A group of men sit&nbsp;in a small hut made of clay and mud in one of the city&#39;s many informal refugee camps. The hut is pretty crowded, someone stares curiously at what is going on and others keep sewing typical Afghan clothes. Children tiptoe to steal a glimpse of the inside and quickly disappear&nbsp;when an elder spots them. It goes without saying that the camp has no running water and no sewage system. It is hot and flies are all over the place.

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<h5>We came here because your countries bombed our land</h5>
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&ldquo;We came here because your countries bombed our land,&rdquo; says the man that the small venue elected&nbsp;spokesperson. They all come from Helmand, the famous Taliban heartland in the south of Afghanistan. &ldquo;We live here since ten years,&rdquo; he says.&nbsp;Ten years. This is what often happens when you run away from war: You know when you leave, but you do not know when and if you will ever go back.

&ldquo;Of course we dream to go back to our land, but we also need security to do so,&rdquo; he says. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short. US troops, sixteen years back, invaded the country, chasing the ghost of Al-Qaeda, and that very same war is still going on and disrupting lives.

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Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short (Others)
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One of the things war does is impose&nbsp;its violence on you. It doesn&rsquo;t matter if you were living your usual life, sowing&nbsp;seeds or grazing sheep. Violence does not ask your permission to destroy your life, it just does it. Suddenly, one day, while you are living your usual countryside life, some random armed group pops&nbsp;up and starts&nbsp;imposing its rules on you, and you accept it. You do so out of fear, out of a quick pro&nbsp;and con&nbsp;evaluation: &quot;I am a peaceful man, I want to mind my business, is refusing&nbsp;worth dying over?&quot; &nbsp;

It is easy for those who are not there&nbsp;to say&nbsp;&quot;revolt, fight back&quot;. Revolting against an armed power exercising its monopoly of violence on you, is one of those things which seems kind of easy when you are not the one doing it.

This is a war though, and it does not seek permission. You won&rsquo;t get away just abiding by someone&rsquo;s law, especially if that someone has enemies. One day&nbsp;your rulers&rsquo; enemy&nbsp;attacks. Jet fighters fly where you were used to seeing birds, and in&nbsp;seconds&nbsp;there is nothing left of your life except you. Your house, your fields, the small dusty roads of the village--all gone. There is nothing left, maybe some of your sheep, if you are lucky.&nbsp;

You look around, you visualise your small village in the countryside. Where pomegranates used to be as sweet as sugar, there are now piles of smoking rubbles. You try to make sense of the tragedy, you cry and you call to god, whatever god you believe in.&nbsp;No matter how hard you try, the reality is that war does not ask your permission to destroy your life. It just does it and it sucks.

Suddenly, you realise that along with other survivors you do not know what to do.

&quot;Maybe it is over. It was just a one-off attack,&quot;&nbsp;you speculate. You spend all the night with the elders&nbsp;discussing what to do, but there is no solution. Then, that armed group comes back at dawn and you realise all at once that what happened was not a one-off tragedy. The others, whoever they are, will bomb again in an endless cycle of destruction. It&rsquo;s done, war invaded your space, and it does not matter if you just wanted to keep looking after your sheep and your crop.

You do not get to decide.

Your conservation instinct often prevails: &ldquo;A&nbsp;wretched life is anyway better than a cruel death,&rdquo; you think. With these words in your mind, your private personal odyssey begins. You leave everything behind and you go.&nbsp;

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No hopes from the government (Others)
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Where do you go? You try to reach a city, the biggest city. &lsquo;&ldquo;The government will help us,&rdquo; you think. You have a few chances in front of you: You can try to reach a refugee camp and live in a tent. You can become a beggar on the street of a city, knocking at fancy cars&rsquo; windows for&nbsp;coins. You can also live in an informal refugee camp on the city&#39;s outskirts. You can also end up in the hands of organised crime; Criminal networks build their empires exploiting people like you. Whatever you do, the outcome is pretty much the same: Your wait begins, because you did not leave your house by&nbsp;choice.&nbsp;

It does not matter how good you are at adapting, the melancholy of your previous life will not abandon you. The desire to go back, one day, where the pomegranates were as sweet as sugar,&nbsp;will always accompany you.

&ldquo;Some of us sell pomegranates to make a living here, but these are small, not good,&rdquo; says the village council&rsquo;s spokesperson.

This is not one peson&#39;s particular&nbsp;story,&nbsp;but the story of millions of people at the same time. According to the most recent UN survey, 65.5 million people are currently displaced worldwide. It is a record in human history, but nothing we should be proud of; 25.5 million of them are refugees, 40.3 million are internally displaced people and 2.8 million are asylum seekers.&nbsp;

In Afghanistan, in the first five and a half months of 2017, as many as 136,000 people have been displaced and 2,200 civilians got killed or injured during the ongoing conflict. Year by year, it is not getting any better. &ldquo;In 2010 in this hospital we were able to do also civilian traumas below fourteen. Now it is not an option anymore,&rdquo; says Giorgia Novello, medical coordinator for the Emergency hospital in Kabul. &ldquo;In all our projects, the number of war wounded has increased.&rdquo;

The men in the hut kept discussing politics and society&rsquo;s problem. They sit in a circle, exactly as they would have done in their villages if only the war would not have forced them to leave.

65.5 million people are currently displaced from their home worldwide, a record in human history

A group of men sit in a small hut made of clay and mud in one of the city's many informal refugee camps. The hut is pretty crowded, someone stares curiously at what is going on and others keep sewing typical Afghan clothes. Children tiptoe to steal a glimpse of the inside and quickly disappear when an elder spots them. It goes without saying that the camp has no running water and no sewage system. It is hot and flies are all over the place. We came here because your countries bombed our land × “We came here because your countries bombed our land,” says the man that the small venue elected spokesperson. They all come from Helmand, the famous Taliban heartland in the south of Afghanistan. “We live here since ten years,” he says. Ten years. This is what often happens when you run away from war: You know when you leave, but you do not know when and if you will ever go back. “Of course we dream to go back to our land, but we also need security to do so,” he says. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short. US troops, sixteen years back, invaded the country, chasing the ghost of Al-Qaeda, and that very same war is still going on and disrupting lives. Afghanistan is one of those places where war has never been short (Others) × One of the things war does is impose its violence on you. It doesn’t matter if you were living your usual life, sowing seeds or grazing sheep. Violence does not ask your permission to destroy your life, it just does it. Suddenly, one day, while you are living your usual countryside life, some random armed group pops up and starts imposing its rules on you, and you accept it. You do so out of fear, out of a quick pro and con evaluation: "I am a peaceful man, I want to mind my business, is refusing worth dying over?" It is easy for those who are not there to say "revolt, fight back". Revolting against an armed power exercising its monopoly of violence on you, is one of those things which seems kind of easy when you are not the one doing it. This is a war though, and it does not seek permission. You won’t get away just abiding by someone’s law, especially if that someone has enemies. One day your rulers’ enemy attacks. Jet fighters fly where you were used to seeing birds, and in seconds there is nothing left of your life except you. Your house, your fields, the small dusty roads of the village--all gone. There is nothing left, maybe some of your sheep, if you are lucky. You look around, you visualise your small village in the countryside. Where pomegranates used to be as sweet as sugar, there are now piles of smoking rubbles. You try to make sense of the tragedy, you cry and you call to god, whatever god you believe in. No matter how hard you try, the reality is that war does not ask your permission to destroy your life. It just does it and it sucks. Suddenly, you realise that along with other survivors you do not know what to do. "Maybe it is over. It was just a one-off attack," you speculate. You spend all the night with the elders discussing what to do, but there is no solution. Then, that armed group comes back at dawn and you realise all at once that what happened was not a one-off tragedy. The others, whoever they are, will bomb again in an endless cycle of destruction. It’s done, war invaded your space, and it does not matter if you just wanted to keep looking after your sheep and your crop. You do not get to decide. Your conservation instinct often prevails: “A wretched life is anyway better than a cruel death,” you think. With these words in your mind, your private personal odyssey begins. You leave everything behind and you go. No hopes from the government (Others) × Where do you go? You try to reach a city, the biggest city. ‘“The government will help us,” you think. You have a few chances in front of you: You can try to reach a refugee camp and live in a tent. You can become a beggar on the street of a city, knocking at fancy cars’ windows for coins. You can also live in an informal refugee camp on the city's outskirts. You can also end up in the hands of organised crime; Criminal networks build their empires exploiting people like you. Whatever you do, the outcome is pretty much the same: Your wait begins, because you did not leave your house by choice. It does not matter how good you are at adapting, the melancholy of your previous life will not abandon you. The desire to go back, one day, where the pomegranates were as sweet as sugar, will always accompany you. “Some of us sell pomegranates to make a living here, but these are small, not good,” says the village council’s spokesperson. This is not one peson's particular story, but the story of millions of people at the same time. According to the most recent UN survey, 65.5 million people are currently displaced worldwide. It is a record in human history, but nothing we should be proud of; 25.5 million of them are refugees, 40.3 million are internally displaced people and 2.8 million are asylum seekers. In Afghanistan, in the first five and a half months of 2017, as many as 136,000 people have been displaced and 2,200 civilians got killed or injured during the ongoing conflict. Year by year, it is not getting any better. “In 2010 in this hospital we were able to do also civilian traumas below fourteen. Now it is not an option anymore,” says Giorgia Novello, medical coordinator for the Emergency hospital in Kabul. “In all our projects, the number of war wounded has increased.” The men in the hut kept discussing politics and society’s problem. They sit in a circle, exactly as they would have done in their villages if only the war would not have forced them to leave.

All refugees desire to go back home, one day

Pope Francis urged governments on Saturday to get migrants and refugees out of holding centres, saying many had become &quot;concentration camps&quot;.

During a visit to a Rome basilica, where he met migrants, Francis told of his trip to a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year.

He met a Muslim refugee from the Middle East there who told him how &quot;terrorists came to our country&quot;. Islamists had slit the throat of the man&#39;s Christian wife because she refused to throw her crucifix on the ground.

&quot;I don&#39;t know if he managed to leave that concentration camp, because refugee camps, many of them, are of concentration (type) because of the great number of people left there inside them,&quot; the pope said.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) later urged the pope &quot;to reconsider his regrettable choice of words&quot; for using the term concentration camp.

&quot;The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not,&quot; the AJC&#39;s head, David Harris, said in a statement.

&quot;The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II. There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy,&quot; he said.

Francis praised countries helping refugees and thanked them for &quot;bearing this extra burden, because it seems that international accords are more important than human rights&quot;.

He did not elaborate but appeared to be referring to agreements that keep migrants from crossing borders, such as deals between the European Union (EU) and Libya and the EU and Turkey. Humanitarian groups have criticised both deals.

The pope urged people in northern Italy, home to an anti-immigrant party, to take more migrants, hoping that the generosity of southern Italy could &quot;infect the north a bit&quot;.

Noting that Italy had one of the world&#39;s lowest birth rates, he said: &quot;If we also close the door to migrants, this is called suicide.&quot;

The basilica of St Bartholomew is a shine to Christians killed for their faith in the 20th and 21st centuries.

It contains a prayer book used by Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old French priest killed by Islamist militants who stormed into a church in Saint-&Eacute;tienne-du-Rouvray last year, forced Hamel to his knees, and slit his throat while they chanted in Arabic. His sister Roselyne attended the service.

(Reuters)

The American Jewish Committee later urged the pope to reconsider his regrettable choice of words'

Pope Francis urged governments on Saturday to get migrants and refugees out of holding centres, saying many had become "concentration camps". During a visit to a Rome basilica, where he met migrants, Francis told of his trip to a camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year. He met a Muslim refugee from the Middle East there who told him how "terrorists came to our country". Islamists had slit the throat of the man's Christian wife because she refused to throw her crucifix on the ground. "I don't know if he managed to leave that concentration camp, because refugee camps, many of them, are of concentration (type) because of the great number of people left there inside them," the pope said. The American Jewish Committee (AJC) later urged the pope "to reconsider his regrettable choice of words" for using the term concentration camp. "The conditions in which migrants are currently living in some European countries may well be difficult, and deserve still greater international attention, but concentration camps they certainly are not," the AJC's head, David Harris, said in a statement. "The Nazis and their allies erected and used concentration camps for slave labor and the extermination of millions of people during World War II. There is no comparison to the magnitude of that tragedy," he said. Francis praised countries helping refugees and thanked them for "bearing this extra burden, because it seems that international accords are more important than human rights". He did not elaborate but appeared to be referring to agreements that keep migrants from crossing borders, such as deals between the European Union (EU) and Libya and the EU and Turkey. Humanitarian groups have criticised both deals. The pope urged people in northern Italy, home to an anti-immigrant party, to take more migrants, hoping that the generosity of southern Italy could "infect the north a bit". Noting that Italy had one of the world's lowest birth rates, he said: "If we also close the door to migrants, this is called suicide." The basilica of St Bartholomew is a shine to Christians killed for their faith in the 20th and 21st centuries. It contains a prayer book used by Father Jacques Hamel, the 85-year-old French priest killed by Islamist militants who stormed into a church in Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray last year, forced Hamel to his knees, and slit his throat while they chanted in Arabic. His sister Roselyne attended the service. (Reuters)

Pope likens migrant holding centres to 'concentration camps'

More than 2,000 migrants trying to reach Europe were plucked from the Mediterranean on Friday in a series of dramatic rescues and one person was found dead, officials and witnesses said.

An Italian coast guard spokesman said 19 rescue operations by the coast guard or ships operated by non-governmental organisations had saved a total of 2,074 migrants on 16 rubber dinghies and three small wooden boats.

The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a tweet that one teenager was found dead in a rubber boat whose passengers were rescued by its ship Aquarius.

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A very difficult rescue today for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Aquarius?src=hash">#Aquarius</a> with one teenager found dead in a rubber boat. In 2017, the sea continues to be a graveyard. <a href="https://t.co/2gVh5AOOcd">pic.twitter.com/2gVh5AOOcd</a>
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&quot;The sea continues to be a graveyard,&quot; MSF said in a Tweet. The coast guard spokesman confirmed that one person had died but gave no details.

MSF said two of their ships, Aquarius and Prudence, had rescued about 1,000 people in nine boats.

Desperate refugees struggled to stay afloat after they slid off their rubber boat during a rescue operation by the Phoenix, a ship of the rescue group Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS).

Video footage showed rescuers jumping into the water off the coast of Libya to help them.

