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Europe
Austria
09.12.2024 Austria has suspended all asylum procedures for Syrians, according to the country’s interior minister. Karner told today that the suspension was done at the direction of Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer. The Interior Ministry clarified that all asylum applications that have already been granted will also undergo review. In this context, I have instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation program to Syria, Karner told ORF. Family reunification will also be suspended. He noted that 7,300 open asylum procedures are affected by the decision. From this January to November, 12,871 asylum applications were submitted by Syrian citizens, he added. According to the Statistik Austria, 95,180 Syrians were residing in Austria at the start of 2024. This makes them the largest group of people entitled to asylum in Austria. Its data shows that nearly 87,000 Syrians received a positive asylum decision in Austria from 2015 to 2024. The figures also indicate that 17,421 Syrians were granted subsidiary protection. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Belgium
09.12.2024 Belgium has suspended decisions on Syrian asylum applications due to potential challenges in accessing information on applicants, an official said today. Brasseur, the spokesman for the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS), told that the suspension does not affect cases already approved by another European Union member state. Since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, around 35,000 Syrians have been granted asylum in Belgium. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Germany
09.12.2024 Germany’s stance towards the Syrian group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will depend on its actions in the coming days, Foreign Ministry spokesman Fischer said. “HTS has made efforts in recent months to distance itself from its jihadist roots and also tried to establish civilian governance structures. Whether these efforts can be taken seriously will become apparent, particularly in how the group deals with civilians and minorities in the areas it now controls,” he said. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Italy
09.12.2024 Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni chaired a meeting to discuss the situation in Syria. “It is decided to suspend the processing of asylum applications from Syria, in line with decisions taken by some other European partners,” her office said in a written statement. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Ukraine
Monday 09 December 2024 21:03 GMT Speaking alongside German opposition leader Merz in Kyiv, President Zelensky has said that he is open to the 'potential deployment of Western troops in Ukraine' to guarantee the country’s security as part of an effort to end the almost three-year war with Russia. In the same breath Mr Merz condemned chancellor Olaf Scholz’s refusal to send Kyiv long-range missiles. Mr Scholz has argued that deploying Germany’s Taurus missile could be seen as Germany joining the war. Military experts believe the Taurus cruise missile, with its bunker-busting warhead, could be instrumental in destroying targets like the Kersh bridge that links Crimea with Russia’s mainland. Mr Scholz, increasingly positioning himself as a peace candidate, has warned against what he calls Mr Merz’s willingness to escalate tensions with a nuclear-armed Russia. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
December 9, 2024 'The armor melted!" The Ukrainian government a year ago was begging the collective leadership of NATO to hand over to them advanced Main Battle Tanks, such as the German-made Leopard-2 and the American M1A1 Abrams MBT. Some problems associated with the American tanks revolve around the lack of adequate armor for those tanks against modern weaponry. The Abrams tanks were completely unprepared to withstand the twin threats of drones as well as anti-tank weapons that were firing missiles with dual warheads at those tanks. Not ready for showtime not only because they were poorly prepared for the kind of combat the Russians would subject them to. It’s also because the Ukrainians themselves never received the proper level of training to use these systems. Nevertheless, NATO persists in dumping its equipment into Ukraine where it is just getting trashed and abandoned by the desperate Ukrainians in the face of the Russian onslaught. (Source: The National Interest - U.S.)
by Weichert, a national security analyst, a former Congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst, author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine.
Europe
09/12/2024 - 19:59 A growing number of European countries today announced they were suspending their processing of Syrian asylum applications after rebels seized the Syrian capital and President Assad fled to Russia following 13 years of civil war. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed his interior minister to suspend all current Syrian asylum applications and family reunifications, and said that cases in which asylum had been granted would also be reviewed. Denmark paused processing applications and said Syrians whose applications had already been rejected, and who had been given a deadline to leave, would be allowed to remain longer due to the current uncertainty. France said it hoped to announce a similar decision shortly. Germany is now home to nearly a million Syrians, the largest community in Europe. The Berlin interior ministry said yesterday it would not process asylum requests until there was more clarity on political developments in Syria. Syria was the top country of origin for asylum seekers in Germany this year, with 72,420 applications submitted by the end of November. Some 47,270 remain undecided. ProAsyl, a German group providing legal and practical assistance to asylum seekers, said it might take many months for clarity to emerge on Syria’s security situation, potentially exceeding the six-month limit for a decision. An Infratest survey published on 6 December indicated that voters view migration as Germany’s second biggest problem after the economy. Greece paused the asylum applications of about 9,000 Syrians. Officials have said the government will meet on 13 Dcember to finalise the move. Norwegian immigration authorities said Syrians’ asylum applications would neither be denied nor approved for now. Britain paused decisions on asylum claims as well, with the interior ministry saying it was assessing the situation. A total of 20,319 Syrian refugees had been resettled in the country between March 2014 and February 2021, according to the Refugee Council. Updating the British parliament on the situation in Syria, foreign minister Lammy warned that developments could potentially trigger more migration into European states. ’This flow into Syria could quickly become a flow back out and potentially increase the numbers using dangerous illegal migration routes to continental Europe and the United Kingdom.’ (Source: France 24 / Reuters)
