Mediaboss Marketing

LONDON

From a flimsy rubber dinghy drifting 16 kilometers off Tripoli, the Libyan coast guard rescued more than 100 migrants this week, including a baby just a few weeks old. Close to 9,500 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean already this year putting 2017 on course to be a record year.

The European Union agreed this month to give the Tripoli government $213 million to bolster its security forces and coast guard; however, Italy wants a renewed push for a permanent political solution to the chaos in Libya and it's looking to Moscow for help.

The might be a wise move, according to Eurasia Group analyst Riccardo Fabiani.

"It's better to invite Russia to the table and have a strategic dialogue with them and establish some sort of connection and communication channel, rather than keep them out of the room so that you might end up one day waking up and suddenly discovering that Russia is now the main leader or power in the region," Fabiani said.

FILE - Smoke billows from a factory after an airstrike by forces loyal to former general Khalifa Haftar, in Benghazi, Libya, Oct. 22, 2014.

Libya is ruled by splintered factions, with the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, and a rival power base in the eastern city of Tobruk which backs strongman General Khalifa Haftar, also supported by Russia.

The U.N.'s special envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler, voiced optimism this week that the two sides can be reconciled.

"With bold decisions and actions, we will witness a political breakthrough that can place Libya on the path of peace, prosperity and stability," Kobler said.

Italy wants Russia to help drive the rival factions together. Britain's foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, this week offered his support for a power-sharing deal.

"We need to build on it and to create a genuine partnership between the east and the west of the country," Johnson said. "That's the crucial question, how to make sure that Haftar is in some way integrated into the government of Libya."

However, some EU states fear Moscow is seeking a military base in Libya. Malta which holds the rotating EU Council Presidency has warned that Russia's backing for Haftar could trigger a civil war.

"Nobody really knows what Russia wants from Libya," analyst Fabiani said. "They've so far had a very opportunistic approach to foreign policy, and specifically in the Middle East they've basically been trying to fill every vacuum that the U.S. has left in the region."

Fabiani says Europe and Russia are waiting to see if President Donald Trump will change U.S. policy on Libya.

"Right now, it's most likely that the U.S. will just disengage from Libya and will give a sort of implicit green light to Russia, as long as they can still intervene in Libya on an ad hoc basis to fight jihadism," he said.

Even as Italy seeks Russia's cooperation, the EU this month restated its determination to uphold sanctions on Moscow over its support for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Italy's foreign minister, Angelino Alfano, is due to meet his Russian counterpart next week in Germany and Libya is set to top the agenda.

See the original post here:
Italy Seeks Russia's Help to Stabilize Libya, End Migrant Crisis - Voice of America

Mr Orbans chief of staff, Janos Lazar, said that the anti-migrant government will set up container camps on the southern border, where it wants to detain refugees while their asylum requests are being assessed.

There are around to 600 migrants in Hungary waiting for their asylum application to be processed, mostly in open camps, which pose a "security risk".

Mr Lazar said the aim was to restrict them in their movement, keeping them on the border.

GETTY

GETTY

There are around to 600 migrants in Hungary waiting for their asylum application to be processed

The move is the latest in a string of interventions by Hungary to crack down on the escalating migrant crisis, with a growing number of illegal immigrants attempting to land in the country.

There are currently 500 border hunters patrolling the Hungarian-Serbian border.

Ever since the migrant crisis erupted, with more than one million refugees pouring into Europe, Hungary has taken a robust stance on defending its borders.

The country was on a direct Balkans route used by migrants to make their way from Greece and into Serbia and Croatia.

REUTERS

1 of 107

An African migrant is helped by emergency personnel after crossing the border fence between Morocco and Spain's north African enclave of Ceuta

GETTY

In response, Mr Orban insisted enough was enough and ordered his borders with Serbia and Croatia to be shut.

A razor-wire fence built along Hungary's southern border with Serbia and Croatia has helped to sharply reduce the number of migrants from the hundreds of thousands who last year moved up from the Balkans towards northern Europe, especially Germany

GETTY

But a steady flow of migrants are still arriving at Hungary's border with Serbia.

Hungary says it has registered 19,140 asylum applications in 2016 and more than 14,000 migrants have crossed its southern borders illegally.

Last month, Hungary announced its plans to recruit secondary students to protect the nations porous borders.

Read more:
Hungary set to build SECOND FENCE on border in battle against migrant 'security threat' - Express.co.uk

The embattled Chancellor will put forward a 16-point plan to boot out rejected asylum seekers who arrived in Germany, according to reports.

The major U-turn comes as Mrs Merkel battles to hold on to her premiership as Alternative for Germany (AfD) and Martin Schulz Social Democrat Party (SPD) make strides before the German elections.

Her grip on power is growing weaker as SPD celebrates a surge in support since nominating European Parliament president Mr Schulz to take on the current leader.

GETTY

GETTY

We all know we have to do more about repatriations - we need a national effort

Angela Merkel

Angela Merkels Christian Democrats (CDU) are expected to announce the deportation plans on Thursday. However discussions are set to be awkward as five rebels are already strongly opposed to the planned deportation of Afghan asylum seekers.

