Europe

By Amir Abdulazeez

Several decades into the global modern era, Africans, Asians and Latin Americans continue to be held hostage by their colonially indoctrinated inferior mindsets engineered by the blackmail and mythology of Western moral supremacy. This error is not in observing Western virtues, many of which are real. The error is in the uncritical veneration that renders their vices invisible and their judgements unchallengeable. It is evident from the events of the last three decades alone that the so-called saner climes of Europe and North America are the primary architects of global chaos and instability of nations, all in the name of injecting sanity into ‘less sane’ societies.

The ongoing US-Israel war on Iran, launched in the midst of Ramadan, is a typical doctrine of the saner climes, exhibited in its most naked form. Iran’s Foreign Minister had said three days before the war was declared that a nuclear agreement was ‘within reach’ after a third round of indirect talks in Geneva. 

The IAEA itself confirmed there was no evidence of a structured Iranian nuclear weapons programme at the time of the attack. Yet, the surprise assault assassinated Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killed his family members and damaged schools, hospitals and even UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage sites. This is a typical catalogue of barbaric war crimes for which the West has condemned others across generations. 

The Donald Trump administration, whose seemingly rude, dishonest and arrogant officials, has offered a menu of rationalisations and a handful of conflicting justifications for the war. However, when Amnesty International confirmed that the United States was responsible for a strike that killed at least 160 primary school girls, the US officials chose arrogance through denials instead of remorse. 

In fact, the Head of the Federal Communications Commission simultaneously intimidated his own press, threatening the withdrawal of broadcast licenses of American news outlets whose war coverage he deemed unfavourable. Another trademark saner-climes mythology, muzzled in a way only a few non-saner climes can imagine. 

Meanwhile, in all these, it is the ‘lunatic’ Iran that is supposed to apologise and do nothing while it is attacked. The Iranian Regime, branded as autocratic on the premise that it compels women to cover their hair in public, is being lectured by leaders of societies whose women go out naked in the name of civilisation and whose governments topple, kill and abduct Heads of state of other countries for recklessly greedy reasons. 

Now imagine if the erratically behaving Donald Trump were the leader of any African Country, the West would have since declared him incoherent and unstable to deal with or labelled his citizens stupid for voting for him. Worse still, imagine if the Epstein scandal happened in Asia or Latin America. All these contradictions reveal with crystal clarity that Western principles are instruments of convenience. 

To understand the foundations of all these, let us revisit some history. Britain’s Industrial Revolution was fertilised by the profits of the transatlantic slave trade and the systematic plunder of India, a country whose share of global GDP fell from about 25% at the onset of colonial rule to barely 4% at independence. 

France financed much of its republican grandeur on the forced labour of West Africa and the Caribbean. Belgium’s King Leopold II transformed the Congo into a private abattoir, severing the hands of Africans who failed to meet rubber quotas, leaving behind a traumatised country that still bleeds today. 

To speak of the sanity of those climes without acknowledging that they were partly built from organised insanity inflicted elsewhere is to ignore the background to what we are witnessing today.

In the last fifty years alone, the so-called saner climes have unleashed a level of violence and destabilisation that would shame any regime they have ever deemed fit to condemn. The United States, the self-acclaimed sentinel of the free world, has engineered irrational regime changes in Chile (1973), Iran (1953 and subsequently), Guatemala (1954), Nicaragua, Panama, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, among others. The 1973 CIA-backed coup against a democratically elected socialist president of Chile, Salvador Allende, installed Augusto Pinochet, under whose reign thousands were tortured, disappeared, or executed. Henry Kissinger, the American architect of that atrocity, received the Nobel Peace Prize from his fellow saner clime comrades. 

The French Government, through its notorious Françafrique policy, maintained a neocolonial empire across West and Central Africa long after the 1960s, propping up murderous dictators and conducting military interventions to protect economic interests, with a consistency that made a mockery of every democratic principle France professed to uphold.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 by Western Governments is perhaps the most consequential act of manufactured catastrophe of the modern era. The war resulted in the deaths of an estimated 200,000 to one million Iraqi civilians, the obliteration of the country’s infrastructure, the rise of ISIS from the ashes of a disbanded Iraqi army and the triggering of a refugee crisis that continues to destabilise the Middle East. No one was held accountable. George W. Bush and Tony Blair are living happy lives in their saner countries. The International Criminal Court, which has indicted multiple African heads of state on much lesser crimes with considerable alacrity, found no jurisdiction to examine any of them. Meanwhile, the people of Iraq, Syria and Libya who were dismantled in the name of liberation still live in the ruins and pains of what the saner climes call democracy.

