Britain, Germany, France, Italy and several other European countries said Monday they would freeze all pending asylum requests from Syrians, a day after the ouster of president Bashar al-Assad. While Berlin and other governments said they were watching the fast-moving developments in the war-ravaged nation, Austria signalled it would soon deport refugees back to Syria. Far-right politicians elsewhere made similar demands, including in Germany -- home to Europe's largest Syrian community -- at a time when immigration has become a hot-button issue across the continent. Alice Weidel, of the anti-immigration Alternative for Germany, reacted with disdain to Sunday's mass rallies by jubilant Syrians celebrating Assad's downfall. "Anyone in Germany who celebrates 'free Syria' evidently no longer has any reason to flee," she wrote on X. "They should return to Syria immediately." World leaders and Syrians abroad watched in disbelief at the weekend as Islamist-led rebels swept into Damascus, ending Assad's brutal rule while also sparking new uncertainty. A German foreign ministry spokesman pointed out that "the fact that the Assad regime has been ended is unfortunately no guarantee of peaceful developments" in the future. Germany has taken in almost one million Syrians, with most arriving in 2015-16 under ex-chancellor Angela Merkel. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said many Syrian refugees "now finally have hope of returning to their Syrian homeland" but cautioned that "the situation in Syria is currently very unclear". The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees had imposed a freeze on decisions for ongoing asylum procedures "until the situation is clearer". She added that "concrete possibilities of return cannot yet be predicted and it would be unprofessional to speculate in such a volatile situation". Rights group Amnesty International slammed Germany's freeze on asylum decisions, stressing that for now "the human rights situation in the country is completely unclear". The head of the UN refugee agency also cautioned that "patience and vigilance" were needed on the issue of refugee returns. In Austria, where about 100,000 Syrians live, conservative Chancellor Karl Nehammer instructed the interior ministry "to suspend all ongoing Syrian asylum applications and to review all asylum grants". Interior Minister Gerhard Karner added he had "instructed the ministry to prepare an orderly repatriation and deportation programme to Syria". "The political situation in Syria has changed fundamentally and, above all, rapidly in recent days," the ministry said, adding it is "currently monitoring and analysing the new situation". The French interior ministry said it too would put asylum requests from Syrians on hold, with authorities in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway announcing similar moves. Britain's interior ministry said it was taking the same measure "whilst we assess the current situation". The Italian government said late Monday after a cabinet meeting that it too was suspending asylum request "in line with other European partners." The leader of the far-right Sweden Democrats, a coalition partner in the government, said residence permits for Syrian refugees should now be "reviewed". "Destructive Islamist forces are behind the change of power" in Syria, wrote their leader Jimmie Akesson on X. "I see that groups are happy about this development here in Sweden. You should see it as a good opportunity to go home." In Greece, a government spokesman voiced hope that Assad's fall will eventually allow "the safe return of Syrian refugees" to their country, but without announcing concrete measures. In Germany, the debate gained momentum as the country heads towards February elections. Achim Brotel, president of a grouping of German communes, called for border controls to stop fleeing Assad loyalists reaching Germany. The centre-right opposition CDU suggested that rejected Syrian asylum-seekers should now lose so-called subsidiary protection. "If the reason for protection no longer applies, then refugees will have to return to their home country," CDU legislator Thorsten Frei told Welt TV. CDU MP Jens Spahn suggested that Berlin charter flights to Syria and offer 1,000 euros ($1,057) to "anyone who wants to return". A member of Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democrats criticised the debate as "populist and irresponsible". Greens party deputy Anton Hofreiter also said "it is completely unclear what will happen next in Syria" and deportation talk was "completely out of place". Many Syrians in Germany have watched the events in their home country with great joy but prefer to wait and see before deciding whether to return. "We want to go back to Syria," said Mahmoud Zaml, 25, who works in an Arabic pastry shop in Berlin, adding that he hopes to help "rebuild" his country. "But we have to wait a bit now," he told AFP. "We have to see what happens and if it is really 100 percent safe, then we will go back to Syria." burs-fz/rlp/phz/gv/giv
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Video is a massive part of being a musician nowadays, and the age of social media means that you need to connect with your audience on more levels than just the music. It might not be the first thing you think of when you’re shopping for your Black Friday guitar deals but some video gear could be just the thing to help you take your music to the next level. It’s not cheap, but luckily Zoom has got you covered with up to $250 off in the Amazon Black Friday sale . Zoom is well known for providing top-quality gear at lower prices, but we’re more typically used to seeing their stopboxes and multi-effects pedals here at Guitar World . They do a huge amount of video gear that could really help augment your efforts as a guitar player, whether you’re just filming yourself for fun, recording your band during rehearsals and gigs to help improve your performance, or you finally want to get that pedal review channel up and running. If you’re going to start recording video then you’ll need a camera, and we really love the Zoom Q2n-4K which delivers supreme quality in a unit that’s compact enough to take anywhere. It’s got built-in microphones that are surprisingly good quality considering the size, so you don’t necessarily have to use an external microphone. It’s super convenient and with a cheeky $20 discount, great value at just $179.99 . If you already have a camera, then you might want to consider an external microphone to capture the best quality of your playing. The Zoom ZSG-1 is a shotgun mic that can be used by itself or mounted to the top of an existing camera, helping seriously up the quality of your recorded audio. It’s got a huge $35 discount at Amazon at the moment, making it awesome value for money below the $40 mark. It’s lightweight and directional, so it’ll reject external noises and only pick up what you’re pointing it at. We couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention one of Zoom’s multi-effects the MS-70CDR Multi-Stomp. Combining a selection of brilliant chorus, delay, and reverb pedals in one handy unit, the original Multi-Stomp became a cult hit thanks to awesome reverb algorithms that sounded far more advanced than the price of the unit itself. This new version has gotten a serious update, retaining loads of brilliant sounds while dramatically improving the usability with a fresh layout. Down to just $109.99 it's incredible value with a $40 discount at Amazon .The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has begun sending over $72 million in refunds to consumers as part of a December 2022 settlement with Epic Games . The settlement resolved the FTC’s allegations that the Epic Games tricked consumers into making unwanted purchases, the regulator said in a Monday (Dec. 9) press release . The FTC sent 629,344 total payments Monday and will distribute more at a later date , according to the release. The average payment is around $114. The first distribution amount in this case is the seventh largest the FTC has ever sent, according to the regulator’s interactive dashboards for refund data. The FTC alleged that Epic Games, the maker of the video game Fortnite, tricked players into making unwanted purchases by using design tactics called “dark patterns ,” let children rack up unauthorized charges without parental involvement , and blocked some users who disputed unauthorized charges from accessing content they purchased , according to the release . When announcing the settlement in December 2022, FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a press release: “As our complaints note, Epic used privacy-invasive default settings and deceptive interfaces that tricked Fortnite users, including teenagers and children. Protecting the public, and especially children, from online privacy invasions and dark patterns is a top priority for the commission, and these enforcement actions make clear to businesses that the FTC is cracking down on these unlawful practices.” Epic Games said at the time in a statement posted on its website that the video game industry experiences fast-moving innovation, that player expectations are high and that decades-old statutes don’t specify how today’s gaming ecosystems should operate. “The laws have not changed, but their application has evolved and long-standing industry practices are no longer enough,” the firm wrote in the Dec. 19, 2022, statement. “We accepted this agreement because we want Epic to be at the forefront of consumer protection and provide the best experience for our players.” In the first round of payments sent Monday, half were sent in the form of PayPal payments and half were sent as checks, per the release . “Consumers selected their payment method when they completed their claim form ,” the release said.
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