Call for rapid solution for refugees stranded on Mediterranean. As 2018 drew to a close and the weather worsened, Malta rescued 180 refugees and migrants from two boats in distress on the Mediterranean Sea. The rescues, which saw men, women and children plucked from a dinghy and wooden boat, came one day after Malta rescued 69 refugees from a wooden boat which had run into trouble. Forty-nine people remain at sea in two NGO vessels on the Mediterranean, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has appealed to States to urgently offer safe ports and disembarkation. Time, the agency said, is “increasingly of the essence”, amid rough seas and deteriorating conditions onboard. “Decisive leadership is required, in line with fundamental values of humanity and compassion, to offer safe disembarkation and bring the 49 safely to land,” said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean. In a video , a volunteer on board one of the two boats that went to the aid of those stranded confirmed that the ship has “nowhere to go” after being denied entry to European ports. | | |
| Thousands of asylum-seekers moved off Greek islands. As winter bites, Euronews reports that thousands of refugees and migrants are still living in dire conditions in Greece. However, efforts are underway to relocate the most vulnerable and improve conditions for those waiting. Since early September UNHCR has helped the Greek government move more than 11,000 people from Moria and other reception centres on the Greek Aegean Islands to reception sites, hotels and apartments on the mainland. “I hope and pray that the situation at Volvi will be better,” said one refugee father from Syria, as he helped his four young children, pregnant wife and elderly mother onto a bus hired by UNHCR to take them to the ferry on Lesvos. UNHCR, with funding from the European Commission, assists in the transfers by bussing people to and from sea ports and organizing ferry tickets. In recent weeks, temperatures have plummeted and frequent rain has made life increasingly difficult. | | |
| Heavy rains, floods displace thousands of refugees in Syria. Thousands of families uprooted by years of war in Syria have been displaced once again, after days of torrential rainfall in the country's northern region caused major flooding in refugee camps in Idlib and Aleppo. Tents and makeshift shelters were washed away, and aid groups have appealed for help. | | |
| Attack on group from Syrian and Afghanistan in Germany. A man injured seven people in Germany after intentionally driving his car into a crowd of pedestrians, thought to be from Afghanistan and Syria, while they were celebrating the new year. Police described it as a targeted, xenophobic attack by the 50-year-old driver. | | |
| UK declares uptick in crossings from France a 'major incident'. Britain's interior ministry has said it is treating a rise in the number of people attempting to cross the English Channel from France as a "major incident." According to media reports, more than 200 refugees and migrants have attempted the journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes since the start of November. Britain has reacalled two patrol boats from overseas to patrol the channel. | | |
| New York restaurant serves up refugees' dishes from home. A non-profit restaurant in New York is teaching refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of trafficking the culinary and communication skills needed for a career in the kitchen. In the eight-week, paid apprenticeship, trainees also take English classes and take part in a graduation dinner that showcases the flavors of students’ homes. | | |
| Watch the inspiring story of a North Carolina pastor who is leading his church to welcome refugees at a ranch that has been converted into a temporary shelter. | | |
More than 2,240 people have either died or gone missing at sea attempting to reach Europe via the Mediterranean in 2018, despite a significant reduction in the number of arrivals.
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