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TRIPOLI - The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is alarmed by the latest developments in Libya where, in the span of 48 hours, at least nine boats carrying more than 600 migrants have been discovered on the central Mediterranean route. A tenth boat arrived today in Lampedusa, Italy.

This apparent spike in departures from Libya comes at a time when the capital, Tripoli, and surrounding areas are witnessing some of the heaviest shelling since the conflict erupted in April.

IOM is deeply concerned about the safety of migrants who are vulnerable to clashes, human trafficking and abuse as the security situation further deteriorates, said Federico Soda, IOM Libya Chief of Mission.

Libya is not a safe port; there is a need for a predictable and safe disembarkation mechanism for migrants fleeing violence and abuse.

IOM renews its call to the European Union and the African Union, for an urgent shift in approach to the situation in Libya. Immediate action must be taken to dismantle the detention system and find alternative solutions to safeguard lives.

Between Tuesday (29/11) and Thursday (21/11), operators of the Ocean Viking and Open Arms NGO vessels reported rescuing 287 migrants. IOM Libya confirms that the Libyan Coast Guard returned 289 others to shore including 14 children and 33 women; they were transferred to a detention centre. IOM staff who provided emergency assistance at the disembarkation point described the migrants as vulnerable and scared.

Forty-three others were picked up by the Tunisian authorities off the coast of Djerba on Thursday morning. A further 74 migrants also arrived at Lampedusa today. According to IOM Staff in both locations, the boats departed from Zwara, Libya.

IOM Libya is unable to verify reports Wednesday night that another vessel sank with a significant loss of life.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 8,600 migrants have been returned to often overcrowded Libyan detention centres where the United Nations has documented unacceptable conditions, violations of human rights and disappearances.

The Latest- Early Thursday morning Tunisia authorities discovered 43 people in a boat off the coast of Djerba.

The NGO rescue vessel Open Arms rescued 73 people and, Ocean Viking a further 90.

IOM staff in Lampedusa reported the arrival of a wooden boat carrying 74 migrants.

On Wednesday, Ocean Viking rescued a further 30 people and the Libyan Coast Guard returned 289 people from four boats.

On Tuesday, Ocean Viking NGO vessel rescued 94 people.

For more information, please contact Safa Msehli at IOM Geneva: Tel:+41794035526; Email: smsehli@iom.int

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IOM: Urgent Shift Needed in Approach to the Situation in Libya - Libya - ReliefWeb

Rwanda: Third group of refugees arrive from Libya

A third group of refugees evacuated from detention centres in Libya have arrived in Rwanda.

With the help of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), Rwanda has welcomed 116 vulnerable refugees, including several babies, the agency said on Monday. The group mostly consists of refugees from Eritrea, with smaller numbers from Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan and South Sudan.

The group arrived at Kigali International Airport on Sunday night from an evacuation flight organised by UNHCR. The agency says around two-thirds of the group are under the age of 18 years old, the vast majority of whom have been separated from their parents and wider families.

UNHCR expressed gratitude for the support it received in the latest evacuation.

UNHCR is grateful for support of Libyan, Rwandan and Nigerien authorities, and from the African Union, through the Emergency Transit Mechanism (ETM), it said in a statement on Monday. UNHCR also welcomes the recent donation of US$10 million from the European Union towards the Rwanda ETM, helping us move more vulnerable refugees out of Libya and to safety.

However, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, says the growing need to evacuate refugees from Syria means UNHCR needs the help of supporting countries to get them out.

As violence in Tripoli intensifies, these evacuations have never been more urgent, he was quoted as saying in the statement. But with thousands of refugees still at risk in detention centres and urban areas in Libya, we need states to help us get more refugees out of the country much more quickly.

UNHCR says around 4,500 refugees and asylum seekers continue to be held in detention centres in Libya, including people newly-detained people who have been intercepted or rescued by the Libyan Coast Guard.

