Raped, beaten, exploited: the 21st-century slavery propping up Sicilian farming

night for almost three years, Nicoleta Bolos lay awake at night on a dirty mattress in an outhouse in Sicily’s Ragusa province, waiting for the sound of footsteps outside the door. As the hours passed, she braced herself for the door to creak open, for the metallic clunk of a gun being placed on the …

More than 40 refugees killed in helicopter attack on boat in Yemen while trying to flee civil war

More than 40 Somali refugees have been killed in an attack on a boat off the coast of Yemen while attempting to flee the country’s brutal civil war. Coastguard authorities in the Houthi rebel stronghold of Hodeida said a helicopter gunship attacked the vessel they were travelling on in the Red Sea. A Yemeni people …

Danish opposition party demands immigrants celebrate Christmas ‘if they want to be Danish’

A right-wing political party in Denmark is calling for refugees and immigrants to celebrate Christmas and other Christian festivals in order to be considered “Danish”, sparking outrage from opponents. Martin Henriksen, the Danish People’s Party (DPP) immigration spokesperson, said going to church would put new arrivals “on the right track”. “We believe that those who …

Rising self-harm, depression seen among refugee children in Greek camps

Children stuck in Greek migrant camps are cutting themselves, attempting suicide and using drugs to cope with “endless misery,” international charity Save the Children said on Thursday. Reuters obtained an advance copy of a report that marks one year since the European Union struck a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of refugees and …

Oxfam: Refugees treated brutally on Balkan route

Refugees and migrants using the Balkan route often experience violent, brutal and unlawful treatment by authorities, according to a report published Thursday. People fleeing Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq and Syria told researchers for NGO Oxfam, which compiled the “A dangerous game” report, that they had been beaten, robbed and illegally deported by police, border guards and …

Boy brutally beaten by gang of eight in Croydon ‘after revealing he is a refugee’

Police have launched a hate crime investigation after a 17-year-old boy was brutally beaten by a gang after revealing he was an asylum seeker. The Kurdish Iranian refugee was in a critical condition in hospital after the attack, which took place in Croydon, South London. Police believe eight people approached the boy as he sat …

A far-right-inspired German soldier arrested for alleged terror plans

A German soldier suspected of planning a terror attack has been arrested, prosecutors in Frankfurt said on Thursday. The 28-year-old, whose name was not provided due to privacy laws, was arrested by police during training at the Bundeswehr base in Hammelburg, Bavaria. Police also searched 16 locations in Germany, Austria and France that yielded evidence. …

Syrian refugees stranded on Lesbos launch hunger strike

A group of Syrian refugees stranded on a Greek island launched a hunger strike in protest at the long processing of their asylum application, witnesses told dpa on Monday. The 14 Kurds from Syria, sitting wrapped in blankets in front of the asylum bureau at Moria camp on Lesbos, have been refusing nourishment since Friday. …

US Jewish organisation condemns Pope Francis for comparing refugee centres to ‘concentration camps’

Pope Francis has drawn criticism from a Jewish organisation for comparing European refugee holding centres to “concentration camps”. The pontiff made the comparison during a visit to Rome Basilica where he met with migrants on Saturday. Recalling his visit to a refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos last year, he talked of encountering …

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