Hang on a sec
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="551564" data-time="1452324357"><p>The response to the Germany thing has been quite incredible. Women get molested so the solution is for them to dress conservatively, stay in groups, and keep an "arms length" distance from strange men. What next? Gay men should act less camp and not hold hands to avoid being bashed? <br>
What the hell is going on?</p></blockquote>
<br>
The obvious solution is for women to dress from head to toe in a shapeless black outfit and never leave the house without a chaperone . <br><br>
Gays are really out of luck unfortunately , either a sex change like gays are forced to have in Iran or a one way trip to the quarry . -
<p>I found this article from the Guardian to be.... something - I'm not quite sure what.<a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/08/cologne-attacks-hard-questions-new-years-eve'> http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/08/cologne-attacks-hard-questions-new-years-eve</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Dig into the first <strong>full </strong>page of the comments sections... ignore the "Guardian picks" comments - but note how relatively few likes the Guardian Picks have compared to the main responses on the first page or so. e.g</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, after several days of refusing to report the biggest story of 2016 so far because it does not fit with its highly ideological driven narrative, this paper is allowing comments on a story which has shown its contempt for victims of sexual assault. It's predictable enough that the first writer to tackle this does not ask why the Mayor of Cologne and many on the left are blaming the victims themselves for their own rapes. The writer should at least acknowledge the only solution left available to citizens, when the police cannot protect them from clear danger and politicians blame victims for the crime simply because the perpetrator was a foreign male of arabic extraction, is to arm themselves. Please never print another article on women's rights ever again, you have no credibility on this issue and owe those on the opposite side of the political spectrum who have now been proved correct a massive apology. I write this as a guardian reader and buyer of 17 years and someone who has always voted for left of centre parties (both of which I won't be doing ever again).</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>(1907 likes thus far).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You know the political bias when you go to the Guardian (or the Telegraph for that matter), but I've rarely seen a comments section so full and so out of sync with the general political/ideological thrust of a paper.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Donsteppa" data-cid="551571" data-time="1452328128"><p>I found this article from the Guardian to be.... something - I'm not quite sure what.<br>
<br>
Dig into the first <strong>full </strong>page of the comments sections... ignore the "Guardian picks" comments - but note how relatively few likes the Guardian Picks have compared to the main responses on the first page or so.<br>
<br><a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/08/cologne-attacks-hard-questions-new-years-eve">http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/08/cologne-attacks-hard-questions-new-years-eve</a><br>
<br>
<br>
(1907 likes thus far).<br>
<br>
You know the political bias when you go to the Guardian (or the Telegraph for that matter), but I've rarely seen the comments so out of sync with the general political/ideological thrust of the paper.</p></blockquote>
<br>
Cheers for that, pretty astounding really . It reminds me of the election coverage in 2014 , the media were completely out of step with the mood of the country. Like I said on the blocked thread I blame the apologists almost as much as the ferals behaving like this. Bloody glad we didn't import a bunch if people who don't give a shit about our laws or way of life like the Germans did.<br>
My son showed me my fuckwit of a sisters Facebook page, there's a picture of the dead toddler on the beach and a petition calling on John Key to open our country to "Syrian refugees" . The media and leftards certainly got some mileage out of that shot , this what the leftard blogs were saying at the time.<br><br><a class="bbc_url" href="https://dimpost.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/nothing-will-come-of-nothing-2/">https://dimpost.wordpress.com/2015/09/03/nothing-will-come-of-nothing-2/</a><br><a class="bbc_url" href="http://thestandard.org.nz/syrian-refugees-national-backs-down/">http://thestandard.org.nz/syrian-refugees-national-backs-down/</a> -
<p>However... :)</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You've linked a commentary on raising the refugee numbers on the Standard. I'm as wary of using the Cologne attacks to argue the NZ refugee quota number as I am of someone using the "open our country to Syrian refugees" line</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On the whole, New Zealand has done a very good job with resettling refugees over a number of years. That's because of a very un-German like selection process:</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_migration_into_New_Zealand'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_migration_into_New_Zealand</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Since 1976 more than 40,000 refugees have settled and built a future in New Zealand."... I liked reading that as it put NZ's consistent effort over time into good context. Broadly speaking refugees get no more 'bad' publicity than any other group of the population here. I also played rugby with a very handy Cambodian first five and a nippy winger - both of whom were (by then) adult children of Cambodian refugees who had resettled in Hamilton :)<br>
</p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p>New Zealand is one of fewer than 20 countries to offer a resettlement programme and has done so for more than 20 years.<em> Even fewer countries make a commitment like New Zealand to reserving a place for women at risk, medical/disabled, and emergency protection cases within their quota. In doing so they offer a preferential option for those who are already marginalised and vulnerable, and the most difficult to place. For this New Zealand has gained international respect for its <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanitarianism' title="Humanitarianism">humanitarianism</a>.</em></p>
