EU needs to take positives from populism not just fight it

‘Europe needs take the positives from populism, not just fight it’

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https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/07/europe-needs-take-the-positives-from-populism-not-just-fight-it

Britain: Ukip to team up in 'unholy alliance' with Steve Bannon's new far right European movement

Ukip has pledged to work with Steve Bannon’s new European alt-right movement, forging what critics have branded an “unholy alliance” to bring down the EU and fuel populism across the continent.

Mr Bannon, a former investment banker who founded the website Breitbart, has pledged to bolster the continent’s far right with a new foundation called The Movement that would dole out resources to eurosceptics and anti-EU populists.

The former chief strategist of Donald Trump has rattled Brussels after stating his intention to create a “supergroup” in the European parliament after next’s year’s EU elections, with extreme right-wingers taking as many as a third of the legislature’s seats.

Though Ukip MEPs will not be able to participate directly in the parliament because of Brexit, a spokesperson pledged that the party would share experience with Mr Bannon’s project to give it a leg up, stating they expected the group to have a “large impact” on European politics and hoped for “a new army of eurosceptic MEPs”.

Mr Bannon’s move into Europe also appears set to have an impact on the dynamics of Brexit talks, with one source close to Brexit negotiations telling The Independent that Brussels has been spooked by the alt-right project.

As a result, EU officials are increasingly resistant to calls for the Article 50 negotiating period to be extended, so as to avoid eurosceptic Britain participating in the European parliament elections scheduled for next May.

The EU is said to fear that such an outcome would see Ukip, which won the 2014 European elections in the UK, return to the parliament and bolster the numbers of Mr Bannon’s new anti-EU group.

Note EU-Digest: Democratic EU member states and the EU Commission better wake-up to this threat, which certainly is no laughing matter and must be taken very seriously. 

Read more: Ukip to team up in 'unholy alliance' with Steve Bannon's new far right European movement | The Independent

Middle East - Syria: Limited U.S. military action leaves al-Assad looking like the winner - by Mark MacKinnon

U.S. President Donald Trump declared “mission accomplished” in the wake of Friday’s strikes against the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad − but if anyone emerged as a winner it was Mr. al-Assad. 

In a video posted on Twitter by his office Saturday morning, Mr. al-Assad was shown walking calmly to work just hours after the cruise-missile strikes ended. Later in the day, the Syrian military announced it was in full control of Douma, the town on the outskirts of Damascus where Mr. al-Assad’s forces are alleged to have used chlorine gas and perhaps other chemical agents in an April 7 attack.

“All the terrorists have left Douma city,” the Syrian army said in its own “mission accomplished” statement, declaring an end to the five-year siege of the wider area known as East Ghouta. The Army of Islam militia that held Douma until the weekend said that it was forced to withdraw after the attack that killed dozens.

Read more: Limited U.S. military action leaves al-Assad looking like the winner - The Globe and Mail

Turkey: People from over 10 countries among Istanbul nightclub attack victims by terrorist pig

Terrorism Inc sick minds

Fifteen or 16 non-Turkish citizens were killed in a gun attack on an Istanbul night club on Sunday, Turkish officials announced.

The attack during the New Year celebrations claimed the lives of at least 39 people and injured nearly 70. According to Turkey’s interior minister, Suleyman Soylu, “15 or 16” of those killed were foreigners. Just over 20 bodies have been identified so far, the minister said, adding that 69 people have been hospitalized, of whom at least four are in critical condition. Read People from over 10 countries among Istanbul nightclub attack victims.

Jordan has confirmed the death of at least three of its citizens, Petra news agency reported, citing its foreign ministry in Amman, adding that four other Jordanians were wounded, some of whom are in critical condition. Two Tunisian citizens were among those killed, according to the country’s foreign ministry. An American citizen has been injured as result of the attack, State Department spokesman Michael Tran confirmed, without giving any details on the identity of the person or their condition, CNN reports.

 On Sunday, the Russian Consulate General in Istanbul confirmed the death of a Russian woman in the attack. A consulate official told RIA Novosti that the woman was initially thought to be an Azeri citizen, but documents confirmed her Russian citizenship.

"There were no other Russian citizens among those killed or wounded in the terrorist attack," the consulate official said, adding that the identification procedure for the deceased woman has been scheduled for Tuesday. France has confirmed that one of its citizens, a woman with dual French-Tunisian citizenship, was killed in the attack at the night club. “Her husband, who was a Tunisian citizen, also died,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said. Three French citizens were wounded.

The Belgian Foreign Ministry reported on Twitter that it feared one of the deceased may be from Belgium. Two Lebanese nationals have been confirmed dead. Lebanese authorities said five of the country’s citizens were injured in the attack, including the daughter of an MP. Israel confirmed that one of its citizens, a 19-year-old girl, was among the dead.

Three Moroccans were injured, the Moroccan foreign ministry said. Kuwait has lost one of its citizens in the attack, Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Suleiman al-Jarallah told the Kuwait News Agency on Sunday. Four Kuwaiti citizens are being treated for injuries suffered in the attack, while another one has been released from the hospital.

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed that two Indian nationals, including the son of a former MP, have died in the shooting. “I have bad news from Turkey. We have lost 2 Indian nationals in the Istanbul attack,” she wrote in a Twitter post, adding that the Indian ambassador in Turkey is heading to Istanbul to assist the families of the deceased Indians who are to fly there from India.

 Up to 600 people are believed to have been inside the club at the time of the attack. Located in the Ortakoy neighborhood on the shores of Istanbul’s Bosphorus waterway, the venue is a popular spot with many nightclubs, art galleries, and restaurants that attract foreigners. Turkey’s Anadolu state news agency has reported that at least 27 foreigners were among the victims of the nightclub attack, citing anonymous sources in the Justice Ministry. "I have been living in Ortakoy for the past [few] months and this particular area has a [high] expat population.

So, one of the main reasons behind this attack could be because [its organizers] wanted to scare the expat community. This is also a very famous tourist area, and the club that was attacked is very famous not only among expats, but also among local celebrities," a woman in Istanbul told RT. Those behind the attack "are targeting a certain kind of people, a certain way of life," another man said, while a third local man told RT he thought the attackers "wanted to scare the international people who come here for fun."

Read More3 at RT News