Iran says 'agreement within reach' with Oman on Hormuz Strait reopening
Iran says it is holding “positive” talks with Oman on reopening the Strait of Hormuz to shipping traffic, while an official source familiar with t...
Asylum claims in the UK reached a record high in 2024, with over 108,000 people claiming asylum, relating to 84,000 cases. The Home Office released the official immigration figures for the last year.
Gov.uk reported that 18% more people claimed asylum in the UK last year than in 2023 and 5% more than the previous recorded peak of 103,081 in 2002. According to the report, 47% of cases in 20224 were positive grants of protection, down from 67% in 2023.
There were historically-high 956,000 visas issued for a non-visit reason - people coming to the UK for other reasons, such as work, study, family and humanitarian reasons usually require an entry clearance visa.
In 2024 there were 132.3 million arrivals to the UK. The majority (55%) were British nationals.
Between 2004 and 2020, there were between 22,000 and 46,000 people claiming asylum in the UK each year. However, since the second half of 2021, there has been a noticeable increase.
Small boat arrivals made up 32% of asylum applications in 2024—a slight rise from 2023 but still lower than 2021, when they accounted for 43% of applications.
The remaining claimants will have entered either through other irregular routes (such as via lorries or shipping containers); through the common travel area without valid permission to enter; or through regular routes with either valid leave to enter (such as using a visa) or using fraudulent documents.
Seven nationalities accounted for 48% of applications in 2024: Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, Bangladesh, Syria, India, and Vietnam. The biggest increases compared to 2023 were among people from Vietnam (+113%), Pakistan (+79%), Syria (+70%) and Bangladesh (+42%).

Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 5th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. President Donald Trump said there was an "all-day negotiation" on Tuesday with Iran, characterising the talks positively while also threatening to hit Iran "really hard" if a deal was not reached.
Tehran had made plans to strike sites in Ukraine after Kyiv attacked an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, a senior Iranian military adviser has said. Iran refrained from taking action after Kyiv said the strike was a mistake, Mohsen Rezaei told the state IRIB TV channel.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 4th of August, covering the latest developments.
U.S. data analytics firm Palantir Technologies has reported a 93 per cent year-on-year jump in second-quarter revenue, even as the company faces continued criticism over its work with Israel's military and allegations linking its technology to the war in Gaza.a.
Türkiye's ruling alliance has submitted draft legislation to parliament aimed at advancing the peace process with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The proposed law includes legal protections for many former militants and suspended prison sentences for some convicted members.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has dismissed the country's ambassadors to Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and several other countries. The removals came after a speech on Monday in which he said embassies would be judged on their effectiveness in securing weapons for Ukraine.
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan have begun implementing a landmark 2022 border agreement, launching a land exchange to complete the demarcation of their shared frontier and pave the way for new infrastructure projects.
A new Ebola treatment centre is due to open this week in Bunia, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, as authorities battle the country's largest and fastest-spreading Ebola outbreak on record. Officials hope the new facility will ease pressure on an overstretched healthcare system.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israeli forces will not withdraw from their current positions in Gaza until Hamas is fully disarmed, casting further doubt on a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at ending the war.
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