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511. Cyprus blocks another boat citing coronavirus

A video showing a Republic of Cyprus coast guard vessel pursuing a boat of undocumented migrants has emerged, with police saying they blocked the boat due to the coronavirus crisis...

512. Deputy mayor draws back racist declaration

Limassol’s deputy mayor Nikos Sykas has issued a statement following widespread criticism over a post on Facebook when he self-identified as a racist...

513. Racism, xenophobia rife in Cyprus, refugees say

A teleconference on Tuesday raised the multifaceted problems faced by refugees and asylum seekers on the island, such as racism and xenophobia, hardships during the coronavirus pandemic, and difficulties with integrating into Cyprus society....

514. Cyprus to launch SMS campaign to stem migrant arrivals

Cyprus is launching a multilingual SMS campaign to head off more migrant arrivals by dispelling the mistaken belief the European Union member country is a gateway to the continent, the Cypriot interior minister said Sunday....

515. Greece to make massive riot police equipment purchase

Greece is planning purchases worth millions of euros to equip the Hellenic Police’s (ELAS) riot force with shields, helmets, uniforms, bullet-proof vests and other supplies, including large quantities of tear gas, in anticipation of a fresh push on the northeastern border with Turkey by undocumented migrants and refugees trying to force their way into the European Union....

516. Greece, Turkey exchange barbs over migrants

Greece on Thursday pushed back on criticism by Turkey that is violating the rights of refugees and migrants attempting to reach the country, saying Ankara has “instrumentalized human suffering”...

517. Mass deportations underway in Cyprus

The Republic of Cyprus has begun expelling foreign nationals who have been turned down for asylum, citing concerns over security threats and changing demographics due to a migration crisis...

518. Greek FM insists Evros fence will be completed

519. Cyprus readies to deport suspected terrorists

The Republic of Cyprus says it is getting ready to deport 17 undocumented migrants suspected of having ties to foreign terrorists, but proceedings could be delayed due to ongoing pandemic and other legal issues...

520. Divided Cyprus slammed over refugee pushback

Two dozen groups around the world have condemned authorities on both sides of divided Cyprus after 175 Syrian refugees were denied the right to seek asylum...

521. Migrant camp declared ‘local infected area’

Human rights advocates in the Republic of Cyprus are crying foul over the government's handling of asylum seekers at Pournara camp, after the health ministry declared the migrant centre a “local infected area” citing public health laws due to an infestation...

522. Migrant camp near boiling point

Police said three people were arrested at Pournara migrant centre during a protest on Wednesday, one day after a hunger strike, as camp residents demand better living conditions and the right to leave camp...

523. Conditions at migrant camps improving, but arbitrary detention issues remain

The UNHCR office in Cyprus said on Monday that it was pleased with the steps being taken to improve the living conditions of asylum seekers on the island, but expressed hope that additional measures will follow to tackle the multifaceted issues that emerged amid the coronavirus outbreak....

524. Report draws attention to migrant centres

A report published this week by Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides takes stock of current conditions in migrant facilities in the Republic of Cyprus, pointing out medical challenges, problems associated with weather, and asylum issues...

525. Greece eyes gradual easing of lockdown measures

The Greek government is working on a plan to ease some of the restrictions that have been introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus, with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expected to make announcements next week....

526. Coronavirus hits third migrant facility as Greece plans to ease lockdown

The death of a 101-year-old woman at Sotiria Hospital in Athens took Greece’s coronavirus toll to 120 on Tuesday afternoon....

527. Future for rescued refugees in north unknown

The fate of 175 Syrian refugees, trapped in the north of the island amid the coronavirus pandemic, remains unknown while a human rights group is calling on Greek Cypriot authorities to take them in...

528. Greece to move over 2,300 refugees to mainland after Easter

Greek authorities will begin the gradual transfer of 2,380 asylum seekers and their families from island camps to accommodation facilities on the mainland after Orthodox Easter (April 19), the country’s Migration Ministry said Thursday. ...

529. UNHCR steps in to ensure refugees in Cyprus receive proper protection

The UNHCR office in Cyprus has stressed that refugees must be included in the government’s planning and response to the Covid-19 pandemic, offering hands-on solutions to the myriad problems in the government’s handling of refugee and asylum procedures that have only been exacerbated by the current crisis....

530. NGOs raise alarm over inhumane conditions at overcrowded migrant camp

Two migrant and refugee support NGOs, Cyprus Refugee Council and Caritas Cyprus, have raised the alarm over the inhumane conditions that have developed in the Kokkinitrimithia camp, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic broke out on the island....

531. PHOTO GALLERY: Athens streets deserted during lockdown

Deserted squares, padlocked parks, empty avenues where lines of cars once idled bumper-to-bumper in traffic as motorbikes and scooters zoomed through the narrow gaps between. The Greek capital, Athens, like so many cities across the world, has seen its streets empty under a lockdown designed to stem the spread of the new coronavirus....

532. Blocked refugees rescued in the north

Coast guard officials in the Republic of Cyprus blocked a boat carrying over a hundred undocumented migrants from entering territorial waters, while reports in the north said Turkish Cypriot authorities rescued 175 Syrians including women and children...

533. Migrant camps on Greek islands put on lockdown

No visitors, including members of organizations and agencies, will be allowed into the migrant reception and processing centers on the Greek islands for the next two weeks at least, the Migration Ministry said yesterday, announcing a series of measures to prevent a coronavirus outbreak in any of the facilities....

534. Child dies in fire in Greek migrant camp

A young child died in a fire in an overcrowded migrant camp on the Greek island of Lesbos on Monday, fire brigade officials said....

535. Large fire breaks out at Moria migrant camp on Lesvos

A large fire has broken out at the Moria refugee and migrant camp on the eastern Aegean island of Lesvos, according to local media reports on Monday. ...

536. EU-backed program foresees voluntary repatriation for 5,000 migrants

Migration Policy Minister Notis Mitarakis and European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson on Thursday jointly announced the establishment of a European Union-backed program for the repatriation of 5,000 migrants from Greece. ...

537. EU slams Trump’s Europe travel ban

The European Union has slammed the new anti-virus travel ban announced by US President Donald Trump, lashing out at an “unilateral” decision taken “without consultation.”...

538. Turkish special forces fire over Greek military vehicle at border, Kathimerini learns

There is evidence of a sharp increase in aggressive behavior by Turkish security forces in both the Aegean and at the Evros land border, Kathimerini has learned. ...

539. Erdogan likens Greek authorities to Nazis

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday said there is “no difference” between Nazis and the Greek authorities trying to hold the country’s border against the influx of thousands of migrants and refugees spurred to push into the European Union by Ankara....

540. Berlin to take up to 100 children from Greek refugee camps

Berlin will take in 80 to 100 children from Greek refugee camps, an official in the German capital said on Tuesday, as concern mounts about migrants amassing on the Turkish-Greek border....