Pope Francis returns to Greek island of Lesbos, describing global indifference to migrants as the 'shipwreck of civilisation' Pope Francis has condemned the exploitation of migrants for political purposes during a visit to the Greek island of Lesbos, branding the global indifference to their plight the "shipwreck of civilisation".
Key points: Mavrovouni refugee camp on Lesbos has replaced the Moria camp, which burned down last yearThe island has long been an entry point to the European Union for migrants from the Middle East, Asia and north AfricaPope Francis says it is easy to stir up public opinion by instilling fear of others The pontiff walked through the Mavrovouni camp — which holds about 2,300 people — stopping to greet dozens of refugees and giving a high five to a young African boy. He first visited the island, one of the main entry points for migrants, in 2016 and took 12 Syrian refugees back to Italy with him. He lamented that "little has changed" since then. "Please, let us stop this shipwreck of civilisation," Pope Francis said. Medical response in Nauru to self-harm death of Iranian refugee Omid Masoumali on Nauru 'inferior' Queensland's state coroner has found the medical response in Nauru to an Iranian refugee who set himself on fire was "inferior" and "inadequate" due to limited skills, equipment and facilities, but his evacuation to Australia could not have happened any faster.
Key points: Omid Masoumali self-harmed after becoming angry over an argument his wife had with UNHCR over living conditionsThe coroner found the standard of emergency medical care was "below that which would be expected in rural Australia"Mr Masoumali had sought help from a psychologist a day before the incident In 2019 an inquest examined the circumstances surrounding the death of Omid Masoumali, who died of organ failure in a Brisbane hospital two days after suffering significant burns.
On Monday, Coroner Terry Ryan said clinicians who treated him initially had been "heroic" and they did the "best they could" but did not have the capabilities to deal with such serious injuries. Temporary residents urge Australia to provide pathway for permanent residency. Annie Cao knows a bit about COVID-19 — she's had 13 tests for the virus and spent multiple stints in self-isolation.
Key points: Already 11,200 people have signed a petition calling for a one-off migration policy for temporary visa holdersNew Zealand and Canada created pathways to residency for thousands who lived there during the pandemicA parliamentary committee has recommended some temporary visa holders be given clearer pathways to permanent residency The 24-year-old nurse has been working on the frontline in a Victorian hospital since the pandemic started. From taking care of suspected COVID-19 cases in the emergency department to helping control an outbreak at a recovery centre, the former international student has been fighting fear and fatigue in an overwhelming working environment.
Not to mention dealing with her own, long-term back injury. "Every now and then I am dealing with anxiety. Shepparton's Nabi Baqiri on a mission to bring 60 Afghans to safety in Australia. Nabi Baqiri's list had 61 names on it.
But two months ago, he crossed out one. A father of four – a husband, brother and son, who had aided Australian forces. Shot dead by the Taliban at a border checkpoint. "I'd filled in his name, his document, everything," Nabi said. COVID-19 outbreak at Melbourne detention hotel sees 17 asylum seekers test positive, one admitted to hospital. At least 17 asylum seekers detained in a Melbourne facility have tested positive to COVID-19, with one person being treated in hospital.
The Park Hotel in Melbourne is being used as an alternative detention facility to house asylum seekersAn asylum seeker who contracted COVID-19 there said he did not feel safeAustralian Border Force says 55 per cent of people in immigration detention have been fully vaccinated The growing outbreak has led to safety concerns from refugee advocates, who say poor ventilation in the facility is leading to more infections. Australian Border Force (ABF) said those who were unwell were being "closely monitored" by detention health staff, and have been provided appropriate medical care for their symptoms. Azizi Zahir Azizi, an asylum seeker from Afghanistan, said he recently contracted COVID-19 while being held at Melbourne's Park Hotel, which is being used as an "alternative detention facility" by the ABF.
Khalid fled Afghanistan in August — today he explores Melbourne for the first time. Like many Melburnians, Khalid Amiri is looking forward to coming out of lockdown so he can get a haircut.
Key points: Khalid Amiri will experience Melbourne for the first time when lockdown endsHe fled Afghanistan when the Taliban took over Kabul in AugustAMES Australia is in the "early stages" of settling 2,000 Afghan refugees in Victoria and South Australia. Australian government urged to act as PNG's COVID-19 outbreak spreads among refugees. The Australian government is under increasing pressure to evacuate refugees from Papua New Guinea, where a number have contracted COVID-19.