Featured image: By UNHCR http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=5518123

Aaron Brooks is a UK journalist who wants to cut out the international agendas in news. Spending his early years in both England and Northern Ireland he saw the difference between reality and media coverage at an early age. After graduating from the University of Chester with a BA in journalism, his travels revealed just how large the gap between news and the real world can be. As Editor-in-Chief at East Africa Monitor, its his job to provide a balanced view of whats going on in the region for English-speaking audiences.View all posts by Aaron Brooks

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Rwanda: Third group of refugees arrive from Libya - East Africa Monitor

Last night, the House of Waris spilled the tea. For more than five years, the brands founder Waris Ahluwalia (who you may associate with his now-defunct line of jewelryor maybe his Wes Anderson filmsor maybe as a fixture of downtown Manhattan) has been fully immersed in all things herbal as he developed a line of organic, botanical blends of tea. Now launched and available online (and soon at his tea salon in Chelsea), Ahluwalia needed to celebrate.

And so last night he hosted a tea partytiered stands, cups and saucers, and allat hallowed Manhattan hot spot the Top of the Standard, inviting only his closest. Naturally, there was a queue around the block comprised of friends eager to congratulate Ahluwalia on his latest endeavor.

Once inside, everyone from Katie Holmes to Leigh Lezark took turns about the gold-flecked carpets, touring the venues nooks and crannies, which were dedicated (via neon signs) to three of the House of Waris blends: Night of Nights, Love Conquers All, and Sweet Clarity. There were adorable mini tea sandwiches to be enjoyed and teas to be sipped. Of course, there was also Champagne and such, and bartenders mixing up tea-infused cocktails. All this and a surprise performance by crooner Caroline Vreeland, whose honey voice felt appropriately soothing.

It was certainly the place to be last night. But for Ahluwalia, it was much more than a party. It was the culmination of years of work, which he undertook in large part because of his mother (who was by his side all evening). House of Waris Botanicals is about thoughtful living and the idea that one neednt have to pop Champagne to celebrate. They could also sip a warm cup of rose, Shatavari, saffron, and damiana tea.

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Waris Ahluwalia Hosted a Midnight Tea Party at the Top of the Standard - Vogue

Wont you join us for a moment as my daughters and I go to our ladies tea party?

First, Ill tell you why we had this special occasion.

For the past year, us ladies each had one of the girls, down to the first graders, as our secret sister. Every now and then, wed take a gift along to church or a gathering of some sort and smuggle it somewhere on a shelf when no one was watching. The package had our secret sisters name on it written in block letters in an attempt to hide our handwriting.

At last, it was time for the secret sister revealing; all the ladies and girls were invited for the event.

Each of us ladies helped furnish food for a tea party dinner for them. The tables were decorated with a long burlap strip down the center, little candles, strip lights, flowers, and at each plate a homemade mini crispy candy topped with a dab of chocolate and a peanut butter ball perched on top. Each place setting was marked with their name chalked onto a small black plate hanging from the ceiling directly above their chairs.

Even the preschool girls sat a decorated table. Rayni was utterly impressed when she discovered a spot with her name on it. The atmosphere just had a coziness and warmth all its own as we sang several hymns before we thanked God for the food and enjoyed the tea party together.

Each dish was served in dainty tea party fashion.

First, we passed cute little sticky buns and tortilla wedges topped with cheese and sausage, then there were cucumber slices with a dab of the most delicious bacon dip on top. Next came these dainty little diamond-shaped finger jellos pieces. The pieces were then fitted together, forming a flower. Then there were little cream puffs followed by mini pecan pies, all of which had a small scoop of ice cream on top.

Its like my mom would say, You almost have to be a lady to appreciate the delicacy, the tastiness, and the time that was dedicated to preparing everything. After the meal, one of the ministers wives shared some thoughts on prayer. She concluded it with, And I am thankful that our prayers will still reach to heaven on each others behalf even after we have moved 1,700 miles.

It was a beautiful thought; we will all miss their family after they have moved to Montana next spring.

A few other ladies shared more thoughts on prayer when one of the ladies concluded with, And we do want to give recognition that today is a special day.

With that, they all sang Happy Birthday for me. Do you know the squirmy feeling of being in the center of attention, yet you did appreciate it? That was me. After the song, some of us started washing dishes. I was pre rinsing when my cousin, Eunice, came up to me and said, Come with me.

