What we know about migrant tragedy off Greece

At least 78 migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized and sank off the Peloponnese early on Wednesday, said the country's coast guard.&nbsp;

As per the coastguard, more people are feared missing in the incident and the death toll is expected to rise.

According to the authorities, at least 104 people were rescued but it is not yet clear how many people were aboard the vessel when it capsized. The incident is deemed the deadliest in the country this year.

The boat was spotted in international waters late on Tuesday by an aircraft that belonged to the European Union border agency Frontex, around 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the town of Pylos in southern Greece, said the coast guard. The boat was en route to Italy.

It further said that the ones aboard the boat had denied assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. A few hours later, the boat sank which prompted a search and rescue operation.

It later said that none of the people aboard the boat were wearing life jackets, and also did not disclose their nationalities immediately.

According to the state broadcaster ERT, it had sailed from the Libyan town of Tobruk. It further said that most of the people on board were young men in their 20s.&nbsp;

The survivors were taken to the town of Kalamata, said the authorities.

<h2>'There could have been hundreds&nbsp;of people on board the boat', says the Coast Guard</h2>

Citing a migration ministry source, AFP reported that as per the coast guard, there could have been "hundreds" of people on board the boat.

"We fear there will be a very large number of missing persons," the official said.

Taking to Twitter, the International Organization for Migration said that they fear&nbsp;more lives might have been&nbsp;lost in the tragic incident.

"We fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were on board," the organisation tweeted.

As per AFP reports, the rescue operation included navy vessels, an army plane, a helicopter and six other boats that were in the area.

"Since very early Wednesday, an extensive rescue operation is underway off Pylos, after a fishing boat capsized with a large number of migrants onboard," the coast guard said.

According to an official, the migration ministry would begin looking for accommodation for the ones rescued after they are processed by the coast guard to determine gender and nationality.

Greece's port police said that on Wednesday, a sailing boat in distress off Crete with about 80 migrants on board was rescued by a coastguard patrol and towed to port.

(With inputs from agencies)

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At least 78 migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized and sank off the Peloponnese early on Wednesday, said the country's coast guard. As per the coastguard, more people are feared missing in the incident and the death toll is expected to rise.

At least 78 migrants lost their lives after their boat capsized and sank off the Peloponnese early on Wednesday, said the country's coast guard. As per the coastguard, more people are feared missing in the incident and the death toll is expected to rise. According to the authorities, at least 104 people were rescued but it is not yet clear how many people were aboard the vessel when it capsized. The incident is deemed the deadliest in the country this year. The boat was spotted in international waters late on Tuesday by an aircraft that belonged to the European Union border agency Frontex, around 50 miles (80 km) southwest of the town of Pylos in southern Greece, said the coast guard. The boat was en route to Italy. It further said that the ones aboard the boat had denied assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. A few hours later, the boat sank which prompted a search and rescue operation. It later said that none of the people aboard the boat were wearing life jackets, and also did not disclose their nationalities immediately. According to the state broadcaster ERT, it had sailed from the Libyan town of Tobruk. It further said that most of the people on board were young men in their 20s. The survivors were taken to the town of Kalamata, said the authorities. 'There could have been hundreds of people on board the boat', says the Coast Guard Citing a migration ministry source, AFP reported that as per the coast guard, there could have been "hundreds" of people on board the boat. "We fear there will be a very large number of missing persons," the official said. Taking to Twitter, the International Organization for Migration said that they fear more lives might have been lost in the tragic incident. "We fear more lives were lost. Initial reports suggest up to 400 people were on board," the organisation tweeted. As per AFP reports, the rescue operation included navy vessels, an army plane, a helicopter and six other boats that were in the area. "Since very early Wednesday, an extensive rescue operation is underway off Pylos, after a fishing boat capsized with a large number of migrants onboard," the coast guard said. According to an official, the migration ministry would begin looking for accommodation for the ones rescued after they are processed by the coast guard to determine gender and nationality. Greece's port police said that on Wednesday, a sailing boat in distress off Crete with about 80 migrants on board was rescued by a coastguard patrol and towed to port. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

At least 78 die, several missing after boat capsizes and sinks off Greece

An eight-year-old&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;girl&nbsp;died in US custody in Texas on Wednesday, a tragedy that tempered news of a sharp drop in attempted illegal crossings of the southern US border.

The&nbsp;girl&nbsp;died in Harlingen, a Texas border city near the Gulf of Mexico.&nbsp;

"The child and her family were in custody at the Harlingen Station where she experienced a medical emergency," US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement.

"Emergency Medical Services were called to the station and transported her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead," the statement said, adding that an investigation was opened into the death.&nbsp;

The agency did not give the&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;girl's identity or nationality.

A 17-year-old Honduran boy who arrived in the US without a parent or guardian died last week in government custody in Safety Harbor, Florida.

Separately, new policies that came into effect last week to deal with undocumented migrants appear to have slashed US entries.

The Border Patrol counted less than 4,000 "encounters",&nbsp;apprehensions and expulsions -- with people crossing without permission each of the past two days, said Blas Nunez-Neto, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-backs-off-raise-the-debt-ceiling-idea-confident-of-reaching-deal-to-avoid-default-593406">Biden backs off 'raise the debt ceiling' idea, confident of reaching deal to avoid default</a>

That compared with 10,100 per day in the week before the lifting of Title 42, the Covid-19 health emergency rule used for three years to swiftly expel a wide array of migrants, he told reporters.

Replacing Title 42 was a policy package anchored on immigration law Title 8, which provides for strict penalties for those crossing who do not qualify, including five-year bans on US entry and possible criminal charges.

That was combined with an expansion of formal avenues to migrate to the United States, focused especially on refugees and asylum applicants.

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The aim was to stem pressure at the border, where more than 200,000&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;encounters occurred in most months over the last year, creating a political crisis for President Joe Biden.

<h2>Crossing numbers drop</h2>

Nunez-Neto said last week's policy change appeared to be achieving the goal of reducing illegal immigration.

The number of Mexicans encountered fell from 1,900 daily to 1,000 and Colombians from 1,400 to 510 a day.

The number of Venezuelan migrants had also plunged to 50 per day, after hitting 2,400 before the policy change.

The 4,000 a day was also lower than the average of 7,000 encounters a day in April.

In addition, there were signs that the northward movement of migrants from South and Central America to the Mexico-US frontier has slowed, said Nunez-Neto.

"We are also seeing some early promising signs that entries into the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama have been declining in recent days," he said, referring to a particularly treacherous section of the main route for migrants heading north.

Instead, "tens of thousands" have been applying for immigration interviews with US Customs and Border Protection, and over 5,000 have been "processed" in their appointments since May 12, Nunez-Neto said.

And many Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans are taking advantage of a special program to migrate as refugees that requires them to apply from abroad, he added.

"I want to stress once again that it is still too soon to draw any firm conclusions here about where these trends will go in the coming days and weeks," said Nunez-Neto.

"We continue to monitor the situation on our border and in Mexico and along the transit routes in real-time," he said.

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An eight-year-old migrant girl died in US custody in Texas on Wednesday, a tragedy that tempered news of a sharp drop in attempted illegal crossings of the southern US border.

An eight-year-old migrant girl died in US custody in Texas on Wednesday, a tragedy that tempered news of a sharp drop in attempted illegal crossings of the southern US border. The girl died in Harlingen, a Texas border city near the Gulf of Mexico. "The child and her family were in custody at the Harlingen Station where she experienced a medical emergency," US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement. "Emergency Medical Services were called to the station and transported her to the local hospital where she was pronounced dead," the statement said, adding that an investigation was opened into the death. The agency did not give the migrant girl's identity or nationality. A 17-year-old Honduran boy who arrived in the US without a parent or guardian died last week in government custody in Safety Harbor, Florida. Separately, new policies that came into effect last week to deal with undocumented migrants appear to have slashed US entries. The Border Patrol counted less than 4,000 "encounters", apprehensions and expulsions -- with people crossing without permission each of the past two days, said Blas Nunez-Neto, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. ALSO READ | Biden backs off 'raise the debt ceiling' idea, confident of reaching deal to avoid default That compared with 10,100 per day in the week before the lifting of Title 42, the Covid-19 health emergency rule used for three years to swiftly expel a wide array of migrants, he told reporters. Replacing Title 42 was a policy package anchored on immigration law Title 8, which provides for strict penalties for those crossing who do not qualify, including five-year bans on US entry and possible criminal charges. That was combined with an expansion of formal avenues to migrate to the United States, focused especially on refugees and asylum applicants. ALSO WATCH | US Regional banking stocks rally The aim was to stem pressure at the border, where more than 200,000 migrant encounters occurred in most months over the last year, creating a political crisis for President Joe Biden. Crossing numbers drop Nunez-Neto said last week's policy change appeared to be achieving the goal of reducing illegal immigration. The number of Mexicans encountered fell from 1,900 daily to 1,000 and Colombians from 1,400 to 510 a day. The number of Venezuelan migrants had also plunged to 50 per day, after hitting 2,400 before the policy change. The 4,000 a day was also lower than the average of 7,000 encounters a day in April. In addition, there were signs that the northward movement of migrants from South and Central America to the Mexico-US frontier has slowed, said Nunez-Neto. "We are also seeing some early promising signs that entries into the Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama have been declining in recent days," he said, referring to a particularly treacherous section of the main route for migrants heading north. Instead, "tens of thousands" have been applying for immigration interviews with US Customs and Border Protection, and over 5,000 have been "processed" in their appointments since May 12, Nunez-Neto said. And many Haitians, Venezuelans and Cubans are taking advantage of a special program to migrate as refugees that requires them to apply from abroad, he added. "I want to stress once again that it is still too soon to draw any firm conclusions here about where these trends will go in the coming days and weeks," said Nunez-Neto. "We continue to monitor the situation on our border and in Mexico and along the transit routes in real-time," he said. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

8-year-old migrant girl dies in US custody at Texas border

Here we bring you a quick round-up of all the latest news and top headlines from all across the globe - Migrants have been gathering on both sides of the US-Mexico border as immigration restrictions known as Title 42 are set to expire. Some are rushing to cross ahead of new asylum rules that will replace a COVID-era order.

Migrant detentions surge as Title 42 expires | WION Speed News

Twelve children were among the at least 59 people who perished after a wooden sailing boat bringing migrants to Europe collided with rocks close to the southern Italian coast early on Sunday, according to authorities.