Key points: Refugees living in PNG under Australia's offshore processing program have tested positive to COVID-19The country is grappling with a major Delta outbreak, amid low vaccination ratesAdvocates say the federal government must bring sick refugees to Australia for treatment Bangladeshi refugee Nurul Islam received a positive COVID-19 test result on October 12, after he started developing symptoms. A few days later, his wife Umme Salam and five-month-old daughter Nuzhat Islam also tested positive. Mr Islam, who has been in PNG since 2013 under Australia's offshore processing arrangements, told the ABC he was extremely concerned for his family's health. "My wife is [much too] sick … she has a fever and sore throat and [her] whole body is aching," he said.
Mr Islam said his five-month-old daughter was feverish and had stopped drinking milk. Australia to stop processing asylum seekers in PNG but government's refugee policy unchanged. A decision to end Australia's highly controversial offshore-processing regime in Papua New Guinea has garnered mixed reactions, with some refugees keen to resettle in that country, while others say their safety there cannot be guaranteed.
Key points: Australia will end its processing agreement with PNG by December 31The 124 men still in the system will have the option of settling in PNG or transferring to NauruAt least 12 people have died in Australia's offshore-processing centres In a statement, Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the Australian government would cease regional processing contracts with PNG at the end of this year. After that, PNG will assume full responsibility for refugees and asylum seekers in the country. About 124 men, who still remain in PNG, will have the option of transferring to a regional processing centre on Nauru, or resettling in PNG, where they will be given a pathway to citizenship and settlement packages. Under Taliban rule, Afghanistan's scholars and scientists face a grim future. But for some, there is hope.
"T"*, a young law and political science graduate, didn't expect the Taliban takeover of her home to happen so quickly.
On August 12, she was in a meeting and told her international colleagues that Herat, Afghanistan's third-largest city, might fall in a few weeks. Minutes later, the Taliban had seized power there. Three days later the advance of the heavily armed Taliban into Kabul triggered a panicked evacuation of tens of thousands of foreign nationals and Afghans who feared the return of repressive and violent rule. T knew her life was in immediate danger. She was a regional coordinator for a youth-led national organisation promoting peace and critical thinking among young Afghans through debating clubs and leadership programs. Three members of Biloela family granted 12-month visa extension, lawyer says.
The Nadesalingam family seeking asylum in Australia have been granted temporary visas allowing them to stay in the country for another 12 months.
Three members of the family have been granted bridging visas, but not youngest daughter TharnicaaThe family was placed into community detention for two hours today after their temporary bridging visas expiredThe family still has two cases running before the courts regarding bridging visas and the citizenship of the children The family's lawyer, Carina Ford, said Immigration Minister Alex Hawke granted three members of the family – father, Nades, mother, Priya and their oldest daughter, Kopika – 12-month bridging visas. Their youngest daughter Tharnicaa was not granted a visa, which means the family will not be allowed to return to Queensland or Biloela, where they previously lived. The family was placed into community detention for two hours today after their temporary bridging visas expired. No place like home. This is the story behind the headlines of a family in limbo. Priya Nadaraja has been cooking for days ahead of her eighth wedding anniversary.
And now she's frying up eggplants as the curries simmer. The smell of cumin, coriander and chilli hangs in the air. Her youngest daughter Tharnicaa skips through the small unit in outer Perth where the family currently lives in community detention. The four-year-old is thin and tiny. After contracting pneumonia and sepsis in the Christmas Island Detention Centre, she is under the care of doctors. How community support programs are helping refugees feel welcome in Australia. Landing in a foreign country, Tibetan refugee Chungla wasn't sure of the cultural rules that define Australian life. Key points: A new national program is supporting refugees by pairing them with local mentorsThe mentors help with language skills and visa applicationsTasmania has a multitude of community support programs "Here is a new culture, new place, everything is new and we feel alone," she said.
