Britain Should Help 'Crush' Isil in Syria, Former Archbishop of Canterbury Warns

THE TELEGRAPH: Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, says that air strikes in Syria may be needed to stop Isil 'for once and for all' as David Cameron considers a vote on military intervention.

Britain should "crush" Isil by taking part in military action in Syria, a former Archbishop of Canterbury suggests today amid mounting calls for further air strikes.

In an article for The Telegraph, Lord Carey says that it is "not enough" to send aid to Syria and admit thousands of refugees to this country.

He argues that Isil needs to be dealt with "for once and for all" and that "air strikes and other British military assistance" may be needed in Syria.

He also says Britain should be prioritising Christian refugees who are victims of "ethnic cleansing" and have been crucified, beheaded, raped, and subjected to forced conversion by Isil.

The comments from one of Britain's most senior religious figures are likely to be welcomed by David Cameron, who has suggested that military intervention is required to solve the Syrian crisis. » | Steven Swinford, Deputy Political Editor | Saturday, September 5, 2015

From Turkey to Germany for $12K: Illegal Human Trafficking Booms amid Refugee and Migrant Crisis

High demand for asylum in Europe has created a smuggling boom in the people-trafficking industry. A place in a boat from Libya to Italy costs from $900. Routes from Turkey to Sweden by plane, or to Germany overland can cost over $12 000.

The President Meets with the King of Saudi Arabia

President Obama delivers remarks before meeting with King Salman bin Abd alAziz of Saudi Arabia. September 4, 2015.

ARUTZ SHEVA: Saudi King Meets Obama, Reiterates Concern Over Iran Deal: King Salman of Saudi Arabia meets Obama in Washington, his first visit to the United States since assuming the throne. » | Ben Ariel, Canada | Saturday, September 5, 2015

L’ancien premier ministre portugais José Socrates sort de prison

José Socrates en juin 2011.

LE MONDE: En détention provisoire depuis novembre 2014 dans le cadre d’une enquête pour corruption et blanchiment d’argent, l’ancien premier ministre portugais José Socrates a été autorisé à sortir de prison, a annoncé vendredi 4 septembre le parquet général. Sur décision du tribunal d’instruction, il sera « assigné à résidence sans obligation de port d’un bracelet électronique ».

Chef du gouvernement de 2005 à 2011, il avait été arrêté le 21 novembre, puis inculpé trois jours plus tard pour corruption, blanchiment d’argent et fraude fiscale aggravée. Il était depuis placé en détention provisoire à la prison d’Evora, dans le sud-est du pays. » \ Le Monde.fr avec AFP | vendredi 4. Septembre 2015

France 'May Extend Airstrikes on Isil to Syria'

French President François Hollande

THE TELEGRAPH: President Francois Hollande is studying the possibility of sending French warplanes to attack Isil in Syria, according to "high-level sources" cited by Le Monde, and will discuss issue at press conference on Monday

France may extend military airstrikes against Islamic State targets from Iraq to Syria, Le Monde newspaper has reported.

France was the first country to join the US-led coalition carrying out air strikes on Isil targets in Iraq and has supplied weapons to what it considers moderate rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

But it has so far ruled out bombing the terror group’s bases in Syria out of fear that this might benefit the Assad regime.

Le Monde quoted an unnamed "high level source" as saying that in the wake of the growing migrant crisis in Europe, President François Hollande was now considering sending French warplanes to attack Isil in Syria. » | Rory Mulholland, Paris | Saturday, September 5, 2015

Britain Pledges to Help Thousands of Refugees – But Rich Arab States Have Taken In NONE

EXPRESS: SUPER-RICH Arab states have been branded "shameful" after it emerged they have refused to give asylum to a single Syrian refugee.

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates – all relatively close to war-ravaged Syria and said by commentators to have the capacity to quickly house refugees – are yet to take any of the four million Syrians fleeing the region.

The news comes as record numbers embark on the life-threatening journey to Europe – and packed refugee camps in Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt come under threat from the Islamic State advance.

And although the tragic death of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi has seen European attitudes to the crisis change overnight, campaigners have slammed Gulf states' unwillingness to change tack.

Syrians must apply for tourist visas and work permits in order to have any hope of starting a new life in the Gulf – with few of the costly documents ever granted.

Amnesty International's Head of Refugee and Migrants' Rights, Sherif Elsayid-Ali, said: "The records of Gulf countries is absolutely appalling, in terms of actually showing compassion and sharing the responsibility of this crisis... It is a disgrace." » | Patrick Maguire | Saturday, September 5, 2015

Refugee Crisis: Hungary Lays On Buses as Human Tide Starts 150-Mile Trek to Vienna

Refugees walk down the M7 towards Austria

THE TELEGRAPH: Authorities concede to assist more than 1,000 refugees who had set off on foot towards Vienna after nearly a week stranded in mounting squalor outside Budapest’s main railway station

It was an exodus born of anger and frustration.