While the West was busy bombing the Middle East, Africa, the so-called backward continent, was largely attending to its own affairs of conflict resolution with a remarkable degree of maturity. The African Union mediated crises in Burundi, the Gambia and Lesotho without firing a single bullet. ECOWAS brokered peace agreements in Sierra Leone and Liberia and deployed peacekeeping forces with genuine multilateral mandates, without the casual trigger-happiness of Western powers. 

Western attitude towards violence is shamelessly selective. When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Saner Clime’s response was swift, comprehensive and morally unambiguous: sanctions, weapons, diplomatic isolation and a media chorus of civilizational solidarity. This response was appropriate anyway. But the problem is its stark contrast with the Western posture toward other invasions. When Saudi Arabia launched its war on Yemen in 2015, the United States and the United Kingdom did not merely decline to intervene; they allegedly supplied the bombs, refuelled the warplanes and provided intelligence for strikes that killed thousands of Yemeni civilians and engineered one of the worst humanitarian crises on earth. 

Many argue that the actions of Western governments do not accurately reflect what their citizens stand for. This is debatable, especially when one examines certain incidents. During the Obama presidency, Edward Snowden revealed that the US National Security Agency was conducting mass, warrantless surveillance of American citizens and foreign governments, including the personal telephone of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, in flagrant violation of constitutional protections and international diplomatic norms. The response was not accountability but exile for Snowden and a classification of his revelations as treason. 

The United States has the largest prison population on earth, both in absolute numbers and per capita, administered under a system in which Black Americans are incarcerated at five times the rate of their white counterparts, in conditions that the United Nations has described as cruel. Since 1968, gun violence has claimed more American lives than all of America’s foreign wars combined. One might be inclined to believe that these controversies are ones ordinary Western citizens may not approve of.

Climate change is another damning indictment of Western moral authority in the twenty-first century. The Industrial activities enriching Europe and North America still depend on burning carbon at a scale the planet has never experienced. The United States, historically the world’s largest cumulative emitter of greenhouse gases, withdrew from the Paris Climate Agreement under Donald Trump. 

Australia, another clime reputed to be considerably saner than most, has built its prosperity on coal exports and resisted meaningful emissions reduction. Some Pacific Island nations face sea submersions within this century as a consequence of decisions made in saner capitals. When these nations’ leaders speak at the United Nations with tears in their voices, the saner climes offer symbolic but empty sympathy before later returning to preserving their industrial prerogatives. 

The Western Media’s tactical twisting of narratives regarding other climes is another issue. For example, CNN may not run primetime documentaries on the Swiss banking system’s complicity in laundering the proceeds of African kleptocracy, but will rather concentrate on the primary kleptocrats. The BBC does not lead with investigations into the role of British arms dealers in sustaining African conflicts. The New York Times does not dedicate its front page to the tax avoidance schemes through which Western corporations drain billions of dollars annually from African economies (more than the continent receives in foreign aid).

In addition to all this, there is something more worrisome. The bulk of support received by these saner climes comes from their victims in the third world. In Nigeria, for instance, the blind sympathy for religious affiliations drives people to support the brazen oppression and cruel injustices perpetrated by the West. Our solidarity should be among ourselves, not with those who see and treat us as worthless humans and more like animals because of their superior moral hypocrisy. 

Additionally, our bootlicking governments, which are considered close to valueless in the International arena or even insane just like us, must stop intimidating their own citizens who decide to speak up against Western double standards. Let’s remember, the phrase “saner climes” is a moral verdict and a devastating condemnation of everywhere else except Europe and North America. Africans and all peoples of the marginalised world are owed the intellectual inheritance of critical discernment.

The world does not need more or fewer saner climes; it needs a more honest accounting of what sanity actually requires. It requires consistency: the same rules applied to the powerful and the powerless alike. It requires humility: the acknowledgement that no civilisation holds a monopoly on wisdom. 