Mrs Merkel recently told a meeting: For the next few months, repatriation and more repatriation.

We all know we have to do more about repatriations - we need a national effort, according to Der Spiegel.

Her plans will include a joint centre for return in order to take deportation controls away from the states.

Detention centres to hold refuges until they are sent back is also included as part of the tough measures.

1 of 15

GETTY

More than 1.1million migrants entered Germany during the migrant crisis 2015, with most coming from Middle Eastern and North African countries.

And it appears Mrs Merkel's grip on power is growing ever weaker, with rebellion across the country against her controversial immigration policies.

It is not the first time the German leader has hinted at regret over opening her country's doors to a stream of refugees.

GETTY

Following a devastating defeat in the Berlin state elections last year, she said: If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years.

However it is feared it is little too late for the Chancellor whose party even called for a burka ban in the wake of the a string of terror attacks and the sickening sex assaults in Cologne.

Go here to read the rest:
MERKEL REGRET? Germany's chancellor is to deport MORE migrants in major U-turn - Express.co.uk

Everyone needs to recognize that Libya for us in terms of immigration and for others, security has a strategic significance that cannot be underestimated.

Everyone must do their bit to create synergies, in that way we can head towards peace, said Mr Alfano.

Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, will meet his Italian counterpartin Rome on Thursday to discuss Libya and the migrant exodus, among other topics.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, he saidthat the UK is considering extending a training program for Libyas coast guard in support of operations to tackle human smugglers and arms traffickers.

A small team of Royal Navy personnel trained Libyan coast guardsin search and rescue and vessel boarding techniques before Christmas.

The Italian embassy in London said: Stabilisation of Libya is one of the top priorities of Italian foreign policy. To that end we are cooperating with the UN, the EU and our major partners, such as the UK and the US. We also deem it necessary to engage with all players who could help to achieve such a goal, including Russia.

More here:
Italy and Britain may court Russian-backed general to help stem Libya's migrant crisis - Telegraph.co.uk

Funding for refugee rights began to stagnate in the years leading up to the current migrant crisis, according to a report released today.

For the last few years of available data, weve seen that funding focused on the rights of migrants and refugees has remained flat, Sarah Tansey, program manager atthe International Human Rights Funders Group, told Humanosphere. So with the benefit of hindsight, we can see now that this data comes at a time the crisis was really growing, but the funding didnt seem to grow proportionally to the crisis.

Because much of the grants information is collected from IRS forms or relies on direct reporting, there can be a several-year lag from the time a grant is made, Anna Koob, author of the report and knowledge service manager at Foundation Center, told Humanosphere. The funders included in the research also have different fiscal years, reporting formats and languages, which the authors said adds to the time it takes to standardize the data.

Now, Foundation Centersays philanthropists are more aware of thethreats torefugee rights and have responded accordingly.

RELATED U.K. to build wall in France to keep migrants out

Refugees havethe right to safeasylum, the right to fair hearings of their refugee claims, and to be treated with dignity and with respect to their basic human rights like any other citizen. Advocates have fiercely condemned the most recent violations of these rights,including U.S. President Donald Trumps travel banfrom seven predominantly Muslim countries, widespreadforced returns of refugees to the regions they fled, and police harassment and abuse of refugees and migrants in France.

Rights activists have also pushed for more funding throughout the current migrantcrises. But according toIain Levine, deputy executive director at Human Rights Watch, more grant-makingmay not have been able to prevent rightsabuses seen on such a large scale in thecurrent crises.

Could we all use more funding? Absolutely. Would more funding earlier on have changed the situation? Its really hard to say, Levine told Humanosphere. I would not want to blame funders for the current situation, but I would say theres an enormous need now for donors to combat the rising wave of xenophobia and nationalism that were seeing in many parts of the world, particularly the U.S. and Europe.

RELATED New deals and pledges fail to prevent record high migrant deaths

This rise in nationalist sentiment emerging in Europe, the U.S. and other regions of the world is what makes it more important than ever for funders touse the data thats available for all aspects of human rights, the reports authors say. They also stress the importance thatfunders locategaps in the field and determine where their donationscan be most useful.

Number of fundersfromthe 237 member foundations affiliated with IHRFG, Ariadne, or Prospera. (Foundation Center, 2017)

In terms offoreign aid for human rights,Sweden provided 16 percent the most of any other country, according to the report. EU institutions, Norway and the United States had the next-largest shares, each contributing 10 percent.

In terms of foundationaid for human rights, the United States has consistently had the mostdonors. But the report indicatesthis may be changing.

The number of funders outside the U.S. keeps growing, said Tansey, who said there were112 of such funders in 2014, compared to just 49 in 2010. This provides amore inclusiveglobal perspective on what funders are doing to advance human rights, she added.

Later this year, IHRFG and Foundation Center are releasing a five-year trend analysistoexamine shifts in human rights fundingfrom 2011 through 2015.

Read the original:
Funding for refugee rights stagnated before migrant crisis, analysis shows - Humanosphere