By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged European leaders on Sunday to stop bickering over the fate of 49 migrants stuck aboard two humanitarian rescue ships on the Mediterranean and let them land at a safe port of call. With his comments in an address to 60,000 people in St. Peter's Square for the feast of the Epiphany, Francis jumped into … [Read more...]
Asylum Seekers Arriving By Boat Face Lifetime Ban In Australia
by Gareth Hutchens (TheGuardian) The Turnbull government plans to ban asylum seekers who arrive by boat from ever being allowed into Australia. The ban will apply to any adult who has been sent to detention centres on Nauru or Manus Island since 19 July, 2013. It means adults who have previously tried to enter Australia by boat since July 2013, but who … [Read more...]
French Truck Drivers Blockade Port Of Calais To Protest Migrant Crisis
By Gavin van Marle (TheLoadstar) Cross-Channel operations between Dover and Calais were set to descend into chaos today as French truck drivers and farmers created a blockade on the main A16 access road to the French port. The hauliers and farmers are protesting against the French government’s inability to close the notorious … [Read more...]
European Shipowners Welcome European Parliament Report on Migrants
European shipowners have welcomed the own-initiative report by the European Parliament to be adopted this week on migration, outlining in detail how the EU should respond to the current migration challenge. Covering topics from human trafficking to asylum and EU external borders management, it also discusses the “search and rescue” operations at sea. “The seafarers … [Read more...]
NATO Launches Aegean Sea Mission to Combat Migrant Smugglers
By Robin Emmott and Phil Stewart BRUSSELS, Feb 11 (Reuters) - NATO ships are on their way to the Aegean Sea to help Turkey and Greece crack down on criminal networks smuggling refugees into Europe, the alliance's top commander said on Thursday. Hours after NATO defense ministers agreed to use their maritime force in the eastern Mediterranean to help combat traffickers, … [Read more...]