&quot;In 19 years of covering the migration story, I have never experienced anything like today,&quot; said Reuters photographer Darrin Zammit Lupi, who was aboard the Phoenix.

In one operation, the Phoenix rescued 134 people, all from sub-Saharan counties, he said.

Those rescued by the MOAS and MSF ships were transferred to Italian coast guard ships, which had rescued other migrants, to be taken to Italian ports.

According to the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 32,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year. More than 650 have died or are missing.

(Reuters)

19 rescue operations were carried out by the Italian coast guard or ships operated by NGOs, using 16 rubber dinghies and 3 wooden boats

More than 2,000 migrants trying to reach Europe were plucked from the Mediterranean on Friday in a series of dramatic rescues and one person was found dead, officials and witnesses said. An Italian coast guard spokesman said 19 rescue operations by the coast guard or ships operated by non-governmental organisations had saved a total of 2,074 migrants on 16 rubber dinghies and three small wooden boats. The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said in a tweet that one teenager was found dead in a rubber boat whose passengers were rescued by its ship Aquarius. A very difficult rescue today for the #Aquarius with one teenager found dead in a rubber boat. In 2017, the sea continues to be a graveyard. pic.twitter.com/2gVh5AOOcd — MSF Sea (@MSF_Sea) April 14, 2017 × "The sea continues to be a graveyard," MSF said in a Tweet. The coast guard spokesman confirmed that one person had died but gave no details. MSF said two of their ships, Aquarius and Prudence, had rescued about 1,000 people in nine boats. Desperate refugees struggled to stay afloat after they slid off their rubber boat during a rescue operation by the Phoenix, a ship of the rescue group Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS). Video footage showed rescuers jumping into the water off the coast of Libya to help them. "In 19 years of covering the migration story, I have never experienced anything like today," said Reuters photographer Darrin Zammit Lupi, who was aboard the Phoenix. In one operation, the Phoenix rescued 134 people, all from sub-Saharan counties, he said. Those rescued by the MOAS and MSF ships were transferred to Italian coast guard ships, which had rescued other migrants, to be taken to Italian ports. According to the International Organisation for Migration, nearly 32,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year. More than 650 have died or are missing. (Reuters)

More than 2,000 migrants rescued in dramatic day in Mediterranean

Refugees stranded in Greece suffered sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall on Tuesday at camps not designed for winter weather and the government promised those on one island temporary warm accommodations aboard a navy ship.

A mid-winter icy spell and snowstorms have gripped central and southeastern Europe for days, and parts of Greece have been covered in rare snow with temperatures dipping to -20 degrees Celsius this week. Snow also fell in Athens on Tuesday.

More than 60,000 refugees and migrants have been trapped in Greece since Balkan countries along the main, northward overland route to wealthy western Europe sealed their borders last March. Most now live in overcrowded camps across Greece in abandoned factories or warehouses, or in tents which lack insulation or heating.

&quot;Cold, it&#39;s very cold for children - it&#39;s not like Syria,&quot; said Rostam, a 34-year-old Syrian Kurd who has been living in a camp near the village of Ritsona in eastern Greece near Athens for 10 months with his wife and three young children.

Temperatures hovered at -1 degrees at the camp, a collection shipping containers in a forest where clothes left on hanging on lines outdoors had frozen stiff.

Humanitarian aid organisations, including the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, have pressed Greece to quickly transfer those on freezing, snowbound Aegean islands to the mainland or other European countries.

&quot;The situation is very difficult and especially dangerous for children,&quot; said George Protopapas, Greece director of international organisation SOS Children&#39;s Villages.

&quot;Power outages, freezing temperatures, snow and freezing rain have hampered access to some refugee camps and created very hazardous conditions for all those in temporary shelters.&quot;

Conditions were considerably worse on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, where more than 5,000 asylum seekers have been waiting for months for their applications to be processed.

Scores of summer tents weighed down by thick snow resembled igloos after several days of icy weather on the island. On Tuesday, the government said it was sending a naval ship to Lesbos to accommodate migrants. It was also scrambling to transfer others to hotels.

&quot;It is important to take immediate measures to ensure that men, women and children are housed in decent accommodation suitable for winter,&quot; the Greek branch of global health charity Medecins du Monde said in a statement.

For some refugees who have been in limbo in Greece for months, things have been worse.

&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s normal, we&#39;re used to living like this,&quot; said a 25-year-old Syrian who gave his name as Ahmad, one of the first to arrive in the Ritsona camp. &quot;This is not one day or two days, this is 10 months.&quot;

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Many refugees are living in overcrowded camps in abandoned warehouses, or in tents braving temperatures of almost -20 degrees Celsius

Refugees stranded in Greece suffered sub-zero temperatures and heavy snowfall on Tuesday at camps not designed for winter weather and the government promised those on one island temporary warm accommodations aboard a navy ship. A mid-winter icy spell and snowstorms have gripped central and southeastern Europe for days, and parts of Greece have been covered in rare snow with temperatures dipping to -20 degrees Celsius this week. Snow also fell in Athens on Tuesday. More than 60,000 refugees and migrants have been trapped in Greece since Balkan countries along the main, northward overland route to wealthy western Europe sealed their borders last March. Most now live in overcrowded camps across Greece in abandoned factories or warehouses, or in tents which lack insulation or heating. "Cold, it's very cold for children - it's not like Syria," said Rostam, a 34-year-old Syrian Kurd who has been living in a camp near the village of Ritsona in eastern Greece near Athens for 10 months with his wife and three young children. Temperatures hovered at -1 degrees at the camp, a collection shipping containers in a forest where clothes left on hanging on lines outdoors had frozen stiff. Humanitarian aid organisations, including the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, have pressed Greece to quickly transfer those on freezing, snowbound Aegean islands to the mainland or other European countries. "The situation is very difficult and especially dangerous for children," said George Protopapas, Greece director of international organisation SOS Children's Villages. "Power outages, freezing temperatures, snow and freezing rain have hampered access to some refugee camps and created very hazardous conditions for all those in temporary shelters." Conditions were considerably worse on the eastern Aegean island of Lesbos, where more than 5,000 asylum seekers have been waiting for months for their applications to be processed. Scores of summer tents weighed down by thick snow resembled igloos after several days of icy weather on the island. On Tuesday, the government said it was sending a naval ship to Lesbos to accommodate migrants. It was also scrambling to transfer others to hotels. "It is important to take immediate measures to ensure that men, women and children are housed in decent accommodation suitable for winter," the Greek branch of global health charity Medecins du Monde said in a statement. For some refugees who have been in limbo in Greece for months, things have been worse. "It's normal, we're used to living like this," said a 25-year-old Syrian who gave his name as Ahmad, one of the first to arrive in the Ritsona camp. "This is not one day or two days, this is 10 months." (Reuters)

Refugees brave snow, sub-zero temperatures in Greek camps

Cedric Herrou, a French farmer, may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charge of helping in the unauthorised entry, transit and stay of illegal migrants in France.

He is an olive and poultry farmer from a village on the border with Italy.

Unapologetic for his actions, Herrou said&nbsp;sending him to prison would do nothing to reduce the influx of migrants to France across Europe.

Herrou said, &quot;I subjected myself to illegality because these people are pushing me towards illegality in order to protect the rights of these children that I&#39;ve taken across (the border), of these families that I&#39;ve taken across, I had to put myself in illegality. And if I have to continue, I will continue,&quot; reports Reuters.

A crowd of around 300 people gathered in front of the Palais de Justice in Nice in support of Herrou, the local hero.

Local newspaper Nice Matin named Herrou &quot;Azureen of the year,&quot; a title reserved for the region&#39;s most accomplished individuals, according to a report on Reuters.

In his defence, Herrou said, &quot;It&#39;s not up to me to make a distinction between black and white, people with or without papers. It&#39;s not my job. Farming is what I do, my job is feeding people and that&#39;s what I do.&quot;

Over recent months, Herrou has given shelter to several hundred migrants in the grounds of his home in Breil-sur-Roya, a French valley surrounded by Italian territory.

He was first arrested in August 2016 for accompanying eight Eritrean migrants from Italy into France&nbsp;but was released on a humanitarian immunity clause.

He was arrested again in October, where the same clause did not apply when the Nice prosecutor said his aiding of migrants then was not a response to immediate danger.

According to Herrou, he helped migrants on a purely voluntary basis, and accepted nothing in return from them, and that he had especially tried to help the minors among the migrants.

Herrou is part of an association named &quot;Housing and Citizenship,&quot;&nbsp;which has resorted to semi-clandestine tactics in assisting migrants who are regularly removed by the police from trains crossing into France and sent back to Italy.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

Herrou may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charges

Cedric Herrou, a French farmer, may face five years in prison and a 30,000-euro fine if found guilty of the charge of helping in the unauthorised entry, transit and stay of illegal migrants in France. He is an olive and poultry farmer from a village on the border with Italy. Unapologetic for his actions, Herrou said sending him to prison would do nothing to reduce the influx of migrants to France across Europe. Herrou said, "I subjected myself to illegality because these people are pushing me towards illegality in order to protect the rights of these children that I've taken across (the border), of these families that I've taken across, I had to put myself in illegality. And if I have to continue, I will continue," reports Reuters. A crowd of around 300 people gathered in front of the Palais de Justice in Nice in support of Herrou, the local hero. Local newspaper Nice Matin named Herrou "Azureen of the year," a title reserved for the region's most accomplished individuals, according to a report on Reuters. In his defence, Herrou said, "It's not up to me to make a distinction between black and white, people with or without papers. It's not my job. Farming is what I do, my job is feeding people and that's what I do." Over recent months, Herrou has given shelter to several hundred migrants in the grounds of his home in Breil-sur-Roya, a French valley surrounded by Italian territory. He was first arrested in August 2016 for accompanying eight Eritrean migrants from Italy into France but was released on a humanitarian immunity clause. He was arrested again in October, where the same clause did not apply when the Nice prosecutor said his aiding of migrants then was not a response to immediate danger. According to Herrou, he helped migrants on a purely voluntary basis, and accepted nothing in return from them, and that he had especially tried to help the minors among the migrants. Herrou is part of an association named "Housing and Citizenship," which has resorted to semi-clandestine tactics in assisting migrants who are regularly removed by the police from trains crossing into France and sent back to Italy. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

French farmer on trial for helping illegal migrants across border

After a strategic break meant to&nbsp;relieve troops after&nbsp;two months of intense&nbsp;urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold&nbsp;and the de facto capital city of&nbsp;the Islamic State in Iraq.&nbsp;

The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city.&nbsp;

Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that&nbsp;IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead.&nbsp;The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million.

&nbsp;

Humanitarian challenges

The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million.&nbsp;

When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A&nbsp;mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early&nbsp;November. That&#39;s a rate of about&nbsp;approximately 50 persons per day.&nbsp;

As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to&nbsp;leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000&nbsp;running away in the first days. &nbsp;

Since&nbsp;the offensive started on October 17, the <a href="http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Situation%20Report_14_Mosul%20final.pdf">United Nation says</a>&nbsp;that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them&nbsp;now live&nbsp;in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night.&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled war&nbsp;are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods&nbsp;are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned.

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A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated&nbsp;by the five bridges that cross&nbsp;the Tigris river,&nbsp;connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are&nbsp;the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so&nbsp;the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26&nbsp;and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges.&nbsp;

While this is militarily significant, it is also&nbsp;concerning for all those&nbsp;living&nbsp;in&nbsp;western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area.&nbsp;

OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many &quot;water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse&quot;.&nbsp;

The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State.

In 2016 alone,&nbsp;war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq.

That&#39;s nearly one life per hour.

While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(WION) 
&nbsp;

Some Iraqis who fled?are slowly deciding to go back to their neighbourhoods, but in 2016 war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead

After a strategic break meant to relieve troops after two months of intense urban guerrilla warfare, Iraqi forces launched a new wave of attacks to retake Mosul, the last stronghold and the de facto capital city of the Islamic State in Iraq. The Iraqi army is now conducting a multi-axis advance, and according to the US Department of Defense two new fronts have been opened to increase pressure on the terrorists still fighting in the city. Pentagon sources told CNN they have no reason to think that IS leader Abu Bakhr al-Baghdadi is dead. The reward for information leading to his capture is now at $25 million. Humanitarian challenges The major challenge in the Mosul offensive is the presence of many civilians within the city. There are no official figures on the current situation, but before the offensive begun the population was believed to be close to one million. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that 3,125 civilians have been injured in Mosul since the army entered the city in early November. That's a rate of about approximately 50 persons per day. As the Iraqi army advances, more and more citizens decide to leave their home. The new round of attacks caused an increase in the number of people fleeing with as many as 13,000 running away in the first days. Since the offensive started on October 17, the United Nation says that as many as 125,569 civilians have abandoned their home. The majority of them now live in the many refugee camps in northern Iraq, where a severe winter hits hard. The region sees temperatures which easily drop below zero during the night. Some Iraqis who fled war are slowly deciding to go back as soon as their neighbourhoods are declared safe. The OCHA says that as many 14,000 people have currently returned. When wars are fought in highly and densely populated cities, citizens are forcibly and heavily involved in the conflict: A mortar can fall on their house any moment, a flying bullet can hit them, a car bomb or a rudimentary explosive device can explode in front of them without notice. × A fundamental part of the Mosul offensive is dictated by the five bridges that cross the Tigris river, connecting the eastern and the western parts of the city. The bridges are the only way terrorists have to move between the two sides and partially escape isolation. All major roads from and to the city are in fact cut off by troops, so the only possibility for them to fight is to move within Mosul and organise as many ambushes as possible. Between December 26 and 27, at the request of the Iraqi army, US-led coalition forces disabled three bridges. While this is militarily significant, it is also concerning for all those living in western Mosul, now suffering complete isolation. No humanitarian agency has access to the area. OCHA reports that due to scarcity of food, prices are skyrocketing and many "water boreholes in the eastern part of the city are drying up or turning brackish from overuse". The Mosul humanitarian emergency adds a problem to a country already devastated by more than ten years of conflict, from the US-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein to the current fight against the Islamic State. In 2016 alone, war has left 6,878 Iraqis dead, according to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq. That's nearly one life per hour. While the Iraqi army is achieving moderate gains against IS, no matter how well they fight, destruction and death is inevitable. (WION)

Mosul's humanitarian crisis continues as Iraqi forces fight IS

To find out, try and answer our 10 multiple-choice questions on the year

How well do you know 2016?

