Author: RACHAEL ADEEGBE

Poland is set to elect a new president on Sunday, and the stakes are high. The two top candidates, Rafal Trzaskowski and Karol Nawrocki, are battling over major issues such as migration, EU relations, and the future of Poland’s judiciary. The outcome will determine whether Poland leans toward greater cooperation with the European Union or doubles down on nationalism and closer ties with the United States. Rafal Trzaskowski, the liberal mayor of Warsaw from the Civic Platform party, is calling for honesty, decency, and a return to European values. At his recent rally in Krakow, he reminded voters of the…

A major smuggling ring involving Pakistani nationals has been dismantled following a coordinated police operation across Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia. The suspects were accused of running a clandestine operation that trafficked migrants along the Balkan Route into northeastern Italy. The operation, which took place between April 14 and 15, resulted in the arrest of six individuals, all Pakistani nationals, while a warrant has been issued for one more suspect. The investigation began in February 2024 after a disturbing report from an Indian migrant living in Trieste. He and another Indian man were allegedly kidnapped and assaulted by two Pakistanis…

Dozens of West African migrants say they were forcefully deported from Mauritania, despite some holding legal residency documents. Human rights groups and neighbouring countries have condemned the recent mass pushbacks as inhumane and possibly xenophobic. Videos shared in March showed families — including children — disembarking from ferries at the Senegalese border town of Rosso. Many looked distressed, with personal belongings strapped to their backs. According to the Mauritanian Association for Human Rights (AMDH), 1,200 migrants were deported in March alone — nearly 700 of whom reportedly had residence permits. Those expelled said they were randomly questioned, arrested, and detained…

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has said that skilled migrants give more money to the UK economy than British workers. He strongly defended migrants, saying they should not be called “sponges or skivers” as some people claim. His comments came a day after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to reduce net migration and tighten border rules. Mr Starmer said the number of migrants coming into the UK each year is too high, pointing out that net migration in 2023 was around 906,000 people, almost the size of Birmingham’s population. But Mr Khan said the Prime Minister’s statement does not reflect…

The Bangladesh Expatriates and Migrants Council has asked the government to give better protection and rights to migrants who return home after facing abuse and exploitation in other countries. At a rally held on 15 May at the National Press Club, the group presented a 19-point list of demands to support returnees and their families. Delwar Hossain Syed, the president of the council, asked the government to look at the demands seriously and take action to protect the migrant community. He said that migrant workers make huge contributions to the country and deserve strong support in return. One of the…

Human rights groups are urging Malaysia to fix serious problems with labour trafficking before allowing new migrant workers from Bangladesh to enter the country. Thousands of Bangladeshi workers have been left jobless, undocumented, and in debt after falling victim to fake job offers in Malaysia. Between 2021 and 2023, about 450,000 Bangladeshi workers arrived in Malaysia to do low-paid jobs on farms, construction sites, and in restaurants. But in May 2023, Malaysia stopped hiring new foreign workers after a major scam was uncovered. Many Bangladeshi workers had paid up to US$5,000 to illegal agents for jobs that did not exist.…

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the country is planning to set up “return hubs” in other nations. These hubs will be used to send back failed asylum seekers who are not allowed to stay in the UK. Starmer said this during his visit to Albania, where he is holding official talks. Starmer explained that once an asylum seeker has gone through the UK system and is told to leave, the government wants to return them through these hubs. Talks are already ongoing with other countries to make this plan possible. The UK government is under pressure to…

Spain’s Supreme Tribunal has asked the national government to explain what actions it has taken to relocate over 1,000 migrant children who are currently living in very crowded shelters in the Canary Islands. The court said the government must give this information by May 29. Right now, about 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children are staying in the Canary Islands. The court had already asked the government to take urgent steps to solve this problem back in March, but the government did not respond as expected. Because of this, the court is now demanding a full explanation. According to the court, the…

Fifteen people have been arrested in a large police operation against a group of migrant smugglers working across Europe. The arrests happened in Germany, Belgium, and earlier in Poland. The operation was led by Europol and supported by Eurojust, which helps countries work together on legal cases. Seven suspects were arrested during a special “action day”—six in Belgium and one in Germany. This followed earlier raids in Poland, where eight people were arrested in connection with the same smuggling network. The entire group is believed to have helped up to 300 non-EU citizens enter the EU illegally between 2022 and…

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned that thousands of migrant nurses in the UK are planning to leave the country because of new immigration measures announced by the government. In a survey of 3,000 internationally educated nurses, 42% said they were thinking about leaving the UK. Among those who planned to go, 70% blamed low pay, while 40% pointed to harsh immigration policies as part of their reason. The RCN report also showed that many of these nurses would move to a different country—not their homeland—suggesting they still want to work abroad, just not in the UK. This…