Sonu Sood has finally broken his silence following Income Tax raids at his offices in Mumbai a few days ago.&nbsp; 
Sood gained godly status among the migrants last year during lockdown when he helped thousands to reach their homes. 
 
On Monday, he posted a statement on his social media handles addressing the controversy around the IT raids.&nbsp; 
"You don`t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will. I have pledged myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart. Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn to save a precious life and reach the needy," the post read.

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“सख्त राहों में भी आसान सफर लगता है, 
हर हिंदुस्तानी की दुआओं का असर लगता है” 💕 <a href="https://t.co/0HRhnpf0sY">pic.twitter.com/0HRhnpf0sY</a>
— sonu sood (@SonuSood) <a href="https://twitter.com/SonuSood/status/1439812368830140419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 20, 2021</a></blockquote>
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He also shared that on many occasions, he has "encouraged brands to donate my endorsement fees for humanitarian causes too, which keeps us going." 
 
"I have been busy attending to a few guests hence was unable to be at your service, for the last 4 days. Here I am back again in all humility. At your humble service, for life," the statement concluded. 
 
According to Income Tax Department, Sonu and his associates were involved in Rs 20 crore tax evasion and violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising funds from abroad. 
 
The I-T department also alleged violation of the FCRA by the Sood Charity Foundation, a non-profit charity organisation established during the pandemic last year. The investigation is still underway.&nbsp;

Sonu Sood has finally broken his silence following Income Tax raids at his offices in Mumbai a few days ago. Sood gained godly status among the migrants last year during lockdown when he helped thousands to reach their homes.

Sonu Sood has finally broken his silence following Income Tax raids at his offices in Mumbai a few days ago. Sood gained godly status among the migrants last year during lockdown when he helped thousands to reach their homes. On Monday, he posted a statement on his social media handles addressing the controversy around the IT raids. "You don`t always have to tell your side of the story. Time will. I have pledged myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart. Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn to save a precious life and reach the needy," the post read. “सख्त राहों में भी आसान सफर लगता है, हर हिंदुस्तानी की दुआओं का असर लगता है” 💕 pic.twitter.com/0HRhnpf0sY — sonu sood (@SonuSood) September 20, 2021 × He also shared that on many occasions, he has "encouraged brands to donate my endorsement fees for humanitarian causes too, which keeps us going." "I have been busy attending to a few guests hence was unable to be at your service, for the last 4 days. Here I am back again in all humility. At your humble service, for life," the statement concluded. According to Income Tax Department, Sonu and his associates were involved in Rs 20 crore tax evasion and violation of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising funds from abroad. The I-T department also alleged violation of the FCRA by the Sood Charity Foundation, a non-profit charity organisation established during the pandemic last year. The investigation is still underway.

Sonu Sood breaks his silence on IT raid controversy: Every rupee is awaiting its turn to reach the needy

Spain has accused Morocco of blackmail as thousands of migrants from the country arrived in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

Migrant Crisis In Spain's Ceuta: Migrant drowns while trying to enter Ceuta

The migrant crisis at the Spain-Morocco border has escalated within the past few days. Violent clashes, tear gas, hypothermia, nothing seems to stop the migrants from fleeing Morocco. Let's get you some voices from ground zero to understand why.

Why are Moroccans trying to enter Europe?

Spain deployed the military to its border with Morocco after thousands of Moroccans took advantage of their government’s relaxed border controls to swim or paddle in inflatable boats to Spanish soil.

Spain Migrant Crisis: Spain witnesses unprecedented migration

As the US faced a migrant crisis, several pictures and reports came to the surface that showed unaccompanied migrant children being forced to spend nights in parked busses at the Dallas convention center.

The US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the reports are “completely unacceptable” if they are true.

"This is completely unacceptable," Becerra said. "We're quickly investigating this to get to the bottom of what happened, and we’ll work to make sure this never happens again. The safety and well-being of the children is our priority."

Also read |&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/number-of-children-travelling-alone-at-us-border-eases-in-april-384486" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/number-of-children-travelling-alone-at-us-border-eases-in-april-384486&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjSv-D83MvwAhV173MBHQpDDqEQFjACegQIARAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw1dvT1EiN1lJCelfOoZqhdx" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/number-of-children-travelling-alone-at-us-border-eases-in-april-384486" target="_blank">Number of children travelling alone at US border eases in April</a>

Becarra's statement has come as a psychiatrist, like many, has claimed that a 15-year-old Honduran boy was forced to stay on a parked bus from Saturday to Wednesday, During this time, he was not allowed to deboard the bus or even communicate with his friends and family. He was forced to use the washroom on the bus itself.

While it is unclear how many children were forced to go through this unpleasant experience, the local media has raised concerns against these experiences.

The accusation has come as the Health and Human Services is rushing to arrange more beds to accommodate incoming migrant children who are waiting for a court order on their placement in the US with a sponsor.

Health and Human Services has nearly 20,397 unaccompanied migrant children in custody, as of now, and has expanded its lodgings from a 1,000-bed facility to nearly 20,000 beds to meet the growing demand.

Meanwhile, MVM Inc., a transportation contractor hired by the US government, has cleared the air by claiming to have transported migrant children safely.

"Over the last seven weeks, the number of children needing escorts in this pandemic environment has increased to more than 7,100, creating challenging travel logistics and resulting in some extended wait times on their way to reunification sites," the company admitted.

MVM is also investigating the incident in question.

As the US faced a migrant crisis, several pictures and reports came to the surface that showed unaccompanied migrant children being forced to spend nights in parked busses at the Dallas convention center.

As the US faced a migrant crisis, several pictures and reports came to the surface that showed unaccompanied migrant children being forced to spend nights in parked busses at the Dallas convention center. The US Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the reports are “completely unacceptable” if they are true. "This is completely unacceptable," Becerra said. "We're quickly investigating this to get to the bottom of what happened, and we’ll work to make sure this never happens again. The safety and well-being of the children is our priority." Also read | Number of children travelling alone at US border eases in April Becarra's statement has come as a psychiatrist, like many, has claimed that a 15-year-old Honduran boy was forced to stay on a parked bus from Saturday to Wednesday, During this time, he was not allowed to deboard the bus or even communicate with his friends and family. He was forced to use the washroom on the bus itself. While it is unclear how many children were forced to go through this unpleasant experience, the local media has raised concerns against these experiences. The accusation has come as the Health and Human Services is rushing to arrange more beds to accommodate incoming migrant children who are waiting for a court order on their placement in the US with a sponsor. Health and Human Services has nearly 20,397 unaccompanied migrant children in custody, as of now, and has expanded its lodgings from a 1,000-bed facility to nearly 20,000 beds to meet the growing demand. Meanwhile, MVM Inc., a transportation contractor hired by the US government, has cleared the air by claiming to have transported migrant children safely. "Over the last seven weeks, the number of children needing escorts in this pandemic environment has increased to more than 7,100, creating challenging travel logistics and resulting in some extended wait times on their way to reunification sites," the company admitted. MVM is also investigating the incident in question.

Reports of migrant children packed in buses 'unacceptable, says US agency

The migrant crisis in United States is intensifying with Biden administration is struggling to come up with a practical alternative humanitarian challenge.

US Migrant Crisis: United States witnesses constant influx of migrants

The US House of Representatives has passed 2 bills for the protection of immigrants in the country. The bills will be providing a pathway to citizenship to "Dreamers" and farmworkers.

Biden's Migrant Crisis : Is Biden's approach turning aggressive?

The United States has set up a temporary processing centre for migrants in the state of Texas. The House Of Representatives is preparing to vote on two crucial bills which will provide citizenship to millions of people who are already living in the United States but presently they are termed as illegal residents.

US Migrant Crisis: US opens shelter for migrant children

The United States President Joe Biden's administration ordered the government’s disaster emergency agency to help with a surge in migrant children crossing the southern border.

United States: Joe Biden turns to disasters agency for help with migrant crisis

"I lost my baby, where's my baby?" were the words of a migrant mother as she desperately searched while crying for her six-month child as their boat began to sink in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.&nbsp;

The dramatic video was recorded by the people of an NGO Open Arms rescue ship as the operation to save migrants was ongoing.&nbsp;

Later, Joseph, the six-month-old child, was found dead along with five other migrants who also lost their lives.&nbsp;

The NGO decided to share the video in order to draw attention to the dangers migrants faced as they cross the Mediterranean, especially since the European nations have clamped down on deploying the rescue ships to operate in the region.&nbsp;

The rescue operation lasted the entire night and the Italian Coast Guard sent a helicopter to carry six migrants (including the dead child) to a hospital in Malta for urgent medical treatment.&nbsp;

Earlier, 20 African migrants are believed to have died off the coast of Libya when their boat sank as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe on Friday, which was fourth such accident in the region in one week.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

"I lost my baby, where's my baby?" were the words of a migrant mother as she desperately searched while crying for her six-month child as their boat began to sink in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on Wednesday.

"I lost my baby, where's my baby?" were the words of a migrant mother as she desperately searched while crying for her six-month child as their boat began to sink in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya on Wednesday. The dramatic video was recorded by the people of an NGO Open Arms rescue ship as the operation to save migrants was ongoing. Later, Joseph, the six-month-old child, was found dead along with five other migrants who also lost their lives. The NGO decided to share the video in order to draw attention to the dangers migrants faced as they cross the Mediterranean, especially since the European nations have clamped down on deploying the rescue ships to operate in the region. The rescue operation lasted the entire night and the Italian Coast Guard sent a helicopter to carry six migrants (including the dead child) to a hospital in Malta for urgent medical treatment. Earlier, 20 African migrants are believed to have died off the coast of Libya when their boat sank as they tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea to enter Europe on Friday, which was fourth such accident in the region in one week.

Watch: Migrant mother cries for help as she searches six-month-old in sinking boat

Brussels has launched an overhaul of the EU’s much-criticised migration policy, risking a revival of the internal battles that were first sparked by the arrival of more than 1m people in the bloc in 2015.

EU unveils proposals to overhaul migration policy

EU plans tougher controls in Migration policy overhaul

Europe's migrant crisis has worsen during the Coronavirus pandemic, that's one reason why the European Union is unveiling the much awaited asylum reform next week.

'EU needs solidarity on migration issue', says EU Commissioner

New asylum policy to be unveiled by European Union

Edgar Alvarez, an artist and activist, is a Venezuelan living in Bogota, Colombia. The ‘craftivist’ works with plasticine figures, through which he explains and highlights the issues in the Andean region in recent years.

