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☆ ‘Io Capitano,’ Italy’s Oscar Nominee, Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-04 | by ( Richard Braude | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Of all the offerings this Oscar season, one stands out: “Io Capitano.” A nominee for best international feature film, the film is a visually stunning and often harrowing account of the journey from West Africa to Europe. At a time when Italy’s far right is in government, introducing draconian anti-migrant laws amid a flood of poisonous rhetoric, “Io Capitano” represents an important intervention by its director, Matteo Garrone. Wolof dominates the script, claiming a place for a language that, though present in Italian society, has been nearly absent from Italian cinema. Yet for all its achievements, the film doesn’t tell the whole story. “Io Capitano” owes its title to the final scenes of the film in which the Senegalese protagonist, Seydou, is strong-armed into helming a rusty fishing trawler that takes him and hundreds more from Libya to Lampedusa, Italy’s southernmost island.

Persons: ”, Matteo Garrone, Garrone, Walt Whitman’s, — “ Locations: West Africa, Europe, Senegal, Senegalese, Libya, Lampedusa

☆ Pope Francis takes on vested interests to speak out on humanitarian crises
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Analysis Christopher Lamb | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Pope Francis received an emotional welcome on the island during a visit showing solidarity with migrants fleeing war and poverty. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images Pope Francis confesses in St. Peter's Basilica during the Vatican's Penitential Celebration on Friday, March 4, 2016. Alessandro Di Meo/AP Pope Francis arrives for his visit with prisoners in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, on Friday, July 10, 2015. Franco Origlia/Getty Images Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I address the faithful in Istanbul on Sunday, November 30, 2014. Gokhan Tan/Getty Images Pope Francis speaks during the feast-day Mass while on a one-day trip to Italy's Calabria region in June 2014.

Persons: Pope Francis, Cardinal Michael Czerny, Francis, “, ”, Regina Coeli, Vincenzo Pinto, Juan Manuel Santos, Santos, Alessandra Tarantino, L'Osservatore Romano, VINCENZO PINTO, Simon Bar Sabbae, Pope, FILIPPO MONTEFORTE, Karekin, TIZIANA FABI, Giuseppe Ciccia, MAX, Pope Francis tries, Pope Benedict XVI, Alessandro Di Meo, Evo Morales, OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Federico Lombardi, Lombardi, Gregorio Borgia, Getty Pope Francis, Raul Castro, Castro, GABRIEL BOUYS, ANDREAS SOLARO, Kurukkal SivaSri, Mahadeva, Pope Francis in, Eranga, Franco Origlia, Bartholomew I, Gokhan Tan, San Gregorio Magno, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip , Duke of Edinburgh, Oli Scarff, Barack Obama, SAUL LOEB, Santa Sabina, Max ROSSI, Daniele De Sanctis, Pope Francis ', FABIO FRUSTACI, Benedict XVI, Benedict, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO, Osservatore Romano Pope Francis, Vinicio Riva, Riva, CLAUDIO PERI, Rainbow Association Marco Iagulli Onlus, Fotografia, Father Don Renzo Zocca, Osservatore Romano, LUCA ZENNARO, Jorge Saenz, Dan Kitwood, Jesus, Internationalis Paulus VI, Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Roman Catholic Church's, Peter Macdiarmid, Pope Francis Prev, it’s, He’s, Filippo Monteforte, Donald Trump’s, Czerny, Trump, Donald Trump, Melania, Evan Vucci, Reuters “, ” Cardinal Czerny, Cardinal Czerny, doesn’t, Francis ’, “ Jesus Organizations: CNN, Getty Images, Colombian, Revolutionary Armed Forces, International Catholic Rural Association, Vatican, AFP, Getty, Catholic Chaldean, St, Mercy, ARIS MESSINIS, MAX ROSSI, Getty Images Bolivian, Cuban, Sunday, Queen, getty, Rainbow Association, Renault, Catholic, Roman Catholic, Intelligence, Warner Bros, Discovery, “, Republican, Reuters Locations: St, AFP, Colombia, Rome, Tbilisi , Georgia, Auschwitz, Birkenau, Poland, Etchmiadzin, Yerevan, Armenia, Vatican City, Moria, Lesbos, Peter's, Mexican, Havana, Cuba, Mexico, Santa Cruz , Bolivia, South America, Ecuador, Paraguay, La Paz, Bolivia, Italian, Ukraine, Iraq, Syria, Havana and Washington, Vatican, Pope Francis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Istanbul, Italy's Calabria, Jerusalem's Old City, Argentina, Roman Parish, San, Rome's, Santa, Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Argentine, America, Gaza, Nove, Lampedusa, Italy, Ciampino, Czechoslovakia, Canada, United States, Africa

