MikeLigalig.com

Migrants arrive after crossing the border by foot. Their aim: to travel the 200 km or so from south to north, as close as possible to the border with Serbia. Another border to pass.



An orange train from the 1960s, nicknamed “Gorbachev”, sets off on the journey amid sweltering temperatures above 40 degrees centigrade. A ticket costs about 6 euros ($6.54).

I managed to squeeze my way through the train packed with people to a place where I could just stand on one foot. Viktor, 22, an economic migrant from Sierra Leone, asked: “Is the air conditioning going to start working?”



A few seconds of silence and everybody around started laughing. That train had no air conditioning…

Viktor, who was travelling with four friends all from home, had been working in Greece for the past few years. He decided to move on because of economic conditions there and is hoping to resettle in France or Switzerland.

When the train set off, I did all I could to move through the carriages to see the whole situation. People were generally numb from the heat and from lack of fresh air. Most of them were sleeping wherever they could find a place.



After two and a half carriages the way became impassable; babies were asleep on the floor and I could go no further.

In the journey of more than four hours, from one border to another, I witnessed scenes charged with emotion.

A woman cradled her baby, only 30 days old. The mother looked so tired: at one moment she was holding the child firmly and then started to nod off. I thought the baby would slip down and fall on the ground - thankfully not.

I fell into conversation with a well-educated gentleman called Mahmud, also a journalist, from a small village near Aleppo in Syria.

Thirty minutes later there we were, beneath a flickering strip light, talking Nietzsche and Fromm. I hadn’t expected to discuss philosophy of life when I set out on this assignment.

Mahmud, in his early 40s and travelling with his wife and child, has his sights set on Germany or the Netherlands.

“There’s no life in this country,” Mahmud quoted his father as telling him. “Go and make a better life for your son.”

Looking for a better life and for a brighter future for themselves and their children, this train journey of several hours was just one more step for these migrants. In many respects I found the time I spent travelling with them to be sad, so sad.




What I saw, heard and documented were cries for water, pained expressions on tired faces amid sleeplessness and hunger. Fathers looked nervous and mothers scared while children cried and shouted.

As the train stopped in a place called Tabanovce, close to the border with Serbia, Mahmud gathered his family and luggage, rushing to keep up with the group they were travelling with.

“How long does it take to Hungary?” he asked me.

http://widerimage.reuters.com/

Reuters / Wednesday, August 12, 2015
A migrant is rescued by an Italian Navy helicopter in the area where his boat sank in the Mediterranean Sea in this August 11, 2015 handout courtesy of the Italian Navy. Up to 50 migrants went missing after a large rubber dinghy sank in the Mediterranean Sea, Italian rescuers said on Wednesday, while more than 1,500 were picked up from other vessels in the past 24 hours. REUTERS/Italian Navy/Handout

Reuters / Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Vehicles are seen burning after blasts at Binhai new district in Tianjin municipality, China, August 13, 2015. Huge explosions hit an industrial area in the northeast Chinese port city of Tianjin late on Wednesday, triggering a blast wave felt kilometers away and injuring scores of people, Chinese media reported. REUTERS/Stringer

Reuters / Wednesday, August 12, 2015
People set fire to the effigy of the demon Ghantakarna, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal August 12, 2015. According to local folklore, the demon Ghantakarna is believed to "steal" children and women from their homes and localities. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

14 August 2015. US flag raised over reopened Cuba embassy in Havana (BBC)

The Cotopaxi volcano spews ash and vapor in the National Park Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Friday, Aug. 14, 2015. Four blasts inside the volcano sent ash shooting into the sky, coating highways, homes and cars just south of Ecuador's capital with a fine gray powder. (AP Photo/Dolores Ochoa)

17 August 2015. A bomb has exploded close to a shrine in the centre of Thailand's capital, Bangkok, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 120. (BBC)

Policemen disperse hundreds of migrants by spraying them with fire extinguishers during a registration procedure at the stadium of Kos town, on the southeastern island of Kos, Greece. AP/VOA

A foreign fishing boat confiscated for illegal fishing is blown up by the Indonesian Navy off of Lemukutan Island, West Kalimantan, Indonesia in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Reuters/VOA

Yasutaro Koide, 112, receives the Guinness World Records certificate as he is formally recognized as the world's oldest man at a nursing home in Nagoya, central Japan. AP/VOA

A wounded Ukrainian serviceman plays with a dog at a compound of the main military hospital in Kyiv.  A charity project initiated by the Canadian organizations, MSAR Service Dogs and Courageous Companions, provides training of service dogs for psychological rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans of the anti-terrorist operation in eastern Ukraine.  Reuters/VOA

A migrant man reacts as he is caught between Macedonian riot police officers and migrants during a clash near the border train station of Idomeni, northern Greece. Macedonia declared a state of emergency on its borders Thursday to deal with a massive influx of migrants heading north to Europe. AP/VOA

