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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
A Sudanese migrant taken to shore after leaving a smuggler’s boat, which was punctured by French police officers to prevent migrants from attempting to cross the English Channel. Photo: AFP
European Union

Three die in clandestine Channel crossing attempt

Around 50 people were given emergency help on the beach by government services or NGOs, with many in a state of hypothermia.

Italy

Italian deputy PM Salvini acquitted of migrant kidnapping charges

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

The rise of anti-establishment sentiment, fuelled by economic woes, has led to a potential coalition government that could be difficult to form.

A supporter of the radical right Alliance for Uniting Romanians wave a Romanian flag, following the first exit polls, at the party’s campaign headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, December 1. Photo: Reuters
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.

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.

Activists hold a banner depicting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama wearing police uniforms, as the first group of migrants intercepted in Italian waters arrive at Shengjin, Albania. Photo: EPA-EFE
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.

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.

Head of Freedom Party, Herbert Kickl, as projections show that the party won the general election. Photo: Reuters
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.

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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A migrant from Somalia walks through downtown Flen, some 100km west of Stockholm, Sweden, in August 2018. Photo: AP
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.

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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A rioter throws a chair at police officers during an anti-immigration protest outside the Holiday Inn Express in Rotherham, England, on August 4. Photo: AP
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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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.

A building in Kigali, Rwanda, that was intended to house migrants deported from the UK. Photo: AFP
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’.

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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Irregular Nigerian migrants are given documents prior to their June departure from Libya’s anti-migration bureau, which is tasked with coordinating deportations of foreigners in the country illegally. Photo: AFP
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.

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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