Turkey rounds up suspected IS militants in its ‘war on terror’

Turkey pressed on with its "war on terror" on Tuesday, just five days before the country goes to the polls, detaining dozens of Islamic State suspects and hitting Kurdish rebels across the border in Syria.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been playing the security card in the run-up to Sunday's vote with tensions running high over the renewed Turkish conflict and a massive bomb attack blamed on IS jihadists.

Around 200 Turkish police launched a massive dawn swoop on suspected IS hideouts in the conservative central Anatolian city of Konya, detaining 30 jihadists including one woman, media reports said.

Another 14 suspects were arrested in a similar operation in the town of Kocaeli, east of Istanbul, the Anatolia news agency said.

The raids followed a gun battle in a similar operation Monday in the southeastern Kurdish majority city of Diyarbakir which left two policemen and seven IS suspects dead.

Turkey has been on the hunt for IS extremists since the twin bombings on a peace rally in Ankara on October 10 that killed 102 people and wounded 500 more, the worst such attack on Turkish soil.

Erdogan, an increasingly polarising figure in Turkey, on Monday vowed to press ahead with operations against all "terrorists" including the Islamic State group and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also confirmed late Monday that the military had struck Kurdish fighters across the border in northern Syria.

In an interview with A Haber television, Davutoglu said Turkey had warned members of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) not to cross to the west of the Euphrates river and if they did, Turkey would attack.

"We struck twice," he said, without giving any further details.

Ceasefire shattered

Ankara regards the PYD as the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which resumed deadly attacks against Turkish forces in July after a deadly bomb attack in a Kurdish majority town near the Syrian border.

Turkey responded by launching an air war against PKK bases in northern Iraq, shattering a delicate 2013 ceasefire and hopes of an end to a conflict that has raged for three decades.

Davutoglu's comments came after Syrian Kurdish fighters accused the Turkish military of attacking their positions near Tal Abyad, where the Kurds expelled the Islamic State group after fierce clashes in June.

Kurdish fighters known as the YPG control large parts of northern Syria on the Turkish border, where they have for months engaged in bitter fighting with IS jihadists.

The Kurds in Syria last week said they had incorporated Tal Abyad into their "autonomous administration" in the north of the country.

Alarmed by the growing strength of Syrian Kurds, Turkey fears they could eventually create an independent state to threaten Ankara.

With Kurds making up 20 percent of Turkey's population, its ultimate nightmare would be Turkish Kurds cooperating with their Syrian brethren in search of autonomy on both sides.

Ankara has warned Syrian Kurds to stay away from any attempts to create a "de facto situation" in Syria.

Long criticised by its Western allies for not doing enough to stem the rise of the extremist jihadist group, Turkey launched air strikes against IS targets in Syria after a deadly bombing on a border town in July.

But most of the firepower was concentrated on PKK fighters based in northern Iraq, rupturing the truce between Ankara and the rebels.

Austria will build fence to ‘control’ migrant flow at Slovenian border

Austria will build a fence along its border with fellow EU member Slovenia to slow down the flow of migrants, Interior Minister Johanna Mikl-Leitner said Wednesday.

Both countries are part of the passport-free Schengen zone and have been key transit countries for tens of thousands of refugees and migrants desperately seeking to reach northern Europe via the Balkans.

"This is about ensuring an orderly, controlled entry into our country, not about shutting down the border," she told public broadcaster Oe1.

The politician of the conservative OeVP party added that the situation risked escalating as people were forced to wait in freezing temperatures for hours before being allowed to cross from one nation into another.

"We know that in recent days and weeks individual groups of migrants have become more impatient, aggressive and emotional. If groups of people push from behind, with children and women stuck in-between, you need stable, massive measures," Mikl-Leitner said.

On Tuesday, the minister had already hinted at the fence during a visit to the Spielfeld border crossing, saying that she was considering "structural measures" to be implemented at the checkpoint.

Last week, she drew strong criticism from opposition members for saying that it was time for the EU to "build fortress Europe".