Tens of thousands of protesters from Gujarat’s Patel community participate in a rally in Ahmadabad, India, demanding affirmative action for better access to education and employment. AP/VOA

Lava flows out of the Piton de la Fournaise volcano, one of the world's most active volcanoes, as it erupts on the French island of La Reunion in the Indian Ocean. AFP/VOA

Thai officials arrange seized elephant tusks to be displayed before destruction in Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2015. Thai authorities destroyed more than 2 tons of seized and smuggled ivory on Wednesday, the latest move by the government to avoid possible economic sanctions over its perceived failure to tackle the illicit trade. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

An Indian sadhu or holy man looks on as he sits near the banks of the Godavari River during the Kumbh Mela festival in Nasik, India, August 30, 2015. Kumbh Mela, or the Kumbh Festival, is one of the biggest festivals in India, celebrated after twelve years in Nasik, during which Sadhus perform several rituals. (EPA/DIVYAKANT SOLANKI)

They crossed into Austria on foot - the Hungarian buses stopped before reaching the border and they had to walk the final stretch.

There were children and at least one man in a wheelchair.

They were exhausted. Some of them were limping, but many were smiling broadly - relieved to have finally left Hungary.

"Where are we?" one man shouted. "Austria," I replied. "Good," he said.

read more at http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34161109

Roszke village, Hungary, September 8, 2015. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

BUDAPEST (Reuters) - A camerawoman for a private television channel in Hungary was fired late on Tuesday after videos of her kicking and tripping up migrants fleeing police, including a man carrying a child, spread in the media and on the internet.

In separate videos, the woman, who was not named by the channel, is seen kicking a girl and tripping up the man carrying a child as hundreds of migrants, many of them Syrian refugees, broke away from police on Hungary's southern border with Serbia.

more at http://news.yahoo.com/hungarian-tv-journalist-fired-tripping-fleeing-migrants-070448311.html

Flowers float in the Mediterranean Sea in honor of migrants lost while making the perilous journey to Europe.

more at http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/27/africa/migrant-bodies-wash-up-in-libya/index.html?iref=obinsite

A woman holds a baby wearing a white skull cap, at the end of Pope Francis' weekly general audience, in St. Peter's Square, at the Vatican. (VoA/AP)

A leopard’s head gets stuck when it attempts to drink water from a pot in Rajsamand district of Rajasthan state, India. Forest officials tranquilized the animal and sawed off the pot later in the day. (VoA/AP)

Consumer rights activists take part in a march to protest against the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), mass husbandry and genetic engineering, in Berlin, Germany, October 10, 2015. The European Union is pursuing a trade accord with the United States, called the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), that would encompass a third of world trade and nearly half of global GDP. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A man cries over the body of a victim, at the site of an explosion in Ankara, Turkey, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015. The two bomb explosions targeting a peace rally in the capital Ankara has killed dozens of people and injured scores of others. The explosions occurred minutes apart near Ankara's main train station as people were gathering for the rally, organized by the country's public sector workers' trade union and other civic society groups. The rally aimed to call for an end to the renewed violence between Kurdish rebels and Turkish security forces. (AP Photo/Burhan Ozbilici)

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama arrives at a Tibetan school, his first public function after his return last week from Minnesota in the United States where he had a thorough medical checkup, in Dharmsala, India, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015. The Dalai Lama says he considers it most important to preserve the Buddhist culture that has helped Tibetan people live together even in exile. Many Tibetans fear that their culture may not endure for long and may weaken after the Dalai Lama is gone. (AP Photo/Ashwini Bhatia)

A Palestinian is pushed an Israeli policemen amid clashes in Hebron, West Bank, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015. A Palestinian teenager stabbed two Israelis in Jerusalem Saturday before being shot dead by police forces, the latest in a series of stabbing attacks against civilians and soldiers that have spread across Israel and the West Bank in the past week. The violence, including the first apparent revenge attack by an Israeli Friday and increasing protests by Israel's own Arab minority, has raised fears of the unrest spiraling further out of control. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukhi)

In this image made from video provided by Hadi Al-Abdallah, which has been verified and is consistent with other AP reporting, smoke rises after airstrikes in Kafr Nabel of the Idlib province, western Syria. Russian jets carried out a second day of airstrikes in Syria, but there were conflicting claims about whether they were targeting Islamic State and al-Qaeda militants or trying to shore up the defenses of President Bashar Assad. (AP/VoA)

Schoolchildren dressed as Mahatma Gandhi take part in an attempt to set a new Guiness World Record, for the largest gathering of people dressed as Gandhi, during celebrations to mark his 146th birth anniversary, in Bengaluru, India. (Reuters/VoA)

