| UN marks refugee day in Syria, from where millions have fled Posted: 19 Jun 2016 10:36 AM PDT  United Nations agencies marked World Refugee Day on Sunday in Syria, a country from which millions have fled a five-year civil war. Some refugees from other countries have decided to stay in Syria despite the devastating conflict. "Syria has been a host to refugees for many, many decades," said Sajjad Malik, the UN refugee agency's chief in Damascus.
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| Tens of thousands demonstrate against racism in Germany Posted: 19 Jun 2016 09:52 AM PDT  Berlin (AFP) - ns of thousands of people joined weekend rallies in Germany to condemn racism and right-wing populist groups who have been railing against a record influx of migrants. Germany -- the EU's most populous country, which last year took in over one million refugees and migrants -- has seen a surge in racist attacks and a strengthening of xenophobic and anti-Islamic groups. The demonstrations kicked off Saturday in Bochum in western Germany and continued Sunday in Berlin, Leipzig and Munich, where thousands formed human chains.
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| Iraq faces humanitarian disaster after Fallujah breakthrough Posted: 19 Jun 2016 08:48 AM PDT  Aid workers scrambled Sunday to cope with a massive influx of Iraqi civilians who fled Fallujah after government forces retook much of the city from the Islamic State group. Tens of thousands of civilians escaped the city, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) west of Baghdad, on the back of a major advance that saw Iraqi forces thrust into central Fallujah in recent days. "The estimated total number of displaced from Fallujah in just the last three days is now at a staggering 30,000 people," the Norwegian Refugee Council said.
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| UN: thousands of Iraqi civilians flee Fallujah amid clashes Posted: 19 Jun 2016 08:13 AM PDT BAGHDAD (AP) — Thousands of civilians are fleeing Fallujah after the city was declared liberated from the Islamic State group, the United Nations said, while an Iraqi commander reported fierce clashes as elite counterterrorism forces pushed to clear out the remaining militants. |
| AP FACT CHECK: Facts undercut Trump's post-Orlando arguments Posted: 19 Jun 2016 04:42 AM PDT  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump says the United States admits Syrian refugees without checking their backgrounds and that Hillary Clinton wants to allow "radical Islamic terrorists to pour into our country."
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| Analysis - European history hovers close to reverse gear Posted: 19 Jun 2016 04:19 AM PDT  By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European history may be about to go into reverse. If Britain votes to leave the European Union, it will likely start a process of fragmentation of the political and security structures on which the post-World War Two and post-Cold War European order was built. European Council President Donald Tusk, a historian and former Polish prime minister who took part in the struggle to overthrow Soviet-imposed communist rule in eastern Europe and join the EU, was both a witness and an actor in that history.
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| Iraqi camps overwhelmed as residents flee Falluja fighting Posted: 19 Jun 2016 03:58 AM PDT  By Stephen Kalin BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi government-run camps struggled on Sunday to shelter people fleeing Falluja, as the military battled Islamic State militants in the city's northern districts. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared victory over the jihadists on Friday after troops reached the city center, following a four-week U.S.-backed assault. More than 82,000 civilians have evacuated Falluja, an hour's drive west of Baghdad, since the campaign began and up to 25,000 more are likely on the move, the United Nations said.
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| Referendum gamble will define legacy of UK's David Cameron Posted: 19 Jun 2016 03:51 AM PDT  It's often said that David Cameron is a lucky politician who has seemed to coast through politics on instinct and charm during a career that has culminated in six years as British prime minister. But now ...
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| European history hovers close to reverse gear Posted: 19 Jun 2016 01:05 AM PDT  By Paul Taylor BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European history may be about to go into reverse. If Britain votes to leave the European Union, it will likely start a process of fragmentation of the political and security structures on which the post-World War Two and post-Cold War European order was built. European Council President Donald Tusk, a historian and former Polish prime minister who took part in the struggle to overthrow Soviet-imposed communist rule in eastern Europe and join the EU, was both a witness and an actor in that history.
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| Mounting pressure unlikely to sway Obama on Syria Posted: 19 Jun 2016 12:40 AM PDT  Exasperated US diplomats are in open revolt over Barack Obama's Syria policy, but radical change is unlikely in the twilight of his presidency. A relentless drumbeat of cluster bombs, barrel bombs, chemical bombs, murder, rape and torture has turned swaths of Syria to dust. Humanitarian aid sometimes drips into the beleaguered cities, but when it does, President Bashar al-Assad's regime makes sure "punishment" bombings quickly follow.
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| Refugees in Indonesia tackle life in limbo through school Posted: 18 Jun 2016 11:01 PM PDT  Mahboob Jafari had barely seen the inside of a classroom, let alone taught in one, before he arrived in Indonesia as a refugee fleeing persecution in Afghanistan. The 19-year-old now teaches English at a pioneering school in the mountains south of Jakarta, where refugees from war-torn corners of the globe are banding together to educate their children. Founded by refugees, for refugees, this unique initiative is giving these children a chance to go to school while they wait years for resettlement to a new country.
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| Worrying 'climate of xenophobia' in Europe: UN refugee chief Posted: 18 Jun 2016 05:31 PM PDT  The UN's refugee chief says a worrying "climate of xenophobia" has taken hold in Europe as the continent struggles with the biggest influx of migrants since World War II. Speaking to AFP in Tehran at the start of a regional tour, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said European leaders needed to do more to coordinate migration policies and to combat negative stereotypes about refugees. "Refugees... don't bring danger to us, they flee from dangerous places," said Grandi, who took office in January.
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| Iraqi troops seize Fallujah hospital, clear mines Posted: 18 Jun 2016 10:58 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi forces gained control of the main hospital in Fallujah on Saturday and were clearing mines after driving the Islamic State group from most of the city, one of its last remaining strongholds in the Anbar province west of Baghdad, a military official said.
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