Italy Migrant Boat Shipwreck Tragedy: At least 59 migrants killed

A migrant’s camp set up on the Mexican side of the border with the US was dismantled by the Mexico police on Sunday due to security reasons, a local official said. The camps had been set up by around 600 migrants mostly from Venezuela in the city of Ciudad Juarez.

Police dismantle Mexican migrant camps at US border citing 'security' as reason

UK and France signed an agreement worth $74 million to ramp up efforts to stop illegal migrants from making perilous journeys across the English Channel

UK and France sign deal on migrant crossings

UK and France signed an agreement worth $74 million to ramp up efforts to stop illegal migrants from making perilous journeys across the English Channel.

UK & France sign deal on migrant crisis; UK to pay more to France as part of the deal

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested the deployment of military troops to assist with migrants arriving on buses sent by the Texas and Arizona state governments.

Washington mayor requests troops to assist with migrant arrivals from Texas and Arizona

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at least 22 Mexicans were among the migrants found dead in a trailer truck in the US state of Texas on Tuesday, as he put the total number of fatalities at 50, as reported by AFP.

"It's a tremendous misfortune... so far there are 50 dead - 22 from Mexico, seven from Guatemala, two from Honduras and 19 still without information about their nationality," the Mexican leader said at a morning press conference.

White House calls deaths of immigrants in Texas 'absolutely horrific and heartbreaking.'

The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the United States.-Mexico border.

A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found "stacks of bodies" and no signs of water in the truck, which was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city's southern outskirts.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/need-rescue-on-the-sea-this-spanish-city-will-charge-you-for-it-492622">Need rescue on the sea? This Spanish city will charge you for it</a>

Sixteen other people found inside the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said.&nbsp;

"The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told a news conference. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer but there was no visible working air conditioning unit on that rig."

The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs.&nbsp;

The issue has proven difficult for United States President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office in January 2021 pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor

Donald Trump. Republicans have criticized Biden's border strategy ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November.&nbsp;

As reported by Reuters, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the "tragedy in Texas" on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help "however possible."

(with inputs from agencies) 
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Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at least 22 Mexicans were among the migrants found dead in a trailer truck in the US state of Texas on Tuesday, as he put the total number of fatalities at 50, as reported by AFP.

Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at least 22 Mexicans were among the migrants found dead in a trailer truck in the US state of Texas on Tuesday, as he put the total number of fatalities at 50, as reported by AFP. "It's a tremendous misfortune... so far there are 50 dead - 22 from Mexico, seven from Guatemala, two from Honduras and 19 still without information about their nationality," the Mexican leader said at a morning press conference. White House calls deaths of immigrants in Texas 'absolutely horrific and heartbreaking.' The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the United States.-Mexico border. A San Antonio Fire Department official said they found "stacks of bodies" and no signs of water in the truck, which was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city's southern outskirts. Also Read: Need rescue on the sea? This Spanish city will charge you for it Sixteen other people found inside the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said. "The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion," San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told a news conference. "It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer but there was no visible working air conditioning unit on that rig." The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border, which have reached record highs. The issue has proven difficult for United States President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office in January 2021 pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Republicans have criticized Biden's border strategy ahead of the midterm congressional elections in November. As reported by Reuters, Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the "tragedy in Texas" on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help "however possible." (with inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Texas trailer tragedy: 22 Mexicans among dead migrants, White House says 'heartbreaking'

The Spanish prime minister on Saturday described a deadly migrant rush on the enclave of Melilla from Morocco as an attack on Spain's "territorial integrity", as human rights activists demanded an investigation.

At least 23 African migrants died in the latest drama on the doors of the European Union, when around 2,000 mostly sub-Saharan African migrants approached the Moroccan border with the tiny territory&nbsp;at dawn on Friday.

More than 500 people managed to enter a border control area after cutting a fence with shears, Melilla authorities said in a statement.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/violent-skirmish-between-border-police-and-migrants-leave-18-dead-in-spains-melilla-491601">Violent skirmish between border police and migrants leave 18 dead in Spain's Melilla</a>

Moroccan officials on Friday said 18 migrants had died during the rush or succumbed to their injuries, some of which came from falling from the top of the barrier. On Saturday, they revised the toll upwards to 23 after five of those injured died.

More than 20 migrants and two security force personnel remain in hospital Saturday in the cities of Nador and nearby Oujda, they said.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the incident was a "violent and organised attack by mafias who traffic in human beings, against a Spanish territory".

But Morocco's AMDH human rights group said it was "a true catastrophe that shows the consequences of the latest Moroccan-Spanish entente", just weeks after the two sides resolved a year-long diplomatic rift.

'Investigate this tragedy'

The death toll is by far the worst recorded in years of attempts by migrants to cross into Melilla, one of Spain's North African enclaves which have the EU's only land borders on the continent.

Images on Spanish media on Friday showed exhausted migrants lying on the pavement in Melilla, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes.

By Saturday, calm had returned to the border area, with Moroccan security forces lightly deployed and no migrants to be seen.

The International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency expressed "grave concern at the lives lost and the number of injured".

The agencies reminded member states of the "need in all circumstances to prioritise the safety of migrants and refugees, to avoid excessive use of force and to respect their fundamental rights."

In Morocco, the AMDH demanded a "comprehensive, quick and serious enquiry", while the Democratic Labour Organisation (ODT) trade union urged the government "to investigate this tragedy and do what is needed" both for migrants and police.

In Spain, Sanchez's left-wing coalition partner Podemos also called for a probe.

Watch |&nbsp;18 migrants die in mass attempt to reach Spain's Melilla

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Residents fear attacks

Residents of the Barrio Chino neighbourhood on the Moroccan side of the barrier said they were in shock.

"This is the most violent attempt to cross into Melilla that I've ever seen," said Rachid Nejjari, a waiter in a cafe near the heavily fortified border fence.

"I saw migrants armed with sticks and iron bars... I was afraid of being attacked."

Friday's was the first mass incursion since Spain mended a year-long rift by backing Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara region, scrapping its decades-long stance of neutrality.

Sanchez&nbsp;then visited Rabat, and the two governments hailed a "new stage" in relations.

The row had begun when Madrid allowed Brahim Ghali, leader of Western Sahara's pro-independence Polisario Front, to be treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital in April 2021.

A month later, some 10,000 migrants surged across the Moroccan border into the Ceuta enclave as border guards looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive gesture by Rabat.

Rabat wants Western Sahara to have autonomous status under Moroccan sovereignty but the Polisario insists on a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination as agreed in a 1991 ceasefire deal.

Migration 'security threat'

In the days just before Morocco and Spain patched up their ties, there were several attempted mass crossings of migrants into Melilla, including one involving 2,500 people, the largest such attempt&nbsp;on record. Nearly 500 made it across.

The mending of ties has meant a drop in migrant arrivals in Spain, notably in the Canary Islands.

The number of migrants who reached the Canary Islands in April was 70 percent lower than in February, government figures show.&nbsp;

Sanchez said earlier this month that "Spain will not tolerate any use of the tragedy of illegal immigration as a means of pressure."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-3000-migrants-lost-at-sea-trying-to-reach-europe-in-2021-un-474906">Over 3,000 migrants lost at sea trying to reach Europe in 2021: UN</a>

Spain will seek to have "irregular migration" listed as one of the security threats on NATO's southern flank when the alliance gathers for a summit in Madrid on June 29-30.

Over the years, thousands of migrants have attempted to gain entry to the Spanish enclaves by climbing the barriers, swimming along the coast or hiding in vehicles.

The two territories are protected by fences fortified with barbed wire, video cameras and watchtowers.

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The Spanish prime minister on Saturday described a deadly migrant rush on the enclave of Melilla from Morocco as an attack on Spain's "territorial integrity", as human rights activists demanded an investigation.

The Spanish prime minister on Saturday described a deadly migrant rush on the enclave of Melilla from Morocco as an attack on Spain's "territorial integrity", as human rights activists demanded an investigation. At least 23 African migrants died in the latest drama on the doors of the European Union, when around 2,000 mostly sub-Saharan African migrants approached the Moroccan border with the tiny territory at dawn on Friday. More than 500 people managed to enter a border control area after cutting a fence with shears, Melilla authorities said in a statement. Also read | Violent skirmish between border police and migrants leave 18 dead in Spain's Melilla Moroccan officials on Friday said 18 migrants had died during the rush or succumbed to their injuries, some of which came from falling from the top of the barrier. On Saturday, they revised the toll upwards to 23 after five of those injured died. More than 20 migrants and two security force personnel remain in hospital Saturday in the cities of Nador and nearby Oujda, they said. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the incident was a "violent and organised attack by mafias who traffic in human beings, against a Spanish territory". But Morocco's AMDH human rights group said it was "a true catastrophe that shows the consequences of the latest Moroccan-Spanish entente", just weeks after the two sides resolved a year-long diplomatic rift. 'Investigate this tragedy' The death toll is by far the worst recorded in years of attempts by migrants to cross into Melilla, one of Spain's North African enclaves which have the EU's only land borders on the continent. Images on Spanish media on Friday showed exhausted migrants lying on the pavement in Melilla, some with bloodied hands and torn clothes. By Saturday, calm had returned to the border area, with Moroccan security forces lightly deployed and no migrants to be seen. The International Organization for Migration and the UN refugee agency expressed "grave concern at the lives lost and the number of injured". The agencies reminded member states of the "need in all circumstances to prioritise the safety of migrants and refugees, to avoid excessive use of force and to respect their fundamental rights." In Morocco, the AMDH demanded a "comprehensive, quick and serious enquiry", while the Democratic Labour Organisation (ODT) trade union urged the government "to investigate this tragedy and do what is needed" both for migrants and police. In Spain, Sanchez's left-wing coalition partner Podemos also called for a probe. Watch | 18 migrants die in mass attempt to reach Spain's Melilla Residents fear attacks Residents of the Barrio Chino neighbourhood on the Moroccan side of the barrier said they were in shock. "This is the most violent attempt to cross into Melilla that I've ever seen," said Rachid Nejjari, a waiter in a cafe near the heavily fortified border fence. "I saw migrants armed with sticks and iron bars... I was afraid of being attacked." Friday's was the first mass incursion since Spain mended a year-long rift by backing Morocco's autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara region, scrapping its decades-long stance of neutrality. Sanchez then visited Rabat, and the two governments hailed a "new stage" in relations. The row had begun when Madrid allowed Brahim Ghali, leader of Western Sahara's pro-independence Polisario Front, to be treated for Covid-19 in a Spanish hospital in April 2021. A month later, some 10,000 migrants surged across the Moroccan border into the Ceuta enclave as border guards looked the other way, in what was widely seen as a punitive gesture by Rabat. Rabat wants Western Sahara to have autonomous status under Moroccan sovereignty but the Polisario insists on a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination as agreed in a 1991 ceasefire deal. Migration 'security threat' In the days just before Morocco and Spain patched up their ties, there were several attempted mass crossings of migrants into Melilla, including one involving 2,500 people, the largest such attempt on record. Nearly 500 made it across. The mending of ties has meant a drop in migrant arrivals in Spain, notably in the Canary Islands. The number of migrants who reached the Canary Islands in April was 70 percent lower than in February, government figures show. Sanchez said earlier this month that "Spain will not tolerate any use of the tragedy of illegal immigration as a means of pressure." Also read | Over 3,000 migrants lost at sea trying to reach Europe in 2021: UN Spain will seek to have "irregular migration" listed as one of the security threats on NATO's southern flank when the alliance gathers for a summit in Madrid on June 29-30. Over the years, thousands of migrants have attempted to gain entry to the Spanish enclaves by climbing the barriers, swimming along the coast or hiding in vehicles. The two territories are protected by fences fortified with barbed wire, video cameras and watchtowers. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Spain says deadly migrant rush 'attack' on its territory

