Deadly Storms Pound France and Spain

French authorities deployed 10,000 clean-up and recovery workers and Spain let evacuated villagers return home Sunday a day after deadly storms pounded southwest France and northeast Spain. At least 12 deaths were reported by authorities in Spain that were linked to the storm. This included four children crushed as a sports facility buckled in high winds in Barcelona.

At least six people died in France, including a couple who died of carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator they had turned on overnight in a power outage in the Dordogne region. You could hear the chainsaws buzzing and clearing crews fanned out on both sides of the french-Spanish border as workers but through felled trees on homes, power lines, rail tracks and roadways and took away the debris Sunday.

France Admits Secret Contacts With Hamas

Now what do you think of this? France has had informal contacts with Hamas. That is the militant Palestinian group that rules Gaza. Not only that, but Hamas said France is not the only European country to seek it out recently for talks. This acknowledgment of secret contacts between France and a group considered terrorist by the United States and European Union brought swift criticism from Washington. And is it any wonder? We better watch our backs.