But the Socialist Democrats (SPOe), who are in a ruling national coalition with the Conservatives, on Wednesday appeared to side with Mikl-Leitner.

SPOe Defence Minister Gerald Klug said he could imagine barriers and containers at the Spielfeld border "to be able to control the migrants in an orderly manner".

More than 700,000 people fleeing war and misery have reached Europe's Mediterranean shores so far this year, with a majority coming from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

From Greece, they begin a gruelling trek through the western Balkans and central Europe in the hope of reaching the EU's economic powerhouse Germany, the preferred destination for many migrants.

Nato considers sending 4,000 troops to Russian borders

Proposals being considered including deploying troops to Eastern Europe under direct Nato command in peacetime, in an unprecedented move that will likely be greeted with fury in Moscow, WSJ reports

Nato allies are mulling the deployment of 4,000 troops to countries bordering Russia in a bid to deter the Kremlin from military adventurism against the bloc’s eastern most members, according to reports.

The proposals are part of a wide-ranging debate within the alliance about the long-term response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and support for a separatist uprising in eastern Ukraine.

Proposals being considered including deploying troops to Eastern Europe under direct Nato command in peacetime, in an unprecedented move that will likely be greeted with fury in Moscow, according to diplomats and military officials interviewed by the Wall Street Journal.

One plan reportedly under consideration would see battalions of 800 to 1,000 troops deployed to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia. A less extensive plan would see a single battalion deployed to the region.

Britain, which currently has 150 troops deployed to the Baltic States, would have to agree to place its forces there under Nato command.

Diplomats and military chiefs are believed to be keen to “send a message” to Moscow that the alliance is well coordinated and committed to defending its eastern most member states.

Several eastern members including Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, have called for a significant strengthening of the alliance’s military presence to the region to deter possible Russian aggression.

But others, notably Germany, are said to be wary of making a large deployment that could provoke a response from Russia when the ceasefire in Ukraine appears to be holding.

Russia has repeatedly said it considers Nato a security threat, and Vladimir Putin has blamed the expansion of Nato into Eastern Europe for the crisis in Ukraine.

A large force would likely be seen in Moscow as a violation of a 1994 agreement that forbids the deployment of “substantial” units to frontier areas. Nato has repeatedly accused Russia of violating that agreement but insists that it has kept to it.

A Nato spokesman said Nato has already bolstered its eastern defences with the creation of a rotational force and six small headquarters in the region, as well as an intensive program of exercises.

“Allies will continue to discuss the next steps to deal with security challenges as we prepare for NATO summit in Warsaw next July, including how to further strengthen collective defence through long-term adaption. But we are not discussing at this stage specific options,” said Carmen Romero, a Nato deputy spokesperson.

Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian foreign ministry, said Russian officials would study the reports before issuing a public response.

Steven Pfifer, a former US Ambassador to Ukraine and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, said the fact that such discussions were even taking place was an indication that Nato now viewed Russia "not as the partner we'd hoped for over the past 20-odd years, but more as a potential adversary. You're starting to turn the ship."

"If you're talking 800 to 1,000 troops, that would be big," he added. "And it would be designed to communicate to the Russians that Nato is serious: it will defend Nato territory."

Mr Pfifer said that Russia would "not welcome" any troop increases, but that the response from Moscow would depend on the types of troops deployed.

"I wouldn't put an armoured brigade in Eastern Estonia. I think that would be very provocative. But you could do other types of forces that would really not have the capability to head off and take St Petersburg."

Mr Pfifer said that if Nato "puts that marker down to the Russians" by discussing significant troop increases, it would send "mixed messages" should they fail to follow through.

European Parliament votes against net neutrality amendments

The European Parliament has voted against a set of rules intended to safeguard "net neutrality" in the EU.

A series of amendments to a regulation on how internet traffic is managed in Europe were all rejected by MEPs.

Proponents of net neutrality, who demand that web traffic be treated equally by networks, have already criticised the move.

The existing legislation, which was accepted, will be developed into regulations.

