(Reuters) Latvia’s government decided on Tuesday to close one of its two border crossing points with Belarus as the prime minister accused Minsk of again using illegal migrants as a “hybrid threat” to undermine the Baltic state’s security. In 2021, Latvia, Poland […]
(Reuters) The European Union should deal with a surge in migrants by sealing its borders and rejecting any idea of relocating them within the bloc, Poland’s ruling party said on Tuesday as it takes a tough stance on migration before an election. […]
(AP) Asylum applications in the European Union continued to rise in the first half of 2023 following a major hike last year, pressuring limited hosting capacities and moving the issue up the political agenda in many nations. The European Union Agency for […]
(LA Times) Each time he escaped danger on the journey that would eventually bring him to California, Shamsuddin Shams made sure to video-chat with his mother. She liked it that way — to not only hear his voice but see his face, […]
(NCA NewsWire) A man who forced a Malaysia Airlines plane to make a dramatic turn back to Sydney International Airport after he became unruly and made references to Islam has been arrested. The MH122 Airbus-a330 flight to Kuala Lumpur was diverted back […]
(Western Journal) Two years after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan humiliated his country on the world stage, the episode isn’t looking any better. The terrorist Taliban Islamist cult remains in control in Kabul. The American families who lost loved ones in […]
(AP) Poland’s ruling party wants to ask voters in a referendum whether they support accepting “thousands of illegal immigrants from the Middle East and Africa” as part of a European Union relocation plan, the prime minister said Sunday, as his conservative party […]
(Deutsche Welle) Husam El Gomati scrolls through his phone and points at a long post in Arabic. “Mohammad Ahmad Ali, the most typical name, with some funny picture,” he notes. Scrolling through the post, El Gomati confirms what he expected: “Yeah, you’re […]
(National-UAE) British authorities consider Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be the greatest threat to national security amid reports the group is increasing activities in the country. Home Secretary Suella Braverman is said to be concerned over reports that the group […]
(Euronews) Two men set fire to a copy of the Quran on Monday in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm, in a rally similar to previous events that provoked a diplomatic crisis between Sweden and the Muslim world. Smiling wryly, Salwan […]
(Reuters) The Swedish migration agency said late on Friday it is re-examining the residency permit of an Iraqi refugee who is behind several Koran desecrations in Stockholm in recent weeks, which have upset Muslims across the world. The man burnt a copy […]
(AFP) Sweden’s government on Thursday ordered 15 government agencies to strengthen the country’s ability to prevent terrorism, in response to a worsened security situation following protests involving desecration of the Koran. Tensions have flared between Sweden and several Middle Eastern nations after […]
(Reuters) Sweden is the target of a disinformation campaign by “Russia-backed actors” intended to hurt the image of the NATO-candidate country by implying it supported recent burnings of the Koran, its minister for civil defence said on Wednesday. Sweden’s bid to join […]
(Reuters) There is limited political will in Sweden to ban Koran burnings that have upset large parts of the Muslim world and it would be complicated to do even if there were backing for such a move, experts and politicians said on […]
(AFP) Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s coalition government collapsed Friday over “insurmountable” differences on how to tackle migration, with elections expected in November. Rutte, 56, the Netherlands’ longest-serving leader and one of Europe’s most experienced politicians, said days of crisis talks between […]
(AP) Poland’s lawmakers on Friday approved law amendments that open the way for a national referendum on accepting migrants to be held in conjunction with the country’s general election, which is expected this fall. Poland’s conservative government has vetoed the European Union’s […]
(AP) Nine people from Central Asia were arrested in Germany and the Netherlands on Thursday over alleged plans to carry out attacks in Germany and for collecting money for the Islamic State group, authorities said. Seven men arrested in Germany were accused […]
(AP) A Quran burning and a string of requests to approve protests involving the destruction of more holy books have left Sweden torn between its commitment to free speech and its respect for religious minorities. The clash of fundamental principles has complicated […]
(AP) The European Union should put a priority on stopping illegal migration instead of trying to persuade the 27 member nations to share responsibility for people who arrive without authorization, the prime ministers of Italy and Poland said Wednesday. Italy’s right-wing leader, […]
(AP) Turkey’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Swedish authorities’ failure to prevent Quran-burning protests in their country is raising security concerns and questions about Sweden’s credentials for possible NATO membership. But Hakan Fidan said Turkey would still approve Sweden’s membership in the […]
(Reuters) Poland will demand the reform of the European Union’s border agency Frontex and more funds for dealing with migrants, the prime minister said on Thursday, as he prepared to oppose a migration deal at an EU summit in Brussels. Under the […]
(AP) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday condemned a Quran-burning protest in Sweden, signaling that this would pose another obstacle to the country’s bid for NATO membership. Speaking to members of his Justice and Development Party, Erdogan equated “those who permitted […]
(European Conservative) The terror threat from Islamic extremists remains high in Germany, according to the country’s Federal Ministry of the Interior. Department officials said in a press release this week that they must continue to approach this issue with the “greatest vigilance.” […]
(AP) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday defended a deal to stop migrants from entering the European Union until their chances of getting asylum have been reviewed, arguing that the bloc’s existing arrangement is “completely dysfunctional.” Speaking to lawmakers in Berlin, he […]
(Turkish Minute) The Republic of Turkey was one of five main countries actively engaged in espionage activities in Germany in 2022, Deutsche Welle Turkish service reported on Tuesday, citing a report by Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). […]
