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Selasa, 18 Mei 2021

Ceuta: Spain sends troops as 6,000 migrants enter enclave - BBC News

A Spanish legionnaire hits a Moroccan citizen at El Tarajal beach, near the fence between the Spanish-Moroccan border

Spain has deployed troops after record numbers of migrants entered its enclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco.

At least 6,000 people reached Ceuta in a single day, Spanish officials say.

They say the migrants - who include about 1,500 minors - either swam around the border fences that jut out into the sea or walked across at low tide.

Spain's Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez has vowed to restore order. Spain says it has already sent some 2,700 migrants back - but not the minors.

Most of the migrants are said to be from Morocco.

The Spanish forces troops have been deployed to the beach to help border police at Ceuta's main entry point - Tarajal, on the enclave's south side.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said 200 troops, plus 200 extra police were going to assist Ceuta's normal 1,100-strong border force. The enclave has some 80,000 inhabitants.

Spain's Ceuta and Melilla enclaves have become magnets for African migrants.

On Tuesday, Moroccan security forces at Fnideq, the adjacent town to Ceuta, fired tear gas to disperse a large crowd of migrants at the border fence, AFP news agency reported.

Mr Sánchez has cancelled a trip to Paris - he was to attend a French-led summit on financial aid for Africa. Instead, he is focusing on the Ceuta crisis, and he promised "maximum firmness" in restoring normality to the enclave.

He has received support from senior EU officials, with European Council President Charles Michel tweeting: "Spain's borders are the European Union's borders."

EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson described the number of arrivals in Ceuta as "unprecedented" and "worrying", noting that "a big number of them [are] children".

At the other enclave, Melilla, 86 sub-Saharan Africans entered on Tuesday via its southern jetty, which marks the border with Morocco.

Melilla has a formidable border fence, and several hundred more migrants were blocked by security forces, Spain's Efe news agency reports.

Spanish officials quoted by Efe said Moroccan guards had helped the Spanish forces in Melilla. Some migrants threw stones at the Spanish forces, they said.

Spanish media said it was different in Ceuta, where Moroccan border guards stood by and watched as migrants took to the sea to try to reach the enclave.

Most of the migrants were said to be young men, but there were also several families. Many had used inflatable rings and rubber dinghies.

They started arriving in Ceuta at 02:00 (midnight GMT) on Monday, but the number soared during the day. At least one died during the crossing.

Last month, more than 100 migrants arrived at Ceuta's Tarajal entry point. Most were sent back, except about 30 minors whose ages were confirmed by medical tests.

Since the 17th Century both Ceuta and Melilla have been under Spanish rule, though they are long claimed by Morocco. The port cities now form the EU's only land border with Africa. They have semi-autonomous status, like some regions of mainland Spain.

The influx comes amid renewed tension over Western Sahara, a territory occupied by Spain until 1975, when Morocco annexed it. Since then it has been disputed between Morocco and the indigenous Sahrawi people, led by the Polisario Front.

Souring of ties over Western Sahara

In April, Spain allowed Sahrawi leader Brahim Ghali, 73, to be treated in hospital for Covid-19, reportedly in Logroño. He leads the Polisario Front, fighting for Western Saharan sovereignty against the claims of Morocco. The Moroccan government responded angrily and warned Spain that harbouring Mr Ghali would bring "consequences".

Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha González said she was not aware of Morocco using the border issue to exert political pressure. But many see Monday's events, when Moroccan border guards appeared not to stop migrants from crossing, as evidence of a reprisal.

Such difficulties are likely to complicate the two neighbours' normally tight co-operation on the migrant issue. However, Spain says it has already repatriated about half of the migrants, following talks with Morocco.

The vast majority of those who reached Ceuta were Moroccan. Local police have clamped down on sub-Saharan migrants in northern Morocco in recent years, meaning they have sought other routes to Spain, such as across the Atlantic to the Canary Islands.

The EU border force Frontex reports that illegal migration to Spain's Canary Islands - off the Moroccan coast - has surged this year.

In most cases sub-Saharan Africans make perilous journeys in rickety boats and drowning is common.

