Page 2 - Migration

EU thought it had new migration plan but it may be too little, too late

European Union leaders will use a summit Thursday to seek ways to make the bloc a more hostile destination for migrants and asylum seekers following a recent surge in support for the extreme right, which has fomented opposition to foreigners. As the summit opens in Brussels, the 27 EU leader are looking at plans to speed up initiatives to get unwanted migrants out of the bloc and process asylum applications far outside their borders. The tenor of the debate is a far cry from 2015, less than a decade ago, when the EU was faced with a migration crisis. Well over a million migrants and refugees sought help then, mainly from the Middle East and Afghanistan. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU's dominant national leader at the time, famously said, We can manage that. Now, EU leaders want to manage and seal off their borders ever more tightly, embracing initiatives that would have looked unacceptable only a few years ago. In recent weeks, Poland has said it wants to temporarily suspe

Poland temporarily suspends right to asylum amid tensions with Belarus

The 'Balkan trail' is used by Romanians, Bulgarians and citizens from former Yugoslavia who enter legally because regulations allow a one-month stay without a visa

Mexican soldiers open fire on migrant truck with Indians aboard, 6 killed

A total of 33 migrants were travelling in the truck at which two Mexican soldiers opened fire. Besides Indians, migrants from Egypt, Nepal, Cuba and Pakistan were also onboard

Germany conducts checks at land borders to crack down irregular migration

Germany on Monday began random checks at its borders with five Western European nations as it seeks to crack down on irregular migration, expanding a system of controls that are already in place at four other borders. The police controls began at the borders with France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Denmark on Monday morning and are due to continue for six months. Germany has already been carrying out the checks at its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland since last year. Germany, a European Union member, announced last week that it was expanding border checks to all nine of its land borders this week as part of an effort to crack down on irregular migration and crime following recent extremist attacks. Last month, a knife attack blamed on a Syrian asylum-seeker in Solingen killed three people. The suspect claimed to be inspired by the Islamic State group. In June, a knife attack attributed to an Afghan immigrant left a police officer dead and

Unauthorised migration into EU countries declines despite heated politics

Unauthorised migration to European Union countries dropped significantly overall in the first eight months of this year, even as political rhetoric and violence against migrants increased and far-right parties espousing anti-immigration policies made gains at the polls. There was, however, a spike in migrant arrivals to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that is increasingly used as an alternate stepping stone to continental Europe. Irregular migration dominated the European parliamentary elections in June and influenced recent state elections in eastern Germany, where a far-right party won for the first time since World War II. The German government this week announced it was expanding border controls around its territory following recent extremist attacks. What do the numbers show? Despite the heated debates, irregular crossings over the southern borders of the EU the region that sees the most unauthorised migration were down by 35% from Januar

Germany expands border controls to curb irregular migration, extremists

Germany's government ordered temporary controls at all land borders Monday, expanding checks it already has in place at some borders, saying that it was responding to irregular migration and to protect the country from extremist threats. We are strengthening our internal security through concrete action and we are continuing our tough stance against irregular migration, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said at a news conference. The ministry said that it notified the European Union on Monday of the order to set up border controls at the land borders with France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark for a period of six months. They will begin next week on September 16. This adds to restrictions already in place on the land borders with Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria and Switzerland. Until we achieve strong protection of the EU's external borders with the new Common European Asylum System, we must increase controls at our national borders even more, Faeser said. She n

Statsguru: Monsoon migration lowers MGNREGS work demand in August

Overall demand for work under the scheme has dipped since the pandemic when over 133 million people sought work. In FY24, the demand had declined to 93.2 million individuals

Brazil to restrict entry to some Asians, to curb migration to US, Canada

Brazil will begin imposing restrictions on the entry of some foreign citizens from Asia seeking refuge in the South American nation as a means to migrate to the United States and Canada, the justice ministry's press office said Wednesday. The move, which will start on Monday, will affect Asian migrants who require visas to remain in Brazil. A Federal Police investigation has shown these migrants often buy flights with layovers in Sao Paulo's international airport en route to other destinations, but stay in Brazil as means to begin their journey north, according to official documents provided to The Associated Press. More than 70 per cent of requests for refuge at the airport come from people with either Indian, Nepalese or Vietnamese nationalities, one of the documents says. Starting next week, travellers without visas will either have to continue their air journey or return to their country of origin, the ministry's press office said.