The United States is preparing for an expected migrant surge as Mexico steps up security at the border. Meanwhile, migrants are waiting for the end of title 42.

The US prepares for the expected migrant surge: Mexico steps up security at the border

The migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border continues as teens are being employed to avoid legal actions. There has been a rise in the number of crashes by teens reportedly.

Migrant crisis at the US-Mexico border: Teens employed to avoid legal actions

After facing massive backlash online, the Associated Press has cancelled its plans to sell a video showing "migrants drifting in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean” as an NFT.&nbsp;

On Thursday, the news agency made a tweet in an attempt to advertise the clip. As it came amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agency was accused of seeking profit off people's suffering.&nbsp;

AP has now deleted the tweet and cancelled the planned sale. However, it had earlier mentioned that the video would be available the next day through its new marketplace selling NFTs.

Behavioral scientist Caroline Orr Bueno, on her Twitter handle wrote, "The Associated Press has deleted a tweet advertising an NFT that sure looked a whole lot like an attempt to make money off the plight of desperate migrants."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/memory-loss-from-cold-this-is-how-a-uk-woman-lost-20-years-of-her-memory-456490">Also read |&nbsp;Memory loss from cold? This is how a UK woman lost 20 years of her memory&nbsp;</a>

Last month, the news agency announced that it will be starting its NFT marketplace. AP announced that the online marketplace would be a spot where users can “purchase the news agency’s award-winning contemporary and historic photojournalism”, including images of “space, climate [and] war”.

As per a press release, “For 175 years AP’s journalists have recorded the world’s biggest stories, including through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today."

It further stated that the buyers will receive “a rich set of original metadata offering collectors awareness of the time, date, location, equipment and technical settings used for the shot”.

(With inputs from agencies)

After facing massive backlash online, the Associated Press has cancelled its plans to sell a video showing "migrants drifting in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean” as an NFT.

After facing massive backlash online, the Associated Press has cancelled its plans to sell a video showing "migrants drifting in an overcrowded boat in the Mediterranean” as an NFT. On Thursday, the news agency made a tweet in an attempt to advertise the clip. As it came amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the agency was accused of seeking profit off people's suffering. AP has now deleted the tweet and cancelled the planned sale. However, it had earlier mentioned that the video would be available the next day through its new marketplace selling NFTs. Behavioral scientist Caroline Orr Bueno, on her Twitter handle wrote, "The Associated Press has deleted a tweet advertising an NFT that sure looked a whole lot like an attempt to make money off the plight of desperate migrants." Also read | Memory loss from cold? This is how a UK woman lost 20 years of her memory Last month, the news agency announced that it will be starting its NFT marketplace. AP announced that the online marketplace would be a spot where users can “purchase the news agency’s award-winning contemporary and historic photojournalism”, including images of “space, climate [and] war”. As per a press release, “For 175 years AP’s journalists have recorded the world’s biggest stories, including through gripping and poignant images that continue to resonate today." It further stated that the buyers will receive “a rich set of original metadata offering collectors awareness of the time, date, location, equipment and technical settings used for the shot”. (With inputs from agencies)

After receiving backlash, AP cancels sale of migrant boat NFT

Few days after frozen bodies of migrants were discovered near the Greek border, hundreds protested against migrant pushback and border violence in Athens blaming Greece's border policy that led to 19 migrants to freeze to death. According to police officials 700 people marched in front of the Greek parliament.

19 froze to death on Greek border, hundreds protest against migrant pushback

While criticising US President Joe Biden's immigration policies, Texas Governor inaugurated the first stretch of border barrier.

Amid the ongoing migrant crisis, Texas starts constructing its own border wall with Mexico

As temperatures are dropping to unbearable degrees, France is witnessing an anti-cyclone which is a weather system with high atmospheric pressure at its center. The colder weather is further posing a greater risk to the health of the migrants who are living in makeshift camps.

France: Migrants battle cold weather after a difficult journey

The day after at least 27 people died trying to cross the English Channel when their flimsy inflatable boat capsized during the perilous voyage, the leaders of France and England vowed to crack down on migrant crossings even as they offered a fractious response to one of the deadliest disasters in recent years involving migrants trying to cross the narrow waterway separating the two countries.

French officials confirmed that children and a pregnant woman were among those who had drowned, as crews worked in the cold and wind to recover bodies and to try to identify those who died. Two people, one from Iraq and one from Somalia, were found and taken to a French hospital, where they were being treated for severe hypothermia.

The representative in Paris of Iraq’s Kurdistan region said many of the victims were believed to be Iraqi Kurds but that identifying them was difficult. French officials have not said where the dead were from.

The tragedy was a stark reminder that five years after authorities dismantled a sprawling migrant camp in Calais, both countries are still struggling to handle the flow of migrants in the area.

France and Britain have long accused each other of not doing enough to curb attempts to cross the channel. After the tragedy Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said greater efforts should be made to allow joint patrols along the French coast.

And President Emmanuel Macron of France said he expected the British “to cooperate fully and to abstain from using this dramatic situation for political means.”

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Macron added that France was in any case only a “country of transit” for migrants who wanted to reach Britain.

“In a way, we are holding the border for the British,” he said, adding that most of the migrants who reach the area around Calais did not want asylum in France despite offers from French authorities.

The two leaders spoke by phone late Wednesday and said in statements afterward that they had agreed to step up efforts to prevent migrants from making the journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Under an agreement between the two nations, Britain pays France to clamp down on crossings through surveillance and patrols.

Johnson said that he was “shocked and appalled and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea in the channel.” But, he added: “I also want to say that this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross the channel in this way.”

Macron called for an immediate tightening of border controls and an increased crackdown with other European nations on people smugglers.

“France won’t let the Channel become a graveyard,” he said in a statement.

The drownings came only a few days after French and British authorities had reached an agreement to do more to stem the number of people taking to the sea.

Attempts to reach Britain in small boats have increased in recent years as authorities have cracked down on the smuggling of asylum-seekers inside trucks crossing by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 47,000 attempts to cross the channel in small boats, and 7,800 migrants had been saved from shipwrecks, according to French officials. Before Wednesday, seven people had died or disappeared so far this year.

Many migrants — who are often from countries in Africa or the Middle East like Iraq and Eritrea — consider Britain an ideal destination because English is spoken, because they already have family or compatriots there, and because it can be relatively easy to find off-the-books work.

But the recent increase in attempts to cross the English Channel by boat reflects a shift in how migrants are traveling, not in how many, according to migration experts and rights groups, who say that, overall, asylum applications in Britain are down this year.

The crossings have become another element in the worsening relations between France and Britain, which have also clashed over fishing rights and trading checks after Britain’s departure from the European Union, as well as over a submarine alliance among Australia, Britain and the United States that undermined a previous French deal.

The day after at least 27 people died trying to cross the English Channel when their flimsy inflatable boat capsized during the perilous voyage, the leaders of France and England vowed to crack down on migrant crossings even as they offered a fractious response to one of the deadliest disasters in recent years involving migrants trying to cross the narrow waterway separating the two countries.

The day after at least 27 people died trying to cross the English Channel when their flimsy inflatable boat capsized during the perilous voyage, the leaders of France and England vowed to crack down on migrant crossings even as they offered a fractious response to one of the deadliest disasters in recent years involving migrants trying to cross the narrow waterway separating the two countries. French officials confirmed that children and a pregnant woman were among those who had drowned, as crews worked in the cold and wind to recover bodies and to try to identify those who died. Two people, one from Iraq and one from Somalia, were found and taken to a French hospital, where they were being treated for severe hypothermia. The representative in Paris of Iraq’s Kurdistan region said many of the victims were believed to be Iraqi Kurds but that identifying them was difficult. French officials have not said where the dead were from. The tragedy was a stark reminder that five years after authorities dismantled a sprawling migrant camp in Calais, both countries are still struggling to handle the flow of migrants in the area. France and Britain have long accused each other of not doing enough to curb attempts to cross the channel. After the tragedy Wednesday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain said greater efforts should be made to allow joint patrols along the French coast. And President Emmanuel Macron of France said he expected the British “to cooperate fully and to abstain from using this dramatic situation for political means.” Speaking to reporters Thursday, Macron added that France was in any case only a “country of transit” for migrants who wanted to reach Britain. “In a way, we are holding the border for the British,” he said, adding that most of the migrants who reach the area around Calais did not want asylum in France despite offers from French authorities. The two leaders spoke by phone late Wednesday and said in statements afterward that they had agreed to step up efforts to prevent migrants from making the journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Under an agreement between the two nations, Britain pays France to clamp down on crossings through surveillance and patrols. Johnson said that he was “shocked and appalled and deeply saddened by the loss of life at sea in the channel.” But, he added: “I also want to say that this disaster underscores how dangerous it is to cross the channel in this way.” Macron called for an immediate tightening of border controls and an increased crackdown with other European nations on people smugglers. “France won’t let the Channel become a graveyard,” he said in a statement. The drownings came only a few days after French and British authorities had reached an agreement to do more to stem the number of people taking to the sea. Attempts to reach Britain in small boats have increased in recent years as authorities have cracked down on the smuggling of asylum-seekers inside trucks crossing by ferry or through the Channel Tunnel. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 47,000 attempts to cross the channel in small boats, and 7,800 migrants had been saved from shipwrecks, according to French officials. Before Wednesday, seven people had died or disappeared so far this year. Many migrants — who are often from countries in Africa or the Middle East like Iraq and Eritrea — consider Britain an ideal destination because English is spoken, because they already have family or compatriots there, and because it can be relatively easy to find off-the-books work. But the recent increase in attempts to cross the English Channel by boat reflects a shift in how migrants are traveling, not in how many, according to migration experts and rights groups, who say that, overall, asylum applications in Britain are down this year. The crossings have become another element in the worsening relations between France and Britain, which have also clashed over fishing rights and trading checks after Britain’s departure from the European Union, as well as over a submarine alliance among Australia, Britain and the United States that undermined a previous French deal.