After nearly a week stranded in mounting squalor outside Budapest’s main railway station, more than 1,000 refugees took matters into their own hands on Friday and decided to try to walk towards a better life.

Half protest-march, half procession, the dismal crocodile of refugees left the Keleti station at 10am carrying what meagre possessions they could – a carrier bag of clothes, a bag of baby’s bottles, a few books or a phone – and set off for Vienna more than 150 miles away.

Many carried pictures of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, which they waved defiantly at the police, demanding to know why Hungary was not treating the refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia with more compassion.

While in Hungary’s parliament, politicians passed strict new laws that will make illegal crossings of the country’s newly fortified border with Serbia punishable by three years in jail, the procession wound slowly through the suburbs of Budapest and up the M1 motorway towards the Austrian border.

Then, hours after the refugees started trudging west, the Hungarian authorities made a concession of sorts, announcing that it would lay on buses to take them to border town of Hegyeshalom if they wanted.

It did not seem a wholly altruistic gesture.

"The top priority is that Hungary's transport should not be crippled," Prime Minister Viktor Orban's chief-of-staff Janos Lazar told a press conference.

His chief of staff, Janos Lazar, added: "This does not automatically mean that they can leave the country. We are waiting for the Austrian government's response." » | Peter Foster, outside Budapest and James Badcock in Bicske | Friday, September 4, 2015

Amid Refugee Crisis, Hungary Prime Minister Says Muslims Not Welcome

AL JAZEERA: Viktor Orban says history of Ottoman rule means Hungarians will not accept large-scale Muslim immigration

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that his country did not want to accept Muslim refugees, as he defended his tough approach to border control on the frontline of Europe's migration crisis.

Orban spoke in Brussels at meetings between European Union leaders and Hungary's prime minister after images of a drowned Syrian child on a Turkish beach grabbed world attention this week and said that it was not a moral argument for opening Europe's doors.

"If we would create ... an impression that 'just come because we are ready to accept everybody,' that would be a moral failure. The moral, human thing is to make clear: 'Please don't come,'" Orban told reporters.

In a later news conference, Orban said the history of Ottoman rule meant Hungarians would not accept large-scale Muslim immigration, a point made recently by neighboring Slovakia.

"We don't want to, and I think we have a right to decide that we do not want a large number of Muslim people in our country," Orban said. "We do not like the consequences of having a large number of Muslim communities that we see in other countries, and I do not see any reason for anyone else to force us to create ways of living together in Hungary that we do not want to see. That is a historical experience for us." » | Al Jazeera and wire services | Thursday, September 3, 2015


THE LOCAL (DE): Orban: Muslims threaten European identity: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned Thursday that the wave of mostly Muslim refugees coming to Europe threatens to undermine the continent's Christian roots - an idea rejected by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. » | AFP | Friday, September 4, 2015

THE WASHINGTON POST: Muslims threaten Europe’s Christian identity, Hungary’s leader says: Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, has made nationalistic and controversial statements in the past. But with his country emerging as a main gateway for refugees trying to reach richer European nations, his words suddenly carry much heavier weight. » | Rick Noack | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Actor Gérard Depardieu to 'Sell Everything' in France

Gérard Depardieu

THE TELEGRAPH: Actor and tax exile Gérard Depardieu pledges to sell all his properties in France, including a chateau, several restaurants and a fishmongers, in latest diatribe against his native country

French actor Gérard Depardieu has declared that he will "sell everything" in his home country, including his chateau and restaurants.

Already living as a tax exile in Belgium, with another address in Russia where he has been granted citizenship, the provocative star has said that this time he wants to sever all ties with France, including his string of properties.

“I think I want to sell everything in France!” he told TV Magazine. “I don’t want to be a part of this country anymore, even though I love the French.”

In 2012, Depardieu sparked a furious debate in France after becoming a tax resident of Belgium in order to avoid a 75 per cent levy on millionaire earners - a move dubbed “pathetic” by Jean-Marc Ayrault, then French prime minister.

The following January, Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, awarded a Russian passport to the 66-year-old star of Green Card, Cyrano and the Asterix films.

Depardieu is currently registered as living in the town of Saransk, with his address listed as 1, Democracy Street. » | Henry Samuel, Paris | Friday, September 4, 2015

Documentary: Europe Or Die

Inside Story: Migrants or Refugees?

