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European leaders should do more to open up and help migrants instead of using language that dismisses their rights, a UN expert on migrant rights has said. Talking about “marauders” and “swarms” was an unsubtle way of dismissing their legitimacy, said Francois Crepeau. European countries should open official channels and their labour markets to migrants because building fences would not ...

Police in Germany say a school sports hall intended as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers has burned down in a suspected arson attack. Investigators believe the fire in Nauen, west of Berlin, was started deliberately. No-one was injured. Far-right protesters have demonstrated against asylum seekers in the area. German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier condemned violent protests at an asylum ...

A British man caught up in the foiled train attack near Arras in northern France has criticised the actions of the train’s staff. Jamie Robinson, a medical researcher, told the BBC’s World Have Your Say programme that passengers were abandoned by the staff, who ran and locked themselves away in a service room. His experience tallies with that of French ...

Kolkata’s historic homes reflect a rich architectural heritage – where European styles are blended with mix of colonial and Indian influences. But they are now under threat, as Divya Guha reports. I’m standing on the roof terrace of a 150-year-old bungalow in India’s eastern city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta): a rambling establishment, beautiful but unkempt and sadly disintegrating in places. ...

Islamic State (IS) has published images of what appears to be the destruction of the Temple of Baalshamin at the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria. The photos showing militants rigging the temple with explosives and a large explosion were circulated by the jihadist group’s supporters. Syrian officials and activists said on Sunday that it had been blown up. The ...

China has cut its main interest rate to boost growth in its economy. The People’s Bank of China cut its main interest rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4.6% in an effort to calm stock markets after two days of turmoil. It is the fifth interest rate cut since November and will take effect on Wednesday. The move has boosted ...

The Chinese firm whose warehouse in Tianjin exploded last week killing at least 114 people did not have a licence to handle hazardous chemicals until two months ago, Xinhua news agency says. It also said that for eight months before June, Tianjin International Ruihai Logistics handled hazardous chemicals without the right documents. Nearly 700 people were injured in Wednesday’s devastating ...

The number of refugees seeking asylum in Germany could surge to 750,000 this year, according to reports citing official projections. The government in Berlin had earlier forecast that 450,000 asylum seekers could arrive in 2015, but is now set to increase that to 650,000 or higher. Germany has seen a wave of migration from Syria and the Balkans. UN High ...

Turkey’s prime minister says he has exhausted all options to form a coalition government after talks with the nationalist MHP failed, pushing the country closer to fresh elections. Ahmet Davutoglu said he would return the mandate to the president. The main opposition CHP said it should now be given the mandate to form a new government. The political uncertainty comes ...

A German parliamentary vote on the controversial third Greek bailout on Wednesday has been overshadowed by an expected rebellion in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right party. The Christian Democrats (CDU) and their Bavarian CSU allies are divided over the €86bn ($95bn; £61bn) bailout. Some MPs suspect that part of the Greek debt will be written off – a “haircut”, which could ...