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421. Only through dialogue can the Mediterranean regain stability, Borrell says

The Mediterranean can be a more secure and stable zone only through dialogue, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said at the European Parliament’s plenary session on Turkey in Brussels. ...

422. Two detained refugees shot in the north

Two undocumented migrants were injured in the north after being shot by police officers who attempted to detain them after a total of thirty Syrian refugees arrived at a beach Thursday early morning...

423. Aegean tension fueling Berlin concern

With Germany assuming the European Union presidency on Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed concern over developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Greek-Turkish relations in response to questions from MPs in the Bundestag....

424. LIDL Cyprus donates masks to fight Covid-19

425. UNHCR report: One per cent of humanity displaced

A UN Refugee Agency report released on Thursday showed that forced displacement is now affecting more than one per cent of humanity – 1 in every 97 people – and with fewer and fewer of those who flee being able to return home....

426. Cyprus outlines drastic step on migration

Republic of Cyprus Interior Minister Nikos Nouris is urgently seeking a constitutional amendment to shorten the time of due process for asylum applicants, calling a set of government-sponsored bills a “holistic approach” to immigration during a press conference on Thursday...

427. Interior minister presents bills for streamlining asylum procedures

The house legal committee discussed on Tuesday a bundle of four bills, submitted by interior minister Nicos Nouris, that seek to streamline procedures for the processing of applications filed by asylum seekers as well as appeal proceedings....

428. Pournara camp lockdown measures to be scrapped Monday

The Interior Ministry announced Friday that lockdown measures at the Pournara camp for refugees and asylum seekers will be scrapped on Monday....

429. Cyprus cries foul over Turkey’s pick at UNGA

Cyprus and Armenia have sent a letter to the UN Secretary-General explaining the reasons why the two countries object to the election by silence procedure of Volkan Bozkir of Turkey as President of the UN General Assembly at its 75 session...

430. 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...

431. 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....

432. 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....

433. 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....

434. 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”...

435. Asylum seekers continue to protest confinement at Pournara camp

Residents of the Pournara refugee camp in Kokkinotrimithia continued to protest on Wednesday morning against the enduring lockdown on the camp....

436. Demonstration outside refugee camp sparks Government reaction

A demonstration staged outside the Pournara camp in Kokkinotrimithia on Sunday calling for an end to the arbitrary detention of hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers stirred reaction from the Government on Tuesday, with an Interior Ministry announcement claiming it won’t be allowing any further ghettoization of the island....

437. 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...

438. All asylum seekers at Pournara locked in

Health ministry officials say going in and out of the migrant facility in rural Nicosia is temporarily forbidden due to a scabies infestation, with the government defending migration policies amid criticism over living conditions and restriction of freedom of movement at the camp...

439. 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...

440. 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....

441. 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...

442. 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...

443. 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. ...

444. 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....

445. 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....

446. 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...

447. 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....

448. 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....

449. 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. ...

450. 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. ...