Calais Refugees

France's interior minister rejected calls from charities for a new migrant reception centre in the northern port of Calais, where hundreds who have fled war and poverty are again roaming the streets in search of food and shelter.

A sea of migrants lined up at reception centres set up by French authorities near the Calais migrant camp, ready to be transferred by buses to refugee centers all over France.

More than 8,000 refugees, many of whom have walked thousands of kilometres to escape from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan are lodging in the French port town of Calais before they can cross over to Britain, about 33 km away, via the English tunnel. But chances of a violent confrontation with the French authorities are building ...

President Francois Hollande will Monday visit the notorious "Jungle" camp near Calais, which he has vowed to close despite growing controversy over the fate of thousands of desperate migrants at the squalid settlement.

French authorities will dismantle the remaining half of the "Jungle" migrant camp near Calais "as quickly as possible" as the town struggles to cope with a new wave of arrivals, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said today.

Migrant protesters were due in a French court today after occupying a cross-Channel ferry, as charities warned thousands could be affected by plans to evict half of Calais' "Jungle" refugee camp.

Eight protesters, including six migrants, were due in a French court on Monday after breaking through a barrier and boarding a ferry in Calais, as the government hardens its position on refugees in the so-called "Jungle" camp.

France's interior minister today reinforced security in the port city of Calais and said women and children would be given heated tents as migrants and refugees in a makeshift camp face the bitter cold.

From the Calais beach, England's Dover Cliffs are visible on a clear day as pearly dots on the horizon. The English Channel or La Manche as it's called in the French side, is the narrowest here, about 33 Kms. Migrants and refugees flock to this town in the hope of getting across through the Eurotunnel.

On the eastern edge of Calais in France, just off the highway, in what used to be a landfill and is now called "the jungle", about 3,500 refugees live in makeshift camps. No one here is aware of the tragic story of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose photo, lying lifeless on a beach in Turkey, has sent shockwaves around the world.

The British government was to hold an emergency meeting today to grapple with a migrant crisis on its doorstep, as police in northern France blocked at least 200 people from reaching the Channel tunnel.

More than 7,000 migrants have been arrested in Calais trying to illegally cross the Channel into Britain in the first half of 2014, more than double the figure a year ago, officials said on Friday.

France's interior minister rejected calls from charities for a new migrant reception centre in the northern port of Calais, where hundreds who have fled war and poverty are again roaming the streets in search of food and shelter.

A sea of migrants lined up at reception centres set up by French authorities near the Calais migrant camp, ready to be transferred by buses to refugee centers all over France.

More than 8,000 refugees, many of whom have walked thousands of kilometres to escape from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan are lodging in the French port town of Calais before they can cross over to Britain, about 33 km away, via the English tunnel. But chances of a violent confrontation with the French authorities are building ...

President Francois Hollande will Monday visit the notorious "Jungle" camp near Calais, which he has vowed to close despite growing controversy over the fate of thousands of desperate migrants at the squalid settlement.

French authorities will dismantle the remaining half of the "Jungle" migrant camp near Calais "as quickly as possible" as the town struggles to cope with a new wave of arrivals, Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said today.

Migrant protesters were due in a French court today after occupying a cross-Channel ferry, as charities warned thousands could be affected by plans to evict half of Calais' "Jungle" refugee camp.

Eight protesters, including six migrants, were due in a French court on Monday after breaking through a barrier and boarding a ferry in Calais, as the government hardens its position on refugees in the so-called "Jungle" camp.

France's interior minister today reinforced security in the port city of Calais and said women and children would be given heated tents as migrants and refugees in a makeshift camp face the bitter cold.

From the Calais beach, England's Dover Cliffs are visible on a clear day as pearly dots on the horizon. The English Channel or La Manche as it's called in the French side, is the narrowest here, about 33 Kms. Migrants and refugees flock to this town in the hope of getting across through the Eurotunnel.

On the eastern edge of Calais in France, just off the highway, in what used to be a landfill and is now called "the jungle", about 3,500 refugees live in makeshift camps. No one here is aware of the tragic story of Aylan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose photo, lying lifeless on a beach in Turkey, has sent shockwaves around the world.

The British government was to hold an emergency meeting today to grapple with a migrant crisis on its doorstep, as police in northern France blocked at least 200 people from reaching the Channel tunnel.

More than 7,000 migrants have been arrested in Calais trying to illegally cross the Channel into Britain in the first half of 2014, more than double the figure a year ago, officials said on Friday.