In the last few decades, more and more people have been forced to flee war, violence, poverty and climate change, with many of them seeking a safe haven in Europe. While the number of irregular migrant arrivals in the EU dropped significantly following the 2015 migration crisis, detections of irregular border crossings are far from being a thing of the past, and pressure on national asylum systems, especially in certain Member States, remains high. At the same time, a steady flow of regular migrants arrives in the EU while Member States struggle to cover labour shortages and cope with demographic challenges. In an attempt to move away from ad hoc solutions and put in place a predictable and reliable migration management system, the EU adopted a new pact on migration and asylum, which will apply from June 2026. The pact creates a common EU system for managing migration, asylum, borders, and integration. This topical digest offers a sample of EPRS publications published in 2025 on the migratory challenges facing the EU. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

We analyse selected RRF reforms and investments, from milestone design to payment assessment. Our findings suggest that the RRF model can strengthen the effectiveness of the European Semester by translating reform priorities into enforceable commitments. Yet there is scope for improvement. First, uneven milestone design limited conditionality in some cases, calling for a better balance between national ownership and consistency in the drafting of similar reforms. Second, investment conditionality should be recalibrated to safeguard value creation, rather than prioritising absorption. Third, decentralised implementation should not imply fragmented or restricted access to information across national systems, which constrains effective accountability and oversight. This document was provided by the Economic Governance and EMU Scrutiny Unit at the request of the ECON Committee. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

The European Union (EU) faces constant challenges to its internal security. Security threats, such as organised crime, cybercrime, drugs trade, terrorism and violent extremism, are increasingly cross- border, interconnected and digital in nature, making the EU's security landscape ever more complex and unpredictable and reinforcing the need for cooperation. The European Parliament helps shape the EU's security policy, insisting on the need to uphold fundamental rights, equality and the rule of law. This topical digest highlights a sample of recent EPRS publications on today's challenges to the EU's internal security and what the Union is doing to tackle them. Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Richard Vernon says youth-led climate-action initiatives are playing a pivotal role in strengthening community resilience, particularly as the city continues to grapple with the effects of climate change. “Hurricane...

JN Money has partnered with DHL Express to launch the first DHL Premier Branch in the Cayman Islands at its Eastern Avenue location, marking a significant milestone in the territory’s financial and logistics landscape. This strategic partnership...

In response to the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, Newport Mills Ltd, a division under the CB Group and manufacturer of Nutramix animal feeds, has launched a Chicken Coop Starter Programme aimed at helping affected poultry farmers rebuild...

Amid the celebrations for the graduating class of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) at last week’s ceremony, history was made quietly and largely unnoticed. It came in the form of a single graduate – one whose achievement carries with it the...

Hurricane Melissa delivered a double blow to many residents of western Jamaica, damaging or destroying both homes and businesses and leaving recovery stalled in an uneasy limbo. Delbert Rodney of Belmont, Westmoreland, is among those still...

More than 130 residents from Mele, Melemaat, and nearby areas attended free medical checkups on Friday morning last week at the Mele Imere T’fare Maurifanga Health Center, provided by the Chinese Medical Team (CMT) currently operating in Vanuatu.

The people of Torres in TORBA Province said there should be elections, either provincial or general, every year to maintain government services on the islands, especially remote ones.

Twelve elected Port Vila City Council (PVCC) councillors have filed a major civil claim in the Supreme Court, challenging the legality of the current Lord Mayor and accusing the Minister of Internal Affairs of unlawful interference in council governance.

The new opposition Whip and a Member of Parliament (MP) for Tanna, Andrew Wilbur Napuat, has been assured by the office of the Ombudsman that the report following his complaint about an alleged rental agreement involving the Minister of Infrastructure…

Brunet Enterprise Générale said that if it had been informed of the water protection regulations earlier, it would not have installed its asphalt equipment at Zone 3 of the Matnakara Water Protection Zone.

A 13-year-old boy who swam for four kilometres in dangerous swells to save his stranded family members has been hailed a hero.

Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, sealed the agreement with Karen Spencer, 53.

According to the trailer, The Investigation Of Lucy Letby will bring us the first on-screen interview with the mother of a tiny alleged victim.

LIVE UPDATES: Follow the latest developments on the newly released Epstein files as documents show the disgraced paedophile financier's relationships with the rich and powerful.

Prime Minister Modi hailed the India-US trade deal as a significant decision benefiting all citizens. The agreement, announced by President Trump, will see the US reduce tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from 50%. India is expected to eliminate its tariffs and non-tariff barriers on US products, potentially boosting trade significantly.

Amidst escalating Iran tensions, IndiGo has extended flight cancellations to Tbilisi, Almaty, Baku, and Tashkent until February 28, 2026. The airline is rerouting to ensure passenger and crew safety, as its usual flight paths traverse Iranian airspace. This move comes as US-Iran relations remain volatile, though diplomatic efforts are reportedly underway.

The members of Congress who wrote the law requiring disclosure of the files are still looking for explanations.

The deal would fund most of the government through September. But Congress would have only 10 days to fund the Department of Homeland Security.

A routine school day turned into a mother's worst fear when she was informed that her seven-year-old daughter Alex had gone missing.Speaking to AsiaOne on Tuesday (Feb 3), Angel Liu, 43, recounted the trauma she went through on Jan 28 afternoon after her elder daughter Andrea, 10, called her with the news.But an act of kindness by a stranger ensured that Alex reached home safely, but not before Liu, a mother of two, endured more than three hours of agony and despair.«I was at work when I received a call from Andrea. She was crying when she told me that that my younger daughter, Alex, had gone missing,» said the financial adviser.«It happened so fast that I didn't really have time to process it. I just knew that I had to find my daughter as soon as possible because something might have happened to her.»Liu added that both her daughters attend Ngee Ann Primary School and it is their usual practice to meet after class before heading home in the Joo Chiat area, typically arriving by around 2.30pm.

The closure of popular nasi padang eatery Warong Nasi Pariaman last month was not due to high rent, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development Syed Harun Alhabsyi in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 3). Dr Syed Harun was responding to questions from MPs Denise Phua (Jalan Besar GRC) and Fadli Fawzi (Aljunied GRC) on concerns about protecting long-standing businesses in heritage districts such as Chinatown and Kampong Glam from rising rents. «It was reported in the media that the representative from the family clarified that the closure was not related to rental issues, and we should not wrongly conclude that this was due to a high level,» he said. Warong Nasi Pariaman, which closed on Jan 31 after 78 years and was reportedly the oldest surviving nasi padang stall in Singapore, was located in a shophouse near Sultan Mosque. 

As night fell and most of Singapore went to bed, a woman was up distributing food and drinks to rough sleepers at Our Tampines Hub.TikToker naivanderwaal had visited the centre at about 2am on Friday (Jan 30) to give away meals from a home-based business as well as packaged drinks she had bought.In a video uploaded on Saturday (Jan 31), Nai remarks that there are «quite a number» of people at the hub, and that she and her group would leave the food next to those who were asleep at that time.She then weaves through the chairs at the Festive Plaza, handing out food to individuals resting there. Some rough sleepers are also seen on benches at another area.The video has more than 29,000 views.Nai, 24, told Stomp that there were about 15 to 18 beneficiaries that night.The meals are contributed by customers of home-based businesses who support the initiative by covering the cost of an extra meal.«The people who usually join me when I help distribute food are my viewers and supporters who voluntarily participate,» she was quoted as saying.

In 2025, Russian Railways’ network freight throughput amounted to 1.116 bln tons, a decrease of 5.6% compared to 2024

«When it comes to the main sectors currently driving growth, industrial and manufacturing production are the primary drivers,» the deputy prime minister said

The treaty expires on February 5, 2026

«Agriculture was a major source of economic growth,» the deputy prime minister said

The one percent growth is primarily due to the implementation of both a tight monetary policy and a tight fiscal policy, as well as inflation targeting, the official specified