France, Britain agree to step up efforts to limit channel crossings

On Wednesday 27 migrants died when their dinghy capsized as they made a perilous crossing of the English Channel. British and French officials have already started trading the blame.

Worst migrant crossing disaster in English Channel, 27 migrants killed

It was cold in Belarus, bitterly cold, but at least it offered hope, however illusory.

Nazar Shamsaldin was one of thousands of Iraqis who made their way to the Eastern European country in recent months, hoping it would prove a jumping-off point to new lives in the West, only to become pawns in a geopolitical game.

But this weekend he was back in Iraq, sitting on the cold floor of a tiny unfinished concrete house, newly deported from Belarus. Nearby a small boy, one of a dozen children crammed into the house, was trying to warm his hands over a single, battered kerosene heater.

Shamsaldin, a laborer, and 35 of his relatives had risked everything to travel West. Like many of the hundreds of other Iraqis deported last week, they are now deep in debt and despair.

The Iraqis are at the heart of a crisis that erupted after Belarus loosened its visa rules this summer, luring migrants but then pushing them across borders to punish the European Union for imposing sanctions against the autocratic Belarusian president.

Once in Belarus, many of the migrant families were abandoned in deep forests with no shelter, food or water, sometimes thrust into dangerous confrontations as they tried to make it into Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, all members of the European Union.

“A Belarusian police officer pointed a pistol at my head, so I had to go back to Lithuania,” said Shamsaldin, 24, who had three small children with him. “In Lithuania, the commandos had guns pointed at me and told me, ‘If you don’t go back, we will kill you.’”

He got the message.

On Thursday, Shamsaldin returned with his family on an Iraqi Airways flight evacuating 431 migrants from Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Several thousand other migrants remain in Belarus near the border. They are mostly Iraqi Kurds, like Shamsaldin, as well as Iraqi Arabs, Syrians, Yemenis and even some Cubans. But with their usefulness to Belarus diminished, the now-penniless Iraqi migrants are being deported.

Most are traumatized. Some have lingering injuries.

“The Belarusians beat us with sticks, but the Lithuanians attacked us with sticks and tasers,” said Dhiab Zaydan, a cousin of Shamsaldin’s.

Zaydan, 30, had a large bandage around his leg where, he said, he was beaten with night sticks. Photographs showed his entire side to be a deep purple, which he attributed to electric shocks.

Reports of assaults at the border are common.

“People have been beaten up, and they are in distress,” said Safeen Dizayee, head of the Foreign Relations Department of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. “We have told these authorities that they should be treated humanely and, at least until this problem is resolved, they should be treated like normal human beings with some kind of shelter or some food.”

For many of the migrants, it was not their first attempt to leave. Shamsaldin had been trying to get to Germany, where he spent six months in 2015 before returning to Iraq to care for his sick father.

“Germany is the only country where we have experienced human rights,” he said.

Shamsaldin said that after walking for two days, he and his relatives were captured by the Belarusian police, pushed into the back of a military truck and driven to the Lithuanian border. There, they were told to cross the fence.

Once they were in Lithuania, an aid organization gave them bread and water, and medical staff assessed any injuries while a cameraman filmed the operation, they recounted. Shamsaldin’s 2-month-old son was taken to a hospital to be treated for exposure.

But once the aid organization and the cameras left, Lithuanian soldiers started using sticks and tasers, the Kurds said, trying to drive them back over the border.

Shamsaldin said he reprimanded one Lithuanian officer, telling him, “‘You destroyed our country, and now we are coming to you, and you don’t have any humanity.'”

The reference was to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but the Lithuanian was quick to offer a correction.

“That was Poland,” he replied.

While Lithuania provided support during the U.S. occupation, Poland was part of the invading force.

Shamsaldin said he sold his car to pay $11,000 for airfare and visas for his wife and three children, which he said were issued by a Belarus travel agency. After they were stranded in the forest in Belarus, he said, a Belarusian soldier in civilian clothes demanded their last $3,000 to drive them back to Minsk.

His cousins, most of whom make $10 a day working in construction, borrowed tens of thousands of dollars and now cannot pay rent. More than a dozen children were crammed into the only living area of the two-room house. None go to school, their families unable to afford the transportation fees of about $20 per month per child.

On Thursday, another family deported from Belarus sat on the sidewalk outside the air terminal in Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, dazed and silent and unable even to come up with the taxi fare to return to the camp for displaced Iraqis where they had been living. They were Yazidis, members of a religious minority, many of whom still languish in camps seven years after the Islamic State group began a campaign of genocide against them.

One of the Yazidis, Naam Khalo, 56, said she, her son and her daughter-in-law had spent 24 nights in the deep forest, only to be sent back to Belarus each time they made it across the border.

To raise the $20,000 needed for the trip, Khalo said, she borrowed money and sold her gold jewelry.

“Now we don’t have anything,” she said.

In a middle-class neighborhood of Irbil, Yadgar Hussein described her own tortuous journey, which led to her deportation from Poland three weeks earlier with her children. In October, they had waded through stream of sewage, she said, and walked through the forest for days in freezing temperatures after the Belarusian police cut the border fence. But once in Poland, a driver led them into a police checkpoint, where they were arrested, with her 19-year-old son and another migrant hiding in the trunk of the car.

She still cannot sleep, she said.

“The only thing I know is my life is destroyed,” said Hussein, who was married at 14 and widowed four years later when her husband stepped on a land mine.

She is divorced from the father of her three youngest children.

Hussein says she has not given up on leaving Irbil again, perhaps next time by the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece.

“If I had money, I would go by sea tomorrow for the sake of my children,” she said. “Either you die or you make it there. But nobody gets arrested.”

It was cold in Belarus, bitterly cold, but at least it offered hope, however illusory. Nazar Shamsaldin was one of thousands of Iraqis who made their way to the Eastern European country in recent months, hoping it would prove a jumping-off point to new lives in the West, only to become pawns in a geopolitical game.

It was cold in Belarus, bitterly cold, but at least it offered hope, however illusory. Nazar Shamsaldin was one of thousands of Iraqis who made their way to the Eastern European country in recent months, hoping it would prove a jumping-off point to new lives in the West, only to become pawns in a geopolitical game. But this weekend he was back in Iraq, sitting on the cold floor of a tiny unfinished concrete house, newly deported from Belarus. Nearby a small boy, one of a dozen children crammed into the house, was trying to warm his hands over a single, battered kerosene heater. Shamsaldin, a laborer, and 35 of his relatives had risked everything to travel West. Like many of the hundreds of other Iraqis deported last week, they are now deep in debt and despair. The Iraqis are at the heart of a crisis that erupted after Belarus loosened its visa rules this summer, luring migrants but then pushing them across borders to punish the European Union for imposing sanctions against the autocratic Belarusian president. Once in Belarus, many of the migrant families were abandoned in deep forests with no shelter, food or water, sometimes thrust into dangerous confrontations as they tried to make it into Poland, Lithuania or Latvia, all members of the European Union. “A Belarusian police officer pointed a pistol at my head, so I had to go back to Lithuania,” said Shamsaldin, 24, who had three small children with him. “In Lithuania, the commandos had guns pointed at me and told me, ‘If you don’t go back, we will kill you.’” He got the message. On Thursday, Shamsaldin returned with his family on an Iraqi Airways flight evacuating 431 migrants from Minsk, the capital of Belarus. Several thousand other migrants remain in Belarus near the border. They are mostly Iraqi Kurds, like Shamsaldin, as well as Iraqi Arabs, Syrians, Yemenis and even some Cubans. But with their usefulness to Belarus diminished, the now-penniless Iraqi migrants are being deported. Most are traumatized. Some have lingering injuries. “The Belarusians beat us with sticks, but the Lithuanians attacked us with sticks and tasers,” said Dhiab Zaydan, a cousin of Shamsaldin’s. Zaydan, 30, had a large bandage around his leg where, he said, he was beaten with night sticks. Photographs showed his entire side to be a deep purple, which he attributed to electric shocks. Reports of assaults at the border are common. “People have been beaten up, and they are in distress,” said Safeen Dizayee, head of the Foreign Relations Department of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government. “We have told these authorities that they should be treated humanely and, at least until this problem is resolved, they should be treated like normal human beings with some kind of shelter or some food.” For many of the migrants, it was not their first attempt to leave. Shamsaldin had been trying to get to Germany, where he spent six months in 2015 before returning to Iraq to care for his sick father. “Germany is the only country where we have experienced human rights,” he said. Shamsaldin said that after walking for two days, he and his relatives were captured by the Belarusian police, pushed into the back of a military truck and driven to the Lithuanian border. There, they were told to cross the fence. Once they were in Lithuania, an aid organization gave them bread and water, and medical staff assessed any injuries while a cameraman filmed the operation, they recounted. Shamsaldin’s 2-month-old son was taken to a hospital to be treated for exposure. But once the aid organization and the cameras left, Lithuanian soldiers started using sticks and tasers, the Kurds said, trying to drive them back over the border. Shamsaldin said he reprimanded one Lithuanian officer, telling him, “‘You destroyed our country, and now we are coming to you, and you don’t have any humanity.'” The reference was to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, but the Lithuanian was quick to offer a correction. “That was Poland,” he replied. While Lithuania provided support during the U.S. occupation, Poland was part of the invading force. Shamsaldin said he sold his car to pay $11,000 for airfare and visas for his wife and three children, which he said were issued by a Belarus travel agency. After they were stranded in the forest in Belarus, he said, a Belarusian soldier in civilian clothes demanded their last $3,000 to drive them back to Minsk. His cousins, most of whom make $10 a day working in construction, borrowed tens of thousands of dollars and now cannot pay rent. More than a dozen children were crammed into the only living area of the two-room house. None go to school, their families unable to afford the transportation fees of about $20 per month per child. On Thursday, another family deported from Belarus sat on the sidewalk outside the air terminal in Irbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, dazed and silent and unable even to come up with the taxi fare to return to the camp for displaced Iraqis where they had been living. They were Yazidis, members of a religious minority, many of whom still languish in camps seven years after the Islamic State group began a campaign of genocide against them. One of the Yazidis, Naam Khalo, 56, said she, her son and her daughter-in-law had spent 24 nights in the deep forest, only to be sent back to Belarus each time they made it across the border. To raise the $20,000 needed for the trip, Khalo said, she borrowed money and sold her gold jewelry. “Now we don’t have anything,” she said. In a middle-class neighborhood of Irbil, Yadgar Hussein described her own tortuous journey, which led to her deportation from Poland three weeks earlier with her children. In October, they had waded through stream of sewage, she said, and walked through the forest for days in freezing temperatures after the Belarusian police cut the border fence. But once in Poland, a driver led them into a police checkpoint, where they were arrested, with her 19-year-old son and another migrant hiding in the trunk of the car. She still cannot sleep, she said. “The only thing I know is my life is destroyed,” said Hussein, who was married at 14 and widowed four years later when her husband stepped on a land mine. She is divorced from the father of her three youngest children. Hussein says she has not given up on leaving Irbil again, perhaps next time by the perilous sea crossing from Turkey to Greece. “If I had money, I would go by sea tomorrow for the sake of my children,” she said. “Either you die or you make it there. But nobody gets arrested.”