<p>In addition to this quota New Zealand receives <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asylum_seekers' title="Asylum seekers">asylum seekers</a>, whose claim is then either approved or declined by the Refugee Status Branch of the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_New_Zealand' title="Immigration New Zealand">Immigration New Zealand</a>, or by the <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refugee_Status_Appeals_Authority' title="Refugee Status Appeals Authority">Refugee Status Appeals Authority</a>. In 2005, <strong>1,585 refugee status applications were received, but only 12.5% were found to be genuine.</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Regarding the bold, we're not an easy touch as sometimes assumed. <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/refugee-protection/refugee-statistics.htm'>http://www.immigration.govt.nz/migrant/general/generalinformation/refugee-protection/refugee-statistics.htm</a> has the latest official stats. It's easier to be declined than approved: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/00CBC69E-AB63-4C2A-876C-6A1BE7AFA2E8/0/RSBRefugeeandProtectionStatPak.pdf'>http://www.immigration.govt.nz/NR/rdonlyres/00CBC69E-AB63-4C2A-876C-6A1BE7AFA2E8/0/RSBRefugeeandProtectionStatPak.pdf</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>There's also a (yes, biased - but interesting) Q&A at <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.caritas.org.nz/sites/default/files/Refugee Myths and Realities_0.pdf'>http://www.caritas.org.nz/sites/default/files/Refugee Myths and Realities_0.pdf</a> that makes some observations from an NZ perspective.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There are a number of good arguments for or against accepting refugees, or shifting the quota from 750 to 1000, 500, 1500, or 0, or staying the same. People might prefer the money to be spent elsewhere (or more money to be spent), philosophical objections (or are bleeding heart liberals), the economy is now bigger than in 1987 (or charity begins at home), etc...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Though "See that picture!! we must open the door let <em>all </em>the poor Syrians in", <strong>or </strong>"Fuck Off, look at Cologne FFS!!" are rough arguments <em>in a New Zealand context</em>. (Though Germany and Europe seem to be a whole other kettle of fish...)</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p>Jegga: Bloody glad we didn't import a bunch if people who don't give a shit about our laws or way of life like the Germans did.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-take-750-more-syrian-refugees'>http://beehive.govt.nz/release/new-zealand-take-750-more-syrian-refugees</a> - a good, pragmatic approach. Especially note the screening process (italics mine):</p>
<p> </p>
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">
<p><strong><em>What is the process for the 600 additional places and how soon will the refugees arrive in New Zealand? </em></strong></p>
<p><em>The process for the 600 additional places will be the same as any intake under the current quota. </em></p>
<p>The UNHCR carries out its own screening process and does not refer high risk or complex cases for resettlement.</p>
<p>In addition to this, all cases submitted for consideration undergo robust assessments as part of INZ’s decision-making process. That includes on and off-shore screening and assessment that focuses on credibility, risk and settlement to ensure that the person is not a security risk or character of concern to New Zealand, and that settlement in New Zealand is the right option for them. </p>
<p><em>INZ also specifically carries out its own security checks alongside NZSIS, biometric checks and health assessments.</em></p>
<p>INZ will undertake an initial mission to Lebanon in October and another in December for the current year. The first 250 selected for resettlement will arrive in New Zealand in three groups – anticipated to be January, March and May 2016.</p>
</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>There's a huge amount of paid and unpaid effort that goes into refugee re-settlement in NZ. (For anyone in one of the NZ refugee resettlement cities who is interested - Red Cross are always looking for good volunteers: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://www.redcross.org.nz/what-we-do/in-new-zealand/refugee-services/'>https://www.redcross.org.nz/what-we-do/in-new-zealand/refugee-services/</a> :))</p> -
I thought it was interesting to read the rants from the left of the spectrum when the refugee crisis was dominating the headlines. I'm not using Cologne as an excuse to stop us taking in refugees from the middle east , I never wanted them in the first place for reasons I've been banging on about winger style for months now. Unlike Winger though I've been proven right.<br><br>
Those were interesting stories about how we take our refugee quota . I've wondered why our bakeries seem to be run by Cambodians , I asked one day and apparently when they ended up here as boat people after fleeing the Khner Rouge baking was a trade a lot of them went into as the govt of the day helped them get qualified and into a job to help settle them here . If you check out the Bakels pie awards 8 or 9 of the top ten are usually Cambodian names. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Donsteppa" data-cid="551672" data-time="1452408088"><p>
I re-read your post and deleted my reply as I'd missed an important qualifier... so as long as NZ finds refugees who will keep us in top quality mince and cheese you're happy? :)</p></blockquote>
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Pretty much , there's enough kebab places near me so I'm sorted there for Mid East food. -
<p>There were similar plans in Finland, at the end of the article it mentions the inevitable backlash that I'm sure is building throughout Europe</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/12088332/Unprecedented-sex-harassment-in-Helsinki-at-New-Year-Finnish-police-report.html'>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/12088332/Unprecedented-sex-harassment-in-Helsinki-at-New-Year-Finnish-police-report.html</a></p>
<p> </p>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Asylum seekers who met in central Helsinki to celebrate New Years’s Eve “had similar plans†to <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/12088994/Cologne-sex-attacks-Two-immigrant-suspects-arrested-carrying-note-in-German-and-Arabic-saying-I-want-to-have-sex-with-you.html'>commit sexual assault and other crimes as those who targeted women</a> in the Germany city of Cologne, <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/'>Finnish</a> Police have reported.</p>
