Police have found a group of 23 migrants being smuggled into Germany in a van, shortly after it had crossed the border from Poland.
Several children were among the group, all of whom were Iraqis, during a routine police stop near the east German border town of Goerlitz on Sunday.
Authorities in Germany have registered an increase in people entering illegally from Poland in recent weeks, mostly coming via Belarus.
On Friday a 32-year-old Iraqi man was found dead when police discovered a vehicle outside the town of Schoepstal in Saxony, north of Goerlitz.
Police found the body after officers spotted about 30 people getting out of the lorry. The 42-year-old driver of the vehicle is being sought.
On Sunday, the driver of the vehicle and his companion, both believed to be Syrians, fled but were later detained and the van confiscated.
German border officials say that on some days they have picked up several hundred people entering illegally from Poland.
Many of those apprehended by police are Iraqis and Syrians who flew to Belarus and then crossed into Poland before travelling west to Germany in the hope of claiming asylum.
The European Union has accused Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko of flying migrants from the Middle East and Africa to Minsk and then sending them into the bloc on foot in retaliation for sanctions imposed over a crackdown on the country's opposition.
In October, 4,890 migrants were known to have entered Germany from Poland via Belarus, German authorities said.
A slowdown in arrivals is “currently not in sight”, a police spokesman said on Friday.
To cope with the influx, Germany has tightened border controls with Poland, with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer sending 800 extra police officers to the area.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