There is nothing positive in war. War is a bad story. It is a violent disruptive element which invades and destroys hundreds of thousands of lives. It can, unfortunately, become a necessary action, like the current war agains the Islamic State. This does not make it more positive though.

Then why do we cover war? Why cover something which seems to be singularly bad? The answer is one we already have;&nbsp;as a journalist,&nbsp;it is my responsibility, to report to the world the death, suffering, vendettas, fallen heroes, criminals, human rights violations, tears and blood.&nbsp;

As a community of journalists deployed on the front lines of the world, we must ask ourselves tough questions about the purpose of our job and strive to provide answers. Personally, one thing is clear to me, war reporting should not be a matter of adventure and personal narrative, even though, unfortunately, some colleagues follow this road. I will, tirelessly, repeat that we are not the story. We are not the story.&nbsp;

There is nothing cool about being on the front line, witnessing people die. At least, not if you are mentally healthy.&nbsp;

Documenting war should help a community of readers to understand what led to it, what happens during a war and what happens after. It should also help all of us to stay human, to not forget what is the true meaning of war: a human-made event which creates victims, even when they are not dead.

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After two consecutive months spent between Iraq and Kurdistan, following different steps of the offensive to reconquer Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, I take the liberty to express my view on why every newsroom should have &mdash; and take care of &mdash; a conflict reporter.

Refugees are the first reason that we, the war reporters, should never put our pen down.&nbsp;

According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people in the world. It means conflict and persecution are forcing 34,000 people a day to flee their homes.

My chest trembles when I think about the condition of refugees in the camps we visit - where under the pressure of deadlines we often spend, at most, a day.&nbsp;

I try to imagine - what if it happened to me? What if I had to run away from everything I have because I know that,&nbsp; if I don&rsquo;t, I die.&nbsp;

I try to imagine what I would have&nbsp;done before fleeing: I see myself looking around. My house is part of my personal story, my books, my pictures, the presents my friends gave me for my birthdays.&nbsp;

What would I take with me? How would I select which memories are worth accompanying me into a future I know, for a fact, to be uncertain and dangerous? Maybe I wouldn&rsquo;t take anything or, maybe, I would take as much as possible. I don&rsquo;t know. What I know is that, at least for me, nothing would be significant enough to keep me attached to the life I am forced to abandon.

Maybe I would not leave, I would not be strong enough. Sitting in that very living room, I would think about the future: hunger, thirst, refugee camps, checkpoints, long waiting lines, refusals.&nbsp;

But then, I will not always be alone, solidarity is strength. Many people will help me, will try to ensure the minimum level of dignity for me, but still, my life would be stuck in a limbo between what I will perceive as an ideal past, a difficult present and an uncertain future.

To save my life, I run away but what if I die running? Or get&nbsp;torn apart by a bomb while hiding at the bottom of a truck as I try to cross borders. I may drown too in those rickety boats that are braving the dangerous seas.

Even the deadly situation does not stop the questions from coming.&nbsp;If I leave, when will I come back? Will I ever come back? Will I find my house where I left it? Will someone else be living in my house-someone who was displaced, like me?&nbsp;

The more I think, the less I know.&nbsp;

My mind shifts to those intolerant movements in the rich and peaceful western countries who are taking to the streets against refugees reaching their &mdash; in fact ours &mdash; borders asking for dignity. I think about the small town of Gorino, in Italy, my own country, where people blocked with barricades a group of women, coming from Nigeria, New Guinea and Ivory Coast who were meant to be hosted in the city&rsquo;s hostel. Among them there was a pregnant woman.&nbsp;

In this barbarian behaviour, I find the other answer (along with refugees) as to why we need to cover wars. We must cover war to show and explain what happened to the people camping and suffering on European borders. To explain why these humans reach our boundaries and why we have no other option than using all our energies to find a political and stable solution to guarantee them safety and dignity, the same we are all enjoying and, often, take for granted.

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Showing the very places they are leaving behind, their sorrow, their struggle, the uncertainty of their future, their desire of normalcy creates awareness of the mauling effects of war.&nbsp;

I will sign off here with the story of the barber whose shop I frequented to get a shave before appearing in front of the cameras. The barber of Qaraqosh is what I called him as he owned two barber shops in Qaraqosh, a Christian town east to Mosul. He was a common man running a common shop and living a common life with little interest in politics. In one night, war just fell on his head, abruptly ripping apart whatever he had. And now, he is one of the 3.1 millions internally displaced people in Iraq. Fortunately, he found a job and earns a living, but this means nothing if he was forced into it, against his will. &nbsp;In becoming a refugee, he has saved his life but lost his universe.&nbsp;

Every single refugee shares similar stories, often even worse. Tens of millions of voices which, without journalist reporting from conflict areas, risk &nbsp;remain unheard.&nbsp;

Without journalists reporting from conflict areas, tens of millions of voices risk remaining unheard

There is nothing positive in war. War is a bad story. It is a violent disruptive element which invades and destroys hundreds of thousands of lives. It can, unfortunately, become a necessary action, like the current war agains the Islamic State. This does not make it more positive though. Then why do we cover war? Why cover something which seems to be singularly bad? The answer is one we already have; as a journalist, it is my responsibility, to report to the world the death, suffering, vendettas, fallen heroes, criminals, human rights violations, tears and blood. As a community of journalists deployed on the front lines of the world, we must ask ourselves tough questions about the purpose of our job and strive to provide answers. Personally, one thing is clear to me, war reporting should not be a matter of adventure and personal narrative, even though, unfortunately, some colleagues follow this road. I will, tirelessly, repeat that we are not the story. We are not the story. There is nothing cool about being on the front line, witnessing people die. At least, not if you are mentally healthy. Documenting war should help a community of readers to understand what led to it, what happens during a war and what happens after. It should also help all of us to stay human, to not forget what is the true meaning of war: a human-made event which creates victims, even when they are not dead. War is a human-made event which creates victims, even when they are not dead. × After two consecutive months spent between Iraq and Kurdistan, following different steps of the offensive to reconquer Mosul, the last stronghold of the Islamic State in Iraq, I take the liberty to express my view on why every newsroom should have — and take care of — a conflict reporter. Refugees are the first reason that we, the war reporters, should never put our pen down. According to the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) there are 65.3 million forcibly displaced people in the world. It means conflict and persecution are forcing 34,000 people a day to flee their homes. My chest trembles when I think about the condition of refugees in the camps we visit - where under the pressure of deadlines we often spend, at most, a day. I try to imagine - what if it happened to me? What if I had to run away from everything I have because I know that, if I don’t, I die. I try to imagine what I would have done before fleeing: I see myself looking around. My house is part of my personal story, my books, my pictures, the presents my friends gave me for my birthdays. What would I take with me? How would I select which memories are worth accompanying me into a future I know, for a fact, to be uncertain and dangerous? Maybe I wouldn’t take anything or, maybe, I would take as much as possible. I don’t know. What I know is that, at least for me, nothing would be significant enough to keep me attached to the life I am forced to abandon. Maybe I would not leave, I would not be strong enough. Sitting in that very living room, I would think about the future: hunger, thirst, refugee camps, checkpoints, long waiting lines, refusals. But then, I will not always be alone, solidarity is strength. Many people will help me, will try to ensure the minimum level of dignity for me, but still, my life would be stuck in a limbo between what I will perceive as an ideal past, a difficult present and an uncertain future. To save my life, I run away but what if I die running? Or get torn apart by a bomb while hiding at the bottom of a truck as I try to cross borders. I may drown too in those rickety boats that are braving the dangerous seas. Even the deadly situation does not stop the questions from coming. If I leave, when will I come back? Will I ever come back? Will I find my house where I left it? Will someone else be living in my house-someone who was displaced, like me? The more I think, the less I know. My mind shifts to those intolerant movements in the rich and peaceful western countries who are taking to the streets against refugees reaching their — in fact ours — borders asking for dignity. I think about the small town of Gorino, in Italy, my own country, where people blocked with barricades a group of women, coming from Nigeria, New Guinea and Ivory Coast who were meant to be hosted in the city’s hostel. Among them there was a pregnant woman. In this barbarian behaviour, I find the other answer (along with refugees) as to why we need to cover wars. We must cover war to show and explain what happened to the people camping and suffering on European borders. To explain why these humans reach our boundaries and why we have no other option than using all our energies to find a political and stable solution to guarantee them safety and dignity, the same we are all enjoying and, often, take for granted. We must cover war to show and explain what happened to the people camping and suffering on European borders. × Showing the very places they are leaving behind, their sorrow, their struggle, the uncertainty of their future, their desire of normalcy creates awareness of the mauling effects of war. I will sign off here with the story of the barber whose shop I frequented to get a shave before appearing in front of the cameras. The barber of Qaraqosh is what I called him as he owned two barber shops in Qaraqosh, a Christian town east to Mosul. He was a common man running a common shop and living a common life with little interest in politics. In one night, war just fell on his head, abruptly ripping apart whatever he had. And now, he is one of the 3.1 millions internally displaced people in Iraq. Fortunately, he found a job and earns a living, but this means nothing if he was forced into it, against his will. In becoming a refugee, he has saved his life but lost his universe. Every single refugee shares similar stories, often even worse. Tens of millions of voices which, without journalist reporting from conflict areas, risk remain unheard.

As a war reporter, why I do what I do

Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled battered eastern Aleppo towards government-held districts and the Kurdish-controlled neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, a monitoring group said Sunday.

&quot;Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled east Aleppo since the night of Saturday to Sunday,&quot; the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. &quot;At least 6,000 of them went to the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, the rest went to government zones of Aleppo.&quot;

Government forces retook six rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo over the weekend, forcing huge numbers of civilians to flee as they pressed their offensive Sunday to retake Syria&#39;s second city.

On Sunday, the 13th day of the operation, they took control of the adjacent neighbourhoods of Jabal Badra, Baadeeen Inzarat, Al-Sakan, al-Shaabi and Ain al-Tall, according to the Observatory.

Government forces are now &quot;in control of most of the northern part&quot; of Aleppo, according to the monitoring group.

Around 250,000 civilians besieged for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. Once a commercial and industrial hub, Aleppo has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria&#39;s nearly six-year war.

(AFP)

This mass exodus is just since this past Saturday night, as

Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled battered eastern Aleppo towards government-held districts and the Kurdish-controlled neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, a monitoring group said Sunday. "Nearly 10,000 civilians have fled east Aleppo since the night of Saturday to Sunday," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "At least 6,000 of them went to the neighbourhood of Sheikh Maksoud, the rest went to government zones of Aleppo." Government forces retook six rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo over the weekend, forcing huge numbers of civilians to flee as they pressed their offensive Sunday to retake Syria's second city. On Sunday, the 13th day of the operation, they took control of the adjacent neighbourhoods of Jabal Badra, Baadeeen Inzarat, Al-Sakan, al-Shaabi and Ain al-Tall, according to the Observatory. Government forces are now "in control of most of the northern part" of Aleppo, according to the monitoring group. Around 250,000 civilians besieged for months in the east have faced serious food and fuel shortages. Once a commercial and industrial hub, Aleppo has seen some of the worst fighting in Syria's nearly six-year war. (AFP)

Nearly 10,000 civilians flee east Aleppo: Monitor

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday.

The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run.

Facebook denied the report.

Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook&#39;s decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its &quot;trending topics&quot; earlier this year.

&quot;They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news,&quot; Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. &quot;There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics.&quot;

A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were &quot;not true&quot;.

&quot;We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party,&quot; the statement from Facebook said.

&quot;We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes.&quot;

Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump.

&quot;The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea,&quot; Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California.

In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex.

&quot;This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully,&quot; he said.

&quot;Identifying the &#39;truth&#39; is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted.&quot;

Bogus election results

The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College.

The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton.

The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort.

&quot;Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now,&quot; the posting said.&nbsp;

The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for &quot;final election result&quot;.

Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory.

Google seeks &quot;to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users&quot;, a company statement to AFP said.

&quot;In this case, we clearly didn&#39;t get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms.&quot;

(AFP)

China has put its armed forces on high alert and called for all sides to exercise restraint

Facebook had a tool to weed out fake news circulating on the social network this year but declined to deploy it for fear of offending conservatives, a report said on Monday. The report by the online news site Gizmodo comes with Facebook under fire for allowing hoaxes and misinformation to go viral and, according to some critics, boost the efforts of Republican Donald Trump in his successful presidential run. Facebook denied the report. Gizmodo, citing unnamed sources said to be knowledgeable about Facebook's decision-making, said the tool was shelved after a controversy over reports saying the social network suppressed some conservative voices in its "trending topics" earlier this year. "They absolutely have the tools to shut down fake news," Gizmodo quoted one source as saying. "There was a lot of fear about upsetting conservatives after (the uproar over) trending topics." A Facebook statement said that the claims made in the article were "not true". "We did not build and withhold any News Feed changes based on their potential impact on any one political party," the statement from Facebook said. "We always work to make News Feed more meaningful and informative, and that includes examining the quality and accuracy of items shared, such as clickbait, spam and hoaxes." Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg has rejected the idea that bogus stories shared at the social network paved a path of victory for Trump. "The idea that fake news on Facebook, which is a very small amount of the content, influenced the election in any way I think is a pretty crazy idea," Zuckerberg said during an on-stage chat at Technonomy, a technology trends conference in California. In a weekend posting, Zuckerberg said dealing with hoaxes and fake news is complex. "This is an area where I believe we must proceed very carefully," he said. "Identifying the 'truth' is complicated. While some hoaxes can be completely debunked, a greater amount of content, including from mainstream sources, often gets the basic idea right but some details wrong or omitted." Bogus election results The notion of hoaxes and fake news remained a topic of debate on Monday, when internet users searching on Google were delivered a bogus report saying Trump won the popular vote in addition to the Electoral College. The numbers on a blog called 70News, contradicting official results tallied so far by states, said Trump received 62.9 million votes to 62.2 million for Hillary Clinton. The blog urged those petitioning for the Electoral College to switch their votes to reflect popular will to scrap their effort. "Hey Change.org, scrap your loony petition now," the posting said. The bogus site was listed at the top of many search queries for "final election result". Preliminary tallies showed Clinton won roughly 700,000 more votes than Trump despite losing the states needed for an Electoral College victory. Google seeks "to provide the most relevant and useful results for our users", a company statement to AFP said. "In this case, we clearly didn't get it right, but we are continually working to improve our algorithms." (AFP)

China says 3,000 flee Myanmar after fighting along border

At least 28&nbsp;dead bodies have been found &quot;in a pool of fuel&quot; off the Libyan coast today, AFP reported.

