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How has irregular migration to the EU changed in 2025? 

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How has irregular migration to the EU changed in 2025? 

Irregular entries into the European Union decreased by 22% in the first nine months of 2025, according to the bloc’s border agency, Frontex.

The sharpest decline was registered on the western African route, which saw a 58% drop in irregular crossings, with only 734 detections in September.

Western Balkan and eastern land border routes also registered a decrease in irregular crossings by 47% and 36%, respectively.

Experts suggest that global conflicts and even in the environment could be the cause of the general slowdown in irregular crossings.

“The overall decrease can be linked to a number of factors, notably eruption or cessation of strife or conflict, political uncertainty, closer cooperation on border control, but also weather conditions”, said Helena Hahn, policy analyst with the European Migration and Diversity Program at the European Policy Centre (EPC).

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However, she added that the numbers should not be understood as fewer people in general being on the move.

“On the contrary, the number of international migrants has risen since 2020, as has the number of forcibly displaced persons. They are just not coming to Europe at the same rates as immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Hahn.

Nevertheless, other routes remain a significant hubs of activity, while others still saw increases.

The central Mediterranean is the busiest route, accounting for nearly 40% of all irregular entries this year.

Libya is the main departure point for this route, recording a 50% increase in departures compared with 2024.

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The majority of migrants taking this route come from Bangladesh, Eritrea, and Egypt.

On the western Mediterranean route, irregular crossings increased by 28%, with September alone seeing arrivals rise by more than half.

Departures from Algeria accounted for almost three-quarters of detections on this route this year.

“Morocco’s stronger prevention efforts have pushed more people to seek smuggling services in Algeria,” the Frontex report stated. “This has led to closer cooperation between Algerian and Moroccan smuggling networks and a shift of some operations to Algerian territory.”

Human toll weighs heavily as more than 1,000 die

Despite the overall decline, human costs remain high.

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In 2025, 1,328 migrants died or went missing while using the Mediterranean routes, with the majority of those identified being men, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) database.

The central Mediterranean route is the most fatal of them all, with 895 individuals dead or missing. The main cause of death is drowning.

Many migrants have tried to travel legally and opted to travel irregularly only after their visas were denied.

“Behind these missing migrants are families and communities looking for answers and coping with their absence,” the IOM’s Families of Missing Migrants report stated.

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Armed man shot and killed after entering secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service says

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Armed man shot and killed after entering secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, Secret Service says

WASHINGTON (AP) — An armed man drove into the secure perimeter of Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s resort in Palm Beach, Florida, as another vehicle was exiting before being shot and killed early Sunday morning, according to a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service.

The man, who was in his early 20s and from North Carolina, had a gas can and a shotgun, according to Anthony Guglielmi, the spokesman. He had been reported missing by his family a few days ago, and investigators believe he headed south and picked up the shotgun along the way.

Guglielmi said a box for the weapon was discovered in the man’s vehicle after the incident, which took place around 1:30 a.m.

The man killed was identified by investigators as 21-year-old Austin Tucker Martin, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation.

Trump has faced threats to his life before, including two assassination attempts during the 2024 campaign. Although the president often spends weekends at his resort, he and first lady Melania Trump were at the White House when the breach at Mar-a-Lago occurred.

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FILE p In this imaged released by the Martin County, Fla., Sheriff's Office, law enforcement officers arrest Ryan Routh, the man suspected in the apparent assassination attempt of Donald Trump, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

After entering near the north gate of the property, the man was confronted by two Secret Service agents and a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy, according to Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw.

“He was ordered to drop those two pieces of equipment that he had with them. At which time he put down the gas can, raised the shotgun to a shooting position,” Bradshaw said at a brief press conference. The two agents and the deputy “fired their weapons to neutralize the threat.”

The FBI asked residents who live near Mar-a-Lago to check any security cameras they may have for footage that could help investigators.

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Investigators are working to compile a psychological profile and a motive is still under investigation. Asked whether the individual was known to law enforcement, Bradshaw said “not right now.”

The incident comes as the United States has been rocked by spasms political violence.

The incursion at Mar-a-Lago took place a few miles from Trump’s West Palm Beach club where a man tried to assassinate him while he played golf during the 2024 campaign.

A Secret Service agent spotted that man, Ryan Routh, aiming a rifle through the shrubbery before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire and caused Routh to drop his weapon.

Routh was found guilty last year and sentenced this month to life in prison.