After making it across the Pakistan border, eight Afghan families find shelter in a lodging house. The residents of the Islamabad lodging house didn't know each other before they arrived on its doorstep, breathless and terrified. Spread throughout its three floors, they sit in silence or talk in hushed tones, perched on sleeping mats and huddled in doorways. The lodging house looks like any other building in the neighbourhood. A steel gate opens into a small courtyard. Next door, wild hemp plants crowd an empty lot. The view from the building's rooftop stretches over the skyline of the Pakistani capital towards the blue-green pall of the Himalayan foothills. Each of its eight rooms share the same basic features: simple furnishings, bare walls, a noisy ceiling fan, and a family fleeing the Taliban. Growing up in Afghanistan, Rahila's parents dressed her as a boy to give her the same rights as her brothers.
At the age of two, Rahila Haidari's father decided his youngest daughter would grow up as a boy for one simple reason. Key points: Rahila and her family were targeted by the Taliban because of their ethnicityHer parents decided to dress her as a boy to protect herNow a lawyer, she hopes Australia will give visas to more Afghans. The Barcelona lifeguards defying Europe to rescue migrants on the open sea.
As Europe tries to stop the boats, lifeguards from the calm beaches of Barcelona are stepping in to save lives on the open sea. First there's only darkness as we pound across black water. Suddenly, the boat appears, illuminated in the moonlight. We slow the engine and pull up close enough to pass over life jackets, but not so close that they could grab our rescue craft. More than 50 people are crammed into the small wooden boat — anxious mothers, crying babies, old men, young men, frightened children. There's no navigator, no safety gear and just an outboard motor sputtering like it is running on fumes in the vastness of the Mediterranean.
Australian women mobilise to rescue Afghan women at risk from Taliban. Afghan arrivals start new life in Australia after completing two weeks of quarantine. Man entitled to compensation over NT immigration detention centre assault, tribunal finds. A man who suffered a severe psychological disorder after being assaulted by other detainees inside an immigration detention facility almost a decade ago is entitled to $40,000 in compensation, a Northern Territory tribunal has found. This is what would have helped Ku Htee feel more at home after moving to Australia as a refugee. Last family of medevac refugees held near Darwin airport released to community detention. Today, on her 36th birthday, Hajar Maghames woke to an unexpected gift — the news that she and her family were being suddenly released from the detention facility they have been locked in for the past year and a half. How many Afghan refugees is Australia taking? Are we going to expand our refugee intake? As much of the world is stunned by the images of huge crowds swarming the airport in Kabul, desperate to flee Taliban rule over Afghanistan, other nations are slowly responding.
Humanitarian visa holders locked out of Australia indefinitely due to COVID-19 restrictions. After years in limbo, more than 1,000 asylum seekers are racing to meet a new deadline. Queensland restauranteur Ken Duong's life is happy, successful and far from the brutality he fled as a child. Australia deems Sri Lanka safe for Tamils like the Murugappan family from Biloela. But is it? The situation facing Nades and Priya Murugappan and their Australian-born daughters Kopika and Tharnicaa remains uncertain. Asylum seekers denied access to bridging visas work illegal jobs to survive as advocates call for change. Former refugee Iginas Gasengayire inspires students by teaching at his old high school. Asylum seekers in PNG test positive to coronavirus, prompting calls for them to be brought to Australia.
Mohammad was placed on a temporary protection visa as a child — now he's seemingly stuck with it for life. Medevac refugees detained in Darwin hotel for 12 months, despite requesting return to Nauru. Medevac detainees have been freed after years in Australia's immigration detention system. Here's why, and what may happen next. Medevac detainees freed from Melbourne hotel after years in immigration detention. Christmas Island detention centre site of riot as detainees set fires. Asylum seekers put their hands up to fill labour shortage in regional Victoria. The athletics training group helping runners from all backgrounds get back on track. Esperance Muginga-Kaigi found her new home lacking in African fare, but not for long. Asylum seekers on temporary visas left behind in economic recovery from coronavirus. Asylum seekers held under medevac laws moved to new Melbourne hotel with 15 minutes' notice, lawyers say.
Labour shortage during NT mango harvest gives Congolese refugees first job opportunity. Portrait of Behrouz Boochani by Angus McDonald wins Archibald people's choice award - ABC News. Farhad Bandesh shocked to be a free man after eight years in refugee detention - ABC News. First asylum seekers brought to Australia from Manus Island, Nauru under medevac law granted visas - ABC News. Bank account shutdown hurting communities sending $10 billion a year to family overseas - ABC News. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced some young workers to financially support their entire family - ABC News.