OK, what is going on? I asked.

She didnt give my question any satisfaction as she linked her arm in mine and just told me to come with her. As we rounded the corner, my eyes fell on the kitchen table, literally full of all sorts of food dishes.

You turned 30 today, right? There should be 30 dishes, she stated.

I could hardly believe what my eyes were trying to tell me. I didnt know what to say. I felt like going into tears at the absolute thoughtfulness of their dear hearts. I had never imagined anything like it. Turning toward them, I said, Thank you, dear sisters. It means so much.

As I browsed through the pile, I discovered various types of cookies, casseroles, a pizza, a sugar-free cake which my sister-in-law knew I liked, apple dumplings, and even a container with mini cupcake brownies with a note which said, Thirty cupcakes instead of 30 candles.

I was in awe, and almost too dumbfounded for words. Once I got my senses together, I stacked everything into boxes and set it outside to stay cold as a lot of the items were frozen, ready for the freezer.

After my return home went through the stack with me. Even though he knew the surprise was coming up, he too was completely amazed. After some shuffling and organizing, I now have a freezer full of homemade goodies, ready to pull from the freezer and serve. Its like I told Eunice, the one who planned it, I just look at it as a gift from God.

With homeschooling and attending to the needs of my little ones, I dont get to spend a lot of time in the kitchen as Id love to. It feels like I get enough done to get us floating from day today. And Im okay with that. Gods grace is sufficient for every moment.

Choosing a recipe is tough, there really are too many good ones to choose from. Perhaps Ill settle with the chocolate fudge pudding that a friend made for my birthday.

As a girl I remember hoe Dad always liked eating this warm with ice cream. For us, winter time was perfect for ice cream as Dad would gather snow to use in our hand crank ice cream freezer.

Upside-down Chocolate Fudge Cake

3 tablespoon butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup boiling water

Cream together butter and sugar. Add milk and next three ingredients alternately into creamed butter mixture. Put into ungreased 9 by 9 inch pan.

Mix brown sugar, cocoa, and salt. Sprinkle on top of batter. Do not stir. Pour boiling water over all. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.

Fascinatingly enough, as you pull it out of the oven you will discover that the cake is on top and a thick fudge sauce on the bottom! Serve cold or warm with ice cream, whipped cream, or milk.

Gloria Yoder is an Amish mom, writer, and homemaker in rural Illinois. Readers can write to Gloria at 10510 E. 350th Ave., Flat Rock, IL 62427.

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Yoder ladies attend tea party - Delaware Gazette

Sugar plums and sweet treats filled the 4th floor of the GoggleWorks Sunday afternoon for the 3rd annual Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party. The festive tradition is hosted by Berks Ballet Theatre as preview for the the annual holiday performance of The Nutcracker.

Taking inspiration from the Nutcrackers land of the sweets, the afternoon featured an assortment of desserts, crafts, and a special performer meet and greet. In addition, guests were invited to part take in story time, which featured a three-dimensional pop up book of the classic Nutcracker story.

I think its a very nice interactive way for the kids to get up and close with the dancers, says Director of Berks Ballet Theatre Conservatory of Dance, Nathan Bland.

During the actual performance of The Nutcracker, the stage is so far away. So for the little kids, the Tea Party provides an intimate way to see the performers up close.

After crafts and lunch Berks Ballet Theatre performers put on a special preview of The Nutcracker for the young audience.

Selling over 130 tickets, the whimsical atmosphere filled the GoogleWorks industrial chic 4th floor studio. This is my daughter first year in ballet and she had an amazing time today said Kathleen from West Reading.

Oley resident Kristin Kohler and her daughter enjoyed the afternoon Tea Party. I liked the food and the story time mentioned Kristins daughter. Weve been coming out to see The Nutcracker performance since she was little. Shes been so fascinated by the dancers. said Kohler.

Berks Ballet Theatre will be performing the classic tale of Clara and her beloved Nutcracker December 14th and 15th at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in West Reading. Tickets: berksballettheatre.com/tickets

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Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party Gives Children Preview of the Nutcracker - rdgmag.com