Issues

Greece launches measures to deal with increase in migrant flows

Greece announced it would step up border patrols and move asylum-seekers on its islands to the mainland in an effort to deal with a resurgence in migrant flows from neighbouring…

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Hurricane Dorian prompts evacuations in Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian is expected to slam into parts of the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday. The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said Dorian is maintaining top sustained winds of 240…

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Photo Story: Satellite image of wildfires around the world

A handout released via the NASA Worldview application on 28 August 2018 shows a satellite image with the red dots indicating fires around the globe on 27 August 2019. The…

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IOM launches five campaigns to prevent irregular migration in Central America

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is currently launching five campaigns to prevent the risks of irregular migration and encourage informed decision making among potential young Central American migrants. Mexico,…

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With ISIS down but not out, continued vigilance is key, UN Security Council told

Despite ISIS’s territorial defeat in Syria, the terrorist group, also known as Da’esh “continues to aspire to global relevance”, the United Nations top counter-terrorism officials warned the Security Council. “It…

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Photo Story: The rain in Spain

A man reacts after being splashed by a passing by car in Alicante, eastern Spain, during a day with heavy rain in the region. Spain was hit by very bad…

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Salvini closes Italy’s ports to German refugee rescue ship

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini banned a German humanitarian ship carrying migrants rescued off Libya from entering Italian territorial waters. The boat took aboard 100 people from a rubber lifeboat sinking…

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Education under fire in Central and Western Africa warns UNICEF report

A surge in “deliberate” attacks against students, teachers and schools in West and Central Africa has led to a tripling in school closures in the last year and left almost…

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Sudan flooding leaves at least 62 dead

At least 62 people have died in Sudan as flash flooding across the country causes devastation to people’s homes and livelihoods in the northeast African country. The destruction caused by…

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UK offers education lifeline to 600,000 children living in conflict zones

Children in the world’s most dangerous countries will be given the chance to go to school for the first time thanks to £90m of UK aid funding, the British Prime…

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Photo Story: Tropical Storm Bailu aftermath in the Philippines

Filipino villagers navigate a flooded road in the town of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte province, Philippines. According to news reports, two deaths were recorded in the northern Philippine province of Ilocos…

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Photo Story: Tropical Storm Ivo wreaks havoc in Monterrey, Mexico

Vehicles sit in water after heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ivo hit Monterrey in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico. The phenomenon will continue to cause heavy rains that…

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The fires in the Amazon rainforest from space

Thousands of fires are ravaging the Amazon rainforest in Brazil - the most intense blazes for almost a decade. The northern states of Roraima, Acre, Rondônia and Amazonas have been…

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NASA investigating first report of a crime in space

NASA is investigating a claim that an astronaut accessed the bank account of her estranged spouse from the International Space Station, in what may be the first allegation of a…

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Spanish warship en route to Lampedusa

A view of Lampedusa island coastline taken on board of Spanish Navy's vessel Audaz, as the ship prepares to arrive in the port of Lampedusa, Italy, 23 August 2019. The…

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UK and France to discuss Channel migrant crossings after dozens rescued

Home secretary Priti Patel will hold talks with her French counterpart after dozens of migrants were rescued on Thursday while trying to cross the Channel. In four separate events along…

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France says will take some migrants from Ocean Viking as ship runs out of food

France has said it will take some migrants from the NGO migrant rescue ship Ocean Viking which has been stalled at sea for 13 days with 356 migrants aboard after…

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US moves to abolish child migrant custody limits

Migrant families who cross the southern border of the US illegally could be detained indefinitely under a new regulation announced by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump said it would…

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German captain of migrant rescue vessel refuses honour from Paris

Pia Klemp, the German captain of rescue ship Iuventa, that saved hundreds of migrants’ lives in the Mediterranean has turned down Paris’s highest civilian award, accusing the city of hypocrisy…

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Ocean Viking migrant rescue ship still stranded in the Mediterranean

