| EU and Turkey reaffirm commitment to refugee agreement. At a summit in Bulgaria on Monday, EU leaders and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to keep cooperating on migration , despite disagreement on other issues. The EU reaffirmed its commitment to continue making payments as part of a €3 billion package of support to Syrian refugees living in Turkey in return for Turkey's cooperation in stemming irregular migration to Europe. The Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) is the flagship program in that package. The Guardian takes an in-depth look at the difference the cash grant is making in the lives of some of the 1.25 million refugees receiving it, most of them Syrians. Critics argue that assistance needs to be more targeted and that giving cash doesn’t solve underlying problems such as the need for more language and vocational training, but refugees interviewed by the Guardian said the monthly grant was helping them to pay for basics like rent and food. | | |
| Barrage of missiles into Saudi Arabia ramps up Yemen war. The Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen vowed on Monday to fire more missiles into Saudi Arabia unless it stops bombing the country, after one of its missiles caused casualties in the Saudi capital for the first time. The incident threatens to escalate a war that began its fourth year yesterday. The conflict has unleashed a severe humanitarian crisis with three out of four Yemenis now in need of aid. The Washington Post reports from Marib, a relatively stable government-controlled area that has received tens of thousands of people displaced by the conflict. A building boom is underway in Marib city, which has a functioning hospital, university and regular electricity, but the societal divisions caused by the war run deep. | | |
| Asylum-seekers in Australia face cuts to support. Cuts to the Status Resolution Support Service program, announced at the end of last year, will take effect on Sunday despite opposition from 95 advocacy groups who say it could leave vulnerable asylum-seekers destitute and homeless . The program currently provides a weekly living allowance, housing assistance and counselling to asylum-seekers waiting for a decision on their refugee status. The government has explained that those judged to be “work-ready” will no longer be eligible for assistance. | | |
| Brazil struggles to care for Venezuela's indigenous Warao. As Brazilian authorities scramble to accommodate tens of thousands of desperate Venezuelans crossing the country’s northern border, the indigenous Warao are emerging as their biggest challenge , according to this AP report. Already poor and marginalised in Venezuela, the Warao are arriving to the border town of Pacaraima with numerous health problems. As most refuse to share shelters with non-indigenous Venezuelans, the authorities have had to set up separate shelters for them. | | |
| US policies split some refugee families, reunite others. Restrictions on refugee admissions put in place by the US administration have resulted in a shift in the mix and number of refugees being resettled to the country. With refugee arrivals to many US cities down on previous years, AP reports from Columbus, Ohio, home to large communities of Bhutanese, Somali and Congolese refugees. While Bhutanese and Congolese refugees have continued to arrive to the city, reuniting with family members resettled there earlier, family reunion cases involving Somalis, Iraqis and Syrians have largely stalled. | | |
| Before escaping the war in Afghanistan, Asif Mohammadi had never seen the sea. Now he owns a fish shop in northern Norway and business is booming. The secret to making it in Norway, he says is, “learning the language as fast as possible and not being afraid to use it, working hard when given a job, and building a network of good Norwegian friends”. | | |
US government screening of refugees referred for resettlement involves eight US government agencies, five background checks, and three in-person interviews.
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