Colombian 'Craftivist' Edgar Alvarez models clay to educate the masses

The government said Monday it had brought home 10 French children of jihadist fighters overnight from a refugee camp in Syria, the latest in a piecemeal repatriation process since the Islamic State group was ousted from its Syrian base in March 2019.

"France has carried out the return of ten French minors, orphans or humanitarian cases, who were in camps in northeast Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"These children have been turned over to French judicial authorities, are receiving medical treatment and have been taken in by social services," it said.

The ministry did not provide details on their parents.

France has now repatriated a total of 28 children from war-torn Syria, where hundreds of its citizens went to fight along IS insurgents as they tried to establish a so-called "caliphate."&nbsp;

Rights groups have urged the government to quickly bring home at least the minors who were brought by their parents to the conflict zone or born there during the years of fighting.

But many of the estimated 300 French children being held in the Kurdish-run camps in Syria are with their mothers of fathers, and France has insisted that French nationals must face local justice.

Critics say this stance exposes the families of French fighters to inhumane treatment and psychological trauma.

The foreign ministry said Monday it had "thanked" Kurdish leaders for their cooperation in an operation carried out "because of the particularly vulnerable situation these children were in, and with the authorisations provided by local authorities".

Some 12,000 foreigners -- 4,000 women and 8,000 children -- are being held at three camps for displaced persons in northeast Syria, most at Al-Hol, where aid groups say they suffer malnutrition and disease.

Kurdish officials have called on countries to take back their detained citizens, warning that they do not have the resources to guard prisoners indefinitely.

According to the CAT terrorism analysis centre, 13 French jihadists including Hayat Boumedienne, the partner of one of the three men who carried out deadly terror attacks in Paris in January 2015, have escaped custody in Syria.

The government said Monday it had brought home 10 French children of jihadist fighters overnight from a refugee camp in Syria, the latest in a piecemeal repatriation process since the Islamic State group was ousted from its Syrian base in March 2019.

The government said Monday it had brought home 10 French children of jihadist fighters overnight from a refugee camp in Syria, the latest in a piecemeal repatriation process since the Islamic State group was ousted from its Syrian base in March 2019. "France has carried out the return of ten French minors, orphans or humanitarian cases, who were in camps in northeast Syria," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "These children have been turned over to French judicial authorities, are receiving medical treatment and have been taken in by social services," it said. The ministry did not provide details on their parents. France has now repatriated a total of 28 children from war-torn Syria, where hundreds of its citizens went to fight along IS insurgents as they tried to establish a so-called "caliphate." Rights groups have urged the government to quickly bring home at least the minors who were brought by their parents to the conflict zone or born there during the years of fighting. But many of the estimated 300 French children being held in the Kurdish-run camps in Syria are with their mothers of fathers, and France has insisted that French nationals must face local justice. Critics say this stance exposes the families of French fighters to inhumane treatment and psychological trauma. The foreign ministry said Monday it had "thanked" Kurdish leaders for their cooperation in an operation carried out "because of the particularly vulnerable situation these children were in, and with the authorisations provided by local authorities". Some 12,000 foreigners -- 4,000 women and 8,000 children -- are being held at three camps for displaced persons in northeast Syria, most at Al-Hol, where aid groups say they suffer malnutrition and disease. Kurdish officials have called on countries to take back their detained citizens, warning that they do not have the resources to guard prisoners indefinitely. According to the CAT terrorism analysis centre, 13 French jihadists including Hayat Boumedienne, the partner of one of the three men who carried out deadly terror attacks in Paris in January 2015, have escaped custody in Syria.

France brings home 10 jihadists' children from Syria

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan stepped in on Wednesday to help stranded migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in Uttar Pradesh. 
 
Bachchan arranged for four special flights to send about 700 people to their homes. 
 
Two more flights with migrant workers will take off on Thursday, said sources close to the actor adding that he wanted to book a train for the migrants but the logistics did not work out. 
 
The flights were 'organised' on Bachchan's directive by his close aide Rajesh Yadav, managing director of his production company AB Corp Ltd. 
 
The flights took off from Mumbai for Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Varanasi on Wednesday morning with 180 passengers in each, the sources said. 
 
Earlier Bachchan had also sent 10 buses for 300 migrants to reach their villages in UP. The buses went to Lucknow, Allahabad and other places in UP. The buses were flagged off by Yadav on behalf of the superstar and was done in partnership with with the dargahs in Mahim and the Haji Ali. 
 
Bachchan's magnanimity evoked a wave of gratitude from the poor migrant workers reaching home free of cost in flights. 
 
Earlier in the week, actor Sonu Sood too had arranged a special flight to send 180 Assamese migrants home. Last month, he helped 177 workers stuck in Kerala to fly home to Odisha. 
 
Sood in fact has been hailed as a hero amid the migrant crisis during the lockdown. The actor so far has arranged buses and helped around 18,000-20, 000 people reach their home in states such as Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. 
 
The lockdown, which began on March 25, left lakhs of migrants stranded in different parts of the country. 
 
With no money and no work, many walked, cycled or hitchhiked their way to villages hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres away.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan stepped in on Wednesday to help stranded migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in Uttar Pradesh. Bachchan arranged for four special flights to send about 700 people to their homes.

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan stepped in on Wednesday to help stranded migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in Uttar Pradesh. Bachchan arranged for four special flights to send about 700 people to their homes. Two more flights with migrant workers will take off on Thursday, said sources close to the actor adding that he wanted to book a train for the migrants but the logistics did not work out. The flights were 'organised' on Bachchan's directive by his close aide Rajesh Yadav, managing director of his production company AB Corp Ltd. The flights took off from Mumbai for Allahabad, Gorakhpur and Varanasi on Wednesday morning with 180 passengers in each, the sources said. Earlier Bachchan had also sent 10 buses for 300 migrants to reach their villages in UP. The buses went to Lucknow, Allahabad and other places in UP. The buses were flagged off by Yadav on behalf of the superstar and was done in partnership with with the dargahs in Mahim and the Haji Ali. Bachchan's magnanimity evoked a wave of gratitude from the poor migrant workers reaching home free of cost in flights. Earlier in the week, actor Sonu Sood too had arranged a special flight to send 180 Assamese migrants home. Last month, he helped 177 workers stuck in Kerala to fly home to Odisha. Sood in fact has been hailed as a hero amid the migrant crisis during the lockdown. The actor so far has arranged buses and helped around 18,000-20, 000 people reach their home in states such as Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. The lockdown, which began on March 25, left lakhs of migrants stranded in different parts of the country. With no money and no work, many walked, cycled or hitchhiked their way to villages hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometres away.

Amitabh Bachchan arranges flights for migrants from Mumbai to Uttar Pradesh

Here's a Bollywood villain who is a real-life hero. Amid nationwide lockdown, actor Sonu Sood has been relentlessly working hard and arranging buses for migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in other parts of the country. 
 
The actor has been hailed by one and all, including Union Minister Smriti Irani, for this goodwill gesture. 
 
In an exclusive conversation with Zee News recently, Sonu revealed that he plans to do the work until he is able to send all the migrants to their homes and it gives him immense satisfaction to see these people reunite with their families. 
 
“I will be on the roads until all the workers reach home. I am not concerned about the hard work it takes, I am determined to send them to their families. My phone rings constantly, my social media accounts are flooded with messages. I try to reach out to everyone possible,” said the 46-year-old actor. 
 
The actor has been responding to several messages on Twitter assuring many that they will get to go home. 
 
When asked what made him take up this good cause, the actor stated that the migrant labourers form an important part of our society and they need help at this hour of crisis. 
 
“It was difficult initially to arrange everything, but I was determined to do so. I coordinated for their travels, took permissions from different states,” Sonu added. 
 
Sonu admitted that the paperwork process of the migrants was time-consuming and required much labour. 
 
“I took the responsibility of sending them homes as I didn’t want any of the children to remember this difficult situation in their life anytime,” Sonu said.

Not only has the actor been arranging for transport but earlier in April, he offered his hotel in Mumbai for healthcare workers. He has also distributed food among the underprivileged during Ramzan.

Here's a Bollywood villain who is a real-life hero. Amid nationwide lockdown, actor Sonu Sood has been relentlessly working hard and arranging buses for migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in other parts of the country.

Here's a Bollywood villain who is a real-life hero. Amid nationwide lockdown, actor Sonu Sood has been relentlessly working hard and arranging buses for migrants in Mumbai to reach their homes in other parts of the country. The actor has been hailed by one and all, including Union Minister Smriti Irani, for this goodwill gesture. In an exclusive conversation with Zee News recently, Sonu revealed that he plans to do the work until he is able to send all the migrants to their homes and it gives him immense satisfaction to see these people reunite with their families. “I will be on the roads until all the workers reach home. I am not concerned about the hard work it takes, I am determined to send them to their families. My phone rings constantly, my social media accounts are flooded with messages. I try to reach out to everyone possible,” said the 46-year-old actor. The actor has been responding to several messages on Twitter assuring many that they will get to go home. When asked what made him take up this good cause, the actor stated that the migrant labourers form an important part of our society and they need help at this hour of crisis. “It was difficult initially to arrange everything, but I was determined to do so. I coordinated for their travels, took permissions from different states,” Sonu added. Sonu admitted that the paperwork process of the migrants was time-consuming and required much labour. “I took the responsibility of sending them homes as I didn’t want any of the children to remember this difficult situation in their life anytime,” Sonu said. Not only has the actor been arranging for transport but earlier in April, he offered his hotel in Mumbai for healthcare workers. He has also distributed food among the underprivileged during Ramzan.

Sonu Sood on arranging travel for migrants: Will be on the roads until all the workers reach home

Thailand police have arrested 15 Rohingya Muslims on the charge of illegal entry. The police have said that they could be victims of human trafficking.&nbsp;

Out of 15, twelve were arrested on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday morning. They were arrested in Thailand's Mae Sot which is close to the bridge that separates both (Myanmar and Thailand) as per police's statement.&nbsp;

All of the arrested belonged to Buthidaung, which has the largest concentrations of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine State.

Phubed Sang-aram, superintendent of the Mae Sot district police said: "They have been preliminarily charged with illegal entry, pending further interrogation to determine whether they are victims of human trafficking."

According to Phubed, three Thais have also been taken into custody for providing a home to the illegal migrants.&nbsp;

Mae Sot's district chief Chaiyapheuk Chiantranluk said that the Rohingya group made a plan to go to Malaysia via Thailand.&nbsp;

Global outrage was sparked in 2017 after over 730,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine state during weeks of brutal violence. &nbsp;According to reports, hundreds of villages were burned and women were gang-raped.

