A fierce migration debate has taken off in Spain following backlash to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's trip to West Africa earlier this week.
Mr Sanchez was accused by political opponents on the right and then far-left of sending the wrong message, as he sought to curb the record number of migrants arriving in illegal boat crossings to Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa.
The seven-island archipelago in the Atlantic recorded 22,000 migrants so far this year, compared to 10,000 in 2023. This puts the Canary Islands on track to receive record numbers of new migrants, which far exceed the 39,910 migrants in 2023.
Those numbers are expected to rise as Atlantic waters become calmer in the coming weeks.
Mr Sanchez initially told leaders that Spain needed migrants to fill labour shortages in agriculture - but was forced to change tone after backlash from political opponents.
"Spain is committed to safe, orderly and regular migration," the Socialist premier said soon after he arrived on Tuesday in Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania, in the first stop of his tour, which also included Gambia and Senegal.
He called for "circular migration" schemes that allow people to enter Spain legally to work for a limited time in sectors like agriculture, which face labour shortages during harvest time, before returning home.
"Immigration is not a problem, it is a necessity that comes with certain problems," Mr Sanchez said.
His comments were immediately blasted by Spain's main opposition Popular Party, which said the statements would encourage more migrants to try to enter the country illegally at a time when the Canary Islands is struggling to cope with an influx of migrants.
Nearly every day, Spain's coastguard rescues a boat carrying dozens of African migrants towards the seven-island archipelago located off the north-west coast of Africa.
"It is irresponsible to encourage a pull effect in the worst irregular migration crisis," PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo said, accusing Mr Sanchez of going to Africa to "promote Spain as a destination" for migrants.
This is "the opposite" of what other nations in the European Union are doing, he added.
The PP has toughened its position on the immigration in recent years, in response to the rise of the far-right Vox party.
Mr Sanchez appeared to change tack in the final leg of his tour in the Senegalese capital of Dakar. He highlighted Spain’s security concerns that trafficking rings organising boat crossings could have links to terrorist networks or drug smuggling gangs.
He said security was a "top priority" and said it is "essential to return those who have come to Spain illegally".
Deportations, however, require the agreement of the country of origin of a migrant, which is not easy to get.
Cristina Monge, a political scientist at the University of Zaragoza, said Mr Sanchez had tried to strike a balance in his comments on the issue in Africa but his message was "a bit contradictory".
His first speech in Mauritania came "from a European, human rights perspective" but when he talked about the need for deportations, the support "he gains on the right, he loses on the left," she told AFP.
While the PP welcomed Mr Sanchez's sudden emphasis on security, hard-left party Sumar – the junior coalition partners in his minority government – immediately opposed it.
"Following the same migration recipes called for by the right is a failure and a mistake," Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz, who founded Sumar, wrote on X.
The Spanish government estimates there are some 200,000 people in Mauritania waiting to go to the Canaries. The bulk of them are from Mali where a military regime is battling an Islamist insurgency.
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees
Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme
Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks
Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets
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Name: Salem Alkarbi
Age: 32
Favourite Al Wasl player: Alexandre Oliveira
First started supporting Al Wasl: 7
Biggest rival: Al Nasr
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Paltan
Producer: JP Films, Zee Studios
Director: JP Dutta
Cast: Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood, Arjun Rampal, Siddhanth Kapoor, Luv Sinha and Harshvardhan Rane
Rating: 2/5
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- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
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• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
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1.
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3.
4.
5.
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Greatest of All Time
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
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ENGLAND%20SQUAD
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
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