Damien McElroy is London bureau chief at The National
November 13, 2021
One of the underlying themes of movies about the Second World War is the role that forests played in the dynamics of the conflict.
For residents of the majestic Bialowieza Forest on the border between Poland and Belarus, an old shiver of vulnerability has chilled the bones in recent weeks. The feeling is that bigger forces are at work in the idyllic area, shifting the risks for locals and outsiders alike.
At this point, there are no bombs or bullets. It is people that are the ammunition. Migrants on the move are trying, as individuals or families, to build a new life in Europe, but the immediate fate of these newcomers is dire. In the meantime, cold winter looms and they are facing harsh predicaments. It is the same in the Bosnian forests around the city of Bihac, where there are an estimated 4,000-odd migrants, many again from the Middle East, who are stranded in makeshift tents on the hillside.
Move further west and the woods stretching across the border between France and Belgium, near the French coastal town of Calais, are providing cover if not shelter for a small army. The people here, many from countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, are awaiting the chance to go across the English Channel to the UK. To the frustration of all concerned, thousands are building up. Calm seas mean that 1,200 made an attempt to cross on Thursday alone.
Poland increased security at its border with Belarus, on the EU’s eastern frontier, after a large group of people appeared to congregate on the Belarusian side of a crossing point, officials said on Monday. AP
People gather at the EU border near Grodno, Belarus. AP
Between 3,000 and 4,000 migrants are near the Belarusian border with Poland, a Polish government spokesman said on Monday. Reuters
Children play in a tree near Grodno. AP
Polish border guards stand near the barbed wire at the border. AP
People keep themselves warm with a fire. AP
Migrants carry someone who has fallen ill. AP
Polish border guards stand behind the barbed wire. AP
Europe’s crisis stretches across its frontiers. It is a humanitarian travesty that will now play out across the winter. The locals in Poland have mobilised to find clothing and other supplies for the people who are stuck in vast landscape of fir trees. So, too, have organisations such as Care4Calais, which organises food, shelter and hygiene drops for people gathering in France seeking the means to enter the UK.
Unfortunately, as the miserable winter plays out, the political frictions over the crisis are being steadily ratcheted higher.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was on the phone last week to Russian President Vladimir Putin imploring him to use his influence to stop the flagrant use of pressure politics by the Belarus government, an ally of Moscow, to funnel the migrants at the European frontier.
In her last days in office, Mrs Merkel is presenting a very different face in this migrant situation to the one in 2015. Praised worldwide for her "we can do this" instruction to allow one million Iraqi and Syrian refugees complete the journey to Germany, she had then had to contain a backlash at home.
As one German newspaper now reports, her response this time is "straight out of Hungary". In other words, she is following the playbook of the right-wing government in Budapest that has raised fences around its borders and driven any incomers back. German newspapers are reporting a "Fortress Europe" asylum policy is no longer unthinkable.
The dynamic between Minsk, Moscow and the European states is now at the top of the diplomatic agenda. Russia and Belarus sent paratroopers to partake in military exercises in the area. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte of Lithuania, another frontline being state targeted by Minsk, on Friday called for the EU to build a border fence all the way along its Belarus frontier. The UK, meanwhile, has deployed troops to assist the Polish forces on the marches.
Recognising the humanitarian crisis facing its citizens, Baghdad has indicated that it is ready to put on a humanitarian flight back home some of its citizens who were given visas to go to Belarus.
The Polish government believes these people are being assisted in making the trip through the forests by Belarusian agents. The EU is gearing up for a legal battle to prevent passenger flights from countries such as Iraq that have seen a sudden upsurge in people gaining Belarus visas. In retaliation, Minsk has said it will stop all transshipments of oil and gas to Europe from Russia.
From the Baltic states to the Balkans, the idea of frictions between neighbours is something that is deeply concerning.
About 1,000 people reached the UK in a single day on November 11 after risking their lives in small boats in the English Channel, a new record for the current crisis. All photos: PA
That total will surpass the previous single-day record for the current crisis of 853 when figures are confirmed officially.
Lifeboat crews and Border Force boats were busy well into the evening after spending hours intercepting boats in the Dover Straight throughout the day.
A group of people thought to be migrants wait to be transported onboard a bus after being brought into Dover.
More than 1,200 people had reached the UK in the previous seven days after undertaking the perilous journey from France on small boats.
Children wrapped in jackets and blankets against the autumn chill, some carried in the arms of adults, were among those being brought ashore.
More than 22,300 people have so far succeeded in reaching the UK aboard small boats this year.
A man sleeps on a bus after arriving in Dover.
Migrants are also playing a role in the growing tensions between the UK and Europe. Britain’s Home Office on Friday accused France of going slow on efforts to restrain people from leaving its shores on desperate boat journeys over the busy English Channel. The migration bottleneck at Calais was constantly in the headlines when the UK was an EU member state, but there was an overall framework for the country to work with the French. With the deep fracture of Brexit, the issue is now becoming a wedge between the two old frenemy nations. That this issue comes at a time when the volume of incomers soars is only something of a spiral.
Against the backdrop of climate change and Cop26, migration is one of the key issues of our time. What plays out in the coming months in the forests of Europe is just one more demonstration of how wrong it is that people are suffering and dying as they move between countries in this manner.
From a humanitarian standpoint, the situation is intolerable. Overarching interests are being drawn into the maelstrom, while states are being pulled into tension and conflict. Instability is burgeoning in way that is dangerous both for Europe and its neighbours.
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