BARI, Italy (AP) — The year has gotten off to a slow start for a rescue ship that typically plies the Mediterranean Sea looking for migrants and refugees in distress. Italian maritime authorities now routinely assign privately operated rescue ships to ports in central and northern Italy, hundreds of miles and several days of navigation away from where they find boats in trouble. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesTo date, 13 or 14 charity-run rescue ships have been impounded for various violations. But she said the presence of charity-run ships in the Mediterranean must be limited and strictly regulated. Charity ships rescue only around 8% of the asylum-seekers who reach Italy, down from a peak of 41% in 2017.

Persons: Premier Giorgia Meloni, Alessandro Porro, ” Mary Finn, ” Sara Kelany, ”, Meloni, Enrico Mattei, haven't, Edi Rama Organizations: SOS Mediterranee, Premier, Authorities, SOS, Meloni’s Brothers, International Organization for Migration, ENI, Constitutional, Edi Locations: BARI, Italy, Europe, North Africa, Bari, Italian, Lampedusa, Africa, Tunisia, Albania, Balkan

☆ Niger junta repeals law aimed at slowing migration to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Niger's junta, which took power in a July coup, repealed the law on Saturday and announced it on Monday evening on state television. In return, the European Union launched the 5 billion euro Trust Fund for Africa in 2015, aimed at eradicating the root causes of migration, but many felt it was not enough. How European leaders greet the news, and the impact on migration to Europe, is yet to be seen. Andre Chani used to earn thousands of dollars a month driving migrants through the desert before police impounded his trucks in 2016. Reporting by Moussa Aksar and Edward McAllister; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Andre Chani, Moussa Aksar, Edward McAllister, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, European Union, Fund, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, NIAMEY, West Africans, Europe, Niger, Africa, Agadez

☆ Albania to host no more than 3,000 migrants under deal with Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. The figure compares with the more than 145,000 sea migrants who have arrived in Italy so far this year, a sharp increase from 2022 which Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government is keen to contain. Announcing the deal with Albania on Monday, Meloni said as many as 36,000 migrants per year could pass through the Albanian camps, but hitting this target depends on how quickly Italy can process asylum applications. The protocol states that Italy will shield Albania from any costs from legal action against the initiative. The facilities are more than 1,000 kilometres from Lampedusa, the island where most Italy-bound sea migrants currently land.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Meloni, repatriating, Alvise, Christina Fincher Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Amnesty International, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Albania, EU, Shëngjin

☆ Italy PM hails migrants deal with Albania as possible model for EU
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The agreement announced on Monday is the first example of a non-EU country accepting migrants on behalf of an EU nation. "I believe it (the deal) could become a model of cooperation between EU and non-EU countries in managing migration flows... I think this agreement features a bold European spirit," Meloni told Il Messaggero daily. Asked about the scheme by two Italian newspapers, Rama said Italy had not been the only EU country to propose such a deal, but he said he accepted Rome's offer as a sign of "gratitude". In the 1990s, Italy took in large numbers of Albanians and Rome is now one of the most solid backers of Albania's EU accession hopes.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni's, Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, Il, Rama, Federico Maccioni, Alvise Armellini, Nick Macfie Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, EU, European Commission, La Stampa, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Albania, EU, British, Rwanda, Rome

