Yassine Yerrou divides his nights between the mountains in Spain's North African enclave Ceuta and a makeshift tent propped up by discarded ironing boards behind the litter-strewn breakwaters that run along Benitez beach. Mattresses are fashioned from cardboard boxes.
“I’ve got nothing at home,” said Yassine, 17, from the northern Morocco city of Tetouan. “But I don’t want to stay in Ceuta, I want to go to mainland Spain. I’m surviving on bread and any food people give me on the street.”
He and his friend Marwan Tojguani, 16, from the town of Martil in Tangier, are among hundreds of migrant children who arrived in Ceuta in May when Morocco loosened its borders, leaving Spanish officials scrambling to cope with a humanitarian and diplomatic crisis.
The boys choose not to live in the stark warehouses intended to house migrant children, instead preferring to sleep rough on the streets, in parks, mountainside or in between concrete sea defences in subhuman conditions on the beachfront.
Like many fearful migrant children hiding out from police in Ceuta, Marwan, who speaks only Arabic and carries his life belongings in a half-empty plastic bag, moves from one neighbourhood to the next seeking shelter, food and water, trying to avoid violent confrontations. He never spends more than a night at a time in one place.
He chose not to seek medical help when he was subjected to a recent racist attack at the hands of locals. “The suckers burned my face with a lit cigarette,” said Marwan, who was orphaned at the age of two when his parents died in a car crash in Morocco. “These men pinned me down and burned my face. They told me to get out of Ceuta. The burns are really sore but I didn’t go to hospital because I’m afraid they’ll send me back to Morocco.”
More than a month after the unprecedented influx of approximately 8,000 migrants in Ceuta on May 17 and 18, some 1,500 migrant children – some as young as 10 – continue to be ‘housed’ across three overcrowded warehouses that are not fit for purpose and are in violation of children’s rights, according to a report into the crisis by No Name Kitchen, Maakum Ceuta and ELIN.
These migrants, who are mostly aged 16 and 17, came to Spain for a better life because in Morocco there is "no life, no work, no money".
Under Spanish law, migrant children who arrive in Spain have the same rights as Spanish children and cannot be returned to their home country without their consent. However, while about 200 were relocated to other parts of Spain, many were returned irregularly, against their will and against international protocol.
These men pinned me down and burned my face. They told me to get out of Ceuta.
In the crammed warehouses, children were initially forced to urinate in plastic bottles for a week before five mobile toilets were installed but access to them is often denied; they shower outside in cold water for a maximum of five minutes; go up to 11 hours between meals consisting of water, juice and cold sandwiches; sleep on shelves and are prohibited from going outside even for fresh air. Once the migrant children are given Covid-19 tests, they are allocated to warehouses for positive or negative cases although restricted space doesn't allow for social distancing.
The report, Violations of the Rights of Children, Girls, Adolescents and Young Migrants in Ceuta, described conditions in the warehouses as a "breeding ground for serious conflict" where children routinely suffer "neglect, punishment, intimidation and violence from staff".
Irina Samy, a violence reporter with the No Name Kitchen charity, said the state failed to take responsibility for children living on the streets in Ceuta and outside of the child protection system at a time when their rights were being violated every day. The report said there was no external body or agency observing and evaluating what is going on in Ceuta except for the Save the Children organisation, which has five staff identifying and assessing minors in one of the warehouses. The rest of the children are helpless.
“The children on the streets are surviving on handouts outside supermarkets and petrol stations,” Ms Samy said. “They’re unaccompanied, it’s not just about their survival, it’s about their mental health too.
“They’ve experienced aggression from locals, they’ve been punched and hit, suffered black eyes and deep cuts. Their attackers have wielded knives and there have been guns.
“On the other side, they’re facing aggression from police and security. One 14 year old told us he was in a toilet in one of the warehouses and a policeman came in and hit him. It’s an abuse of power, we don’t know why it happened.
“We are working urgently to inform the minors about their rights and to teach them how to make informed decisions. They need to understand that they should report this abuse. Dignified solutions need to be found for these children. We believe the best thing that can happen is for the minors to be relocated. Until then, better spaces must be found for them. They should not be penalised for seeking a better life.”
Last month's influx of migrants into Ceuta, which has a 30 per cent unemployment rate and can trace its Spanish past to the 15th century, came amid heightened tension between Madrid and Morocco's capital Rabat over Spain's decision to allow independence leader Brahim Ghali to be treated for Covid-19 in Spain.
Ms Samy said the crisis needed a humanitarian response as opposed to a political one. Within days of the influx, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez deployed troops to patrol the border with Morocco, stationing armoured vehicles along the beach, and warned Morocco, which covets Ceuta, that it would defend “the territorial integrity of Spain with whatever means necessary”.
The crisis was stoked with a visit to Ceuta by Santiago Abascal, the leader of the Spanish far-right party Vox, who previously called for a wall at the border to stop the flow of immigrants.
One Ceutian told The National: "Ceuta is still saturated with migrants. The locals make them hot food but others are against helping out because some of the migrants have been involved in thefts and attacks, they're a mixed bunch. Some of the older migrants have taken food off the younger ones, there's infighting.
"Ceuta is small and we don’t have the resources or infrastructure to cope, it’s terrible. They can’t stay stuck in warehouses forever.”
Both the Spanish government and police declined to comment.
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Cases of coronavirus in the GCC as of March 15
Saudi Arabia – 103 infected, 0 dead, 1 recovered
UAE – 86 infected, 0 dead, 23 recovered
Bahrain – 210 infected, 0 dead, 44 recovered
Kuwait – 104 infected, 0 dead, 5 recovered
Qatar – 337 infected, 0 dead, 4 recovered
Oman – 19 infected, 0 dead, 9 recovered
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dresos%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20September%202020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Vladimir%20Radojevic%20and%20Aleksandar%20Jankovic%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fashion%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24285%2C000%3B%20%24500%2C000%20currently%20being%20raised%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Crowdfunding%2C%20family%2C%20friends%20and%20self-funding%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Qalandars 112-4 (10 ovs)
Banton 53 no
Northern Warriors 46 all out (9 ovs)
Kumara 3-10, Garton 3-10, Jordan 2-2, Prasanna 2-7
Qalandars win by six wickets
INDIA'S%20TOP%20INFLUENCERS
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Terminator: Dark Fate
Director: Tim Miller
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Mackenzie Davis
Rating: 3/5
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The%20specs
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What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
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.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Canada
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Hamilton’s 2017
Australia - 2nd; China - 1st; Bahrain - 2nd; Russia - 4th; Spain - 1st; Monaco - 7th; Canada - 1st; Azerbaijan - 5th; Austria - 4th; Britain - 1st; Hungary - 4th; Belgium - 1st; Italy - 1st; Singapore - 1st; Malaysia - 2nd; Japan - 1st; United States - 1st; Mexico - 9th
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
The%20specs
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