Tag Archives: EU

Kosovo

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Welcome To The Country With The Biggest Crush On America

February 24, 20183:51 PM ET   

The EU told Serbia it can join by 2025 — but only if it carries out reforms and works out its differences with Kosovo. German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said he supports Serbia’s candidacy only if it recognizes Kosovo and deals with “nonfunctional” northern Kosovo.

Kosovo’s current leaders — Thaci and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj — are throwbacks to the 1990s, both former Kosovo Liberation Army officers who fought the Serbian Army. Serbia wants to extradite Haradinaj to be tried for war crimes. Thaci has been accused of involvement in an organ-trafficking ring. (He denies the allegations.) Their supporters recently angered the United States and the EU by trying to scrap a special court to try former KLA fighters for wartime and postwar crimes.

Unemployment hovers between 30-35 percent, rising to nearly 60 percent among young people. More than half of Kosovo’s population is under age 25.

Some are lured by crime and even terrorism. At least 315 Kosovars joined the Islamic State in recent years.

 

Refugee bodies wash up on Lesbos including children after drowning off Greece

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Agony in the Aegean: Bodies of children wash up on Lesbos beach in shocking scenes after 22 refugees drown off the coast in yet another humanitarian tragedy

A toddler migrant is plucked from the water by a volunteer lifeguard after a boat carrying around 150 refugees started to sink in the Aegean sea

A toddler migrant is plucked from the water by a volunteer lifeguard after a boat carrying around 150 refugees started to sink in the Aegean sea

Human tragedy: The body of a child lies on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, after 22 people - including nine children and four babies - drowned when their boat sank during the perilous crossing

Human tragedy: The body of a child lies on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos, after 22 people – including nine children and four babies – drowned when their boat sank during the perilous crossing

Saviour: A lifeguard rescues a child as a boat with refugees and migrants sunk, while crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos

Saviour: A lifeguard rescues a child as a boat with refugees and migrants sunk, while crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos

Horrific: Most of the migrant vessels making the dangerous journey are in bad condition and are heavily overcrowded

Horrific: Most of the migrant vessels making the dangerous journey are in bad condition and are heavily overcrowded

Despair: One man struggles to stay on board the boat as the rough seas force the passengers to take evasive action

Despair: One man struggles to stay on board the boat as the rough seas force the passengers to take evasive action

Hanging in there: One desperate refugee woman hangs on a rope having escaped the half-sunken catamaran carrying around 150 refugees

Hanging in there: One desperate refugee woman hangs on a rope having escaped the half-sunken catamaran carrying around 150 refugees

Sorrow: One young boy screams and cries in terror as the boat wildly rocks in the strong currents off the coast of Lesbos

Sorrow: One young boy screams and cries in terror as the boat wildly rocks in the strong currents off the coast of Lesbos

Too young: The body of a young boy, who drowned while making the perilous crossing from Turkey, lies on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos. It was one of the worst accidents in Greek waters since the mass migrant flows started after the war in Syria

Too young: The body of a young boy, who drowned while making the perilous crossing from Turkey, lies on a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos. It was one of the worst accidents in Greek waters since the mass migrant flows started after the war in Syria

Sinking ship: An overcrowded refugee boat begins to sink off the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey

Sinking ship: An overcrowded refugee boat begins to sink off the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey

Syria’s Refugee Crisis Is About To Get Worse As People Flee Russia’s Bombing

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ISTANBUL — Aid workers are propping up tents, preparing provisions and deploying medical staff as they brace for a new wave of displaced Syrians escaping renewed fighting in and around the country’s commercial hub, Aleppo.
Plumes of smoke rise from purported Russian airstrikes hitting rebel positions south of Aleppo. youtube.com / Via YouTube

The contested city is the focus of an intense military campaign. Russian warplanes… more

A European deal with Turkey to stop the flow of Syrian Refugees

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Syrian Refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.

Syrian Refugees arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean Sea from Turkey.

The decade-long sanction on Turkey becoming a member of the European Union (EU) might be lifted if Turkey agrees to stop the flow of Syrian refugees to Europe. In addition, EU will give Turkey €3 billion ($3.5 billion) as a compensation for settling the refugees on its soil.

The Telegraph – EU agrees €3 billion action plan with Turkey to ease migrant crisis
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/turkey/11935093/EU-approves-Turkey-migrant-plan.html

The Guardian – European leaders offer Turkey ‘action plan’ on migration crisis
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/15/big-decisions-unlikely-migration-summit-eu-leaders