EU falls short of goal for relocating refugees: Report

European countries have relocated only 10 percent of the refugees they promised to shelter by this September, figures from the European Commission showed Wednesday. According to the commission’s 11th Relocation and Resettlement Report, the total number of relocations stands at 16,340 since last March, far below its 160,000 goal for relocating refugees from Greece and …

Huge fire destroys French migrant camp, injures at least 10 people

A huge fire, apparently started deliberately, tore through the Grande-Synthe migrant camp near the northern French city of Dunkirk late Monday, reducing it to “a heap of ashes”, the regional chief said. Firefighters said at least 10 people had been injured in the blaze at the camp, which was home to some 1,500 people, mostly …

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 …

Child refugees in northern France facing exploitation and violence on a daily basis, UNICEF warns

Child refugees in northern France are facing exploitation and violence on a daily basis​, including threats from adult men armed with knives and machetes, Unicef has warned. An alarming report has revealed that unaccompanied minors who lived in the Grande-Synthe refugee camp in Dunkirk before it burnt down last week were “constantly fearful” of sexual …

Germany to build orphanages in Morocco to deport minors

Germany’s Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) is planning to build homes in Morocco as places to deport underage unaccompanied migrants who have broken the law, or who want to return voluntarily. A BAMF document leaked to the “taz” newspaper shows that two homes have been planned for now, each with 100 places, at …

Poland critical of EU policy on taking in migrants

Poland’s prime minister on Wednesday cited the attack in Manchester in which a Polish couple died to reinforce her government’s opposition to a European Union plan to share migrants. Beata Szydlo spoke ahead of a parliament vote in which the opposition sought in vain to oust Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz. She praised Macierewicz, saying he …

Visit Us On TwitterVisit Us On Facebook