And it requires accountability: not the selective justice of indicting the weak and glorifying the mighty, but the universal application of standards that do not bend before a Security Council veto or the impulse of a self-serving superpower. Until that accounting arrives, the presumption of Western moral authority deserves not deference, but fearless interrogation; the kind that the so-called saner climes have always claimed to celebrate and so rarely been prepared to receive.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Riyadh has become a major departure point for wealthy individuals and top executives seeking to leave the Middle East amid rising regional tensions.

A report by Semafor indicated that private security companies have arranged fleets of sport utility vehicles to move clients from Dubai to Riyadh. From the Saudi capital, chartered private aircraft then transport them out of the region.

Those leaving reportedly include senior executives of global financial institutions as well as high-net-worth individuals who were in the region for business engagements or leisure activities.

Ameerh Naran, chief executive of Vimana Private, a private jet brokerage firm, said the cost of chartering flights has surged sharply.

“Saudi Arabia is the only real option for people who want to get out of the region right now. Private jets from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000,” he said.

Ian McCaul, operations and future plans director at Alma Risk, a United Kingdom-based security company, also confirmed increased demand for evacuation support.

“We’ve been approached by a mixture of clients including families, individuals, and corporations that want to get out of the region either because their fear for their safety, or for business reasons they just need to be able to travel,” McCaul said.

Tensions escalated on Saturday morning after Iran carried out retaliatory strikes on United States military bases across the Middle East. Explosions were reported in Abu Dhabi, Manama, Doha, Kuwait, and Riyadh.

The development followed a joint missile attack on Iran by the United States and Israel.

The conflict has disrupted commercial activities across the region. The United Arab Emirates closed its airspace. Qatar Airways suspended all flights. Airports in Dubai halted operations indefinitely. Several international airlines also paused flights to and from Middle Eastern destinations.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Spain has announced plans to grant legal status to about 500,000 undocumented migrants, a move officials describe as a recognition of the economic and social value of migration, even as other Western countries adopt stricter immigration policies, Aaljazeera has reported.

For Joel Caceda, a 30-year-old migrant from Peru, the decision offers long-awaited relief. After losing his left arm in a farming accident, he now struggles to earn a living through delivery work, a situation common among migrants who arrive in Spain without legal documents.

Caceda welcomed the government’s plan, which stands in contrast to tougher approaches in parts of Europe, including Denmark, Germany and Austria, as well as in the United States.

“This is good for me and many others. It will mean the chance to become legal after six years working here without any official papers,” he told Al Jazeera from his home in Barcelona.

“It will give me the chance to get a flat with my partner and her daughter and live a better life.”

His experience reflects that of thousands of migrants who survive through Spain’s informal economy while navigating lengthy and complex administrative processes in pursuit of residency papers.

Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Spanish Migration Minister Elma Saiz said those covered by the policy would have the right to work “in any sector, in any part of the country,” while stressing “the positive impact” of migration on Spain.

“We are talking about estimations, probably more or less the figures may be around half a million people,” she said, adding that the government was “recognising” migrants already living in the country and restoring dignity to their lives.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly argued that migration remains essential to Spain’s economy. He has said the country needs foreign workers to fill labour shortages and to balance the effects of an ageing population that places pressure on pensions and social services.

Civil society groups have also welcomed the decision. Laetitia Van der Vennet of the Platform for Undocumented Immigrants described the policy as a sharp contrast to rising hostility toward migrants in Europe and North America.

“At a time when a hostile environment against migrants is spreading on both sides of the Atlantic, this move shows both humanity and common sense,” she said.

Ousman Umar, a Ghanaian migrant and founder of the NASCO Feeding Minds NGO, said the policy would benefit Spain as much as migrants themselves. Umar spent five years attempting to reach Europe and survived extreme hardship before arriving in Spain, where he once lived on the streets.

“This is not only going to be good for migrants but the whole society. It will mean that these people can start working legally, pay taxes and social security,” he told Al Jazeera.

“This will mean that all these people pay into the pension system in a country where the birthrate is low and there is a growing number of older people.”