Campaigners have said that provisions for protecting net neutrality in the existing text of the rules are too vague and many worry that it will be easy for internet firms to strike deals with content providers which may not be advantageous for everyone.

For example, it is thought that so-called "zero rating" agreements, in which customers can access certain sites and services for free outside their data plans, might become more widespread.

While this could be beneficial for those who want to access content from those providers, others worry that it will stifle innovation.

The rules, however, do stipulate that network companies will not be able to offer or market paid-for access to "fast lanes". Traffic management, they add, should be based on objective technical requirements.

Clear vote

Although some campaigners had suggested there might be growing support for the amendments within the parliament, all were voted down in large majorities.

It is thought that many MEPs would have been reluctant to begin a process of amending the regulation given that it might have delayed another aspect of the rules - the abolition of mobile data roaming charges.

The result is "hardly surprising" according to legal expert Chris Marsden at the University of Sussex, given that many of the major parties represented in the parliament all supported the regulation text without amendments.

The Body of European Regulators (BEREC) would now have nine months to issue guidelines to bodies like Ofcom in the UK, he added.

"So, [by] September next year we will have the guidelines and the real enforcement work begins," he told the BBC.

Dr Marsden also said there were still plenty of unknowns, such as what form regulations on "zero ratings" and fast and slow lane services might actually take.

There was also the issue of how laws in the Netherlands, Slovenia and Finland - which all have special net neutrality protections in place - would be affected.

Some initial guidelines, Dr Marsden added, would not be ready until 2016.

Croatia allows thousands stranded at Serbian border to cross

Croatia allowed thousands of migrants who were stuck at the border with Serbia to cross into its territory late Monday afternoon, having earlier dramatically slowed the number of crossings, an AFP photographer saw.

"Everybody who was here has gone through," said the photographer at the Berkasovo crossing, where between 2,000 and 3,000 people had been stuck waiting to cross in cold and wet conditions.

Czech volunteer Jan Pinos at the scene also told AFP that Croatian police had "opened the gate and let all refugees who where there in".

Since Sunday, the numbers being allowed into Croatia on their journey to northern Europe had sharply slowed after Slovenia let limited numbers cross into its territory, causing delays further down themigrant trail.

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimated earlier Monday that more than 10,000 refugees and migrants were stranded in Serbia, as Croatia allowed only a trickle across.

About 3,000 had massed at the Serbian border in heavy rain, causing alarm among volunteers who said humanitarian assistance and food was scarce.

It was not immediately clear why Croatia suddenly permitted the mass entry.

Before the weekend, migrants had been passing from Croatia into Hungary, but Hungarian authorities shut off that border crossing with razor wire early on Saturday, so the migrants were redirected through Slovenia.

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French far-right leader Marine Le Pen goes on Trial for inciting racial hatred

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front, went on trial Tuesday on charges of inciting hatred after comparing Muslim street prayers to the Nazi occupation.

The 47-year-old, who has won a string of election successes after working to soften the image of her party, appeared in a court in the central city of Lyon over the comments she made while campaigning to take over the leadership of the party from her father five years ago.

"I have committed no crime," said a smiling Le Pen as she entered the court in the southeastern city of Lyon.

If convicted, she faces up to a year in prison or a fine of up to 45,000 euros ($51,000).

But prosecutors asked that Le Pen be acquitted.

"Mrs Le Pen, by denouncing these prayers in the public space, which did not refer to the entire Muslim community but to a minority, only exercised her freedom of expression," prosecutor Bernard Reynaud said.

While on the campaign trail in December 2010, Le Pen complained about places in France where Muslims worshipped in the streets outside mosques when they were full.

'Occupation of territory'

"I'm sorry, but for those who like talking a lot about World War II, if it comes to talking about the occupation, we can talk about it, because that (Muslims praying on the street) is the occupation of territory," she told a crowd in Lyon.

"It is an occupation of part of the territory, suburbs where religious law is applied. Sure, there are no armoured vehicles, no soldiers, but it is an occupation nonetheless and it weighs on residents."

