Tag Archives: WorldNews

‘Don’t go outside. The Nazis are here’: Kristallnacht survivor fears it will happen again

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Andy Factor survived the “night of broken glass” in Germany in 1938 and can still recall the shattering noise. But exactly 80 years later, it’s the rising sound of white nationalism that has him scared.

Number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela reaches three million

Colombia hosts the highest number of migrants and refugees from Venezuela. Photo: IOM

By International Organization for Migration
Nov 8 2018 (IOM)

IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency announced today that the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela worldwide has now reached three million.

According to data from national immigration authorities and other sources, countries in Latin America and the Caribbean host an estimated 2.4 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela, while other regions account for the rest.

“Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have largely maintained a commendable open-door policy to refugees and migrants from Venezuela, however, their reception capacity is severely strained, requiring a more robust and immediate response from the international community if this generosity and solidarity are to continue,” said Eduardo Stein, UNHCR-IOM Joint Special Representative for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela.

Colombia has the highest number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela, a total of over one million. It is followed by Peru, with over half a million, Ecuador over 220,000, Argentina 130,000, Chile over 100,000 and Brazil 85,000.

In addition to South American countries, countries in Central America and the Caribbean also recorded increasing arrivals of refugees and migrants from Venezuela. Panama, for example, is now hosting 94,000 Venezuelans.

With rising numbers, the needs of refugees and migrants from Venezuela and the communities hosting them have also significantly increased.

Governments in the region are leading the humanitarian response and coordinating their efforts, including through the Quito Process, which has been an important step towards a regional approach to scale up the response and harmonize policies. The second Quito meeting of governments from the region will take place on 22 and 23 November.

To support this response, the Regional Inter-Agency Coordination Platform, established in September and composed of 40 partners and participants, including UN Agencies, other international organizations, civil society and faith-based organizations, is strengthening the operational response and on a humanitarian Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela (RMRP), to be launched in December.

The RMRP will focus on four strategic areas: direct emergency assistance, protection, socio-economic and cultural integration and capacity-building for the governments of receiving countries.

For more information contact:

Juliana Quintero, IOM (juquintero@iom.int +54 1132488134)
William Spindler, UNHCR (spindler@unhcr.org +507 69290257 or +41 79 2173011)

The post Number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela reaches three million appeared first on Inter Press Service.

‘She touched him’: Jim Acosta row engulfs social media

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Trump backers and opponents dissect video of flashpoint at White House press conference

It lasts barely a couple of seconds, but the video of a White House staff member trying to take a microphone from the CNN reporter Jim Acosta during a chaotic press conference has become the focus of the latest online battle between Donald Trump supporters and opponents.

Jim Acosta’s “hard pass”, which gives continuous access to the White House for press events, was revoked after he challenged Trump’s description of a “caravan” of migrants moving towards the southern border of the USA, which had been a significant feature of the president’s mid-term election campaign speeches. Acosta has been CNN’s chief White House correspondent since January of this year.

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‘A loud and clear message’: California passes historic farm animal protections

Animal rights – humane rights

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Law sets new space requirements for pigs, chickens and cows and also bans sale of caged eggs from 2022

It was a big night for California chickens, cows, and pigs as midterms voters overwhelmingly supported an initiative codifying the most progressive animal welfare protections in the world.

California Proposition 12, which passed with more than 61% of the vote, sets specific space requirements for confined animals raised for food.

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