Islamic State targets vulnerable refugee children for recruitment

Save The Children urges 'new deal' for educating child refugees

16 May

Save The Children has issued a plea for greater international commitment to ensure child refugees remain in school.

In its report, A New Deal for Every Forcibly Displaced Child, the charity says that no child should be out of school for more than a month.

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Figures in the report suggest that only a quarter of refugee children are enrolled in a secondary school and the charity wants governments and aid agencies to adopt a new policy framework in order to ensure that number increases.

"It is an ambitious target," says Lyse Doucet, BBC chief international correspondent, but "there is growing concern that this migration crisis is producing a lost generation of children which means conditions for even greater insecurity and poverty".

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Tanya Steele, interim CEO of Save The Children, said that "education needs to be as much of a priority as food and shelter".

The charity's call to action comes as Filippo Grandi, the UN high commissioner for refugees, spoke out against the international response to the refugee crisis.

Describing the displacement of people as a "global phenomenon", Grandi told the BBC that the burden of caring for refugees had so far fallen "on a few countries that host hundreds of thousands of refugees, usually those near wars, near conflicts and a few donors that alone, seven or eight of them, give 80 per cent to 90 per cent, of the funding".

He added: "This has to spread more, has to be shared more, otherwise the imbalances will cause knee-jerk reactions, closures, rejections and in the end we will fail in our responsibility to help refugees."

Grandi also argued that resettlement of the refugees had to occur on a larger scale than is currently taking place.

"There can't simply be a reaction whereby states shut down borders and push people away simply because it won't work," he said.

Refugee crisis: EU mission 'failing' to stop people smugglers

13 May

Operation Sophia, the pan-European naval mission tackling people smugglers in the Mediterranean, is failing, according to a report by the Lords' EU committee.

The operation has saved more than 9,000 lives over the last year, said the report, but had not achieved its wider aim of reducing people smuggling.

"A naval mission cannot disrupt the business model of people smuggling and in this sense it is failing," said chairman Christopher Tugendhat.

Arrests made so far have been of "low-level targets" and while 80 vessels had been destroyed, this has "simply caused the smugglers to shift from using wooden boats to rubber dinghies, which are even more unsafe", said the committee.

They concluded that confining the operation to international waters and not allowing it to enter Libyan waters, as initially intended, combined with the lack of stable government in Libya, had condemned the operation to failure.

Operation Sophia was named after a baby born on an EU ship after her mother was rescued off the coast of Libya last year, reports The Independent. It was set up to stop the flow of migrants and refugees from Libya and neighbouring countries to Europe amid fears that more people would die attempting to make the dangerous journey this summer.

"The smuggling networks operate from Libya and they extend through Africa. Without support from a stable Libyan government, the operation is unable to gather the intelligence it needs or tackle the smugglers onshore," said Tugendhat.

He added: "We recognise migration is a sensitive topic among national electorates and understand these concerns, but we believe the lack of public debate and political leadership has further politicised the issue among European citizens."

Pope 'shakes Europe's soul' by rescuing Syrian refugees

18 April

Pope Francis has been widely praised for rescuing a group of refugees during a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos this weekend.

The surprise move came after the Pontiff toured the Moria camp in an attempt to highlight the worsening humanitarian crisis. Thousands of refugees and migrants are stranded there under the EU's controversial resettlement deal with Turkey.

"You are not alone. Do not lose hope," Pope Francis told them.

Afterwards, it was announced that 12 refugees, including six children, would return with him to Rome on his papal plane.

The refugees selected are all Muslims who fled fighting in Syria. They will now apply for asylum in Italy while being supported by the Vatican and the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome.

"It's a small gesture but a small gesture every man, every woman should do to help those in need," said the Pontiff, who has previously called upon Catholic dioceses across Europe to open their doors to refugees.

One of the refugees, Hasan, who was selected alongside his wife and their two-year-old son, called the Pope as their saviour. "We fled Syria because we no longer had any hope," he told local media.

There are now about 20 refugees living in the Vatican, which has a population of 1,000 people. "A similar intake across Europe would see six million people given asylum on the continent of 300 million," AFP says.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella praised the Vatican's intervention, saying he hoped it would "shake the soul of Europe and the international community to its depths."

Making a similar point, the i newspaper columnist Ian Birrell argues that the Pope's humanity puts Europe to shame.

"His stance on this issue at least could not be more welcome amid the rise of bigotry, nationalism and xenophobia," he says.

"Britain, of course, is one of the worst offenders… Westminster's lack of leadership, let alone morality, is depressing."

However, the Pope's gesture was not welcomed by everyone, the Wall Street Journal reports. Matteo Salvini, the head of Italy's anti-immigrant Northern League party, said: "I'd like to recall that there are poor people just outside the Vatican. But it's less chic [to help them] because you don't have to take a plane to pick them up."

The New Day's Julia Hartley-Brewer, meanwhile, dismissed the Pontiff's action as "the worst kind of gesture politics".

"If the Pope really wants to help Syrian refugees, why not offer some cold hard cash from the vast wealth of the Roman Catholic Church?" she asks.

Macedonia condemned for 'deplorable' treatment of refugees

11 April

Macedonia has come under fire for its treatment of refugees at the Greek border, as hundreds of people were injured in clashes with police yesterday.

Officers used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds at the Idomeni camp after a group of asylum-seekers tried to break through the border fence.

Medecins sans Frontieres said it treated more than 300 refugees, while the Macedonian police force said a handful of its officers were injured.

Greece has since issued an "unusually strong" statement condemning the use of force, reports Reuters.

