Migrant crisis: EU and Turkey close in on agreement
- 8 March 2016
- Europe
The EU and Turkey say they have agreed the broad principles of a plan to ease the migration crisis at a summit in Brussels, but delayed a final decision.
European Council President Donald Tusk said all irregular migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be returned.
For each Syrian returned, Turkey wants the EU to accept a recognised Syrian refugee, and offer more funding and progress on EU integration.
Talks on the plan will continue ahead of an EU meeting on 17-18 March.
Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. Most migrants come via Turkey, which is already sheltering more than 2.7 million refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Syria.
War could cost Syria nearly £1tn in lost economic growth by 2020, study warns
World Vision report says reconstruction strategy vital for when war ends to avoid failures in Afghanistan and Iraq
War could cost Syria almost £1tn in lost economic growth by 2020, according to a report that urges the UK government to ensure an international plan is in place to help reconstruct the shattered country as soon as the conflict ends.
The study, from the international children’s charity World Vision and the consultancy firm Frontier Economics, estimates the war – which will enter its sixth year next week – is costing Syria £3.2bn a month in lost growth.
It says even if the fighting were to end this year, the economic fallout is still likely to reach £485bn, with the figure rising to £915bn if the fighting continues for another five years.'In Turkey, the rule of law and democracy have been undermined'
By seizing the newspaper "Zaman," the Turkish government has taken the intimidation of journalists to a new level, says Turkey expert Yasar Aydın in an interview with DW. He says democracy has been undermined.
DW: Turkish police stormed the editorial offices of the opposition newspaper "Zaman" and took control of it. The media outlet is known for its ties to the Gulen movement, which is unpopular with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. What is behind the government measures?
Yasar Aydın: The business group that owns "Zaman" has been accused of financially assisting a terrorist group. Of course, it is natural that such involvement is investigated or stopped. But this is a critical newspaper that is now run by administrators and has been transformed into a government mouthpiece. The actual background is a power struggle with the Gulen movement. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feels it questions his entitlement to rule and his style of leadership, points that have been challenged within his own ranks as well.
According to your assessment, is the seizure of "Zaman" simply an excuse to crack down on opposition media?
Young Sri Lankans fight for right to be a couple in public
If you are a young Sri Lankan couple out on a date, there is a chance you’ll be chastised or asked to leave for appearing in public with a person of the opposite sex who isn’t a relative. It’s even worse if you dare to give your girlfriend (or your female friend, for that matter) a hug or put your arm around her. But after two security guards were caught on film asking a couple to leave Independence Square in the capital Colombo, young people staged a protest on Sunday and received surprising governmental support.
On March 4, Sri Lankan musician Mirshad Buckman was told off by security guards for being with his girlfriend in a public space. He posted the video online and wrote about the incident:
Me and my girlfriend were just sitting and chilling it Independence Square and these idiots came and said that it was culturally wrong for a male and female to sit together in a public space. According to these idiots we have to have a child with us to sit together in Independence Square. I urge all you lovers or couples to go there and do the same. Lets see what these idiots do.
Sex trafficking: The horror and the hope
Updated 0159 GMT (0959 HKT) March 8, 2016
When Karla Jacinto was aged just 12 she fell for a 22-year-old man.
She ran away from the small Mexican town where she grew up so she could be with him. At first he treated her well, showering her with gifts. It wasn't long before he was forcing her to work as a prostitute.
She says that for the best part of four years, she saw up to 30 men a day, seven days a week.
"I had to close my eyes so that that I wouldn't see what they were doing to me, so that I wouldn't feel anything," she said.
China won't budge on South China Sea sovereignty
Al Jazeera
Beijing has conducted massive development in the disputed sea over the past two years and is accused of militarisaton.
China's foreign minister took a hard line on Tuesday on the country's claims to virtually all the South China Sea, saying Beijing won't permit other nations to infringe on what it considers its sovereign rights in the strategically vital area.
Wang Yi, speaking to reporters at an annual news conference in Beijing, said another nation's claim to freedom of navigation in the region doesn't give it the right to do whatever it wants - an apparent reference to the United States, which has sent naval ships past reefs where China has engaged in island-building.
"The South China Sea has been subject to colonial invasion and illegal occupation and now some people are trying to stir up waves while some others are showing off forces," Wang said.
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