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Israel

Israel Intercepts Rocket From Al-Qaeda-Linked Islamists In Sinai

HAARETZ (Israel), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), AFP

Worldcrunch

EILAT Israel says it intercepted a rocket fired from Sinai, Egypt over the southern city of Eilat early Tuesday. The attack, first reported by Israeli public radio, was later confirmed by an army spokesman.

The Mujahideen Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, Al Jazeera reports. The group of fighters said the rocket was fired as “a quick response to the last crime by the Jews after one of their drones bombed the Sinai peninsula killing four mujahideen” on Friday.

The rocket was intercepted and destroyed by an Iron Dome battery near Eilat. Meir Yitzhak-Halevy, the resort city’s mayor, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that there had been no panic among the tourists and inhabitants. He tried to reassure his citizens by declaring that he felt “secure.”

Meanwhile, Jerusalem has approved a construction plan for 942 new homes in the Eastern part of the city. The announcement comes as the U.S.-sponsored peace talks between Israel and Palestine are due to resume Wednesday in Jerusalem. These new settlements are in addition to the 1,200 approved by the Israeli government on Sunday.

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Iron Dome system intercepting and destroying a rocket - Photo: Israel Defense Forces (Flickr)

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Economy

Lex Tusk? How Poland’s Controversial "Russian Influence" Law Will Subvert Democracy

The new “lex Tusk” includes language about companies and their management. But is this likely to be a fair investigation into breaking sanctions on Russia, or a political witch-hunt in the business sphere?

Photo of President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda

Polish President Andrzej Duda

Piotr Miaczynski, Leszek Kostrzewski

-Analysis-

WARSAW — Poland’s new Commission for investigating Russian influence, which President Andrzej Duda signed into law on Monday, will be able to summon representatives of any company for inquiry. It has sparked a major controversy in Polish politics, as political opponents of the government warn that the Commission has been given near absolute power to investigate and punish any citizen, business or organization.

And opposition politicians are expected to be high on the list of would-be suspects, starting with Donald Tusk, who is challenging the ruling PiS government to return to the presidency next fall. For that reason, it has been sardonically dubbed: Lex Tusk.

University of Warsaw law professor Michal Romanowski notes that the interests of any firm can be considered favorable to Russia. “These are instruments which the likes of Putin and Orban would not be ashamed of," Romanowski said.

The law on the Commission for examining Russian influences has "atomic" prerogatives sewn into it. Nine members of the Commission with the rank of secretary of state will be able to summon virtually anyone, with the powers of severe punishment.

Under the new law, these Commissioners will become arbiters of nearly absolute power, and will be able to use the resources of nearly any organ of the state, including the secret services, in order to demand access to every available document. They will be able to prosecute people for acts which were not prohibited at the time they were committed.

Their prerogatives are broader than that of the President or the Prime Minister, wider than those of any court. And there is virtually no oversight over their actions.

Nobody can feel safe. This includes companies, their management, lawyers, journalists, and trade unionists.

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