The boat had set sail for Italy just hours before the incident, according to a report by Al Jazeera.

The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that among the dead, 21 were women.

A ship patrolling the central Mediterranean Sea managed to pull 209 people, including 50 children, to safety on Wednesday.

The MSF head of mission said that the rescue team saw dead bodies lying at the bottom of the boat in a pool of fuel.

He said that it seemed like water and fuel was mixed together and the fumes from this might have led them to lose consciousness.

The survivors were brought to Sicily.

The number of refugees and migrants who have left Libya this week on overcrowded boats to Europe is on the rise, Italian authorities said.

A UNHCR report says that more than a million refugees and migrants reached European shores by boat in 2015,

A team of trauma specialists would be on hand to help Wednesday&#39;s survivors when they reach&nbsp;land, the MSF head of mission informed.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Fumes rising from water and fuel mixing together might have led them to lose consciousness, the head of rescue operations said

At least 28 dead bodies have been found "in a pool of fuel" off the Libyan coast today, AFP reported. The boat had set sail for Italy just hours before the incident, according to a report by Al Jazeera. The humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that among the dead, 21 were women. A ship patrolling the central Mediterranean Sea managed to pull 209 people, including 50 children, to safety on Wednesday. The MSF head of mission said that the rescue team saw dead bodies lying at the bottom of the boat in a pool of fuel. He said that it seemed like water and fuel was mixed together and the fumes from this might have led them to lose consciousness. The survivors were brought to Sicily. The number of refugees and migrants who have left Libya this week on overcrowded boats to Europe is on the rise, Italian authorities said. A UNHCR report says that more than a million refugees and migrants reached European shores by boat in 2015, A team of trauma specialists would be on hand to help Wednesday's survivors when they reach land, the MSF head of mission informed. (WION with inputs from agencies)

At least 28 dead off Libyan coast

Ten countries accounting for 2.5 per cent of world GDP are hosting more than half the world&#39;s refugees, Amnesty International said Tuesday as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations.

In a report on the plight faced by the world&#39;s 21 million refugees, the London-based human rights body lamented that countries immediately neighbouring crisis zones bear the brunt of the global refugee problem.

Fifty-six per cent of refugees are being sheltered in 10 countries, according to the report, in which Amnesty proposed a solution whereby the world&#39;s countries find a home for 10 per cent of the planet&#39;s refugees every year.

&quot;A small number of countries have been left to do far too much just because they are neighbours to a crisis,&quot; said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty, presenting the report entitled &quot;Tackling the global refugee crisis: from shirking to sharing responsibility&quot;.

&quot;That situation is inherently unsustainable, exposing the millions fleeing war and persecution in countries like Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq to intolerable misery and suffering.

&quot;It is time for leaders to enter into a serious, constructive debate about how our societies are going to help people forced to leave their homes by war and persecution.&quot;

Amnesty said the top refugee-hosting country was Jordan, which has taken in more than 2.7 million people, followed by Turkey (more than 2.5 million); Pakistan (1.6 million) and Lebanon (more than 1.5 million).

The remaining six nations listed in the top 10 each hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees: Iran (979,400); Ethiopia (736,100); Kenya (553,900); Uganda (477,200); Democratic Republic of Congo (383,100), and Chad (369,500).

The statistics are based on figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Amnesty said many of the world&#39;s wealthiest nations &quot;host the fewest and do the least&quot;.

&quot;It is not simply a matter of sending aid money. Rich countries cannot pay to keep people &#39;over there&#39;,&quot; it said.

The &quot;self-interest&quot; of such countries meant the international refugee crisis was set to get worse, not better, Amnesty claimed.

&quot;If every one of the wealthiest countries in the world were to take in refugees in proportion to their size, wealth and unemployment rate, finding a home for more of the world&#39;s refugees would be an eminently solvable challenge,&quot; said Shetty.

(AFP)

Amnesty International said countries neighbouring crisis zones bear the brunt while wealthy nations evade responsibility

Ten countries accounting for 2.5 per cent of world GDP are hosting more than half the world's refugees, Amnesty International said Tuesday as it slammed what it called the selfishness of wealthy nations. In a report on the plight faced by the world's 21 million refugees, the London-based human rights body lamented that countries immediately neighbouring crisis zones bear the brunt of the global refugee problem. Fifty-six per cent of refugees are being sheltered in 10 countries, according to the report, in which Amnesty proposed a solution whereby the world's countries find a home for 10 per cent of the planet's refugees every year. "A small number of countries have been left to do far too much just because they are neighbours to a crisis," said Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty, presenting the report entitled "Tackling the global refugee crisis: from shirking to sharing responsibility". "That situation is inherently unsustainable, exposing the millions fleeing war and persecution in countries like Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq to intolerable misery and suffering. "It is time for leaders to enter into a serious, constructive debate about how our societies are going to help people forced to leave their homes by war and persecution." Amnesty said the top refugee-hosting country was Jordan, which has taken in more than 2.7 million people, followed by Turkey (more than 2.5 million); Pakistan (1.6 million) and Lebanon (more than 1.5 million). The remaining six nations listed in the top 10 each hosted hundreds of thousands of refugees: Iran (979,400); Ethiopia (736,100); Kenya (553,900); Uganda (477,200); Democratic Republic of Congo (383,100), and Chad (369,500). The statistics are based on figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Amnesty said many of the world's wealthiest nations "host the fewest and do the least". "It is not simply a matter of sending aid money. Rich countries cannot pay to keep people 'over there'," it said. The "self-interest" of such countries meant the international refugee crisis was set to get worse, not better, Amnesty claimed. "If every one of the wealthiest countries in the world were to take in refugees in proportion to their size, wealth and unemployment rate, finding a home for more of the world's refugees would be an eminently solvable challenge," said Shetty. (AFP)

Ten countries host half of world's refugees: Amnesty International

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will discuss the country&#39;s stand on refugees at the first UN summit on refugees and migrants by the UN General Assembly on September 19-20, reported Bangladesh&#39;s bdnews24.com. 
 
She will highlight the nation&#39;s priorities and position on refugee issues, Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters. 
 
As the current chair of the &#39;Global Forum for Migration and Development&#39;, Bangladesh is particularly interested in the refugee crisis. 
 
On the sidelines of the UN summit, US President Barack Obama will be a part of the Leaders Summit, where Hasina will talk about Bangladesh&#39;s 10 million refugees, who have taken shelter in India after the 1971 Liberation war from Pakistan, Ali said. 
 
She will also discuss the situation of Myanmar refugees who have taken asylum in Bangladesh. 
 
According to UNHCR report 2011, Bangladesh is host to around 29,000 recognised refugees who were accommodated in camps and an estimated 36,000 unrecognised refugees who have congregated in makeshift&nbsp;sites to which UNHCR and other international and national humanitarian actors have limited access. In addition, there are thought to be at least 200,000 undocumented Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar.
<h2>UN summit on refugees and migrants</h2>
The UN General Assembly has for the first time organised a summit at the heads of state and government level to discuss large movements of refugees across nations and to respond to them in a humane manner.&nbsp; 
 
The aim is to &quot;strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants&quot;, the United Nations&#39; official website states. 
 
(WION)

This is the first such summit by the UN General Assembly aimed at 'strengthening governance of international migration'

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will discuss the country's stand on refugees at the first UN summit on refugees and migrants by the UN General Assembly on September 19-20, reported Bangladesh's bdnews24.com. She will highlight the nation's priorities and position on refugee issues, Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters. As the current chair of the 'Global Forum for Migration and Development', Bangladesh is particularly interested in the refugee crisis. On the sidelines of the UN summit, US President Barack Obama will be a part of the Leaders Summit, where Hasina will talk about Bangladesh's 10 million refugees, who have taken shelter in India after the 1971 Liberation war from Pakistan, Ali said. She will also discuss the situation of Myanmar refugees who have taken asylum in Bangladesh. According to UNHCR report 2011, Bangladesh is host to around 29,000 recognised refugees who were accommodated in camps and an estimated 36,000 unrecognised refugees who have congregated in makeshift sites to which UNHCR and other international and national humanitarian actors have limited access. In addition, there are thought to be at least 200,000 undocumented Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. UN summit on refugees and migrants The UN General Assembly has for the first time organised a summit at the heads of state and government level to discuss large movements of refugees across nations and to respond to them in a humane manner. The aim is to "strengthen governance of international migration and a unique opportunity for creating a more responsible, predictable system for responding to large movements of refugees and migrants", the United Nations' official website states. (WION)

Bangladesh prime minister to discuss migrants, refugee crisis at UN summit

Fifteen years after fleeing his home in Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, Mehdi Salehi is today working on a project to save the lives of drowning refugees. 
 
The 33-year-old Afghan wants to help people like him survive the dangerous journey across the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. 
 
&#39;Drones for Refugees&#39; is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty, cutting the time it otherwise takes to reach them. 
 
The sea route between Turkey and the Greek Islands, which was a favourite among smugglers, saw heavy traffic post the Syrian conflict. 
 
Salehi, now a lecturer at the Parsons School of Design in New York, saw images of many who did not make it through the seas and decided to do something about it. 
 
With support from Parsons alumni and faculty, Mehdi and his partner Kristen Kersh bought and customised the drone tested on Lesbos. They added cameras, sensors, data-sharing points and designed a web&nbsp;platform. 
 
Footage from the cameras and the infrared sensors can be streamed live to websites and mobile devices used by coastguards, search and rescue teams and merchant ships. 
 
With drones making news for all the wrong reasons in the recent times, Mehdi insists that the technology must be used for saving lives. 
 
&quot;With the technology that we have today, people shouldn&rsquo;t be dying at sea. When I crossed, we had to buy a paper map to find the closest point to Greece on the Turkish seashore,&quot; he tells AFP. 
 
Esther Camps, Lesbos coordinator of Spanish lifeguard group Pro-Activa, says that the project could provide vital information on what rescuers need to expect ahead of time: &quot;If they need medical assistance, the number&nbsp;of people on board, availability of life-jackets on them, can all be tracked,&quot; she says. 
 
When Salehi crossed the Aegean from Turkey in 2001, he arrived on Chios island in Greece with a friend. 
 
Salehi and his friend were arrested and thrown in jail for five months until a Greek doctor working for Amnesty International visited the 
prison and Salehi asked her for help in filling out his Greek asylum application. 
 
She found him a lawyer and he got his papers.
<h2>Better drones</h2>
Drones for Refugees plans to build bigger drones, able to fly over larger areas of the Mediterranean where the survival of refugees and migrants depends on being spotted and rescued by a ship. 
 
The final prototype is likely to be ready by the end of this year, Salehi says. 
 
Until now, the group has been funding itself but Salehi and his team will need more cash if they are to build larger drones with longer 
flight autonomy. 
 
After being granted asylum in Greece, Salehi obtained a master&#39;s degree in architecture from the University of Volos in 2011. 
 
Moving to the United States, he received a second master&#39;s in design and technology from Parson&#39;s School of Design in New York. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

'Drones for Refugees' is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty

Fifteen years after fleeing his home in Afghanistan to escape the Taliban, Mehdi Salehi is today working on a project to save the lives of drowning refugees. The 33-year-old Afghan wants to help people like him survive the dangerous journey across the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. 'Drones for Refugees' is a project designed to enable rescuers to swiftly locate and reach migrant boats in difficulty, cutting the time it otherwise takes to reach them. The sea route between Turkey and the Greek Islands, which was a favourite among smugglers, saw heavy traffic post the Syrian conflict. Salehi, now a lecturer at the Parsons School of Design in New York, saw images of many who did not make it through the seas and decided to do something about it. With support from Parsons alumni and faculty, Mehdi and his partner Kristen Kersh bought and customised the drone tested on Lesbos. They added cameras, sensors, data-sharing points and designed a web platform. Footage from the cameras and the infrared sensors can be streamed live to websites and mobile devices used by coastguards, search and rescue teams and merchant ships. With drones making news for all the wrong reasons in the recent times, Mehdi insists that the technology must be used for saving lives. "With the technology that we have today, people shouldn’t be dying at sea. When I crossed, we had to buy a paper map to find the closest point to Greece on the Turkish seashore," he tells AFP. Esther Camps, Lesbos coordinator of Spanish lifeguard group Pro-Activa, says that the project could provide vital information on what rescuers need to expect ahead of time: "If they need medical assistance, the number of people on board, availability of life-jackets on them, can all be tracked," she says. When Salehi crossed the Aegean from Turkey in 2001, he arrived on Chios island in Greece with a friend. Salehi and his friend were arrested and thrown in jail for five months until a Greek doctor working for Amnesty International visited the prison and Salehi asked her for help in filling out his Greek asylum application. She found him a lawyer and he got his papers. Better drones Drones for Refugees plans to build bigger drones, able to fly over larger areas of the Mediterranean where the survival of refugees and migrants depends on being spotted and rescued by a ship. The final prototype is likely to be ready by the end of this year, Salehi says. Until now, the group has been funding itself but Salehi and his team will need more cash if they are to build larger drones with longer flight autonomy. After being granted asylum in Greece, Salehi obtained a master's degree in architecture from the University of Volos in 2011. Moving to the United States, he received a second master's in design and technology from Parson's School of Design in New York. (With inputs from agencies)

Afghan refugee makes drones to save drownings

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday refugees had not brought terrorism to Germany, adding that Islam belonged in the country as long as it was practised in a way that respected the constitution. 
 
More than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere arrived in Germany last year. The mood towards them has soured after a spate of attacks on civilians last month, including three carried out by migrants. 
 
Two of those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. 
 
&quot;The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism, of IS, is not a phenomenon that came to us with the refugees,&quot; Merkel said at an election campaign event for her Christian Democrats in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ahead of a regional vote on Sept. 4. 
 
Merkel said many people had travelled from Germany to Syria for training with Islamist militants. In June Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said a total of more than 800 were believed to have gone to Syria and Iraq. 
 
&quot;This group has worried us for several years,&quot; she said at the event in Neustrelitz, a town 100 km (60 miles) north of Berlin. 
 
Merkel&#39;s popularity has suffered in the wake of the attacks and 52 percent of Germans think her migrant policy is bad, a poll published last week showed. 
 
The influx of migrants, many of whom are Muslim, has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is expected to perform well in elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. 
 
&quot;We have said clearly that an Islam that works and lives on the basis of the constitution ... belongs to Germany,&quot; Merkel said. 
 
She added that a type of Islam that did not stick to the constitution or accept equal rights for women had no place in the country. 
 