(9 December 2024) ’Since 2011, the UN says more than 14 million Syrians have been forced to flee their homes in search of safety’. Thousands of Syrians exiled in Lebanon and Jordan have been returning home. But on the Lebanese border, the flow has been in both directions. An increasing number of Syrians were trying to get into Lebanon, prompting Lebanese military reinforcements. Some feared an increase in chaos or crime at home, though they also say they have received reassurances this will not happen. Lebanon hosts more than one million Syrian refugees but has been tightening up the rules for them to enter the country. France, Germany, Greece and the United Kingdom have all said they will halt asylum decisions for now. Austria's caretaker government has stopped all asylum claims from Syrians and says it is making plans to repatriate or deport people back to their homeland, arguing that the situation in the country has changed fundamentally. Austria's Chancellor Karl Nehammer said that the government would support all Syrians who have found refuge in Austria and want to return to their home country. He added that the security situation in Syria must also be reassessed in order to make deportations possible again in the future. Around 95,000 Syrians live in Austria, many of whom arrived during the migrant crisis of 2015 and 2016. France with a decision expected in the next few hours. Germany's Federal Office for Migration and Refugees has put on hold all pending applications from Syrian asylum seekers. Officials say the political situation is so uncertain in Syria, that it is not possible to reach a proper decision about whether the country is safe or not. At the moment 47,270 Syrians in Germany are waiting for an answer to their asylum applications. Those who have already been granted asylum are not affected. Germany has the largest Syrian diaspora population outside of the Middle East, with about one million Syrians living in Germany. About 700,000 are classed as refugees. British Home Secretary Cooper confirmed that the UK has paused asylum decisions on cases from Syria while the Home Office reviews and monitors the current situation, adding that some people are already returning to Syria. Between 2011 and 2021 more than 30,000 Syrians were granted asylum in the UK. Most of these were resettled under humanitarian schemes and came directly from other countries they had fled to, such as Turkey and Lebanon. In 2019, it was calculated that around 47,000 Syrians were living in the UK, but that number is thought to have since fallen to around 30,000. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
Africa
Niger
09.12.2024 Armed men kill 21 civilians in Niger on Dec. 5 at border junction between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso during an attack on a goods transport convoy near Tera, in western Niger. The Nigerien army is carrying out several operations against jihadist groups in the Tillaberi region, where these attacks are regularly attributed to “terrorists.” (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
Asia
Iran
Mon, 09 Dec, 2024 - 12:13 Trump is staffing his planned administration with hawks on Iran. Iran's clerical rulers spent billions of dollars propping up Assad during the civil war that erupted in Syria in 2011 and deployed its Revolutionary Guards to Syria to keep its ally in power and maintain Tehran's 'Axis of Resistance' to Israel and U.S. influence in the Middle East. Iran has opened a direct line of communication with rebels in Syria's new leadership since its ally Assad was ousted, a senior Iranian official said today, in an attempt to prevent a hostile trajectory between the countries. Hours after Assad's fall, Iran said it expected relations with Damascus to continue based on the two countries' "far-sighted and wise approach" and called for the establishment of an inclusive government representing all segments of Syrian society. Tehran seeks diplomatic avenues to establish contact with people whom one of the officials called those within Syria's new ruling groups whose views are closer to Iran's," a second Iranian officials said. Iran is keen to avoid the scenario that Assad's successor will push Syria away from Tehran's orbit. A hostile post-Assad Syria would deprive Lebanese armed group Hezbollah of its only land supply route and deny Iran its main access to the Mediterranean and the 'front line' with Israel. Iran's clerical rulers were open to engaging with Syria's new leaders. Tehran has established contacts with two groups inside the new leadership and the level of interaction will be assessed in the coming days after a meeting at Iran's Supreme National Security Council, a top security body. (Source: Irish Examiner - Ireland)
