Five migrants from sub-Saharan Africa drowned and five more are missing after their boat sank off Tunisia on its way to Europe, authorities said on Saturday.
About 20 others were rescued from the Mediterranean Sea by the Tunisian coastguard, said Faouzi Masmoudi, district attorney from the port city of Sfax.
Boats were scouring the waters off Sfax searching for other survivors, he said.
Parts of the Tunisian coastline lie fewer than 150km from the Italian island of Lampedusa, making them a favoured departure point for migrants ready to embark on the dangerous sea crossing.
More than 23,500 people of various nationalities were intercepted off Tunisia between January and September last year, according to the FTDES rights group, which tracks migration issues.
More than 500 people died or disappeared at sea during the same period, it said.
The coastguard is under pressure to stem the flow but lacks the means to do so, Tunisian authorities say.
The central Mediterranean route includes boat launchings from neighbouring Libya and is a perilous way for people to try to reach southern Europe, where Greece, Italy and Malta are all EU members.
Thousands of people fleeing conflict and poverty in Africa, Asia and the Middle East attempt to enter the EU through Greece each year.
Most make the short but dangerous crossing from the Turkish coast to nearby Greek islands in often unseaworthy inflatable dinghies.
Others opt to attempt to circumvent Greece in overcrowded boats and yachts, heading to Italy.
About 100,000 people crossed the Mediterranean to reach Italian shores in 2022, a year in which the country also elected far-right leader Giorgia Meloni, who as Prime Minister has made migration as a key priority and is seeking to reduce the number of people reaching Italy.
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Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
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The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
COMPANY%20PROFILE
Palestine and Israel
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F1 The Movie
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Transgender report
SHAITTAN
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 420 bhp
Torque: 624Nm
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On sale: now
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
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The flights
There are various ways of getting to the southern Serengeti in Tanzania from the UAE. The exact route and airstrip depends on your overall trip itinerary and which camp you’re staying at.
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Kilimanjaro International Airport from Dh1,350 return, including taxes; this can be followed by a short flight from Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti with Coastal Aviation from about US$700 (Dh2,500) return, including taxes. Kenya Airways, Emirates and Etihad offer flights via Nairobi or Dar es Salaam.
THE%20SPECS
Have you been targeted?
Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:
1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.
2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.
3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.
4. The adviser charges a 1 per cent charge for managing your assets. They are being paid for doing nothing. They have already claimed massive amounts in hidden upfront commission.
5. Total annual management cost for your pension account is 2 per cent or more, including platform, underlying fund and advice charges.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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THE BIO
BIO:
Born in RAK on December 9, 1983
Lives in Abu Dhabi with her family
She graduated from Emirates University in 2007 with a BA in architectural engineering
Her motto in life is her grandmother’s saying “That who created you will not have you get lost”
Her ambition is to spread UAE’s culture of love and acceptance through serving coffee, the country’s traditional coffee in particular.
The specs
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- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
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- Price: Not announced yet
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Poacher
Star%20Wars%3A%20Episode%20I%20%E2%80%93%20The%20Phantom%20Menace
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RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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RACE CARD
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