(Reuters)

The mood towards refugees in the country soured after recent attacks on civilians including three by migrants

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday refugees had not brought terrorism to Germany, adding that Islam belonged in the country as long as it was practised in a way that respected the constitution. More than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and elsewhere arrived in Germany last year. The mood towards them has soured after a spate of attacks on civilians last month, including three carried out by migrants. Two of those attacks were claimed by the Islamic State militant group. "The phenomenon of Islamist terrorism, of IS, is not a phenomenon that came to us with the refugees," Merkel said at an election campaign event for her Christian Democrats in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern ahead of a regional vote on Sept. 4. Merkel said many people had travelled from Germany to Syria for training with Islamist militants. In June Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said a total of more than 800 were believed to have gone to Syria and Iraq. "This group has worried us for several years," she said at the event in Neustrelitz, a town 100 km (60 miles) north of Berlin. Merkel's popularity has suffered in the wake of the attacks and 52 percent of Germans think her migrant policy is bad, a poll published last week showed. The influx of migrants, many of whom are Muslim, has boosted support for the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is expected to perform well in elections in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Berlin. "We have said clearly that an Islam that works and lives on the basis of the constitution ... belongs to Germany," Merkel said. She added that a type of Islam that did not stick to the constitution or accept equal rights for women had no place in the country. (Reuters)

Refugees did not bring terrorism, says German Chancellor Angela Merkel

Australia on Thursday accused asylum seekers held in Pacific detention camps of falsely reporting sexual assault in order to get sent to Australia, a day after a newspaper published leaked documents detailing abuse at the Nauru immigration centre. 
 
More than 2,000 incidents, including sexual abuse, assault and attempted self-harm, were reported over two years at the Australian-funded Nauru detention centre, more than half involving children, Guardian Australia reported. 
 
Immigration minister Peter Dutton on Thursday said asylum seekers were lying about sexual abuse, and repeated comments he made earlier this year that refugee advocates were encouraging detainees to self-harm and set themselves on fire. 
 
&quot;I have been made aware of some incidents that have reported false allegations of sexual assault, because in the end, people have paid money to people smugglers and they want to come to our country,&quot; Dutton said in an interview on Australian radio.&nbsp;&quot;Some people have even gone to the extent of self-harming and people have self-immolated in an effort to get to Australia. Certainly some have made false allegations.&quot; 
 
Under its hardline immigration policy, asylum seekers intercepted trying to reach Australia by boat are sent for processing to Australian-funded camps on Nauru, which holds about 500 people, and on Manus island in Papua New Guinea. They are told they will never be settled in Australia. 
 
The harsh conditions and reports of systemic child abuse at the camps have drawn wide criticism at home and abroad. Australia, however, has vowed there will be no change to the policy, which has been pursued by successive governments.&nbsp;Australia says the policy is needed to stop asylum seekers dying at sea on the dangerous boat journey from Indonesia to Australia. Hundreds of people died attempting the trip in the years before the policy was put in place. 
 
Refugee advocates said the leaked reports show the urgent need to end Australia&#39;s offshore detention policy, and that asylum seekers must be given medical and psychological support. 
 
Hayley Ballinger, a child protection worker at the Nauru detention centre from 2014-15, said that it was an &quot;absolute insult&quot; to suggest that refugees had lied about abuse that has now been widely documented. 
 
&quot;All of the statements speak for themselves. Certainly the clients I saw there suffered and they really suffered. And this stuff really, really did happen. We witnessed it first-hand,&quot; Ballinger told Reuters. 
 
(Reuters)

Some people have even gone to the extent of self-harming and self-immolation in an effort to get to Australia: Immigration minister

Australia on Thursday accused asylum seekers held in Pacific detention camps of falsely reporting sexual assault in order to get sent to Australia, a day after a newspaper published leaked documents detailing abuse at the Nauru immigration centre. More than 2,000 incidents, including sexual abuse, assault and attempted self-harm, were reported over two years at the Australian-funded Nauru detention centre, more than half involving children, Guardian Australia reported. Immigration minister Peter Dutton on Thursday said asylum seekers were lying about sexual abuse, and repeated comments he made earlier this year that refugee advocates were encouraging detainees to self-harm and set themselves on fire. "I have been made aware of some incidents that have reported false allegations of sexual assault, because in the end, people have paid money to people smugglers and they want to come to our country," Dutton said in an interview on Australian radio. "Some people have even gone to the extent of self-harming and people have self-immolated in an effort to get to Australia. Certainly some have made false allegations." Under its hardline immigration policy, asylum seekers intercepted trying to reach Australia by boat are sent for processing to Australian-funded camps on Nauru, which holds about 500 people, and on Manus island in Papua New Guinea. They are told they will never be settled in Australia. The harsh conditions and reports of systemic child abuse at the camps have drawn wide criticism at home and abroad. Australia, however, has vowed there will be no change to the policy, which has been pursued by successive governments. Australia says the policy is needed to stop asylum seekers dying at sea on the dangerous boat journey from Indonesia to Australia. Hundreds of people died attempting the trip in the years before the policy was put in place. Refugee advocates said the leaked reports show the urgent need to end Australia's offshore detention policy, and that asylum seekers must be given medical and psychological support. Hayley Ballinger, a child protection worker at the Nauru detention centre from 2014-15, said that it was an "absolute insult" to suggest that refugees had lied about abuse that has now been widely documented. "All of the statements speak for themselves. Certainly the clients I saw there suffered and they really suffered. And this stuff really, really did happen. We witnessed it first-hand," Ballinger told Reuters. (Reuters)

Australia accuses refugees of falsely reporting sexual abuse

As a Syrian migrant arriving in Berlin, Munzer Khattab could barely say a word in German, let alone fill out a pile of forms in the language. So over the past year, Khattab has not only learned German but also worked with five other Syrian refugees or asylum seekers to design a smartphone app to make forms less daunting. 
 
The app, called &#39;Bureaucrazy&#39;, to be launched in January, will translate various forms into Arabic and English for newcomers facing a pile of paperwork ranging from registering with authorities to opening a bank account. It will also provide them with a map with Berlin offices that all newcomers need to navigate and deal with other questions about red tape that can leave asylum seekers in knots. 
 
Khattab, 23, who fled his coastal hometown of Latakia last year to avoid military service in Syria, said the inspiration came as he ploughed through more than a dozen registration forms in German after arriving in Berlin. 
 
&quot;Even when we asked Germans they had problems understanding the forms,&quot; Khattab told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview. 
 
&quot;If the Germans found them unreadable, how could we [migrants] read them?&quot; The app&#39;s name stemmed from Khattab, whose first language is Arabic, being caught out mispronouncing the word &#39;bureaucracy&#39;. &quot;Someone heard it and said &#39;Bureaucrazy? What did you say? That&#39;s a cool name&#39;,&quot; said Khattab. 
 
Khattab and his partners developed the app as part of a program in computer-coding they are taking at ReDI, a Berlin non-profit school with a mission to integrate refugees. It won a local software development contest and later drew praise at the Startup Europe tech conference earlier this year. 
 
The developers believe it will help migrants fleeing violence and poverty, more than a million of which have entered Germany in the past year. 
 
&quot;Everyone has the same problem: they come to Berlin as newcomers from Spain to Italy, and they have the same problems that we had,&quot; Khattab said. 
 
(Reuters)

The app, developed by Khattab, will translate various German forms into Arabic and English for newcomers facing a pile of paperwork

As a Syrian migrant arriving in Berlin, Munzer Khattab could barely say a word in German, let alone fill out a pile of forms in the language. So over the past year, Khattab has not only learned German but also worked with five other Syrian refugees or asylum seekers to design a smartphone app to make forms less daunting. The app, called 'Bureaucrazy', to be launched in January, will translate various forms into Arabic and English for newcomers facing a pile of paperwork ranging from registering with authorities to opening a bank account. It will also provide them with a map with Berlin offices that all newcomers need to navigate and deal with other questions about red tape that can leave asylum seekers in knots. Khattab, 23, who fled his coastal hometown of Latakia last year to avoid military service in Syria, said the inspiration came as he ploughed through more than a dozen registration forms in German after arriving in Berlin. "Even when we asked Germans they had problems understanding the forms," Khattab told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a telephone interview. "If the Germans found them unreadable, how could we [migrants] read them?" The app's name stemmed from Khattab, whose first language is Arabic, being caught out mispronouncing the word 'bureaucracy'. "Someone heard it and said 'Bureaucrazy? What did you say? That's a cool name'," said Khattab. Khattab and his partners developed the app as part of a program in computer-coding they are taking at ReDI, a Berlin non-profit school with a mission to integrate refugees. It won a local software development contest and later drew praise at the Startup Europe tech conference earlier this year. The developers believe it will help migrants fleeing violence and poverty, more than a million of which have entered Germany in the past year. "Everyone has the same problem: they come to Berlin as newcomers from Spain to Italy, and they have the same problems that we had," Khattab said. (Reuters)

Bureaucrazy: The smartphone app created by Syrian refugees to cut through German bureaucracy

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing,&quot; UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. 
 
&quot;Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks.&quot; 
 
The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. 
 
(Reuters)

The UNHCR said armed groups in the country have been forcibly recruiting young boys in their ranks

About 60,000 people have fled South Sudan since violence escalated over the past three weeks, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said on Tuesday. "They brought to us very disturbing reports, armed groups operating on roads to Uganda are preventing people from fleeing," UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming told a briefing. "Armed groups are looting villages, murdering civilians and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks." The bulk headed to neighbouring Uganda, doubling the flow over that border over the past 10 days, and the rest to Sudan and Kenya, the agency added. (Reuters)

60,000 South Sudanese flee violence, report looting, killing

Spain&#39;s seaside city of Barcelona on Thursday unveiled a large digital counter that will track the number of refugees who die in the Mediterranean, next to one of its popular beaches. 
 
&quot;We are inaugurating this shame counter, which will update all known victims who drowned in the Mediterranean in real time,&quot; said Mayor Ada Colau.&nbsp;The monument consists of a large metal rectangular pillar that comes decked out with a digital counter above the inscription &quot;This isn&#39;t just a number, these are people&quot;. 
 
The counter kicked off with &quot;3,034&quot;, the number of migrants and refugees who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 
 
&quot;We&#39;re here to look the Mediterranean in the face and look at this number, 3,034 people who drowned because they were not offered a safe passage,&quot; said Colau, as swimmers took advantage of the last rays of sunshine nearby. 
 
The fatality rate this year is higher than in the same period in 2015, the IOM said this week.&nbsp;One reason for the higher death toll this year is that there have been a series of shipwrecks involving larger vessels carrying several hundred people rather than the more typical dinghies that carry a maximum of 100 migrants. 
 
Syrians fleeing the country&#39;s brutal war again made up the largest group to have risked their lives to make the dangerous sea crossing so far this year.&nbsp;Afghans were next on the list, followed by Iraqis. 
 
(AFP)

The counter kicked off with 3,034, which is the total number of migrants and refugees who have died in 2016 while crossing the Mediterranean

Spain's seaside city of Barcelona on Thursday unveiled a large digital counter that will track the number of refugees who die in the Mediterranean, next to one of its popular beaches. "We are inaugurating this shame counter, which will update all known victims who drowned in the Mediterranean in real time," said Mayor Ada Colau. The monument consists of a large metal rectangular pillar that comes decked out with a digital counter above the inscription "This isn't just a number, these are people". The counter kicked off with "3,034", the number of migrants and refugees who have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe in 2016, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). "We're here to look the Mediterranean in the face and look at this number, 3,034 people who drowned because they were not offered a safe passage," said Colau, as swimmers took advantage of the last rays of sunshine nearby. The fatality rate this year is higher than in the same period in 2015, the IOM said this week. One reason for the higher death toll this year is that there have been a series of shipwrecks involving larger vessels carrying several hundred people rather than the more typical dinghies that carry a maximum of 100 migrants. Syrians fleeing the country's brutal war again made up the largest group to have risked their lives to make the dangerous sea crossing so far this year. Afghans were next on the list, followed by Iraqis. (AFP)

Barcelona unveils 'shame counter' that tracks refugee deaths

Pope Francis urged young people yesterday to welcome migrants and refugees, putting himself in direct contrast with the government of Poland on the second day of his visit there. 
 
Francis addressed more than 600,000 young people gathered in the city of Krakow for World Youth Day, a jamboree that actually lasts six days and has been dubbed the &quot;Catholic Woodstock&quot;. 
 
After watching performances from around the world, he urged them in an address to leave their comfort zones and be ready to embrace those in need.&nbsp;&quot;A merciful heart is able to be a place of refuge for those who are without a home or have lost their home; a merciful heart is able to build a home and a family for those forced to emigrate; it knows the meaning of tenderness and compassion,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;A merciful heart opens up to welcome refugees and migrants,&quot; he told the youths gathered in a large field near the city centre. Despite being rooted in Christian values, Poland&#39;s conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party government disagrees with Francis on refugees and opposes mandatory European Union quotas for accepting asylum seekers. 
 
Some of the country&#39;s conservative church leaders have also been hesitant over migrants, particularly those from Islamic countries, fearing that they will dilute Poland&#39;s Christian identity. 
 
Yesterday morning at the shrine city of Czestochowa, Francis prayed before Poland`s holiest icon - the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora - and said outdoor Mass for a congregation of tens of thousands, thanking Poles for holding on to their faith in difficult times. 
 
Francis praised what he called &quot;the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family&quot; in Poland, which is about 98 per cent Catholic. He said their faith had stayed strong in many situations throughout history. Poland is renowned for keep its Catholic flame burning during decades of Communist rule. 
 
As the 79-year-old pope was blessing the altar at the start of the Mass, he tripped on a step but was helped up by aides and did not appear to be hurt. He continued the Mass and read his homily normally. Francis suffers from sciatica, a medical condition in which pain sometimes shoots down the leg from the lower back. 
 
The shrine is home to the Black Madonna, a Byzantine icon from sometime between the sixth and ninth centuries and brought to Poland some 600 years ago. The icon is painted on wood and covered with silver and jewels. The shrine has been a focal point in difficult periods of Polish history. 
 
