UK bows to pressure,to take in more Syrians

LONDON: British Prime Minister David Cameron relented to pressure from the EU on Friday and announced that the UK will take in many more Syrian refugees.
Calling migration the biggest challenge facing countries across Europe today, Cameron said that in July alone, 100,000 people crossed the Mediterranean to Europe. Cameron said he would announce next week on how these refugees who would be given entry would be resettled.Though the PM did not announce the exact numbers to be allowed entry, the UN said it would add to around 4,000. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, told Cameron that Scotland was willing to take in 1,000 refugees as a starting point.
Cameron said: “We have accepted around 5,000 Syrians and have introduced a specific resettlement scheme to help those refugees particularly at risk. And given the scale of the crisis and the suffering of the people, today I can announce that we will do more — providing resettlement for thousands more Syrian refugees.”
According to Britain’s estimates, in the first six months of this year, more than 220,000 people were detected crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. The UN high commissioner for refugees Antonio Guterres called on EU to admit up to 200,000 refugees as part of a mass relocation programme. He said that Europe was facing a moment of truth and this “is the time to reaffirm the values upon which it was built”.
“More than 300,000 people have risked their lives to cross the Mediterranean Sea so far this year. Over 2,600 didn’t survive the dangerous crossing,” Guterres said.