Limping and penniless, Iraqis deported from Belarus face bleak futures

Josep Borrell, foreign policy chief of European Union warned Belarus of not using people as weapons. Borrell on Sunday spoke with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on phone and discussed migrant crisis on the country's border with Poland. Borrell also spoke of EU sanctions against Belarus.

Borrell wrote on Twitter that he had raised "the precarious humanitarian situation at the border with the EU".

"Peoples lives must be protected and humanitarian agencies allowed access," he wrote. "The current situation is unacceptable and must stop. People should not be used as weapons."

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Spoke to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Belarus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Belarus</a> Foreign Minister Makei to raise the precarious humanitarian situation at the border with the EU. Peoples lives must be protected and humanitarian agencies allowed access. 
 
The current situation is unacceptable and must stop. People should not be used as weapons.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) <a href="https://twitter.com/JosepBorrellF/status/1459897935181848576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
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The EU and Belarus held talks the day before the EU plans to impose new sanctions on Minsk to include airlines and travel agencies thought to be involved in bringing migrants to the bloc's border.

"Futility of sanctions was highlighted... by the Belarusian side," the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Thousands of migrants, seeking to cross into Poland have travelled to Belarus. However, they have found themselves trapped on the border in freezing conditions.

Belarus faces accusations from Europe that it is mounting "a hybrid attack' by flying in migrants and pushing them to cross illegally into Poland. Belarus denies the accusations.

Makei informed his counterpart about steps taken by Belarus to reduce the migrant flow and providing them with humanitarian aid on the border, the ministry said.

(With inputs from agencies)

Josep Borrell, foreign policy chief of European Union warned Belarus of not using people as weapons. Borrell on Sunday spoke with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on phone and discussed migrant crisis on the country's border with Poland.

Josep Borrell, foreign policy chief of European Union warned Belarus of not using people as weapons. Borrell on Sunday spoke with Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei on phone and discussed migrant crisis on the country's border with Poland. Borrell also spoke of EU sanctions against Belarus. Borrell wrote on Twitter that he had raised "the precarious humanitarian situation at the border with the EU". "Peoples lives must be protected and humanitarian agencies allowed access," he wrote. "The current situation is unacceptable and must stop. People should not be used as weapons." Spoke to #Belarus Foreign Minister Makei to raise the precarious humanitarian situation at the border with the EU. Peoples lives must be protected and humanitarian agencies allowed access. The current situation is unacceptable and must stop. People should not be used as weapons. — Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) November 14, 2021 × The EU and Belarus held talks the day before the EU plans to impose new sanctions on Minsk to include airlines and travel agencies thought to be involved in bringing migrants to the bloc's border. "Futility of sanctions was highlighted... by the Belarusian side," the Belarusian foreign ministry said in a statement. Thousands of migrants, seeking to cross into Poland have travelled to Belarus. However, they have found themselves trapped on the border in freezing conditions. Belarus faces accusations from Europe that it is mounting "a hybrid attack' by flying in migrants and pushing them to cross illegally into Poland. Belarus denies the accusations. Makei informed his counterpart about steps taken by Belarus to reduce the migrant flow and providing them with humanitarian aid on the border, the ministry said. (With inputs from agencies)

Don't use people as weapons, EU chief diplomat warns Belarus

The situation at the Poland-Belarus border continues to escalate. Major world powers have shifted the blame and sought to shake responsibility as thousand of migrants from West Asia are manhandled by troops stationed at either side.

Vladimir Putin says Russia 'has nothing to do with it'

&nbsp;As the standoff over migrants gathering along the European Union’s eastern flank grew more precarious Thursday, with Polish news media reporting that a 14-year-old boy from Iraq had frozen to death on the Belarus side of the frontier, the language from political leaders on either side of the razor wire ratcheted up.

Western leaders have accused Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ autocratic leader, of engineering the crisis — creating a path into European Union countries for migrants from the Middle East.

Thousands of migrants have been escorted to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia under the watchful eyes of the Belarusian authorities. And once there, they are stranded in bitter cold, prevented from entering the EU or from going back into Belarus. It is, according to Western officials, a hybrid attack with people used as weapons.

In Poland, the government’s hard-line policy and its refusal to allow aid workers or even church doctors near the frontier has played well with its right-wing base among Polish nationalists, who Thursday were holding an annual march through the centre of Warsaw to celebrate Independence Day.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland compared events Thursday to those that cost Poland its statehood more than a century ago. While stressing that the situation now “is not so dramatic,” he said: “What we are dealing with is a new type of war. This is a war in which civilians and media messages are the ammunition.”

Lukashenko reeled off threats to his country’s western neighbours even as the Kremlin, Lukashenko’s main benefactor, said it was working to resolve the situation.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany for the second day in a row about the crisis, the Kremlin said, but he repeated his desire that European officials speak directly to their Belarusian counterparts — a nonstarter for many in the West who consider Lukashenko’s rule to be illegitimate.

Lukashenko told government officials in a televised meeting Thursday that he had agreed with Russia on patrols by nuclear-capable bombers of the country’s western borders. He also said he could shut down the flow of a major pipeline carrying natural gas from Russia to Western Europe via Belarus if the West escalated sanctions.

“We are warning Europe, and yet they threaten to close the border,” Lukashenko said, according to the Belarusian state news agency. “What if we close off the natural gas headed there? I would recommend the leadership of Poland, the Lithuanians and other brainless people to think before they speak.”

With temperatures dropping below freezing along the Belarusian border with Poland and Lithuania, both members of the European bloc, alarm is growing among aid workers that the number of deaths from exposure will increase sharply. So far, eight people have died, officials say, but the real number could be much higher.

With soldiers sealing off the border zone from news media and aid workers, the reported death of the 14-year-old Kurdish boy could not be confirmed. The boy’s body, according to a report by OKO.press, had been taken away overnight by Belarusian security services.

Poland and Belarus have both barred journalists from entering the border area and are locked in an escalating information war, each blaming the other for a deepening crisis fed by inflammatory statements about the risk of armed conflict.

In a sign of escalating tension, Poland’s defence ministry Thursday reported that its soldiers in the frontier area of Białowieza had fired warning shots into the air the previous day after “a group of several hundred migrants attempted to cross the border by force.” The migrants, the ministry said, threw objects at the soldiers and then tried to destroy a border fence.

Polish border guards said Thursday that 150 migrants had tried to cross the border from Belarus en masse overnight.

Polish officials warned of a possible attempt to “storm” the frontier Thursday evening, noting that Independence Day events scheduled across Poland had spread the security services thin, a situation that could encourage Belarus to push a new wave of people to the border.

As the standoff over migrants gathering along the European Union’s eastern flank grew more precarious Thursday, with Polish news media reporting that a 14-year-old boy from Iraq had frozen to death on the Belarus side of the frontier, the language from political leaders on either side of the razor wire ratcheted up.

