Morocco's navy has intercepted 257 migrants at sea over four days, state media reported on Tuesday.
It comes two weeks after at least 23 migrants were killed in a border stampede.
"Navy coast guards on maritime patrol in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, rescued ... 257 people attempting irregular migration, having attempted a perilous crossing aboard makeshift boats, kayaks and even swimming," said a military official, according to the official MAP news agency.
Most of the migrants, including men and women as well as children, came from African nations, the report said.
The group also included an Afghan and a Yemeni. The report said they were brought safely to shore.
Last month, at least 23 migrants died trying to climb border fences into the Spanish enclave of Melilla, on Morocco's Mediterranean coast.
Non-governmental organisations say at least 37 migrants died, a toll higher than the official figure.
The victims were among about 2,000 migrants, many from Sudan, who staged a mass storming of the barrier, the Moroccan authorities reported.
It was the worst-recorded death toll in years of attempts by migrants to enter Ceuta and Melilla, the only land borders between Africa and the EU.
Tens of thousands arrive on Spanish shores
Migrants, often fleeing violence and food insecurity at home, have also continued to try to reach Spain by boat.
More than 40,000 migrants, mostly from Morocco, arrived in Spain in 2021 by sea, the Spanish Interior Ministry said.
Over the first five months of 2022, arrivals increased by 12 per cent compared with 2021, it said. But the normalisation of diplomatic relations between Spain and Morocco has led to a decrease in recent weeks.
Across the Mediterranean region, governments in North Africa and Europe face growing challenges to address a worsening humanitarian crisis, as populations seek to escape climate change and conflict.
The number of migrants fleeing Sub-Saharan Africa and war-torn countries in the arid Sahel region — risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean — is expected to surge to 2.5 million by 2030, a report last year by the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies said.
We Weren’t Supposed to Survive But We Did
We weren’t supposed to survive but we did.
We weren’t supposed to remember but we did.
We weren’t supposed to write but we did.
We weren’t supposed to fight but we did.
We weren’t supposed to organise but we did.
We weren’t supposed to rap but we did.
We weren’t supposed to find allies but we did.
We weren’t supposed to grow communities but we did.
We weren’t supposed to return but WE ARE.
Amira Sakalla
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
Racecard:
2.30pm: Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoun Emirates Breeders Society Challenge; Conditions (PA); Dh40,000; 1,600m
3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
