Fear Among Syrian Refugees Over Turkey ‘Voluntary Return’ Plan
Syrians living in Turkey have expressed concern about Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's plan to repatriate 1M Syrian refugees to northern Syria.
In May, Erdoğan announced that the Turkish govt. was working to return Syrian refugees to the areas under Turkish control in northern Syria. The proposal includes building 250K housing units and equipping them with infrastructure that will extend between the cities of Azaz, Jarablus, al-Bab, and to Tal Abyad, and Ain Issa.
According to Turkish officials, the country currently hosts 3.6M Syrians and supports nearly 6M in the Turkish-held areas of northern Syria, where Turkey finances infrastructure and construction projects.
Narrative A
Turkey is the country hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees and is bearing the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis. Economic issues in Turkey are dire and financing refugees within the country is straining Ankara's resources. It is not Turkey's responsibility to care for these refugees indefinitely. If their safety is negotiated, and housing and infrastructure are being built for them, why wouldn't displaced Syrians want to return home?
Narrative B
Refugees aren't to blame for Turkey's economic issues, but instead are being used as a scapegoat by politicians campaigning for the 2023 elections. Anti-immigrant sentiments, rising tensions, and anti-refugee policies have been rampant in Turkey in recent years, and Erdoğan's recent repatriation proposals are a continuation of this. Many Syrian refugees have been in Turkey for at least 10 years, and have become established members of their communities. Why should they have to leave safety for a war zone?
UN Agency: Belarusian Officials Involved In Plane Bomb Hoax
On Tues., the UN's aviation agency accused Belarus of committing "unlawful interference" in breach of aviation rules to force a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius, Lithuania to land in Minsk.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stated that senior Belarus officials ordered a false bomb threat to be transmitted to the flight crew, risking the safety of the aircraft.
ICAO's investigations focused only on aviation matters regarding the incident with flight FR4978 on May 23, 2021, which led to the arrest of Belarusian dissidents Roman Protasevich and Sofia Sapega.
Pro-establishment narrative
The report confirms that the Lukashenko regime provoked this entire incident not only to arrest Protasevich but also to show dissidents they can be seized even while in the air. The international community must give a strong response to this de-facto military hijack of a civilian plane, a clear breach of the principles of international aviation.
Establishment-critical narrative
While investigations should focus on preventing similar incidents in the future, Western countries have used this situation to blame Belarus based on an unauthenticated record shared by an anonymous air traffic controller. This politically-biased report damages ICAO's credibility as an institution as it contains inaccuracies and questionable methodology.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that Alexander Lukashenko will leave power in Belarus by March 2026, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Fauci Announces Plans to Step Down by End of 2024
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical officer to the president and director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said on Tues. that he intends to step down from his current government position by the end of Biden's current term.
However, he has clarified that he doesn't plan to retire, and has stated that he still has "the energy and the passion" to do other things in his career after leaving federal service.
Reports that he planned to leave his post had sparked media speculation of his impending retirement. But the infectious diseases expert has said he only intends to leave his post at NIAID - an organization he joined in 1968 and became the director of in 1984.
Right narrative
It's about time for Fauci to leave federal service after more than five decades of controversies and failures. In fact, his ineffective and chaotic strategies during the COVID pandemic should've seen him retire long ago. Clearly the move is prompted by a fear that GOP investigations may expose his incompetence.
Left narrative
Fauci is an American hero who has assisted the country through severe health crises, including HIV/AIDS and COVID. He has always faced up to tough questions, and been brave enough to deliver bad news as well as good. At his age, it's no surprise he's planning to step down from his role in the government, especially after facing threats against his life for his dedicated service.
Nerd narrative
There is a 50% chance that at least 107k people will be reported to have died per year from COVID-19 on average between 2025 in the US, according to the Metaculus prediction community
Northern Iraq: At Least 8 Killed, 20 Wounded in Attack
Iraqi officials claimed on Wed., that Turkey conducted a military strike on a resort in Barakh, a city in the semiautonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, reportedly killing at least 8 Iraqis, including two children, and injuring more than 20.
While Baghdad blames Turkey for the strikes, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Kurdish militants were responsible - a claim that was rejected by Iraq's Ministerial Council for National Security.
Turkey regularly attacks the border region, claiming to target training camps operated by the Kurdistan Workers' party (PKK).
Narrative A
Turkish forces have perpetrated yet another flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty with no regard for civilian lives. Iraq reserves the right to preserve its territorial integrity and defend its populace.
Narrative B
The Iraqi allegations are unfounded. Turkey is ready to take every step needed for the truth to come out and calls on the Iraqi government to not make remarks influenced by the PKK. Instead, it should uncover the perpetrators of this cruel act.
Australians Asked to Work from Home Amid COVID Spike
On Wed., COVID hospitalizations neared record levels in Australia. The spike in cases has prompted officials to urge businesses to allow their employees to work from home. They're also recommending that people wear masks indoors and remain up-to-date on vaccinations.
The daily case count reached 50K on Tues., as the country weathers its third COVID wave. The Omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5 are driving the current surge.
While the chief medical officer, Prof. Paul Kelly "called on employers to allow work from home if feasible," several government agencies haven't made the transition.
Establishment-critical narrative
Australian politicians aren't evolving as quickly as COVID is. In the early days of the pandemic, Australia was seen as a success story as the country made drastic sacrifices to curb the virus. A hasty shift to "reopening" and focusing on the ability to travel has put Australia in a worse position now than they were one or even two years ago.
Pro-establishment narrative
Australia is the gold standard for pandemic response. Even though residents protested the measures the government took to keep their citizens safe, these measures drove COVID cases down and deaths minimal. Vaccine uptake rates are high and virus mitigation efforts have proven to be effective.
