National News N 03
WEDNESDAY, October 9th 2013
News Zpvs!pvumppl!po!uif!Xpsme
the
National News
ON THIS DATE IN
1973
Elvis and Priscilla Presley divorced six years after marrying
Continued from PAGE TWO
EU proposes migrant rescue mission Between January 1st and September 30th this year, 30,100 migrants reached Italy on boats from North Africa, the UN's refugee agency UNHCR says. The biggest groups were from Syria (7,500 in total), Eritrea (7,500) and Somalia (3,000).
Both Syria and Somalia have been ripped apart by war, while in Eritrea thousands are either imprisoned on political grounds or face conscription into the army.
Under international law refugees fleeing persecution have a right to asylum, but when hundreds of migrants come ashore the authorities have the difficult task of identifying the genuine asylum seekers. Often they lack papers to prove their nationality or place of origin.
more. Equally, member states differ very much in the way they assess asylum requests. In fact, the situation is extremely arbitrary. The recognition rates differ seriously: for Sudanese asylum seekers the rate is 2% in Spain, whereas it is 68% in Italy.
Lampedusa is overburdened with migrants – the island's normal population is just 6,000 and its migrant reception centre has a capacity of just 250. The capacity was reduced after a fire there in 2011.
Reception centres in Sicily and mainland Italy are better equipped, but "there is always a need to enlarge the centres because the system is under a lot of pressure now", Federico Fossi of the UNHCR in Rome said.
He said the Lampedusa centre provides basic help for migrants – food, clothes and medical attention, including psychological care. Many of those who arrive there have survived ordeals at sea, or at the hands of ruthless peopletraffickers, and are traumatised by that and the abuses they have fled
in Africa or the Middle East.
The UNHCR has urged Italy to transfer Lampedusa migrants from the centre there to others in Italy after 48 hours maximum. It has welcomed an Italian plan to expand those centres to a capacity of 16,000, from the current 3,000.
Spain at bottom of basic skills class
Spain and Italy are at the bottom of a new ranking of basic literacy and numeracy skills, in a survey 166,000 adults in 24 countries to assess their reading, numeracy and problem-solving abilities. The survey by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), released on Tuesday showed that more than one in four Spaniards and Italians performed at or below the most basic level of reading. On numeracy, almost one in three adults in Spain and Italy performed at or below the most basic level.
Andreas Schleicher, coordinator of the study and the OECD's deputy director for education and skills, told a news conference: "Overall, these two countries are quite severely challenged. Those skills are the foundation
on which everything else is built."
He said the survey was the first of its kind to measure people's actual skills and how they are used at work instead of estimating them based on their educational backgrounds. He added that the survey confirmed earlier OECD research that high-quality initial schooling is an important predictor of success in adult life.
It found that millions of adults – between 7 per cent and 27 per cent in
participating countries – were unable to master even simple computer skills such as using a mouse. Mr Schleicher said "developing and harnessing skills improves employment and job prospects, boosts economic growth and improves the quality of life." In addition to Spain and Italy, the OECD report said Canada, England, Ireland and the United States need to do more to make adult learning more accessible, especially in the workplace.
COHESA CONSULTING ASESORES
Company set-ups, payroll, accountancy & book keeping. We provide tax & Social Security advice for companies, self employed and individuals -
IN YOUR LANGUAGE!
952 451 318
952 453 699
mjhevilla@cohesa.es
The EU's Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem believes "there is a strong need for a common European asylum policy", as 90% of asylum seekers are taken in by just 10 EU countries.
"That means that 17 countries could do much
"Such disparities are not acceptable in an EU where we have signed the same international conventions and unite around the same values," she said.
Zf!Pmf!Cvudifsz All your favourite cuts of meat Hand-made burgers and sausages BBQ packs now available. Refrigerated delivery service to all areas available Call Martin for telephone orders on 671 464 400 Avda Blas Infante, Alhaurin el Grande