Sealing off the Mediterranean

BERLIN/VIENNA/TRIPOLI (Own report) – To ward off refugees, the EU should completely seal off the Mediterranean and immediately force refugees, intercepted at sea, to return to their home countries, demands Austria’s Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, stating an even tougher position than the EU’s current deportation agreement with Turkey, imposed by Berlin. Kurz also undermines the Geneva Convention on the Status of Refugees and – taking Australia as a model – proposes to resettle those refugees, not immediately deportable, to islands. Refugees reaching the EU without a visa should be placed in detention camps on Lesbos or Lampedusa. Whoever attempts to enter illegally, loses their “right to asylum in Europe,” Kurz declared. Protest came from Libya. Fayez al Serraj, the “Prime Minister” installed from abroad, declared that his country would not take back refugees the EU has deported. In the meantime, the number of refugees, who have drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean, is at a new high. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – which is itself participating in the global fight against refugees – between January and Mai 2016, at least 2,443 people have lost their lives on their way from North Africa to Europe – more than ever before.

Falklands feud: Argentina welcomes Russian ships named after ‘Malvinas Islands’ in UK jibe

RUSSIA risks stoking tensions between Britain and Argentina after it sent four ships to the South Atlantic emblazoned with provocative names referring to the disputed Falkland Islands.

Argentina will use the Russian-made boats – which are all named after key strategic locations on the British territory – to patrol in waters surrounding the islands in an effort to defend its maritime borders.

The vessels include ARA ‘Islas Malvinas’ – the name Argentines use to refer to the archipelago – and ARA ‘Puerto Argentino’ – the Spanish name for the Falkland’s capital Port Stanley.

How Russia Could Annex the Arctic

Russia’s latest military exercise could be it’s latest step toward claiming maritime borders in the Arctic.

Tensions have increased a notch in the Arctic with the news that the Russians have started a major military exercise in the region. Nearly 40,000 servicemen, 41 warships and 15 submarines will be taking part in drills to make them combat-ready—a major show of strength in a region that has long been an area of strategic interest to Russia.

Russia might be reshaping national borders in Europe as it reasserts its geopolitical influence, but the equivalent borders in the Arctic have never been firmly established. Historically it has proven much harder for states to assert sovereignty over the ocean than over land, even in cases where waters are ice-covered for most of the year.