24 February, 2015

New Belgian database of “foreign fighters”

Returning from a visit to the United States, where he took part in the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, the Belgian Security and Home Affairs Minister, Jan Jambon, announced this week the creation of a new database on jihadists. The database will include information on the 380 persons known to have connections with terrorists groups affiliated with ISIS. A delicate balance needs to be struck between law enforcement and respect for human rights.

Fear in Ukraine’s Besarabia

by Marcos Suárez Sipmann.

Ukraine and Europe have managed to evade a widespread war. The peace agreement reached in extremis by the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine is a fragile hope. No-one knows whether the fighting will stop in the eastern regions, Donetsk and Lugansk, and many inhabitants of Budjak, Ukrainian Bessarabia, fear that violence will spread to their región. Bessarabia is a south-eastern region of Eastern Europe. To get an idea of the unrest that has shaken up this territory, only one fact need be remembered: in the last 200 years this area, bounded to the north and east by Ukraine and to the south and west by Rumania, has passed through the hands of nine different states.

Is Carlota Casiraghi pregnant?

We’ve recently seen Carlota at the LA airport accompanied by her husband, French comedian Gad Elmaleh, their son and her everlasting smile. This family visit to LA was due to Gad’s presentation of his new show in San Francisco, but until now only the LA public has enjoyed it. But this post isn’t about this…

Paco de Lucia: a year without the master

Paco de Lucia was born in a gypsy neighborhood of the Southern Spain city of Algeciras in 1947, in a poor environment, the youngest of five brothers. His father, a street sales man during the day and guitarist at night in popular balls, put a guitar in his hands when he was 6 and taught…