World
Suspending right to asylum goes against EU law, Brussels tells Warsaw
Donald Tusk’s plan to implement a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum” has been met with disapproval in Brussels.
The European Commission has reminded Poland of its obligation under EU and international law to provide access to the asylum procedure under all circumstances, effectively disapproving Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s new strategy to institute a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum”.
Tusk said his plan, which is scheduled to be officially unveiled on Tuesday, was necessary to combat the migration flows instrumentalised by Russia and Belarus, which Poland has experienced since August 2021. Border crossings have increased in recent weeks, without reaching the numbers seen at the peak of the crisis.
The prime minister’s announcement made immediate headlines, coming at a politically fraught time when European governments show increasing boldness in their attempts to curb irregular migration, testing the limits of well-established legal norms.
“It is important and imperative that the Union is protecting the external borders and, in particular, from Russia and Belarus (who are) undermining the security of the EU member states and of the Union as a whole,” a Commission spokesperson said on Monday.
“At the same time, member states have international and EU obligations, including the obligation to provide access to the asylum procedure.”
Countering hybrid attacks and ensuring asylum rights are not “mutually exclusive” tasks, the spokesperson added.
The right to asylum has long been recognised under international law, dating back to the 1951 Refugee Convention. It was later included in the EU’s Charter of Fundamental Rights, which has the same legal weight as the EU treaties.
The right does not ensure the application is automatically accepted: instead, it compels governments to accept asylum claims, analyse them with due diligence and issue a reasoned decision, with the possibility of appeal.
International law also establishes the principle of non-refoulement, which forbids authorities from deporting migrants to nations where they could face persecution, torture or any other form of ill-treatment.
In his remarks on Saturday, Tusk said he would demand “recognition in Europe” for his decision to establish a “temporary territorial suspension of the right to asylum.”
“We know very well how it is used by Lukashenko, Putin… by people smugglers, people traffickers, how this right to asylum is used exactly against the essence of the right to asylum,” he said speaking at a convention of his centrist Civic Platform.
“Poland must take back 100% control over who comes to Poland.”
Tusk’s policy echoes the emergency law that Finland introduced in July to fight against instrumentalised migration. If triggered, the law will allow border guards to “immediately” remove asylum seekers and refuse access to the asylum procedure. Legal experts and humanitarian organisations have warned the bill legalises pushbacks.
Warsaw says no to the Pact
Tusks’s speech, which observers have described as an electoral maneuver to contain the hard-right opposition, took aim at the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the sweeping reform the bloc completed in May after almost four years of hard-fought negotiations.
Poland, like Hungary, voted against the five laws that make up the Pact. Their firm opposition hones in on a novel system of “mandatory solidarity” that will give countries three different options to manage asylum seekers: relocate a certain number, pay €20,000 for each applicant they refuse to take in, or finance operational support.
The Pact will enter into force in mid-2026. Before then, capitals are expected to put forward national plans to guarantee the correct implementation of the complex set of legislation. But according to Tusk, Poland will not be among the participants.
“We will not implement European ideas if we are sure that they threaten our security,” he said on Saturday.
In reaction, the Commission said the Pact, after being approved by the European Parliament and the Council, is “binding” for all 27 member states.
The reform features the Crisis Regulation to cope with sudden mass arrivals and instances of instrumentalisation, as the ones Poland and the Baltics have experienced. Under the regulation, countries will have additional time to register and examine asylum claims without letting applicants into national territory.
“Nevertheless, we still have maintained, as throughout (the process), the obligation to ensure access to asylum procedures,” the spokesperson noted.
Migration will be one of the most prominent topics – if not the most – during a summit of EU leaders on Thursday.
The last few months have seen a rapid succession of developments in migration policy, including Germany’s re-introduction of border controls, the Netherlands’ (rejected) request for an opt-out clause, and Hungary’s threat to bus migrants “free of charge” to Belgium in retaliation for an ECJ ruling.
Last week, a group of 17 European countries signed a document calling for a “paradigm shift” in the deportation of rejected asylum seekers. France’s new Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said that “all innovative solutions must be used.”
In 2023, the EU detected 380,000 irregular border crossings and received about 1,140,000 claims for international protection. This means most asylum applications were filed by people who had arrived in the bloc via legal channels.
