PoliticsMoroccan voters went to the polls Wednesday morning to elect a new parliament. It was the first election since deadly youth-led protests nearly a year ago and a mass attempt by migrants to cross the country’s northern border into the Spanish territory of Ceuta.
The Associated Press
WorldA Spanish minister says most minors who arrived in Ceuta during July’s mass border breach will probably remain in Spain. Madrid is facing serious operational problems carrying out returns, while tensions with local residents are increasing.
WorldResidents of Spain’s exclave of Ceuta protested what they see as Spain’s failure to contain an influx of migrants. More than six weeks after a mass crossing from Morocco triggered a humanitarian crisis, up to 10,000 people remain in tents or temporary shelters on the beach.
WorldFifty days into the migrant crisis in Spain’s Ceuta, as many as 10,000 people remain stranded, nearly half without shelter on a beach under armed police while waiting for food. Migrant Otman Taussi says police grab and beat people who try to stand in line. Ali, five, was allegedly shot with a pellet gun by anti-immigration protesters, his family says.
WorldPolice in Ceuta moved hundreds of migrants from the beach to a temporary camp in the enclave’s port area on Friday. The operation follows a record influx weeks earlier, while officers struggled to control crowds jostling for places at the tented site. Migration is a central issue in Spain’s political debate.
WorldPolice in Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta used batons and fired rubber bullets into the air while moving hundreds of migrants from beaches to a tent camp. Tens of thousands crossed from neighbouring Morocco in July, and at least 100 people died in the attempt. Several thousand remain after most returned.
BBC News
WorldPolice in the Spanish territory of Ceuta began transferring hundreds of migrants to a new temporary camp, using batons as they tried to control the crowds. The operation became chaotic after migrants, who had slept on a beach for six weeks, heard there might not be room for everyone. As people surged forward, police fired rubber bullets.
WorldSpanish police have started moving hundreds of migrants from makeshift beach camps in the North African enclave of Ceuta to a new temporary facility. Tensions rose as people competed for limited spaces, leading riot police to fire rubber bullets and use batons. Thousands remain stranded after a mass crossing from Morocco in July.
WorldHundreds of migrants ran toward the port of Ceuta on Friday, hoping to secure a place at a new temporary camp established by Spanish authorities.
WorldSpanish police began transferring hundreds of migrants from beaches in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta to temporary facilities at the city’s port. Tensions rose as migrants competed for limited places at the new site.
Reuters
WorldThousands of migrants are being transferred to a new temporary reception facility in Ceuta, with police firing warning shots into the air. It is the fifth temporary site created to handle a crisis that began in late July, when more than 70,000 people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta.
SportsReal Madrid stars Kylian Mbappé, Vinicius Junior and Ibrahima Konaté have triggered controversy in Spain after partly covering a pro-Ceuta solidarity message on their pre-match shirts. The episode has revived debate over migration, Ceuta’s recent migrant crisis and Spain’s ties with Morocco, with politicians and football figures divided over the players’ actions.
PoliticsIn her State of the Union speech, Ursula von der Leyen said Europe would stand with Ceuta because its border is a European border. She said irregular migration has declined across the continent, but the crisis in Ceuta shows EU tools for managing emergencies need to evolve.
Politics1:41:50EU lawmakers are debating the migration crisis in Ceuta and the need for a coordinated response to protect the bloc’s external borders.
Reuters
PoliticsUnder pressure from member states, the European Commission is preparing to intensify efforts to tackle irregular arrivals. Three main options are being considered and could be announced in the upcoming State of the Union speech.
World0:32Police in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta moved more than 800 migrants who had been camping on the streets to a new shelter facility.
Reuters
WorldFive weeks after more than 70,000 migrants arrived in the small Spanish enclave of Ceuta, an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 remain. Caught between a home they do not want to return to and an unreachable future, migrants and residents say they feel abandoned as tensions rise.
CNN
WorldThe EU said Wednesday it would give Spain 115 million euros in emergency aid to strengthen border security and help with returns after more than 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on July 30 and 31. Scores died, mostly while trying to swim around a breakwater.
WorldEU lawmakers debate the Ceuta migration crisis on The Ring, sparring over Morocco’s role, Spain’s response and whether member states are doing enough to support a country under pressure. The discussion raises more questions than answers.
Politics3:40Arancha González Laya, Spain’s former foreign affairs minister, says the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta amounted to an attack on an external European Union border intended to weaken the bloc.
WorldFollowing the illegal entry of 80,000 migrants into Ceuta last month, the city's president, Juan Jesús Vivas Lara, travelled to Brussels yesterday in search of stronger European backing.
WorldFormer Spanish foreign minister Arancha González Laya says the illegal crossing into Ceuta by 80,000 migrants was an attempt to attack the EU’s external border by using people as a tool and to weaken the bloc.
WorldCeuta mayor Juan Jesús Vivas has sought stronger European backing amid the continuing crisis in the Spanish enclave, after more than 80,000 people crossed the border illegally last month. Hungary, meanwhile, says it will expel 10 Russian diplomats over “unacceptable” activities.
PoliticsCeuta President Juan Jesús Vivas urged the EU to take firm action against Morocco, warning that the city is “on the brink of collapse.” He accused Rabat of pursuing a “harassment policy” to suffocate the exclave, while Spain and the EU continue to view Morocco as a trusted partner on irregular migration.