"For one, women in the postnatal period are no longer considered 'vulnerable,' whereas before they were," said Boris Cheshirkov, a spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) in Athens. "Then [there's] the fact that even pregnant women, in the latter stages of pregnancy and throughout the pregnancy, have limited access to health services." … [Read more...] about Coronavirus outbreak puts pregnant refugees in Greece at increased risk
Refugees
Putin and Erdoğan agree Syria ceasefire after last-ditch talks
Erdoğan and Putin have met repeatedly in recent years to coordinate their moves in Syria. In September 2018, they struck a de-escalation deal on Idlib that averted a Syrian offensive. The agreement created a security zone free from heavy weapons that was monitored by Turkish troops. But the pact ultimately collapsed. … [Read more...] about Putin and Erdoğan agree Syria ceasefire after last-ditch talks
Clashes as thousands gather at Turkish border to enter Greece
Boztepe had been held for two hours as part of what the Ankara public prosecutor’s office said was an investigation into whether Sputnik had been involved in “degrading the Turkish people, the Turkish state, state institutions” and “disrupting the unity and territorial integrity of the state”. … [Read more...] about Clashes as thousands gather at Turkish border to enter Greece
Erdoğan puts EU’s failure to agree a common migration policy in spotlight
The EU has made much less progress on the exchange of people. At the heart of the EU-Turkey deal was a one-for-one offer: a Syrian refugee on the Greek islands would be returned to Turkey, while another Syrian refugee in Turkey would be found a home in Europe. Greek authorities, buckling under years of public sector cuts, have managed to send 1,908 asylum seekers back to Turkey – a policy heavily criticised by human rights lawyers who argue that Turkey is not a safe country of return. … [Read more...] about Erdoğan puts EU’s failure to agree a common migration policy in spotlight
UN inquiry stops short of directly blaming Russia over Idlib attacks
A summary of a 185-page internal report submitted to the UN security council on Monday said that in five of seven cases studied – among them four medical sites, a school and a children’s centre – “the government of Syria and/or its allies had carried out the airstrike”, but it did not explicitly name Russia, Bashar al-Assad’s most important military and political ally. … [Read more...] about UN inquiry stops short of directly blaming Russia over Idlib attacks
