VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Wednesday launched a two-year education campaign about the plight of migrants to counteract mounting anti-immigrant sentiment in the U.S. and Europe, urging the world: “Don’t be afraid!” Francis posed for selfies, shook hands, kissed babies and hugged migrants at the end of his weekly general audience, teaching by … Continue reading
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s new legislation allowing for the detention of asylum-seekers in shipping containers at border camps took effect Tuesday Mar. 28, with the European Union’s commissioner for migration saying that it needs to comply with the bloc’s rules. Dimitris Avramopoulos said that EU and Hungarian experts will meet to discuss the new … Continue reading
PHOENIX (AP) — A federal judge has said the Border Patrol in Arizona violated court orders by failing to properly preserve surveillance video related to a lawsuit claiming the agency detains migrants in inhumane conditions. U.S. District Judge David Bury on Monday, March 13, partially granted a motion to hold the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector … Continue reading
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia on Wednesday, Feb. 1 introduced a lockdown for migrants in their refugee center outside Belgrade after an alleged attack against a woman walking with her children. The measure comes amid widespread claims that the migrants are being forcefully pushed back and beaten when they try to enter Hungary and Croatia, … Continue reading
CALAIS, France (AP) — Carrying their belongings in bags and suitcases, long lines of migrants waited calmly in chilly temperatures Monday to board buses in the French port city of Calais, as authorities began evacuating the squalid camp they call home. French authorities were beginning a complex operation to shut down the makeshift camp known … Continue reading
CALAIS, France (AP) — Carrying their belongings in bags and suitcases, long lines of migrants waited calmly in chilly temperatures Monday to board buses in the French port city of Calais, as authorities began evacuating and dismantling the squalid camp they call home. French authorities were beginning a complex operation to shut down the makeshift … Continue reading
CAIRO (AP) — President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said on Monday that Egyptians must join hands with his government to prevent a repeat of the tragedy that struck last week when a Europe-bound boat carrying hundreds of migrants sank in the Mediterranean off the Egyptian coast, with the loss of at least 170 lives. In his first … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — Food, water and shelter are obvious basic needs for people fleeing war. But with refugees now spending roughly 20 years in exile on average, the U.N. refugee agency is calling on the world to do more to ensure refugee children have access to education as a fundamental right. Over 3.7 million school-age … Continue reading
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s foreign minister has suggested that a landmark deal to stop migrants reaching the European Union can be salvaged despite disagreement on conditions for relaxing visa restrictions for Turkish citizens traveling to the bloc. Easing concern across Europe, Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters during a joint news conference with top EU officials … Continue reading
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis is showing his profound concern for refugees by assuming direct responsibility for migrant issues in a new Vatican department that merges four Vatican offices into one handling peace, the environment and human trafficking issues. The Vatican issued the statutes Wednesday for the new Vatican dicastery, which puts the pontifical … Continue reading
PRINCIPOVAC, Serbia (AP) — Walking a winding path inside a thick oak forest at the border between Serbia and Croatia, Jiyan Ali cannot believe his misfortune: he barely made it to Europe across rough seas and rugged mountains, only to be abruptly halted just meters away from his dream destination — the European Union. The … Continue reading
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The Latest on the flow of migrants into Europe (all times local): 6:35 p.m. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has started training Albanian border guards to prepare them for a possible influx of refugees. Migrants may be forced to use the country as a new route into Western … Continue reading
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — The European Union told member states Wednesday, Mar. 16, they “urgently need to deliver” on commitments to resettle more refugees on the continent, as the number of refugees arriving in Greece since the start of 2015 reached the 1 million mark. The demand came on the eve of a summit of … Continue reading
BERLIN (AP) — Alaa Ammar fled Syria to escape not just civil war but also the threat of persecution as a gay man. Yet when he arrived in The Netherlands last spring, he did not find the safe haven he craved. He and four other gay travelers had to face newly arrived asylum seekers at … Continue reading
SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) — The Latest on migrants seeking sanctuary in Europe (all times local): 6:35 p.m. Municipal authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos say they have given 14,000 life vests used by migrants and refugees to the Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei for an art project he is planning in Germany … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 