Poles flocked there to pray when martial law was declared by the communist government in the early 1980s. The late Pope John Paul II, who reigned for nearly three decades until his death in 2005, visited the shrine often during his trips to his homeland and donated the blood-stained white sash he was wearing on May 13, 1981, when he was shot in St. Peter&#39;s Square at the Vatican by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

'A merciful heart opens up to welcome refugees and migrants,' Pope told the youths. Poland's government opposes acceptation of asylum seekers

Pope Francis urged young people yesterday to welcome migrants and refugees, putting himself in direct contrast with the government of Poland on the second day of his visit there. Francis addressed more than 600,000 young people gathered in the city of Krakow for World Youth Day, a jamboree that actually lasts six days and has been dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock". After watching performances from around the world, he urged them in an address to leave their comfort zones and be ready to embrace those in need. "A merciful heart is able to be a place of refuge for those who are without a home or have lost their home; a merciful heart is able to build a home and a family for those forced to emigrate; it knows the meaning of tenderness and compassion," he said. "A merciful heart opens up to welcome refugees and migrants," he told the youths gathered in a large field near the city centre. Despite being rooted in Christian values, Poland's conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party government disagrees with Francis on refugees and opposes mandatory European Union quotas for accepting asylum seekers. Some of the country's conservative church leaders have also been hesitant over migrants, particularly those from Islamic countries, fearing that they will dilute Poland's Christian identity. Yesterday morning at the shrine city of Czestochowa, Francis prayed before Poland`s holiest icon - the Black Madonna of Jasna Gora - and said outdoor Mass for a congregation of tens of thousands, thanking Poles for holding on to their faith in difficult times. Francis praised what he called "the contagious power of a genuine faith, passed down from family to family" in Poland, which is about 98 per cent Catholic. He said their faith had stayed strong in many situations throughout history. Poland is renowned for keep its Catholic flame burning during decades of Communist rule. As the 79-year-old pope was blessing the altar at the start of the Mass, he tripped on a step but was helped up by aides and did not appear to be hurt. He continued the Mass and read his homily normally. Francis suffers from sciatica, a medical condition in which pain sometimes shoots down the leg from the lower back. The shrine is home to the Black Madonna, a Byzantine icon from sometime between the sixth and ninth centuries and brought to Poland some 600 years ago. The icon is painted on wood and covered with silver and jewels. The shrine has been a focal point in difficult periods of Polish history. Poles flocked there to pray when martial law was declared by the communist government in the early 1980s. The late Pope John Paul II, who reigned for nearly three decades until his death in 2005, visited the shrine often during his trips to his homeland and donated the blood-stained white sash he was wearing on May 13, 1981, when he was shot in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican by Turkish gunman Mehmet Ali Agca. (Reuters)

In a country wary of migrants, Pope tells Poles to welcome refugees

The United States is to start vetting would-be refugees from Central America in their home countries instead of on American soil, and offer those in imminent danger a temporary haven in Costa Rica, officials said on Tuesday. 
 
The announcement - a significant change in US immigration handling - comes after America toughened its southern border against a persistent flow of thousands of Central Americans fleeing violence, and as it steps up deportations of migrants who failed to win asylum. 
 
It also arrives in a US election year in which migration is a hot-button issue. 
 
Under the plan, to be carried out in coordination with the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, &quot;the United States government will pre-screen vulnerable applicants from the region seeking protection&quot;, the White House said in a statement. 
 
It will focus on citizens of the so-called &quot;Northern Triangle&quot; in Central America comprising Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which are prey to frightening levels of gang-related violence, poverty and corruption. 
 
A White House spokesman, Eric Schulz, told reporters the initiative was to &quot;promote safe migration&quot;, especially for the many children attempting the &quot;harrowing and sometimes deadly trip&quot; overland to the United States. 
 
The White House statement added that asylum-seekers &quot;most in need of immediate protection&quot; would be transferred to Costa Rica. 
 
There, they would be processed further before going on to the United States or another safe country. 
 
&#39;Important&#39; step&nbsp; 
 
UNHCR&#39;s representative for Central America, Carlos Maldonado, told a news conference in Costa Rica that &quot;these people will stay a maximum of six months in Costa Rica with a humanitarian visa and will later leave for a third country&quot;. 
 
During their waiting period, the applicants would receive English language and other courses to help them adapt to their new countries, he said. 
 
Officers from the US department of homeland security will carry out the vetting in Central America, officials said. 
 
Amy Pope, the Homeland Security deputy adviser on the National Security Council headed by President Barack Obama, told reporters that US procedures to date had proven &quot;insufficient to address the number of people who may have legitimate refugee claims&quot;. 
 
She called the deal to use Costa Rica as a safe stopover for refugees was &quot;an extraordinarily important step forward for this program&quot;. 
 
Officials stressed that Central American migrants entering Costa Rica without being processed in their home country first would not be included in the program. 
 
Pope said the vetting to be carried out would be the same as that for all refugee applicants, describing it as &quot;the most comprehensive screening we do for any category of immigrants coming to the United States&quot;. 
 
US officials said they were additionally expanding an initiative for Central American minors, under which a migrant already legally in the US can ask for refugee status for them. 
 
The broadened approach will now also permit adult children to be included, as well family members who are parents or caregivers. 
 
Obama&#39;s legacy&nbsp; 
 
The changes reflect efforts by Obama&#39;s administration to find a more effective solution to the wave of Central American migrants trying to enter the US. 
 
In 2014, America saw a big spike in the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border from Mexico. 
 
The United States responded by having Mexico bolster efforts to stop those crossing the border, and by ordering the deportation of Central American migrants in the US whose application to stay had been rejected by courts. 
 
At the same time, the United States has approved $750 million in aid to the Northern Triangle countries to boost security, in a bid to reduce the reasons so many people were fleeing. 
 
Obama in 2014 issued a decree to allow migrants whose children are legally resident to apply for permits to live in America, which would have shielded millions from deportation. 
 
But in June this year the US Supreme Court blocked that measure. 
 
Hillary Clinton, who is campaigning to succeed Obama as President in a November election, said the ruling &quot;could tear apart five million families facing deportation&quot;. 
 
However Donald Trump, her Republican challenger, has taken a tough line on all immigration, and has vowed to build a wall along the US-Mexican border if he becomes president. 
 
(AFP)

Focus will be on citizens from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras which are prey to gang-related violence, poverty and corruption

The United States is to start vetting would-be refugees from Central America in their home countries instead of on American soil, and offer those in imminent danger a temporary haven in Costa Rica, officials said on Tuesday. The announcement - a significant change in US immigration handling - comes after America toughened its southern border against a persistent flow of thousands of Central Americans fleeing violence, and as it steps up deportations of migrants who failed to win asylum. It also arrives in a US election year in which migration is a hot-button issue. Under the plan, to be carried out in coordination with the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration, "the United States government will pre-screen vulnerable applicants from the region seeking protection", the White House said in a statement. It will focus on citizens of the so-called "Northern Triangle" in Central America comprising Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which are prey to frightening levels of gang-related violence, poverty and corruption. A White House spokesman, Eric Schulz, told reporters the initiative was to "promote safe migration", especially for the many children attempting the "harrowing and sometimes deadly trip" overland to the United States. The White House statement added that asylum-seekers "most in need of immediate protection" would be transferred to Costa Rica. There, they would be processed further before going on to the United States or another safe country. 'Important' step UNHCR's representative for Central America, Carlos Maldonado, told a news conference in Costa Rica that "these people will stay a maximum of six months in Costa Rica with a humanitarian visa and will later leave for a third country". During their waiting period, the applicants would receive English language and other courses to help them adapt to their new countries, he said. Officers from the US department of homeland security will carry out the vetting in Central America, officials said. Amy Pope, the Homeland Security deputy adviser on the National Security Council headed by President Barack Obama, told reporters that US procedures to date had proven "insufficient to address the number of people who may have legitimate refugee claims". She called the deal to use Costa Rica as a safe stopover for refugees was "an extraordinarily important step forward for this program". Officials stressed that Central American migrants entering Costa Rica without being processed in their home country first would not be included in the program. Pope said the vetting to be carried out would be the same as that for all refugee applicants, describing it as "the most comprehensive screening we do for any category of immigrants coming to the United States". US officials said they were additionally expanding an initiative for Central American minors, under which a migrant already legally in the US can ask for refugee status for them. The broadened approach will now also permit adult children to be included, as well family members who are parents or caregivers. Obama's legacy The changes reflect efforts by Obama's administration to find a more effective solution to the wave of Central American migrants trying to enter the US. In 2014, America saw a big spike in the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border from Mexico. The United States responded by having Mexico bolster efforts to stop those crossing the border, and by ordering the deportation of Central American migrants in the US whose application to stay had been rejected by courts. At the same time, the United States has approved $750 million in aid to the Northern Triangle countries to boost security, in a bid to reduce the reasons so many people were fleeing. Obama in 2014 issued a decree to allow migrants whose children are legally resident to apply for permits to live in America, which would have shielded millions from deportation. But in June this year the US Supreme Court blocked that measure. Hillary Clinton, who is campaigning to succeed Obama as President in a November election, said the ruling "could tear apart five million families facing deportation". However Donald Trump, her Republican challenger, has taken a tough line on all immigration, and has vowed to build a wall along the US-Mexican border if he becomes president. (AFP)

US turns to vetting would-be refugees in Central America

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the EU of not paying its way under a deal to send Syrian refugees back across the Aegean. 
 
Ankara and Brussels signed a controversial deal in March, in which Turkey agreed to take Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives.&nbsp;The deal included billions of Euros in aid and visa-free travel for Turks in Europe, but ties have been strained by Erdogan&#39;s massive crackdown after a failed coup this month. 
 
The President said the EU had promised $3 billion, but so far only paid a nominal $1 million to $2 million.&nbsp;&quot;The (European) governments are not honest,&quot; Erdogan told German public television station ARD.&nbsp;&quot;Three million Syrians, or people from Iraq, are now in Turkey,&quot; he said. &quot;The EU has not kept its promises on the matter.&quot; 
 
Erdogan estimated the refugees, many of whom have fled the devastating five-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, have cost Turkey $12 billion.&nbsp;The EU made the deal with Turkey to temper a huge influx of more than a million migrants which overwhelmed the bloc last year.&nbsp;Late last month, Brussels said it had opened a new negotiating chapter with Turkey on its long-stalled bid for membership of the bloc. 
 
But that bid has been hit by Erdogan&#39;s sweeping crackdown in the wake of the failed July 15 military takeover, which has seen more than 13,000 people detained. 
 
The President repeated his call for capital punishment for the plotters, an issue that has perturbed the EU, saying: &quot;The people want the death penalty reinstated&quot;. 
 
&quot;We as a government need to hear what the people say,&quot; he added.&nbsp;Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU. 
 
(AFP)

Turkey's deal with Brussels to absorb Syrian migrants in exchange for financial incentives was derailed by Erdogan's crackdown

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused the EU of not paying its way under a deal to send Syrian refugees back across the Aegean. Ankara and Brussels signed a controversial deal in March, in which Turkey agreed to take Syrian migrants landing on Greek islands in exchange for political and financial incentives. The deal included billions of Euros in aid and visa-free travel for Turks in Europe, but ties have been strained by Erdogan's massive crackdown after a failed coup this month. The President said the EU had promised $3 billion, but so far only paid a nominal $1 million to $2 million. "The (European) governments are not honest," Erdogan told German public television station ARD. "Three million Syrians, or people from Iraq, are now in Turkey," he said. "The EU has not kept its promises on the matter." Erdogan estimated the refugees, many of whom have fled the devastating five-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, have cost Turkey $12 billion. The EU made the deal with Turkey to temper a huge influx of more than a million migrants which overwhelmed the bloc last year. Late last month, Brussels said it had opened a new negotiating chapter with Turkey on its long-stalled bid for membership of the bloc. But that bid has been hit by Erdogan's sweeping crackdown in the wake of the failed July 15 military takeover, which has seen more than 13,000 people detained. The President repeated his call for capital punishment for the plotters, an issue that has perturbed the EU, saying: "The people want the death penalty reinstated". "We as a government need to hear what the people say," he added. Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU. (AFP)

Erdogan accuses EU of reneging on migrant deal

The number of illegal migrants entering Europe has fallen since April after the European Union sealed a deal with Turkey to halt flows across the Aegean Sea, the border agency said, and Italy has become the new frontline for refugees, mostly from Libya. 
 
&quot;For the first six months of 2016, there were 360,000 illegal entries in the EU, which is higher than what we saw last year, but the influx has been diminishing since April,&quot; Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of Frontex, the agency in charge of protecting the bloc&#39;s external borders, told Europe 1 Radio. 
 
Leggeri said Italy had overtaken Greece as the primary point of entry and most migrants were now embarking for Europe in Libya. About 750 were arriving in Italy daily compared with about 50 in Greece. 
 
&quot;So the new frontline is Italy,&quot; he said. 
 
In all of 2015, Frontex recorded more than 1.5 million irregular border crossings into Europe, mostly to Greece before marching north to Germany and Sweden, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere. 
 
A Frontex spokesman said the EU-Turkey deal, under which Turkey agreed to halt illegal migration through its territory in return for financial and political rewards, and the closure of the Greece-Macedonia border earlier this year, were the two main reasons behind the declining figures. 
 
Leggeri was speaking ahead of a news conference on plans for the agency&#39;s future later on Tuesday. 
 
Most of those arriving in Italy were from sub-Saharan Africa, he said. 
 
A humanitarian group said it had recovered the bodies of four migrants and rescued around 400 survivors on Tuesday from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean en route to Italy from Libya. The dead suffocated below deck, the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station, whose rescue ship carried out the operation, said on Twitter. 
 
The EU is preparing to rename Frontex, based in Warsaw, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, with a two-fold increase in staff and funding worth 322 million euros by 2020. 
 
Border protection would remain a national responsibility and the agency will continue to rely on EU capitals for contributions to a proposed pool of 1,500 border guards ready for quick deployment to any crisis spot. 
 
