

Agence France Presse reports dozens of individuals wearing masks and carrying makeshift weapon including baseball bats, iron and metal bars, molotov cocktails, mortars and stones attacked cars on the RN141 highway and police last Saturday. Nine police officers, who responded with tear gas and other crowd control weapons, were reportedly injured and France's Interior Ministry said a special security force would be deployed to the city.
Police believe the clashes were the result of a gang turf war. Local police union leader Laurent Nadeau said, "There were between 100 and 150 masked individuals," though no reports of injured motorists.
The mayor of Limoges, Émile Roger Lombertie, called the assailants an "urban guerrilla group," adding, "They're organised, structured, there's a plan, weapons," and "This was not a spontaneous protest to complain about something."

RAMSTEIN, GERMANY – Ukraine Defense Contact Group meets, pledges more defense aid

Politico reports the Ukraine Defense Contract Group based out of the US military's Ramstein military base in Germany met online on Monday, with the UK and Germany vowing more air defense equipment to counter Russian aggression.
London and Berlin have assumed chairmanship of the group since Trump's return to power in the US. UK Defense Minister John Healey said Europe has "to step up in turn" and commited to a "50 day drive to arm Ukraine on the battlefield".
Germany will finance €170 million ($200 million) in air defense ammunition for Ukraine in a UK-led procurement while Germany will pay for and donate 220,000 rounds of 35mm ammunition for the Gepard anti-aircraft gun system as well as procure Ukrainian made drones. All and all, it's a far cry from the initial offer of a meager 5,000 helmets after Russia first launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

BERLIN, GERMANY – Cabinet approves draft law accelerating defense procurement

Reuters reports the German cabinet approved a draft law accelerating the process of defense procurement and construction on military bases.
The bill supports Germany's effort to meet NATO's higher defense spending targets as well as expanding the definition of military needs to include medical equipment for civilians and construction materials.

ZUGSPITZE, GERMANY – EU allies hash out plans for tougher asylum rules

Reuters and Expats.cz report Germany's Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and his counterparts from five EU countries, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, France and Poland as well as Magnus Brunner, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs and Migration, met last Friday to agree on tighter asylum rules within the EU at a summit at Germany's highest peak.
In May, Germany opted to reject asylum seekers at its border in a policy that was coordinated with its neighbors but nonetheless drew significant criticism.

BERLIN, GERMANY – Libyan war crimes suspect arrested on ICC warrant

The BBC and Anadolu Agency reports last Friday that Libyan war crimes suspect Khaled Mohamed el Hishri, alias "Al-Buti," was arrested at the Berlin Airport in Germany on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Brandenburg Public Prosecutor's Office said.
He was allegedly one of the most senior officials in the Mittiga prison in the Libyan capital Tripoli between 2015 and 2020 where he is suspected of having committed, overseen and ordered crimes including rape, torture and murder in a facility that has incarcerated thousands.
Hishri was part of the Special Deterrence Force which is aligned with the interior ministry of the internationally recognized Libyan government in the fractured nation.

BERLIN, GERMANY – 81 Afghans deported in second flight since return of Taliban

The AP reports German authorities deported 81 Afghan men Friday, marking the second such deportation flight to Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Qatar had helped facilitate the negotiations for the men's return to Afghanistan.
All the men deported had their asylum applications rejected and had "come to judicial authorities' attention"; the first flight took place under the government of previous Chancellor Olaf Scholz ten months ago.

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY – 19 injured at fireworks display at Düsseldorf fair

The AP reports 19 people including a child were injured, four of them seriously at the Rheinkirmes festival along the Rhein river in the western city of Düsseldorf last Friday.
The 10-day event, organized by the St. Sebastianus Rifle Club dates back to 1316, and includes a carnival-like atmosphere on the left bank of the river opposite the historical city center.
Police are investigating the incident after videos show fireworks going off close to the ground along the river bank.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Austria will double its defense budget over seven years

The New York Times reports Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told the paper Monday that his country will follow through on doubling his country's defense budget in the next seven years as security fears grow in Europe two and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Vibe shift: Stocker told the paper "disarmament was a dream" but that dream "is now over". He added his country's neutrality "obligates us to national defense, comprehensive national defense in particular".
Shock claim: On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger said in an interview that Russia's war on Ukraine has shown people "neutrality doesn't protect you at all". To change or alter the country's neutrality clause would require a two-thirds majority in the country's 183-seat Parliament.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Islamic body criticizes Interior Minister over headscarf statement