"The indiscriminate use of chemicals, rubber bullets and stun grenades against vulnerable populations... is a dangerous and deplorable act," said government spokesperson George Kyritsis.

Amnesty International said the clashes and desperation were "symptoms of Europe's disease when it comes to refugees".

Gauri van Gulik, the deputy Europe director, added: "As long as people are not offered a solution, a path to safety, and they are forced to sleep in the mud, this will only get worse."

More than 11,000 people, 40 per cent of whom are children, are stranded at what has quickly become Europe's largest refugee camp. The vast majority have fled the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Tensions have been running high since several Balkan nations closed off their borders in a bid to stem the flow of refugees arriving from Greece.

"We are not the ones who keep the borders closed," a Macedonian police officer told refugees, reports Deutsche Welle. "We are following Europe's orders. Please remain calm and peaceful."

A refugee representative answered: "We understand and we want to be peaceful, but behind me there are 10,000 refugees who are fleeing war and they have been here for months now. We want a solution."

Greece suspends return of migrants to Turkey

6 April

Greece "paused" the deportation of migrants to Turkey yesterday, one day after they began, says the BBC.

Athens-based newspaper Kathimerini says no official explanation has been given for why the process has now been suspended, but it notes that the Greek government warned earlier it had been slowed by an increase in requests for asylum.

The BBC says 3,000 people held in a migrant camp on the island of Lesbos have now applied for asylum and believes it will take at least until the weekend to process them all.

On Monday, 202 migrants, mostly Pakistani, were sent to Turkey as part of the "one in, one out" deal. The agreement will see as many as 72,000 refugees going direct to Europe from camps in Turkey in exchange for the country taking an equal number of illegal immigrants from the EU.

It is hoped the policy will discourage migrants from making dangerous sea crossings from Turkey to Greece, although the plan has been criticised by human rights groups.

While it was originally thought that none of the migrants sent to Turkey on Monday had asked for asylum, it was later revealed that 13 had expressed an interest but had not registered with the Greek authorities.

That prompted a warning from the United Nations. "We have expressed concern that this deal is being implemented before the necessary safeguards are in place in Greece and in Turkey, including that it's being rushed - and is premature," spokesman Boris Cheshirkov told the BBC.

The UN would work with Turkey to ensure that the 13 people in question, some of them Afghans, would have their asylum applications processed in Turkey, he added.

Meanwhile, it has emerged that Pope Francis might visit the island of Lesbos late next week, in the company of a senior cleric in the Orthodox Church.

The Pontiff is said to want to highlight the difficulties migrants are facing and used his traditional Easter address to condemn anyone who fails to help, saying migrants often meet "rejection from those who could offer them welcome and assistance".

First people sent back to Turkey from Greece

04 April

The first boats deporting migrants from Greece under the terms of the new "one in, one out" EU deal with Turkey have arrived in the port of Dikili.

Two boats carrying 136 people left Lesbos last night and arrived in Turkey this morning, says The Guardian. A third, with around 60 on board, is en route from Chios, says Sky News.

The first group of migrants is mostly from Pakistan, said a Greek government spokesman, who added the refugees had not applied for asylum. There were said to be a handful from Syria.

Human rights groups say the deportations break international law and mark a low point in Europe's humanitarian history.

A small group of protesters shouted: "Shame on you," as each migrant was led on board the ferry at Lesbos, reports Sky.

Andrew Connelly of Vice News, reporting from the island, said there were no "violent scenes" when the refugees were put onto buses at detention centres to be taken to the port, although he told Sky there was "no way of knowing how the situation may escalate".

However, the BBC's Sarah Rainsford said the returns were carried out "calmly".

In The Guardian, Patrick Kingsley reported that there was a heavy police presence in Dikili, where registration tents have been set up to receive the returnees.

There is local opposition to the "dumping of refugees" in the seaside town, he added, and officials had taken down a "huge" banner next to the quay objecting to the deal.

"Dikili is very small – just 40,000 citizens. We cannot fit the refugees," said Emirhan Cekun, as he asked passers-by to sign a petition against the plan. Petition organisers say 4,000 people have added their names to it.

The controversial deal was agreed in March as the European Union struggled to respond to the biggest mass migration of people on the continent since the Second World War. It is hoped it will stop migrants from making the dangerous crossing in illegal boats.

For every returnee, another refugee will be resettled from Turkey to the EU, up to a maximum of 72,000 people.

Refugee crisis: EU to present divisive deal to Turkey

18 March

European leaders will today present Turkey with a controversial deal to resettle refugees in exchange for a number of concessions.

The outline of the agreement, agreed last week, involves a "one in, one out" system aimed at stemming the flow of asylum-seekers into Europe.

Under the plan, one Syrian refugee from Turkey would be admitted into Europe for every illegal Syrian migrant sent to Turkey from the Greek islands.

In exchange, Turkey would be offered increased funds for refugee camps, visa-free travel into Europe and accelerated talks on joining the European Union.

"However, those proposals have since been watered down, lowering expectation on greater financial help and talks on EU membership and linking visa-free travel to 72 conditions to which Turkey must agree," says the BBC.

Consequently, it remains unclear whether Ankara will accept the deal, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitting that today's negotiations "won't be very easy". Her French counterpart, President Francois Hollande, told reporters last night: "I can't guarantee you a happy ending."

The legality of such an agreement has also been questioned, with the United Nations's refugee agency warning that such a system would be in direct violation of international law.

Human rights groups and medical charities working in the region have also criticised the deal and say Turkey cannot be regarded as a safe country of asylum for Syrian refugees.