☆ Spain to create emergency accommodation for 3,000 migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMADRID, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Spain said on Thursday it would create additional emergency accommodation for 3,000 undocumented migrants in military barracks, hotels and hostels amid a 55% jump in arrivals by sea this year, which has triggered political tension. Escriva declined to disclose how many additional beds will be created, but a ministry source told Reuters it would be around 3,000 in total. But this time the central government's approach has been to expand emergency accommodations across the country, hoping to ease pressure on the Canaries. Following police screenings, migrants will be placed in the military barracks, hotels, hostels and other types of accommodations on a voluntary basis, the ministry source said. Escriva argued the situation was well-handled and manageable, and said some conservative politicians were whipping up what he called xenophobic rhetoric.

Persons: Borja Suarez, Jose Luis Escriva, Escriva, Isabel Diaz Ayuso, Belén Carreño, Joan Faus, Emma Pinedo, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Gran Canaria, REUTERS, Rights, Union, Canaries, Madrid, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Arguineguin, Gran, Spain, Rights MADRID, Madrid, West Africa, Canary, Italy, Lampedusa

They spoke after paying tribute to the victims of Monday's attack in the Belgian capital, home to the EU institutions, and condemning what they branded a brutal terrorist attack. Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Europe's open-border Schengen zone would not survive unless the EU's external frontiers were better protected from unwanted immigration. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said the EU also needed a more effective system of returning unauthorised immigrants. The 45-year-old gunman arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2011 and then lived in Sweden before claiming asylum in Belgium. EU migration ministers will discuss the plans in Brussels on Thursday, as will national leaders next week.

Persons: Ulf Kristersson, Alexander De Croo, Yves Herman Acquire, Margaritis Schinas, Abdesalem Al Guilani, RTBF, Abdesalem, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Johnny Cotton, Anna Ringstrom, Benoit van Overstraeten, Gabriela Baczynska, Gareth Jones, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Swedish, Belgian, REUTERS, Sweden's, EU, STV, European Commission, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Swedish, Belgian, Europe, Lampedusa, Israel

Political Cartoons View All 1211 ImagesThe first woman to be Italy's premier, Meloni "won out against Salvini and Berlusconi. Fears for Italy's democracy have proved to be “exaggerated,’’ said Franco, who noted that Italy's president serves as a guarantor of the republic's post-war constitution. Meloni contends the rulings support a long-held belief on the political right that Italy’s magistrates sympathize with the left. Since becoming premier, Meloni has topped surveys of eligible voters, hovering near 30% — compared to the 26% of votes her party garnered in the 2022 election. Currently, Italy's president asks someone likely able to command a parliamentary majority the task of forming a government.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, —, Matteo Salvini, Silvio Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, Meloni, Salvini, Berlusconi, Massimo Franco, ”, Tommaso Grossi, Ursula von der Leyen —, Joe Biden, ’ ’, Franco, it’s, ” Meloni, Von der Leyen, ″, Roberto Calderoli, Antonio Tajani, Tajani, Meloni’s, “, ″ Grossi, nostalgists, Benito Mussolini, Di Segni, Mussolini, Raf Casert Organizations: ROME, Union, European Commission, EU, Kyiv, Russia’s, Forza Italia, European Policy, White, Italian Rai, European Union, “, Union of Italian, Nazi, Associated Locations: Italy’s, Europe, Italy, Brussels, Rome, Hungary, Poland, Meloni, Ukraine, Lampedusa, Libyan, Tunisia, Italian, Israel, Nazi

He lost his case in October 2020 and, the following March, was issued an order to leave Belgium. With at least three EU countries involved, the case points up the challenges the EU faces tracking people across the bloc's Schengen open-travel zone that is mostly free of border checks. Proponents of the EU's new migration pact - which has been tentatively agreed by most EU countries and is now being further negotiated with the European Parliament - say it would support returns by shortening time for migration and asylum procedures. "Those who are not allowed to stay in the EU must leave Europe. "This is a wake-up call for those who are not ready to accept ... the migration pact."

