This morning's key headlines from
GenerationalDynamics.com
- Polish is second most spoken language in England
- Israel's air strike into Syria raises regional tensions
- Thousands of migrants in Athens Greece apply to return home
- France protects uranium mines in Niger
Polish is second most spoken language in England
Polish food store in London (Getty)
Results from the 2011 census show that, in England and Wales, neither
English nor Welsh is the main language for about 8% of the population.
Polish has become the most commonly spoken non-native language in
England and Wales, while it was not even in the top 12 ten years
earlier in 2001. However, the Polish language itself is being
infiltrated by English words. This is especially true in the office,
where such English words as "briefing", "marketing," and "PR" are now
commonly used by Polish speakers. Other languages frequently used in
England and Wales include Punjabi, Urdu and Bengali. Independent (London)
Israel's air strike into Syria raises regional tensions
The armies of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan are all on high alert,
according to a report from Lebanon. The alerts are a consequence of
Israel's warplane attacks on Wednesday. There's still a bit of
mystery surrounding the Israeli air strike. Western sources say that
the target was a convoy of trucks carrying advanced Russian-made
surface-to-air missiles from Syria to Hizbollah, for use in targeting
Israeli aircraft. However, Syria says no, that's not it at all. The
strike was on a military research building. Syria says that it's
going to retaliate against Israel for the attack, leading to increased
tension in the region. Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday
did not admit to the air strike, but hinted at it by saying,
"That is another proof that when we say something we
mean it. We say that we do not think it should be allowable to
bring advanced weapons systems into Lebanon."
But Syria's president Bashar al-Assad accused Israel of trying to
"destabilize" Syria and overthrow his regime, adding, "(This action)
unmasked the true role Israel is playing, in collaboration with
foreign enemy forces and their agents on Syrian soil, to destabilize
and weaken Syria." Israel National News and VOA
Thousands of migrants in Athens Greece apply to return home
Poor and unemployed, with little hope of being able to earn a living,
thousands of migrants from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Georgia, Ghana, and Iraq are applying for a funded program
that helps them leave Greece to return to their home countries.
Greece is a major transit country for thousands of irregular migrants
trying to reach Western Europe. But many decide to return home when
they become stranded, jobless and are forced to sleep on the streets
of Athens. The International Organization for Migration (IOM), which
is funded by grants from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, provides
small grants to migrants who have simply run out of money and want to
return home.
Kathimerini and
International Organization for Migration
France protects uranium mines in Niger
Niger has confirmed that France's special forces are protecting one of
the country's biggest uranium mines. French company Areva plays a
major part in uranium mining in Niger, and French special forces have
been assigned to the Arlit mine after 37 foreign workers were killed
when al-Qaeda linked militants seized a gas plant in Algeria two weeks
ago. Meanwhile, France said that 30 warplanes had bombed sites run by
Islamist extremists north of the historic Tuareg center Kidal, in
preparation for the entrance of French-led troops. The troops are
meeting little resistance, because the militants are fleeing to the
mountainous terrain around Kidal, probably to regroup and strike back
when the French troops leave. France is now desperately trying to
finish up and withdraw its troops before "anything" happens, but Mali
officials are begging the French to stay longer.
BBC and
AFP
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail