News Trending

Poland’s Government Faces Mounting Pressure Amid Escalating Visa-for-Cash Scandal

By 732 0

The Speaker of Poland’s upper house of parliament, Tomasz Grodzki, has urged the government to disclose its knowledge regarding an escalating scandal involving cash for visas. Grodzki expressed concern that the issue was damaging Poland’s international image as a responsible democracy.

Reports suggest that migrants paid substantial sums, up to $5,000 (£4,000) each, to expedite their work visa applications. While seven individuals have been charged in connection with the scandal, none of them are public officials.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Poland, Piotr Wawrzyk, was dismissed last week in the wake of these allegations. His removal coincided with a search of the foreign ministry conducted by Poland’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA). The director of the ministry’s legal service was also terminated.

In response to the scandal, the foreign ministry announced the termination of all contracts with outsourcing companies responsible for handling visa applications since 2011. Opposition MPs allege that as many as 250,000 visas for individuals from Asia and Africa were irregularly issued through these outsourcing companies, a claim disputed by the government, which maintains that only several hundred were involved.

Donald Tusk, the leader of the opposition Civic Platform party, criticized the government’s migration policy, stating that anyone seeking to travel from Africa to Poland could easily obtain a visa at the embassy. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki dismissed these allegations, asserting that there is no widespread issue.

Speaker Grodzki characterized the scandal as the most significant Poland has faced in the 21st century, with corruption reaching the highest levels of government, posing a direct threat to the country. Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro downplayed the scale of the problem in an interview with state-run news channel TVP Info.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (CBA) became aware of the matter in July 2022 and has been conducting investigations since then. This scandal has the potential to cast a shadow over the Law and Justice party’s (PiS) anti-immigration stance ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for the next month. While PiS currently leads in polls, it remains uncertain whether they can secure the outright majority required to continue governing for a third term.

Picture Courtesy: google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Greek fires rage after migrant tragedy near border

By 794 0

Wildfires in Greece have tragically led to the loss of 20 lives and are still raging out of control near Athens and the Evros region close to the Turkish border. Among those killed, 18 are believed to be refugees and migrants who had recently crossed the border and sought refuge in forests north of Alexandroupolis. Greece has expressed deep condolences for the deaths occurring in the Dadia forest near the Turkish border. The fires have been ongoing for five days and have extended along the coast and near the city. Efforts to contain the fires are being hampered by strong winds and scorching temperatures of up to 40°C (104°F).

The victims’ bodies were discovered near a shack close to the village of Avantas, north of Alexandroupolis, by the fire service. The fire service and local authorities had issued evacuation warnings through emergency services. The victims are believed to have recently crossed the border from Turkey along the River Evros, which is a common route for migrants and refugees attempting to enter the European Union. The risk of wildfires adds to the many dangers migrants and refugees face in their journey, including violence, arrest, and drowning in the Mediterranean.

The victims are predominantly male, with two of them being minors. The bodies were found within a relatively small radius, and their identification is expected to be challenging, necessitating the involvement of their relatives. Some individuals had been attempting to follow a well-established path through the forest to avoid detection.

Tensions have arisen in the local communities as some residents blame migrants for causing the fires. However, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that migrants were responsible for starting the Dadia forest fire. A video showing a man “arresting” migrants and refugees and accusing them of arson provoked outrage in Greece, leading to the arrest of the man behind the video and others involved.

In response to the tragic events, the Supreme Court Prosecutor initiated inquiries into both the causes of the fires in the Evros region and incidents of alleged racist violence against migrants following the deaths in the Dadia forest.

As the fires continue to spread, evacuations have been conducted in various areas, including villages near Alexandroupolis and parts of the capital city, Athens. The situation remains challenging for firefighters, compounded by the evacuation of nursing homes and the destruction of homes in some areas.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

Spain coast guard spots boat during search for missing migrant vessel

By 1047 0

The Spanish coast guard has located a boat carrying around 200 migrants that went missing over a week ago. The boat was found 71 miles south of Gran Canaria, and a coast guard vessel has been dispatched for rescue operations.

The fishing boat had departed from a coastal town in southern Senegal, approximately 1,700km away from Tenerife, with 200 people on board, including many children. Two other similar boats carrying additional migrants are also reported missing, with limited information available. This brings the total number of people missing across the three boats to over 300.