Hundreds of asylum seekers like Rana and her family placed on six-month final departure bridging visas - ABC News. Federal court data breach sees names of protection visa applicants made public. Ocean 12 asylum-seeker cricket team embrace sport in Australia to 'forget past life' Australian terrorist Khaled Sharrouf bought her at a slave market. Now she wants justice. Australians raise $100k to resettle Manus Island and Nauru refugees in Canada. US migrant detention centres are overcrowded and families are still being separated - Donald Trump's America.
Manus Island asylum seekers make friends with Australians online, but many do not want to come here. Greens senator Nick McKim says he did 'nothing wrong' after deportation from Papua New Guinea. Greens senator Nick McKim facing deportation from PNG after trying to visit Manus Island asylum seeker camp - Politics. Refugees on Manus to receive Australian First Nations 'passports' from activists aboard sail boat.
Why is the Morrison Government pushing for new terrorism legislation? Asylum seeker rescue ship captain arrested after ramming into border police motorboat. PNG wants Australia to end security firm Paladin's Manus contract immediately. Refugee week: The number of globally displaced people reaches record high of 70.8 million. Asylum seeker on Manus Island sustains burns after setting himself on fire. Scott Morrison's Senate task a tad easier in the 46th Parliament - Politics. Biometric data is increasingly popular in aid work, but critics say it puts refugees at risk - Science News - ABC News. Peter Dutton says boat arrivals will rise following court decision on medevac.
ABC presenter Irena Ceranic fled the chaos of war in Bosnia for a new life in Western Australia. Federal Government under mounting pressure to resettle refugees on Manus Island and Nauru. Manus Governor demands action from Australia as Behrouz Boochani says self-harm has spiked. How a group of passionate locals are helping refugees find their 'home among the gum trees' Christmas Island locals not told of asylum seekers who arrived on boat from Sri Lanka. Manus Island in 'unprecedented crisis' as refugee self-harm surges after Australian election. Two Rwandan refugees resettled in Australia posed a danger, says US judge who rejected them.
PNG refugee support workers 'directed to cook the books' to prepare for Australian audit. Why talking about religion won't help us understand terrorist attacks. Scott Morrison says Federal Government is open to helping children of terrorists coming home. Federal Budget confirms Christmas Island detention centre to be closed, upsetting locals. Chinese authorities accused of intimidating Uyghurs in Australia.
Two Edward Snowden refugees granted asylum status in Canada but five remain stuck in limbo. 'Egg Boy' says attack on Fraser Anning 'united people' after Christchurch shootings. Scott Morrison said all the right things after Christchurch attack, but his history tells another story. Scott Morrison tells Waleed Aly he always sought to confront Islamophobia, not exploit it. Man who tackled 'Eggboy' has outstanding warrant on charges relating to church incident. Six facts that tell a different immigration story than we hear from politicians. Nauru refugees exposed to asbestos after shipping containers dumped just metres away.
Could a senator like Fraser Anning be expelled from Parliament for offensive statements? The Government says Australians will lose out on medical help if refugees are brought here for treatment. Is that correct? Babies of refugees on Manus Island eligible for transfer under medevac bill, but confusion reigns. Manus play made with detainee Behrouz Boochani premieres at Adelaide Festival.
Yazidi refugees urge Australia to help save their minority community. Sick asylum seekers deemed 'a risk' to Australia to be sent to Christmas Island. The caliphate is gone, but damage runs deep in Raqqa. 'Tropical location' used to lure doctors to Christmas Island for refugee medical transfers. Senior bureaucrats send a message to the Government and the Opposition.
Senators grill bureaucrats over $422m Paladin Holdings security contracts on Manus Island. Two things were overlooked in the Government's historic defeat on asylum seeker policy. Manus Island refugee flown to Geneva to receive human rights award. Ex-Nauru president Sprent Dabwido who oversaw detention centre reopening seeks asylum in Australia for cancer treatment. Regional refugee services cut, with 1.5 staff members for every 400 clients.