World
Mexico pyramid shooter who took hostages and killed 1 is identified
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A gunman who fatally shot a Canadian tourist and wounded more than a dozen others atop a historic pyramid in Mexico on Monday has been identified, according to officials.
Authorities identified the gunman as 27-year-old Julio Cesar Jasso, a Mexican national, according to a state official who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Jasso later died by suicide after turning the gun on himself, and security officials found a gun, a knife and ammunition. Authorities said he acted alone, with the State of Mexico government confirming he was the sole assailant on Monday night.
Officials said seven of the victims were struck by gunfire, while others were hurt in the chaos as people scrambled to get down from the pyramids, with some falling during the panic.
EX-TV REPORTER ALLEGEDLY TURNED ROADSIDE GUNMAN, GRILLED VICTIMS ON ETHNICITY BEFORE OPENING FIRE
The Pyramid of the Moon and the Pyramid of the Sun are seen along with smaller structures lining the Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan, Mexico, on March 19, 2020. A gunman killed a Canadian tourist and injured several others before taking his own life at the popular site, authorities said Monday. (Rebecca Blackwell/AP)
Those hospitalized included tourists from several countries, among them the United States, Colombia, Russia, Brazil and Canada, authorities said. The victims ranged in age from 6 to 61.
Footage circulating in local media appears to show the suspect positioned atop the structure as visitors rushed for safety below, with gunfire echoing across the site.
Police and forensic workers stand on a pyramid after authorities said a gunman opened fire in Teotihuacan, Mexico, Monday, April 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
The Teotihuacan complex, located just outside Mexico City, is one of the country’s most visited archaeological landmarks, drawing millions of international visitors each year to its towering pre-Hispanic structures.
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The shooting took place shortly after 11:30 a.m. when dozens of tourists were at the top of the Pyramid of the Moon.
Security measures at the site have changed in recent years, with routine entry screenings no longer consistently in place, according to a local guide.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on social media that the shooting would be investigated and that she was in touch with the Canadian Embassy.
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“What happened today in Teotihuacán deeply pains us. I express my most sincere solidarity with the affected individuals and their families,” she wrote.
Anita Anand, Canada’s foreign affairs minister, said on X that as a “result of a horrific act of gun violence, a Canadian was killed and another wounded in Teotihuacán” and that her “thoughts are with their family and loved ones.”
People visit the Pyramid of the Sun in the pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacan near Mexico City, Mexico, on March 21, 2024, following the spring equinox. (Henry Romero/Reuters)
Later in the evening, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson also expressed “deep concern” and sadness over the deaths and numerous injuries, and said in a post on X that the U.S. is “ready to provide support as needed while Mexican authorities continue their investigation.”
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The National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that the Teotihuacán archaeological site will remain closed until further notice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Appetite among NATO members to join Iran war ‘very limited’, says Eide
Norway has pushed back against criticism from US President Donald Trump over what he described as “zero” European support in the conflict with Iran.
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“NATO is a defensive alliance. It is not an attack alliance,” Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told Euronews’ Europe Today flagship morning show.
Eide said NATO members are focused on safeguarding key global trade routes, including keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. “NATO countries are doing something, but it’s not as a party to a conflict,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly criticised NATO allies for not backing Washington in the Iran conflict. He raised the issue again during a White House meeting earlier this month with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
Eide argued that there had been no prior preparation or consensus within the alliance. As a result, there is “very limited appetite” among member states to join the war.
He said that while both the US and Iran may have reasons to end the conflict, “the sides are far apart”, with negotiations hindered by opposing demands.
On Monday, Trump said the United States would maintain its blockade of Iranian ports until Tehran agrees to a peace deal.
Still, Eide pointed to signs of “some progress”, noting the broader global impact of the conflict. “This is not only an issue for the two sides, but it affects the whole world economy,” he said.
Addressing a European diplomatic push to establish a Palestinian state, Eide reiterated support for a two-state solution based on long-standing United Nations principles. However, he acknowledged that such an outcome is “not around the corner”.
He added that a two-state solution is also in Israel’s interest, describing it as “the only viable solution for real peace in a very troubled region”.