(Reuters)

The EU-Turkey deal and the closure of Greece-Macedonian border are the two main reasons for declining figures

The number of illegal migrants entering Europe has fallen since April after the European Union sealed a deal with Turkey to halt flows across the Aegean Sea, the border agency said, and Italy has become the new frontline for refugees, mostly from Libya. "For the first six months of 2016, there were 360,000 illegal entries in the EU, which is higher than what we saw last year, but the influx has been diminishing since April," Fabrice Leggeri, executive director of Frontex, the agency in charge of protecting the bloc's external borders, told Europe 1 Radio. Leggeri said Italy had overtaken Greece as the primary point of entry and most migrants were now embarking for Europe in Libya. About 750 were arriving in Italy daily compared with about 50 in Greece. "So the new frontline is Italy," he said. In all of 2015, Frontex recorded more than 1.5 million irregular border crossings into Europe, mostly to Greece before marching north to Germany and Sweden, fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, North Africa and elsewhere. A Frontex spokesman said the EU-Turkey deal, under which Turkey agreed to halt illegal migration through its territory in return for financial and political rewards, and the closure of the Greece-Macedonia border earlier this year, were the two main reasons behind the declining figures. Leggeri was speaking ahead of a news conference on plans for the agency's future later on Tuesday. Most of those arriving in Italy were from sub-Saharan Africa, he said. A humanitarian group said it had recovered the bodies of four migrants and rescued around 400 survivors on Tuesday from an overcrowded wooden boat in the Mediterranean en route to Italy from Libya. The dead suffocated below deck, the Malta-based Migrant Offshore Aid Station, whose rescue ship carried out the operation, said on Twitter. The EU is preparing to rename Frontex, based in Warsaw, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, with a two-fold increase in staff and funding worth 322 million euros by 2020. Border protection would remain a national responsibility and the agency will continue to rely on EU capitals for contributions to a proposed pool of 1,500 border guards ready for quick deployment to any crisis spot. (Reuters)

EU migrant influx descreasing since April says border agency

Italian emergency workers have recovered 217 bodies from the wreck of a boat that sank in the Mediterranean in April 2015, killing some 500 migrants, the Navy said today. 
 
The sinking was one of the worst known disasters involving migrants trying to reach Europe by sea. Thousands of people a year, many of them fleeing war in the West Asia, have crossed the Mediterranean in unseaworthy or overcrowded boats. 
 
In 2015, at least 3,770 are thought to have died on Mediterranean routes, mostly by drowning when their boats capsized. 
 
The vessel was hauled off the seabed and taken to a naval site in southeastern Sicily last week. Its sinking about 135 km (85 miles) north of Libya, from where it departed, jolted the European Union into stepping up Mediterranean rescue efforts. 
 
Originally at least 700 were thought to have died in the disaster, based on survivor testimony. A Navy official said last week he thought some 300 bodies were still in the hold, which added to 169 recovered from the nearby seabed, would bring the death toll closer to 500. 
 
A team of 150 professionals and volunteers from the Navy, fire service, Italian Red Cross and a forensic team of Milan university professors have been working around the clock to remove bodies from the fishing boat and examine them. 
 
Autopsies have been carried out on 52 of the victims, and police scientists coordinated by a local public prosecutor have begun making reports on their findings. 
 
(Reuters)

The sinking, in which 500 people died, had been one of the worst known disasters involving migrants trying to reach Europe by ship

Italian emergency workers have recovered 217 bodies from the wreck of a boat that sank in the Mediterranean in April 2015, killing some 500 migrants, the Navy said today. The sinking was one of the worst known disasters involving migrants trying to reach Europe by sea. Thousands of people a year, many of them fleeing war in the West Asia, have crossed the Mediterranean in unseaworthy or overcrowded boats. In 2015, at least 3,770 are thought to have died on Mediterranean routes, mostly by drowning when their boats capsized. The vessel was hauled off the seabed and taken to a naval site in southeastern Sicily last week. Its sinking about 135 km (85 miles) north of Libya, from where it departed, jolted the European Union into stepping up Mediterranean rescue efforts. Originally at least 700 were thought to have died in the disaster, based on survivor testimony. A Navy official said last week he thought some 300 bodies were still in the hold, which added to 169 recovered from the nearby seabed, would bring the death toll closer to 500. A team of 150 professionals and volunteers from the Navy, fire service, Italian Red Cross and a forensic team of Milan university professors have been working around the clock to remove bodies from the fishing boat and examine them. Autopsies have been carried out on 52 of the victims, and police scientists coordinated by a local public prosecutor have begun making reports on their findings. (Reuters)

Italy recovers 217 bodies from 2015 shipwreck

Hungary will hold a referendum on October 2 on EU plans to relocate migrants among member states, a scheme fiercely opposed by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the President said Tuesday. 
 
&quot;As President of the republic I decree that the referendum will be held on October 2,&quot; President Janos Ader said in a statement. 
 
Orban&#39;s government voted against the European Union&#39;s plan to relocate 160,000 migrants around the 28-nation bloc via mandatory quotas but the scheme was approved by a majority of member states in September. 
 
Joining Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against the plan, Orban said earlier this year that the government would put the issue to a referendum. 
 
Voters will be asked: &quot;Do you want the EU to prescribe the mandatory relocation of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament?&quot; 
 
Budapest says that the plan, which has been extremely slow to get going, violates its national sovereignty and that &quot;terrorists&quot; might enter the country disguised as migrants. 
 
Orban has said that Brussels has no right to &quot;redraw Europe&#39;s cultural and religious identity&quot;. 
 
Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn. 
 
The authorities also brought in tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences. 
 
(AFP)

PM Orban's government voted against the EU's plan to relocate 160,000 migrants around the 28-nation bloc via mandatory quotas

Hungary will hold a referendum on October 2 on EU plans to relocate migrants among member states, a scheme fiercely opposed by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the President said Tuesday. "As President of the republic I decree that the referendum will be held on October 2," President Janos Ader said in a statement. Orban's government voted against the European Union's plan to relocate 160,000 migrants around the 28-nation bloc via mandatory quotas but the scheme was approved by a majority of member states in September. Joining Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against the plan, Orban said earlier this year that the government would put the issue to a referendum. Voters will be asked: "Do you want the EU to prescribe the mandatory relocation of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament?" Budapest says that the plan, which has been extremely slow to get going, violates its national sovereignty and that "terrorists" might enter the country disguised as migrants. Orban has said that Brussels has no right to "redraw Europe's cultural and religious identity". Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn. The authorities also brought in tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences. (AFP)

Hungary to hold referendum on EU migrant scheme on October 2

Hungary will hold a referendum on October 2 on European Union (EU) &nbsp;plans to relocate migrants among member states, a scheme fiercely opposed by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the President said today. 
 
&quot;As president of the republic I decree that the referendum will be held on October 2,&quot; President Janos Ader said in a statement.&nbsp; 
 
Orban`s government voted against the EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants around the 28-nation bloc via mandatory quotas but the scheme was approved by a majority of member states in September. 
 
Joining Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against the plan, Orban said earlier this year that the government would put the issue to a referendum. 
 
Voters will be asked: &quot;Do you want the EU to prescribe the mandatory relocation of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament?&quot; 
 
Budapest says that the plan which has been extremely slow to get going -violates its national sovereignty and that &quot;terrorists&quot; might enter the country disguised as migrants. 
 
Orban has said that Brussels has no right to &quot;redraw Europe&#39;s cultural and religious identity&quot;. 
 
Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn. 
 
The authorities also brought in tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed southern borders with razor wire and fences

Hungary will hold a referendum on October 2 on European Union (EU) plans to relocate migrants among member states, a scheme fiercely opposed by right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the President said today. "As president of the republic I decree that the referendum will be held on October 2," President Janos Ader said in a statement. Orban`s government voted against the EU plan to relocate 160,000 migrants around the 28-nation bloc via mandatory quotas but the scheme was approved by a majority of member states in September. Joining Slovakia in filing a legal challenge against the plan, Orban said earlier this year that the government would put the issue to a referendum. Voters will be asked: "Do you want the EU to prescribe the mandatory relocation of non-Hungarian citizens to Hungary without the approval of the Hungarian parliament?" Budapest says that the plan which has been extremely slow to get going -violates its national sovereignty and that "terrorists" might enter the country disguised as migrants. Orban has said that Brussels has no right to "redraw Europe's cultural and religious identity". Around 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary in 2015 before the government sealed off the southern borders with razor wire and fences in the autumn. The authorities also brought in tough new laws punishing illegal entry and vandalism of the fences. (AFP)

Hungary to hold October referendum on EU migrant scheme

&nbsp;An Eritrean whistleblower has enabled Italian authorities to arrest a slew of people smugglers in a nationwide dragnet, police said Monday.

&quot;A dangerous criminal network dedicated to migrant trafficking has been dismantled, no respite for dealers in death,&quot; Interior minister Angelino Alfano tweeted on Sunday in welcoming the arrest of 25 Eritreans, 12 Ethiopians and one Italian on suspicion of smuggling thousands of migrants.

The group were detained in coordinated swoops in Rome, Northern Italy and Sicily after the 32-year-old Eritrean, arrested in Sicily in 2014, agreed to collaborate in return for official protection.

&quot;I decided to cooperate because there have been too many deaths,&quot; authorities quoted the man as saying, adding that thousands of refugees who have drowned attempting to make perilous Mediterranean crossings comprise only a &quot;small fraction&quot; of the overall death toll.

For the first time, Italian authorities were able to learn from the whistleblower a detailed description of the traffickers, based in North Africa, Italy and other European countries, and their activities, police said.

The Eritrean gave harrowing details of how traffickers would not hesitate to kill migrants lacking sufficient funds to pay their passage and sell their organs &quot;to Egyptian traffickers&quot;, Italian media reported the man as telling investigators.

Italian officials said the Eritrean had revealed the smugglers were also importing khat, a drug traditionally largely grown in the Horn of Africa, and organising bogus marriages for refugees.

A police raid on a Rome apartment last month as part of their investigations into the traffickers turned up a cash pile of 526,000 Euros ($585,000) and $25,000 as well as a detailed register of the group&#39;s activities.

The largest migrant crisis Europe has seen since World War II has seen more than 10,000 migrants perish since 2014, including more than 2,800 so far this year, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said last month.

The closure of the Balkan route earlier this has sparked an increase in people risking perilous sea crossings via the Central Mediterranean to Italy. 
 
(AFP)

The former smuggler said traffickers wouldn't hesitate to kill and sell the organs of migrants lacking the funds to pay their passage

An Eritrean whistleblower has enabled Italian authorities to arrest a slew of people smugglers in a nationwide dragnet, police said Monday. "A dangerous criminal network dedicated to migrant trafficking has been dismantled, no respite for dealers in death," Interior minister Angelino Alfano tweeted on Sunday in welcoming the arrest of 25 Eritreans, 12 Ethiopians and one Italian on suspicion of smuggling thousands of migrants. The group were detained in coordinated swoops in Rome, Northern Italy and Sicily after the 32-year-old Eritrean, arrested in Sicily in 2014, agreed to collaborate in return for official protection. "I decided to cooperate because there have been too many deaths," authorities quoted the man as saying, adding that thousands of refugees who have drowned attempting to make perilous Mediterranean crossings comprise only a "small fraction" of the overall death toll. For the first time, Italian authorities were able to learn from the whistleblower a detailed description of the traffickers, based in North Africa, Italy and other European countries, and their activities, police said. The Eritrean gave harrowing details of how traffickers would not hesitate to kill migrants lacking sufficient funds to pay their passage and sell their organs "to Egyptian traffickers", Italian media reported the man as telling investigators. Italian officials said the Eritrean had revealed the smugglers were also importing khat, a drug traditionally largely grown in the Horn of Africa, and organising bogus marriages for refugees. A police raid on a Rome apartment last month as part of their investigations into the traffickers turned up a cash pile of 526,000 Euros ($585,000) and $25,000 as well as a detailed register of the group's activities. The largest migrant crisis Europe has seen since World War II has seen more than 10,000 migrants perish since 2014, including more than 2,800 so far this year, the UN refugee agency UNHCR said last month. The closure of the Balkan route earlier this has sparked an increase in people risking perilous sea crossings via the Central Mediterranean to Italy. (AFP)

Whistleblower helps Italy makes arrests in migrant trafficking ring

Syrian refugees living in Turkey could eventually be granted Turkish citizenship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled, a plan that could spark controversy at home. 
 
&quot;I want to announce some good news,&quot; media quoted Erdogan as saying late Saturday at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast in Kilis province, on the Syrian border. 
 
&quot;We are going to help our Syrian friends in offering them the chance, if they want it, to acquire Turkish nationality.&quot; 
 
The interior ministry will shortly announce how the naturalisation procedure would work, Erdogan said, without giving further details. 
 
&quot;We regard you as our brothers and sisters -- you are not far from your homeland, but only from your homes and your land,&quot; Erdogan told a group of Syrian refugees in Kilis. 
 
&quot;Turkey is also your homeland.&quot; 
 
Turkey is hosting over 2.7-million refugees from the conflict in Syria -- but Ankara has refused to grant them refugee status, referring to them as &quot;guests&quot;. 
 
Only a select group of Syrians have been granted work permits and residency. 
 
Life is a struggle for most Syrians in Turkey who live mostly off odd jobs that are often insufficient to feed and house a family. 
 
Erdogan&#39;s announcement sparked debate on social media, with many Turkish web users questioning whether it was a good idea. 
 
&quot;Granting citizenship shouldn&#39;t depend on what one person wants. We need a referendum!&quot; wrote Mahomet Mahomet on Twitter. 
 
Other critics suggested the move might be a bid by Erdogan to register an army of thankful Syrian voters who might back his plans to boost his presidential powers. 
 
(AFP)

The Turkish president referred to Syrians as 'brothers and sisters' but Ankara, who hasn't granted them refugee status, calls them 'guests'

Syrian refugees living in Turkey could eventually be granted Turkish citizenship, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has signalled, a plan that could spark controversy at home. "I want to announce some good news," media quoted Erdogan as saying late Saturday at a dinner to break the Ramadan fast in Kilis province, on the Syrian border. "We are going to help our Syrian friends in offering them the chance, if they want it, to acquire Turkish nationality." The interior ministry will shortly announce how the naturalisation procedure would work, Erdogan said, without giving further details. "We regard you as our brothers and sisters -- you are not far from your homeland, but only from your homes and your land," Erdogan told a group of Syrian refugees in Kilis. "Turkey is also your homeland." Turkey is hosting over 2.7-million refugees from the conflict in Syria -- but Ankara has refused to grant them refugee status, referring to them as "guests". Only a select group of Syrians have been granted work permits and residency. Life is a struggle for most Syrians in Turkey who live mostly off odd jobs that are often insufficient to feed and house a family. Erdogan's announcement sparked debate on social media, with many Turkish web users questioning whether it was a good idea. "Granting citizenship shouldn't depend on what one person wants. We need a referendum!" wrote Mahomet Mahomet on Twitter. Other critics suggested the move might be a bid by Erdogan to register an army of thankful Syrian voters who might back his plans to boost his presidential powers. (AFP)

Syrian refugees could become Turkish citizens: Erdogan

Pakistan has extended by six months a deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government, a refugee official said on Wednesday, a day before the deadline was set to expire. 
 