During the violence, the United Nations had said that the gang rapes and mass killings were carried out with "genocidal intent".&nbsp;

Thailand police have arrested 15 Rohingya Muslims on the charge of illegal entry. The police have said that they could be victims of human trafficking. Out of 15, twelve were arrested on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday morning.

Thailand police have arrested 15 Rohingya Muslims on the charge of illegal entry. The police have said that they could be victims of human trafficking. Out of 15, twelve were arrested on Tuesday and three more on Wednesday morning. They were arrested in Thailand's Mae Sot which is close to the bridge that separates both (Myanmar and Thailand) as per police's statement. All of the arrested belonged to Buthidaung, which has the largest concentrations of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar's northwestern Rakhine State. Phubed Sang-aram, superintendent of the Mae Sot district police said: "They have been preliminarily charged with illegal entry, pending further interrogation to determine whether they are victims of human trafficking." According to Phubed, three Thais have also been taken into custody for providing a home to the illegal migrants. Mae Sot's district chief Chaiyapheuk Chiantranluk said that the Rohingya group made a plan to go to Malaysia via Thailand. Global outrage was sparked in 2017 after over 730,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine state during weeks of brutal violence. According to reports, hundreds of villages were burned and women were gang-raped. During the violence, the United Nations had said that the gang rapes and mass killings were carried out with "genocidal intent".

Thailand police arrests 15 Rohingya migrants over illegal entry

By Juline Beaujouan and Amjed Rasheed

The Syrian province of Idlib, the remaining holdout of rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has experienced fierce fighting in recent months as the Syrian army, supported by Russia, has pushed to reclaim the territory.

Meanwhile, the expansionist impulses of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in north-west Syria brought Turkey into direct confrontation with Assad’s forces in Idlib and exacerbated tensions with Russia. A ceasefire was agreed in early March, but tensions in the region remain high.

Even before the military escalation in Idlib, the Turkish attack on Kurds in north-eastern Syria in October 2019 had added a layer of complexity to the conflict. Now the recent assaults on Syrians in Idlib have led to the exodus of an estimated 1 million civilians. UN officials said it was “the fastest-growing displacement” they had ever seen in Syria.

Many people fled to Turkey, already home to around 3.5 million Syrian refugees. On February 29, Turkey opened its border with Greece, apparently to put pressure on Europe to support its operations in Idlib.

Sadly, this wave of migration is only the latest flashpoint in the worst humanitarian crisis since the horrors of the second world war. But even this crisis, with thousands now stuck in no-man’s land on the Greek-Turkish border, hasn’t triggered a way through the regional and domestic blockages that have prevented an end to the bloodshed in Syria. This is something we’ve written about in a new book on the Syrian refugee crisis.

Regional inertia 
 
Since 2011, the humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis have spilled over several Middle Eastern countries. But there has been no collective, regional response – largely because of political fragmentation and competition for power.

One striking illustration of these dynamics is the inertia of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The two organisations have repeatedly failed to provide effective responses to regional issues such as the turmoil in Yemen and Libya or the rise of extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. The Syrian refugee crisis, and more recently the situation in north-west Syria, are no exceptions.

The Arab League has limited its intervention to support for efforts by the international community to mitigate the impact of the refugee crisis. As for the GCC, its actions were overshadowed by an internal rift and the involvement of Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the Syrian chaos. This means that the humanitarian burden has continued to be borne by countries that host Syrian refugees.

Some may have expected Arab solidarity in the face of a crisis that emerged in the context of wider Arab uprisings. Yet even in the Arab countries that have hosted the bulk of refugees from Syria, such as Jordan and Lebanon, the government and people distanced themselves from their Arab brothers as the crisis became protracted.

The national borders in the Middle East that were drawn up after the first world war still remain contested &nbsp;by pan-Arab, pan-Islamic and pan-Kurdish movements. Nevertheless, the Syrian refugee crisis showed how these borders and national identities are powerful drivers of everyday politics.

A crisis politicised

The stance of the governments in Jordan and Lebanon towards the Syrian conflict shaped the countries’ refugee policy. What started as a policy of open doors evolved from 2014 when restrictions were imposed on Syrians entering and staying in both countries. Jordan and Lebanon then began to cooperate with the international community to mitigate the refugee crisis in early 2016, and eventually began to actively encourage the return of refugees to Syria in 2018.

Lebanon’s ruling elites capitalised on the humanitarian crisis by portraying the Syrian refugees as a security threat. Pro-Assad political parties Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement used this narrative to undermine anti-Assad political forces in Lebanon, namely a party called the Future Movement. This, in turn, created a sense of urgency which encouraged the flow of foreign aid into the country in an attempt to bring stability. But this foreign aid fed corruption.

The media has also played an important role in shaping the perception of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon by circulating a twofold government-sponsored narrative about the crisis. On one hand, this narrative tried to reassure Lebanese people of a sense of normalcy and fostered patience and societal strength. On the other, the government framed the refugee crisis as an emergency to convince international donors to channel humanitarian aid to the country. But as we found in our research, it was the second narrative that dominated, causing confusion among Lebanese and Jordanians who have started to ask for their share of the foreign aid.

Stuck in the middle

Amid this fragmented regional landscape and the politicisation of the crisis at the regional and national levels, the fate of Syrian refugees remains unclear. Russia has offered to facilitate dialogue between host countries – mainly Lebanon – and the Assad regime regarding the return of Syrian populations. But the ongoing process of their return to their home country might now be hampered by diplomatic tensions between Syria and its neighbours, especially Lebanon and Turkey.

The safe return of Syrian refugees will also be restricted by the demographic changes initiated by the Turkish government in efforts to eliminate the Kurdish presence along its border. The fate of returnees is also jeopardised by the Assad regime’s policies against those who took part in the uprising, those who didn’t answer the conscription call during the war or those who own properties in former rebel-held areas.

The Syrian refugee crisis will remain a major card both in the hands of the countries involved militarily in the conflict, and those hosting refugees. As for the Syrian refugees themselves, their lives, rights and future are precarious. They remain the primary victims of the regional competition for power.

(Juline Beaujouan is Research Associate, Political Settlements Research Programme, University of Edinburgh)

(Amjed Rasheed is Research Fellow, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-fragmented-politics-of-the-syrian-refugee-crisis-jeopardises-the-future-of-millions-132533"> original article</a>) 
 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By Juline Beaujouan and Amjed Rasheed The Syrian province of Idlib, the remaining holdout of rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has experienced fierce fighting in recent months as the Syrian army, supported by Russia, has pushed to reclaim the territory.

By Juline Beaujouan and Amjed Rasheed The Syrian province of Idlib, the remaining holdout of rebels fighting the regime of Bashar al-Assad, has experienced fierce fighting in recent months as the Syrian army, supported by Russia, has pushed to reclaim the territory. Meanwhile, the expansionist impulses of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in north-west Syria brought Turkey into direct confrontation with Assad’s forces in Idlib and exacerbated tensions with Russia. A ceasefire was agreed in early March, but tensions in the region remain high. Even before the military escalation in Idlib, the Turkish attack on Kurds in north-eastern Syria in October 2019 had added a layer of complexity to the conflict. Now the recent assaults on Syrians in Idlib have led to the exodus of an estimated 1 million civilians. UN officials said it was “the fastest-growing displacement” they had ever seen in Syria. Many people fled to Turkey, already home to around 3.5 million Syrian refugees. On February 29, Turkey opened its border with Greece, apparently to put pressure on Europe to support its operations in Idlib. Sadly, this wave of migration is only the latest flashpoint in the worst humanitarian crisis since the horrors of the second world war. But even this crisis, with thousands now stuck in no-man’s land on the Greek-Turkish border, hasn’t triggered a way through the regional and domestic blockages that have prevented an end to the bloodshed in Syria. This is something we’ve written about in a new book on the Syrian refugee crisis. Regional inertia Since 2011, the humanitarian consequences of the Syrian crisis have spilled over several Middle Eastern countries. But there has been no collective, regional response – largely because of political fragmentation and competition for power. One striking illustration of these dynamics is the inertia of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The two organisations have repeatedly failed to provide effective responses to regional issues such as the turmoil in Yemen and Libya or the rise of extremist groups in Iraq and Syria. The Syrian refugee crisis, and more recently the situation in north-west Syria, are no exceptions. The Arab League has limited its intervention to support for efforts by the international community to mitigate the impact of the refugee crisis. As for the GCC, its actions were overshadowed by an internal rift and the involvement of Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the Syrian chaos. This means that the humanitarian burden has continued to be borne by countries that host Syrian refugees. Some may have expected Arab solidarity in the face of a crisis that emerged in the context of wider Arab uprisings. Yet even in the Arab countries that have hosted the bulk of refugees from Syria, such as Jordan and Lebanon, the government and people distanced themselves from their Arab brothers as the crisis became protracted. The national borders in the Middle East that were drawn up after the first world war still remain contested by pan-Arab, pan-Islamic and pan-Kurdish movements. Nevertheless, the Syrian refugee crisis showed how these borders and national identities are powerful drivers of everyday politics. A crisis politicised The stance of the governments in Jordan and Lebanon towards the Syrian conflict shaped the countries’ refugee policy. What started as a policy of open doors evolved from 2014 when restrictions were imposed on Syrians entering and staying in both countries. Jordan and Lebanon then began to cooperate with the international community to mitigate the refugee crisis in early 2016, and eventually began to actively encourage the return of refugees to Syria in 2018. Lebanon’s ruling elites capitalised on the humanitarian crisis by portraying the Syrian refugees as a security threat. Pro-Assad political parties Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement used this narrative to undermine anti-Assad political forces in Lebanon, namely a party called the Future Movement. This, in turn, created a sense of urgency which encouraged the flow of foreign aid into the country in an attempt to bring stability. But this foreign aid fed corruption. The media has also played an important role in shaping the perception of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon by circulating a twofold government-sponsored narrative about the crisis. On one hand, this narrative tried to reassure Lebanese people of a sense of normalcy and fostered patience and societal strength. On the other, the government framed the refugee crisis as an emergency to convince international donors to channel humanitarian aid to the country. But as we found in our research, it was the second narrative that dominated, causing confusion among Lebanese and Jordanians who have started to ask for their share of the foreign aid. Stuck in the middle Amid this fragmented regional landscape and the politicisation of the crisis at the regional and national levels, the fate of Syrian refugees remains unclear. Russia has offered to facilitate dialogue between host countries – mainly Lebanon – and the Assad regime regarding the return of Syrian populations. But the ongoing process of their return to their home country might now be hampered by diplomatic tensions between Syria and its neighbours, especially Lebanon and Turkey. The safe return of Syrian refugees will also be restricted by the demographic changes initiated by the Turkish government in efforts to eliminate the Kurdish presence along its border. The fate of returnees is also jeopardised by the Assad regime’s policies against those who took part in the uprising, those who didn’t answer the conscription call during the war or those who own properties in former rebel-held areas. The Syrian refugee crisis will remain a major card both in the hands of the countries involved militarily in the conflict, and those hosting refugees. As for the Syrian refugees themselves, their lives, rights and future are precarious. They remain the primary victims of the regional competition for power. (Juline Beaujouan is Research Associate, Political Settlements Research Programme, University of Edinburgh) (Amjed Rasheed is Research Fellow, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article)

