The European Union has given its green light for the creation of detention hubs outside of Europe, to where they could send illegal migrants. Politico reports that the EU agreed on new rules to speed up and increase deportations from the bloc on Monday. These rules will be ratified in the coming weeks or months. This includes the creation of “return hubs” outside of Europe where failed asylum seekers could be sent. It is part of sweeping EU reforms to increase control over who enters the bloc and how.

The Belgian daily Le Soir evokes what it calls a compromise after multiple negotiations. It also reflects the growing importance of the right and far right in the EU Parliament. Under the agreement concluded on Monday, countries like Denmark, Austria or Germany could send illegal migrants to Rwanda, Uganda, or Uzbekistan – third countries to which they often have absolutely no connection. Spain has been a vehement opponent of this new legislation. The agreement reflects a harder line on the issue of migrants – at a time, Spanish daily El Pais reminds us, when Europe is preparing to receive a Taliban delegation to discuss future deportations to Afghanistan. The Washington Post sees the EU as moving to “deploy some of the same clenched fist tactics as the Trump administration”: speeding up deportation, increasing detention times and tightening border controls.

In the UK, there is more bad news for Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The Guardian reports that hundreds of new files have been released about Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to the US who was a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The release of documents pertain to Mandelson’s appointment as envoy to the US, the UK’s most important diplomatic post. A lot of crucial documents were withheld or redacted – the Daily Mail notes that despite a “sea of Tipp-Ex”, the files reveal toxic infighting within the Labour Party and embarrassing criticism of Starmer himself. Mandelson, the “poisonous puppet master”, said the PM tended to buckle under pressure and lacked verve. The documents also reveal that Mandelson received sensitive security briefings even before he had been appointed. The Daily Mirror reports that Mandelson’s refusal to hand over his personal phone begs the question: what is there left to hide?

In Canada, a referendum will be held in October on deciding whether or not to have a referendum on the secession of Alberta, the oil-rich Western Canadian province often referred to as the Texas of Canada. The mere asking of the question has lit a “political fire” in the country, The New York Times says, and “Canada’s political class in the capital, Ottawa, is suddenly paying attention”. After all, Prime Minister Mark Carney can hardly afford a separatism crisis with a province that supplies oil to the US. In recent years, support for separatism of Alberta has risen from 20 percent to 30 percent, leading to October’s vote.

Finally, the Guardian notes that bird keepers are often advised to discourage or even punish birds for masturbating. But a new study led by the University of Lancashire will peck their interest. The unflappable researchers studied masturbating birds and found that the practice is more common in the wild than in captivity and thus part of the bird’s natural behaviour and not a negative response to captivity. They are urging vets to tell worried bird owners that there is nothing fowl about masturbation. They want them to warn against treatments like hormone therapy or surgery. Masturbation is apparently quite common in parrots, ducks, turkeys and chickens. It turns out that female birds, as well as male birds, enjoy a bit of self-ruffling!

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