The route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is known to be perilous, and last year alone, at least 559 people died attempting to reach the Spanish islands. The exact number of departures and shipwrecks often goes unreported. The migrants attempting this route typically come from countries such as Morocco, Mali, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and other sub-Saharan nations.

Despite a decrease in the number of unauthorized arrivals in the Canary Islands in 2022 compared to the previous year, the route remains dangerous, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) emphasizes that the flows are still high compared to previous years.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News Trending

In 2022, RNLI lifeboat personnel will have rescued the lives of 108 migrants

By 739 0

According to the RNLI, lifeboats were sent 290 times last year to rescue migrants in the English Channel.

For the first time, the organisation has made public information about its work on migrant crossings.

The RNLI, which has been chastised for providing a “taxi service” for migrants, reported saving 108 lives in the Channel between France and the Kent coast.

Its CEO stated that he made no apologies for saving lives at sea.

In 2022, lifeboats manned by volunteer crews were launched more than 9,000 times off the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The charity’s annual report for 2022 shows a 3.5% rise in net revenue, part of which came from larger donations, but expenditures also increased.

Some of the funds have gone towards the development of a new gadget known as “sea stairs,” a floating platform that allows workers to rescue people from the ocean more rapidly.

Mr. Ling called the floating platform a “game changer.”

He said that a standard rescue of a sinking small boat would take roughly one minute per person, but the sea stairs allowed 20 people to be rescued in 90 seconds.

The arrival of 616 migrants on tiny boats on Monday brings the total number of migrants crossing in 2023 to 8,380.

Picture Courtesy: Google/images are subject to copyright

News

Vietnamese Migrant Death: Around 26 booked in Belgium and France

By 1025 0

As many as twenty-six people have been booked in Belgium and France in an investigative operation triggered by the unnatural deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in a lorry in the UK in the year 2019.

Asphyxia and hypothermia are the reason that led to the deaths of the migrants – who were attempting to migrant to the United Kingdom.

The investigation has been carried out with the support of Europol. The police departments in several European nations have offered support to the investigation team.

At least thirteen of the total arrested people has been booked in Belgium, while the rest has been arrested from France.

The arrested people are said to be the members of a infamous network operate in the region to help migrants reach the United Kingdom illicitly.

As per a preliminary report, through this network, hundreds of people have reached the UK in the recent months.

Recently, the lorry driver who had transported the migrants to the UK plead guilty.

The issue is expected to open up a national wide discussion about the topic across the world – especially in the west where migration is a huge issue.


Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

News

Coronavirus outbreak makes things difficult for migrants

By 943 0

The coronavirus outbreak has damagingly interrupted the humanitarian supply chain which work to ensure migrants living in camps across Europe do not starve.

Many charities have had to cease operations, as the virus outbreak has made them incapable to function in a proper way.

This exist of the charities from the scenario has reduced support for large numbers of vulnerable people, though governments have stepped into make up the reduction.

As per a statistics, there are thousands of refugees and asylum seekers living in poverty in the United Kingdom alone.

Though the United Kingdom says it provides support for those who need it, not all charity organisations find that assurance relaxing.

In Calais located in France, close to the UK, many migrants are living in temporary camps hoping to cross to the UK.

The BBC has recently made a touching story to expose how miserable the life of migrants in the continent of Europe is.

Migrants, away from their homelands, deserve the support and care of every one – especially from the people of the country where they have reached in search of a peaceful future.

It is easy to forget them. It needs a courageous heart to look them through a humanitarian prism.


Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright

europe times european news mexico migrants
News

Mexico gives special Visa to migrants

By 1380 0

Mexico is looking forward for a new Government, leading by Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The Government is planning to give special Visa permit to the migrants. The National Immigration Institute (INM) said that 969 migrants from Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua crossed into Ciudad Hidalgo. They were allowed after giving identification bracelets by Mexican officials.

The special Visa gives permission to the migrants from Guatemala for residing in Mexico for one year. Corresponding changes will be done in the existing Visa rules. The identification bracelets given by Mexican officials will be used to identify the migrants, for the Visa. The officials said that these migrants will be allowed all benefits from the Government.

Sunaya Paison
Photo Courtesy: Google/ images are subject to copyright