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Trump also survived an assassination attempt at a Butler, Pennsylvania campaign rally. That gunman fired eight shots before being killed by a Secret Service counter sniper.

The White House referred all questions to the Secret Service and FBI.

There have been other recent incidents of political violence as well.

In the last year, there was the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk; the assassination of the Democratic leader in the Minnesota state House and her husband and the shooting of another lawmaker and his wife; and an arson attack at the official residence of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Five days ago, a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested as he sprinted towards the west side of the U.S. Capitol.

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AP reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this story.

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Hungary threatens to block EU loan to Ukraine unless Russian oil shipments resume

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Hungary threatens to block EU loan to Ukraine unless Russian oil shipments resume

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Hungary is threatening to block a proposed 90 billion-euro European Union loan to Ukraine — worth roughly $106 billion — unless oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline are restored.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó wrote Friday on X that Hungary would oppose the EU funding package until oil transit via the Russian-linked Druzhba pipeline resumes.

“Ukraine is blackmailing Hungary by halting oil transit in coordination with Brussels and the Hungarian opposition to create supply disruptions in Hungary and push fuel prices higher before the elections,” Szijjártó said. 

He further claimed that blocking oil transit violates the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and breaches Kyiv’s commitments to the European Union.

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‘ONLY TRUMP CAN STOP RUSSIA’: MILLIONS FACE FREEZING WINTER, UKRAINE ENERGY EXECUTIVE WARNS

Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto speaks during a session of Russian Energy Week in Moscow, Russia, on Oct. 15, 2025. (Ramil Sitdikov/Reuters)

The Druzhba pipeline has long been a key route for Russian oil deliveries to parts of Central Europe, including Hungary, even as much of the EU has moved to curb reliance on Russian energy following Moscow’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The European Commission in January adopted a legislative package to implement a previously agreed 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027, aimed at supporting the country’s budgetary and military needs, according to a press release.

The financial commitment, known as the “Ukraine Support Loan,” would be structured as a limited recourse loan, with roughly 60 billion euros allocated for military assistance and 30 billion designated for general budget support.

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RUSSIA LAUNCHES RECORD MISSILE BARRAGE AGAINST UKRAINE ONE DAY BEFORE PEACE TALKS SET TO RESUME IN ABU DHABI

A general view of Hungarian oil company MOL’s Duna Refinery near Szazhalombatta, about 30 kilometers south of Budapest, on May 5, 2022. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)

The Commission said the funding is intended to help Ukraine maintain essential state functions, bolster its defense capabilities and strengthen resilience as the war with Russia continues.

The loan would be financed through common EU borrowing on capital markets and guaranteed by the EU budget. The Commission also noted that the EU reserves the right to use immobilized Russian assets within the bloc, in accordance with EU and international law, to repay the loan.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday rejected what it called “ultimatums and blackmail” from the governments of Hungary and Slovakia over energy supplies, accusing both countries of taking actions that are “provocative, irresponsible, and threaten the energy security of the entire region.”

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The Druzhba oil pipeline between Hungary and Russia at the MOL Group’s Danube Refinery in Szazhalombatta, Hungary, on May 18, 2022. (Bernadett Szabo/Reuters)

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“Ukraine is in constant contact with representatives of the European Commission regarding the damage to Ukrainian energy infrastructure caused by daily Russian strikes. We have also provided information about the consequences of these Russian attacks on the Druzhba oil pipeline infrastructure to the governments of Hungary and Slovakia,” the ministry said in a statement. “Security and stabilization repair work continues amid daily threats of new missile attacks. Ukraine has also proposed alternative ways to resolve the issue of supplying non-Russian oil to these countries.”

It added that Ukraine remains a “reliable energy partner” to the European Union and argued that “ultimatums should be sent to the Kremlin, and certainly not to Kyiv.”

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Small but mighty: Colombia’s Muslim community celebrates Ramadan

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Small but mighty: Colombia’s Muslim community celebrates Ramadan

Medellin, Colombia – Ziauddin Yahya Iqbal Sandoval, known to his friends as Zia, observes Ramadan with quiet conviction.

The 14-year-old was born and raised in Colombia, where Christianity remains dominant. Nearly 63 percent of the population identifies as Catholic.

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But Zia is one of an estimated 85,000 to 100,000 Muslims in Colombia, comprising less than 0.2 percent of the country’s population.

Within that community, though, is a prism of diverse backgrounds and experiences. Some of Colombia’s Muslims reflect a rich history of migration to the region. Others are converts.