Pakistan has the world&#39;s second largest refugee population, with more than 1.5 million registered, and about a million unregistered, refugees from Afghanistan, most of whom fled the Soviet occupation of their country in the 1980s. 
 
The number of Afghans voluntarily returning home has plunged this year as violence worsens in Afghanistan, where the government and its US allies are fighting a stubborn Taliban insurgency. 
 
&quot;The prime minister has approved another six-month extension in the deadline,&quot; Imran Zeb Khan, the chief commissioner for Afghan Refugees, told Reuters in an interview. 
 
&quot;But Pakistan can&#39;t ensure that these refugees will return. That cannot happen without support from Afghanistan and the international community which need to create the right conditions for their repatriation.&quot; 
 
Khan said Pakistan would hold a tripartite meeting with Afghanistan and the United Nations refugee agency on July 19 to plan the way forward. 
 
The comments came soon after officials told Reuters at least 500 Afghan refugees were arrested in a northwestern border province and deported as a security risk. 
 
Pakistan&#39;s Dawn newspaper reported that more than 2,000 refugees were arrested in the last month, and 400 deported to Afghanistan. 
 
There are only 100,000 registered refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the site of the arrests, said provincial information minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani. 
 
&quot;We don&#39;t suggest any aggressive campaign against Afghan refugees, but we have been hosting them for the past 35 years and it is time they should go back to their country,&quot; Ghani said. 
 
Unregistered Afghans had become a major security issue for the government, he added. About 6,000 Afghans have chosen to return home from Pakistan in 2016, well below last year&#39;s figure of 58,211, the United Nations&#39; refugee agency has said. 
 
Registration cards allowing a temporary legal stay for Afghan refugees last received a six-month extension after they expired in December 2015. 
 
Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan for decades and contribute significantly to its labour force. 
 
But Afghan refugee camps have become &quot;safe havens for terrorists&quot;, Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz told a Pakistani television channel last week. 
 
Pakistani federal minister for states and frontier regions, Abdul Qadir Baloch, also warned that Pakistan was not willing to host Afghan refugees indefinitely. 
 
Visiting Pakistan last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he had made the case to the government for extending the June 30 deadline. 
 
(Reuters)

Pakistan has the world's second-largest refugee population, with about 2.5 million from Afghanistan

Pakistan has extended by six months a deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government, a refugee official said on Wednesday, a day before the deadline was set to expire. Pakistan has the world's second largest refugee population, with more than 1.5 million registered, and about a million unregistered, refugees from Afghanistan, most of whom fled the Soviet occupation of their country in the 1980s. The number of Afghans voluntarily returning home has plunged this year as violence worsens in Afghanistan, where the government and its US allies are fighting a stubborn Taliban insurgency. "The prime minister has approved another six-month extension in the deadline," Imran Zeb Khan, the chief commissioner for Afghan Refugees, told Reuters in an interview. "But Pakistan can't ensure that these refugees will return. That cannot happen without support from Afghanistan and the international community which need to create the right conditions for their repatriation." Khan said Pakistan would hold a tripartite meeting with Afghanistan and the United Nations refugee agency on July 19 to plan the way forward. The comments came soon after officials told Reuters at least 500 Afghan refugees were arrested in a northwestern border province and deported as a security risk. Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported that more than 2,000 refugees were arrested in the last month, and 400 deported to Afghanistan. There are only 100,000 registered refugees in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the site of the arrests, said provincial information minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani. "We don't suggest any aggressive campaign against Afghan refugees, but we have been hosting them for the past 35 years and it is time they should go back to their country," Ghani said. Unregistered Afghans had become a major security issue for the government, he added. About 6,000 Afghans have chosen to return home from Pakistan in 2016, well below last year's figure of 58,211, the United Nations' refugee agency has said. Registration cards allowing a temporary legal stay for Afghan refugees last received a six-month extension after they expired in December 2015. Many Afghans have lived in Pakistan for decades and contribute significantly to its labour force. But Afghan refugee camps have become "safe havens for terrorists", Pakistani foreign policy chief Sartaj Aziz told a Pakistani television channel last week. Pakistani federal minister for states and frontier regions, Abdul Qadir Baloch, also warned that Pakistan was not willing to host Afghan refugees indefinitely. Visiting Pakistan last week, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said he had made the case to the government for extending the June 30 deadline. (Reuters)

Pakistan extends deadline for Afghan refugees to register with the government

Kenya aims to reduce by almost half the population of Dadaab refugee camp which is home to about 326,000 mostly Somali refugees by the end of the year, a committee that groups Kenya, Somalia and the UN refugee agency UNHCR said. 
 
Kenya has said it wants to close the camp, which was once home to more than half a million refugees, citing security threats. Nairobi says the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has used the camp as a recruiting ground to launch attacks on Kenya. 
 
But Kenya has been urged by United States, United Nations and others to ensure no one is forced to return to Somalia, which is still struggling to rebuild after decades of conflict and continues to face an Islamist insurgency. 
 
After a meeting on Saturday, the so-called Tripartite Commission said Dadaab had 326,000 refugees at the end of May, already 100,000 fewer than five years earlier, many of whom it said were believed to have returned to Somalia. 
 
&quot;The parties noted the prospect of the reduction of the population in the Dadaab camps by 150,000 individuals by the end of 2016,&quot; the joint communique said, referring to string of sites that make up the Dadaab camp complex. 
 
It said the number would be reduced due to &quot;voluntary returns to Somalia, relocation of non-Somali refugees, the de-registration of Kenyan citizens who registered as refugees, and a population verification exercise.&quot; 
 
The UN had said earlier this year that it planned to reduce the number of people in Dadaab by 50,000 by the end of 2016, but had said that it could be a challenge given continued security concerns in Somalia and lack of schools and other public services there. 
 
A UN official said on Sunday that the new target of reducing the Dadaab population by 150,000 was a prospective figure and it was not guaranteed to be achieved. 
 
The Tripartite Commission also said it had agreed to meet again in October 2016 to review progress made &quot;on the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

The Somali Islamist group, al-Shabaab, has used Dadaab refugee camp as a recruiting ground to launch attacks on Kenya, says Nairobi

Kenya aims to reduce by almost half the population of Dadaab refugee camp which is home to about 326,000 mostly Somali refugees by the end of the year, a committee that groups Kenya, Somalia and the UN refugee agency UNHCR said. Kenya has said it wants to close the camp, which was once home to more than half a million refugees, citing security threats. Nairobi says the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has used the camp as a recruiting ground to launch attacks on Kenya. But Kenya has been urged by United States, United Nations and others to ensure no one is forced to return to Somalia, which is still struggling to rebuild after decades of conflict and continues to face an Islamist insurgency. After a meeting on Saturday, the so-called Tripartite Commission said Dadaab had 326,000 refugees at the end of May, already 100,000 fewer than five years earlier, many of whom it said were believed to have returned to Somalia. "The parties noted the prospect of the reduction of the population in the Dadaab camps by 150,000 individuals by the end of 2016," the joint communique said, referring to string of sites that make up the Dadaab camp complex. It said the number would be reduced due to "voluntary returns to Somalia, relocation of non-Somali refugees, the de-registration of Kenyan citizens who registered as refugees, and a population verification exercise." The UN had said earlier this year that it planned to reduce the number of people in Dadaab by 50,000 by the end of 2016, but had said that it could be a challenge given continued security concerns in Somalia and lack of schools and other public services there. A UN official said on Sunday that the new target of reducing the Dadaab population by 150,000 was a prospective figure and it was not guaranteed to be achieved. The Tripartite Commission also said it had agreed to meet again in October 2016 to review progress made "on the voluntary repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya." (Reuters)

Kenya to halve size of Somali refugee camp by 2016 end

Myanmar`s Aung San Suu Kyi arrives today in Thailand where she is expected to be garlanded by her adoring compatriots, hundreds of thousands of whom have sought work and sanctuary from war across the border. 
 
It is Suu Kyi`s highest profile overseas visit since her pro-democracy party took power in April, ending nearly half a century of military domination. 
 
Her government has seeded hopes for a new era of prosperity that could eventually convince the army of low-paid Myanmar labourers in Thailand to return home. 
 
The two Southeast Asian neighbours have travelled in starkly different directions in recent years. 
 
While Myanmar`s junta has rolled back its chokehold on politics, last year allowing the freest elections in decades, Thailand remains in the grip of a military that seized power in 2014. 
 
As Myanmar`s democracy champion, Suu Kyi is expected to receive a rock star welcome during a visit to a fishing village in Samut Sakhon later Thursday. 
 
The port, just outside Bangkok, is the seat of Thailand`s huge seafood industry and home to more than 100,000 low-paid Myanmar labourers. 
 
The visit &quot;fills me with hope,&quot; Myanmar migrant Thon Barami, 50, told AFP at the scruffy port. 
 
&quot;We have problems here in Thailand. She might help us with labour rights... people all around the world will listen to her,&quot; she added. 
 
The fishing sector has been battered by revelations of the use of slave labour and the widespread exploitation of workers. 
 
The scandals have prompted threats of sanctions by the European Union -- a key market for the multi-billion-dollar Thai seafood 
industry. 
 
Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand`s manual workforce. 
 
Tens of thousands of others work illegally, with some estimates putting the total number of Myanmar nationals in Thailand at three million. 
 
Rights groups say migrants -- legal and otherwise -- are vulnerable to unscrupulous officials, trafficking gangs and employment agencies who charge huge sums to get them poorly paid work. 
 
Their low status also sees them treated with scorn and mistrust by many Thais. 
 
&quot;They all want to go home, but they are just waiting for the economic situation (in Myanmar) to improve significantly,&quot; explained Andy Hall, a migrant rights activist with an office in the port town. 
 
The nemesis of Myanmar`s generals throughout a quarter-century of struggle for democracy, the Nobel laureate will meet with the leader of the Thai junta in Bangkok on Friday. 
 
But her schedule does not include a single press conference as Suu Kyi continues to fiercely control her government`s messaging. 
 
The 71-year-old is officially Myanmar`s foreign minister and state counsellor, but also the de facto leader of her country despite a military-era constitution that bars her from the presidency. 
 
It is unclear if she will make a scheduled trip to a refugee camp in Ratchaburi province on Saturday.&nbsp; 
 
It is one of nearly a dozen camps in Thailand holding more than 100,000 refugees who have fled conflict in Myanmar.&nbsp;Many are ethnic Karen displaced by war with Myanmar`s army. The violence abated following a 2012 ceasefire, but conflict with other ethnic rebel groups continues. 
 
Thailand, which does not accept refugees, wants to repatriate camp residents -- some of whom have been born on Thai soil but are barred from citizenship. 
 
Suu Kyi is also not scheduled to visit any of the Thai centres holding hundreds of Rohingya boat migrants, a Muslim group who have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar. 
 
Campaigners say her failure to throw her moral weight behind the stateless minority is a boon to Myanmar`s Buddhist hardliners who loathe the Rohingya and say they are illegal immigrants. 
 
In a sign of the sensitivity clouding the Rohingya question, a talk at the Foreign Correspondents` Club in Bangkok just ahead of Suu Kyi`s arrival was cancelled on military orders. 
 
(AFP)

Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand's manual workforce

Myanmar`s Aung San Suu Kyi arrives today in Thailand where she is expected to be garlanded by her adoring compatriots, hundreds of thousands of whom have sought work and sanctuary from war across the border. It is Suu Kyi`s highest profile overseas visit since her pro-democracy party took power in April, ending nearly half a century of military domination. Her government has seeded hopes for a new era of prosperity that could eventually convince the army of low-paid Myanmar labourers in Thailand to return home. The two Southeast Asian neighbours have travelled in starkly different directions in recent years. While Myanmar`s junta has rolled back its chokehold on politics, last year allowing the freest elections in decades, Thailand remains in the grip of a military that seized power in 2014. As Myanmar`s democracy champion, Suu Kyi is expected to receive a rock star welcome during a visit to a fishing village in Samut Sakhon later Thursday. The port, just outside Bangkok, is the seat of Thailand`s huge seafood industry and home to more than 100,000 low-paid Myanmar labourers. The visit "fills me with hope," Myanmar migrant Thon Barami, 50, told AFP at the scruffy port. "We have problems here in Thailand. She might help us with labour rights... people all around the world will listen to her," she added. The fishing sector has been battered by revelations of the use of slave labour and the widespread exploitation of workers. The scandals have prompted threats of sanctions by the European Union -- a key market for the multi-billion-dollar Thai seafood industry. Seeking to escape poverty at home, some one million registered Myanmar migrant workers form the backbone of Thailand`s manual workforce. Tens of thousands of others work illegally, with some estimates putting the total number of Myanmar nationals in Thailand at three million. Rights groups say migrants -- legal and otherwise -- are vulnerable to unscrupulous officials, trafficking gangs and employment agencies who charge huge sums to get them poorly paid work. Their low status also sees them treated with scorn and mistrust by many Thais. "They all want to go home, but they are just waiting for the economic situation (in Myanmar) to improve significantly," explained Andy Hall, a migrant rights activist with an office in the port town. The nemesis of Myanmar`s generals throughout a quarter-century of struggle for democracy, the Nobel laureate will meet with the leader of the Thai junta in Bangkok on Friday. But her schedule does not include a single press conference as Suu Kyi continues to fiercely control her government`s messaging. The 71-year-old is officially Myanmar`s foreign minister and state counsellor, but also the de facto leader of her country despite a military-era constitution that bars her from the presidency. It is unclear if she will make a scheduled trip to a refugee camp in Ratchaburi province on Saturday. It is one of nearly a dozen camps in Thailand holding more than 100,000 refugees who have fled conflict in Myanmar. Many are ethnic Karen displaced by war with Myanmar`s army. The violence abated following a 2012 ceasefire, but conflict with other ethnic rebel groups continues. Thailand, which does not accept refugees, wants to repatriate camp residents -- some of whom have been born on Thai soil but are barred from citizenship. Suu Kyi is also not scheduled to visit any of the Thai centres holding hundreds of Rohingya boat migrants, a Muslim group who have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar. Campaigners say her failure to throw her moral weight behind the stateless minority is a boon to Myanmar`s Buddhist hardliners who loathe the Rohingya and say they are illegal immigrants. In a sign of the sensitivity clouding the Rohingya question, a talk at the Foreign Correspondents` Club in Bangkok just ahead of Suu Kyi`s arrival was cancelled on military orders. (AFP)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi visits troubled diaspora in Thailand

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