When he saw a four-year-old child dangling precariously from a balcony, Mamoudou Gassama did not give his own safety a second thought. He immediately and effortlessly scaled four storeys of the Parisian building to rescue the child. The 22-year-old Malian migrant was rewarded with an audience with French President Emmanuel Macron, a job as a firefighter, praise from Paris's mayor and an offer of French citizenship. After an exceptional act of bravery, Mr Gassama fully deserves his plaudits. So too did his compatriot, Lassana Bathily, who was given a French passport in 2015 after saving six lives after an ISIS-affiliated terrorist stormed a Parisian supermarket. But while their incredible derring-do should rightly be lauded, it is worth remembering not everyone who finds themselves needing shelter is capable of carrying out such an act, nor should it be a measure of worthiness. Today in Europe there are hundreds of thousands of migrants, as well as refugees fleeing war in Syria and elsewhere. Like Mr Gassama, they are looking for a better life, whether that means improved conditions, opportunities or safety. Often voiceless, invisible and endlessly waiting to improve their circumstances, they are no less deserving of citizenship.
France alone received more than 100,000 asylum applications last year, according to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons. Across Europe, more than one million migrants and refugees arrived by sea in 2015, according to UNHCR, the UN's refugee agency. Yet in their desperate bid to improve their fortunes, at least 4,000 people drowned in the battle to get there. Many endure a horrific ordeal en route. During his own journey, Mr Gassama was beaten and detained in Libya for a year. Most who arrive are then treated with suspicion or outright hostility – sentiments that, in an increasingly populist Europe, are becoming enshrined in public policy.
Hungary this week is considering implementing new laws to penalise NGOs who help asylum seekers and migrants with food and legal advice. Prime Minister Viktor Orban is pushing for the Stop Soros bill amid claims "Muslim invaders" are a threat to sovereignty. Meanwhile, Austrian lawmakers plan to cut benefit payments for migrants and refugees and in France, despite Mr Gassama's laudable treatment, a controversial immigration bill doubles the period illegal migrants can be detained to 90 days and introduces one-year prison terms for illegal entry. The rise in anti-migrant rhetoric should give us all cause for concern. For while the turnaround in Mr Gassama's fortunes is to be praised, it is worth remembering that he is one of the largely invisible millions, many of whom will never get an audience with a president to plead their case.
CREW
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The specs
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
Match info
Karnataka Tuskers 110-3
J Charles 35, M Pretorius 1-19, Z Khan 0-16
Deccan Gladiators 111-5 in 8.3 overs
K Pollard 45*, S Zadran 2-18
Racecard
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
