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France Tag

France's parliament on Wednesday passed a new anti-terrorism law that gives law enforcement sweeping powers to search homes, carry out surveillance, and set up borders checks. The new law replaces the state of national emergency that came into effect after the 2015 Paris attacks, which killed 130 people. The state of emergency was extended six times and due to expire next month. Despite the unprecedented powers given to the police and the security forces, France has been hit by a series of attacks leaving 241 people dead since the imposition of the emergency.

French police have charged three men with "attempted murder in an organised group in connection with a terrorist enterprise" after they found several gas canisters placed in an apartment block in Paris.  It's not clear why the canisters were not detonated or why an apartment complex was targeted. The Times of Israel reports:
Three men have been handed preliminary terror-linked charges in the failed attack at a residential building in an upscale Paris neighborhood with gas canisters that failed to ignite. The three, identified as Amine A, his cousin Sami B, and Aymen B., were charged late Friday with “attempted murder in an organized group in connection with a terrorist enterprise” and placed in pre-trial detention, a judicial source said.

There have been three reported terrorist attacks.  One occurred in Marseille, where two women were killed, and two occurred in Edmonton, where at least five people have been wounded. Edmonton police believe the two attacks there are related, possibly involving the same terrorist.  The terrorist was later arrested and is now in police custody. At a railway station in Marseille, a terrorist stabbed two females, killing them both.  Witnesses report that he yelled "Allahu Akbar" before being shot dead by French military personnel who were patrolling the station.

Four U.S. female tourists were attacked with acid in France's Marseille main train station on Sunday. Authorities arrested a woman afterwards. From The Associated Press:
Two of the tourists were injured in the face in the attack in the city’s main Saint Charles train station and one of them has a possible eye injury, a spokeswoman for the Marseille prosecutor’s office told The Associated Press in a phone call.

While the Liberal media has been busy trashing the Trump presidency, President Emmanuel Macron’s popularity in France has been in a free fall. Just three months into the presidency, Macron’s poll numbers have hit a historic low, plummeting 50 percent since he took office in May. France’s Ifop polling agency writes, “Apart from Jacques Chirac in July 1995, a newly elected president has never seen his popularity rate falling as quickly during the summer after the election." As the Washington Examiner correctly pointed out, "Trump is more popular than French favourite Macron." “The thing about Emmanuel Macron is that, in the end, everyone gives way to the charm,” wrote the BBC in the run-up to the French election. "The guy could seduce an office chair," claimed the broadcaster, quoting some 'anonymous source' -- perhaps an office chair. As it, however, turns out, that “irresistible charm”, as BBC like to put it, isn’t working on the French public anymore.

Four Muslim men have been convicted of planning a “Lee Rigby-style” terrorist attack that sought to murder and behead police or military personnel using explosive devices and swords. Four years ago, British soldier Lee Rigby was beheaded on a busy London street by two Nigerian-born men -- both recent converts to Islam. The gang of four wanted to carry out a similar attack. The four men were arrested last year carrying a bag of weapons, including a pipe bomb and a meat cleaver with the word 'kafir', or infidel, carved on it. The investigators also recovered a samurai sword in related raids.

There is an increasing recognition that most of the anti-Zionist movement, including Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), is the new format for centuries-old anti-Semitism. The reason anti-Zionists, with few exceptions, seek the destruction of Israel and deny the Jews the right to a homeland in their historic homeland, is because of Israel's Jewish identity. As we have posted before, historian Benny Morris documents how the Arab war against Israel's independence was viewed in the Arab world as a religious holy Jihad:

In June, as President Trump spoke about withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, he indicated that he would be open to renegotiating the deal for terms more favorable to this country. Initially, it appeared that the other signatories of the international agreement would not agree to new negotiations. However, Trump's remarks in France on the heels of the G20 economic summit indicates the political climate may have changed.

Among the trending news items this week is the tale of a freak accident that took the life of a French model and aspiring social media star.

From the Daily Mail:
A French fitness blogger has been killed by an exploding whipped cream dispenser which hit her in the chest, giving her a heart attack. Rebecca Burger's family announced her death on social media, where she has amassed a following of more than 200,000 with her fitness focused posts.

On this day, 73 years ago, the Allies stormed into Normandy, France, and led an invasion to liberate Western Europe from the Germans. These men risked everything to bring an end to one of the most evil regimes in history. American, British, and Canadian soldiers took part in Operation Overloard, also known as D-Day, along the 50 miles of five beaches. D-Day is "one of the largest amphibious military assaults in history."

It is being reported that President Donald Trump is delaying a decision on withdrawing from the landmark Paris climate accord until after the conclusion of a key international meeting.
"Trump had originally aimed to announce his intentions before traveling to the summit, held in Sicily at the end of this month. Instead, he will wait until after the G7 to make a decision, according to White House press secretary Sean Spicer. I think it's simply a sign that the President wants to continue to meet with his team," Spicer told reporters at the White House.