As the standoff over migrants gathering along the European Union’s eastern flank grew more precarious Thursday, with Polish news media reporting that a 14-year-old boy from Iraq had frozen to death on the Belarus side of the frontier, the language from political leaders on either side of the razor wire ratcheted up. Western leaders have accused Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus’ autocratic leader, of engineering the crisis — creating a path into European Union countries for migrants from the Middle East. Thousands of migrants have been escorted to the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia under the watchful eyes of the Belarusian authorities. And once there, they are stranded in bitter cold, prevented from entering the EU or from going back into Belarus. It is, according to Western officials, a hybrid attack with people used as weapons. In Poland, the government’s hard-line policy and its refusal to allow aid workers or even church doctors near the frontier has played well with its right-wing base among Polish nationalists, who Thursday were holding an annual march through the centre of Warsaw to celebrate Independence Day. In a statement posted on Facebook, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland compared events Thursday to those that cost Poland its statehood more than a century ago. While stressing that the situation now “is not so dramatic,” he said: “What we are dealing with is a new type of war. This is a war in which civilians and media messages are the ammunition.” Lukashenko reeled off threats to his country’s western neighbours even as the Kremlin, Lukashenko’s main benefactor, said it was working to resolve the situation. President Vladimir Putin of Russia spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany for the second day in a row about the crisis, the Kremlin said, but he repeated his desire that European officials speak directly to their Belarusian counterparts — a nonstarter for many in the West who consider Lukashenko’s rule to be illegitimate. Lukashenko told government officials in a televised meeting Thursday that he had agreed with Russia on patrols by nuclear-capable bombers of the country’s western borders. He also said he could shut down the flow of a major pipeline carrying natural gas from Russia to Western Europe via Belarus if the West escalated sanctions. “We are warning Europe, and yet they threaten to close the border,” Lukashenko said, according to the Belarusian state news agency. “What if we close off the natural gas headed there? I would recommend the leadership of Poland, the Lithuanians and other brainless people to think before they speak.” With temperatures dropping below freezing along the Belarusian border with Poland and Lithuania, both members of the European bloc, alarm is growing among aid workers that the number of deaths from exposure will increase sharply. So far, eight people have died, officials say, but the real number could be much higher. With soldiers sealing off the border zone from news media and aid workers, the reported death of the 14-year-old Kurdish boy could not be confirmed. The boy’s body, according to a report by OKO.press, had been taken away overnight by Belarusian security services. Poland and Belarus have both barred journalists from entering the border area and are locked in an escalating information war, each blaming the other for a deepening crisis fed by inflammatory statements about the risk of armed conflict. In a sign of escalating tension, Poland’s defence ministry Thursday reported that its soldiers in the frontier area of Białowieza had fired warning shots into the air the previous day after “a group of several hundred migrants attempted to cross the border by force.” The migrants, the ministry said, threw objects at the soldiers and then tried to destroy a border fence. Polish border guards said Thursday that 150 migrants had tried to cross the border from Belarus en masse overnight. Polish officials warned of a possible attempt to “storm” the frontier Thursday evening, noting that Independence Day events scheduled across Poland had spread the security services thin, a situation that could encourage Belarus to push a new wave of people to the border.

Tensions escalate at Poland-Belarus border as migrants face dire conditions

Belarusian state-run airline on Friday banned citizens from Iraq, Syria and Yemen from boarding incoming Turkey flights at the request of Turkish authorities amid a migrant standoff between Belarus and Poland

“In line with a decision by the … Turkish authorities, citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen will not be accepted for transportation on flights from Turkey to Belarus from 12.11.2021,” Belavia said in a statement on Friday.

The Turkish Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the statement, saying flight tickets to Minsk would not be sold to people from the three countries from Turkey.

The move comes amid tense border stand-off between Belarus and Poland, where thousands of migrants, mostly from war-torn parts of Iraq, Syria and Yemen, fleeing conflict, persecution or poverty are stranded.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tensions-escalate-at-poland-belarus-border-as-migrants-face-dire-conditions-428576">Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of 'hybrid attack' amid migrant crisis</a>

Many aim to reach Germany or other western European countries, to reunite with relatives already settled there. In recent months, Belarus had become a favourable a route for migrants and refugees trying to enter the European Union.

Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are all part of the EU, have seen a surge in the number of people trying to enter their countries illegally from Belarus in recent months.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/tensions-escalate-at-poland-belarus-border-as-migrants-face-dire-conditions-428576">Tensions escalate at Poland-Belarus border as migrants face dire conditions</a>

The European Union, the United States and NATO have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko&nbsp;of manufacturing a migrant crisis on the EU's eastern frontier as retribution for sanctions over human rights abuses.

Stranded people are facing "catastrophic" conditions in freezing forests and makeshift camps at the border, according to CNN. Temperatures at the Poland-Belarus border drop below freezing at night.

German federal police on Wednesday reported that 1,246 unauthorised entries to Germany “with a connection to Belarus” had been recorded in the first nine days of November. In all, there have been 9,087 such entries so far this year, German police said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/putin-masterminding-the-migrant-crisis-at-poland-belarus-border-claims-polish-pm-428130">Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM</a>

Polish authorities said that a large number of people remain just across the border in neighbouring Belarus and Polish border guards continue to rebuff attempts to enter Poland illegally each day.

There are now hundreds of people, among them families with children, staying in makeshift camps on the Belarusian side of the border.

Attempts to cross have become increasingly dangerous as Poland fortifies its side of the border and pushes people back.

&nbsp;(With inputs from agencies)

Belarusian state-run airline on Friday banned citizens from Iraq, Syria and Yemen from boarding incoming Turkey flights at the request of Turkish authorities amid a migrant standoff between Belarus and Poland “In line with a decision by the … Turkish authorities, citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen will not be accepted for transportation on flights from Turkey to Belarus from 12.

Belarusian state-run airline on Friday banned citizens from Iraq, Syria and Yemen from boarding incoming Turkey flights at the request of Turkish authorities amid a migrant standoff between Belarus and Poland “In line with a decision by the … Turkish authorities, citizens of Iraq, Syria, Yemen will not be accepted for transportation on flights from Turkey to Belarus from 12.11.2021,” Belavia said in a statement on Friday. The Turkish Civil Aviation Authority confirmed the statement, saying flight tickets to Minsk would not be sold to people from the three countries from Turkey. The move comes amid tense border stand-off between Belarus and Poland, where thousands of migrants, mostly from war-torn parts of Iraq, Syria and Yemen, fleeing conflict, persecution or poverty are stranded. Also read | Poland accuses Lukashenko’s regime of 'hybrid attack' amid migrant crisis Many aim to reach Germany or other western European countries, to reunite with relatives already settled there. In recent months, Belarus had become a favourable a route for migrants and refugees trying to enter the European Union. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, which are all part of the EU, have seen a surge in the number of people trying to enter their countries illegally from Belarus in recent months. Also read | Tensions escalate at Poland-Belarus border as migrants face dire conditions The European Union, the United States and NATO have accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of manufacturing a migrant crisis on the EU's eastern frontier as retribution for sanctions over human rights abuses. Stranded people are facing "catastrophic" conditions in freezing forests and makeshift camps at the border, according to CNN. Temperatures at the Poland-Belarus border drop below freezing at night. German federal police on Wednesday reported that 1,246 unauthorised entries to Germany “with a connection to Belarus” had been recorded in the first nine days of November. In all, there have been 9,087 such entries so far this year, German police said. Also read | Putin masterminding the migrant crisis at Poland-Belarus border, claims Polish PM Polish authorities said that a large number of people remain just across the border in neighbouring Belarus and Polish border guards continue to rebuff attempts to enter Poland illegally each day. There are now hundreds of people, among them families with children, staying in makeshift camps on the Belarusian side of the border. Attempts to cross have become increasingly dangerous as Poland fortifies its side of the border and pushes people back. (With inputs from agencies)

Belarus bans Iraqis, Syrians and Yemenis from boarding incoming Turkey flights to curb migrant crisis

Several thousand migrants from Haiti, South America and Central America set off from southern Mexico headed north on Saturday, clashing with law enforcement trying to hold the caravan back.

Some people among the latest mass movement of migrants trying to pass north through Mexico said they hoped to eventually reach the US&nbsp;border, where the number of migrants trying to gain entry was already hitting new records.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-mexico-border-arrests-reach-record-highs-reveals-report-423367">US-Mexico border: Arrests reach record highs, reveals report</a>

Some 3,000 people, including families with young children, began trekking on foot on Saturday from the city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border toward Mexico's capital.

One of the caravan's organizers, Irineo Mujica, said he was leading the group to Mexico City in protest of the lack of government assistance in the south, where officials have attempted to contain thousands of migrants, and to demand legal documents that would let migrants move freely in the country.

A highway checkpoint in Tapachula with some 400 law enforcement officers aimed to block their path, but many migrants managed to break past. A Reuters video showed people carrying backpacks and with children on their shoulders pushing through a cluster of officers in anti-riot gear who attempted to contain the crowd.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/indian-travel-blogger-killed-in-mexico-gang-shootout-423400">Indian travel blogger killed in Mexico gang shootout</a>

One family, including a woman and small children, were knocked to the ground in the crush of people, their belongings scattering.

Some migrants who attempted to leave Tapachula in September to head north were subject to brutal treatment by Mexican officials, and the government's National Migration Institute condemned incidents of violence captured on video.

US&nbsp;authorities arrested more than 1.7 million migrants at the US-Mexico border this fiscal year, the most ever recorded.

Several thousand migrants from Haiti, South America and Central America set off from southern Mexico headed north on Saturday, clashing with law enforcement trying to hold the caravan back.

Several thousand migrants from Haiti, South America and Central America set off from southern Mexico headed north on Saturday, clashing with law enforcement trying to hold the caravan back. Some people among the latest mass movement of migrants trying to pass north through Mexico said they hoped to eventually reach the US border, where the number of migrants trying to gain entry was already hitting new records. Also Read | US-Mexico border: Arrests reach record highs, reveals report Some 3,000 people, including families with young children, began trekking on foot on Saturday from the city of Tapachula near the Guatemala border toward Mexico's capital. One of the caravan's organizers, Irineo Mujica, said he was leading the group to Mexico City in protest of the lack of government assistance in the south, where officials have attempted to contain thousands of migrants, and to demand legal documents that would let migrants move freely in the country. A highway checkpoint in Tapachula with some 400 law enforcement officers aimed to block their path, but many migrants managed to break past. A Reuters video showed people carrying backpacks and with children on their shoulders pushing through a cluster of officers in anti-riot gear who attempted to contain the crowd. Also Read | Indian travel blogger killed in Mexico gang shootout One family, including a woman and small children, were knocked to the ground in the crush of people, their belongings scattering. Some migrants who attempted to leave Tapachula in September to head north were subject to brutal treatment by Mexican officials, and the government's National Migration Institute condemned incidents of violence captured on video. US authorities arrested more than 1.7 million migrants at the US-Mexico border this fiscal year, the most ever recorded.

New migrant caravan in Mexico pushes past blockade to head north

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers.

But the NHS -- which listed 211 nationalities in England alone in 2020 -- faces chronic staff shortages.

By 2029, the state-run service in England will face a shortfall of 108,000 nurses, according to the Health Foundation think-tank.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/johnson-pledges-transformed-economy-for-uk-418731">Johnson pledges transformed economy for UK</a>

Now there are fears the crisis will further deepen due to a combination of shocks depleting its substantial foreign workforce: retirement, the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and tougher immigration rules.

Migration has long been a "stopgap solution" as Britain suffered "recurring crises" for 40 years, said Mark Dayan, policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank.

'No chance'

Retired doctor Iftikhar Ali Syed left Pakistan for Britain in 1960 and spent 45 years working in Burnley, a northern English town defined by factory chimneys belching black smoke.

