In recent years, the European Union has faced a significant number of asylum applications, with over 513 000 applications received in the first half of 2024 alone. Women and girls make up a substantial proportion of asylum seekers, with one in three asylum-seekers being female. In international law, the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention is the main instrument regulating asylum. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Istanbul Convention provide a framework for protecting the rights of women who seek protection. The EU has developed a common European asylum system that has gradually incorporated gender-sensitive elements in legal texts such as the Qualification Directive, the Asylum Procedures Directive and the Reception Conditions Directive. These directives offer special protection to vulnerable individuals, including women and children. The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) has played a crucial role in advancing a gender-sensitive approach in EU asylum law, acknowledging the specific experiences and circumstances of women and other vulnerable individuals seeking protection in the EU. The CJEU has recognised gender-based violence as a form of persecution and grounds for asylum or subsidiary protection. It has also acknowledged the importance of considering the individual circumstances and experiences of asylum seekers, particularly women and girls, who may face persecution or harm owing to their adherence to certain values or lifestyles. This aligns with a more gender-sensitive approach in EU asylum law and policy in recent years. Nevertheless continued progress is needed to address the human rights challenges faced by women and girls in asylum procedures. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

Evolving from informal police cooperation in the 1970s to a fully fledged European Union (EU) agency, Europol has seen its mandate continuously strengthened in recent years. In 2016, the agency was given a new legal basis (Regulation (EU) 2016/794), which strengthened Europol's data management and protection rules and provided for enhanced scrutiny: (i) political scrutiny – by a new parliamentary oversight body made up of representatives of the European Parliament and Member States' national parliaments; and (ii) scrutiny of its data processing operations – by the European Data Protection Supervisor. Furthermore, the regulation reformed the framework for Europol's cooperation with partners such as third countries and international organisations, which also allowed for a strengthened role for the European Commission and the European Parliament. In 2022, on the basis of Regulation (EU) 2022/991, Europol was given new powers to cooperate directly with private parties, process large and complex datasets and take on a larger role in research and innovation. In 2023, the Commission proposed further changes to Europol's mandate that would strengthen its role in fighting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings. Europol's mandate is to support actions by EU Member States' law enforcement authorities and ensure their cooperation for the purpose of preventing and combating serious crime affecting two or more Member States, terrorism, and forms of crime that affect a common interest covered by a Union policy. The agency is empowered to tackle more than 30 forms of serious crime and related criminal offences, including terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, human trafficking, sexual abuse and exploitation, and trafficking in arms and ammunition. To fulfil its objectives, Europol carries out a series of tasks, including the core activities of acting as the EU's criminal information exchange hub and providing operational support and expertise to Member States' criminal investigations. Source : © European Union, 2025 - EP

[Nile Post] With the 2026 general elections fast approaching, Uganda faces mounting concerns over its electoral readiness, as financial and logistical gaps threaten to derail the credibility of the process.

Ashley Parham claims in a lawsuit that she was gang raped by Diddy and his associates in March, 2018.

The child, who was reportedly Moroccan, and adult were slain in Schontal Park, located in the Bavarian town of Aschaffenburg, Germany , at around 11:45am.

Here FEMAIL reveals all the fashion messages that were hiding in plain sight during Trump's inauguration celebrations in Washington DC this week.

The 14-year-old teenager being held after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham is also being held over an assault on a woman in her 80s, police have said.

Two teenage girls were groomed to become 'sex slaves' for Asian men in Rochdale, including Mohammed Zahid, a market trader known as 'The Knickerman', a jury heard today.

The head of state noted that there should be no imbalances in the credit sphere because the decline of activity in this sector may create risks for economic development on the whole

The suspect, a 28-year-old Afghan man, has been detained

Key macro indicators are in the positive zone owing to calculated and responsible action of the government and the business community, the president said

Leonid Slutsky recalled that at the talks in Istanbul, settlement agreements were reached and «initialed by the head of the Ukrainian delegation David Arakhamia»

«I’m not looking to hurt Russia. I love the Russian people, and always had a very good relationship with President Putin,» the US President wrote

At the Mahakumbh, the Jal Jeevan Mission's exhibition highlights the transformation in Uttar Pradesh villages through the 'Har Ghar Nal' project. Students from Prayagraj learned about its impact on water-scarce areas and engaged in activities promoting water conservation and safe drinking water. They pledged to save water after touring the informative displays.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar raised concerns over the misuse of judicial access, calling it a threat to India's governance and democracy. He criticized institutions for overstepping their jurisdiction and questioned the parliamentary provision of party discipline, citing it as a restriction on representatives' freedom of expression. Dhankhar also lamented the declining standards of parliamentary decorum.

The 14-year-old teenager being held after a 12-year-old boy was stabbed to death in Birmingham is also being held over an assault on a woman in her 80s, police have said.

[New Times] Morocco has been confirmed as hosts of Window three of the 2025 AfroBasket qualifiers scheduled to take place from February 21-23.

[VOA] Yaoundé -- Civilians in Gabon are being encouraged this month to register to vote in presidential elections scheduled for August 2025, as ordered by transitional President General Brica Clotaire Oligui Nguema.

[Capital FM] In the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, an environmental catastrophe is unfolding at a rapid pace. The Okapi Wildlife Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site once home to some of Earth's rarest species, is being systematically destroyed by Chinese mining operations.

Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud received the African Presidential Leadership Award on Tuesday at a ceremony hosted by Africa House in Davos, Switzerland.

FEMAIL takes a look at New York University student Barron Trump's style evolution, as he trades in casual outfits for debonair blazers and shirts.

The Scottish businessman, 42, is launching House Of Unicorns in a bid to find a startup company with promising potential to invest in.

Dans le cadre d'une opération conjointe menée récemment à Lambaréné, les équipes de la Direction de la Lutte Contre le Braconnage (DLCB), de la Direction Provinciale des Eaux et Forêts du Moyen-Ogooué, et de la Police Judiciaire (PJ), appuyées par l'ONG Conservation Justice, ont procédé à l'arrestation de quatre individus pour trafic d'ivoire et de peau de panthère. Durant l'opération, une personne identifiée sous les initiales P.O. avait en sa possession les dix défenses d'ivoire et la (...) - SOCIETE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Le Secrétaire Général du Ministère de la Justice, Garde des Sceaux, Martin Obandja-Owoula, a procédé le lundi 20 janvier 2025 à la cérémonie officielle de lancement de l'opération d'impression des cartes professionnelles des personnels judiciaires. Environ mille cinq-cents (1500) cartes professionnelles seront éditées sur 10 jours, soit un rythme journalier d'édition de deux cents (200) macarons. En vue de s'assurer du bon déroulement de l'opération d'établissement des nouvelles cartes (...) - JUSTICE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

La traditionnelle cérémonie d'échanges de vœux du nouvel an entre le Ministre de des Comptes Publics et de la Dette, Charles M'BA et ses collaborateurs s'est déroulée, ce lundi 20 janvier 2025 , au sein dudit ministère plus précisément à la salle Jérôme Okinda. C'est dans un élan de mobilisation que tout le personnel a tenu à prendre part à cette cérémonie pour manifester leur soutien et leur engagement à continuer à œuvrer aux côtés du Ministre dans sa lourde de charge. Dans son (...) - ECONOMIE / SUJET_ECRIT_MAISON

Several people were killed in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district when they stepped onto tracks due to a fire rumour and were struck by another train. The incident near Pachora station involved the unscheduled halt of Pushpak Express, leading to casualties from the approaching Karnataka Express. Rescue and railway officials are coordinating efforts.