Persons: Alexander de Croo, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Manfred Weber, Marine Strauss, Bart Meijer, Angelo Amante, Gabriela Baczynska, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Belgium Case, EU, Immigration, Belgian, Frontex, Eurostat, Reuters, European People's Party, Thomson Locations: Italy, Sweden, Belgium, BRUSSELS, ROME, Tunisia, Europe, Israel, Germany, Brussels, Tunis, ITALY, SWEDEN, BELGIUM, Lampedusa, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa, Rome

☆ Brussels attacker arrived in Italy's Lampedusa in 2011 - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A member of Belgium soccer team boards a bus at King Baudouin Stadium after play was suspended after a shooting in Brussels, Belgium, October 17, 2023 REUTERS/Yves Herman Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Oct 17 (Reuters) - The Tunisian man suspected of shooting dead two Swedish football fans in Brussels arrived in Italy's Lampedusa island in 2011, two Italian government and security sources said on Tuesday, confirming a report by the ANSA news agency. The suspect spent some time in Italy before moving to Sweden, but was expelled from there under the EU's "Dublin" rules and returned to Italy, one of the sources said. Italian authorities lost track of him some time in 2016 and presumed he had again moved abroad, the source added. In Brussels, Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne said his country had received an unconfirmed report in 2016 from a foreign police service indicating that the suspected attacker had a "radicalised profile" and wanted to go to a war zone to wage jihad. Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini, editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yves Herman Acquire, radicalisation, Vincent Van Quickenborne, Angelo Amante, Alvise, Cristina Carlevaro, Alex Richardson Organizations: Belgium soccer, King Baudouin, Rights, Belgian, Thomson Locations: Belgium, Brussels, Swedish, Italy's Lampedusa, Italy, Sweden, Dublin, Bologna

☆ The EU is stuck with its one-trick refugee policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Hugo Dixon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Barring an influx of younger people from Africa and Asia, the EU will become increasingly old, weak and irrelevant. Instead, the EU is focussing on stopping irregular migrants crossing the Mediterranean. To be fair, each EU country has procedures for dealing with migrants who arrive through legal routes. That’s a long way short of the height of the Syrian crisis in 2015, when about 1.8 million refugees crossed EU borders. The hope is that the Mediterranean countries will then process asylum seekers when they arrive - and the EU’s internal borders will stay open.

Persons: Giorgia Meloni, Marine Le, Italy don’t, Martinez, Peter Thal Larsen, Katrina Hamlin, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Eurostat, EU, Reuters Graphics, Italian, Centre, European, Bank, Thomson Locations: Africa, Asia, EU, Spain, Europe, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Lampedusa, Tunis, West Balkan, United Kingdom, That’s, Germany, Austria, Poland, Italy, Hungary, Saharan Africa, Latin America

Italy is even going outside the EU to establish links with the United Kingdom to crack down on unwanted arrivals. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was blunt about how far Europe's leaders still are from reaching a consensus before they met in Granada, Spain. Orbán, who has pushed back against EU policy repeatedly and taken a hard-line approach against migration, said that he won't sign off on any deal at any point in the foreseeable future. He went as far as to compare the situation to being “legally raped” by Hungary's fellow EU members. “The agreement on migration, politically, it’s impossible — not today (or) generally speaking for the next years," Orbán said.

