Morocco

Petar Stoychev has etched his name in Bulgarian sporting history once again by becoming the first Bulgarian to swim across according to the rigorous standards of the Oceans Seven challenge. Notably, he achieved this remarkable feat wearing only a textile swimsuit, foregoing the use of neoprene.

European Parliament has greenlit a comprehensive overhaul of the EU's asylum and migration policies, marking a significant shift in how the bloc manages its borders and addresses the influx of migrants and asylum seekers. The approved reforms, part of the new Asylum and Migration Pact, promise to bring about substantial changes starting from 2026 if ratified.

Border Filter:

A recently unveiled Europol report has shown the pervasive influence of criminal networks in the European Union, particularly implicating Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, and Ukrainians in the most perilous operations related to human trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation.

A Spanish charity boat taking food to Gaza left Cyprus on Tuesday in hopes of opening a maritime corridor to carry sorely needed aid to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

Reports emerge from Sofia indicating that Bulgaria intends to deport a Saudi dissident who sought asylum but was rejected, sparking concerns for his safety upon return to the Gulf kingdom. The news, reported by AFP, sheds light on the plight of Abdulrahman Al-Khalidi, who fears persecution in Saudi Arabia if deported.

Archaeologists in Morocco have unearthed more than 80 human footprints dating back around 100,000 years and believed to be the oldest in North Africa.

The footprints, probably left by five homo sapiens, including children, were discovered on the coast of Larache, a city 90 kilometers south of Tangier, by archaeologists from Morocco, Spain, France, and Germany.

Bulgarian authorities apprehended 18,554 third-country nationals as illegal migrants in 2023, reflecting a significant 10.7% surge compared to the previous year, according to data released by the Interior Ministry.

Bulgarian border police successfully prevented approximately 180,000 attempts by migrants to enter the country illegally in 2023, according to recent data released by the Interior Ministry on Wednesday.

In Bulgaria, only 2% of last year's asylum applications in the EU were recorded, based on recent data from the European Agency for Asylum and Migration. The report, unveiled on December 14, highlights that Bulgaria received a total of 3,028 applications, while Germany, France, and Italy were the top recipients.

Mariana Tosheva, the head of the State Agency for Refugees, has urged an increase in reception center capacity amid escalating EU migration. Tosheva highlighted the urgency to expand the existing capacity from 3,600 to 5,000 places in response to the mounting influx of migrants.