Greece: Protest and fire break out at Lesbos migrant camp

By Associated Press July 10 at 10:19 AM

The Washington Post

ATHENS, Greece — Authorities on the Greek island of Lesbos say a fire has broken out at a large migrant camp following a protest at the site.

Police said no injuries were reported from Monday’s protest and that the fire believed to have been set deliberately at the Moria camp is still burning.

Greece mounts late push to assure EU before migration summit

Tue Dec 15, 2015 3:08pm EST Related: WORLD, GREECE

ATHENS | BY RENEE MALTEZOU

Reuters

In a last-minute drive to assure European Union partners that it is getting to grips with a mass influx of refugees, Greece released aerial photographs on Tuesday of new registration centers for migrants on its northern Aegean islands.

The move is part of Athens' efforts, ahead of an EU summit starting on Thursday, to rebuff criticism by Germany and other EU governments that it has done too little to manage the flow of hundreds of thousands of people arriving on its shores.

How the Migrant Crisis Could Accelerate a Grexit

Geopolitical Diary NOVEMBER 24, 2015 | 01:54 GMT

STRATFOR

Stratfor laid out on Nov. 11 the potential dangers of Slovenia closing its borders to migrants, establishing a barrier across the heavily transited Balkan migration corridor. Two days later, a terrorist attack in Paris led to a hardening of attitudes across the Continent. In response, the Slovenian government announced Nov. 19 that it would no longer allow economic migrants — those who are not from war zones such as Syria and Afghanistan — to enter its territory. The announcement caused a chain reaction back along the migration route as Croatia, Serbia and Macedonia, anticipating a backlog forming in their territories, swiftly closed their own borders. This has left many migrants stranded along the route, powerless to move forward and now unable to backtrack.

Greece's Euro-Area Ties Risk More Strain Amid Refugee Crisis

By Ian Wishart Nikos Chrysoloras

Bloomberg

First overwhelmed by debt and now overwhelmed by refugees, Greece offers a tempting target for European leaders left to handle the fallout.

With wounds only just healing after the euro area agreed to throw Greece another financial lifeline, the country’s inability to process tens of thousands of refugees turning up at its doorstep threatens to reopen them all over again. Local Greek authorities are inundated by some 3,000 arrivals a day, most of whom are allowed to head north through the Balkans toward Germany and Scandinavia, sewing political tensions as they go.

Migrant crisis: Greece acts over Lesbos 'explosion' fears

BBC

The Greek government and the UN refugee agency have brought in extra staff and ships to deal with some 25,000 stranded migrants on the island of Lesbos.

A processing centre has been also set up on an abandoned football ground to help the migrants to get to Athens.

A Greek minister said on Monday Lesbos was "on the verge of an explosion".

Meanwhile, hundreds of migrants broke through police lines on Hungary's border with Serbia and started walking towards the capital, Budapest.

The migrants faced down pepper spray used by police as they broke out of a holding centre in a cornfield and marched down a motorway towards Budapest. They later agreed to be taken by bus to another reception centre.

Greece holds investigation into migrants’ drowning

By Associated Press, Published: January 23

ATHENS, Greece — Greek judicial authorities said Thursday they are investigating the deadly sinking of a migrant boat that was being towed by a coast guard vessel, as officials denied survivors’ claims that officers badly mishandled the operation.

The small fishing boat crammed with 28 people had entered Greece illegally from Turkey. The Coast Guard said it was towing the boat to the small Aegean Sea island of Farmakonissi when it capsized and sank Monday leaving two people dead and another 10 — mostly children — missing and feared drowned.

Survivors who arrived in Athens claimed Thursday the boat was being led at speed to nearby Turkish waters to be abandoned. They said Coast Guard crew ignored their pleas to take the women and children on their boat before the accident, and then allegedly stood by as passengers struggled in rough seas.