However, the overall number of undocumented migrants reaching Europe so far this year remains far below the levels seen in 2015-2016.

Read more on migrants reaching Spain:

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2021-05-18 16:16:57Z
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SEG Plaza evacuation: Shaking China skyscraper sends shoppers fleeing - BBC News

The 300m-high SEG Plaza (C) stands in Shenzhen as seen from Hong Kong, China

A skyscraper of more than 70 storeys has been evacuated after it started to shake, sending shoppers scrambling for safety in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Local authorities do not yet know what caused the 300m (980ft) SEG Plaza building to wobble on Tuesday afternoon.

No earthquakes were recorded at the time. An investigation is under way.

The 20-year-old building houses an electronics market and offices.

It stands in the heart of Shenzhen, a sprawling city of more than 12 million people known for its shopping and booming tech industry.

The country building a 'new London' every year

Footage shared on social media showed hundreds of people running away from the skyscraper shortly after it was evacuated.

People in Shenzhen reported to have fled the 73-story SEG Plaza after the building tilted on its foundations. No earthquake recorded in the area https://t.co/OV0g4Luz5O
— Austin Ramzy (@austinramzy) May 18, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.View original tweet on Twitter

China's Global Times newspaper said the local government of Shenzhen's Futian district, where SEG Plaza is located, received reports of shaking from staff inside the building at 12:31 local time (05:31 GMT).

By 14:00, everyone inside the building had been evacuated, the newspaper reported.

In a later statement, the local government said a preliminary investigation found "no cracks in the ground surrounding the building" and no damage to "pieces of outer wall".

Completed in 2000, the SEG Plaza is the 104th-tallest building in China and the 212nd-tallest in the world, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, an online database.

Shenzhen, which links Hong Kong to China's mainland, is at the cutting edge of technology and innovation in the country. Businesses with headquarters in the city include Tencent and Huawei.

The world's fourth-tallest skyscraper, the 599m Ping An Finance Centre, also studs the city's skyline.

Building collapses have been known to happen in China. In May last year, a hotel being used as a coronavirus quarantine facility in the Chinese city of Quanzhou collapsed, killing 29.

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2021-05-18 15:04:02Z
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Ceuta: Military intercept migrants as 6,000 including children swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave - Sky News

The Spanish military has intercepted migrants as thousands of people - including children - swum into the enclave of Ceuta on the north African coast after taking advantage of relaxed border controls.

By Tuesday morning, around 6,000 people had crossed the border by sea into the Spanish city since the first arrivals began early on Monday. Of those, 1,500 are thought to be teenagers.

Footage showed the armed forces arriving on beaches and detaining some of those trying to cross.

By Tuesday lunchtime some 2,700 migrants had been returned, Spain's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has said that every person who entered Ceuta illegally will be expelled.

"We are going to restore order to the city and its borders," he said.

He added that the sudden increase in migrants is a serious crisis for Spain and Europe, and that he will be travelling to the region soon.

Spain had previously announced that troops would be deployed to the region, with border patrols starting "immediately".

Around 200 extra police officers have been sent to Ceuta, with 1,200 constables already in the region.

Soaked migrants, either swimming or paddling in inflatable boats, were still arriving on Tuesday although in smaller numbers due to the heightened police and military response on the Spanish side of the border.

A spokesperson for the Spanish authorities said one person died during the migration.

Adults were being transferred to a football stadium before being returned to Morocco, while minors were being sent to an industrial building.

Ceuta, with a population of 80,000, is located across the Mediterranean from Gibraltar, and shares a land border with Morocco.

Film showed the crowds traversing the waters on Monday, with many people shown running or giving thumbs up as they entered the Spanish territory.

Tunisian authorities said more than 50 migrants drowned after a shipwreck near the coast of Sfax on Monday, while 33 others were rescued from an oil platform.

All of the survivors were from Bangladesh and the boat departed from Libya on Sunday, Flavio Di Giacomo, the spokesperson for the Mediterranean coordination office of the International Organisation of Migrations said.

The nationality of the migrants who died is not immediately clear.

