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Added on the 30/08/2021 17:32:36 - Copyright : Euronews EN
Afghans waited in the open near Kabul's airport on Friday as thousands of people try to flee Afghanistan's capital, as an intelligence document for the UN warned that the Taliban are going house-to-house searching for opponents and their families. IMAGES
EU spokesperson Eric Mamer seems to pour cold water over a potential Dutch opt-out of the bloc's asylum system, saying "you cannot opt out of EU legislation... We are working on the basis of existing treaties and existing legislation". Speaking to AFP earlier on Thursday, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders vowed to enact the country's strictest asylum policy ever. SOUNDBITE
The EU gives the final green light to a landmark overhaul of its migration and asylum policies that will see hardened borders and responsibility shared among member states. SOUNDBITE
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen hails the EU parliament's adoption of a contentious asylum policy reform as a "huge achievement for Europe". The parliament's main political groups overcame opposition from far-right and far-left parties to pass the new migration and asylum pact -- a sweeping reform nearly a decade in the making. SOUNDBITE
Men are seen sitting on the wall of the former US embassy and locals wave flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the name given to the country by its new rulers -- across the capital to celebrate the second anniversary of the Taliban government's takeover of the country. IMAGES
A group of 15 EU member states have agreed to take in 40,000 Afghan citizens for resettlement, Commissioner Ylva Johansson says after meeting interior ministers. Germany will accept the bulk of the new arrivals, with 25,000, with the Netherlands accepting 3,159, Spain and France 2,500, and other countries lower numbers, according to a document seen by AFP. SOUNDBITE