Anadolu Agency reports the Islamic Religious Community in Austria said in a statement Monday that it was "deeply disturbed" by a statement made by Interior Minister Claudia Plakolm in an Instagram video published Sunday in which she referred to the headscarf as a "sign of oppression." She also equated it with "extremist tendencies," that have "no place in our schools."
Plakolm, who is a member of the Austrian People's Party, made her statement with regard to a proposed bill that will be voted on this fall that would ban the Muslim headscarf in Austrian kindergartens and girls' schools under the age of 14. Plakolm also said she beileved the law would pass.
The Islamic body responded that her comment "unsettles not only many young Muslim women" but also "those who trust in the protection of religious freedom and equal treatment." The religious body also invited Plakolm "to engage in dialogue" and "private discussion with Muslim educators, parents, and youth."

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Contract signed to procure ground-based IRIS-T air defense system

Diehl Defence and armasuisse, the Swiss government weapons procurement agency, signed a contract Tuesday to acquire five ground-based IRIS-T air defense systems and other related maintenance services.
The agreement was preceeded by Switzerland signing on to the European Sky Shield Initiative in October 2024.
The procurement of the air defense system will "close a key capability gap" as well as protect against "modern airborne threats."

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Proton has 'lost faith' in Switzerland as host of its AI servers

Swissinfo reports Geneva-based Proton has said it has "lost faith" in Switzerland as host of its AI servers due to proposed changes in the surveillance law, opting for Germany instead while developing capacity in Norway – both NATO countries.
The company, best known for its encrypted email service, said it will make its investments abroad, fearing "a regime of mass surveillance of the population."
The director of the firm Andy Yen blamed "surveillance capitalism" and American dominance of search engines dating back to the 1990s since the advent of the internet age. While the concerns are not without reason (see Cold War history, Crypto AG chapter), the reach of the US Department of Justice and National Security Agency are long, especially in NATO countries and other non-rogue states.

ZÜRICH, SWITZERLAND – Charges filed against politician who fired at religious image

Swissinfo and 20 Minuten report the Zürich Public Prosector's Office brought charges Monday under Article 261 of the Swiss Criminal Code against 33 year old Zürich city parliamentarian, Sanija Ameti, "for disturbing religious freedom" over an incident last September where she shot at a picture of Jesus and Mary with an air pistol and posted it to Instagram stories with the caption "switch off". She apologized via X shortly after the incident but nonetheless lost her job and later resigned from her political party in January of this year.
Ameti faces a fine of 2,500 Swiss francs ($3,130 or €2,680), a conditional fine of 10,000 Swiss francs ($12,500 or €10,700) if there is any incident during a two-year probationary period. A far-right political figure, Nicholas Rimoldi, of the political action movement Mass-Voll, born out of pandemic-era coronavirus skeptics, first made public the indictment. Along with the youth section of the conservative Swiss People's Party, Mass-Voll also made civilian claims against Ameti which will be decided by the court as well.
In one sign of how significantly the Swiss media and public engaged with the coverage around the incident, the public prosecutor is planning to attend the trial, "which is rather unusual for relatively minor offenses."

WILDHORN, SWITZERLAND – Hikers dressed in Wehrmacht uniforms questioned by police

Swissinfo reports 25 men from the US and various European countries were questioned by Bern cantonal police Saturday for wearing the uniforms of the Nazi-era German military, the Wehrmacht, after they crossed the Wildhorn Massif.
The spokeswoman for the Bern cantonal police Deborah Zaugg told Swiss public broadcaster SRF that police were alerted Friday to the presence of the group.
Police requested that members of the group remove their Wehrmacht era jackets to avoid clashes or incidents and took down the personal information of those involved. They were allowed to proceed as Nazi symbols are not currently illegal to wear in Switzerland, however a number of political parties, cantons and associations wish to do so. A law under discussion is currently in early procedure that would mandate a fine of 200 Swiss francs (€216 or $250) for the use and distribution of Nazi symbols in public. A small price to pay to spread hate in a very wealthy country.

LUCERNE, SWITZERLAND – Yeshiva students threatened but uninjured by man with knife

Ynet News and European Jewish News reports "An Arab man" with a knife threatened "a group of 10 ultra-Orthodox Jews" while shouting pro-Palestinian slogans but did not injur them at the Lucerne train station last Saturday evening at 8:30pm.
Passersby intervened and chased the man off. While police were called, they were unable to aprehend the assailant.
As the Jewish sabbath was not over, the students of the yeshiva, some of whom were Israeli, did not sign the formal complaint but they were offered to return Monday to the police station to file a formal complaint. Swiss police do not perform administrative tasks Sundays "except in cases of emergency."