Fragmented politics of Syrian refugee crisis jeopardises the future of millions

Stop migrants crossing in Aegean Sea: Erdogan to Turkey coastguard

As Greece faced fresh violence on its borders on Saturday, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent migrants crossing the Aegean sea. <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/stop-migrants-crossing-in-aegean-sea-erdogan-to-turkey-coastguard-284932">Read More</a>

US Congress report faults Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing for 737 Max crashes

In a 13-page report, a US congressional committee said Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and Boeing missed "multiple red flags and clear data points”.&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/us-congress-report-faults-federal-aviation-administration-boeing-for-737-max-crashes-284939">Read More</a>

Melania Trump tweets about White House tennis pavilion as US battles coronavirus

US First lady Melania Trump shared with her social media followers the status on the construction of a new White House tennis pavilion. <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/melania-trump-tweets-about-white-house-tennis-pavilion-as-us-battles-coronavirus-284927">Read More</a>

Tourism industry across the world takes a hit as COVID-19 spreads more widely

The global tourism industry is the worst affected due to COVID-19 as the breakout of coronavirus has turned businesses upside down.&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/tourism-industry-across-the-world-takes-a-hit-as-covid-19-spreads-more-widely-284923">Read More</a>

Senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria: Report

A senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Farhad Dabirian, was "martyred" in Syria on Friday, Fars news agency reported, without giving details of how he died.&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/senior-member-of-irans-revolutionary-guards-killed-in-syria-report-284924">Read More</a>

Philippines' Duterte to declare public health emergency to combat coronavirus

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans to declare a nationwide public health emergency following confirmation of the country's first community transmission of the disease, the presidential aide said on Saturday. <a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/philippines-duterte-to-declare-public-health-emergency-to-combat-coronavirus-284922">Read More</a>

Former Barcelona forward Ronaldinho arrested in Paraguay

Former Brazil and Barcelona forward Ronaldinho Gaucho was arrested in Paraguay on Friday for attempting to enter the country with an adulterated passport, Paraguayan police said.&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/former-barcelona-forward-ronaldinho-arrested-in-paraguay-284891">Read More</a>

Trump replaces acting chief of staff Mulvaney with North Carolina lawmaker

President Donald Trump parted ways on Friday with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with conservative lawmaker and close ally Mark Meadows, who was a strong Trump defender during the Democratic impeachment drive.&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/trump-replaces-acting-chief-of-staff-mulvaney-with-north-carolina-lawmaker-284889">Read More</a>

Saudi Arabia detains two senior royals, including king's brother: Report

Saudi Arabia has detained two senior members of the Saudi royal family&nbsp;Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, and Mohammed bin Nayef, the king's nephew, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/saudi-arabia-detains-two-senior-royals-including-kings-brother-report-284871"> Read More</a>

Coronavirus may cause $61 million loss to Pakistan: ADB

Cash strapped Pakistan may face losses up to $ 61 million due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the ADB has said in its assessment report on the impact of the novel COVID-19 outbreak. <a href="http://13.235.153.162/south-asia/coronavirus-may-cause-61-million-loss-to-pakistan-adb-284934">Read More</a>

Stop migrants crossing in Aegean Sea: Erdogan to Turkey coastguard As Greece faced fresh violence on its borders on Saturday, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent migrants crossing the Aegean sea.

Stop migrants crossing in Aegean Sea: Erdogan to Turkey coastguard As Greece faced fresh violence on its borders on Saturday, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered the Turkish coastguard to prevent migrants crossing the Aegean sea. Read More US Congress report faults Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing for 737 Max crashes In a 13-page report, a US congressional committee said Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) and Boeing missed "multiple red flags and clear data points”. Read More Melania Trump tweets about White House tennis pavilion as US battles coronavirus US First lady Melania Trump shared with her social media followers the status on the construction of a new White House tennis pavilion. Read More Tourism industry across the world takes a hit as COVID-19 spreads more widely The global tourism industry is the worst affected due to COVID-19 as the breakout of coronavirus has turned businesses upside down. Read More Senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria: Report A senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, Farhad Dabirian, was "martyred" in Syria on Friday, Fars news agency reported, without giving details of how he died. Read More Philippines' Duterte to declare public health emergency to combat coronavirus Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans to declare a nationwide public health emergency following confirmation of the country's first community transmission of the disease, the presidential aide said on Saturday. Read More Former Barcelona forward Ronaldinho arrested in Paraguay Former Brazil and Barcelona forward Ronaldinho Gaucho was arrested in Paraguay on Friday for attempting to enter the country with an adulterated passport, Paraguayan police said. Read More Trump replaces acting chief of staff Mulvaney with North Carolina lawmaker President Donald Trump parted ways on Friday with acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and replaced him with conservative lawmaker and close ally Mark Meadows, who was a strong Trump defender during the Democratic impeachment drive. Read More Saudi Arabia detains two senior royals, including king's brother: Report Saudi Arabia has detained two senior members of the Saudi royal family Prince Ahmed bin Abdulaziz, the younger brother of King Salman, and Mohammed bin Nayef, the king's nephew, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. Read More Coronavirus may cause $61 million loss to Pakistan: ADB Cash strapped Pakistan may face losses up to $ 61 million due to the deadly coronavirus outbreak, the ADB has said in its assessment report on the impact of the novel COVID-19 outbreak. Read More

Top 10 world news today: Erdogan on migrants, Iran army member killed in Syria & more!

Migrants, police clash at Turkey-Greece border despite Erdogan-Putin ceasefire deal

Police once against fired tear gas canisters at the migrants at the Kastanies/Pazarkule crossing which has witnessed fierce clashes between migrants and police both on the Greek and Turkish crossings.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrants-police-clash-at-turkey-greece-border-despite-erdogan-putin-ceasefire-deal-284780"> Read More</a>

Bethlehem under lockdown after virus cases confirmed

Israel has imposed a lockdown on the city of Bethlehem over coronavirus fears as Palestinian authorities announced a two-week ban on tourists and shuttered the Church of the Nativity.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bethlehem-under-lockdown-after-virus-cases-confirmed-284717"> Read More</a>

Suicide bombers target US embassy in Tunisia; one police officer killed

Suicide bombers target US embassy in Tunisia&nbsp;one police officer killed,Tunisia's interior ministry said two terrorists were killed while carrying out the attack with four policemen injured. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/suicide-bombers-target-us-embassy-in-tunisia-one-police-officer-killed-284788">Read More</a>

Vatican reports its first coronavirus case

The Vatican on Friday reported its first coronavirus case, saying it had suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after a patient tested positive for COVID-19. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/vatican-reports-its-first-coronavirus-case-284754">Read More</a>

'It's all fake': Senior Chinese official heckled by Wuhan residents

Several clips are shared online since Thursday that showed occupants of an apartment block in Wuhan shouting "it's all fake" when Vice Premier Sun Chunlan went for inspection. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-all-fake-senior-chinese-official-heckled-by-wuhan-residents-284746">Read More</a>

Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirus

Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirus, an adviser to Iran's foreign minister who took part in the 1979 US embassy hostage crisis has died from coronavirus, the official IRNA news agency reported. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/adviser-to-irans-foreign-minister-dies-of-coronavirus-284740">Read More</a>

Secret documents reveal Iran hiding its nuclear activities, building a tunnel for a nuclear detonation

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sounded an alarm after an archive of Iran's secret documents revealed the extent of the country's nuclear programme. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/secret-documents-reveal-iran-hiding-its-nuclear-activities-building-a-tunnel-for-a-nuclear-detonation-284731">Read More</a>

Amid coronavirus outbreak, China bans consumption of wild animals

In the wake of coronavirus epidemic, China banned the consumption of wild animals on Thursday under preventive measures to contain the deadly virus. It is believed that the virus was spawned in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals including bats, snakes and pangolins as food. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/amid-coronavirus-outbreak-china-bans-consumption-of-wild-animals-284710">Read More</a>

Afghanistan: At least 27 killed after gunmen target political rally in Kabul

At least 27 people have been killed after an assault on a political rally in Kabul. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said women and children were among the dead with at least 29 people injured.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/afghanistan-at-least-27-killed-after-gunmen-target-political-rally-in-kabul-284687">Read More</a>

Bhutan confirms first coronavirus case, US tourist tested positive: Government

The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the prime minister said Friday, the tiny landlocked country, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness has emerged as a popular tourist destination in recent years. <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bhutan-confirms-first-coronavirus-case-us-tourist-tested-positive-government-284643">Read More</a> 
&nbsp;

Migrants, police clash at Turkey-Greece border despite Erdogan-Putin ceasefire deal Police once against fired tear gas canisters at the migrants at the Kastanies/Pazarkule crossing which has witnessed fierce clashes between migrants and police both on the Greek and Turkish crossings.

Migrants, police clash at Turkey-Greece border despite Erdogan-Putin ceasefire deal Police once against fired tear gas canisters at the migrants at the Kastanies/Pazarkule crossing which has witnessed fierce clashes between migrants and police both on the Greek and Turkish crossings. Read More Bethlehem under lockdown after virus cases confirmed Israel has imposed a lockdown on the city of Bethlehem over coronavirus fears as Palestinian authorities announced a two-week ban on tourists and shuttered the Church of the Nativity. Read More Suicide bombers target US embassy in Tunisia; one police officer killed Suicide bombers target US embassy in Tunisia one police officer killed,Tunisia's interior ministry said two terrorists were killed while carrying out the attack with four policemen injured. Read More Vatican reports its first coronavirus case The Vatican on Friday reported its first coronavirus case, saying it had suspended outpatient services at its health clinic after a patient tested positive for COVID-19. Read More 'It's all fake': Senior Chinese official heckled by Wuhan residents Several clips are shared online since Thursday that showed occupants of an apartment block in Wuhan shouting "it's all fake" when Vice Premier Sun Chunlan went for inspection. Read More Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirus Adviser to Iran's foreign minister dies of coronavirus, an adviser to Iran's foreign minister who took part in the 1979 US embassy hostage crisis has died from coronavirus, the official IRNA news agency reported. Read More Secret documents reveal Iran hiding its nuclear activities, building a tunnel for a nuclear detonation The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has sounded an alarm after an archive of Iran's secret documents revealed the extent of the country's nuclear programme. Read More Amid coronavirus outbreak, China bans consumption of wild animals In the wake of coronavirus epidemic, China banned the consumption of wild animals on Thursday under preventive measures to contain the deadly virus. It is believed that the virus was spawned in a market in Wuhan that sold wild animals including bats, snakes and pangolins as food. Read More Afghanistan: At least 27 killed after gunmen target political rally in Kabul At least 27 people have been killed after an assault on a political rally in Kabul. Interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said women and children were among the dead with at least 29 people injured. Read More Bhutan confirms first coronavirus case, US tourist tested positive: Government The isolated Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has reported its first case of the coronavirus after a US tourist tested positive, the prime minister said Friday, the tiny landlocked country, famous for measuring Gross National Happiness has emerged as a popular tourist destination in recent years. Read More

Top 10 world news today: Vatican's first coronavirus case, US Embassy attacked and more

Greece has blocked <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrants-head-to-greece-as-turkey-opens-floodgates-283547">nearly 10,000 migrants trying to enter from the Turkey border</a> over the past 24 hours, a Greek government source said Sunday.

