NETHERLANDS IMPLEMENTS STRICTER BORDER CONTROLS TO CURB MIGRATION
The Netherlands has heightened border controls with Germany and Belgium to curb irregular immigration, according to Asylum and Migration Minister Marjolein Faber. Faber, a member of the far-right Freedom Party (PVV) in the new right-wing government, emphasized the need to reduce the "influx" of migrants. For the next six months, mobile patrols will randomly inspect vehicles and travelers on international trains. While these checks are temporary, based on Article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code, permanent checkpoints are not planned due to limited resources. With 840 border crossings and only 50 officers assigned to the task, authorities will use a risk-based approach, relying on vehicle origin and camera footage to select targets for inspection.
HOW SYRIA MIGHT PROSECUTE ASSAD
The fall of former President Bashar Assad’s regime, following the arrival of Syrian rebels in Damascus, raises questions about how Syria will address his alleged war crimes. Under Assad’s rule, over 15,000 people were tortured to death, and more than 150,000 were arbitrarily arrested during the civil war that began in 2011, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). Assad is also suspected of using chemical weapons against civilians. The majority of these atrocities are attributed to the Syrian military.
IRANIAN SINGER ARRESTED FOR PERFORMING WITHOUT HIJAB IN CONCERT
Iranian singer Parastoo Ahmady has been arrested for defying the country’s strict dress code after performing without a hijab in a virtual concert on YouTube. The 27-year-old singer wore a long black sleeveless dress during the performance, which was viewed over 1.4 million times online. Ahmady expressed her passion for singing, saying, “Singing for the land I love passionately.”
AFRICA'S YOUTH ARE SHAPING POLITICAL CULTURE
Two powerful trends are transforming Africa rapid urbanization and a youth population boom. More than two-thirds of Africa's population is under the age of 30, and by 2035, most of these young people will live in cities. According to Titus Kaloki, coordinator of the Just Cities project at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) in Kenya. Kaloki, speaking at a workshop on political participation in African cities organized by FES in Berlin, highlighted the increasing role of young urbanites in political movements.
ITALY GRANTS CITIZENSHIP TO ARGENTINA’S MILEI
Italy has granted Argentinian President Javier Milei and his sister Karina citizenship based on their Italian heritage, a move that has sparked widespread outrage. According to Italian news agency ANSA, the applications were fast-tracked by the Italian government, leading to sharp criticism from opposition figures.
ATHLETE DISQUALIFIED FOR WEARING ‘MAKE RUSSIA SMALL AGAIN’ T-SHIRT
Lithuanian athlete Kornelija Dudaite was disqualified from the 2024 Super Worlds Championship in Hungary for wearing a “Make Russia small again” T-shirt. The slogan, previously seen on a shirt worn by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, violated the competition’s sportsmanship rules, according to the International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3), which organized the event.
HUMANS MAY NOT HAVE SURVIVED WITHOUT NEANDERTHALS
Recent DNA research has revealed that modern humans, far from successfully breezing out of Africa, actually went extinct multiple times before eventually populating the world. The findings offer a fresh perspective on the critical role Neanderthals may have played in the success of Homo sapiens. For years, it was believed that modern humans dominated and outcompeted Neanderthals after leaving Africa. However, new studies suggest that only humans who interbred with Neanderthals survived and thrived, while other human populations perished. These interbreeding events, occurring about 48,000 years ago, are now believed to have played a crucial role in modern humans’ survival, particularly by providing immunity to diseases they had never encountered before. The research, which pinpoints a short period of interbreeding between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals, challenges the previous narrative of human success. According to Prof. Johannes Krause of the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Biology, this discovery calls for a complete revision of the history of modern humans.
RUSSIA TO OFFER VISA-FREE TRAVEL FOR INDIAN TOURISTS STARTING 2025
In a major development, Russia plans to allow Indian tourists to visit without a visa, with the new arrangement set to begin in spring 2025. This follows consultations between Russia and India earlier this year, where both nations discussed a bilateral agreement to facilitate visa-free group tourist exchanges. The initiative aims to boost tourism and cultural exchanges between the two countries. Since August 2023, Indian travelers have been eligible for e-visas to Russia, a process that typically takes just four days for approval.
WHISTLEBLOWER OF OPEN AI FOUND DEAD IN APPARENT SUICIDE
Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI employee who had publicly accused the company of violating copyright laws during the development of its ChatGPT model, has been found dead in San Francisco. Reports from CNBC and other media outlets confirm that Balaji, aged 26, died several weeks ago, and the city’s Chief Medical Examiner, David Serrano Sewell, stated that the cause of death has been ruled as suicide.