11 May 2015

EU proposes refugee-quota system: responsibility must be shared between member states

In the wake of migrant boat crises in the Mediterranean the European Commission has proposed a controversial Union-wide immigration policy. The proposal, which is set to launch on 13 May 2015, seeks to impose a quota system on the 28 member states requiring them to share the burden of ‘persons in clear need of international protection’ and ‘ensure a fair and balanced participation of all member states to this common effort’. The policy document lays down binding rules establishing a regime of refugee sharing among the member states based on a ‘key’. The system, drafted by EU Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos, determines the proportion of refugees each state is obliged to accept based on criteria ranging from rates of unemployment to national wealth. (more…)

Source: The Guardian | EU plans migrant quotas forcing states to 'share' burden

30 January 2013

Italy to pay compensation for failure to protect passenger jet from stray missile

Italy’s highest criminal court has ruled that Italian radar systems did not adequately protect jets from stray missiles, and that Italy must compensate the victims’ families. It held that there was “abundantly” clear evidence that a stray missile caused an Italian passenger jet to crash into the Mediterranean Sea in 1980, resulting in the death of all 81 people aboard.

It remains unclear who fired the missile. One theory is that the jet was caught in the crossfire of a military aerial fight, with a Libyan plane possibly the target. French, U.S. and NATO officials have denied military activity in the skies that night.

Source: The Washington Post | Italian court: Missile caused 1980 Mediterranean plane crash; Italy must pay compensation