A massive influx of migrants swelled along the border over the weekend after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open its frontier to Europe.

He is seeking to pressure EU governments over the Syrian conflict after an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province on Thursday killed dozens of Turkish soldiers.

A Greek government source said Sunday its army and police had stopped thousands from entering its territory.&nbsp;Saturday morning to 0600 Sunday morning, 9,972 illegal entrances have been averted in the Evros area," the government source said, referring to the northeastern region along the Turkey border.

Huge crowds tried to cross into Greece via the Kastanies Forest in the early hours of Sunday, the source said.

Also Read:-<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hundreds-head-towards-europe-border-after-reports-claim-that-turkey-opens-gates-283266">Hundreds head towards Europe border after reports claim that Turkey 'opens gates</a>

Greek authorities said 73 migrants had been arrested, but added that they "weren't from Idlib, but from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia".

Some 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border, including families with young children, the International Organization for Migration said Saturday.

Greek security forces are patrolling the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and have issued loudspeaker warnings not to enter Greek territory.

On Saturday clashes erupted along the border, where Greek police fired tear gas at migrants who in turn lobbed rocks at officers.

Erdogan threatened to open Turkey's gates for some of the 3.6 million refugees it is harbouring as a way to pressure EU countries over the conflict in Syria.

Turkey and Russia, who back opposing forces in the conflict, have held talks to defuse tensions after the air strike left 34 Turkish troops dead, sparking fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe.

The UN says nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced by the fighting in northwest Syria since December, forced to flee in the bitter cold.

In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed "concern" on the unimpeded flow of migrants from Turkey to the bloc's external borders in Greece and Bulgaria.

"Our top priority at this stage is to ensure that Greece and Bulgaria have our full support," she tweeted Saturday.

Greece has blocked nearly 10,000 migrants trying to enter from the Turkey border over the past 24 hours, a Greek government source said Sunday. A massive influx of migrants swelled along the border over the weekend after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open its frontier to Europe.

Greece has blocked nearly 10,000 migrants trying to enter from the Turkey border over the past 24 hours, a Greek government source said Sunday. A massive influx of migrants swelled along the border over the weekend after Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to open its frontier to Europe. He is seeking to pressure EU governments over the Syrian conflict after an airstrike in Syria's Idlib province on Thursday killed dozens of Turkish soldiers. A Greek government source said Sunday its army and police had stopped thousands from entering its territory. Saturday morning to 0600 Sunday morning, 9,972 illegal entrances have been averted in the Evros area," the government source said, referring to the northeastern region along the Turkey border. Huge crowds tried to cross into Greece via the Kastanies Forest in the early hours of Sunday, the source said. Also Read:-Hundreds head towards Europe border after reports claim that Turkey 'opens gates Greek authorities said 73 migrants had been arrested, but added that they "weren't from Idlib, but from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia". Some 13,000 migrants have gathered along the Turkish-Greek border, including families with young children, the International Organization for Migration said Saturday. Greek security forces are patrolling the Evros river shores -- a common crossing point -- and have issued loudspeaker warnings not to enter Greek territory. On Saturday clashes erupted along the border, where Greek police fired tear gas at migrants who in turn lobbed rocks at officers. Erdogan threatened to open Turkey's gates for some of the 3.6 million refugees it is harbouring as a way to pressure EU countries over the conflict in Syria. Turkey and Russia, who back opposing forces in the conflict, have held talks to defuse tensions after the air strike left 34 Turkish troops dead, sparking fears of a broader war and a new migration crisis for Europe. The UN says nearly a million people -- half of them children -- have been displaced by the fighting in northwest Syria since December, forced to flee in the bitter cold. In 2015, Greece became the main EU entry point for one million migrants, most of them refugees fleeing the Syrian civil war. EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed "concern" on the unimpeded flow of migrants from Turkey to the bloc's external borders in Greece and Bulgaria. "Our top priority at this stage is to ensure that Greece and Bulgaria have our full support," she tweeted Saturday.

Greece blocks nearly 10,000 migrants at Turkey border

Thousands of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/why-some-eu-countries-are-struggling-to-relocate-migrants-265965">migrants facing the perilous journey</a> from Turkey to the Aegean islands on Europe’s periphery are now supposed to face another obstacle as the Greek government announced that it will build a floating barrier to deter them. The centre-right administration revealed the project to deny entry to undocumented migrants accessing the country.

Erected off the island of Lesbos, the bulwark of the 2.7km-long netted barrier will rise from pylons 50 metres above the water and will be equipped with flashing lights to demarcate <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/three-die-as-storm-front-batters-greece-264668">Greece’s sea borders</a>. “In Evros, natural barriers had relative [good] results in containing flows,” stated Greece’s Defence Minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, referring to the barbed-wire topped fence that Greece built along its northern land border with Turkey in 2012 to deter asylum seekers.

The plan was ridiculed the world over, and Amnesty International warned that it would enhance the dangers asylum-seekers and refugees encountered as they attempted to seek safety. “The plan raises serious issues about rescuers’ ability to continue providing life-saving assistance to people attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Lesbos. The government must urgently clarify the operational details and necessary safeguards to ensure that this <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/struggling-with-influx-greece-to-shut-down-three-refugee-camps-263414">system does not cost further lives</a>,” said Massimo Moratti, Research Director for Europe, Amnesty International.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/twelve-dead-21-rescued-as-migrant-boat-sinks-off-greek-island-273697">Twelve dead, 21 rescued as migrant boat sinks off Greek island</a>

Calling this a "stupid idea" and adding that it was bound to be ineffective was Greece’s former migration minister, Dimitris Vitsas. “It’s not going to stop anybody making the journey,” he added. Human traffickers along Turkey’s western coast target Greece's outlying Aegean isles with renewed vigour, leading to a huge uptick in arrivals of refugees and migrants than any other part of Europe. Outposts designed to hold a maximum of 5,400 people are housing more than 44,000.

Greece fears a further surge in arrivals in the spring amid mounting tensions with Turkey over energy resources in the Mediterranean, despite numbers dropping radically since the EU struck a landmark accord with Ankara to curb the flows in March 2016.&nbsp;Blame for this humanitarian catastrophe has been thrown at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister for exploiting the refugee drama as political leverage in dealings with Athens and the EU.

As Idlib, Syria's last opposition holdout falls, Greek officials fear that the number of arrivals will rise further. Recent attacks from regime forces are gradually becoming more and more frequent. It is hoped that the barrier is functional by April, with the Greek Defence Ministry asking private contractors to submit offers.

Officials have guaranteed that the project will be completed by the military and will cost approximately €500,000 and has reassured the masses that it will be done by “non-military specifications” to ensure international maritime standards. More parts will be added to the 15-kilometre fence if the initial pilot is deemed successful.

Thousands of migrants facing the perilous journey from Turkey to the Aegean islands on Europe’s periphery are now supposed to face another obstacle as the Greek government announced that it will build a floating barrier to deter them.

Thousands of migrants facing the perilous journey from Turkey to the Aegean islands on Europe’s periphery are now supposed to face another obstacle as the Greek government announced that it will build a floating barrier to deter them. The centre-right administration revealed the project to deny entry to undocumented migrants accessing the country. Erected off the island of Lesbos, the bulwark of the 2.7km-long netted barrier will rise from pylons 50 metres above the water and will be equipped with flashing lights to demarcate Greece’s sea borders. “In Evros, natural barriers had relative [good] results in containing flows,” stated Greece’s Defence Minister, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, referring to the barbed-wire topped fence that Greece built along its northern land border with Turkey in 2012 to deter asylum seekers. The plan was ridiculed the world over, and Amnesty International warned that it would enhance the dangers asylum-seekers and refugees encountered as they attempted to seek safety. “The plan raises serious issues about rescuers’ ability to continue providing life-saving assistance to people attempting the dangerous sea crossing to Lesbos. The government must urgently clarify the operational details and necessary safeguards to ensure that this system does not cost further lives,” said Massimo Moratti, Research Director for Europe, Amnesty International. Also Read: Twelve dead, 21 rescued as migrant boat sinks off Greek island Calling this a "stupid idea" and adding that it was bound to be ineffective was Greece’s former migration minister, Dimitris Vitsas. “It’s not going to stop anybody making the journey,” he added. Human traffickers along Turkey’s western coast target Greece's outlying Aegean isles with renewed vigour, leading to a huge uptick in arrivals of refugees and migrants than any other part of Europe. Outposts designed to hold a maximum of 5,400 people are housing more than 44,000. Greece fears a further surge in arrivals in the spring amid mounting tensions with Turkey over energy resources in the Mediterranean, despite numbers dropping radically since the EU struck a landmark accord with Ankara to curb the flows in March 2016. Blame for this humanitarian catastrophe has been thrown at Recep Tayyip Erdoğan by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greek Prime Minister for exploiting the refugee drama as political leverage in dealings with Athens and the EU. As Idlib, Syria's last opposition holdout falls, Greek officials fear that the number of arrivals will rise further. Recent attacks from regime forces are gradually becoming more and more frequent. It is hoped that the barrier is functional by April, with the Greek Defence Ministry asking private contractors to submit offers. Officials have guaranteed that the project will be completed by the military and will cost approximately €500,000 and has reassured the masses that it will be done by “non-military specifications” to ensure international maritime standards. More parts will be added to the 15-kilometre fence if the initial pilot is deemed successful.