France has become the first EU member state to say it would welcome some of the 356 migrants on board the stranded rescue ship Ocean Viking. It is currently waiting…

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Photo Story: Migrants at sea off Lampedusa

A handout photo made available by the Italian Coast Guard shows a migrant being rescued at sea after diving from the Open Arms ship off the coast of Lampedusa, southern…

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Migrants on-board Open Arms disembark

Migrants on-board the Open Arms rescue ship disembarked the vessel at the Italian port of Lampedusa late last night after spending 19 days stranded at sea. It comes after an…

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Britain to invest millions to support children and young people’s mental health

£3.3 million is being spent to expand 23 local projects to help prevent mental illness in children and young people. Thousands of young people across England will benefit from new…

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The situation on Open Arms is explosive – Agrigento Chief Prosecutor

The situation aboard the Spanish NGO migrant rescue ship Open Arms is "explosive", Agrigento chief prosecutor Luigi Patronaggio said Tuesday adding that he was travelling to Lampedusa by helicopter to…

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Gere says Salvini is ‘Baby Trump’

Richard Gere has a nickname for Italy's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini: "Baby Trump." The American actor told Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera on Monday that U.S. President Donald Trump and…

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Ocean Viking rescues migrants off the Libyan coast

A handout photo dated 12 August 2019 and made available by SOS Mediterranee 19 August 2019, showing rescue vessel Ocean Viking rescuing a group of migrants off the coast of…

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Spain and Italy close to deal to disembark Open Arms migrants in Mallorca

Spain and Italy appear to have struck a deal that will see the 107 migrants stranded in the Mediterranean for 18 days disembark at the Spanish port of Mallorca, Spanish…

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Spain makes new offer to Open Arms

Spain has made another offer to the Open Arms migrant rescue vessel situated off the coast of Italy to dock at the nearest Spanish port. It's after the boat with…

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Iceland unveils memorial plaque for lost glacier

Iceland has been commemorating the country's first glacier lost to climate change, with a memorial plaque warning of the effects of global warming being installed at the site. Icelandic officials, activists…

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U.N. pays tribute to the strengthening role of women humanitarians on World Humanitarian Day

The work of women humanitarians makes a “huge difference” to the lives of millions of women, men and children in urgent need, the United Nations chief said in his message…

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39% reduction in the arrival of irregular migrants in Spain

The latest data on irregular migrant arrivals from Morocco to Spain, covering the present year to Tuesday of this week, shows a 39% drop compared with the same period in…

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Extreme heat in Japan leaves 23 dead, 12,751 hospitalized in one week

An estimated 12,751 people were rushed to hospitals with heat-related conditions across Japan over the week from Aug. 5 of whom 23 died, the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency…

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European Commission says Open Arms situation untenable

Open Arms remains close to the Italian island of Lampedusa, but the future of 134 migrants aboard remains unclear. Only a handful of people could disembark for medical reasons. The…

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Four people disembark from the Open Arms in Lampedusa

Four migrants from the ship of the Spanish Open Arms NGO disembark for medical treatment, in the port of Lampedusa, Italy. Nine others on board were allowed to land the…

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Merkel calls for restarting EU migrant rescue mission, emphasizes need to fix root cause of migration

Several months after the EU's migrant rescue mission in the Mediterranean was suspended, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called for the operation to be resumed once more. The operation was…

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July was the hottest month ever recorded

United States government scientists confirmed that July was the hottest month on record, edging out the previous record-holder, July 2016. The most unusual average temperatures took place in Alaska, western…

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Metallica Donates 250,000 Euros for Romanian Pediatric Cancer Clinic

American heavy metal band Metallica has donated 250,000 euros to a Romanian association building the country's first pediatric oncology hospital. The donation to Daruieste Viata (Bestow Life), founded in 2012,…

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Open Arms enters Italian waters outside Lampedusa

The Spanish humanitarian ship Open Arms entered Italian territorial waters off the Italian island of Lampedusa with 147 rescued migrants on board . It headed to the island after a…

