Cultural globalization

The number of refugees and migrants stranded on northern Aegean islands reached 10,938 people on Saturday, according to figures released by Greek police on the same day, state news agency ANA-MPA reported.

According to the report, the figure referred to refugees and migrants who had applied for asylum but whose applications had not been processed.

Figures published on Thursday by the Greek Asylum Service showed that the number of applications for protection spiked by 593 percent in November compared with the monthly average for 2015.

More than a third of Bulgarian households still have no internet access at home, national statistics reveal.

Speaking at a Christian Democratic Union (CDU) regional conference in Neumünster on Friday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that around 100,000 migrants whose applications for asylum were rejected will be leaving Germany for their home countries.

The procedure for the voluntary repatriation of 50 Afghanis who have arrived in Bulgaria illegally has been launched.

Another 200 will also be repatriated after their documents have been processed.

This was decided at a meeting with outgoing PM Boyko Borisov.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has stated that Turkish threats of reneging on the migrant agreement, unless Turkish citizens are allowed visa-free travel for short-term trips to the EU, have no effect on him, reported NOVA.

Migration Minister Yiannis Mouzalas Tuesday inaugurated a new center for unaccompanied migrant minors in Paiania, east of Athens, saying the facility would host up to 100 children, while noting that hundreds of others remain in reception centers across the country.

Four more asylum requests filed by the eight Turkish soldiers who fled to Greece a day after the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July, were rejected on Tuesday by a court of first instance. One of them has reportedly lodged an appeal.

Alternate Foreign Minister Nikos Xydakis is promoting the speedier issue of visas by Greek consular services in the 10 most important markets for Greek tourism where such paperwork is required.

This follows the improvement in the time taken for visas to be issued this year in Russia, with the use of biometric data.

Bulgarian kids spend 80% of their time on the Internet, showed data of the Child Protection Agency and the National Safer Internet Centre.

Over 30% of children have a correspondence with strangers via personal messages. 80% are willing to lie about their age in order to get access to prohibited content, one-fifth discover pornographic websites accidentally.