Ceuta and Melilla - which is 150 miles further east - commonly attract African migrants looking to get to Europe.

Spanish television has reported that about 85 people had scaled the border fence to get into Melilla.

Foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya told national radio that people who crossed the border illegally are already being returned to Morocco.

She added that Spain will "keep a cool head".

Tensions between Spain and Morocco are on the rise following the hospitalisation of Brahim Ghali.

Mr Ghali is the leader of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front, which contests Morocco's claim on the Western Sahara region.

Morocco has been angered by Spain admitting the 71-year-old to the country - with the north African state saying this was done under a false name and without informing them.

Reuters also reports that Mr Ghali is being treated in a Spanish hospital.

Foreign minister Gonzalez Laya added that she believed the migrant influx was not in retaliation for Mr Ghali's treatment.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the north African nation a friend of Spain while describing the influx of migrants as a "serious crisis"

"This sudden arrival of irregular migrants is a serious crisis for Spain and Europe," Mr Sanchez said.

"I want to tell all Spaniards, especially those in Ceuta and Melilla, that we will re-establish order in your city and at our borders with the utmost speed. We will act firmly to ensure your safety."

She said: "I cannot speak for Morocco but what they have told us a few hours ago, this afternoon, is that this is not due to the disagreement (over Ghali).

"Spain has been very clear and detailed about the case. It's simply a humanitarian issue."

In Italy, the tiny Mediterranean island of Lampedusa saw another influx of migrants from Africa, with 1,200 migrants arriving within the span of 12 hours from Libya.

One fisherman on the island who arrived legally in Italy years ago said it is "painful" to see young people coming to the island without papers.

"If somebody had told me that in Lampedusa, every day, 30 or 25 boats arrive, I wouldn't have believed it. But now that I came here, I saw it with my own eyes," Ibrahima Mbaye said.

"It's painful for me when I see young people coming here to find a better future when it's not sure they can find it."

"They come without papers, and here if you don't comply with the rules, it's hard to find work."

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2021-05-18 14:26:15Z
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90 missing at sea in the wake of Cyclone Tauktae - BBC News - BBC News

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2021-05-18 12:36:15Z
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US says Israel provided information on Gaza media tower bombing - Al Jazeera English

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the additional information came ‘through intelligence channels’.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said the United States had received further information about Israel’s destruction of a Gaza high-rise that housed the local offices of Al Jazeera and The Associated Press news agency.

“We did seek further information from Israel on this question,” Blinken said at a joint briefing with Iceland’s foreign minister in Reykjavik on Tuesday. “It’s my understanding that we’ve received some further information through intelligence channels, and it’s not something I can comment on,” he said.

He declined to provide further details.

On Saturday, Israel destroyed an 11-storey tower block in Gaza housing the offices of Al Jazeera, the AP and other media organisations.

The Israeli army gave a telephone warning to the owner of the al-Jalaa tower – which also houses residential apartments – that people had just an hour to evacuate the building before its fighter jets bombed it.

Israel said the building “contained military assets belonging to the intelligence offices of the Hamas terror organisation”.

The AP’s top editor, Sally Buzbee, on Sunday said they were yet to see any evidence from Israeli officials to justify the bombing and added that her organisation wants an independent investigation into the attack.

Ron Dermer, a former Israeli ambassador to Washington and now adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told CNN that evidence has been provided to Washington.

“The evidence has already been provided, as I understand it, to US intelligence officials. And that was a site where you had Hamas intelligence in that building, and they were engaged in activity that actually would have, as far as I understand, would have undermined our ability to actually target effectively and also undermined our ability to intercept incoming rockets.”

Dr Mostefa Souag, acting director general of Al Jazeera Media Network, called the attack a deliberate act to prevent journalists from doing their work.

“We call on the international community to condemn such barbaric actions and targeting of journalists and we demand an immediate international action to hold Israel accountable for its deliberate targeting of journalists and the media institutions,” Souag said on Saturday.

Egyptian mediators are trying to negotiate a ceasefire, but the US has stopped short of demanding an immediate stop to the hostilities and Israel has so far pledged to press on.

