All articles tagged with #migration
Samsung Messages has been discontinued in the US as of July 6, 2026, with users prompted to switch to Google Messages. The migration reportedly transfers message history and makes Google Messages the default app to access RCS features; Google Messages adds a Chat Themes feature, though some Samsung-specific features may be missing. A Samsung support page confirms the shutdown date for devices on Android 12+.
Ghana postponed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s planned August state visit due to the xenophobic anti-foreigner climate in South Africa, with Accra citing the current tensions. Ghana has repatriated over 900 of its citizens, and other African nations are likewise evacuating nationals. South Africa says it remains committed to cooperation and will work through diplomatic channels to agree a mutually convenient date for a future visit, amid ongoing disputes over deaths and residency documentation in the xenophobia row.
A photo gallery spotlights whale sharks—the world’s largest sharks and fish—docile filter feeders that grow to about 9–12 meters, feed by filtering vast volumes of water for tiny prey, migrate across oceans, and gather at key sites; the piece also notes reports of orcas hunting whale sharks in an astonishing new interaction.
Pope Leo XIV visited Lampedusa, thanking islanders and migrants for their solidarity amid Europe’s migration challenges, urged everyone to persevere beyond divisions, and highlighted the island’s role as a beacon of fraternity at the Mediterranean frontier.
Pope Leo XIV urged European leaders to rise to the ‘momentous challenge’ of migration during a visit to Lampedusa, calling for immediate relief, better conditions for new arrivals, and a long-term plan to receive, protect and integrate migrants while addressing root causes in home countries. He prayed at migrant graves and the Door of Europe memorial as EU moves toward tougher rules and deadly crossings persist, underscoring the need for a comprehensive, humanitarian approach.
Spain’s government says almost 1.175 million undocumented migrants applied for its mass regularisation scheme between mid‑April and June 30, with more than 600,000 already processed. Latin America accounted for about 67% of submissions (Colombia alone 25.9%), followed by Africa (22.9%), Morocco (13.3%), Venezuela (11.8%) and Peru (8.8%). Most applicants are under 45. If approved, they receive a work and residence permit valid in Spain, with authorities given three months to decide. The plan, backed by PM Pedro Sánchez to bolster labor‑intensive sectors, drew support from business groups but faced opposition from conservatives and far‑right opponents.
Anti-immigrant protests swept across South Africa as activists pressed migrants to leave by an unofficial deadline, with migrants rushing to depart and some facing vigilante violence; President Ramaphosa condemned the violence and officials warned against scapegoating migrants amid broader concerns about unemployment and inequality rooted in apartheid.
Google will deactivate the Tenor GIF API on June 30, keeping the Tenor site live but forcing third‑party platforms such as X, Discord, Bluesky and WhatsApp to migrate to alternative GIF pickers (like Giphy or Klipy). Google will still use Tenor internally in its own products, and no new API sign‑ups have been accepted since January 13. Some apps have begun switching, which could limit access to Tenor’s GIFs as libraries vary by platform; the move follows regulatory scrutiny of GIF providers and Meta’s prior divestment of Giphy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa urged anti-migrant protesters to march peacefully as an unofficial deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave South Africa approached, with thousands already departing amid fears of violence; migrants are awaiting processing in camps, and authorities warned organizers to avoid intimidation and violence as protests were authorized in several cities.
The article argues that Morocco’s deliberate recruitment of dual-national players across Europe—19 of their 26-man squad were born abroad—and the Netherlands’ evolving talent pipeline have turned the Netherlands–Morocco clash into a broader story about migration, belonging, and modern football, highlighted by Hakim Ziyech’s decision to play for Morocco over the Netherlands.
A 2025 UNSW-led Frontiers in Marine Science study analyzed neonate humpback calves across Australia and New Zealand, finding newborns well south of the previously accepted calving limit—up to 43°S in Tasmania—extending the observed calving area by about 1,500 km and showing some mothers birth during migration and continue north with their calves. This challenges the tidy model of migration with a fixed birth zone, has conservation implications due to exposure to ships and fishing along the extended route, and calls for further research on how often mid‑migration births occur and calf survival compared with births in traditional warmer grounds.
Thousands of Westerners are relocating to Russia to pursue what they perceive as traditional values through the government’s Shared Values visa, a three-year residency program for 47 'unfriendly' countries that requires only a declaration of shared spiritual and moral values and no language tests. While Moscow casts the policy as a defense of conservative family life amid international isolation, the scheme has drawn a few thousand applicants and a web of relocation services, with experiences ranging from safety and community to scams, limited information access, and economic uncertainty. Some migrants, like Leo Hare and Ben, report mixed outcomes—care and hospitality from ordinary Russians alongside disillusionment with Western freedoms and the realities of life in Russia.
EU renews temporary protection for about 4.4 million Ukrainians until March 2028 but will bar entry for military-age men under Kyiv's request; the measure is non-retroactive, asylum remains available under the general system, and it awaits formal adoption amid human-rights concerns raised by the Council of Europe.
Former New York City mayor Eric Adams’s chief of staff Frank Carone, his brother Anthony Carone, and two others were indicted on bribery, wire fraud and obstruction charges in a case alleging they steered federal funds for emergency migrant housing to a Queens hotel. The indictment says $120,000 was paid to Carone via his brother’s law firm to secure a multimillion-dollar shelter contract for the Microtel Inn by Wyndham, part of a federal grant program to house migrants; Carone’s lawyers say the evidence is circumstantial and he helped navigate the migrant crisis, not grant the contract.
Taliban officials and EU representatives met in Brussels in a rare closed-door session—the first Taliban-EU talks in Europe—under intense scrutiny over Afghan women’s rights. The Taliban delegation was issued visas with a limited Belgian stay, and EU and Belgian officials stressed the talks do not amount to recognition and are tied to migration/return policy debates; rights groups warned against legitimising the regime and urged discussions to prioritise Afghan women’s rights and humanitarian aid.