Dec 02 U.S., EU and allies hit Belarus with coordinated sanctions By Lorne Cook, Associated Press The four have targeted Belarus since President Alexander Lukashenko won yet another term in office last year after elections that the West and other observers say were fraudulent. Continue reading
Nov 30 Migrant crisis highlighted in pope’s Greece-Cyprus trip By Derek Gatopoulos, Theodora Tongas, Associated Press LESBOS, Greece (AP) — When Pope Francis visited the Greek island of Lesbos in 2016, he was so moved by the stories he heard from families fleeing war in Iraq and Syria that he wept and brought a dozen refugees… Continue reading
Nov 24 Dozens perish as migrant boat capsizes in English Channel By Sylvia Hui, Michel Spingler, Associated Press At least 31 migrants bound for Britain died Wednesday when their boat sank in the English Channel, in what France’s interior minister called the biggest migration tragedy on the dangerous crossing to date. Continue reading
Nov 23 Belarus says it has helped more than 100 migrants fly to home countries By Yuras Karmanau, Associated Press Belarus' Interior Ministry officials said Tuesday that 118 migrants flew out of the capital, Minsk, on Monday to their home countries after the ex-Soviet country's authorities “assisted them with paperwork and passing through the state border.”… Continue reading
Nov 17 Belarus moves some migrants camped in the cold at Polish border to heated building By Monika Scislowska, Associated Press The migrants, mostly from the Middle East, have been stuck at the border since Nov. 8. Most are fleeing conflict or despair at home and want to reach Germany or other western European countries. Continue reading
Nov 16 Poland uses water hoses on migrants, condemns Belarus for attack By Vanessa Gera, Daria Litvinova, Associated Press The situation marked an escalation in a tense migration and political crisis at the eastern border of the European Union and NATO in which the lives of thousands of migrants who are being used as proxies by Belarus are at… Continue reading
Nov 15 EU expands sanctions against Belarus to include airlines amid mounting tensions By Lorne Cook, Associated Press The European Union is expanding sanctions against Belarus to include airlines, travel agents and individuals accused of helping to lure migrants to Europe as part of a "hybrid attack" against the bloc by President Alexander Lukashenko. Continue reading
Nov 14 Italian Coast Guard rescues 550 migrants from stormy seas By Trisha Thomas, Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press One rescue began Saturday night and ended early Sunday when the 303 migrants, soaked and shivering, stepped on to the port of Roccella Jonica in the the Calabria region. Continue reading
Nov 10 Merkel asks Putin to ‘exert his influence’ on Belarus regime over migrants By Vanessa Gera, Monika Scislowska, Geir Moulson, Associated Press Poland’s Defense Ministry and local police reported Wednesday that multiple groups of migrants tried to enter the country late Tuesday and early Wednesday but that all the people who made it were detained. Continue reading
Oct 29 Polish lawmakers approve anti-migrant wall on Belarus border By Associated Press Poland is accusing the Belarusian regime of encouraging and aiding migrants from the Middle East and Africa to seek entry to the EU through its territory to destabilize the whole bloc. Continue reading