Norway, alongside Spain and Ireland, recognised the State of Palestine in 2024.
World
Iran War Live Updates: Trump Officials and Iran Plan New Talks Despite Mixed Messages
The United States military last week extended its blockade on vessels coming in and out of Iranian ports to the waters of the wider world, declaring that it would pursue any ship aiding Iran, regardless of location on the high seas or flag.
The U.S. “will actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran,” Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday, noting that the American troops beyond the Middle East will engage in operations to thwart Iranian shipping.
The extension of the blockade comes as the economically vital Strait of Hormuz remains all but closed to commercial traffic and the two-week cease-fire between the United States and Iran nears an end. The move aligns longstanding American economic policies targeting Iran with the current military campaign against it, maritime and military law experts say.
But it raises a host of legal and practical questions.
“War is a messy thing not just on the combat side but under national and international law,” said James R. Holmes, chair of maritime strategy at the Naval War College.
“From a legal standpoint, a blockade is an act of war, so the blockade probably is legal to the extent Operation Epic Fury is,” he said using the name of the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
Since Congress has not declared war against Iran, no formal state of war exists between the United States and the Islamic Republic. But Mr. Holmes noted that “undeclared wars are more the rule than the exception in U.S. history,” with joint resolutions of Congress, United Nations Security Council resolutions and NATO decisions invoked to justify fighting.
“This campaign may be more unilateral than most, but it is not without precedent,” he said.
Under international law, the legality of the blockade is “more ambiguous,” said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, a foreign policy think tank in Washington.
For a blockade to be legal, Ms. Kavanagh said, it must be “effective,” meaning that it is both enforceable and enforced. Some would argue that a “‘global blockade’ is not permissible in conception” because it is overly broad, she said.
Still, expansive blockades have taken place throughout history, including during World War II, when states enforced naval blockades worldwide other than in neutral territorial seas. Over the centuries before that, the British blockaded France throughout the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and during the War of American Independence, the colonies and their allies raided British shipping as far away as the Indian Ocean.
Enforcing expansive blockades is difficult, however.
“The seven seas are a big place, and the largest navy or coast guard is tiny by comparison,” Mr. Holmes said. Whether the U.S. blockade ultimately is deemed “effective,” legally speaking, will depend on whether the U.S. has enough assets like ships, aircraft, boarding crews and intelligence gathering to enforce it.
The blockade does not have to be “airtight” to meet the legal test, Mr. Holmes said, and assessing its effectiveness will be tough for outside observers in any case.
Enforcement may also have to be somewhat selective, he suggested.
“Now, it is possible our leadership might quietly let a ship proceed when it suits the national interest,” Mr. Holmes said. “For instance, with a summit coming up between President Trump and General Secretary Xi” — Mr. Trump is to meet with China’s leader, Xi Jinping, in May — “Washington might not want to ruffle feathers by obstructing China’s oil imports.”
The expanded blockade is part of a longstanding economic campaign against Iran, but it represents something of a tactical change for the Trump administration.
Earlier in the war, the United States temporarily lifted sanctions on Iranian oil at sea to ease the pressure on global energy prices. And before imposing a blockade on Iranian ports last week, the U.S. allowed Iranian tankers to transit the Strait of Hormuz for the same reason.
Now Washington seems to be returning its focus to keeping pressure on Iran.
“The blockade is a wartime extension of existing U.S. economic sanctions against the Iranian regime,” said James Kraska, professor of international maritime law and a visiting professor at Harvard Law School. In peacetime, he said, the sanctions were a “powerful tool to weaken the Iranian economy.” Now, he said, the blockade serves as a “kinetic expansion.”
General Caine’s announcement about the expanded naval blockade came one day after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Fury,” an effort he called the “financial equivalent” of a bombing campaign. It includes secondary sanctions on institutions internationally, like banks, that have dealings with Iran.
The expanded blockade “marks a notable escalation by the United States,” said Ms. Kavanagh.
Still, she said, it is unlikely to significantly change Iranian calculations.
“For Iran, this war is existential and it is not going to cave easily or quickly,” she said. “Economic pressure may work over the very long term, but Trump seems too impatient for a deal to wait it out.”
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