Greek Defence Ministry plans to build sea barrier off Lesbos to deter migrants

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday.

"These living conditions need urgent improvement," <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/migrant-death-toll-in-mediterranean-tops-1000-for-6th-year-unhcr-253075">United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees</a> Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on &nbsp;Lesbos.

"Whatever the situation of these people, we cannot accept that they live in such miserable conditions, exposed also to violence and exploitation," Grandi said.

According to government figures, there are over <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/struggling-with-influx-greece-to-shut-down-three-refugee-camps-263414">39,000 asylum-seekers</a> on the islands, with hundreds more arriving daily, capitalising on mild weather.

The International Organisation for Migration says there are an additional 22,000 people in camps on the mainland, which are nearly full or already past capacity.

Greece's conservative government last week announced a plan to expand and fortify migrant camps on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros.

They also said they would work to make the borders 'air-tight' against a feared new surge of asylum-seekers.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to quickly resettle over 4,000 unaccompanied children after failing to persuade EU states to accept around 3,000 of them.

Grandi, who will see Mitsotakis later on Wednesday and hold a press conference on Thursday, said he "fully" supports plans to bring more children to the mainland.

"I am very worried and I know the PM is very worried about children...we need to do our maximum, all of us collectively, to help the children," he said.

"Europe has to do more for Greece, this is part of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/eu-countries-back-tough-line-on-5g-suppliers-in-potential-blow-to-huawei-264045">European Union</a>," he added.

There is already opposition from authorities on Lesbos and Samos to the planned new camps that are to hold over 5,000 asylum-seekers each.

Protests have taken place in several towns in northern Greece in recent weeks to block attempted relocations of asylum-seekers.

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday. "These living conditions need urgent improvement," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on Lesbos.

Greece must take "urgent" steps to improve "miserable" conditions in its overcrowded island migrant camps, the U.N. refugee chief said Wednesday. "These living conditions need urgent improvement," United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said after visiting camps on Lesbos. "Whatever the situation of these people, we cannot accept that they live in such miserable conditions, exposed also to violence and exploitation," Grandi said. According to government figures, there are over 39,000 asylum-seekers on the islands, with hundreds more arriving daily, capitalising on mild weather. The International Organisation for Migration says there are an additional 22,000 people in camps on the mainland, which are nearly full or already past capacity. Greece's conservative government last week announced a plan to expand and fortify migrant camps on Lesbos, Samos, Chios, Kos and Leros. They also said they would work to make the borders 'air-tight' against a feared new surge of asylum-seekers. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has also pledged to quickly resettle over 4,000 unaccompanied children after failing to persuade EU states to accept around 3,000 of them. Grandi, who will see Mitsotakis later on Wednesday and hold a press conference on Thursday, said he "fully" supports plans to bring more children to the mainland. "I am very worried and I know the PM is very worried about children...we need to do our maximum, all of us collectively, to help the children," he said. "Europe has to do more for Greece, this is part of the European Union," he added. There is already opposition from authorities on Lesbos and Samos to the planned new camps that are to hold over 5,000 asylum-seekers each. Protests have taken place in several towns in northern Greece in recent weeks to block attempted relocations of asylum-seekers.

U.N. urges Greece to fix 'miserable' migrant camps

Winter poses new threat to migrants in Bosnian forest camp

By Deina Abdelkader

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan isn’t limiting his assault on neighbouring Syria to attacking Kurdish troops that run the country’s northern region. He says the 3.6 million Syrians now living as war refugees in Turkey may also be returned “to their own homes” once northern Syria is wrenched from Kurdish control.

This could be an empty threat. After eight years of welcoming people fleeing Syria’s civil war, the Turkish public is beginning to turn against Syrian refugees. Erdogan may see anti-refugee rhetoric as a way to boost his popularity, which is slumping due to recession in Turkey and years of controversial power grabs.

But if the Turkish president does deport Syrian refugees, he won’t be sending them to a “safe zone,” as promised. These extremely vulnerable people would be deported into the lines of combat in this contested, oil-rich zone.

The forgotten half: Women Syrian refugees 
 
In my experience researching minorities at risk in the Middle East, governments dealing with mass migration often overlook the particular challenges facing the most vulnerable refugees: women, children and LGBTQ people.

The Syrian refugees in Turkey are majorly Sunni Muslim – the same faith that predominates in both Turkey and Syria. However, Syrians are ethnically and linguistically different than Turks.

Syrian refugees differ from the broader Turkish and Syrian public in another way, too: 75 per cent&nbsp;of them are women and children, according to the global nonprofit Migration Policy Institute. Between 2011 and 2017, more than 224,000 babies were born in Turkey to Syrian refugee families. Those children are now stateless, granted neither Turkish nor Syrian citizenship at birth.

Syrian women refugees suffer more discrimination and racism in Turkey than their male counterparts, research shows.

This is partially due to a big gap in Turkish language acquisition: 20 per cent of Syrian refugee women complained that lack of language causes exclusion and discrimination, UN&nbsp;survey data from 2016 shows, compared to 13 per cent&nbsp;of men.

Even so, 73 pere cent of Syrian refugee women told the UN&nbsp;that they feel safe in Turkey. That may be related to their resettlement in cities and towns across Turkey, primarily in Istanbul, where they usually live in poor neighbourhoods.

Those areas surely feel secure compared to war-torn Syria. They are safer, too, than refugee camps along the Turkish-Syrian border, where rape, human trafficking, prostitution and child marriages have all been reported, according to OBC Transeuropa, a think tank.

Half of all Syrian female refugees were under the age of 18 when they were displaced by war to the Turkish border area.

LGBTQ Syrian refugees: An untold story 
 
Turkey’s Syrian refugee community includes other marginalised groups that would face unique dangers back home, including gay, lesbian and trans people.

The exact number of LGBTQ Syrian refugees displaced across the region is unknown, human rights groups say. But Syria – like much of the Middle East and North Africa region – is a dangerous place to be gay.

Homosexuality is illegal in Syria, and both the government and terror groups like the Islamic State persecute sexual minorities. Being gay is culturally unacceptable according to traditional Islamic mores.

Though Turkey does not criminalize homosexuality, it is not always safe for LGBTQ Syrian refugees, either. Gay Syrians have suffered physical and verbal attacks, often with little response from law enforcement or the government.

In August 2016, Muhammed Wisam Sankari was found mutilated and killed in Istanbul, two days after he went missing. Sankari had told police he feared for his life after having previously been abducted, tortured and raped by unknown attackers, according to reports.

Recent crackdowns by the Turkish police in Syrian refugee communities have been detaining and deporting thousands of Syrian refugees, including LGBTQ people.

The Turkish government denies that it is forcibly returning refugees to a war zone, which would be illegal under Turkish and international law.

For LGBTQ Syrians, going home may be a death sentence.

In August 2019 a transgender Syrian woman named Ward told The Guardian newspaper that she feared being deported to the Turkey-Syria border because the al-Nusra terrorist group, a branch of al-Qaida with 5,000 to 10,000 fighters in western Syria, would kill her.

Ward was deported days later. She was last seen in late August being forced into the trunk of a car by militants in Syria, according to the Guardian report.

Collateral damage 
 
Erdogan’s stated purpose in invading Syria is to rid its northern region of the Kurdish Worker’s Party – an armed militia and political party known as the PKK – and create a “buffer zone” between the two countries.

The PKK has been a thorn in Turkey’s side for the past 41 years.

With Syrian government support, PKK leader Abdallah Ocallan has been threatening the Turkish government with a Kurdish separatist insurgency long before Erdogan’s presidency.

The United States, like Turkey, considers the PKK to be a terrorist organisation.

But in Syria the US&nbsp;had, until its recent military withdrawal, allied itself with other secular and progressive Syrian groups, namely the Syrian Democratic Forces.

The Kurdish minority in northern Syria, as in nearby Iraq, has long been stuck between Ocallan’s armed militia, the Turkish government and their own authoritarian leaders – used and abused, my research finds, by politicians seeking to further their own regional agenda in the Mideast.

Returning Syrian refugees to this battleground would make them the “buffer” between these warring forces, turning more vulnerable people into collateral damage of a greater geopolitical war.

 
(Deina Abdelkader is Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the<a href="https://theconversation.com/deportation-to-syria-could-mean-death-for-women-children-and-lgbtq-refugees-in-turkey-125195"> original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

By Deina Abdelkader Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan isn’t limiting his assault on neighbouring Syria to attacking Kurdish troops that run the country’s northern region.

