PARIS (AP) — The Latest on Europe migration issues (all times local):
11:25 a.m.
Starbucks has announced plans to hire 2,500 refugees in its European stores by 2022, as part of a global program announced in January.
The Seattle-based coffee house chain said Tuesday that the figure will be part of Starbuck’s commitment to hire 10,000 refugees around the world.
Starbucks said it will work with agencies that aid refugees in eight countries to launch the hirings. They are Britain, France, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Germany and the Netherlands.
The Refugee Council, which works for refugee rights in Britain, welcomed the partnership, saying it could “make a positive difference to the lives of refugees.” The council’s head, Maurice Wren, said that “refugees bring an incredible wealth of skills, knowledge and experience which are hugely beneficial to society.”
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10:25 a.m.
French authorities say a truck driver was killed in a highway accident prompted by a roadblock installed by migrants trying to board trucks traveling across to Britain.
The administration for the Pas-de-Calais region said in a statement that nine Eritrean migrants have been detained.
It says that migrants placed tree trunks on the A16 highway leading to Calais early Tuesday, forcing three large trucks to stop. It said a smaller truck then crashed into one of those trucks and caught on fire. The driver’s identity is unclear.
Such roadblocks have caused accidents in the past but this is the first time they have been linked to a death, according to an official with the regional administration who was not authorized to be publicly named.
