In the past decade, continuous migration and asylum pressure on European Union Member States has made the external dimension of the EU's approach to migration management all the more important. The need to address challenges relating to external border management has reoriented EU migration policy towards extended and stricter border controls, combined with the externalisation of migration management through cooperation with third countries. Thus, the external processing of asylum claims has also been put forward as a possibility. Overall, asylum is governed by international, EU and national laws. Both EU and national asylum legislation must be aligned with the international legal framework. Although EU law does not provide for the processing of asylum applications outside the EU, the idea of 'transit' or 'processing' centres in third countries has been recurrent over the years. Examples of externalisation procedures can be found around the world. Some non-EU countries, such as Australia and the United States, have practical experience of the extra-territorial processing of asylum claims. Within Europe, back in 1986 Denmark tabled a draft resolution in the United Nations (UN) General Assembly to create UN centres where asylum claims could be processed, in order to coordinate the resettlement of refugees among all states. Later, in 2001 and 2002, when the EU experienced the first peak of migrant arrivals in the EU, this was followed by a series of proposals involving the external processing of asylum requests. Extraterritorial processing was first put forward by the United Kingdom in 2003, while Germany proposed the establishment of asylum centres in North Africa in 2005. The series of proposals made over the years with a view to externalising migration policies have raised concerns, not least in relation to the human rights implications, asylum procedures and EU and international law. This briefing updates an earlier edition, of January 2024, by the present authors along with Anita Orav. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Portugal is set to receive €22.2 billion in grants and loans from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), the EU response to the crisis triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This amount corresponds to 3.1 % of the entire RRF, or 10.7 % of Portugal's 2019 gross domestic product (GDP), and includes REPowerEU grants (€0.7 billion) and Portugal's share (€81.4 million) from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. The Council approved the latest revision of Portugal's national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP) in May 2025. The plan has a strong focus on the country's social, economic and environmental resilience, with measures targeting culture, housing, health, broad social responses, and forest and water management. Measures relating to climate transition, including those on industry decarbonisation and energy efficiency of buildings, account for 39.1 % of the allocation. The contribution to digital objectives represents 21.7 % of the allocation, with measures and reforms aimed at public administration and finances, education and businesses. Portugal has so far received €11.4 billion of RRF resources (51.3 % of the plan), which the Commission disbursed in the form of pre-financing and five grant and loan instalments. Portugal's sixth and seventh payment requests are being assessed. In the context of the 2025 European Semester, the Council has recommended that Portugal accelerate implementation of its plan. The European Parliament has been a major supporter of creating a common EU recovery instrument, and takes part in interinstitutional settings to cooperate, discuss and scrutinise implementation of the Commission's work. This briefing is one in a series covering all EU Member States. Third edition. The previous editions were written by Henrique Morgado Simões. The 'NGEU delivery' briefings are updated at key stages throughout the lifecycle of the plans. The author would like to thank Amalia Fumagalli and Ana Luisa Melo Almeida, trainees in the Directorate Members' Research Service, for their research assistance. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

[allAfrica] As science soars with game-changing HIV tools, a funding crisis threatens to ground progress

[RFI] Cameroon's President Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state at 92, has announced he will run in this year's presidential election in October.

[allAfrica]

Youth Challenge Vanuatu (YCV) held a six-day workshop at Pango School starting last Wednesday, involving more than 100 students from Year 7 to Year 9.

The Minister of Lands, Rick Tchamako Mahe, has begun signing land lease forfeiture notices in response to long-standing unpaid land rent owed to the Government of Vanuatu.

Political lobbying has begun among major parties and elected councilors as the race to form new provincial governments grows, following the recent provincial elections.

The Second Political Advisor (PA) to the Prime Minister (PM) will cover the full cost of repairs after crashing a government vehicle into a private shop in Ipota, Erromango, on Saturday night at around 10pm.

The Government of Japan has committed up to 2.5 billion yen (approximately VT2.2 billion) in grant aid to Vanuatu under a new emergency programme aimed at rebuilding critical infrastructure damaged by the devastating earthquake of December 17, 2024.

Some Ontario landlords say change needs to happen after hiring real estate agents to help them fill rental units, and discovering the contracts they signed guaranteed very little in return. Experts say landlords need to take responsibility when things go wrong.

The growing volume of domestic abuse cases in both Lanark and Renfrew counties in rural eastern Ontario is alarmingly high, according to community agencies and police data.

Welcome to my Duchess of Sussex- themed picnic! Today I am channelling my inner Meghan like never before, dining out on the delights of her As Ever lifestyle and homemaking brand.

We've picked five of the best EVs that are certain to be eligible for Labour's new Electric Car Grant unveiled today - though we will have to wait to find out which will qualify for the full amount of £3,750.

The haunting final moments of the doomed Southend Airport plane show it speeding up the runway before tragically exploding into a fireball just minutes later.

John Spilsbury, 42, was determined to join the 80,000 strong crowd on Friday night as the rock band took to the stage in Manchester for the first time in 16 years.

Craig Cooper, until recently the council's Strategic Director of City Operations, made the announcement that he is to start work more than 10,000 miles away on LinkedIn.

A political controversy has erupted in Odisha following the death of a college student who attempted self-immolation due to alleged sexual harassment. Opposition parties, including Congress and BJD, have criticized the «BJP system,» while the BJP has accused them of engaging in "cheap politics.

India has received the second GE-404 engine from the US for its LCA Mark 1A fighter jet program, with more deliveries expected this fiscal year. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will integrate these engines into the LCA Mark 1A, with plans to supply over 10 aircraft to the Indian Air Force.

Last-ditch efforts are underway to prevent the execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya in Yemen, scheduled for July 16. Religious leaders from India and Yemen, led by Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Umar bin Hafiz, are intervening. A crucial meeting is planned with the victim's family to discuss *diya* (blood money).

A 20-year-old student's tragic death after self-immolation due to alleged ignored sexual harassment complaint has ignited widespread outrage in Odisha. Protests and political clashes have erupted, with opposition parties demanding accountability and accusing the government of a cover-up. Arrests have been made, and investigations are underway as concerns over women's safety on campuses intensify.