Persons: Viktor Orbán, Orbán, “, Mateusz Morawiecki, Ursula von der Leyen, ”, Roberta Metsola, ” Metsolas, Giorgia, Rishi Sunak, ___ Wilson, Raf Casert, Ciarán Giles, Colleen Barry, Vanessa Gera, Danica Kirka Organizations: European Union, EU, International Organization for Migration, Giorgia Meloni, della, The Times Locations: GRANADA, Spain, Brussels, Hungary, Poland, Italy, United Kingdom, Granada, Syria, Turkey, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Malta, Greece, Cyprus, Ukraine, Lampedusa, London, Africa, El Hierro, Senegal, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan, Warsaw

☆ EU States Try to Seal Migration Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Envoys of the European Union's 27 member states were meeting in Brussels on Wednesday hoping to overcome a latest spat between Rome and Berlin over charity ships to finalise an agreement on sharing out the task of caring for refugees and migrants. Envoys were meeting at 0730 GMT on an amended text of the tentative agreement proposed by Spain, which chairs EU talks until the end of the year, sources said. The meeting is the last chance to seal a deal before the bloc's 27 national leaders meet in Spain's Granada on Thursday and Friday, where they are due to discuss irregular migration amid increased arrivals across the Mediterranean, including to the Italian island of Lampedusa. A dispute over NGOs picking up people in the sea prevented an deal among the EU's migration ministers last week but the bloc is still keen to get it done ahead of key elections in Germany, Poland and a pan-European parliamentary vote in 2024. (Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Bart Meijer)

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Bart Meijer Locations: BRUSSELS, Brussels, Rome, Berlin, Spain, Granada, Lampedusa, Germany, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa

☆ EU states try to seal migration deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Migrants arrive on an Italian Coast Guard vessel after being rescued at sea, near the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. Envoys were meeting at 0730 GMT on an amended text of the tentative agreement proposed by Spain, which chairs EU talks until the end of the year, sources said. The meeting is the last chance to seal a deal before the bloc's 27 national leaders meet in Spain's Granada on Thursday and Friday, where they are due to discuss irregular migration amid increased arrivals across the Mediterranean, including to the Italian island of Lampedusa. A dispute over NGOs picking up people in the sea prevented an deal among the EU's migration ministers last week but the bloc is still keen to get it done ahead of key elections in Germany, Poland and a pan-European parliamentary vote in 2024. Reporting by Gabriela Baczynska; editing by Bart MeijerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Gabriela Baczynska, Bart Meijer Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Rights BRUSSELS, Brussels, Rome, Berlin, Spain, Granada, Germany, Poland, Hungary, East, Africa

“This process is not behind schedule.”The July agreement included a pledge of 105 million euros ($110 million) earmarked for migration. As arrivals increased last month, the European Commission announced it would send an initial 127 million euros ($133 million) to Tunisia. Apart from migration, the bulk of the funds are contingent on Tunisia reaching agreement with the International Monetary Fund on stalled loan negotiations. In April, he called the terms “diktats from abroad.”Supporters, including Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, have hailed Europe's agreement with Tunisia as a regional model. Since taking power in 2019, Saied has repeatedly characterized sub-Saharan African migrants as violent and a threat to Tunisia.

Persons: Kais Saied, ” Saied, Saied, Marcus Cornaro, Saied's, “ We're, ”, Giorgia, ___ Sam Metz Organizations: —, Monday, European Union, TAP, EU, UNHCR, European Commission, International Monetary Fund, World Bank Locations: TUNIS, Tunisia, — Tunisia, Europe, Rome, Tunisian, Italy, North Africa, Italian, Germany, Europe’s, Rabat, Morocco, Georgia

☆ Tunisia Rejects EU Financial Aid, Casting Doubt on an Immigration Deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Tarek AmaraTUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian President Kais Saied on Monday rejected financial support announced by the European Union in September, saying the amount is small and goes against a deal signed three months ago. The European Commission last month said it would disburse 127 million euros ($133 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of the deal to fight illegal immigration from Africa to Europe. “Tunisia rejects what the EU announced, not because of the small amount ... but because the proposal conflicts with the memorandum of understanding signed in July," Saied said. The July deal included a pledge of 1 billion euros in aid to Tunisia to help its battered economy, rescue state finances and deal with the migration crisis. Tunisia last week postponed a visit by a delegation from the European Commission to discuss the details of the migration agreement.