On Monday, US President Joe Biden said he supports a ceasefire but reiterated that Israel has a right to defend itself.

At least 213 people, including 61 children, have been killed in air raids on the Gaza Strip since May 10, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. And in Israel, 12 people have been killed, mostly from rocket fire.

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2021-05-18 14:35:20Z
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Israel strikes Gaza after Joe Biden calls for ceasefire - Financial Times

Israel conducted an intense aerial bombardment of the Gaza Strip hours after US president Joe Biden publicly backed international calls for a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas, the Palestinian militant group.

Sixty Israeli warplanes carried out dozens of air strikes on what the military described as a network of tunnels, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the armed forces to “continue striking”.

Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, retaliated with a volley of rockets into Israeli cities after a six-hour overnight lull. Witnesses reported that two buildings were targeted early on Tuesday in Gaza City, the heavily populated urban centre of the blockaded territory, as the fighting stretched into a second week.

Israeli strikes had killed 213 Palestinians, including 61 children and 36 women as of Tuesday, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israeli army officials said 130 of the dead were Hamas combatants, and disputed Gazan estimates that nearly half of the dead were women and children. Israel has reported that 10 were killed from the Hamas attacks, including two children.

Israeli forces shot a Palestinian in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, whom they said attacked soldiers with an explosive device and knife. The Israeli military has killed at least 21 Palestinians in the territory, which is the seat of Fatah, a rival faction to Hamas, since protests broke out across the West Bank on Friday.

A UN agency said on Tuesday that more than 52,000 Palestinians in the walled-in Gaza Strip had been forced from their homes as Israel’s bombardment had destroyed 132 buildings and severely damaged more than 300 others.

Biden spoke to Netanyahu as the US president faced rising criticism from American progressives, including within his own Democratic party, who want the administration to exert more pressure to stop the hostilities.

“The president expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end,” according to a White House readout of the call. Biden also “encouraged Israel to make every effort to ensure the protection of innocent civilians”.

The US blocked a UN Security Council statement calling for de-escalation, cessation of violence and respect for international law, according to two UN diplomats. The decision was the third time Washington has thwarted a statement or softer measures since the violence began.

The UN, Egypt and Qatar have failed to broker a short ceasefire to enable humanitarian aid to be sent into the Palestinian enclave, which has been controlled by Hamas since 2007.

Basem Naim, head of international relations for Hamas, told ABC news that the group had told the UN and Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it was ready to “stop the escalation if the Israelis stop the aggression against our people”.

He added that Hamas wanted Israel to end its plans to evict Palestinians from Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood in occupied East Jerusalem, and remove restrictions on the compound housing al-Aqsa mosque.

The latest crisis was triggered when police used rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades against Palestinians protesting against restrictions at the compound of al-Aqsa mosque, Islam’s third-holiest site. More than 600 Palestinians were wounded. The mosque is in a compound in Jerusalem that is known to Jews as Temple Mount and which is sacred to both religions. As tensions escalated, Hamas last week fired rockets deep into Israel, which responded with air strikes on Gaza.

Separately, several rockets were fired towards Israel from Lebanon on Monday, according to UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force on the Lebanon-Israel border. Lebanese state media reported that Israel retaliated with more than two dozen rockets. No casualties were reported.

The incident is the second rocket attack from Lebanon, which is home to thousands of Palestinian refugees, since the recent hostilities began between Israel and Hamas. No damage was inflicted in Israel.

Officials from Hizbollah, the Iran-backed paramilitary group in Lebanon that fought a month-long war with Israel in 2006, have broadly backed Palestinian militants. But the group has not signalled its intention to escalate the latest conflict.

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2021-05-18 08:42:50Z
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Ceuta: Military intercept migrants as 6,000 including children swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave - Sky News

By Tuesday morning, around 6,000 people had crossed the border by sea into the Spanish city since the first arrivals began early on Monday. Of those, 1,500 are thought to be teenagers.

Footage showed the armed forces arriving on beaches and detaining some of those trying to cross.

By Tuesday lunchtime some 2,700 migrants had been returned.