Lamine Sar, who came to Spain from Senegal 18 years ago and now works with the Top Manta fashion label, echoed similar views. The brand highlights the reality faced by migrants who sell goods on blankets, known as mantas, in city streets.

“This is a huge step forward, not just for migrants in Spain but for everyone. It will mean these people contribute to society instead of being used in a kind of slavery in the black economy,” he said.

Under the new rules, the regularisation will cover migrants who have lived in Spain for at least five months and who applied for international protection before December 31, 2025. Children of eligible applicants who already reside in Spain will also be included. Applications will open in April and close in June.

The government approved the measure through a decree, which avoids a parliamentary vote. The Socialist-led coalition lacks a majority and could have faced strong resistance from the conservative People’s Party and the far-right Vox party.

Vox leader Santiago Abascal criticised the move, warning of serious consequences. “The invasion kills. The arrival of half a million migrants will be a call to another half million migrants and put under strain on our health system, social security and security,” he wrote in an online post.

Despite such opposition, official figures show that irregular migration to Spain dropped by more than 40 percent last year. Authorities attribute the decline largely to agreements with Morocco and several West African countries that focus on security and cooperation.

By Sabiu Abdullahi

More than half of Europeans now regard US President Donald Trump as an “enemy” of Europe, a new opinion poll has shown.

The survey, published on January 23, was conducted across seven European Union countries. It revealed that 51 percent of respondents hold a negative view of Trump’s relationship with the continent. By contrast, only eight percent described him as a “friend” of Europe.

The findings indicate a steady rise in distrust toward the US president since September last year. Public confidence has weakened over time, reflecting growing unease about his policies and rhetoric toward Europe.

According to TRT World, respondents in Denmark emerged as some of the most critical in the poll. This followed repeated statements by Trump in which he threatened to take control of Greenland, an autonomous territory under Danish sovereignty.

The poll highlights widening scepticism across Europe about the US president’s intentions and his approach to transatlantic relations.

By Maryam Ahmad

Russian President Vladimir Putin struck a defiant tone in a speech to his defence ministry, insisting that Russia’s goals in the war in Ukraine “will undoubtedly be achieved,” either through diplomacy or by “military means.”

While signalling openness to what he described as “substantive talks” with the United States, Putin dismissed European leaders in crude terms, referring to them as “little pigs” as they discuss proposals to increase funding for Ukraine.

The comments come as diplomatic activity intensifies in Europe. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to join European Union leaders in Brussels on Thursday, where discussions will focus on continued political, military and financial support for Kyiv amid the protracted conflict.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

Netflix is set to acquire Warner Bros Discovery, including HBO Max and the company’s historic film studios, in a landmark deal valued at $83 billion, marking one of the most significant shake-ups in modern entertainment history.

The agreement brings together Netflix’s vast global streaming footprint with Warner Bros’ deep library of iconic franchises, from DC superheroes to the Wizarding World, and critically acclaimed HBO series such as Game of Thrones and Succession.

As part of the arrangement, Warner Bros Discovery will first spin off its cable networks — including CNN, TNT and TBS — into a separate entity before the sale is finalised. The merger still faces regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe, with critics warning that the consolidation could suppress competition and limit creative diversity.

If approved, the tie-up would create a powerhouse straddling both Hollywood tradition and streaming dominance, reshaping the future of global media.

By Maryam Ahmad

German police have arrested 16 people in a major operation against an international network behind a telephone fraud known as the “grandchild scam.”

The Berlin State Criminal Police Office stated that the operation involved officers from all German states, as well as Europol and police forces in Austria, Poland, Switzerland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

Several call centres linked to the scam were shut down, and 44 planned fraud attempts — worth about €2 million (₦3.9 billion) — were prevented.

In the scheme, fraudsters call elderly victims pretending to be relatives in urgent need of money. In some cases, they claim to have caused a fatal road accident and are followed by fake police officers demanding cash to avoid prosecution.

The suspects, aged between 22 and 63, included callers and money collectors. Among them is a 26-year-old Slovakian woman accused of similar crimes in her country.

Police said the coordinated raids took place between mid-September and late October.

By Hadiza Abdulkadir

The Swiss Federal Council has ruled out introducing a nationwide ban on schoolgirls wearing the hijab in public schools, stating that existing laws sufficiently regulate issues of participation and equality in education.