</div>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Three Iraqi asylum seekers have been arrested for committing sexual assaults during the celebrations in the city’s Senate Square, where some 20,000 had gathered.</p>
</div>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Security personnel reported “widespead sexual harrassment†during the celebrations, police added, with women complaining that asylum seekers had groped their breasts and kissed them without permission.</p>
</div>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">“This phenomenon is new in Finnish sexual crime history,†Ilkka Koskimaki, the deputy chief of police in Helsinki, told the Telegraph. â€We have never before had this kind of sexual harrassment happening at New Year’s Eve.â€</p>
</div>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">He said that the police had received tip-offs from staff at the asylum reception centres.</p>
</div>
<div style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:georgia, 'times new roman', times, serif;font-size:10px;">
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">“Our information from these reception centres were that disturbances or other crimes would happen in the city centre. We were prepared for fights and sexual harrassment and thefts.â€</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">He said that police had established a “very massive presence†to control the estimated 1,000 Iraqi asylum seekers who had gathered in the tunnels surrounding the central railway station by 11pm, many of whom appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Mr Koskimaki said that sexual assults in parks and on the streets had been unknown in Finland before a record 32,000 asylum seekers arrived in 2015, making the 14 cases last year “big news in the city</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">“We had unfortunately some very brutal cases in autumn,†he said. “I don’t know so well other cultures, but I have recognised that the thinking of some of them is very different. Some of them maybe think that it is allowed to be aggressive and touch ladies on the street.â€</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Jamel Saltne, a Finnish-speaking Iraqi, said that from what he had seen on Arabic social media, police had wrongly portrayed events.</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">"What happened was not the result of an action planned in advance," he told the Telegraph. "It was totally expected that young men would go to the centre of the capital as that is the best place to celebrate New Year's Eve."</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">"I'm not accusing the police of racism, but maybe they have received complaints intended to smear people."</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">The rapes have fuelled anger among some Finns at last year's record asylum figures, with the country registering the fourth highest number per capita in the European Union.</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">Unarmed militia groups calling themselves “Soldiers of Odinâ€, wearing black jackets and hats marked “S.O.Oâ€, have sprung up in several towns in Finland where asylum seekers are housed, claiming they want to protect citizens from “Islamic intrudersâ€.</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);"><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/finland/12088332/Finnish-government-condemns-racist-attack-on-refugees-in-Lahti.html'>Petteri Orpo, Finnish interior minister, condemned the groups</a> in an interview with national broadcaster YLE on Thursday.</p>
<p style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:16px;color:rgb(51,51,51);">“There are extremist features to carrying out street patrols. It does not increase security,†he said.</p>
</div> -
<p>The mosque up the road celebrated its 25 year anniversary last year and hosts an annual Australia Day event. Flag raising, anthem, all that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hard to think that they could get that up and running back in the 80s when it was all basically farms, rednecks, and bogans. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baitul_Huda_Mosque,_Sydney'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baitul_Huda_Mosque,_Sydney</a></p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="553785" data-time="1453424008">
<div>
<p>The mosque up the road celebrated its 25 year anniversary last year and hosts an annual Australia Day event. Flag raising, anthem, all that.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hard to think that they could get that up and running back in the 80s when it was all basically farms, rednecks, and bogans. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baitul_Huda_Mosque,_Sydney'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baitul_Huda_Mosque,_Sydney</a></p>
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</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p>Good on them.The best bit from that wiki link, </p>
<p> </p>
<p><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;">Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Australia national spokesman Aziz Omer said, "We are loyal to Australia and we want our kids to be loyal to Australia", with association members delivering 500,000 </span><i>Loyalty to Homeland</i><span style="color:rgb(37,37,37);font-family:sans-serif;"> leaflets. Australia Day celebrations at the mosque includes a flag-raising ceremony, the singing of the national anthem and a barbecue.</span></p> -
Looks like you Kiwis have a handle on how to manage the migrant crisis...<br><br>Utilise the natural resources of the country to help apprehend the buggers.<br><br><br><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A978/production/_87848334_87848333.jpg'>http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A978/production/_87848334_87848333.jpg</a>
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From the BBC - it says fugitives here but the headline stated migrants.<br><br>A flock of sheep has come to the aid of New Zealand police, stopping a car-load of fugitives who had led officers on a high-speed chase across Central Otago.<br><br>The driver, initially pulled over for speeding and having no licence plates, evaded capture for 90 minutes.<br><br>The fugitives even managed to continue after road spikes deployed by officers destroyed one of their vehicle's tyres.<br><br>They were finally halted by the sheep, which blocked the road entirely as they were being moved to new pasture.<br><br>In a coincidence, the sheep were reported to be owned by a local police officer from Queenstown.<br><br><br><br><br>All four fugitives were arrested.