By Deina Abdelkader Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan isn’t limiting his assault on neighbouring Syria to attacking Kurdish troops that run the country’s northern region. He says the 3.6 million Syrians now living as war refugees in Turkey may also be returned “to their own homes” once northern Syria is wrenched from Kurdish control. This could be an empty threat. After eight years of welcoming people fleeing Syria’s civil war, the Turkish public is beginning to turn against Syrian refugees. Erdogan may see anti-refugee rhetoric as a way to boost his popularity, which is slumping due to recession in Turkey and years of controversial power grabs. But if the Turkish president does deport Syrian refugees, he won’t be sending them to a “safe zone,” as promised. These extremely vulnerable people would be deported into the lines of combat in this contested, oil-rich zone. The forgotten half: Women Syrian refugees In my experience researching minorities at risk in the Middle East, governments dealing with mass migration often overlook the particular challenges facing the most vulnerable refugees: women, children and LGBTQ people. The Syrian refugees in Turkey are majorly Sunni Muslim – the same faith that predominates in both Turkey and Syria. However, Syrians are ethnically and linguistically different than Turks. Syrian refugees differ from the broader Turkish and Syrian public in another way, too: 75 per cent of them are women and children, according to the global nonprofit Migration Policy Institute. Between 2011 and 2017, more than 224,000 babies were born in Turkey to Syrian refugee families. Those children are now stateless, granted neither Turkish nor Syrian citizenship at birth. Syrian women refugees suffer more discrimination and racism in Turkey than their male counterparts, research shows. This is partially due to a big gap in Turkish language acquisition: 20 per cent of Syrian refugee women complained that lack of language causes exclusion and discrimination, UN survey data from 2016 shows, compared to 13 per cent of men. Even so, 73 pere cent of Syrian refugee women told the UN that they feel safe in Turkey. That may be related to their resettlement in cities and towns across Turkey, primarily in Istanbul, where they usually live in poor neighbourhoods. Those areas surely feel secure compared to war-torn Syria. They are safer, too, than refugee camps along the Turkish-Syrian border, where rape, human trafficking, prostitution and child marriages have all been reported, according to OBC Transeuropa, a think tank. Half of all Syrian female refugees were under the age of 18 when they were displaced by war to the Turkish border area. LGBTQ Syrian refugees: An untold story Turkey’s Syrian refugee community includes other marginalised groups that would face unique dangers back home, including gay, lesbian and trans people. The exact number of LGBTQ Syrian refugees displaced across the region is unknown, human rights groups say. But Syria – like much of the Middle East and North Africa region – is a dangerous place to be gay. Homosexuality is illegal in Syria, and both the government and terror groups like the Islamic State persecute sexual minorities. Being gay is culturally unacceptable according to traditional Islamic mores. Though Turkey does not criminalize homosexuality, it is not always safe for LGBTQ Syrian refugees, either. Gay Syrians have suffered physical and verbal attacks, often with little response from law enforcement or the government. In August 2016, Muhammed Wisam Sankari was found mutilated and killed in Istanbul, two days after he went missing. Sankari had told police he feared for his life after having previously been abducted, tortured and raped by unknown attackers, according to reports. Recent crackdowns by the Turkish police in Syrian refugee communities have been detaining and deporting thousands of Syrian refugees, including LGBTQ people. The Turkish government denies that it is forcibly returning refugees to a war zone, which would be illegal under Turkish and international law. For LGBTQ Syrians, going home may be a death sentence. In August 2019 a transgender Syrian woman named Ward told The Guardian newspaper that she feared being deported to the Turkey-Syria border because the al-Nusra terrorist group, a branch of al-Qaida with 5,000 to 10,000 fighters in western Syria, would kill her. Ward was deported days later. She was last seen in late August being forced into the trunk of a car by militants in Syria, according to the Guardian report. Collateral damage Erdogan’s stated purpose in invading Syria is to rid its northern region of the Kurdish Worker’s Party – an armed militia and political party known as the PKK – and create a “buffer zone” between the two countries. The PKK has been a thorn in Turkey’s side for the past 41 years. With Syrian government support, PKK leader Abdallah Ocallan has been threatening the Turkish government with a Kurdish separatist insurgency long before Erdogan’s presidency. The United States, like Turkey, considers the PKK to be a terrorist organisation. But in Syria the US had, until its recent military withdrawal, allied itself with other secular and progressive Syrian groups, namely the Syrian Democratic Forces. The Kurdish minority in northern Syria, as in nearby Iraq, has long been stuck between Ocallan’s armed militia, the Turkish government and their own authoritarian leaders – used and abused, my research finds, by politicians seeking to further their own regional agenda in the Mideast. Returning Syrian refugees to this battleground would make them the “buffer” between these warring forces, turning more vulnerable people into collateral damage of a greater geopolitical war. (Deina Abdelkader is Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Deportation to Syria could mean death for women, children and LGBTQ refugees in Turkey

Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to enact a law guaranteeing 75 per cent job reservation for locals in private industrial units, factories, joint ventures, including public-private partnership concerns.

The enactment prescribes that if locals lack the requisite skills, companies and factories are mandated to train them with state government’s assistance and hire them.

While no state can afford to ignore local talent, shutting the doors on the migrant labour force is a regressive step. This model will prove to be very complex and a threat to the overall economic and industrial growth of the newly bifurcated state.

Lately, many regional satraps are taken in by parochial considerations and jingoist sentiments. State governments such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee’s preference for Bengali-speakers over non-Bengalis in employment in the state, MP Chief Minister’s penchant for 70 per cent employment for locals in the state’s industrial units, Gujarat CM Vijaya Rupani’s promise of 80 per cent job reservations for locals in the industrial and service sector, are examples that may prompt other states to follow suit.

According to Census 2011, there are 139 million internal migrants in the country, who are also a captive source of labour. Their employment does help them in earning and contributing to the state GDP. The xenophobic reaction and nativism is often an excuse to hide failures by governments for their utter misgovernance.

Viewing the whole world as one community has become a term of abuse in the hands of regional political leaders. These leaders view outsiders with suspicion and self-righteousness. According to them, “rootless cosmopolitans” are a threat to the integrity of the state.

For example, beating up Hindi-speaking auto drivers in Mumbai and a proposal from Raj-Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navanirman Sena to issue licenses only to Marathi-speaking autorickshaw drivers, the “Bongal Kheda” agitation in Assam and the fight against “dikus” (outsiders) in Jharkhand, are all examples of this disturbing trend.

Overindulgence in the domestic politics of parochialism constitute the greatest threats to regional peace and stability among different states. It is nothing but splitting the general population into groups and putting their own state citizens’ needs ahead of other citizens’ needs.

These man-created barriers do not come up overnight, but evolve over a period of time. It comes in handy for cynical politicians to hide their failures and mismanagement of the economy. Agendas such as these are often backed by selfish and personal goals at the expense of national interest.

If implemented, such laws would violate Article 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution. Article 19(d) and 19(e) of the Constitution, which are ingrained in our fundamental rights, guarantees freedom of movement to Indian citizens within the territory of India. In the past, many Indian states have enacted such laws, but have never implemented it vigorously.

Interestingly, Andhra Pradesh has excluded some areas such as fertilisers, coal, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, cement and IT industry from the ambit of such a job guarantee statute.

Similarly, while formulating the 100 per cent reservation plan for the Kannadigas in blue-collar industries in Karnataka, both infotech and biotech have been kept outside its purview.

However, none of these local reservations have been challenged in any court of law, nor does the Constitution contain any provision for non-discriminatory commercial clause.

While responding to the changed law of job reservation for locals, the companies will be busy in adjusting the composition of the workforce to meet the changed quota regime. However, the number and nature of jobs will remain unaffected. Hence, states, instead of changing the job composition, should focus more on new job creation.

At a time, when states are competing fiercely to attract investment, it would be counter-productive for them to discriminate and reserve jobs for sons of the soil.

States who do so, will lose in the long run since the investment flow prefers places where there is low compliance costs and freedom of hiring employees, as per their choice.

To achieve higher growth rate, there is no substitute to employing skilled professionals. In order to survive and excel in the competitive globalised world, the country needs to focus on overall skill development and national goals over regional preferences.

The politics of local preference will dilute the pace of economic growth. A level playing field puts merit over domicile.

The populist stand by state governments could have a bearing on the quantity and quality of investment coming in. When the central government is seeking to achieve the goal of “One Nation One Tax” with the introduction of GST, reservation for locals take us to the other extreme.

In a hypothetical situation, if other states decide to retaliate by not employing personnel hailing from Andhra Pradesh or states reserving jobs for locals, it will add another dimension to the problem of parochialism.

No state can afford to ignore local talent, but shooing away skilled/unskilled migrants is a regressive step. Political compulsions and electoral promises made by politicians apart, reservation for the locals in the private sector is not an effective model to tackle burgeoning unemployment and underemployment.

It may prove regressive and dissuade the corporate sector to invest in a state where such a rule is prevalent. India being a labour surplus country, the internal migration of labour is quite natural.

Many studies indicate that movement of labour is good for the economy, since the regions suffering deficit of labour forces imports from the labour surplus states. 
 
(This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the <a href="https://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-politics-of-native-preference-2789345">original article</a>) 
 
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to enact a law guaranteeing 75 per cent job reservation for locals in private industrial units, factories, joint ventures, including public-private partnership concerns.

Andhra Pradesh is the first state in India to enact a law guaranteeing 75 per cent job reservation for locals in private industrial units, factories, joint ventures, including public-private partnership concerns. The enactment prescribes that if locals lack the requisite skills, companies and factories are mandated to train them with state government’s assistance and hire them. While no state can afford to ignore local talent, shutting the doors on the migrant labour force is a regressive step. This model will prove to be very complex and a threat to the overall economic and industrial growth of the newly bifurcated state. Lately, many regional satraps are taken in by parochial considerations and jingoist sentiments. State governments such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Bannerjee’s preference for Bengali-speakers over non-Bengalis in employment in the state, MP Chief Minister’s penchant for 70 per cent employment for locals in the state’s industrial units, Gujarat CM Vijaya Rupani’s promise of 80 per cent job reservations for locals in the industrial and service sector, are examples that may prompt other states to follow suit. According to Census 2011, there are 139 million internal migrants in the country, who are also a captive source of labour. Their employment does help them in earning and contributing to the state GDP. The xenophobic reaction and nativism is often an excuse to hide failures by governments for their utter misgovernance. Viewing the whole world as one community has become a term of abuse in the hands of regional political leaders. These leaders view outsiders with suspicion and self-righteousness. According to them, “rootless cosmopolitans” are a threat to the integrity of the state. For example, beating up Hindi-speaking auto drivers in Mumbai and a proposal from Raj-Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navanirman Sena to issue licenses only to Marathi-speaking autorickshaw drivers, the “Bongal Kheda” agitation in Assam and the fight against “dikus” (outsiders) in Jharkhand, are all examples of this disturbing trend. Overindulgence in the domestic politics of parochialism constitute the greatest threats to regional peace and stability among different states. It is nothing but splitting the general population into groups and putting their own state citizens’ needs ahead of other citizens’ needs. These man-created barriers do not come up overnight, but evolve over a period of time. It comes in handy for cynical politicians to hide their failures and mismanagement of the economy. Agendas such as these are often backed by selfish and personal goals at the expense of national interest. If implemented, such laws would violate Article 14 and 16 of the Indian Constitution. Article 19(d) and 19(e) of the Constitution, which are ingrained in our fundamental rights, guarantees freedom of movement to Indian citizens within the territory of India. In the past, many Indian states have enacted such laws, but have never implemented it vigorously. Interestingly, Andhra Pradesh has excluded some areas such as fertilisers, coal, pharmaceuticals, petroleum, cement and IT industry from the ambit of such a job guarantee statute. Similarly, while formulating the 100 per cent reservation plan for the Kannadigas in blue-collar industries in Karnataka, both infotech and biotech have been kept outside its purview. However, none of these local reservations have been challenged in any court of law, nor does the Constitution contain any provision for non-discriminatory commercial clause. While responding to the changed law of job reservation for locals, the companies will be busy in adjusting the composition of the workforce to meet the changed quota regime. However, the number and nature of jobs will remain unaffected. Hence, states, instead of changing the job composition, should focus more on new job creation. At a time, when states are competing fiercely to attract investment, it would be counter-productive for them to discriminate and reserve jobs for sons of the soil. States who do so, will lose in the long run since the investment flow prefers places where there is low compliance costs and freedom of hiring employees, as per their choice. To achieve higher growth rate, there is no substitute to employing skilled professionals. In order to survive and excel in the competitive globalised world, the country needs to focus on overall skill development and national goals over regional preferences. The politics of local preference will dilute the pace of economic growth. A level playing field puts merit over domicile. The populist stand by state governments could have a bearing on the quantity and quality of investment coming in. When the central government is seeking to achieve the goal of “One Nation One Tax” with the introduction of GST, reservation for locals take us to the other extreme. In a hypothetical situation, if other states decide to retaliate by not employing personnel hailing from Andhra Pradesh or states reserving jobs for locals, it will add another dimension to the problem of parochialism. No state can afford to ignore local talent, but shooing away skilled/unskilled migrants is a regressive step. Political compulsions and electoral promises made by politicians apart, reservation for the locals in the private sector is not an effective model to tackle burgeoning unemployment and underemployment. It may prove regressive and dissuade the corporate sector to invest in a state where such a rule is prevalent. India being a labour surplus country, the internal migration of labour is quite natural. Many studies indicate that movement of labour is good for the economy, since the regions suffering deficit of labour forces imports from the labour surplus states. (This article was originally published on The DNA. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Politics of native preference: Shooing away migrants is economically disastrous

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/migrants-finally-disembark-open-arms-ship-in-italy-244628">migrants</a> flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States.