Bishops and cardinals pray as Pope Francis celebrates the opening Mass of the Synod of bishops, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. (AP/VoA)

Flood waters rise around a title loan store on Garners Ferry Road in Columbia, South Carolina, USA. South Carolina experienced a record rainfall, with at least 11.5 inches falling on Oct. 3. (AP/VoA)

2 Trucks cross a bridge shrouded in haze in Klang, Malaysia. The thick so-called "haze," caused by slash-and-burn clearances on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, has pushed air quality to unhealthy levels in Malaysia and neighboring Singapore. (Reuters/VoA)

North Korean fans in national colors sing their national anthem before their team's preliminary 2018 World Cup and 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualifying soccer match against Philippines at the Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang. (Reuters/VoA)

Opposition lawmakers in Kosovo disrupt Parliament's session by using tear gas and whistles, in the capital Pristina to protest against the government's recent EU-sponsored deal with Serbia giving the country's Serb-majority areas greater powers. (AP/VoA)

Family members of Korkmaz Tedik, a victim of bomb blasts, mourn over his coffin during a funeral ceremony in Ankara, Turkey. Thousands of people, many chanting anti-government slogans, gathered in central Ankara near the scene of bomb blasts which killed at least 95 people, mourning the victims of the most deadly attack of its kind on Turkish soil. (Reuters/VoA)

An injured Palestinian demonstrator is helped during clashes at the Hawara checkpoint near of the West Bank city of Nablus. At least 45 Palestinians were wounded by live bullets in clashes between university students and Israeli forces at the military checkpoint near Nablus, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. (AP/VoA)

Women dressed in traditional attire pose after taking part in rehearsals for the "garba" dance ahead of Navratri festival in Ahmedabad, India. Navratri, held in honor of Hindu Goddess Durga, is celebrated over a period of nine days where thousands of youths dance the night away in traditional costumes. (Reuters/VoA)

North Korean military participates in the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang. (Reuters/VoA)

Tuesday, 27 October 2015: The USS Lassen sailed within 12 nautical miles of artificial islands built by China in the South China Sea, says Beijing. Photograph: US Navy/Reuters

earlier:


This image from the US navy purportedly shows Chinese dredging vessels in the waters around Mischief reef in the disputed Spratly archipelago in May 2015. Photograph: Reuters

Paris terror attacks
friday the 13th, november 2015


Wounded people are evacuated outside the scene of a hostage situation at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, France
Picture: EPA

A casualty is evacuated from the Stade de France
Picture: Rex Features

A photograph published on social media with the caption : 'By the time the world sees this face it will be too late.'
Picture: Rex Features

Around 20 minutes later, French police confirmed two suicide attacks and one bombing near the Stade de France stadium. At least three people were believed to have died in those attacks near the stadium. Soon after that, there were reports of shots and explosions at the Bataclan theatre.
Picture: AFP


all photos of paris attacks from telegraph.co.uk

The simple image has gone on to become a symbol of hope and solidarity with the people of France, with thousands of people retweeting, recreating and reproducing the image across the world. Here are some examples from tributes and vigils from Hong Kong to Liverpool.
Picture: @Jean_Jullien

French soldiers patrol the La Defense business district in Paris
Picture: EPA/CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON

A young girl places her tribute outside the French Embassy in Madrid
Picture: REUTERS/Sergio Perez

A simple reproduction in Kiev, Ukraine
Picture: Demotix

A man wears a t-shirt with his own version of the drawing as he passes Berlin's Brandenberg Gate
Picture: AFP

Here, crowds gather in central Hong Kong holding versions of Mr Jullien's work
Picture: Kin Cheung/AP

A silent vigil outside the The Alliance Francaise in Bangkok
Picture: REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

French national Aurelian Renault holds an image similar to Jean Jullien's work as and others stand in tribute to the Paris fallen outside Liverpool Lime Street train station, north west England
Picture: AFP

The steps of the French Embassy in London
Picture: AFP


all images of peace to paris tributes from telegraph.co.uk

Belgian soldiers patrol Brussels' Grand Place on November 22, 2015, after security was tightened in Belgium following the fatal attacks in Paris. Belgium widened its search on Sunday for armed Islamist extremists whose presence has put Brussels on maximum alert, with officials saying more than one militant was at large in the city. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)

A combination picture shows portraits of victims displayed on various sites of last week's Paris attacks, France, November 22, 2015. (REUTERS/Christian Hartmann)

Pope Francis opens the holy door of the Bangui cathedral, Central African Republic, Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015. Pope Francis is in Africa for a six-day visit that is taking him to Kenya, Uganda and the Central African Republic. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A man carries a dog as he wades through a flooded street in Chennai, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, December 3, 2015. (REUTERS/Anindito Mukherjee)