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Catogrande" data-cid="553873" data-time="1453469141">
<div>
<p>Looks like you Kiwis have a handle on how to manage the migrant crisis...<br><br>
Utilise the natural resources of the country to help apprehend the buggers.<br><br><br><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A978/production/_87848334_87848333.jpg'>http://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/A978/production/_87848334_87848333.jpg</a></p>
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</blockquote>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Its made the top 10 kiwi things that ever happened <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/76154270/the-10-most-kiwi-things-that-have-ever-happened'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/76154270/the-10-most-kiwi-things-that-have-ever-happened</a></p> -
<p></p><p></p><blockquote class="ipsBlockquote">[b][url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/735b4746-c01f-11e5-9fdb-87b8d15baec2.html?siteedition=uk#axzz3yJwJqThX]Vladimir Putin asked Bashar al-Assad to step down[/url][/b]<br><br>
Sam Jones in London, Erika Solomon in Beirut and Kathrin Hille in Kazan<br>
January 22, 2016 11:55 am<br><br>
Just weeks before his death on January 3, Colonel-General Igor Sergun, director of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, was sent to Damascus on a delicate mission.<br><br>
The general, who is believed to have cut his teeth as a Soviet operative in Syria, bore a message from Vladimir Putin for President Bashar al-Assad: the Kremlin, the Syrian dictator’s most powerful international protector, believed it was time for him to step aside.<br><br>
Mr Assad angrily refused.<br><br>
Two senior western intelligence officials have given the Financial Times details of Sergun’s mission. The Russian foreign ministry referred a request for comment to the defence ministry, which said it was unable to comment.<br><br>
But on Friday, in response to a question from a journalist, asking if the Russian leader had asked Mr Assad to step down, a spokesman for Mr Putin said: “No, that’s not so.â€<br><br>
Russia’s failed gamble in Damascus left Mr Assad more entrenched than before, and hopes for a diplomatic solution to the vicious civil war appear again to be ebbing away.<br><br>
UN officials have spent the past week lowering expectations that the talks between the warring factions planned for January 25 in Geneva will go ahead, let alone produce a breakthrough.<br><br>
It is a dramatic reversal of fortunes. News of the secret proposal delivered by Sergun — a choreographed transition of power that would maintain the Alawite regime but open the door to realistic negotiations with moderate rebels — added to a growing mood of optimism among western intelligence agencies in late 2015.<br><br>
For the US-led coalition fighting Isis, it seemed that accommodating Moscow could break years of diplomatic deadlock over Mr Assad’s removal — a move Washington views as a precondition to cooling the sectarian tensions in Syria and Iraq that have fed the jihadi insurgency.<br><br>
Moscow’s military intervention in the conflict in support of Damascus in late September, many in Europe and the US reasoned, had reached its limit. “Mr Putin had taken a look under the bonnet of the Syrian regime,†one senior European intelligence official told the FT “and found a lot more problems than he was bargaining for.â€<br><br>
However, Russia overplayed its hand, the official said, and Mr Assad made clear to Sergun that there could be no future for Russia in Syria unless he remained as president.<br><br>
In his dealings with the Kremlin, Mr Assad has adopted a strategy of playing one foreign power off against another. His trump card on this occasion was Iran. Russia has been nervous of Tehran’s growing regional influence at the cost of its own leverage for months.<br><br>
People close to the Syrian regime say suspicions about Russia’s intentions have been growing in Damascus for some time. “That mood of elation when Russia first got involved lasted for a while, but then people got more pessimistic,†said one Damascus businessman. “Assad’s people started to realise that having the big brother defending them meant he could also demand things of them too.â€<br><br>
Mr Assad has also been scrupulous in rooting out any powerful figures who might one day stand as an alternative to his leadership.<br><br>
The disappearance of Abdel Aziz al-Khair, an Alawite dissident, was a striking example, said Joshua Landis, a Syria analyst from the University of Oklahoma.<br><br>
Mr Khair, a leading member of the National Co-ordinating Body, a political grouping dedicated to negotiating with Mr Assad to achieve democratic change, was from a prominent family in Mr Assad’s home town, said Mr Landis.<br><br>