Efforts to stem the flow of Central Americans, many <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/changes-for-a-landmark-agreement-mean-immigrant-children-face-harsher-treatment-in-us-245059">seeking legal asylum in the United States</a>, have gained impetus as US President Donald Trump continues to pursue a mix of threats and stepped-up immigration enforcement.

Poverty and rampant corruption that allows drug trafficking and criminal gangs to flourish in the so-called Northern Triangle have prompted many to seek a better life in the United States.

"The Northern Triangle region needs a shock of investment," said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, host of a regional summit that wrapped up on Friday that also included political and business leaders from Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic as well as all six Central American nations.

In the summit`s final declaration, the leaders signaled their "commitment to promote the formation of a great international initiative for the massive generation of jobs and productive investments in our countries."

The plan, which focused on infrastructure projects including railways, highways, pipelines, ports and airports, is needed to reduce the "migratory momentum," it said. 
Hernandez noted that the proposal will be submitted to the United Nations.

The summit was held in Honduras` second biggest city and industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, which has seen waves of migrants fleeing one of the world`s highest homicide rates at more than 47 per 100,000 residents, according to 2018 government data.

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of migrants flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States.

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of migrants flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States. Efforts to stem the flow of Central Americans, many seeking legal asylum in the United States, have gained impetus as US President Donald Trump continues to pursue a mix of threats and stepped-up immigration enforcement. Poverty and rampant corruption that allows drug trafficking and criminal gangs to flourish in the so-called Northern Triangle have prompted many to seek a better life in the United States. "The Northern Triangle region needs a shock of investment," said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, host of a regional summit that wrapped up on Friday that also included political and business leaders from Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic as well as all six Central American nations. In the summit`s final declaration, the leaders signaled their "commitment to promote the formation of a great international initiative for the massive generation of jobs and productive investments in our countries." The plan, which focused on infrastructure projects including railways, highways, pipelines, ports and airports, is needed to reduce the "migratory momentum," it said. Hernandez noted that the proposal will be submitted to the United Nations. The summit was held in Honduras` second biggest city and industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, which has seen waves of migrants fleeing one of the world`s highest homicide rates at more than 47 per 100,000 residents, according to 2018 government data.

'Shock' investment urged to stem flow of Central American migrants

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-department-of-homeland-security-warns-of-data-threat-from-chinese-made-drones-220524">US Department of Homeland Security</a> requested 1,000 additional soldiers to help manage the migrant crisis in Texas, the Pentagon said Monday, amid growing outcry over conditions in migrant detention facilities.

In a statement, the Pentagon said they had been asked to authorize the Texas National Guard to lend support to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, who say they are overwhelmed by the numbers of refugees crossing the southern <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nearly-15000-soldiers-deployed-on-us-border-mexico-army-chief-230133">US border</a>.

Thousands of active duty and National Guard troops have already been deployed for months along the US-Mexico border to support immigration officials.

"DHS requests authorization for 1,000 Texas National Guard members... to provide supplemental holding and Port of Entry (POE) enforcement support to CBP within the State of Texas," the statement said.

The Guard members will help manage CBP-run holding facilities for single, adult migrants in the towns of Donna, on the eastern end of the border with Mexico, and Tornillo, which is in the middle of the border.

They will also provide support at ports of entry and commercial airports in El Paso and Laredo, to improve border security and traffic flow.

While the Pentagon did not specify when they received the request or if they had made a decision, the statement did note that "Texas Governor (Greg) Abbott has consented to the use of the National Guard to support CBP."

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been criticized after a report from its inspector general, a watchdog, last week warned about "dangerous overcrowding" in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explainer-how-does-the-situation-on-the-us-mexico-border-compare-with-the-past-225130">migrant detention</a> facilities in Texas.

The report included images taken at several Texas sites, showing dozens of migrants including young children packed shoulder to shoulder into cage-like holding areas or cells.

Most single adults had not had a shower in a month and were being given wet wipes. Some detainees were suffering from constipation after a diet consisting only of bologna sandwiches.

The report came a day after a group of Democratic lawmakers toured the detention centers and denounced the conditions as "horrifying."

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who toured two such centers, told reporters the migrants were being subjected to "abuse."

"They put them in a room with no running water and these women were being told by CBP officers to drink out of the toilet," she said upon returning to New York.

CBP deputy commissioner Robert Perez, appearing on CNN, said the detention centers were "never designed to deal with the volume of migrants coming our way" and the Border Patrol is doing its best to deal with "absolutely over saturated conditions."

According to Border Patrol figures, 223,263 people were detained in the Rio Grande Valley sector between October 2018 and May 2019, up 124 percent from the same period a year earlier.

In April the US Defense Department said it would deploy about 320 additional troops to the southern border, adding to around 2,900 active duty military and 2,000 National Guard members currently posted to the boundary region.

The US Department of Homeland Security requested 1,000 additional soldiers to help manage the migrant crisis in Texas, the Pentagon said Monday, amid growing outcry over conditions in migrant detention facilities.

The US Department of Homeland Security requested 1,000 additional soldiers to help manage the migrant crisis in Texas, the Pentagon said Monday, amid growing outcry over conditions in migrant detention facilities. In a statement, the Pentagon said they had been asked to authorize the Texas National Guard to lend support to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials, who say they are overwhelmed by the numbers of refugees crossing the southern US border. Thousands of active duty and National Guard troops have already been deployed for months along the US-Mexico border to support immigration officials. "DHS requests authorization for 1,000 Texas National Guard members... to provide supplemental holding and Port of Entry (POE) enforcement support to CBP within the State of Texas," the statement said. The Guard members will help manage CBP-run holding facilities for single, adult migrants in the towns of Donna, on the eastern end of the border with Mexico, and Tornillo, which is in the middle of the border. They will also provide support at ports of entry and commercial airports in El Paso and Laredo, to improve border security and traffic flow. While the Pentagon did not specify when they received the request or if they had made a decision, the statement did note that "Texas Governor (Greg) Abbott has consented to the use of the National Guard to support CBP." The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been criticized after a report from its inspector general, a watchdog, last week warned about "dangerous overcrowding" in migrant detention facilities in Texas. The report included images taken at several Texas sites, showing dozens of migrants including young children packed shoulder to shoulder into cage-like holding areas or cells. Most single adults had not had a shower in a month and were being given wet wipes. Some detainees were suffering from constipation after a diet consisting only of bologna sandwiches. The report came a day after a group of Democratic lawmakers toured the detention centers and denounced the conditions as "horrifying." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who toured two such centers, told reporters the migrants were being subjected to "abuse." "They put them in a room with no running water and these women were being told by CBP officers to drink out of the toilet," she said upon returning to New York. CBP deputy commissioner Robert Perez, appearing on CNN, said the detention centers were "never designed to deal with the volume of migrants coming our way" and the Border Patrol is doing its best to deal with "absolutely over saturated conditions." According to Border Patrol figures, 223,263 people were detained in the Rio Grande Valley sector between October 2018 and May 2019, up 124 percent from the same period a year earlier. In April the US Defense Department said it would deploy about 320 additional troops to the southern border, adding to around 2,900 active duty military and 2,000 National Guard members currently posted to the boundary region.

US department of homeland security requests 1,000 soldiers to manage migrant crisis

The one issue that affects almost all countries in the world is that of migrants. Yet, this is an issue on which the affected countries - be they homeland or destination of the migrants - never think or act as one. They don't even speak in one voice. The causes and conditions resulting in migration cannot always be blamed on the native land of the migrants or refugees. Although there is an unending cycle of migration from the less developed to the more developed countries, there are tides and surges driven by war, violence, genocide, political crisis and economic turmoil.

The United Nations and the UN Human Rights Council have been deplorably ineffective in dealing with this enormous humanitarian crisis confronting the world. When the big powers talk a lot about human rights they see it as an instrument of foreign, defence and trade policies that is useful for bearing down on economic rivals or weaker nations.

There is not the least interest in mitigating the plight of the migrants or eliminating the causes and conditions leading to mass migration across continents.

It is high time the world wakes up to address the issue towards: One, ensuring conditions for a livelihood and equity in the poorer quarters of the planet. Two, creating some space for migrants in the better-off nations - after all they are the backbone of the industrial economy. Three, pin responsibility for military actions that drive people out of their homes and homeland and make the offending countries pay.

(Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

The one issue that affects almost all countries in the world is that of migrants. Yet, this is an issue on which the affected countries - be they homeland or destination of the migrants - never think or act as one.

The one issue that affects almost all countries in the world is that of migrants. Yet, this is an issue on which the affected countries - be they homeland or destination of the migrants - never think or act as one. They don't even speak in one voice. The causes and conditions resulting in migration cannot always be blamed on the native land of the migrants or refugees. Although there is an unending cycle of migration from the less developed to the more developed countries, there are tides and surges driven by war, violence, genocide, political crisis and economic turmoil. The United Nations and the UN Human Rights Council have been deplorably ineffective in dealing with this enormous humanitarian crisis confronting the world. When the big powers talk a lot about human rights they see it as an instrument of foreign, defence and trade policies that is useful for bearing down on economic rivals or weaker nations. There is not the least interest in mitigating the plight of the migrants or eliminating the causes and conditions leading to mass migration across continents. It is high time the world wakes up to address the issue towards: One, ensuring conditions for a livelihood and equity in the poorer quarters of the planet. Two, creating some space for migrants in the better-off nations - after all they are the backbone of the industrial economy. Three, pin responsibility for military actions that drive people out of their homes and homeland and make the offending countries pay. (Disclaimer: WION Edit is the channel's take on the big events of the world)

WION Edit: World unmoved by migrants' plight

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