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Switzerland

Does Aid To Poor Countries Stop The Flow Of Immigration?

LE TEMPS (Switzerland)

Worldcrunch

BERN - A study by Swiss foreign policy think-tank Foraus says that aid development policies in poor countries have no direct effect on reducing immigration flows, Le Temps reports.

The study found that most migrants come from countries that are already emerging or developed, but where there aren't enough jobs, like Tunisia or Turkey, not from much poorer countries such as Mali or Sierra Leone. As a result, aid policies that focus on these poorer countries have little to no effect on immigration.

"This thesis strengthens our opposition to the parliament's attempt to tie Swiss aid to the beneficiary countries' efforts to curb departures," Peter Niggli, director of a Swiss aid NGO conglomerate, told Le Temps.

There is an "immigration bump" when the average income per inhabitant is between $1,500 and $8,000 per year, as people gather enough resources to emigrate.

"This exploiting cooperation for interior political gain is dangerous because it generates the false hope of a quick regulation of immigration," said Stefan Schlegel, one of the study's authors. "It also risks diverting aid away from its main goal: reducing poverty in the most impoverished countries."

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FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

This is a tale of a Ukrainian special forces operator who wound up surviving 14 hours at sea, staying afloat and dodging Russian air and sea patrols.

Black Sea Survivor: Tale Of A Ukrainian Special Agent Thrown Overboard In Enemy Waters

Looking at the Black Sea in Odessa, Ukraine.

Rustem Khalilov and Roksana Kasumova

KYIV — During a covert operation in the Black Sea, a Ukrainian special agent was thrown overboard and spent the next 14 hours alone at sea, surrounded by enemy forces.

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The agent, who uses the call-sign "Conan," agreed to speak to Ukrainska Pravda, to share the details of nearly being lost forever at sea. He also shared some background on how he arrived in the Ukrainian special forces. Having grown up in a village in a rural territory of Ukraine, Conan describes himself as "a simple guy."

He'd worked in law enforcement, personal security and had a job as a fitness trainer when Russia launched its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. That's when he signed up with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Main Directorate of Intelligence "Artan" battalion. It was nearly 18 months into his service, when Conan faced the most harrowing experience of the war. Here's his first-hand account:

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