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – Three groups of Jewish tourists assaulted, possibly by same man

Swissinfo reports two Jewish couples and a young Jewish man informed the Swiss Federation of Jewish communities of three incidents in which they were "threatened, insulted, pushed and spat at" by a middle-aged man who "spoke English and Arabic and referred to the war in Palestine" while on holiday Tuesday in Davos.
The assaults occurred in a shop, on the bus and by a lake.
The Secretary General of the Swiss Jewish federation Jonathan Kreutner said, "the assailant is probably the same person".

BADEN, SWITZERLAND – Handcuffed Albanian prison escapee still on the run and sought

Swissinfo reports a 23 year old Albanian inmate who escaped prison last week Thursday in handcuffs remains on the run despite extensive searches underway for the fugitive.
The man lacks permanent residence in Switzerland and his whereabouts remains unknown.

ROME, ITALY – Poll reveals only 16% of fighting age Italians willing to take up arms

Reuters reports a poll conducted by the Center for Social Investment Studies (CENSIS) that was published last Friday revealed only 16% of Italians of military fighting age were willing to take up arms to defend their country.
According to the poll's results, 39% of Italians between the age of 19 to 45 said they would declare themselves to be either pacifists or conscientious objectors, 19% said they would try and avoid conscription by other means and a resounding 26% were content to leave the fighting to foreign mercenaries.

PRAGUE, CZECHIA – French CAESAR howitzers fail tests, ministry threatens to cancel deal

Defense Express citing Czech outlet Novinky.cz reports the Czech Ministry of Defense has threatened to suspend payment and cancel a contract for 62 French CAESAR 8x8 howitzers after the first two delivered units failed to fire at a range of 40 km (25 miles) and hit a single target with multiple shells as promised during testing.
The Czechs allege France also failed to deliver fire control tablets to verify whether the systems meet NATO standards. Additionally, the two units delivered to Czechia were equipped with the German-made Adler III system which is incompatible with Czech made 155mm ammunition.
Czechia has already paid 7 billion Czech crowns (€285 million or $334 million) and is to pay another €40 million ($47 million) in 2025, though "these technical and logistical issues are raising doubts" about the deal, however the Ministry of Defense "does not appear ready to walk away".

PRAGUE, CZECHIA – New law signed by president criminalizes communist propaganda

Euractiv reports that Czech President Petr Pavel signed a law last Thursday equating communist and Nazi propaganda, inviting criticism from the country's far left.
The revision of the legislation introduces a five-year prison sentence for anyone who "establishes, supports or promotes Nazi, communist, or other movements which demonstrably aim to suppress human rights and freedoms or incite racial, ethnic, national, religious or class-based hatred."
Czech historical institutions including the Study of Totalitarian regimes campaigned for and backed the move while a new electoral alliance called “Stačilo” (“Enough”) which includes the Communist Party of Bohemia and Moravia reacted negatively to the news.

LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA – Referendum on military spending and NATO cancelled

ANSA reports the Slovenian parliament passed "a last-minute resolution," aborting a planned referendum on the country's military spending and NATO membership, avoiding a possible split within the ruling coalition.
Two weeks ago, the Left and the Social Democrats cast their votes against defense spending with the opposition against the Freedom Movement, the largest party and Prime Minister Robert Golob's party. Golob had proposed the referendum in response to force consideration of what it takes to fund defense on the heels of the recent NATO summit in The Hague.

ILIRSKA BISTRICA – Bluetongue disease reported on sheep farm

Reuters reports Slovenian authorities informed the World Organization for Animal Health of an outbreak of bluetongue disease on a sheep farm in the southwest of the country Tuesday.
Bluetongue can be deadly for sheep, cattle and goats though it does not effect the safety of animal meat or milk.
One sheep in a flock of 49 was infected with the disease on a farm in Ilirska Bistrica.

And finally…

OENSINGEN, SWITZERLAND – One million francs of dental implants stolen in robbery

Swissinfo reports one million Swiss francs ($1.25 million or €1.07 million) worth of dental implants were stolen last week during a robbery from Z-Systems in the northern Swiss town of Oensingen, the company announced last Friday.
Z-Systems said only its most expensive products and relevant surgical instruments were stolen during the burglary.

Stay safe and keep your pricey dental implants on lockdown!

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