Sunday November 16, 2025 {HMC} Britain said on Saturday it would launch the largest overhaul of policy on asylum seekers in modern times, drawing inspiration from Denmark’s approach, one of the toughest in Europe and widely criticised by rights groups.

The Labour government has been hardening its immigration policies, particularly on illegal small-boat crossings from France, as it seeks to stem the surging popularity of the populist Reform UK party, which has driven the immigration agenda and forced Labour to adopt a tougher line.

As part of the changes, the statutory duty to provide support to certain asylum seekers, including housing and weekly allowances, will be revoked, the Home Office (interior ministry) said in a statement.
The department, led by Shabana Mahmood, said the measures would apply to asylum seekers who can work but choose not to, and to those who break the law. It said that taxpayer-funded support would be prioritised for those contributing to the economy and local communities.

Mahmood is expected to provide further details on Monday about the measures, which the Home Office says are designed to make Britain less attractive to illegal migrants and make it easier to remove them.

“This country has a proud tradition of welcoming those fleeing danger, but our generosity is drawing illegal migrants across the Channel,” Mahmood said. “The pace and scale of migration is placing immense pressure on communities.”

More than 100 British charities wrote to Mahmood urging her to “end the scapegoating of migrants and performative policies that only cause harm”, saying such steps are fuelling racism and violence.

Polls suggest immigration has overtaken the economy as voters’ top concern. Some 109,343 people claimed asylum in the UK in the year ending March 2025, a 17% rise on the previous year and 6% above the 2002 peak of 103,081.

UK GOVERNMENT INSPIRED BY DENMARK, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The Home Office said its reforms would be inspired not only by Denmark but other European countries, where refugee status is temporary, support is conditional and integration is expected.

“The UK will now match and in some areas exceed these standards,” the department said.

Earlier this year, a delegation of senior Home Office officials visited Copenhagen to study Denmark’s approach to asylum, where migrants are only granted temporary residence permits, usually for two years, and must reapply when these expire.

If the Social Democratic Danish government deems their home country safe, asylum seekers can be repatriated. The path to citizenship has also been lengthened and made more difficult, with stricter rules for family reunification.

Among other measures, 2016 legislation allows Danish authorities to seize asylum seekers’ valuables to offset support costs.

Britain currently grants asylum to those who can prove they are unsafe at home, with refugee status given to those deemed to be at risk of persecution. The status lasts for five years, after which they can apply for permanent settlement if they meet certain criteria.

Denmark has been known for its tough immigration policies for over a decade, which the Home Office says have reduced asylum claims to a 40-year low and resulted in the removal of 95% of rejected applicants.

RIGHTS GROUPS SAY DENMARK’S POLICY UNDERMINES PROTECTION

Britain’s Refugee Council said on X that refugees do not compare asylum systems while fleeing danger, and that they come to the UK because of family ties, some knowledge of English, or existing connections that help them start anew safely.

Anti-immigration sentiment has been growing in the UK, with protests taking place this summer outside hotels sheltering asylum seekers with state funding.
Such sentiment has also spread across the European Union since over a million people – mostly Syrian refugees – arrived via the Mediterranean in 2015-16, straining infrastructure in some countries. Unable to agree on how to share responsibility, EU member states have focused on returns and reducing arrivals.

Denmark’s reforms, implemented while it remains a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, have drawn significant criticism, with rights groups saying the measures foster a hostile climate for migrants, undermine protection and leave asylum seekers in prolonged uncertainty. Reporting by Catarina Demony; editing by Mark Heinrich

Source Al-Jaziira

Sunday November 16, 2025 {HMC}  United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has come out to explain how President William Ruto has dignified the western region after years of being left out of the national conversation.

While speaking during a forum in Vihiga on Friday, November 15, 2025, Omar said the region had been forgotten, with most of its locals being associated with odd jobs such as housekeeping and watchmen.

But upon the assumption of Ruto into power, he has worked to make sure that he dignifies the region that was forgotten and left out in terms of development.

He went ahead to name a few leaders from the region who have managed to head various offices courtesy of President William Ruto.

He pointed out the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, among other leaders such as the deputy CDF, Air Force Commandant, Speaker Moses Wetangula, KRA boss Humphrey Wattanga Mulongo, and ORPP boss Rehnson Ekonga.

“Walikuwa wanasema hawa Waluhya ni watu wa kukaa machumbani na kulinda gate; wakawachukua, wakawanyima masomo, wakawanyima uhai wenu, wakawanyima maendeleo yenu, wakawanyang’anya miaka thelathini ya maendeleo.”

“Leo kukaja kijana kutoka Sugoi, ni jirani yenu, akawapa deputy CDF, akawapa tena Airforce Commandant, akawapa Speaker, akawapa PCS wa kulinda serikali, akawapa mmoja wenu awe mkubwa wa KRA,” Omar said.

This comes at a time when the president has been courting the region to support his reelection in 2027.

Supporting Ruto’s reelection
Recently, his aide Farouk Kibet came out urging the locals that the only way to power is by the region supporting President Ruto for his reelection in 2027 for his second term. Thereafter, in 2032, the president will return a hand by supporting one from the region to materialise their dream of ever wanting to sit at the table.

The National Assembly Speaker, Moses Wetang’ula, has also in the past urged Western Kenya locals to support President William Ruto in 2027 so that when it comes to 2032, they will be ready to take over from where the president would have left.

Politicians from the region allied to the opposition have differed with the above narrative, stating that the president has no good intentions for the Mulembe people.

Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa in the past said that the president wants to use the region and dump it after getting what he wants. He said that in fact the region has suffered more under his regime, citing a number of uncompleted projects and unfulfilled promises to the region.

Source The Capital

Sunday November 16, 2025 {HMC} The Horn of Africa is facing an intensifying drought crisis as new climate forecasts indicate a high probability of continued below-normal rainfall through January 2026, threatening millions of lives and livelihoods across south-eastern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya, and southern Somalia.

A Climate Watch Advisory released Friday by the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) warns that the region has already experienced significantly drier-than-usual conditions since the onset of the short-rains season, with indicators showing deepening soil moisture shortages and vegetation stress.

Rainfall analysis for August to October, based on the Standardized Precipitation Index, shows a marked rainfall deficit across much of the eastern Horn.

“The Combined Drought Indicator (CDI) further indicates that these deficits have resulted in soil moisture shortages and vegetation stress, with some areas reaching alert levels,” ICPAC said.

The worsening situation is driven by the ongoing La Niña phenomenon and the negative Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)—a combination that historically suppresses rainfall in the region.

2010, 2022 patterns
ICPAC notes that current sea surface temperature anomalies mirror patterns observed during the severe droughts of 2010 and 2022, which devastated communities in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia and triggered major humanitarian emergencies.

The negative IOD will to persist through December 2025, while La Niña conditions could last until February 2026, likely worsening an already fragile situation.

Forecasts for November 2025 to January 2026 show a high likelihood of continued drier-than-normal conditions, raising concerns over impacts on the region’s most critical sectors.

ICPAC warned agriculture and food production face further stress, while livestock conditions may deteriorate sharply due to declining pasture and water, and reduced water availability could heighten health and nutrition risks among vulnerable populations.

Humanitarian agencies warn that any further rainfall failure could accelerate food insecurity at a time when communities are yet to fully recover from previous drought cycles.

ICPAC promised to update its Climate Watch Advisory on or before December 13, 2025, as regional meteorological services continue to monitor evolving conditions.

The centre urged governments, planners, and humanitarian organizations to intensify preparedness measures ahead of what could become another prolonged and damaging drought season.

Source The Capital