12/09/2024 Iran's leadership is struggling to come to terms with the loss of long-time ally Assad. Tehran may now shift its strategy to maintain influence by preventing the establishment of a new, stable order in Syria. Iran has previously supported destabilizing forces in Iraq and Afghanistan to counter US influence and project its own power. In 2020, Falahatpishe, a former chair of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, revealed in a newspaper interview that Iran had spent approximately $30 billion (ca. €28 billion) to keep Assad in power. This support from Iran, as well as from Russia, enabled Assad to gain the upper hand in Syria's civil war, during which he brutally suppressed opposition to his rule. Assad is accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks on civilians. In a recent post on X, the former Iranian lawmaker Parsaei emphasized that Iran's expenditure had bypassed parliamentary approval, and asked who would repay the debts now that Assad is gone. Many Iranians question why their government prioritizes foreign expenditure over addressing domestic needs, such as building schools and hospitals in impoverished regions such as Sistan and Baluchistan. Syria has been a cornerstone of what Tehran describes as the "Shia Crescent," a geopolitical vision aimed at linking Iran to its allies in Lebanon and beyond. Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, once described Syria as the pillar of the ’Axis of Resistance,’ a network of Iranian-backed groups that oppose Israel and US influence, in the Middle East. For years, Iranian propaganda has emphasized the success and unity of the "Axis of Resistance." Assad's fall undermines this narrative and could leave hardline supporters of the regime disillusioned. Claims from the opposition forces in Syria, such as that they will ensure inclusive governance and make efforts to prevent chaos, could serve as potential models for Iran's future if the Islamic Republic should one day collapse. Many analysts believe that Iran's approach is unlikely to change as long as Supreme Leader Khamenei remains in power. The recent waves of protests in Iran, including the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, have demonstrated a growing disconnect between the Iranian government and its people. Pragmatic factions within Iran's government are reportedly concerned that the loss of Syria could inspire uprisings at home. (Source: DW - Germany)
See also: Can Assad be charged with war crimes? /Video/
Japan
12/09/24 AT 11:48 AM EST Japan's fertility rate plummeted to 1.2 in 2023. To address Japan's record-low fertility rate and support working mothers, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will implement a four-day workweek for its employees starting in April 2025, offering them three-day weekends and more family-friendly options. The success of this policy will depend on whether it leads to long-term cultural shifts in Japan's work environment. (Source: International Business Times - U.S.)
Syria
09:39 ET, Mon, Dec 9, 2024 While many in Syria feel a renewed sense of hope now that Assad is gone, others have warned the future remains uncertain. The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Pedersen, has warned Syria is in grave danger as further military escalation risks mass displacement and civilian casualties. As of 2024, an estimated 12million Syrians have been displaced from their country while 6.8million are internally displaced and 5million are registered refugees. (Source: Express – United Kingdom)
December 9, 2024, 1:22 PM Syria post-Assad power vacuum poses unexpected problems for Middle East. 'More than a decade of civil war left at least 307,000 people dead by the end of 2022, per United Nations figures. The fighting forced around 12 million Syrians -- more than half of the country's 2011 population of around 22 million - from their homes, around 5.4 million of whom were still living abroad as of late 2022'. (Source: ABC News - U.S.)
Monday, 09 Dec 2024 8:55 AM MYT Influential Russian war blogger Rybar, who is close to the Russian Defence Ministry and has over 1.3 million followers on his Telegram channel, said the situation around the bases was a serious cause for concern whatever Moscow’s official line. Russia’s military presence in the Middle East region hangs by a thread, Rybar said.'What anyone decided in high offices is absolutely irrelevant on the ground,' he added, suggesting Russian forces at the bases had not taken the initiative to defend their positions in the absence of orders from Moscow. Russian warships had left Tartous and taken up position off the coast for security reasons, the Hmeimim airbase had effectively been cut off after rebels took control of a nearby town, Kurdish forces had started to block Russian facilities beyond the Euphrates, and Russian positions at an oil facility in Homs had been blocked, Rybar said. Earlier yesterday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the two military facilities had been put on a state of high alert, but played down any immediate risk. (Source: Malay Mail - Malaysia)
North America
Cuba
December 9, 2024, 7:07 AM. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) analyzed nearly a dozen 'sites of interest' in Cuba and last week released a report highlighting the four locations - Bejucal, Wajay, Calabazar, El Salao - it deems most likely to be supporting China's intelligence operations. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)
Haiti
Mon 9 Dec 2024 14.08 CET Almost 200 were massacred in Haiti capital's western coastal neighbourhood of Cité Soleil over the weekend as Vodou practitioners reportedly targeted. Killings were overseen by ‘powerful gang leader’ convinced his son’s illness was caused by followers of the 'religion, capable of sending a bad spell on his son'. Gangs control 80% of the city and despite a Kenyan-led police support mission, backed by the US and UN, violence has continued to soar. More than 700,000 people are internally displaced in Haiti, half of them children. Vodou was brought to Haiti by enslaved people from Africa, banned during French colonial rule and recognised as an official religion by the government in 2003. (Source: The Guardian - United Kingdom)
United States
Monday 09 December 2024 10:34 GMT In an interview with NBC aired on Sunday, Mr Trump said he held “communication as recently as this week” with Mr XI and that he and the Chinese president got along very well. Asked if he was actively working to end the war in Ukraine, Mr Trump replied in the affirmative, but refused to disclose if he had spoken with Mr Putin since winning election in November. "I don’t want to say anything about that, because I don’t want to do anything that could impede the negotiation," Mr Trump said. (Source: The Independent - United Kingdom)
NATO
09.12.2024 'This is a moment of joy but also uncertainty for millions. We hope for a peaceful transition, respect for the rule of law & protection of minorities:” NATO’s secretary general was writing on X today, following the fall of the Assad regime. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
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