"Refugees should not be used as bargaining chips," said Bill Frelick of Human Rights Watch. "The integrity of the EU's asylum system, indeed the integrity of European values, is at stake."

Medicines Sans Frontiers described the proposal as inhumane. "This crude calculation reduces people to mere numbers, denying them humane treatment and discarding their right to seek protection," Aurelie Ponthieu told Mashable.

"These people are not numbers but women, children and families, 88 per cent of whom are fleeing refugee-producing countries," she added. "They should be treated humanely and with full respect for their rights and dignity."

Turkey and EU agree 'one in, one out' outline deal on refugees

08 March

Turkey and EU leaders have agreed a deal in principle to ease the migration crisis and send "a very clear message that the days of irregular migration to Europe are over".

The "one in, one out" proposal will see a Syrian refugee from one of Turkey's camps admitted into Europe for every Syrian sent back to the country from the Greek islands.

It was decided in principle after a 12-hour summit in Brussels, with a final agreement due next week. European leaders believe it is crucial to stem the flow of refugees and illegal migrants.

As well as Turkey agreeing to take all new irregular migrants crossing to Europe, the EU member states would also:

• speed up the implementation of EU-Turkey visas, with a view to lifting visa requirements for Turkish citizens by the end of June;
• accelerate the payment of €3bn (£2.3bn) in aid promised to the Turkish government from the EU and to decide on additional funding for the new proposal;
• open up discussions about Turkey joining the EU as soon as possible;
• work with Turkey in any joint endeavour to improve conditions inside Syria.

If implemented, the deal will "break the business model of the people smugglers and end the link between getting in a boat and getting settlement in Europe", said Prime Minister David Cameron.

However, an Amnesty International spokesman told The Guardian the concept of returning people to a country that does not respect human rights was "exceedingly problematic".

Meanwhile, in a blogpost, former Channel 4 economics editor Paul Mason claims the majority of the deal would not be legal under international law.

"If these 'irregular migrants' claim asylum they are a refugee and protected from return under international law until their claim has been processed. It will be challenged in the courts immediately," he writes.

Although this new initiative is bold, it could spark fierce argument and its implementation will not be easy, says the BBC's Chris Morris. But, he adds, the EU clearly needs Turkey's cooperation if it is to begin coping with the migration crisis.

Refugee crisis: economic migrants told not to come to Europe

04 March

European Council President Donald Tusk has warned illegal economic migrants not to come to Europe as the continent struggles to cope with the ongoing refugee crisis.

"I want to appeal to all potential illegal economic migrants wherever you are from: do not come to Europe," he said. "Do not believe the smugglers. Do not risk your lives and your money. It is all for nothing. Greece, or any other European country, will no longer be a transit country."

Tusk's comments came after talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens to discuss how to control the influx of people arriving in Europe.

More than a million refugees and migrants entered the continent last year, 80 per cent of them arriving in Greece after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.

Since January, more than 120,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in Greece by boat, the vast majority of them fleeing war zones in Syria and Iraq.

Tusk is due to meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later today, ahead of a key EU-Turkey summit next Monday. The country remains the key gateway into Europe and recent diplomatic efforts aim to encourage it to do more to help stem the flow of refugees through its borders.

The EC leader said Ankara should decide how to limit the influx, but added: "To many in Europe, the most promising method seems to be a fast and large-scale mechanism to ship back irregular migrants arriving in Greece."

Human rights groups have raised serious concerns over Turkey's treatment of refugees fleeing the Syrian war. "People trying to flee to Turkey from Syria have been beaten and shot at as they try to cross the border," says Human Rights Watch.

"Tens of thousands of Syrians fleeing the surging violence in and around Aleppo are currently stranded at the Turkish-Syrian border, where they face the risk of death and injury," it warns.

Infographic by www.statista.com for TheWeek.co.uk

Nato chief: Islamic State is 'spreading like a cancer' among refugees

2 March

Campaigners have challenged the claim from Nato's top commander that refugees are "masking the movement" of terrorists.

Testifying to the US Senate armed services committee, General Philip Breedlove (pictured above) said Islamic State is "spreading like a cancer" among refugees and "taking advantage of paths of least resistance, threatening European nations and our own".

He added that many countries have reported cases where terrorists have been planning to carry out an attack.

Pressed to back up his remarks with data, Gen Breedlove said he would not discuss "intelligence" and admitted: "I can't give you a number on the estimate of the flow."

In reply, human rights activists stressed that only a very small minority of refugees even sympathise with terror groups.

"We are talking about needles in haystacks," said Bill Frelick, the director of the refugee programme for Human Rights Watch.

"It's not to say that there aren't dangerous needles in those haystacks, but overwhelmingly we're talking about people who are seeking protection and bear no ill will and I would say, in fact, bear gratitude to anyone who's willing to help them."

Gen Breedlove's statement reflects widespread anxiety following the Paris terror attacks last November, says The Guardian, despite campaigners emphasising that nearly all of those involved were French or Belgian.

"Giving in to fear in the wake of the atrocious attacks on Paris will not protect anyone," John Dalhuisen, the director of Amnesty International, has said.

Almost 130,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea since the beginning of this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Refugee crisis: clashes in Calais camp as shelters torn down

01 March

Europe's refugee crisis has erupted into scenes of chaos across the continent.

In France, violent clashes broke out in Calais after demolition teams began carrying out an eviction order in the southern part of the "Jungle" refugee camp.

Riot police fired teargas and water cannon at refugees and migrants, who threw rocks in protest.

Makeshift shelters were also set ablaze. Some fires were deliberately lit, while other tents were set alight by tear gas canisters, The Guardian reports.

Thousands of refugees have been offered the choice of moving into repurposed shipping containers near the site or to accommodation centres elsewhere in France.

But volunteer groups warn the eviction will do little to ease pressure on the port town as the vast majority of refugees insist they will stay regardless.

Refugee Rights Data Project says the move is "unlikely to provide a viable solution to the current humanitarian crisis on our doorstep".

One Afghan refugee told AFP: "Going to Britain... is what people [here] want so destroying part of the Jungle is not the solution."

Meanwhile, tensions also ran high on the Greek border with Macedonia as refugees used a battering ram to break down a razor-wire fence after new restrictions were put in place. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Macedonia's decision to re-classify Afghans as economic migrants instead of refugees has left thousands of men, women and children stranded at the frontier with little food or shelter.

"There was a state of panic and hope that finally those gates towards Western Europe would open," reports Al Jazeera. "It's an emotional roller-coaster for these refugees and migrants who are here."

One Syrian refugee told the broadcaster: "I am suffering here. I am slowly dying here. I don't know what I'll do."

Refugee crisis: Greece recalls Austrian ambassador amid row

25 February

Greece has recalled its ambassador to Austria in a sign of the deepening divisions over the handling of Europe's refugee crisis.

"Responsibility for dealing with the migration and refugee crisis cannot weigh on one country alone," its government said in a statement.

The diplomatic row comes after Greece was not invited to attend a meeting of Baltic states in the Austrian capital Vienna yesterday aimed at managing the flow the refugees in the region.

It also follows Austria's decision last week to cap the number of refugees entering the country, which led to neighbouring Macedonia closing its border with Greece and trapping hundreds of migrants.

The bottleneck sparked a furious response from the Greek Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, who warned the European Union that the humanitarian crisis could not be left to one country to deal with.

"We will not tolerate being turned into a warehouse of souls," he said on Greek television.

More than 100,000 people have arrived in Europe so far this year, triple the rate of the first half of 2015, according to the International Organisation on Migration.

EU interior ministers are gathering in Brussels today to discuss the plans drawn up in Vienna in an attempt "to heal rifts that have plunged common policy into chaos", says the BBC.

The measures are believed to include turning away anyone without a passport and to only accept those considered to be in need of refuge.

"[This has been] interpreted by some governments as meaning only Syrians and Iraqis," says the BBC.

As Europe struggles to come up with a comprehensive response to the crisis at its borders, European Council President Donald Tusk warned a lack of action would raise the risk of Britain voting to leave the bloc in the upcoming referendum.

Refugees in Calais 'Jungle' await eviction notice decision

24 February

A French court has delayed its ruling on the legality of plans to dismantle part of the "Jungle" refugee camp in Calais, with a final decision expected imminently.

What are the French authorities trying to do?

Under pressure to clear the camp, which now houses as many as 6,000 people, the French authorities issued an eviction notice to the southern section of the site last week giving the refugees the choice of moving into repurposed shipping containers near Calais or accommodation centres elsewhere in the country.

Interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the eviction would be done "with respect to people's dignity".

How have refugees and aid agencies responded?

Charities have launched a legal appeal against the eviction, arguing the accommodation on offer is unsuitable. They say the plan also threatens vital community facilities, such as centres for women and young people, a library and a mosque.

"I hate it here but at the same time, this is where we live now," Mohammed, from Afghanistan, told Reuters. "We don't want to go to a closed space that will be like a prison."

Aid agencies warn hundreds of unaccompanied children will be affected and a group of actors, including Jude Law, has called on the UK government to allow them safe passage into the country. "They are desperate. One little boy grabbed me and pleaded with me," said Law.

The charity Help Refugees said the move will "once more uproot those who have already had to abandon their homes fleeing war and persecution".

Refugee crisis: Britain doubles humanitarian aid for Syrians

04 February

Britain will double the amount of humanitarian aid it gives to Syrian refugees, David Cameron has announced ahead of a key fundraising summit in London.

"Today's pledge of more than £2.3bn in UK aid sets the standard for the international community – more money is needed to tackle this crisis and it is needed now," the Prime Minister said.

World leaders from 70 countries will meet with the heads of the United Nations and various charities and non-governmental organisations to develop a new response to the international crisis.

"This is a pivotal moment to offer the Syrian people and their children hope for a better future," International Development Secretary Justine Greening writes in the London Evening Standard.

Organisers are hoping to raise £6.2bn, much of which will be diverted from food handouts towards work and education opportunities for Syrians in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan, says The Guardian.

Lebanon, which is about half the size of Wales, has shouldered the heaviest burden of the humanitarian crisis so far and taken in 1.2 million people – more than the whole of Europe combined.

Filippo Grandi, the UN's high commissioner for refugees, has warned that "aid alone will not suffice" and welcomed the focus on a longer-term solution.

Hours before the summit was due to kick off, UN-brokered peace talks between Syrian leaders and the opposition were called off in Geneva.

"Staffan de Mistura, the UN's special envoy at the talks, admitted there had been a lack of progress but said that the negotiations had not failed," reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad claim to have broken the siege of two rebel-held towns in the north-west of the country, severing a key supply route from Turkey.

Refugee crisis: EU ministers vote to end passport-free travel

26 January

Passport checks could be re-introduced between neighbouring EU nations and Greece faces being "effectively sealed off" as Europe struggles to control the influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East and Africa.

For more than 20 years, the Schengen agreement has allowed free movement between 26 European nations. This is now under threat after politicians in Amsterdam yesterday agreed it should be suspended for two years.

Speaking after the talks, Dutch immigration minister Klaas Dijkhoff said Schengen member governments would ask the European Commission for permission to put the agreement on hold.

"These measures are inevitable at this point in time," he added.

The refugee crisis is the "biggest challenge the union has faced", says The Guardian, adding that the talks were characterised by "gloom and confusion in the face of ever-rising numbers of people heading into Greece from Turkey".

Greece itself came under special scrutiny during the summit. It now faces being "effectively sealed off" after ministers discussed re-defining the Schengen zone to exclude the country altogether, says the Daily Telegraph.

There were also calls on Greece to set up vast holding camps for as many as 300,000 refugees in an attempt to stem the flow. At the moment, the country does not attempt to register migrants and refugees or prevent them from heading deeper into Europe.

Athens reacted with "fury" to the proposals, continues the Telegraph, with ministers saying they would turn Greece into a "cemetery of souls".

The crisis "threatens to tear the EU apart", adds the newspaper, with British Home Secretary Theresa May telling the summit: "Unfortunately, what we've had is more talk than action."

May is a noted Eurosceptic and could lead the No campaign in the EU referendum, says the Telegraph. However, the UK vote may not happen this summer if the refugee crisis and Schengen dominate next month's EU summit.

Refugee crisis 'putting EU in grave danger'

22 January

The ongoing refugee crisis is putting the Europe Union in grave danger of collapse, it was claimed yesterday.

Speaking at the Word Economic Forum in Davos, European leaders said the passport-free Schengen zone is at risk of collapse unless the flow of asylum-seekers can be stemmed.

More than a million refugees arrived in Europe last year, with Syria lying at the epicentre of the crisis. At least four million people have fled the country since the civil war began in 2011.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said more than 35,000 people had made the sea crossing from Turkey into Greece in the first three weeks of 2016 and that the situation was reaching breaking point.

"When spring comes, the numbers will quadruple. We cannot cope with the numbers any longer," he said. "We need to get a grip on this issue in the next six to eight weeks."

EU leaders are still hoping to reach an agreement which would see states agree to accept quotas of refugees, but admitted such a deal remained elusive, says Reuters.

Austria this week announced it would be capping the number of people allowed to apply for asylum at 1.5 per cent of its population, raising fears of a "domino effect" across Europe.

Rutte's comments were echoed by French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who told the BBC the crisis was putting Europe in grave danger and called for the external borders to be secured.

"If Europe is not capable of protecting its own borders, it's the very idea of Europe that will be questioned," he warned.

Refugee crisis: Europe set to scrap 'first country' rule

20 January

The European Union looks set to scrap rules that say refugees must be dealt with by the first European country they enter.

The change will "revolutionise" Europe's migration policy and "shift the burden from its southern flank to its wealthier northern members", says the Financial Times.

The present policy, which has become "politically toxic" for EU leaders, essentially broke down last year, when Germany waived its right to send hundreds of thousands of asylum-seekers back to other EU member states, says the newspaper.

Nevertheless, "frontier countries" such as Greece and Italy have faced criticism for failing to properly shelter and register more than one million people who have come into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.

Brussels says the current rule is "unfair" and "outdated" and is expected to reform the system, part of the so-called Dublin Regulation, in a proposal to be unveiled in March, officials told the FT.

As a consequence, Britain may find it more difficult to send refugees back to neighbouring EU states, further encouraging them to head to the UK – a change that could be "problematic" for David Cameron ahead of Britain's EU referendum, claims The Independent.

"One of the main arguments of the British campaign to remain in the EU is that the regulations allow the UK to deport asylum-seekers if Britain is not the first European country that they arrived in," it says.

"If those regulations were to be changed, the UK might be forced to accept refugees who have managed to enter the country from across the Channel, regardless of where they first arrived in Europe."

However, the newspaper notes that "with no land border with any other country in the passport-free Schengen zone, Britain is not expected to see a strong surge in migration".

According to the Daily Telegraph, Britain is currently allowed to deport around 1,000 failed asylum-seekers a year to other EU states. A move to change these rules would "present Downing Street with a bruising battle in the middle of the renegotiation".

Turkey accused of illegally deporting 'up to hundreds' of refugees to Syria

15 January

Amnesty International has accused Turkey of breaking local and international law by deporting refugees back to Syria.

The charity claims that scores - and possibly several hundred – of refugees have been detained and forced to cross back into a war zone by Turkish authorities.

"Covert detention, deportation to a war zone: the charges are grave," says the BBC's Mark Lowen.

Andrew Gardner, the head of Amnesty in Turkey, says such treatment is "absolutely illegal because you cannot forcibly return someone to a place where their lives and rights are in danger".

He adds that Europe needs to "wake up" to the fact international law is being broken on its own borders.

Refugees spoke of how they had been mistreated at EU-funded detention centres and then transported back to the border, where they were coerced into signing voluntary return documents.

"They drove us to the border and forced us to sign a piece of paper on which was written, 'I want to go back to Syria,'" said one man.

"I didn't want to go back to Syria. Some of my friends have now been put in prison there, and many people were afraid of returning to a war zone."

An estimated two million Syrian refugees are now in Turkey. Last November, Ankara signed a deal with the EU to receive €3bn (£2.2bn) in exchange for slowing the flow of refugees to Europe.

"But that is contingent on improving conditions for refugees so more feel they can stay here, not deporting them back to a war zone," says Lowen.

Turkey has "categorically denied" the accusations and insists the United Nations' refugee agency interviews all returnees at the border to make sure they're going to Syria voluntarily.

Denmark debates seizing valuables from refugees

13 January

Danish MPs are debating a controversial immigration bill which would allow the government to seize valuables from refugees arriving in the country.

Under the proposed legislation, police will be given the power to confiscate gold, money and other items of value worth more than 10,000 kroner (around £1,000).

The bill was recently amended to allow asylum seekers to keep items that hold sentimental value. Items with a practical use – such as mobile phones and watches – will also be exempt.

The move has prompted comparisons to the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany and been condemned by the United Nations' refugee agency, which warns it could further fuel fear and xenophobia.

"Refugees have lost their homes and almost everything they possess," UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told the BBC.

"It beggars belief that somebody would want to strip them away from the little they have managed to salvage from their lives."

The ruling centre-right Venstre party defended the law, calling it the "most misunderstood bill in Denmark's history".

Integration minister Inger Stojberg said similar laws already apply to Danish nationals seeking help from the welfare state.

"It is already the case that if you as a Dane have valuables for more than 10,000 kroner, it may be required that this is sold before you can receive unemployment benefits," she said.

Denmark is thought to have accepted 20,000 refugees last year, far fewer than neighbouring Sweden, which welcomed 163,000.

The bill will be voted on later this month and the Venstre party will require support from the Danish People's Party, the Liberal Alliance and the Conservative People's Party if it is to pass.

Refugee crisis: Sweden imposes ID checks at key link

4 January 2016

Sweden has introduced border checks for travellers from Denmark to stem the influx of migrants.

From today, all train, bus and ferry passengers on the Oresund bridge-and-tunnel link will be required to show photo identification before being allowed across the border, reports the BBC.

Lengthy delays are expected at the link, which has been a major entry point for migrants and refugees. Travellers had been able to cross borders between the two Nordic countries without passports since the late 1950s.

The Swedish government hopes the move will keep out undocumented migrants. Sweden, which received more than 150,000 asylum applications in 2015, has taken in more asylum seekers per capita than any other European nation. It says it can no longer cope with the unregulated flow of new arrivals.

But a spokesman for the United Nations said it viewed the development with "growing concern". Mattias Axelsson, from UNHCR in northern Europe, told a Swedish news agency: "There is a tremendous strain to be on the run and you cannot expect that those who are entitled to asylum will also have the right documents with them from the beginning – it is quite impossible."

Passenger groups are also concerned. After a temporary fence was built at Copenhagen airport's Kastrup station, where trains will be stopped for the mandatory controls, a spokesman for the Kystbanen commuters' association said: "It's as if we are building a Berlin Wall here. We are going several steps back in time."

Sweden has secured a temporary exemption from the European Union's open-border Schengen agreement, in order to impose the border controls.

Several other European Union countries, including Germany, Austria and France, also re-imposed border checks last year as the continent faced a major refugee crisis. One million migrants arrived in Europe by land or sea in 2015, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

Refugees sew lips shut in protest at Macedonian border

24 November

Refugees have sewn their lips together in protest against not being allowed to cross the border into Macedonia.

A group of men, some of whom were believed to be from Iran's Kurdish minority, staged the protest after authorities deemed them to be "economic migrants" and denied them entry into the country.

Balkans nations have tightened border controls in the wake of the Paris attacks and will only accept those fleeing war in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, the BBC reports.

The decision has left thousands of people, including young children escaping conflict in other parts of the world, stranded in the remote village of Idomeni in Greece.

Asked where he wanted to go, an Iranian man involved in the protests told Sky News: "To any free country in the world. I cannot go back. I will be hanged," he said.

Temperatures continue to plummet and aid organisations are growing increasingly concerned about refugees forced to spend winter out in the open.

"Cold weather is coming to Europe at greater speed than its leadership's ability to make critical decisions," The Guardian reports.

Peter Bouckaert, the director of emergencies for Human Rights Watch, has accused European institutions of failing to respond to the humanitarian disaster. Those in need are forced to rely on volunteers for basic needs like shelter, food, clothes and medical assistance, he says.

"We have found out that one country after the other are closing their borders," said Marian, a 24-year-old refugee from Afghanistan. "With winter just around the corner, what will happen to us? What will happen to my children?"

Refugee crisis: is border-free Europe on the verge of collapse?

20 November

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls has warned that Europe's passport-free zone could collapse in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris.

The free movement of people guaranteed under the Schengen agreement is one of the founding principles of the EU, but it has come under increasing pressure during the ongoing refugee crisis.

The events in the French capital have increased support for tighter controls, with Valls saying some of those involved in the attacks may have taken advantage of the "chaos" at Europe's borders.

One of the suicide bombers involved in the Paris attacks left a fake Syrian passport at the scene. He had allegedly used it to gain entry into the EU through Greece.

Valls's warning comes as leaders meet for yet more crisis talks in Brussels. Today's emergency security summit is likely to result in increased checks across the union's borders, says Sky News.

A number of European nations have already introduced temporary controls at their own borders as they struggle to deal with huge influx of people coming through the EU's porous external frontiers.

But these security checks can are allowed for a maximum of two months and are only allowed for "public policy or national security" reasons.

"What you hear repeatedly from European officials and politicians is this: if the EU's external borders cannot be fixed then the Schengen zone cannot survive," says the BBC.

Finland's interior minister, Petteri Orpo, is among those warning that the end of the agreement is looming. "Tens of thousands of people were coming into Europe and they are not being registered," he warned. "We don't know who they are."