Syed, 86, belonged to a generation of medical professionals from ex-British colonies who filled labour shortages after World War II.

They were directed to poorer regions -- often ex-industrial heartlands like northern England and south Wales -- where recruitment was hardest and health needs greatest.

Even today, the life expectancy gap between deprived areas of northern England and the more affluent southeast is more than 10 years.

Also Read |<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-quarantine-for-fully-vaccinated-indians-in-uk-from-october-11-british-envoy-418989">&nbsp;No quarantine for fully vaccinated Indians in UK from October 11: British envoy</a>

"Overseas doctors had no chance. You got a practice where no-one wants it," Syed told AFP.

Syed and other immigrant doctors of his generation "flooded" Burnley, he remembered, helping to establish its first cardiology unit and improve midwifery services.

But they retired after 2000, creating a shortage in Burnley, mirrored in places where immigrants disproportionately filled healthcare roles.

'Tremendous demand'

As in other countries, the pandemic has traumatised and exhausted Britain's frontline health and social care staff and created a huge backlog in treatments for other conditions.

In the year to March 2021, international travel disruptions meant 3,700 fewer nurses came to Britain than in the previous year.

Faizan Rana, a 34-year-old NHS operations manager, said pandemic travel curbs have weakened services and exacerbated staff shortages at his London hospital and elsewhere.

Britain has become less welcoming and financially rewarding for EU staff after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the subsequent fall in the pound's value, added Dayan.

In 2021, there were around 8,000 fewer nurses from European Economic Area nations on the official register than in 2016.

And more than half of EU nurses leaving Britain cited the country's departure from the bloc as a reason for their decision, a 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Council survey suggested.

Syed remembered EU staff filling shortages in Burnley after his retirement and predicted "tremendous demand" again as their numbers diminished after Brexit.

'Existential crisis'

Under Britain's new points-based immigration system, migrants must meet salary and English proficiency levels and have an offer for a skilled job, although a special visa scheme exempts healthcare workers.

Naveen Keerthi, 42, runs a recruitment agency bringing foreign doctors to Britain and believes the reforms will help hire overseas staff, with a "surge" in applicants in the past four years.

But Akshay Akulwar, a 34-year-old NHS doctor from India, said compatriots were increasingly choosing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East because of more generous visa rules.

And Dayan said the reforms will hit social care, where staff are not considered skilled and paid low wages.

The fate of social care, where trained carers look after vulnerable people in their homes and offer mental health services, is closely tied to the NHS.

Hospitals suffer greater pressures when patients cannot be discharged as adequate care services -- often provided by cash-strapped local authorities -- are unavailable for them to return home.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/france-stole-millions-of-covid-vaccines-from-uk-in-an-act-of-war-report-418646">France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report</a>

Social care has particularly suffered as Brexit sealed the "escape valve" of freedom of movement across the EU that had filled staff shortages, Dayan added.

Rebecca Bland, registered manager at a nursing agency in northwest England, told AFP the pandemic and new immigration rules have hampered recruitment.

The 42-year-old's company works with the local NHS and has long recruited from abroad, especially the Philippines, but has only hired one-tenth of the staff required since the pandemic began.

Bland said her colleagues were "being pushed to the limit", calling it "an existential crisis" exacerbated by pre-existing recruitment difficulties caused by low-paid, insecure work.

Mixed picture

However, Dayan blamed workforce shortages on decades-old failures by successive UK governments to train enough staff and provide adequate long-term planning.

"The underlying problems are domestic in nature," he stressed.

Also Read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-set-to-discontinue-compulsory-10-day-quarantine-rule-417795">UK set to discontinue compulsory 10-day quarantine rule</a>

The UK government last month announced new NHS and social care funding worth £36 billion ($50 billion, 42 billion euros) over three years.

But Dayan warned cash injections alone would not resolve staff shortages, instead advocating better workforce planning to recruit and retain staff more effectively.

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers.

Britain's National Health Service, which provides free healthcare funded from general taxation and welfare contributions, is one of the world's largest and most cosmopolitan employers. But the NHS -- which listed 211 nationalities in England alone in 2020 -- faces chronic staff shortages. By 2029, the state-run service in England will face a shortfall of 108,000 nurses, according to the Health Foundation think-tank. Also Read | Johnson pledges transformed economy for UK Now there are fears the crisis will further deepen due to a combination of shocks depleting its substantial foreign workforce: retirement, the coronavirus pandemic, Brexit and tougher immigration rules. Migration has long been a "stopgap solution" as Britain suffered "recurring crises" for 40 years, said Mark Dayan, policy analyst at the Nuffield Trust health think-tank. 'No chance' Retired doctor Iftikhar Ali Syed left Pakistan for Britain in 1960 and spent 45 years working in Burnley, a northern English town defined by factory chimneys belching black smoke. Syed, 86, belonged to a generation of medical professionals from ex-British colonies who filled labour shortages after World War II. They were directed to poorer regions -- often ex-industrial heartlands like northern England and south Wales -- where recruitment was hardest and health needs greatest. Even today, the life expectancy gap between deprived areas of northern England and the more affluent southeast is more than 10 years. Also Read | No quarantine for fully vaccinated Indians in UK from October 11: British envoy "Overseas doctors had no chance. You got a practice where no-one wants it," Syed told AFP. Syed and other immigrant doctors of his generation "flooded" Burnley, he remembered, helping to establish its first cardiology unit and improve midwifery services. But they retired after 2000, creating a shortage in Burnley, mirrored in places where immigrants disproportionately filled healthcare roles. 'Tremendous demand' As in other countries, the pandemic has traumatised and exhausted Britain's frontline health and social care staff and created a huge backlog in treatments for other conditions. In the year to March 2021, international travel disruptions meant 3,700 fewer nurses came to Britain than in the previous year. Faizan Rana, a 34-year-old NHS operations manager, said pandemic travel curbs have weakened services and exacerbated staff shortages at his London hospital and elsewhere. Britain has become less welcoming and financially rewarding for EU staff after the 2016 Brexit referendum and the subsequent fall in the pound's value, added Dayan. In 2021, there were around 8,000 fewer nurses from European Economic Area nations on the official register than in 2016. And more than half of EU nurses leaving Britain cited the country's departure from the bloc as a reason for their decision, a 2020 Nursing and Midwifery Council survey suggested. Syed remembered EU staff filling shortages in Burnley after his retirement and predicted "tremendous demand" again as their numbers diminished after Brexit. 'Existential crisis' Under Britain's new points-based immigration system, migrants must meet salary and English proficiency levels and have an offer for a skilled job, although a special visa scheme exempts healthcare workers. Naveen Keerthi, 42, runs a recruitment agency bringing foreign doctors to Britain and believes the reforms will help hire overseas staff, with a "surge" in applicants in the past four years. But Akshay Akulwar, a 34-year-old NHS doctor from India, said compatriots were increasingly choosing Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the Middle East because of more generous visa rules. And Dayan said the reforms will hit social care, where staff are not considered skilled and paid low wages. The fate of social care, where trained carers look after vulnerable people in their homes and offer mental health services, is closely tied to the NHS. Hospitals suffer greater pressures when patients cannot be discharged as adequate care services -- often provided by cash-strapped local authorities -- are unavailable for them to return home. Also Read | France 'stole' millions of Covid vaccines from UK in an 'act of war': Report Social care has particularly suffered as Brexit sealed the "escape valve" of freedom of movement across the EU that had filled staff shortages, Dayan added. Rebecca Bland, registered manager at a nursing agency in northwest England, told AFP the pandemic and new immigration rules have hampered recruitment. The 42-year-old's company works with the local NHS and has long recruited from abroad, especially the Philippines, but has only hired one-tenth of the staff required since the pandemic began. Bland said her colleagues were "being pushed to the limit", calling it "an existential crisis" exacerbated by pre-existing recruitment difficulties caused by low-paid, insecure work. Mixed picture However, Dayan blamed workforce shortages on decades-old failures by successive UK governments to train enough staff and provide adequate long-term planning. "The underlying problems are domestic in nature," he stressed. Also Read | UK set to discontinue compulsory 10-day quarantine rule The UK government last month announced new NHS and social care funding worth £36 billion ($50 billion, 42 billion euros) over three years. But Dayan warned cash injections alone would not resolve staff shortages, instead advocating better workforce planning to recruit and retain staff more effectively.

Migrant-dependent UK healthcare battles staffing crisis

The US special envoy for Haiti has resigned after social media platforms were filled with Haitian migrants being treated inhumanely.

Calling it a 'collapsed state', the senior diplomat Daniel Foote resigned as a sign of protest against the deportation of Haitian migrants.

Foote said he "simply cannot support the forced infusion of thousands of returned migrants lacking food, shelter, and money without additional, avoidable human tragedy."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-looks-to-reopen-migrant-detention-camp-at-guantanamo-bay-to-tackle-surge-in-asylum-seekers-415331">US looks to reopen migrant detention camp at Guantánamo Bay to tackle surge in asylum seekers</a>

The resignation came after people raised the issue of Haitian migrants being deported mercilessly from the US. Almost a week ago, the US started deportation flights from Texas border town.

This decision was taken after more than 13,000 migrants had gathered under a bridge in temperatures as high as 99F.

While the migrants tried to set up makeshift camps, the local officials were alleged of failing to provide basic food, safety and sanitation needs.

Foote has resigned in protest of these 'inhumane' conditions.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/migrants-make-their-way-to-mexico-from-us-415182">WATCH |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/migrants-make-their-way-to-mexico-from-us-415182/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

However, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has lashed out at the minister and alleged him of not raising these issues during his tenure. "Special Envoy Foote had ample opportunity to raise concerns about immigration during his tenure. He never once did so," she said in a press conference.

Meanwhile, the White House has also ordered a ban on horses being used by the Border Patrol in the area. The decision was taken after images and videos showed horse-mounted US border patrol officers beating migrants with horse whips while trying to stop them from crossing the border.

The US special envoy for Haiti has resigned after social media platforms were filled with Haitian migrants being treated inhumanely. Calling it a 'collapsed state', the senior diplomat Daniel Foote resigned as a sign of protest against the deportation of Haitian migrants.