Persons: Tarek Amara TUNIS, Kais Saied, Saied, Tarek Amara Organizations: European Union, European Commission, “, EU Locations: Europe, Tunisia, Africa, “ Tunisia, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany

☆ Italy's coast guard rescues 177 people aboard burning ferry
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Italy's coast guard rescued 177 people including 27 crew from a ferry that caught fire travelling from the Italian island of Lampedusa to Porto Empedocle in Sicily, it said on Saturday. The ferry's passengers included 83 migrants being transferred from Lampedusa, a coast guard statement said. All passengers were transferred to a coast guard vessel and are on their way to Porto Empedocle, except three who are returning to Lampedusa. During the rescue the coast guard used water jets to cool parts of the ferry affected by the fire, which broke out in the engine room late on Friday night. Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro; Editing by William MacleanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gianluca Semeraro, William Maclean Organizations: Porto Empedocle, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Porto, Sicily

☆ EU talks migration as Italy, Germany worry over increased arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Gabriela Baczynska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes near a tourist boat, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing Rightsサマリー Higher arrivals, looming elections put migration high on agendaFocus on whether Berlin backs proposed new EU 'crisis mechanism'Some propose Egypt for next migration deal after TunisiaBRUSSELS, Sept 28 (Reuters) - The European Union's migration ministers meet in Brussels on Thursday to discuss how to handle migrants arriving by sea as Italy and Germany worry over increased immigration, with Berlin launching border controls inside Europe's zone of open travel. "There is a lot of unrest in (the) direct neighbourhood of Europe," said one senior EU diplomat. The EU has been pushing tougher anti-immigration policies since more than a million people reached its southern shores in 2015, catching the bloc by surprise and overwhelming security and reception capacities in countries including Italy. The 27-member governments have since struggled to modernise their shared asylum and migration rules - including the "crisis mechanism" - especially as they want to look in control for their voters ahead of a pan-EU parliamentary election in 2024.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni, Nancy Faeser, Faeser, Gabriela Baczynska, Emelia Sithole Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Berlin, Italy's, EU Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia BRUSSELS, Brussels, Germany, Berlin, Tunisia, Europe, EU, Poland, Czech Republic, Bavaria, East, Africa, Asia

☆ Germany announces extended border controls from this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A suspected illegal migrant is searched after he was detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany will introduce extended border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic this week to curb illegal migration, the interior minister said on Wednesday, as a surge in migrant arrivals exposes the cracks in the European Union's asylum system. Germany, which took in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year, has also seen a sharp rise in asylum seekers from other regions. Germany's neighbour Poland on Tuesday began conducting checks on some vehicles crossing the Slovak border, suspecting they could be carrying illegal migrants. Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Writing by Rachel More, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Alexander Ratz, Rachel More, Kirsti Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Berlin, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany's

[1/2] A suspected illegal migrant is searched after he was detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. In August, registered illegal border crossings to Germany reached 14,701, up 66% on the same month last year, police data shows. Czech police have increased random checks on the Slovak border as well as on highways to Germany, Czech police president Martin Vondrasek said. LAMPEDUSA CRISISAs well as the increase in illegal border crossings, Germany has also taken in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year. Previously, there have been random police checks on the borders and Germany has maintained stationary controls on the Bavarian border with Austria since 2015.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Martin Vondrasek, Markus Soeder, Rome, Faeser, Piotr Muller, Alexander Ratz, Sarah Marsh, Alan Charlish, Anna Wlodarczak, Jan Lopatka, Rachel More, Kirsti Knolle, Alison Williams Organizations: REUTERS, Faeser, Social Democrats, Reuters, Warsaw, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, BERLIN, Germany, Berlin, Czech, Bavaria, Hesse, Bavarian, Austria, North Africa, Lampedusa, Italy, EU, Europe

