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Netherlands struggles with housing & migration crisis ‘perfect storm’

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Netherlands struggles with housing & migration crisis ‘perfect storm’

Dutch nationals are competing with migrants for social housing places due to a lack of options.

A “perfect storm” of increases in asylum requests and a lack of affordable housing is causing migrants and Dutch nationals to effectively compete for places to live in the Netherlands.

A strong increase in asylum requests during 2022 led to the opening of some emergency reception centres across the country to help mitigate this crisis, but it has not helped to contain it. 

“There were no beds, so people were staying outside and then the Red Cross stepped in,” Bastiaan van Blokland from the Dutch Red Cross told Euronews.

“And since then, we have become basically an integral part of the structure of refugees shelter.

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“We run shelters now in coordination with the government to make sure that there’s always a stable and permanent amount of beds for refugees.”

At these centres, people get three meals per day and weekly pocket money of €12. Some of them have been waiting for more than a year for their asylum request to be assessed.

They can go out during the day and work for a maximum of 12 weeks per year, but many spend their days in the centre’s recreation room.

Syrians are the most common among asylum seekers here and at a national level. Euronews spoke to Yara, who fled the civil war in her home country. She said that the situation is not easy.

“My husband and my kids are in Syria, and I didn’t see them for nine months, which is so difficult for me,” Yara said.

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“And until now, I have to account for another year in order to see them. I hope it won’t be more than one year.”

Those who eventually gain refugee status are entitled by law to private accommodation and reunification with their family. 

But the shortage of housing means that many people are kept on the waiting list and stuck at overcrowded reception centres.

Ships once used for luxury cruises are also now hosting hundreds of people in the port of Amsterdam, as they wait for answers to their asylum requests.

Indeed, the Dutch government tried to introduce different protection statuses in order to avoid granting every refugee the immediate right of family reunification. This is what ended up splitting opinions within the coalition which collapsed earlier this month. 

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“There’s a housing crisis – simply not enough affordable housing in this country, especially in the larger cities, but basically everywhere,” Jeroen Doomernik, an associate professor of political science at the University of Amsterdam told Euronews.

“This means also that there’s big competition between people who are eligible for social housing, the Dutch natives eligible for affordable social housing – there’s a competition between those needs and those of recognised refugees.”

According to Doomernik, this kind of “perfect storm”, caused by inflation and environmental issues prevents new houses from being built and is also what created the tensions under which the Dutch government fell. 

He added that it is likely to influence the elections to be held on November 23.

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No fairytale return to Germany for Lewandowski

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No fairytale return to Germany for Lewandowski
Given Germany is where Robert Lewandowski forged his fearsome reputation, Euro 2024 would have been a fitting arena for the Polish poacher to add significant gloss to an illustrious career and potentially end his international playing days on a high.
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Medical intern surprises would-be sexual abuser with hidden talent: 'Those lessons saved my life'

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Medical intern surprises would-be sexual abuser with hidden talent: 'Those lessons saved my life'

A medical intern in Thailand fought off a drunk nurse who tried to grope her one night, busting out fighting skills that helped her kick her would-be assaulter to the curb. 

“I have been doing Muay Thai boxing since I was a kid,” Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22, told reporters. “I know how to kick, knee and punch someone. I know how to wrestle with them. It was my instinctive reaction to protect myself.”

“I’m lucky my grandfather taught me self-defense skills when I was a young girl,” she added. “Those lessons saved my life.”

CCTV footage from around midnight shows the 30-year-old male nurse approaching Petcharaporn from behind as she picked up some food before leaving for the night. He first circles behind her as though just wandering around the area aimlessly before turning and reaching for her.

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ANIMAL CARETAKERS IN THAILAND ‘SHOCKED’ AFTER SURPRISE BIRTH OF RARE TWIN ELEPHANTS

Petcharaporn Phadungjai, a 22-year-old medical intern in Thailand, fought off a would-be sexual abuser with Muay Thai.  (ViralPress)

As soon as the nurse’s arms wrap around the intern, she grabs him and drives him back towards the far wall. He keeps a strong grip on her, but as soon as she faces him, she drives her knee into his groin, giving herself a chance to pull free.