In a statement issued this week, the Council emphasized that current legal frameworks already ensure that all students, regardless of religion or cultural background, take part fully in lessons, sports, and swimming classes. It added that individual cantons retain authority over education policies, including dress codes in schools.

The decision follows ongoing debates in several European countries over the wearing of religious symbols in public institutions. Swiss authorities reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of religion and expression while maintaining that integration and participation remain key priorities in the education system.

By Muhammad Abubakar

In a stunning act of political defiance, nine Dutch ministers have resigned en masse, declaring they could not be complicit in what they described as the “silent endorsement of a humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza.

The resignations have sent shockwaves through the Netherlands’ political establishment, shaking the foundations of the coalition government and igniting fierce debate across Europe. In their fiery joint statement, the departing ministers condemned the West’s “selective morality” and accused their own government of “turning a blind eye to mass suffering.”

Crowds gathered outside parliament in The Hague to applaud the move, with activists hailing it as an unprecedented moral stand in modern European politics. Critics, however, warned the resignations could plunge the government into chaos at a time of deepening international tensions.

“This is not about politics; it is about conscience,” one of the resigning ministers declared. “History will not forgive silence in the face of Gaza’s devastation.”

Analysts say the mass resignation marks a rare moment where political survival has been sacrificed for principle—an act many believe will reverberate far beyond Dutch borders.

By Abubakar Aminu Ibrahim

Recently, I have been reflecting on public behaviour as I witness it in our local environments—schools, seminars, workshops, and similar gatherings. There is a stark contrast between what I observe here and what I see while watching lectures and discussions in the US, Europe, and other developed regions. The difference is striking, and unfortunately, it does not favour us.

Consider, for example, the simple yet profound act of listening and paying attention. I recently watched a Harvard professor facilitating a mature and highly engaging debate among his students on affirmative action and legacy admissions. What struck me was not only the relevance and depth of the topic but also the respect, composure, and attentiveness of the participants. Each speaker was heard without unnecessary interruption, and ideas were exchanged with mutual understanding—something that even the Nigerian Senate struggles to master.

Now, think about similar gatherings in Nigeria. It’s almost inevitable to hear teachers, speakers, or MCs repeatedly pleading, “Please be quiet!” during lessons or formal sessions. But why is it so hard for us to stay silent? Part of the problem is that many people do not realize that their individual choices matter.

People assume, “My little noise won’t make a difference; others are listening anyway.” But that is precisely the issue. The collective “little noise” from multiple individuals merges into a loud, distracting hum in the hall. If every person makes a conscious decision to remain silent and focused, the entire atmosphere will change. Ironically, those who think they are too insignificant to make an impact often do—but in a negative way. As the saying goes, if you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito!

Listening is not just about remaining silent—it is an act of respect and engagement. Your noise doesn’t just disturb serious-minded people around you; it also impacts the speaker’s performance. Non-verbal cues—such as the facial expressions of the audience—are vital to a speaker. A presentation can be either enhanced or ruined by the listeners’ posture, attention, and responsiveness. The energy a speaker receives from the audience directly affects the effectiveness of the session.

Your attention speaks volumes about you. Have you ever noticed how some people form friendships at events without even speaking to one another during the session? Yet, they find themselves drawn together by the positive energy they radiate through their attentiveness. I personally experienced this—I once met a remarkable individual whose rapt attention during a session caught my eye. After the event, I approached him, only to discover that he had also noticed the same attentiveness in me. That silent connection laid the foundation for a lasting friendship. We did not interrupt the session, nor did we disturb others, yet we gained something invaluable.

As a student, recognize that your attention is your most valuable asset. You get the most from your teacher not only by attending class but also by actively listening and fostering an environment where learning can flourish. The saying “attention is not free; it is paid” rings true—you must pay attention to acquire knowledge.

Likewise, as an audience member at any formal gathering, remember that your main purpose is to learn. Learning occurs only when you truly listen. Let us develop the discipline of attentiveness, as it is not only a sign of respect but also a characteristic of highly successful individuals. Public conduct is important, and in this instance, it starts with silence and a receptive ear.

Abubakar wrote from Katsina via abubakarmuhammadaminu21@gmail.com.