(AFP) A Turkish citizen appeared in a Swedish court on Tuesday accused of “attempted terrorist financing” of the pro-Kurdish PKK, a first in the Scandinavian country seeking Ankara’s approval to join NATO. Turkey has accused Sweden of being a haven for “terrorists,” […]
(Brussels Times) Around 2,000 representatives from 600 cities around the world flocked to Brussels today to attend the Brussels Urban Summit 2023. But one participant garnered particular attention. Alireza Zakani, the ultra-conservative mayor of the Iranian capital of Tehran, was spotted among […]
(AFP) Hundreds of people protested in Stockholm on Sunday against new anti-terror legislation that was passed to address Turkey’s opposition to Sweden joining NATO. The demonstration was organised by groups close to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), outlawed by Turkey, which this […]
(AP) Germany saw a 28% increase in the number of people gaining its citizenship last year, with people from Syria accounting for more than a quarter of those who were naturalized, official data showed Tuesday. Preliminary figures show that about 168,500 people […]
(Christian Science Monitor) Cenk Auth is a Berlin hairstylist with Turkish flair and a German passport. Born in Germany to Turkish German parents, Mr. Auth is part of a Turkish diaspora spread across Europe that keenly feels the tug of two places. […]
(Politico) EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson criticized Greece for reportedly forcing migrants onto an emergency raft and abandoning them in the Aegean Sea. In an interview with POLITICO, Johansson said the episode was more than a pushback — when migrants are […]
(Canadian Jewish News) Linda Frum says she consulted with security experts in the United States — and had them conduct a risk assessment — before she decided to fight a defamation lawsuit filed by an Arabic-language newspaper. The former senator tweeted that […]
(NY Times) Salman Rushdie walked onstage at PEN America’s annual gala on Thursday night, his first public appearance since he was stabbed and gravely wounded in an attack last August at a literary event in Western New York. His appearance at the […]
(AFP) France’s highest court ruled Friday that the country can try foreign suspects under the universal jurisdiction principle, greenlighting inquiries into two Syrians accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity. The ruling was welcomed by rights groups who said it would also […]
(National-UAE) Masih Alinejad, an Iranian-American journalist and activist, was given a Metropolitan Police protection team on Tuesday evening after her appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Ms Alinejad spoke at the Sir Harry Evans Global Summit on Investigative Journalism in central London on […]
(National-UAE) Belgian police this week arrested seven alleged ISIS supporters — almost all Chechens — who were accused of attempting to plan a terrorist attack within the country. The men were believed to have been searching for weapons. The arrests brought renewed […]
(AP) The person who operates the Twitter account claims to be an Islamic fundamentalist living in Spain, empathizing with violent extremists and longing for the days, more than six centuries ago, when Muslims ruled the country. The views are as fake as […]
(AFP) Belgian police on Thursday arrested seven people suspected of supporting the Islamic State (IS) group and plotting a “terrorist attack,” prosecutors said. Almost all the suspects are ethnic Chechens, and three of them possess Belgian nationality, prosecutors said in a statement. […]
(AFP) Sweden’s parliament on Wednesday passed new legislation to ban activities linked to extremist groups, as it beefs up its terror laws, a key demand from Turkey to approve Stockholm’s NATO membership bid. With 268 votes in favour, the law — which […]
(CBS) The Biden administration is planning to allow tens of thousands of Afghans brought to the U.S. after the Taliban takeover of their homeland to apply to stay and work in the country legally for at least another two years, as efforts […]
(National Post) Tarek Fatah, the Toronto Sun columnist, has died at the age of 73, his family has said. In more than a decade writing columns for the Sun, Fatah, who identified as a secular Muslim, distinguished himself with his acidic opinions […]
(Local) Swedish police were wrong to reject the burning of the Quran outside the embassies of Turkey and Iraq on two occasions earlier this year, an administrative court has ruled. The decision not to grant a permit to the planned rallies in […]
(France 24) The timing couldn’t have been worse. Turkey had already threatened to derail Sweden’s NATO aspirations when a far-right extremist set fire to a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. On Friday, Ankara issued its verdict on Sweden and Finland’s […]
(Local) Norway will not follow in the footsteps of neighbours Denmark and grant asylum to Afghan women based on their gender, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl has said. Afghanistan is currently the world’s most oppressive country for women, according to the […]
(AP) Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Thursday that Germany will have to do a better job at clamping down on “irregular migration” and deporting those who don’t legally reside in the country. Scholz said that Germany, however, would continue to provide protection for […]
(AFP) France and Britain are working on a new deal to thwart migrants crossing the Channel, which could be agreed at a summit between leaders Emmanuel Macron and Rishi Sunak later this week, a French official said Wednesday. Macron is set to […]
(BBC) A new law set to go before Parliament later will introduce new measures aimed at removing migrants entering the UK on small boats. The Illegal Migration Bill is set to prevent those arriving illegally from claiming asylum, and will block them […]
(Detroit Free Press) Hamtramck city council this week approved a proclamation expressing support for Palestinians and opposing military aid to “all repressive governments.” The proclamation did not mention Israel, but appeared to criticize the country, drawing criticism from some residents and support […]
(AP) Nearly 1 million people applied for international protection in the European Union in 2022, according to data published Wednesday, bringing the number of asylum requests to a level not seen since the refugee crisis of 2015-2016. The EU Agency for Asylum […]
(National-UAE) The number of investigations by UK counter-terrorism police into state threats has quadrupled in the past two years, with several “close calls,” a senior officer has said. Matt Jukes, head of counter-terrorism policing, described the workload as “unprecedented” and said it […]
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