General News
Meropi Kyriacou Honored as TNH Educator of the Year
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
NICOSIA – With Greece the focus of a long-running refugee and migrant crisis, often overlooked Cyprus is having a hard time dealing with them as well and now faces criticism from aid groups who said the arrivals are living in substandard conditions and being pushed into poverty.
A report from the Cyprus Refugee Council detailed the lives of destitution they face in the country’s only detention center, called Kofinou. The UNHCR, the United Nations’ refugee agency and other activist groups said it is overcrowded and deteriorating.
Following a recent policy change by the Asylum Service, Kofinou no longer accepts single male asylum seekers.
This means that, beyond 265 people hosted in Kofinou and 130 unaccompanied children residing in special shelters, the vast majority of applicants live outside of centers with more than 4,500 applying for international protection in 2017.
Shortages in accommodations and funds to help the refugees and migrants is making matters worse for them, with the UNCH and national civil society groups urged the government to increase aid to them.
The Cyprus Refugee Council, which joined in in the call, said, “We are deeply concerned with the decreasing ability of the reception system to accommodate the vital needs of asylum seekers in the country.”
It added: “The implementation of highly restrictive policies in regards to the level of social assistance and the access to the labor market, combined with the absence of an effective monitoring and support mechanism, has led to an increased homelessness problem among vulnerable asylum seekers.”
NEW YORK – Meropi Kyriacou, the new Principal of The Cathedral School in Manhattan, was honored as The National Herald’s Educator of the Year.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Sabreen Jouda came into the world seconds after her mother left it.
VENTURA, CA – Greek-American George Christie was featured on Fox News Digital (FND) for his time in the Hells Angels, recounting the moment he decided to quit the motorcycle club he had formerly led.
NICOSIA - The suspending of asylum applications from Syrian refugees on Cyprus has now been followed by President Nikos Christodoulides saying the island country that’s a member of the European Union can’t take any more in.
WASHINGTON - Although human rights groups have chided Greece’s record in dealing with refugees and migrants, alleging pushbacks the government denied happened, the US State Department said Greece’s record is essentially status quo.