“This tragedy has to be stopped,” says UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres. The refugees arrive “traumatised, without possessions and having lost members of their families”.
The UN has predicted that the number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries will double to 1.1 million by June if the civil war in Syria does not end.
In northern Jordan, relief workers distributing aid to Syrian refugees were injured in a “stampede” in a camp where hundreds of tents have been destroyed by the rains.
Joe Costello, Minister of State for Trade and Development, relates the dire tales of massacre and suffering told to him by Syrian refugees when he visited them in Jordan this week.
The junior foreign minister will visit a refugee camp in Jordan this week where it’s expected he will announce a significant increase in humanitarian aid for people displaced by the civil war.
As South Sudan marks a year of independence, Medecins Sans Frontieres is calling for urgent intervention as one refugee camp in a wholly unsuitable area is overwhelmed with new arrivals and dreadful conditions.
At today’s Universal Periodic Review, the Irish government was also called on to address the situation of thousands of asylum seekers and take steps towards improving the conditions they live in.
Lutfullah Shafaq, 23, has a degree, has never claimed benefits, and wants to work as an Irish taxpayer. So why is the Government restricting his movements?
Ireland has been a new home for thousands of refugees down the years – and showing support doesn’t have to cost anything, writes Sophie Magennis of the UNHCR.
Niamh Fleming-Farrell in Beirut and Ronan Delaney in Dublin have been examining what today’s move by President Abbas means to third-generation Palestinian refugees living in camps in Lebanon – and what it does not.
The organisation has made proposals about making the system “fairer” – saying that the current structure is far too costly, places burdens on the courts and puts people through unnecessary misery.
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Assad’s troops are reportedly targeting local residents – including refugees, women and children – in an attempt to crush any protest against the regime in the city of Latakia.
Irish Aid has delivered aid worth €8.2 million to the region. Meanwhile aid agency GOAL has criticised the UN for “reluctance” to provide peacekeepers, and has said the “international community “has no stomach to tackle terrorists”.
“You know, it’s better to die trying to cross the Mediterranean than to stay in this situation in the camp”: Testimonies from refugees who fled the Libyan violence.
“The majority of people in this country consume alcohol in a moderate, responsible manner that is entirely compatible with a healthy lifestyle and in line with European norms,” said Kathryn D’Arcy, director of Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland.
Some people can no longer afford to drink alcohol, others could be looking after their health, while many have suggested that the reduction in consumption could be related to emigration rates.
So today we want to know what do you think. Have you reduced your alcohol consumption in the past year?
Warmer with sun and clouds
Max: 15 °C
Min: 8 °C
Clouds and sun with a passing shower
Max: 15 °C
Min: 8 °C
