Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of Diaspora Greeks, Antonis Diamataris, has admitted that he does not have a postgraduate degree of Columbia University as mentioned on his CV and on interviews with mainstream media. Diamataris never received a master’s degree from Columbia University, New York. After an outcry …
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Pope Francis sends aide to Lesvos to bring 33 refugees to Rome
The Vatican says Pope Francis has dispatched a close aide to the Greek island of Lesvos to bring back 33 asylum-seekers to Rome. During his visit to Moria in 2016, the Pope had taken three Syrian families, a total of 12 people with six children among them, to the Holy …
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9-month-old baby dies of dehydration in overcrowded Moria camp
A 9-month-old baby died of dehydration in the overcrowded Moria camp on the island of Lesvos, Medicins Sand sFrontiers/Doctors Without Borders announced late on Saturday. The baby’s parents are asylum-seekers from Congo. We have been confirmed today by the local hospital in #Lesbos that a 9 month old baby has …
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Man arrested for injuring refugees’ translator; Monasteries resettlement unsuccessful;
Τhe idea to host refugees and migrants in monasteries was good and kind but its implementation difficult. The Monastery in Divri, Peloponnese, could not offer the basics to the 105 refugees and migrants resettled there: neither electricity nor heating. At the same time, a violent incident against a refugees’ translator …
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Number of unaccompanied refugee minors in Greece rises to 4,800
They are the most vulnerable group among the refugees: unaccompanied minors in Greece. 4,800 children, aged 2 -17. A real challenge for those in and outside Greece dealing with their protection. 30 percent of them are orphans. Seven out of ten have families in Europe and need to be reunited. …
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Xanthi: Greek police finds 80 migrants in a lorry (video)
Greek police released 80 migrants from a container truck near the town of Xanthi in north-eastern Greece on Monday morning. Due to suffocating conditions many of them suffered respiratory problems. The truck driver was arrested. Several people lay on the asphalt. It was short after the tolls on Egnatia highway …
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Local communities increasingly protest against refugees’ resettlement
Giannitsa, Serres, Kos, Leros… No a day passes without local communities to protest the resettlement of refugees and migrants to the Greek mainland or from one island to another. Residents of Paralimni by Giannitsa in North Greece blocked the roads to prevent refugees to settle in local hotels. A day …
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Appalling living conditions in the overcrowded hot spot of Kos
Appalling living conditions for the over 3,700 refugees and migrants in the hot spot of Kos. “We are living like mice. We are looking for cardboard boxes and reeds to make ourselves a place to sleep. At night, there is no electricity. You look for an empty space between others, …
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Supreme Court rules against extradition of Iranian domestic violence victim
In an unanimous decision, the Greek Supreme Court ruled that Iranian Sharareh Khademi should not be extradited to Iran. Extradition of the 37-year old nurse would pose an “immediate risk to her life” and she could be abused, the prosecutor had proposed. The court annulled the decision of the Court …
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UNHCR expresses concern at Greece’s asylum plans
The United Nations refugees agency UNHCR expressed concern about Greek proposals to overhaul laws affecting asylum seekers, saying they could weaken the protection of refugees. Greece is proposing to streamline a lengthy asylum process and deport rejected asylum seekers. A draft law is pending in the Greek parliament. The law …
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Crete mayors agree to host 400 unaccompanied refugee minors
Mayors on the island of Crete have agreed to host 400 unaccompanied refugee minors in accommodation structures. This was decided in a meeting between the Regional Union of Municipalities of Crete and the Deputy Labor Minister, Domna Michailidou. According to the plan, about 400 children will be accommodated on the …
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Local protesters block 380 asylum seekers from settling in Vrasna hotels
Greek authorities were forced to abandon plans to settle 380 refugees in hotels of the seaside village Vrasna of Volvi Municipality, North Greece, due to fierce protests by locals. Nine buses with 380 asylum seekers, among them many families and children, arrived in the area on Tuesday afternoon. The majority …
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Kos: Toddler drown, 2 missing when Coast Guard rams refugee boat
One toddler drown, another one and one man are missing, and nine people got injured when a vessel of the Greek Coast Guard rammed a boat carrying refugees and migrants off the island of Kos in the early morning hours of Wednesday. On board of the boat were 34 people. …
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Police arrests 12 asylum seekers for the incidents and fire in Samos hot spot
Police on the island of Samos has arrested 12 foreign nationals aged 15-34 as responsible for the brawl and the attacks that left three people injured on Monday as well as for the fire in the hot spot. Seven of those arrested are charged for involvement in the incidents inside …
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Population in Moria reach all-time record with 13,842 people
The population at the Reception and Identification Centre (RIC) in Moria has reached an all-time record of 13,842 people on Tuesday.The hot spot of Moria has a capacity of 3,000 people. Refugees and migrants continue to pour in to the island from neighbouring Turkey, at a rate of more than …
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Protesters prevent charity vessel “Open Arms” from docking at North Lesvos
Protesters have prevented the vessel “Open Arms” of Spanish charity NGO Proactiva from anchoring at the small port of Skala Sykamias in the North of Lesvos on Monday afternoon. A group of some 15 people from the neighboring villages of Petra and Molyvos moved to Skala Sykamias to prevent the …
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Samos: Big fire in the hot spot hosting 5,700 people (videos) UPD
A fire broke out at the Reception and Identification Center of the islands of Samos late on Monday evening. According to initial media reports, the situation is serious, tents and buildings are burning down. A big force of firefighters is trying to extinguish the blaze. Thousands of refugees and migrants …
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UNHCR: 48,510 refugees & migrants arrived in Greece Jan-Oct 2019
The largest number of refugees and migrants reaching Europe came via routes crossing from Turkey to Greece, mostly by sea, according to a UNHCR’s report for 2019. As of 30 September, some 80,800 refugees and migrants had arrived via the three Mediterranean routes to Europe, a 21% decrease compared to …
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UNHCR urges European states to do more to protect child refugees & migrants
European States must step up their efforts to protect child refugees and migrants who have endured not only difficult and dangerous journeys but continue to face risks and hardship once in Europe, including unsafe accommodation, being incorrectly registered as adults, and a lack of appropriate care, UNHCR, the UN Refugee …
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Refugee toddler drowns outside camp in West Peloponnese
A refugee toddler was found to have drowned in the sea outside the refugee camp at LM Village in Myrisini of the municipality Andravida-Kyllini on Sunday. Sharma, the child of a Syrian refugee family, was 2.5 years old. The body of the child was found to be floating in the …
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