“He went to Moscow in 2012 and then he went to Beijing. It seemed clear to everyone they were checking him out as a potential Alawite replacement to the current regime that could assure the Alawite community,†Mr Landis said. On his return to Damascus he was taken from the airport by security agencies.<br><br>
“That seemed to be a sign that Assad was not going to allow Russia to pick the next president,†Mr Landis added.<br><br>
Moscow is frustrated. “It has become quite clear that part of an eventual political solution is that Assad has to step aside at some point, although we don’t think that it has been decided yet when that should be,†said a Russian authority on Syria who is involved in Moscow’s diplomacy. “Ever since President Assad was flown in to be received by our president last year, his attitude has been less than satisfactory, and this does interfere with our efforts towards a political solution.â€<br><br>
But the Kremlin is also pragmatic, note many foreign policy experts, and its intervention is as much about projecting itself on the international stage as it is about determining Syria’s leader.<br><br>
Dmitri Trenin, head of the Carnegie Moscow Center, said: “For Putin, the intervention in Syria was never about keeping Assad in power, it is about getting the Americans to acknowledge Russia’s key role in settling this conflict, and that’s being achieved through the Vienna process.<br><br>
“But it looks premature to engineer a coup in Syria — I don’t see how that would help the political process as there are not enough opposition people who can accept the regime if it gets just a different figurehead.â€<br><br>
Meanwhile, says one British diplomat, with no palatable strategy for withdrawal, Russia appears to be doubling down on its military intervention, leaving the prospect of a negotiated peace as far from reality as it has ever been. </blockquote> -
<div><span style="font-weight:bold;"><a class="" href="http://www.afr.com/news/politics/world/greece-quarantine-to-halt-migrant-flow-20160126-gmdz6m">Greece quarantine to halt migrant flow</a></span></div>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35425735'><strong>Sweden 'to expel up to 80,000 failed asylum seekers'</strong></a></p>
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<p>Basic numbers:</p>
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<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Anders Ygeman said that charter aircraft would be used to deport the migrants over several years.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">"We are talking about 60,000 people but the number could climb to 80,000," Swedish media quoted him as saying.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Some 163,000 migrants applied for asylum in Sweden in 2015, the highest per capita number in Europe.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Of the approximately 58,800 cases processed last year, 55% were accepted.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="NTA" data-cid="554787" data-time="1453964812">
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35425735'><strong>Sweden 'to expel up to 80,000 failed asylum seekers'</strong></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Basic numbers:</p>
<p> </p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Anders Ygeman said that charter aircraft would be used to deport the migrants over several years.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">"We are talking about 60,000 people but the number could climb to 80,000," Swedish media quoted him as saying.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Some 163,000 migrants applied for asylum in Sweden in 2015, the highest per capita number in Europe.</p>
<p style="color:rgb(64,64,64);font-family:Helmet, Freesans, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Of the approximately 58,800 cases processed last year, 55% were accepted.</p>
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</blockquote>
<p>Yikes. So how does that work? Will a planeload of disaffected blokes just sit quietly on the plane while it flies them somewhere they don't want to be while saying something like "<span>Tillräckligt rättvis Guv, det är en rättvis cop</span>" in Swedish? I don't like their chances of doing that 400 times without incident.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="JC" data-cid="555031" data-time="1454053411">
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<p>Yikes. So how does that work? Will a planeload of disaffected blokes just sit quietly on the plane while it flies them somewhere they don't want to be while saying something like "<span>Tillräckligt rättvis Guv, det är en rättvis cop</span>" in Swedish? I don't like their chances of doing that <em>400</em> times without incident.</p>
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<p> </p>
<p>From what I've seen you can pack them really tightly on a boat. Its like, 2 trips of the InterIslander. 3 tops</p>