But the Centre for European Reform argues that Europe should not dismantle Schengen – but rather improve the system by processing refugees more effectively, boosting external border security and sharing intelligence.

It also suggests that the fake Syrian passport in Paris could have been a deliberate plot to reignite the debate about Europe's asylum policies.

"Why would a terrorist leave a passport behind? European governments should not fall into [the] trap by responding with knee-jerk reactions such as closing borders."

Doing so would also do nothing to stop home-grown terrorists – like the French and Belgian nationals involved in the Paris attacks – as international law prohibits a country from denying entry to its own nationals.

So what does this mean for the future of the Schengen? "It is most unlikely that the Schengen agreement will be suspended because it is a core European freedom," says the BBC's Gavin Hewitt.

"What is more likely in the weeks ahead is that countries in the Schengen zone quietly begin reinforcing their national borders."

Refugee crisis: is EU aid offer to Africa 'bordering on blackmail'?

11 November

European leaders are meeting with their African counterparts at a summit in Malta today to discuss solutions to the worsening refugee crisis.

On the table is a controversial proposal to increase funding and other forms of aid to African nations that help stop the flow of hundreds of thousands of people across the Mediterranean.

"The aim is to tackle the economic and security problems that cause people to flee," reports the BBC. It is also hoped the deal will help persuade countries to take back failed asylum seekers.

European Council President Donald Tusk said efforts would focus on poverty reduction and conflict prevention. "It also includes the issue of taking back those who do not yet qualify for a visa, or those who do not require international protection," he said on the eve of the summit.

The European Commission is in the process of setting up a €1.8bn "trust fund" for Africa and is encouraging its 28-member states to match that amount – though this seems unlikely.

Observers have raised a number of concerns about the proposals. There are fears human rights could suffer if African nations seeking aid benefits prevent refugees from fleeing.

Cecile Kyenge, a Congo-born Italian member of the European parliament said the offer was "bordering on blackmail," according to South Africa's News24.

There are also concerns that plans to sharply reduce the number of people arriving in Europe would cut off a vital source of remittance income from their economies, Channel 4 News reports.

The United Nation estimates that nearly 800,000 refugees have arrived in Europe so far this year, while more than 3,000 have died or gone missing making the dangerous journey.

The vast majority of them are fleeing war in countries like Syria and Iraq, but many are also escaping conflict in Eritrea, South Sudan and Somalia.

Today's summit comes as yet more deaths are reported in the Mediterranean. At least 14 people, including seven children, drowned after their boat sank between Turkey and the Greek island of Lesbos.

Refugee crisis: Tony Abbott tells Europe it should turn back boats

28 November

Former Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has raised eyebrows with a speech condemning Europe's response to the growing refugee crisis.

In his first major speech since being ousted from power, Abbott told guests at an annual event in London to honour Margaret Thatcher that "misguided altruism" was "leading Europe into catastrophic error".

More than 670,000 people have entered Europe this year in the largest migration since the end of the Second World War. The vast majority of them are fleeing war in countries like Syria and Iraq.

But Abbott disputed these facts, arguing that many of those arriving in Europe are economic migrants. He urged EU leaders to urgently adopt Australia's hardline policy towards refugees and migrants.

"This means turning boats around, for people coming by sea," he said to applause from the Conservative crowd. "It means denying entry at the border, for people with no legal right to come. And it means establishing camps for people who have nowhere to go."

He admitted such hard action "will gnaw at our consciences - yet it is the only way to prevent a tide of humanity surging through Europe and quite possibly changing it forever".

Abbott's stance was praised by Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who described his speech as "heroic".

"There is a very big difference between being a civilised country that recognises that there are genuine refugees from time to time and having a lunatic policy that I'm afraid [Europe] has pushed," Farage said.

However, his comments weren't as well received by opposition politicians and human rights groups at home. "I'm not sure Tony Abbott on a victory lap giving a Margaret Thatcher Lecture is exactly what Europe needs to solve its problems," opposition leader Bill Shorten told ABC News.

The president of the Refugee Council of Australia, Phil Glendenning, warned that Abbott's approach would have horrific consequences. "It would be an utter catastrophe if people fleeing from persecution were told to go back there, were pushed back to sea where they would likely drown," he said.

Australia's refugee response has been widely condemned by human rights organisations in recent years. Authorities refuse to accept boats carrying asylum seekers, instead sending them to offshore detention camps where allegations of abuse are widespread.

Refugees 'will freeze to death' in the Balkans unless Europe unites

26 October

Refugees will freeze to death in the Balkans unless European leaders can offer a coordinated response to the growing crisis, senior officials and aid agencies have warned.

European leaders managed to agree on a raft of new measures at an emergency summit in Brussels this weekend, but deep divisions remain over how to respond to the crisis.

The new plan involves increasing the capacity of reception centres in Greece and the Balkans by 100,000 as well as strengthening border controls along Greek and Slovenian borders.

But the deal is nothing but "a watered down version" of the co-operation European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had been hoping for, says the BBC's Lucy Williamson.

Even before the summit began, Croatia's Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said the "unrealistic" plan had been created by someone "who had just woken up from a months-long sleep".

The Serbian Prime Minister, Aleksander Vucic, said the agreement would not be "immediately helpful" to refugees already in Europe. We're looking at "small steps," he said.

More than 670,000 people have crossed into Europe this year in the largest movement of people since the end of the Second World War. Nearly 10,000 refugees arrived every day in Greece last week.

