MIGRATION

Italy proposes migrant processing centres south of Libya

Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on a visit to Tripoli called Monday for processing centres to be set up south of Libya’s borders as a way to block attempts by migrants to cross the Mediterranean. “On Thursday in Brussels, we will jointly support with Libyan authorities the setting up of reception and identification centres south of Libya, on the …

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Italy vows to expel 100,000 migrants

After the new Italian government turned away a rescue boat with hundreds of migrants aboard, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said he wants to expel 100,000 migrants from the country. Asylum experts are sceptical Salvini can achieve his ambitious target. Kai Dambach reports. Italy’s new interior minister, Matteo Salvini, took a strong stance against migrants during the election campaign. Now that …

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Germany: Migrants urged to vaccinate against infectious diseases

With the number of cases of measles growing in Europe, health authorities are urging everyone to make sure they are vaccinated against the potentially deadly disease. Migrants are especially at risk, as studies have shown they have lower immunization rates than European-born individuals. Marion MacGregor reports. Every migrant who arrives at a reception centre in Germany receives a compulsory medical …

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Majority of Spaniards welcome more migrants, says poll

A poll by Oxfam Intermon said over 60 percent of Spaniards interviewed were in favour of migration while 20 percent thought they were being ”invaded” by migrants. Paola Del Vecchio reports. A survey released by Oxfam Intermon to mark World Refugee Day on Wednesday said 65 percent of Spaniards interviewed wanted to welcome refugees and migrants and 21 percent of …

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EU considering migrants’ disembarkation ports in North Africa

EU leaders are set to endorse plans to create a so-called “disembarkation scheme” under which migrants rescued at sea would be taken to sites in North Africa where their requests for asylum would be processed. The EU is considering the creation of “disembarkation platforms” in North Africa to decide asylum applications before migrants set out for Europe, according to a draft statement …

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Nigerian, Moroccan asylum-seekers enter Finland using World Cup IDs

Five people have entered Finland illegally with the help of World Cup fan identity papers and then applied for asylum, the Finnish border guard said on Wednesday. The asylum-seekers, of Nigerian, Moroccan and Chinese nationality, arrived from World Cup host Russia, which has provided match ticket holders with visa-free entry, a senior border guard official told Reuters. “We had been …

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Nigerian refugees in Germany among top job finders

Nigerian asylum seekers in Germany seem to find it easier than other African refugees to integrate into the labour market, a survey found. Sonia Piotie Yakap of Deutsche Welle (DW) reports. The latest monthly report on the integration of migrants in the German labour market, issued by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), which is affiliated to the German Employment …

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Bavaria plans tougher approach to asylum-seekers in Germany

Bavarian State Premier Markus Söder has unveiled new measures to speed up the asylum process and deport rejected applicants. He believes the rest of Germany should follow his lead. With Bavaria’s elections only a few months away, State Premier Markus Söder of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), is advocating a tougher stance on asylum-seekers. The CSU, which has traditionally dominated …

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Nigerians have no genuine reasons to seek asylum in Germany, says President Buhari’s adviser

“Germany said it has about 25,000 to 30,000 Nigerians seeking asylum and they can’t guarantee they will get it. So, there is every possibility that they will be returned to Nigeria,” Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said. She spoke at a program; “Developing a mixed migration strategy for …

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How crisis in Senegal’s fishing sector drives migration to Europe

The documentary ‘Mareyeurs’ by director Matteo Raffaelli explores how exploitation of fish stocks in Senegal can drive young people to migrate to Europe. The film, produced by Ocean Film in collaboration with HF4, tells the story of Ibrahima, a young trader specialized in wholesaling fresh fish products in Senegal, who is worried about the depletion of fish stocks and his …

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The Romanian who is seeking asylum in Africa

Radu Mazare is one of more than 3 million Romanians who work outside the country. But he’s a little different to most of them. He first started to visit the Indian Ocean island of Madagascar as an alternative to his usual holiday destination of Brazil. “I felt amazing from the first visit back in 2011,” he told Euronews. When he …

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UN criticises Algeria for mass deportations of sub-Saharan Africans

The United Nations has criticised Algeria for expelling sub-Saharan migrants and refugees, mostly coming from Mali, Cameroon and Nigeria. After Algeria had requested help from the UN to support a huge influx of migrants, the UN on Tuesday urged the Algerian authorities to stop expelling such migrants. UN spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a regular UN briefing in Geneva that deportations …

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