54 children swim from Morocco to Spanish enclave Ceuta, World News
Video footage on Spanish television channel RTVE showed Civil Guard launches making repeated rescue attempts to bring some of the swimmers to safety, while others swam across to the enclave.
The children, who were mostly Moroccan, were taken to temporary centres in Ceuta, where authorities called for help from the central government in dealing with the latest arrivals.
"Don't leave us alone. This is a matter of state. This has to be resolved," Juan Rivas of the Ceuta regional government told reporters on Saturday.
On August 26 last year, hundreds of migrants took advantage of a thick mist to swim to Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco, local police said. In 2021, one boy was seen floating on empty plastic bottles in his attempt to reach Ceuta.
Spain's two enclaves on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, Ceuta and Melilla, share the European Union's only land borders with Africa. The enclaves sporadically experience waves of attempted crossings by migrants trying to reach Europe.
Moroccan nationals detained during the crossings are immediately sent back to Morocco unless they are underage or seeking asylum.
People from other nationalities are taken to special centres where they are given shelter and released after a few days.
Three years ago, at least 23 people died in a stampede when about 2,000 migrants tried to storm into Melilla, pushing down the border fence.
[[nid:609281]]
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Spanish police recover bodies of father, son after plane crash, World News
MADRID — The bodies of a pilot and his son were recovered after their biplane plunged into the sea off the Spanish island of Mallorca, police said on Sunday (Aug 3). The two-seater Team Rocket F-4 Raider plane crashed into the sea in the Puerto Soller area on Saturday night. The plane appeared to be performing stunts before the crash, Spanish media reported. Divers searching for the pilot and his 13-year-old son located their bodies in the sea after a search on Sunday. "At approximately 1pm (7pm in Singapore time) specialist divers from the Civil Guard recovered the lifeless bodies of the pilot and his son who accompanied him in a sea which reaches a depth of 30 metres and they have been transferred to the Puerto of Soller," the Spanish Civil Guard said in a statement. The plane crashed around 8.20pm and an initial search by emergency teams was launched. When this failed to locate the pilot and his son, it was resumed at first light on Sunday. An investigation into the circumstances of the crash will be launched by police. [[nid:720546]]
CNA
a day ago
- CNA
EU condemns arrest of former Macau pro-democracy lawmaker
BRUSSELS: The European Union on Saturday (Aug 2) condemned Macau's arrest of former pro-democracy lawmaker Au Kam-san, saying it only heightened concerns about the "erosion of political pluralism" in the Chinese territory. Au is the first person to be arrested under the city's national security law. Authorities alleged on Thursday that the 68-year-old primary school teacher had ties to foreign groups endangering China. "This development adds to the existing concerns about the ongoing erosion of political pluralism and freedom of speech in the Macao Special Administrative Region," said European Union spokesperson Anitta Hipper in a statement. "The EU recalls that the respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms is a central element of the Macao Basic Law and 'one country, two systems'," set up in the former Portuguese colony. The territory near Hong Kong, known for its casinos, has retained its own legal system since China took it back from Portugal in 1999. The security law, which restricts political activity, was passed in 2009 but broadened in 2023. Au, a legislator up to 2021, has campaigned on social welfare, corruption and electoral reform.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
US court maintains restrictions on Los Angeles immigration arrests
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox A federal appeals court late on Aug 1 affirmed a lower court's decision temporarily barring US government agents from making immigration-related arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. Rejecting the Trump administration's request to pause the Lower Court's order, the three-judge appeals panel ruled that the plaintiffs would likely be able to prove that federal agents had carried out arrests based on peoples' appearance, language and where they lived or worked. President Donald Trump called National Guard troops and US Marines into Los Angeles in June in response to protests against the immigration raids, marking an extraordinary use of military force to support civilian police operations within the United States. The city of Los Angeles and other Southern California municipalities joined a lawsuit filed in June by the American Civil Liberties Union accusing federal agents of using unlawful police tactics such as racial profiling to meet immigration arrest quotas set by the administration. A California judge last month blocked the Trump administration from racially profiling immigrants as it seeks deportation targets and from denying immigrants' right to access to lawyers during their detention. In the unsigned decision on Aug 1, the judges of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit largely rejected the administration's appeal of the temporary restraining order. The judges agreed with the lower court in blocking federal officials from detaining people based solely on 'apparent race or ethnicity', speaking Spanish or accented English, or being at locations such as a 'bus stop, car wash, tow yard, day labourer pick up site, agricultural site, etc'. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Business Property 'decoupling' illegal if done solely to avoid taxes: High Court Singapore HSA investigating teen who was observed to be allegedly vaping in MRT train Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Asia 'Every day, we think about how to upgrade': China's factories see rise in robot adoption Singapore 60 years of building Singapore The Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the order a victory for the city. 'The Temporary Restraining Order that has been protecting our communities from immigration agents using racial profiling and other illegal tactics when conducting their cruel and aggressive enforcement raids and sweeps will remain in place for now,' she said in a statement. Mr Mohammad Tajsar, senior staff attorney at the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, welcomed the ruling in statement: 'This decision is further confirmation that the administration's paramilitary invasion of Los Angeles violated the Constitution and caused irreparable injury across the region.' REUTERS
