In the West, Vladimir Putin is most often described as an isolated, even “paranoid” leader, enjoying absolute power that dispenses him from consulting or listening to advisers. However, if it is obvious that Putin is an autocrat who has freed himself from any counter-power, there are advisors in his “first circle” who are known for their moderation and others who are openly warmongers.
The French Ministries of Interior and Economy have created a joint working group to better control the financial circuits linked to travel agencies specialising in the sale of tickets and packages for the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca.
To reduce the pressure between France and Algeria, President Macron is considering several measures to ease the situation.
The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS), a Doha-based organisation linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, has just finalised an ideological coordination agreement with the new Taliban government in Afghanistan.
The leader of Al-Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, will very soon reappear on video, according to a well-informed American source.
The Americans are trying to sound out the French authorities discreetly to see if they would be prepared to deploy troops and/or air forces to Iraq. The aim is to fight against terrorism and to ward off attempts by ISIS to return in force. But also to fill the gap left by the American disengagement, in order to prevent the pro-Iranian militias from reversing the balance of power with the Baghdad government.
The Elysée is preparing a major international conference on African debt, to be held in Paris on May 17 and 18. About twenty African heads of State are expected and several regional and international powers are invited, including China and Japan, which are heavily involved in the debt of African countries.
French investigations following the banning of the Islamist NGO Barakacity and the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) have revealed close links with the MIT (Turkish secret service).
To avoid the criticism levelled at his predecessor, Xavier Driencourt, the new French ambassador in Algiers, François Gouyette, is said to have received confidential instructions from the Elysée Palace forbidding him to receive or meet representatives of the Hirak, the popular protest movement demanding regime change in Algeria.
According to our sources, the Elysée also demanded a change of diplomatic personnel in Algiers, imposing in particular on the new ambassador the arrival of a new political adviser, in the person of Souhire Medini, who has a double advantage: a perfect Arabic speaker, she also has strong diplomatic connections in Africa.
The French subsidiaries of the Moroccan bank Chaabi Bank are at the heart of an investigation by Tracfin, the French Ministry of Economy and Finance’s agency in charge of the fight against tax fraud, money laundering and terrorist financing.
The investigations concern in particular accounts belonging to people close to the Muslim Brotherhood.