“The Colombian Islamic community is a small one but enjoys more on account of its diversity,” Zia said, as he took a break from serving tea in his uncle Zaheer’s restaurant in the upscale Poblado neighbourhood of Medellin.

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On the eve of Ramadan, Muslim communities in cities like Bogota and Medellin prepared for the coming festivities with decorations and prayer.

Golden, glittering letters spelled out wishes for “Ramadan Karim” — or a “generous Ramadan” — above a modest mosque in Belen, on the outskirts of Medellin.

Inside, shoes were lined neatly along the wall. In a small, square prayer room, about eight men of different ages and nationalities stood shoulder to shoulder, bowing in unison.

“The majority of those who come to the mosque are Colombians, but we see people from Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Pakistan and other Arab countries,” said Mu’tasem Abdo, the mosque’s imam who came to Medellin from Egypt four years ago.

Imam Mu’tasem Abdo speaks about celebrating Ramadan in Colombia from his office [Arjun Harindranath/Al Jazeera]

He explained how, because Colombia’s Muslim community is relatively small, newcomers sometimes find themselves aching for the festive experience they remember from home.

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“A native from a Muslim country can miss the grandeur of Ramadan as experienced back home,” Abdo explained.

Pakistani immigrant Rana Arif Mohammad remembers arriving in Colombia 23 years ago with dreams of adventuring through Latin America. But he too felt isolation as a Muslim in the country.

He settled in Medellin and founded a restaurant where he serves Pakistani and Arabic specialities in his Belen restaurant. But fellow Muslims were few and far between, and he remembers struggling to find a mosque.

“Twenty-three years ago, I met just four to five Muslims, just a few from Lebanon and Turkiye,” Mohammad said.

But Mohammad and others have observed Muslim visibility on the rise in Colombia.

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In 2020, for instance, Colombia elected its first Muslim mayor in the border city of Maicao. And Mohammad explained that there are now more Islamic cultural centres and places of worship.

“Today, Medellin has five mosques,” he said, counting the ones he knows.

Restaurateur Rana Arif Mohammad speaks of the importance of Ramadan and the growth of Medellin’s Muslim community.
Restaurateur Rana Arif Mohammad speaks of the importance of Ramadan and the growth of Medellin’s Muslim community [Arjun Harindranath/Al Jazeera]

The Muslim population in Latin America first surged after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. There have been several waves of migration in the century since.

In Colombia, one of the most significant came during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1970s. The conflict triggered an exodus of nearly one million Lebanese people that included many Muslims and Christians.

Some settled in cities like Maicao, where one of the largest mosques in Latin America was built and completed in 1997.

The continued migration into Colombia has contributed to the diversity of its Muslim community.

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In Bogota, Sheikh Ahmad Qurtubi speaks proudly of the range of nationalities in his jamaat, or congregation, at the Qurtubi Islamic Centre in the west of the city.

“There are people of different nationalities, approximately 10 or 15 different countries, and we find great diversity in this centre,” Qurtubi explained after delivering the Taraweeh prayer marking the first night of Ramadan.

Though there are no official statistics on the origins of Colombia’s Muslim population, Qurtubi has noticed an increase in Muslim converts.

He estimates that roughly 100 to 200 worshippers in his jamaat are new to the religion. It can be a struggle, though, to build a sense of cohesion, given the different backgrounds of the worshippers.

“The biggest challenge in Colombia is maintaining a stable community that has an impact on society and a common identity,” he said.

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“In a community where most people have converted due to different circumstances that led them to Islam, it can be a little more complicated to achieve.”

Sheikh Ahmad Qurtubi leads prayers at the Al-Qurtubi Islamic Centre in Bogotá on the first night of Ramadan.
Sheikh Ahmad Qurtubi leads prayers at the Qurtubi Islamic Centre in Bogota on the first night of Ramadan [Alfie Pannell/Al Jazeera]

But Qurtubi said the diversity of his congregation has led to celebrations that embrace the spectrum of Colombia’s Muslim identity.

He described how, on each night of Ramadan, a different family volunteers to cook food for the Iftar, the breaking of the fast.

“The food options can be very varied. Why? Because it depends on each person’s culture and background,” he explained. “For example, I can offer Moroccan food, one person can offer Pakistani food, others Colombian food.”

He believes community events like Ramadan create an opportunity for Colombia’s Muslims to embrace their differences and build communal understanding.

“Knowledge is what allows a community to grow, to flourish … and to have the opportunity to prosper and put down roots here in Colombia,” he said.

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