Senate Introduces Bipartisan Reforms to Electoral Count Act
A bipartisan group of senators, led by Joe Manchin III (D-WV) and Susan Collins (R-ME), on Wed., introduced two plans to update the 1887 Electoral Count Act in an effort to guarantee a peaceful transition of power.
One measure proposes to appoint a state's governor as the lone official permitted to submit a state's slate of electors following a presidential election and also make the Vice President's role in certification mostly ceremonial, among other measures.
A second proposal would create stricter penalties for threatening or intimidating election officials and improve the Postal Service's handling of mail-in ballots, and renew for five years an independent federal agency that helps states run and secure federal elections.
Pro-Trump narrative
Many votes in the 2020 election were fraudulent, corrupt, and highly irregular. The election should've been sent back to the state by the Vice President. Now the Democrats, and even some RINO Republicans, want to continue their corruption and make it virtually impossible to challenge future election results.
Republican narrative
Many of the elements of these proposals are necessary and common sense. Their bipartisan nature keeps Democrats from giving too much power to the federal government over how states conduct their elections. If the Democrats can resist the temptation to sabotage this effort by taking the included restrictions further, this has the makings of a positive bill for the country.
Democratic narrative
These proposals are good and necessary, but they don't go nearly far enough. We're still staring down state legislatures that are restricting voting rights, and a Moore vs. Harper SCOTUS ruling that could lead to those legislatures gaining unlimited power in conducting federal elections. We still need future legislation to codify election integrity, and American democracy depends on it.
Biden Ends COVID Isolation After Negative Tests
US Pres. Joe Biden ended five days of isolation after receiving two negative COVID tests on Tuesday and Wednesday. He confirmed his return to health in an address where he commended vaccines, booster shots, and treatments.
The 79-year-old, who is fully vaccinated – having had two doses of the vaccine and an additional two booster shots – tested positive for COVID last week and immediately went into isolation.
From the onset, his symptoms - a runny nose, fatigue, and a dry cough - were described as "mild" by his doctor.
Democratic narrative
Considering the demands of being president, it was inevitable that Biden would get COVID regardless of how many precautions were put in place. This case shows the importance of keeping up-to-date on vaccinations, and Biden set an example by following CDC guidelines.
Republican narrative
The only thing this proves is that vaccines aren't as effective at preventing the spread of COVID as they're made out to be. If Biden with his four shots and meticulous protocols can't avoid infection, then it's unlikely anybody will. It's time to learn to live with this.
4 Men Indicted in Texas Migrant Smuggling Deaths
On Wed., a federal jury in San Antonio, Texas returned an indictment for four men in connection with the deadliest migrant smuggling operation in US history. In June, a tractor-trailer was found outside of San Antonio and inside officials found 53 migrants dead and others severely injured from heat-related illnesses.
Homero Zamorano Jr., the alleged driver of the tractor-trailer, and co-defendant Christian Martinez were indicted on charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and several other counts. If convicted, they could face life in prison or the death penalty for their involvement.
Two other men were arrested for their connection to the tractor-trailer's registration and charged with one count each of possession of a firearm while being unlawfully present in the US. If convicted they could both face up to 10 years in prison.
Republican narrative
These deaths are on Biden. He and his administration have done nothing to secure America's borders, and reckless open-door policies have deadly consequences. Many more migrants will die before the Democrats decide to act responsibly.
Democratic narrative
While the GOP rants about the Democrats' supposed "open-door policies," technically, the border is still closed to migrants. Title 42, a policy from early in the pandemic, closed the southern border to stop the spread of COVID. An unintended consequence is that dangerous illegal border crossings have increased, and these trends can't be blamed on Democrats alone - Title 42 is a vital part of the GOP platform.
China: Didi Fined $1.2B for Breaking Cybersecurity Laws
The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) on Thurs. said they fined ride-sharing giant Didi Global $1.19B over allegations that the company violated China's network security, data security, and personal information laws.
The alleged violations included storing the personal information of its 57M drivers in an unsecured format and collecting information like passengers' phone photos and facial recognition data without their consent.
Didi's CEO and president were also each individually fined roughly $148k.
Pro-China narrative
Chinese tech companies have grown so large in recent years that China has needed to intervene to stop them from exercising monopolistic practices and collecting users' personal data. This is a positive step for the Chinese government in its goal of protecting both consumers' privacy and smaller companies that wish to enter the tech market.
Anti-China narrative
Didi's fine isn't the result of the Chinese Communist Party's concern for people's privacy, but rather its obvious attempt to not only cut tech startups off from foreign investments - like the NY Stock Exchange - but also to take government control over user data for political reasons.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that China's most surveilled city will have at least 122 surveillance cameras per 1000 people by 2023, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
Panama Faces Shortages As Protests Enter 3rd Week
Panama has entered its third week of protests and road blockades, including a blockage of the Pan-American Highway, leading to shortages of food, fuel, and medicine.
On Thurs., talks between groups of protesters and Panama's government were expected to take place in Penonome, in the Coclé province.
This comes after a humanitarian caravan carrying tons of food was held up by armed people and prevented from reaching Panama City. Manuel Murillo and Jiménez Oliva, registered members of the Alianza País Party and Cambio Democrático Party, respectively, were identified as suspects.
Pro-establishment narrative
These protests are part of a healthy democracy and the Cortizo admin has stressed the importance of a candid dialogue to address demands. However, some ill-intentioned politicians have infiltrated social movements to push their agenda even if it harms the most vulnerable populations.
Establishment-critical narrative
The Cortizo admin is the one responsible for carrying out a hypocritical "double agenda" in this crisis. While officials open negotiations with protesters who are seeking to find solutions through dialogue, other security forces keep ruthlessly cracking down mass demonstrations.
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