Thousands fleeing conflict in desperation have been undermined by language used by media to describe their plight.

Lebanese Communists Gear Up to Fight ISIS: 'We Are Sons of This Land and Won't Leave It'

At the Lebanon-Syria border civilians are taking up the fight against ISIS themselves by forming communist guerilla group.

Merkel: Maßnahmenpaket für Flüchtlinge - komplettes Eingangsstatement - ZDF heute

Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel hat in der Bundespressekonferenz für den 24. September ein Maßnahmenpaket für Flüchtlinge in Deutschland angekündigt.

EU in Meltdown over Migrants as Cameron Says UK Will Do Its Duty and Take 4,000 Refugees

EXPRESS: EUROPE was in meltdown last night as the migrant crisis engulfing the Continent threatened to tear the EU apart.

Deep divisions opened between member states as they disagreed over how to deal with hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing to the European Union from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Africa.

A dramatic East-West split has formed as the EU struggles to deal with what is the greatest crisis in its history[.]

Brussels, Germany and France want to force all EU nations - including Britain - to take their share of up to 160,000 refugees.

But Hungary, which has borne the brunt of a recent influx of migrants, and Poland are steadfastly refusing to accept any more, insisting it is not their problem.

Yesterday Britain appeared to be increasingly isolated from the leading EU countries in its response to the escalating crisis with the Government coming under attack from all sides including its own backbenchers for its failure to do more.

But last night, the Government bowed to the mounting pressure with Whitehall sources indicating that David Cameron will announce later today that Britain is to take around 4,000 more Syrian refugees. » | Martyn Brown | Friday, September 4, 2015

„Wer überrannt wird, kann niemanden aufnehmen“

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE: Der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán kritisiert in einem Gastbeitrag für die F.A.Z. die „verfehlte Einwanderungspolitik“ der EU. Angesichts der Flüchtlingskrise warnt er vor einer „Explosion“ in ganz Europa.

Der ungarische Ministerpräsident Viktor Orbán hat angesichts der Flüchtlingskrise vor einer „Explosion“ in ganz Europa gewarnt und den Bau des Grenzzauns verteidigt. In einem Gastbeitrag für die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Donnerstagsausgabe - hier im Epaper) schreibt Orbán: „Wer überrannt wird, kann niemanden aufnehmen".

Der Ministerpräsident geißelte die „verfehlte Einwanderungspolitik“ der EU. „Jeder europäische Politiker ist verantwortungslos, der Einwanderern Hoffnungen auf ein besseres Leben macht und dazu ermuntert, alles zurückzulassen, um unter Einsatz ihres Lebens in Richtung Europa aufzubrechen“, schreibt er in der F.A.Z. Unerlässlich sei der Schutz der Außengrenzen der EU. „Deshalb ist der Zaun, den wir Ungarn bauen, wichtig. Wir machen das nicht aus Spaß, sondern weil er notwendig ist." » | Quelle: FAZ.NET | Mittwoch, 2. September 2015

Cameron Bows to Pressure to Allow More Syrian Refugees into Britain

THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister vows UK will take thousands of people currently in UN refugee camps on the Syrian border

David Cameron will respond to growing international and domestic demands that Britain take more refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war by announcing that the UK will take in thousands more.

Final details of the numbers, funding and planned location are being urgently thrashed out in Whitehall. » | Patrick Wintour and Nicholas Watt | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Dutch Sergeant Joins Isil in First Such Desertion

THE TELEGRAPH: A 26-year-old Dutch air force sergeant is believed to have travelled to Syria to join Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

A serving member of the Dutch air force may have joined Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) in Syria, the Netherlands Defence Ministry has said.

The 26-year-old air force sergeant has been suspended from service and his access to “information, systems and military sites” has been revoked, the ministry said in a statement.

"The case is currently being investigated by the Public Prosecutor," it said. "The defence ministry will of course investigate any risks or damage associated with the sergeant's position and take any necessary and appropriate measures."

Dutch authorities said on Thursday that this is the first time a serving member of the country’s armed forces is known to have joined Isil. » | Louisa Loveluck | Thursday, September 3, 2015

Desperate Refugee Pushes Wife & Kid on Rail Tracks as Police Hustle Asylum Seekers off Train

Worst Refugee Crisis Since WWII: 'Little Unity between EU Leaders, Lots of Fingerpointing'

Hungary is currently dealing with a major refugee influx, causing the Prime Minister to say asylum seekers are ‘German problem’ and to acuse EU of inability to control situation.

Migrants Rush to Board Trains after Budapest Station Reopens