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Europe’s refugee crisis

Europe’s refugee crisis
Starting in 2015, Europe struggled on a large scale to cope with its biggest influx of refugees since the second world war. Hundreds of thousands fled and have been fleeing from the war-torn Middle East and beyond. Many have resorted to risky boat voyages to reach Europe, and thousands have perished in the process.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Italy’s deputy PM Matteo Salvini talks to the press as he arrives at the Bunker Courtroom in Palermo, Sicily, on Friday. Photo: AFP
Italy

Italian deputy PM Salvini acquitted of migrant kidnapping charges

The right-wing leader had blocked a boat carrying over 100 asylum seekers from docking as part of a policy to curb irregular arrivals.

Italy

How shipwreck girl, 11, was found after floating alone in sea for days

European Union

Pro-west parties win Romania’s election, far-right gains, coalition faces problem

Canada

Canada pulls refugee welcome mat, launches ads warning of stricter asylum rules

The campaign running in 11 languages aims to combat misinformation and deter asylum claims, reflecting a shift in the government’s stance on immigration.

Asylum seekers cross into Canada from the US border near Hemmingford, Quebec in April 2022. Photo: Reuters
Italy

Italy’s migrant deal stumbles as court blocks Albania deportations

The ruling represents an early roadblock to a five-year deal between Italy and Albania to address Europe’s refugee crisis.

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Italy

Italy sends first migrants to Albania under new deal

Italy has built two reception centres in Albania, in the first scheme by a EU nation to divert migrants to a non-EU country.

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Britain

Child ‘trampled to death’ in asylum seekers’ Channel crossing

A French tow vessel picked up 14 people on board, including the deceased during a rescue mission between 8:00 and 9:00am.

An aerial view taken on September 21 shows inflatable dinghies and outboard engines stored in a Port Authority yard in Dover, southeast England, that are believed to have been used by migrants who were picked up at sea whilst crossing the English Channel from France. Photo: AFP
European Union

Austrian far-right head urges rivals to let him govern after election win

The Freedom Party (FPO) secured about 29 per cent of the vote on Saturday, a historic first for a party founded by a Nazi.

Austria

Austria’s far-right claim first national election since World War II

Austria far-right scores historic win, but party could struggle to find partners with whom they can govern.

Spain

Rescuers search for missing migrants after boat sinks off Canary Islands, 9 dead

Rescuers were able to pick up 27 of 84 migrants who were trying to reach the Spanish coast on Saturday.

A rescued migrant is assisted by members of the Red Cross after arriving with 59 others on board a small wooden boat that departed from Mauritania, at La Restinga harbor in El Hierro island, Canaries, Spain. Photo: EPA/EFE
Britain

Conservative leadership candidates grapple over immigration, winning votes

Most say the new leader must end infighting after fourteen years in power ended in a crushing July election defeat and Labour landslide.

Two of Britain’s main opposition Conservative Party leadership candidates, Robert Jenrick (L) and Kemi Badenoch (R), Photo: AFP
Italy

UK’s Starmer seeks to learn from Meloni’s tough migration policies

UK prime minister looks for ‘new solutions’ on tackling the flow of migrants in small boats to Britain’s southern shores.

Nordic nations

Sweden to pay immigrants up to US$34,000 to go back to home country

The Scandinavian nation seen for decades as a ‘humanitarian superpower’ is struggling to integrate many of its newcomers.

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France

At least 12 migrants dead after vessel capsizes in Channel

The victims included children and were mainly from Africa, with many from Eritrea.

Firefighters and Civil Protection agents stand next to bags containing the bodies of migrants who died after the sinking of a migrant boat attempting to cross the Channel to England, in Boulogne-sur-Mer, northern France, on Saturday. Photo: AFP
Germany

Germany’s far-right AfD wins first regional election, exit polls show

AfD took former East German state Thuringia, was neck-and-neck with conservative CDU for first place in Saxony, which also held election.

People sit near a sign that reads “No to Nazis” on the day of the Thuringia state election in Erfurt, Germany on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Keir Starmer

UK PM Keir Starmer urges European allies to meet far-right ‘challenge’

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he fears a rise of the far-right in Britain and suggested progressive parties across Europe should jointly fight populism.

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Britain

Opinion | Southport riots are tip of iceberg of problems UK must urgently address

The new Labour government faces the tall task of restoring public trust and addressing the many festering issues left by its predecessor.

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Crime

UK riots heighten risks for undocumented Vietnamese seeking better pay

Vietnam among top 10 countries of illegal arrivals by sea, putting its nationals in firing line as UK gets tough on unauthorised migrants.

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Fireworks are thrown towards police during an anti-immigration demonstration in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, on Sunday. Photo: dpa
Britain

UK’s Starmer condemns attack on asylum seeker hotel as far-right violence spreads

UK prime minister says rioters will face the full force of the law as anti-immigrant protests spread across Britain.

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Africa

UK Conservatives planned to spend US$13 billion on Rwanda migrant scheme: minister

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told parliament the Rwanda plan, now scrapped, has already cost taxpayers US$905 million.

Britain

‘Britain is back,’ new UK PM Starmer tells Europe

The prime minister is seeking to rebuild bridges after Brexit, telling EU leaders the country will ‘reset’ its approach.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a press conference at the European Political Community (EPC) summit at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Africa

Rwanda says UK migrant deal did not stipulate return of funds

London paid Kigali US$306 million before new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared the deportation scheme ‘dead and buried’.

A facility in Kigali, Rwanda, that was meant to accommodate migrants deported from the UK. File photo: AFP
Britain

Rwanda aware of UK’s intention to terminate contentious deportation scheme

Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Saturday that the UK’s Rwanda deportation plan was ‘dead and buried’.

Africa

Migrants face ‘unimaginable horrors’ crossing Africa: UN

Many more people are believed to be dying on land routes than at sea, with thousands of deaths each year, as issues including conflict, climate change, and racism increasingly spur people to leave their homelands.

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Britain

Opinion | Labour’s landslide victory has ushered in a new dawn in British politics

Having come to power on the back of big promises of change, Labour will look to capitalise on the disorientation of Conservatives to deliver.

Labour Party leader Keir Starmer delivers a victory speech on election night in London on July 5. Photo: Bloomberg
Germany

Clashes erupt as far-right AfD party says it aims to govern Germany

Two police officers were hospitalised after attacks by protesters, as the party held its congress in the city of Essen.

Protesters gather to demonstrate against the AfD during the party’s convention in Essen, Germany, on Saturday. Photo: dpa via AP
European Union

Opinion | EU elections: far-right rose on the back of centrist parties’ empty promises

Instead of offering policy solutions or addressing sceptics, traditional parties in Brussels have left a vacuum for the far-right to fill.

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Britain

UK gives date for first Rwanda asylum seekers’ deportation flights

Sending asylum seekers who have arrived in Britain without permission to Rwanda is one of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s flagship policies.

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