The US special envoy for Haiti has resigned after social media platforms were filled with Haitian migrants being treated inhumanely. Calling it a 'collapsed state', the senior diplomat Daniel Foote resigned as a sign of protest against the deportation of Haitian migrants. Foote said he "simply cannot support the forced infusion of thousands of returned migrants lacking food, shelter, and money without additional, avoidable human tragedy." Also read | US looks to reopen migrant detention camp at Guantánamo Bay to tackle surge in asylum seekers The resignation came after people raised the issue of Haitian migrants being deported mercilessly from the US. Almost a week ago, the US started deportation flights from Texas border town. This decision was taken after more than 13,000 migrants had gathered under a bridge in temperatures as high as 99F. While the migrants tried to set up makeshift camps, the local officials were alleged of failing to provide basic food, safety and sanitation needs. Foote has resigned in protest of these 'inhumane' conditions. WATCH | However, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki has lashed out at the minister and alleged him of not raising these issues during his tenure. "Special Envoy Foote had ample opportunity to raise concerns about immigration during his tenure. He never once did so," she said in a press conference. Meanwhile, the White House has also ordered a ban on horses being used by the Border Patrol in the area. The decision was taken after images and videos showed horse-mounted US border patrol officers beating migrants with horse whips while trying to stop them from crossing the border.

Haiti US special envoy, Daniel Foote, resigns to protest 'inhumane' deportation of migrants

Singapore&nbsp;will from next week begin easing movement restrictions on&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;workers&nbsp;living in dormitories, authorities said Thursday, over a year after they were implemented to curb coronavirus outbreaks.

The vast, self-contained dormitory complexes are home to more than 200,000 foreign&nbsp;workers, mainly from South Asia, who work in jobs like construction and maintenance.

Virus&nbsp;outbreaks tore through the sites in the early stages of the pandemic, shining a harsh spotlight on the prosperous city-state's treatment of the low-paid migrants.

Authorities imposed movement&nbsp;curbs&nbsp;in April last year, and since then the&nbsp;workers&nbsp;have for the most part only been allowed to travel between their dorms and places of work.

Under a pilot programme to launch Monday, up to 500 vaccinated&nbsp;workers&nbsp;will be allowed to visit selected locations for six hours each week, the labour ministry said.

They will need to take a&nbsp;virus&nbsp;test before the visit, and three days afterwards, with the scheme to be evaluated after a month, it said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-extends-covid-curbs-in-tokyo-till-september-end-411864">Also read |&nbsp;Japan extends Covid curbs in Tokyo till September end</a>

The decision was taken after vaccination rates among&nbsp;workers&nbsp;living in dorms reached over 90 percent, the ministry said.

But Alex Au, vice president of&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;rights group Transient&nbsp;Workers&nbsp;Count Too, criticised the plan as not going far enough, as so few&nbsp;workers&nbsp;will be able to participate.

"It's a drop in the ocean," he told AFP.&nbsp;"It is way too timid, it's actually going to cause more frustration."

The majority of&nbsp;Singapore's&nbsp;virus&nbsp;infections have been among&nbsp;migrant&nbsp;workers.

But the city-state has largely been successful at keeping its outbreak in check, reporting only about 70,000 infections and 55 deaths.

There has been an uptick in recent weeks driven by the more contagious Delta variant, but most infections have been outside the dorms.

Singapore will from next week begin easing movement restrictions on migrant workers living in dormitories, authorities said Thursday, over a year after they were implemented to curb coronavirus outbreaks.

Singapore will from next week begin easing movement restrictions on migrant workers living in dormitories, authorities said Thursday, over a year after they were implemented to curb coronavirus outbreaks. The vast, self-contained dormitory complexes are home to more than 200,000 foreign workers, mainly from South Asia, who work in jobs like construction and maintenance. Virus outbreaks tore through the sites in the early stages of the pandemic, shining a harsh spotlight on the prosperous city-state's treatment of the low-paid migrants. Authorities imposed movement curbs in April last year, and since then the workers have for the most part only been allowed to travel between their dorms and places of work. Under a pilot programme to launch Monday, up to 500 vaccinated workers will be allowed to visit selected locations for six hours each week, the labour ministry said. They will need to take a virus test before the visit, and three days afterwards, with the scheme to be evaluated after a month, it said. Also read | Japan extends Covid curbs in Tokyo till September end The decision was taken after vaccination rates among workers living in dorms reached over 90 percent, the ministry said. But Alex Au, vice president of migrant rights group Transient Workers Count Too, criticised the plan as not going far enough, as so few workers will be able to participate. "It's a drop in the ocean," he told AFP. "It is way too timid, it's actually going to cause more frustration." The majority of Singapore's virus infections have been among migrant workers. But the city-state has largely been successful at keeping its outbreak in check, reporting only about 70,000 infections and 55 deaths. There has been an uptick in recent weeks driven by the more contagious Delta variant, but most infections have been outside the dorms.

Singapore to ease virus curbs for migrant workers

Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, as concerns about a new migrant wave remain after the Taliban`s taking of power.

The events in Afghanistan have fuelled worries in the European Union of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed to Greece from Turkey before travelling north to wealthier states.

To stem the flow of refugees, the EU reached an agreement with Turkey in 2016 for it to host Syrians fleeing the war in their country in return for billions of euros for refugee projects.

Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Europe, as well as regional countries, would also be affected if migration from Afghanistan turns into a crisis and that lessons should be learned from the Syrian refugee crisis.

"As Turkey, we have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration," Cavusoglu said, speaking in a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

"It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden," Cavusoglu said.

Turkey currently hosts 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the world`s largest refugee population, in addition to around 300,000 Afghans. It has been reinforcing measures along its eastern border to prevent crossings in anticipation of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan.

Maas said Germany was grateful to Turkey for its offer to continue to help run Kabul airport after NATO`s withdrawal and said Germany was ready to support that financially and technically.

"It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilise the entire region," he said in a statement.

Maas is on a trip to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar to show Germany`s support for the countries most likely to suffer the fallout of the crisis in Afghanistan.

Turkey`s neighbour Greece has completed a 40-km fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.

Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, as concerns about a new migrant wave remain after the Taliban`s taking of power.

Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, as concerns about a new migrant wave remain after the Taliban`s taking of power. The events in Afghanistan have fuelled worries in the European Union of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed to Greece from Turkey before travelling north to wealthier states. To stem the flow of refugees, the EU reached an agreement with Turkey in 2016 for it to host Syrians fleeing the war in their country in return for billions of euros for refugee projects. Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Europe, as well as regional countries, would also be affected if migration from Afghanistan turns into a crisis and that lessons should be learned from the Syrian refugee crisis. "As Turkey, we have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration," Cavusoglu said, speaking in a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. "It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden," Cavusoglu said. Turkey currently hosts 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the world`s largest refugee population, in addition to around 300,000 Afghans. It has been reinforcing measures along its eastern border to prevent crossings in anticipation of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan. Maas said Germany was grateful to Turkey for its offer to continue to help run Kabul airport after NATO`s withdrawal and said Germany was ready to support that financially and technically. "It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilise the entire region," he said in a statement. Maas is on a trip to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar to show Germany`s support for the countries most likely to suffer the fallout of the crisis in Afghanistan. Turkey`s neighbour Greece has completed a 40-km fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.

Turkey cannot take new refugee burden, foreign minister says

At least 57 people drowned on Monday after a boat capsized off the Libyan coast near Khums, the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean where more than 1,100 have perished this year, the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

Bodies have not been recovered from the shipwreck, but survivors included migrants from Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia, IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli told Reuters.

"According to survivors brought to shore by fishermen and the coast guard, at least 20 women and two children were among those who drowned," she said earlier by tweet.

The migrants, the majority from West Africa, departed from Khums, presumably to reach Europe, Msehli said.

"Despite an increase in arrivals in Europe, there is no crisis of numbers and arrivals remain manageable through better solidarity and improved governance and management of migration," she added.

Migrant boat departures to Italy and other parts of Europe from Libya and Tunisia have increased in recent months with better weather. Hundreds of thousands have made the perilous crossing in the last years, many fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

At least 57 people drowned on Monday after a boat capsized off the Libyan coast near Khums, the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean where more than 1,100 have perished this year, the U.

At least 57 people drowned on Monday after a boat capsized off the Libyan coast near Khums, the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean where more than 1,100 have perished this year, the U.N.'s International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. Bodies have not been recovered from the shipwreck, but survivors included migrants from Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia, IOM spokeswoman Safa Msehli told Reuters. "According to survivors brought to shore by fishermen and the coast guard, at least 20 women and two children were among those who drowned," she said earlier by tweet. The migrants, the majority from West Africa, departed from Khums, presumably to reach Europe, Msehli said. "Despite an increase in arrivals in Europe, there is no crisis of numbers and arrivals remain manageable through better solidarity and improved governance and management of migration," she added. Migrant boat departures to Italy and other parts of Europe from Libya and Tunisia have increased in recent months with better weather. Hundreds of thousands have made the perilous crossing in the last years, many fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

At least 57 migrants die in shipwreck off Libyan coast: UN

A minibus transporting illegal migrants crashed on Sunday in the Muradiye district of Van province in Turkey. The accident has led to the death of at least 12 people and 20 others have been injured.

Within few minutes of the deadly accident, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), firefighters, gendarmerie, and teams of medical experts were rushed to the scene of the crash.

While the exact cause of the accident is not yet clear, local media has reported that the minibus caught fire and the flames took some time to be extinguished.

As of now, all the injured people have been transferred to a nearby hospital. The owner of the bus was detained by the authorities.

Among the 12 dead, 11 were illegal immigrants and one was the person who had helped organise this illegal transporting,&nbsp;the authorities were quoted as saying on Sunday.

A minibus transporting illegal migrants crashed on Sunday in the Muradiye district of Van province in Turkey. The accident has led to the death of at least 12 people and 20 others have been injured.

A minibus transporting illegal migrants crashed on Sunday in the Muradiye district of Van province in Turkey. The accident has led to the death of at least 12 people and 20 others have been injured. Within few minutes of the deadly accident, Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), firefighters, gendarmerie, and teams of medical experts were rushed to the scene of the crash. While the exact cause of the accident is not yet clear, local media has reported that the minibus caught fire and the flames took some time to be extinguished. As of now, all the injured people have been transferred to a nearby hospital. The owner of the bus was detained by the authorities. Among the 12 dead, 11 were illegal immigrants and one was the person who had helped organise this illegal transporting, the authorities were quoted as saying on Sunday.

12 dead, 20 injured as minibus carrying illegal migrants crashes in Turkey

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