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Frontex releases video showing the moment stranded migrants were spotted from the air

Video released on Wednesday by the European Union’s border agency Frontex reveals the moment when two men were first spotted lying aboard a dinghy floating in the Mediterranean. On Monday,…

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Photo Story: Heavy rainfall in Poland

Cars drive through street during heavy rainfall in Przemysl, Poland, 14 August 2019. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management reported that in the coming hours almost the entire country…

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‘Migrants experiencing horrific circumstances in Libya,’ says Spanish NGO Open Arms

The number of migrants stranded in the Mediterranean Sea has risen to more than 500. Open Arms, the Spanish NGO operating one of the vessels, said they felt "abandoned" and…

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Photo Story: Stormy weather in Hungary

A lightning strike across the sky above the town of Salgotarjan, Hungary, late Tuesday, 13 August 2019. Photo: EPA-EFE/PETER KOMKA

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UN warns of spike in grave violations against children in Mali as ‘the new normal

Voicing great concern over a sharp increase in the killing and maiming of children in Mali due to ongoing fighting and instability, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and partners called…

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Photo Story: The Perseid meteor shower

A meteorite of the swarm of meteorites Perseida is seen above Salgotarjan, Hungary, early 13 August 2019. The Perseid meteor shower occurs every year in August when the Earth passes…

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Migrant arrivals in Europe in July up slightly from previous month

In July, the number of detections of illegal border crossings on Europe’s main migratory routes rose 4% from the previous month to around 10 500. Overall, the total for…

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Photo Story: Barcelona region hit by bad weather

Fallen trees lay on the ground and flooded streets after a violent storm that was accompanied by heavy rains in Vilanova i la Geltru, Barcelona, Spain, on the 12 August…

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Six-year-old girl missing after violent storm in Switzerland

A six-year-old girl is among the two persons who are missing after their car was swept away by a torrent of mud triggered by a flash flood in southwestern Switzerland.…

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Norway mosque shooting investigated as terrorist act

A shooting at a mosque in Norway is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, police say. A gunman opened fire on the Al-Noor Islamic Centre, on the outskirts…

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UK government confirms Glasgow nominated to host its largest ever summit

Glasgow has been chosen to host a major UN climate change summit next year, if the country’s bid is successful. Glasgow has been chosen as the UK city to host…

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At least 90 persons killed in flooding in India

At least 90 people have died and some 360,000 evacuated to relief camps after torrential rain brought flash flooding in southern India. The rain brought deadly flooding and mudslides to…

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Nearly 30 fatalities from typhoon in eastern China

The death toll from a major typhoon in eastern China rose to 28 on Sunday, with 20 people missing, state media reported, after torrential rains triggered a landslide that forced…

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Richard Gere and Matteo Salvini clash over migrants

Hollywood star Richard Gere has called upon the Italian government to assist migrants who have been stranded on a Spanish charity boat in the Mediterranean for more than a week.…

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70 arrests in pan-European action against child trafficking

Europol supported a pan-European operation against trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation, forced begging and labour exploitation. The operation, led by the United Kingdom, involved law enforcement authorities from 16…

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Photo Story: Floods in Maharastra, India

A handout photo made available by India's National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) shows people being taken to safety by an NDRF team during a rescue operation in the…

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Large parts of Australia hit by wild weather

Large parts of Australia are being engulfed by severe winds, snow, wild surf and rain that are effecting Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales Destructive winds have battered…

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Refugee who lived in Malta among the victims of Dayton shooting

The Washington Post reports that among the victims of the Dayton, Ohio, mass shooting there is an Eritrean refugee who lived and worked in Malta in order to be able…

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China on red alert as Typhoon Lekima approaches

Chinese authorities have declared a red alert as a powerful typhoon heads towards the eastern coast. Typhoon Lekima is currently battering Taiwan with winds of more than 190km/h and is…

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