Once separated, she kicks him again, striking him in the stomach before setting into a defensive stance and yelling at him to back off. 

DOZENS ARRESTED AS THAI POLICE DISMANTLE CRIME NETWORK THAT FACILITATED LONG-TERM STAYS FOR FOREIGNERS

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Medical intern assault

A petite Thai medical intern used Muay Thai kicks to fight off a drunk male nurse assaulting her in a hospital. Speaking out publicly for the first time since the incident, Petcharaporn Phadungjai, 22 (pictured) said she was working a nightshift when the colleague crept up behind her and groped her in Samut Prakan, Thailand. But he was unaware that her hobby is Muay Thai boxing, and she kneed him in the crotch then kicked him in the stomach to subdue the alleged attacker. 

The hospital reported the incident to the police and fired the nurse as allegations that he had similarly harassed other female interns emerged, ViralPress reported. 

Petcharaporn said she had ordered dinner but could not pick it up herself, so the nurse, who was drinking at a neighboring food stall, offered to bring it to her. She had to go to the general ward, because men are not allowed in the women’s ward. 

THAI TOWN OVERRUN BY WILD MONKEYS LAUNCHES CAPTURE AND RELOCATION OPERATION

Bangkok tournament fighters

Muay Thai fighters warm up ahead of a Rajadamnern World Series Muay Thai tournament at Rajadamnern Muay Thai Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on March 9, 2024.  (Valeria Mongelli/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“When he arrived, he told me to scan the QR code to pay for the food,” Petcharaporn said. “I placed the phone on the desk, and that’s when he grabbed me from behind.”

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She alleged that the nurse had flirted with her during her internship, often calling her “darling” or indicating he liked her, but she had treated it as teasing. She also revealed that she feared that he would try to rape her if she didn’t fight him off. 

Thailand suffers a significant sexual violence problem, with at least seven women sexually assaulted or abused per day, according to a report from the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRC). 

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Houthis claim attack on ship that docked in Israel

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Houthis claim attack on ship that docked in Israel

Houthis say the commercial vessel was targeted for using an Israeli port as they step up their campaign in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Houthis in Yemen say they launched attacks on a commercial vessel after it used an Israeli port, and on a US aircraft carrier ordered home after months of responding to sea attacks launched because of the war on Gaza.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman of the Iran-aligned group, said in a televised announcement on Saturday the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Transworld Navigator was directly hit by ballistic missiles in the Arabian Sea.

“The ship was targeted because the company that owns it violated the ban of entry into the ports of occupied Palestine,” he said, alluding to an earlier threat that all ships docking at Israeli ports would be considered targets.

The attack came after the sinking this week of the ship MV Tutor, which appears to mark a new escalation in the campaign against commercial vessels in vital maritime corridors.

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Saree also claimed an attack using ballistic and cruise missiles on the USS Eisenhower, which has led US Navy operations in the region since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.

Saree said “the operation has achieved its objectives successfully” without elaborating. One unnamed US official told Reuters news agency the claim “is incorrect”.

The Houthis and social media accounts supporting them have repeatedly falsely claimed to hit or even sink the aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

The announcement came shortly after US officials reportedly ordered the USS Eisenhower to return home after more than eight months of deployment, with another aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific set to replace it.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported on Friday that a vessel was attacked 126 nautical miles (233km) east of Aden in Yemen. It said the master reported “explosions in the vicinity of the vessel” and the crew is safe.

The Houthis pledged to continue their military operations, which they have said are in support of Palestinians and will only stop when the siege of Gaza is lifted.

The group has launched more than 60 attacks, sunk two commercial ships, seized another, and attacked dozens more since the start of the war.

In March, the Houthis killed three people after one of its antiship ballistic missiles set the Barbados-flagged True Confidence on fire.

The US and United Kingdom militaries have launched air raids across Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to weaken the group’s military capabilities.

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