After the comments, which provoked outrage in France, Le Pen was investigated but the probe was later closed without further action.

However, a complaint by an association led to the launch of a judicial enquiry in January 2012.

Le Pen was charged in July 2014 after her immunity as a member of the European Parliament was lifted following a vote requested by French authorities.

She is accused of "inciting discrimination, violence or hatred toward a group of people based on their religious beliefs."

This is the first time she has been charged with inciting hatred, compared with her father who was repeatedly convicted for racist and anti-semitic rhetoric.

'A duty'

The French Muslim Council's secretary general Abdallah Zekri said that it was "such comments often made by politicians that feed the climate of Islamophobia we currently live in."

But Le Pen defended her actions as she entered court earlier in the day.

"Street prayers are an illegal activity," she said. "It is a way of occupying... a territory and imposing religious law."

"I am in my right as a political leader to raise the crucial issue," she added. "It's even a duty."

France has Europe's biggest Muslim population, with around five million people, including 2.5 million practising Muslims.

But the country has only 2,500 mosques and a number of projects are pending because of the lack of financial support.

Since taking over the FN, Le Pen has tried to soften its image and has scored a series of election successes.

However the party remains staunchly anti-EU and anti-immigration and Le Pen has seized upon Europe's migrant crisis to win votes ahead of regional elections in December.

The FN is already leading opinion polls in several regions.

Le Pen has campaigned on the party's traditional line of calling for an end to Europe's borderless Schengen zone and actions seen as enticing migrants to France.

This time, however, her rhetoric has been more forceful, with Le Pen comparing the flood of migrants on Europe's doorstep to the "barbarian invasions" of the fourth century.

In September, she said of migrants: "We should warm them up, feed them and then send them back where they came from."

Despite its growing popularity, the party's image suffered after a bitter public spat between Marine and her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, which led to her ousting him from the party he founded over a series of controversial comments.

Marine Le Pen decided enough was enough after her father repeated his view that the Nazi gas chambers were merely a "detail" of history and also claimed France should establish close relations with Russia to save the "white world".

The FN has also been slapped with charges of fraud as part of an ongoing probe into campaign financing.

Traveller community, inmates riot in southeast France

A traveller community in southeast France torched dozens of cars in violent protests while inmates at a nearby jail rioted Tuesday after authorities refused a prisoner’s request for prison leave to attend his brother’s funeral.

The incident occurred less than two months after a similar flare-up involving travellers, and Prime Minister Manuel Valls demanded a firm response.

The term traveller community in France is used for groups of people with a nomadic or semi-sedentary lifestyle, including Roma or so-called New Age travellers.

Members of the local traveller community in the Alpine town of Moirans had requested temporary leave for two jailed members so that they could attend the funeral of a 17 year-old – a sibling of one of the two inmates – who had died in an accident last weekend while riding in a stolen car.

But a judge apparently turned down the request, the local town hall and prosecutor's office said.

Members of the community then blocked off a road, set fire to several cars and ransacked the restaurant at the town's train station, the town hall, in what local media described as scenes of "urban guerrilla fighting".

The authorities brought in 120 police and 100 firefighters to Moirans, who brought the situation under control in the early evening without casualties, officials said.

A riot also erupted in a prison at Aiton, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) away, where one of the prisoners is being held.

Around 20 inmates set fire to a passageway and destroyed the locks on their cells, according to a trade union official, who said a unit specialising in returning order to prisons had been called in.

A prison warden quoted by local daily newspaper Dauphiné libéré said at least twice as many inmates were involved in the riot, which lasted several hours.

“They smashed everything: tables, chairs, electrical appliances. They set fire to rubbish bins and blocked their cell locks,” he said.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls took to Twitter to condemn the "unacceptable violence" and demand "firmness... (and) restoration of order."

The violence comes less than two months after another traveller community in northern France blocked a motorway after authorities refused to temporarily release the son of a shooting victim to attend his father's funeral, with the opposition criticising the government's response as weak.