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SECURITY

US issues travel alert for France ahead of Euro 2016

The US warned its citizens on Tuesday about the risks of being in France during the Euro 2016 football tournament next month.

US issues travel alert for France ahead of Euro 2016
Photo: AFP
The move came as part of the State Department's continuous efforts to alert Americans travelling abroad with information about safety. 
 
And on Tuesday, France was among the countries singled out as potential terror targets.
 
“Euro Cup stadiums, fan zones, and unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournaments in France and across Europe represent potential targets for terrorists,” the State Department warned. 
 
The travel warning is in place until the 31st of August, with authorities also noting that the Tour de France will be taking place for most of July – without giving a specific warning about the race. 
 
The State Department added that citizens should be vigilant in public places and when using mass transportation, to avoid crowded places and to monitor media. 
 
It also suggested Americans should be prepared for additional security and should stay in touch with family and “ensure they know how to reach you in the event of an emergency”.
 
 
Is it really safe to come to France for Euro 2016?
 
France is taking security at Euro 2016 extremely seriously, announcing last week that it will deploy more than 90,000 police and security guards for the tournament, which runs from June 10th to July 10th and will be held at stadiums across the country. 
 
Deputy mayor of Paris Jean-François Martins told The Local recently that the city was “prepared and determined” when it came to safety around the event. 
 
He pointed out the fact the Stade de France bombers could not get inside the stadium on November 13th proves that authorities security checks and systems work.
 
“We have been preparing for this for many years and that includes how to deal with the terror threat,” he said, before refusing to go into detail about the security operation, stressing it needs to remain confidential.

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SECURITY

Swedish Huawei ban is legal, court rules

A Swedish ban on Chinese telecoms company Huawei was confirmed in court on Tuesday, citing the country's security as a just reason for banning its equipment in a 5G rollout.

Swedish Huawei ban is legal, court rules
Photo: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein

The administrative court in Stockholm ruled that the decision of the Swedish telecoms authority, PTS, to ban the use of equipment from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in a new Swedish 5G telecom network last October — a move that irked Beijing — was legal.

Equipment already installed must also be removed by January 1st, 2025.

“Sweden’s security is an important reason and the administrative court has considered that it’s only the security police and the military that together have a full picture when it comes to the security situation and threats against Sweden,” judge Ulrika Melin said in a statement.

Huawei denounced the ruling, but did not say whether it would appeal.

“We are of course noting that there has been no evidence of any wrongdoings by Huawei which is being used as basis for this verdict, it is purely based on assumption,” Kenneth Fredriksen, the company’s vice-president for Central, Eastern Europe and the Nordic region, told AFP.

Huawei will now evaluate the decision and the “see what kind of actions we will take to protect our rights,” Fredriksen added.

After the UK in the summer of 2020, Sweden became the second country in Europe and the first in the EU to explicitly ban Huawei from almost all of the network infrastructure needed to run its 5G network.

Beijing had warned that PTS’ decision could have “consequences” for the Scandinavian country’s companies in China, prompting Swedish telecom giant and Huawei competitor Ericsson to worry about retaliation.

“We will continue to be available to have constructive dialogues with Swedish authorities to see if we can find pragmatic ways of taking care of security and at the same time keeping an open and fair market like Sweden has always been,” Fredriksen said.

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