☆ Italy criticises Germany for funding migrant charity groups
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A woman reacts, as she disembarks from a vessel after being rescued at sea, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. The review of the applications has already been completed in two cases," the spokesperson told Reuters, saying the funding amounted to between 400,000 and 800,000 euros ($426,000-$852,160) for each project. Latest interior ministry data shows over 132,000 migrants have reached Italy by boat so far this year against around 69,000 in the same period of 2022. On Saturday, charity SOS Humanity said in a statement it would receive around 790,000 euros from the German government. ($1 = 0.9388 euros)Reporting by Angelo Amante in Rome and Friederike Heine in Berlin; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatarsieOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Guido Crosetto, Italy's Crosetto, Berlin, Giorgia Meloni's, Angelo Amante, Friederike Heine, Emelia Sithole Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, La, SOS Humanity, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Rome, La Stampa, Berlin

☆ Pope Francis moved as Reuters photographer shows him child migrant picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nardi, who was travelling with the Pope, showed the large-sized picture to Francis as he was greeting media correspondents during the flight from Rome on Friday. "He was immediately moved, as soon as I took it out of the envelope," Nardi said, adding silence fell among the aircraft's passengers and Francis had commented: "They keep them in Libyan detention camps, then they throw them to sea". On Saturday in Marseilles Pope Francis condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". Nardi said that the day before travelling with Francis she was putting in order her photo archive, as she normally does before her assignments. "I saw that picture I had taken in Lampedusa and suddenly felt I had to show it to the Pope," she said.

Persons: Yara Nardi, Pope Francis the, Pope Francis, Nardi, Pope, Francis, Claudine Nsoe, Marseilles Pope Francis, Giulio Piovaccari, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cameroon, Lampedusa, France, ROME, Marseilles, Rome, North Africa

☆ Pope Francis Moved as Reuters Photographer Shows Him Child Migrant Picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis was moved as he was shown a picture of a migrant child by Reuters photographer Yara Nardi during his flight to a Church conference on Mediterranean issues in Marseilles, France. Nardi, who was travelling with the Pope, showed the large-sized picture to Francis as he was greeting media correspondents during the flight from Rome on Friday. On Saturday in Marseilles Pope Francis condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". Nardi said that the day before travelling with Francis she was putting in order her photo archive, as she normally does before her assignments. "I saw that picture I had taken in Lampedusa and suddenly felt I had to show it to the Pope," she said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Yara Nardi, Nardi, Pope, Francis, Claudine Nsoe, Marseilles Pope Francis, Giulio Piovaccari, David Holmes Locations: ROME, Marseilles, France, Rome, Lampedusa, Cameroon, North Africa

☆ Germany's Baerbock Joins Chorus Criticizing EU Migration Deal With Tunisia
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

By Gabriela BaczynskaUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock joined a growing chorus of critics of the European Union's new migration deal with Tunisia, saying human rights and procedural faults ruled it out as a blueprint for the future. Her letter to the EU executive European Commission highlights the EU's inner conflict between those pursuing ever-tougher policies to stop illegal immigration and others who emphasize humanitarian considerations and labor market gaps. But in her letter dated Aug. 2, Baerbock expressed "incomprehension" at what she said were insufficient consultations with other countries in the 27-nation bloc. 'SERIOUS VIOLATIONS AND ABUSES'Asked to comment on the letters, a European Commission spokeswoman said the EU executive consulted member states enough. On Friday, the EC announced 60 million euros ($64 million) in support for the Tunisian budget and a further 67 million euros ($71 million) in assistance on migration.

Persons: Gabriela Baczynska, Annalena Baerbock, Kais, Giorgia Meloni, Baerbock, Josep Borrell, Borrell, Oliver Varhelyi, Viktor Orban, Meloni, Howard Goller Organizations: Gabriela Baczynska UNITED NATIONS, Reuters, EU, Commission, European Commission, EC, Human Rights Locations: Tunisia, Italy, Netherlands, EU, Tunis, Africa, Egypt, Hungary, East, Geneva, Ukraine

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