Juncker says a solution is urgently needed as thousands of refugees could freeze to death when temperatures begin to plummet in the Balkans. "Every day counts," he said, according to the Daily Telegraph. "Otherwise we will soon see families in cold rivers in the Balkans perish miserably."

His calls are echoed by human rights organisations which warn that refugees won't survive the winter without immediate help.

"As winter looms, the sight of thousands of refugees sleeping rough as they make their way through Europe represents a damning indictment of the EU's failure to offer a coordinated response to the crisis," says John Dalhuisen of Amnesty International.

The latest EU agreement comes as the bodies of men, women and children continue to wash up on Europe's shores. A woman and two children drowned and seven other people are missing after their boat sunk off the Greek island of Lesbos.

Neo-Nazis infiltrating refugee centres, German media reports

22 October

Far-right extremists are infiltrating refugee centres across Germany and putting refugees at risk, an investigation by the German state broadcaster has revealed.

The ZDF documentary highlighted several cases where men with ties to far-right extremist groups were working in hostels housing asylum seekers.

In one case, a convicted member of the neo-Nazi group Sturm 18 was employed as a security guard in the city of Heidelberg, The Daily Telegraph reports.

In another case near the city of Dresden, a man was suspended from his job at a hostel for allegedly posting an image on Facebook which redefined the word Nazi as "Not Adjustable to Islamisation".

The documentary blamed the infiltration on poor screening, with a separate investigation by authorities in Brandenburg revealing that many known extremists are working in the security sector, the Telegraph says.

The investigations come amid a surge in support for the far-right movement in Germany, led largely by the Pegida group.

Dubbed "Nazis in pinstripes", the group's members oppose the German government's willingness to accept up to 800,000 refugees fleeing conflict in places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Earlier this week, Pegida marked its first anniversary with a large rally in Dresden. One of the speakers at the event is currently under investigation for hate speech after inflammatory comments about refugees.

"Of course there are other alternatives," he told cheering crowds, "but the concentration camps are unfortunately out of action at the moment."

German vice-chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the movement was "a reservoir of racist xenophobia" and accused Pegida's leaders of using the "battle rhetoric" of the early Nazi party.

Despite Pegida's surge in popularity, their rallies are often outnumbered by counter-demonstrations and support for refugees is sweeping the nation, The Guardian reported last month.

"Thousands of Germans have pitched in; they take food and clothes to the camps, take refugees to meetings with the authorities in their own cars, pay their fares, foot their medical bills, teach German, and go on demonstrations against rightwing attacks across the country."

Refugee crisis: thousands stranded in Balkans

19 October

Thousands of refugees remain stranded in the Balkans after their path to Western Europe was stalled by new controls.

Following the closure to refugees of Hungary's border with Croatia on Friday, Croatia asked its neighbour Slovenia to accept 5,000 refugees daily. But in a bid to limit the flow of people into Western Europe, Slovenia – a country of two million people – said it would take only half that number.

This led to thousands spending the night in the open air, in cold and wet conditions, while nearly two thousand people were stranded on a train near the border. Some of the passengers disembarked and walked along the tracks, wrapped in plastic sheeting to protect themselves against the rain.

Hungary closed its border after its right-wing government said the mainly Muslim migrants posed a threat to Europe's prosperity, security and "Christian values". The unrelenting flow of people was then diverted to Slovenia, which is now accepting only around 2,500 arrivals daily, massively stalling the movement of people as they fled their countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

This has led to crowded and shambolic scenes at the border. A reporter said exhausted and cold refugees chanted: "Open the gate, open the gate!"

Meanwhile, a charity official working at the border says the situation is deteriorating. "We don't have any more raincoats," Dr Ramiz Momeni, director of the UK-based Humanitas Charity, told Reuters.

"There's a bottleneck of people that can't get anywhere so they have to stay here in the rain. Some of these people have been here under sheets for 12 hours. Of course, they're going to get sick."

Refugee crisis: EU and Turkey agree action plan

16 October

The EU and Turkey have agreed an action plan to try to stem the flow of refugees from the Middle East, most of them Syrians travelling through Turkey to reach Europe. Turkey has agreed to take concrete steps in return for "political support".

The BBC says that the EU has agreed to look again at Turkey becoming a member state and to accelerate visa liberalisation for Turks wanting to enter the open-bordered Schengen area of Europe. Turkey has also asked for €3bn (£2.2bn) in financial aid.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to travel to Istanbul on Sunday for further talks with the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said he felt "cautious optimism" as he announced the plan in Brussels last night.

But the Guardian warns that the chances of a "meaningful pact with Ankara" to stem the flow of refugees are slim and would probably entail Europe accepting many of the two million displaced Syrians currently in Turkey.

Every area of discussion at yesterday's summit, the fourth this year on refugees, was "hotly contested", says the paper. Diplomats said afterwards that the €3bn aid package was not available and warned of resistance among Schengen leaders to the visa proposal.

Nothing was finalised in Brussels, warns the paper. The German chancellor admitted that there was "still a huge amount to do" and could only say that the talks have "not achieved nothing".

"The likelihood is high that the actions following the summit will fail to match the rhetoric," says the Guardian.

Also discussed at the summit yesterday were German and European Commission plans to force member states to take refugees on a quota basis – and the beefed-up policing of the EU frontier, measures the Guardian calls "repressive".

According to the Daily Telegraph, some 350,000 people have entered Europe via Turkey since January. The paper quotes Merkel as saying it "makes sense" for the EU to give Turkey the €3bn that the Telegraph dubs a "sweetener".

Merkel points out that Turkey has spent €7bn coping with the influx of refugees and policing its borders.