The war in Syria. The rise (and fall) of the Islamic State. The EU-Turkey deal. The Brexit referendum. InfoMigrants takes a look at events and decisions that significantly shaped the movement of migrants and refugees in(to) the European Union in the 2010s.
Two asylum seekers in northern Greece have committed suicide. The two men, an Afghan and an Iraqi national, were found in the village of Mouries near the Greek border with North Macedonia.
Many of the thousands of refugees fleeing persecution and violent conflict in Iraq in recent years have migrated to neighboring Jordan. But the Middle Eastern country is struggling to cope with this influx. The Catholic Church is trying to alleviate at least some of the pressure on the desert nation.
For migrant and refugee women who have suffered trauma during sea journeys, learning to swim can be a healing experience. A swimming group in southern Germany helps refugee women from different parts of the world overcome their fears.
UNHCR has reported that it is widening its response in Iraq to deal with the continuing influx of refugees. The UN refugee agency on Tuesday said over the past two weeks, more than 12,000 Syrian refugees have fled to Iraq.
UNHCR reports that thousands of Syrian refugees have arrived in Iraq over the past week. The majority of them were fleeing the Turkish offensive in northeastern Syria. Three out four of these refugees are reportedly women and children.
Police in Australia have charged an Iraqi man with organizing a "people-smuggling venture" that led to more than 350 asylum seekers drowning at sea. The ill-fated boat sank in international waters in 2001.
French police have evacuated at least 800 migrants from a makeshift tent camp that had sprung up outside a gym near the northern port city of Dunkirk last spring. A court had ruled that the camp in Grande-Synthe was becoming a health and security hazard. Many in the area fear, however, that there will be more migrant tent camps in the future.
The number of asylum seekers receiving benefits decreased considerably in 2018. According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the number went down by 12%.
A record number of 86 migrants were intercepted in the English Channel on Tuesday as they tried to cross from France to the UK in small boats. It was the highest known number of migrants to have attempted the crossing at the same time.
War, political turmoil, ethnic conflicts and deteriorating economies have forced millions across Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East and Asia to flee their homes. InfoMigrants takes a look at some major refugee crises around the world.
A German court sentenced 22-year-old Iraqi national Ali B. to life in prison for raping and killing a 14-year-old girl in Mainz. The man had admitted to murder but insisted that he and the girl had consensual sex.