Irregular migrant crossings into EU drop 20% in 2025: Frontex
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The number of irregular migrant crossings into the European Union dropped by 20 percent in the first five months of the year, the EU's border agency said Wednesday.Warsaw-based Frontex said that a total of 63,700 crossings were detected this year, adding that the main nationalities were Afghan, Bangladeshi and Malian.The biggest decreases in irregular crossings were seen in the Western Balkans (minus 56 percent), the western African route (minus 35 percent) and the eastern Mediterranean (minus 30 percent).There was also a seven percent decrease in migrant crossings from Belarus into Poland and the Baltics to 5,062 crossings, Frontex said. But it pointed to a slight increase of seven percent in the number of migrants crossing the central Mediterranean towards Italy.(Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates)Frontex also said that the number of migrants attempting to cross into Britain via the Channel increased by 17 percent to 25,540 compared to the first five months of 2024. "Smuggling networks operating in the area are adapting, using simultaneous departures to increase the number of successful crossings," it said. Irregular migration has become a political flashpoint across Europe, as seen most recently in the Polish presidential election on June 1 which was won by a nationalist promising to crack down on immigration. Irregular border crossings detected into the European Union were down 38 percent to 239,000 last year after an almost 10-year peak in 2023, according to EU border agency Frontex.But, led by hawks including Italy and Denmark, EU leaders called in October for urgent new legislation to increase and speed up returns and for the commission to assess "innovative" ways to counter irregular migration.
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The Print
35 minutes ago
- The Print
Mamata writes to Modi, seeks international pressure on B'desh govt for vandalism of Tagore property
Expressing her anguish over the incident, Banerjee urged Modi to 'take up the matter very strongly with the neighbouring country's government, so that no stone is left unturned to swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act'. What was damaged is not just a house but a 'towering fountain of creativity' in the subcontinent, she said in the letter. Kolkata, Jun 12 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention into the alleged vandalisation of Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral mansion in Banglaesh's Sirajganj district by a mob on June 11. According to local reports, the attack on the Nobel Laureate poet's ancestral residence was a follow-up of a June 8 dispute over the parking fee for a two-wheeler between a visitor and staff member of the Rabindra Kachharibari in Sirajganj which also doubles up as the Rabindra Memorial Museum. 'Although untold damage has already been done, a strong international protest would at least deter in future any attack on monuments of cultural legacies that have withstood steadfastly all tests of time,' Banerjee wrote in the letter, while adding: Tagore is famous not only in Bengal but also in the whole world. Reports in Bangladeshi media have stated that the Department of Archeology has temporarily suspended visitor access to the building and set up a three-member committee to probe the incident. 'Tagore frequented the place repeatedly in his lifetime, and many of his finest works were conceived or written while he was there,' Banerjee stated. 'The poet's creativity was intertwined with his association with this ancestral estate of theirs in an intimate manner. What has been vandalised is not a mere house, but a towering fountain of creativity in our subcontinent,' she continued. Local reports in Bangladesh suggested that what began as a minor dispute escalated quickly after the visitor was allegedly locked inside a room and physically assaulted, sparking anger among locals. A mob later stormed inside the museum premises and ransacked the building, especially its auditorium while also allegedly assaulting the director of the institution. 'For the people of Bengal, this attack is an onslaught on the commonly held legacy of Tagore… To strike at the ancestral traditional roots of Tagore today tantamounts to striking at the roots of immortal creations of the great poet intrinsically bonding the brothers and sisters of the world,' the chief minister wrote in her letter. Located in Shahzadpur in the Rajshahi division, the Kachharibari served as the Tagore family's revenue office and residence. Purchased by Rabindranath's grandfather Dwarakanath Tagore in 1840, the premises worked as a favourite recluse for the Nobel laureate who wrote many of his notable literary works at this site. Tagore's celebrated works from the Sirajgunj Kachharibari include plays like 'Bisarjan', poetry collection 'Sonar Tori' and several shorties of 'Golpoguchho'. The BJP has already slammed the Md Yunus government alleging that the destruction was a 'preplanned attack' by radical groups, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh. PTI SMY NN This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
The Hindu
43 minutes ago
- The Hindu
India condemns vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh
India on Thursday (June 12, 2025) 'strongly' condemned the vandalisation of the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district. Addressing the weekly press briefing, Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, said the attack was part of a 'broad pattern' of assaults on the pluralist culture of Bangladesh. 'We strongly condemn the despicable attack and vandalisation of the ancestral home of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore by a mob on June 8, 2025. The home, historically called Rabindra Kachharibari, is located in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. The violent act is a disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy and teachings that the Nobel Laureate espoused in Bangladesh,' Mr. Jaiswal said. Bangladesh has witnessed a deterioration in law and order in recent month, with mobs targeting homes of prominent leaders. On February 5 this year, a mob destroyed the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at 32 Dhanmondi, an address historically associated with Bangladesh's liberation movement. The June 8 attack on the rural ancestral home of the Tagore family reportedly followed a similar pattern, with a group of arsonists vandalising the property. Following the incident, the interim government has suspended public access to the heritage site. After its independence, Bangladesh adopted 'Amar Shonar Bangla', composed by Rabindranath Tagore, as its national anthem. Mr. Jaiswal further said, 'The attack falls in the broad pattern of systematic attempts by extremists to erase the symbols of tolerance, and eviscerate the syncretic culture and the cultural legacy of Bangladesh.' He urged the Bangladeshi authorities to rein in extremist elements and 'take strict action against the perpetrators to prevent recurrence of such incidents that sadly have become a repetitive feature'.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Willing to step-up dialogue, China on lifting export curbs on rare earth metals to India
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