Europe: Moves to further limit refugee flow prompt concern

Rights groups and watchdogs have expressed concern over several countries' proposals to return asylum seekers to Greece as several European leaders call for refugee routes to be closed.

Italy's new gov't moving fast in speaking out against refugees, asylum seekers

Less than a week into the mandate of Italy's newest government, officials are already raising eyebrows for the hardline stance they are taking against refugees.

End of Welcoming Culture: Germany Sets Up Centers for Asylum Seekers

The welcoming culture of Germany, which came about in 2015, when its citizens applauded the arrival of trains filled with migrants and asylum seekers, vanished as the new government announced plans to accelerate the processing of asylum applications and establish holding centers to ensure consistent deportations.

UN says more refugees, migrants came to Greece by land from Turkey than by sea in April

More refugees and migrants crossed into Greece over its land border with Turkey than came by sea in April, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.

Rules of Engagement: At least 30 injured in Gaza-Israel border protests

Israeli troops have shot and wounded at least 30 Palestinians during a large protest on the Gaza-Israel border in which demonstrators hurled stones and burned tyres near the frontier fence, Palestinian medics said.

Merkel in favor of extending German border controls

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has spoken out in favor of extending German border controls on Tuesday, supporting a call to maintain such measures adopted by Interior Minister and CSU leader Horst Seehofer.

Horst Seehofer: Islam does not belong to Germany, says new minister

Germany's new interior minister has said he believes "Islam does not belong" to the country, in direct contrast with Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Pakistan not to expel Afghan refugees, says minister

Pakistan will not force some 2 million Afghan refugees in the country to leave but encourages voluntary repatriation, a Pakistani cabinet minister said Monday, as the legal stay of around 1.4 million registered refugees in Pakistan will end on March 31.

‘Refugee bottleneck in Greece result of EU & NATO failure to deal with Syria problems’

The EU is the biggest culprit in the refugee crisis in Europe, and you can’t leave it to Greece alone to deal with it, Stephen Morris from the English Democrats party says. Why aren’t NATO and the EU doing anything, he asks.

French gov't presents new migration, asylum rules amid criticism

French government on Wednesday unveiled a new bill to better handle migration crisis and asylum requests, saying it would balance between efficiency and humanity amid growing critics from human rights groups and even from its ranks.

Jordan calls for more aid to provide services to Syrian refugees

Jordan on Tuesday called for more aid to provide services to the Syrian refugees in the Kingdom, the state-run Petra news agency reported.

Palestinians Protest US Aid Cuts in Front of UNRWA Headquarter in Gaza

The popular committee of refugees in Deir al-Balah refugee camp organized a protest in front of UNRWA headquarters to express rejection of the US decision to cut aid.

EU Says Asylum Numbers Dropped by Almost Half in 2017

The European Union's asylum agency said the number of people seeking international protection in Europe in 2017 dropped by almost half compared to the year before and that most applicants were Syrian.

US lifts ban on refugees from 11 countries

The United States has announced plans to lift its ban on refugees from 11 "high-risk" countries, but said those seeking to enter the US would come under much tougher scrutiny than in the past.

2017 Mediterranean Refugee Arrivals Down by Almost Half

A total of 171,635 migrants and refugees entered Europe by sea during 2017 compared with 363,504 arrivals across the region in 2016, according to the UN migration agency on Friday.

US wants to cut aid to UN refugee agency to force Palestine into talks with Israel

The US wants to stop funding a UN agency aiding millions of Palestinian refugees to coerce Palestine into talks with Israel. The negotiations soured after Washington's contentious recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital.

Syrian refugees in Lebanon drop below 1mn for first time since 2014 – UN

The number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon has dropped to below 1 million for the first time since 2014, AFP reported on Tuesday, citing the UN.

German communities should be paid for taking in refugees

Local communities should be appropriately paid for taking in refugees to reduce social tensions, Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said, adding that Germany is becoming “a land of desire” like the US was in the 19th century.

French cities overwhelmed by refugee flow, govt must step in urgently

The mayors of seven major French cities say they have been “backed up against a wall” by an unending influx of refugees. Paris must address the strain on the areas, which are struggling to accommodate new arrivals, they wrote.

EU 'has east-west split' on migrant quotas

EU leaders are bitterly divided over a quota scheme for housing migrants, as they begin a summit in Brussels.
Summit chairman Donald Tusk called mandatory EU-wide quotas "ineffective". He spoke of a split "between east and west" over asylum policy.