UK to deploy officers, speed up returns in illegal migration crackdown

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new officers will be deployed at the National Crime Agency (NCA) to target, dismantle and disrupt organised immigration crime networks

This American city found to be least desirable due to crimes, living cost

According to the Clever study, 73 per cent of Americans are content where they are, but 59 per cent feel dissatisfied, and 43 per cent admitted to feeling embarrassed by their state

Higher exports and migration marked post-Covid UK ties with India

India is among the largest sources of investments into UK

Africa land routes twice as deadly for migrants as the Mediterranean: UN

The United Nations and partners say more migrants and refugees in Africa are heading northward toward the Mediterranean and Europe, crossing perilous routes in the Sahara where criminal gangs subject them to enslavement, organ removal, rape, kidnapping for ransom and other abuses. A report released on Friday by the UN refugee and migration agencies and the Mixed Migration Centre research group estimated that land routes in Africa are twice as deadly as the sea lanes across the Mediterranean which is the deadliest maritime route for migrants in the world. The report said new conflict and instability in countries including Mali, Burkina Faso and Sudan have been behind a rise in the number of journeys toward the Mediterranean. But Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Guinea were the top countries of origin of migrants. It comes as many politicians in Europe and beyond, in an important election year, have fanned or drawn support from anti-immigrant sentiment. But conflict, economic strife, ...

Uttarakhand's ghost villages, a side story to the Lok Sabha elections

For decades, the hills have witnessed consistent exodus. Will the tide reverse anytime soon?

G7 leaders tackle migration, AI, economic security on final day of summit

The Group of Seven leading industrialised nations turned their attention to migration, artificial intelligence, economic security and the Indo-Pacific region on Friday, the second and final day of their summit in Italy. The G7 leaders stressed their determination to meet global challenges at a crucial moment in history. The gathering in a luxury resort in Italy's southern Puglia region also discussed other major topics, such as financial support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza, climate change, Iran, the situation in the Red Sea, gender equality as well as China's industrial policy and economic security. We are working together and with others to address the pressing challenges of our time, the G7 leaders said in a final communique, noting their solidarity with Ukraine, support for a deal that would lead to an immediate cease-fire and release of hostages in Gaza, investment in sustainable infrastructure in Africa and commitments to address climate change and migration. Divisions did ...

G7 leaders tackle migration issue on second day of summit in Italy

Leaders of the Group of Seven leading industrialised nations are turning their attention to migration on the second day of their summit Friday, seeking ways to combat trafficking and increase investment in countries from where migrants start out on often life-threatening journeys. The gathering in a luxury resort in Italy's southern Puglia region is also discussing other major topics, such as financial support for Ukraine, the war in Gaza, artificial intelligence and climate change, as well as China's industrial policy and economic security. But some divisions also appeared to emerge over the wording of the summit's final declaration, with disagreement reported over the inclusion of a reference to abortion. Migration is of particular interest to summit host Italy, which lies on one of the major routes into the European Union for people fleeing war and poverty in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Right-wing Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, known for her hard-line stance on the issue,

India's neglected development transformation

Inclusive growth appears irrelevant to current electoral outcomes

Migrant boat sinks near Yemen coast, at least 49 dead, 140 missing: UN

A boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Yemen, leaving at least 49 dead and 140 missing, the UN's International Organization for Migration said Tuesday. The boat was carrying some 260 Somalis and Ethiopians from the northern coast of Somalia on the 320-kilometer journey across the Gulf of Aden when it sank Monday off Yemen's southern coast, the IOM said in a statement. It said search efforts were continuing and so far 71 had been rescued. Among the dead were 31 women and six children, it said. Yemen is a major route for migrants from the East Africa and the Horn of Africa trying to reach Gulf countries for work. Despite a nearly decadelong civil war in Yemen, the number of migrants arriving annually tripled from 2021 to 2023, soaring from about 27,000 to over 90,000, the IOM said last month. Around 380,000 migrants are currently in Yemen, according to the agency. To reach Yemen, migrants are taken by smugglers on often dangerous, overcrowded boats across the Red Sea or Gulf

Naveen Patnaik's entry sows seeds of hope in migration-hit Kantabanji

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is contesting from the seat, in addition to his traditional Hinjili constituency in Ganjam, which too suffers from migration

LS polls: Migration of skilled workforce main issue in Odisha's Kendrapara

Lack of industries, unemployment and migration of skilled workforce are the main issues in Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency in coastal Odisha from where BJP national vice president Baijayant Panda is contesting against BJD's Anshuman Mohanty. Kendrapara parliamentary constituency has sent a galaxy of political heavyweights including late Biju Patnaik and former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray to the Lok Sabha in the past. This time, the fight is mainly between Panda and Mohanty with Sidharth Swarup Das of Congress also in the fray. Elections to the Kendrapara Lok Sabha constituency will be held on June 1. This coastal region is primarily an agrarian belt with people largely dependent on farming for sustenance. The district, despite sending several political heavyweights to Lok Sabha and state Assembly, still does not figure in the industrial map though the Naveen Patnaik government in December last year had approved ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel's proposal to set up a Rs 1,02,275 crore wo

EU parliament adopts stricter migration rules in landmark asylum reform

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the new rules a "historic, indispensable step" for the EU