Greece built a wall on its border with Turkey to prevent a surge of illegal migration from Afghanistan. Reuters
Greece built a wall on its border with Turkey to prevent a surge of illegal migration from Afghanistan. Reuters
Greece built a wall on its border with Turkey to prevent a surge of illegal migration from Afghanistan. Reuters
Greece built a wall on its border with Turkey to prevent a surge of illegal migration from Afghanistan. Reuters

Greece gears up for Afghan refugee wave with new fence on Turkish border


Tim Stickings
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Follow the latest updates on Afghanistan here

Greece has finished work on a 40-kilometre border fence with Turkey that Athens hopes will prevent a surge of illegal migration from Afghanistan.

A new surveillance system is also in place to catch potential asylum seekers fleeing the Taliban.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced out of their homes during fighting in Afghanistan, triggering fears of a new refugee crisis.

Those concerns are especially acute in Greece, which was on the frontline of the migrant wave in 2015 when more than a million people entered Europe.

Greek Migration Minister Notis Mitarachi said Greece would not accept being the “gateway for irregular flows into the EU” after the fall of Kabul.

He said Greece regarded Turkey, which already hosts millions of refugees, as a safe place for Afghans to live.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara “has no duty, responsibility or obligation to be Europe’s refugee warehouse”.

The new border wall, a cement and barbed-wire extension to an existing 13-kilometre fence, was completed in recent days. Construction began after a dispute with Turkey last year.

Civil Protection Minister Michalis Chrisochoidis visited the Evros region where the wall was put up on Friday.

“We cannot wait, passively, for the possible impact,” he said. “Our borders will remain safe and inviolable.”

Already under pressure over a separate migration crisis in Belarus, Europe has increasingly turned to military might to defend its borders.

EU leaders want to help Afghanistan’s neighbours intercept migrants before they reach Europe. Austria called at a summit this week for millions of euros in funding to go to nearby countries.

In a call with Greece’s prime minister on Friday, Mr Erdogan said Ankara was in contact with Iran to discuss the issue of Afghan migrants.

Iran and Pakistan are home to many Afghan refugees, while Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have both increased security at their borders.

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

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Liverpool's all-time goalscorers

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community

• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style

“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.

Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term. 

From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”

• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International

"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed.  Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."

• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."

• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com

"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.

His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.

Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."

• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher

"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen.  He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”

• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."

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2/5

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

Match info

Premier League

Manchester United 2 (Martial 30', Lingard 69')
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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Updated: August 22, 2021, 5:16 AM