TUNIS: At least 23 African migrants were missing and four died on Saturday after their two boats sank off Tunisia as they tried to cross the Mediterranean to Italy, a judicial official said, amidst a sharp rise in migrant boats from the North African country.
The coast guard rescued 53 others off the southern city of Sfax, two of whom are in critical condition, Sfax court Judge Faouzi Masmoudi said.
He added that four bodies were recovered.
In recent weeks, dozens have gone missing and died in repeated drowning accidents off the Tunisian coast.
Tunisia has taken over from Libya as a main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in the hope of a better life in Europe. Crackdowns on human trafficking in Libya have made Tunisia a more accessible option.
The National Guard said on Friday that more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted or rescued in the first three months of the year while trying to cross into Europe, five times more than figures recorded in the same period last year.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday that Europe risks seeing a huge wave of migrants arriving on its shores from North Africa if financial stability in Tunisia is not safeguarded.
Meloni called on the IMF and other countries to help Tunisia quickly to avoid its collapse.
Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said last week the country needed funding and equipment to better protect its borders. Tunisia had received equipment from Italy in the past years, but Ammar said it was outdated and not sufficient.
At least 23 missing, four die in migrant shipwrecks off Tunisia
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At least 23 missing, four die in migrant shipwrecks off Tunisia
- In recent weeks, dozens of migrants have gone missing and died in repeated drowning accidents off the Tunisian coast
Israel strikes south Lebanon, Aoun holds urgent talks to halt attacks
- Hezbollah field commander killed, civilians injured in 19 airstrikes across Nabatieh area
- Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli strikes on Nabatieh and said the government was aiming to “put an end to the Israeli violations as soon as possible”
BEIRUT: Israel conducted heavy airstrikes in south Lebanon on Thursday, hitting targets north of the Litani River in violation of a US-brokered truce.
Following the strikes in the Nabatieh region, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun held urgent talks with high-level foreign contacts to halt the Israeli violations.
The airstrikes killed one person, reportedly a senior Hezbollah military leader, and led to multiple injuries, sparking panic in schools, universities and among residents.
Aoun followed up on security developments with army chief Gen. Rodolphe Haikal, receiving reports on the areas struck by the Israeli bombardment.
The Ministry of Health said that the initial death toll of the Israeli airstrikes on the outskirts of Nabatieh was one, with eight injured.
A source familiar with Aoun’s communications told Arab News: “The president’s contacts primarily involved the US and French sides, as they are sponsors of the ceasefire agreement and key members of the committee overseeing its implementation.”
The president reportedly called on the US and France “to pressure Israel to halt its attacks,” but the talks “did not yield any concrete guarantees.”
Israeli jets launched about 19 airstrikes on the area between Kfar Tebnit, Jabal Ali Taher, Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and Kafr Rumman, forming what resembled a ring of fire.
Containing valleys, hills and forests, the area is located about 4 km from the city of Nabatieh, which itself is 56 km from Beirut.
The unprecedented Israeli attack on the region, untouched since the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Nov. 27, specifically targeted the Ali Taher area, considered a Hezbollah-controlled security zone.
Hezbollah reportedly lost one of its top military commanders, Abu Hussein Shahrour, who, according to reporters in the region, “was one of the party’s key fighters and played a pivotal role in the 1997 Sajd operation against the Israeli occupation.”
According to Israeli media, a “senior source” in the Israeli army said the military “attacked a significant target in southern Lebanon, consisting of underground infrastructure.”
Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the target “was used to manage the fire and defense systems of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.”
According to Adraee, the airstrikes “targeted personnel, combat equipment and wells. The site in question was part of a strategic underground project and was put out of service as a result of the strikes.”
He added that “the site and activities there are a blatant violation of the understanding between Israel and Lebanon.”
The Israeli army “will continue to act to eliminate any threat to Israel’s security and will prevent any attempt to rebuild Hezbollah’s capabilities,” Adraee said.
The Israeli army’s Northern Command said it would maintain its “offensive policy” against Hezbollah.
The airstrikes and massive explosions triggered loud bangs that echoed throughout Nabatieh and the south.
Residents near the targeted areas rushed to evacuate their children from schools, and most official departments shut down.
Later, the Israeli army opened fire with machine guns on a civilian vehicle on the Odaisseh-Kafr Kila road in the border area.
The car sustained damage. However, the female driver and her daughter escaped unharmed.
Meanwhile, in the morning, Israeli aircraft dropped leaflets on several areas in the south, resembling banknote-like papers that carried incendiary phrases against Hezbollah. These included: “Hezbollah’s dollar is haram (forbidden in Islam) and will not benefit you after it destroyed your house and displaced your family.”
Another said: “Do not miscalculate things and do not accept the yellow dollar.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemned the Israeli strikes on Nabatieh and said the government was aiming to “put an end to the Israeli violations as soon as possible.”
He added: “The government has spared no diplomatic effort to stop these actions and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from the hills it still occupies.”
Salam, accompanied by a ministerial delegation, traveled to Baalbek in the morning on a Lebanese army helicopter and inspected the border plains with Syria.
He has repeatedly called for Lebanon to ramp up its border security.
Salam called for strengthened security measures during a security meeting at Baalbek Serail, highlighting the need to “maintain stability and ensure successful municipal elections with complete transparency and integrity” throughout the governorate.
Meeting with local representatives, the premier announced progress on establishing a cannabis regulatory authority, describing it as a pathway “to transition toward a development-based economy benefiting regional residents.”
Salam was unequivocal that “neither security nor development can function through arbitrary measures.”
He highlighted the urgent need to resolve transportation challenges between Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, while advocating for Baalbek’s restoration as a premier tourist destination in Lebanon.
Salam also visited the Masnaa border crossing with Syria, receiving detailed security briefings from military personnel on site.
“The Masnaa crossing serves as a vital gateway for both the Bekaa and Lebanon as a whole. It must operate according to the highest technical and security standards rather than succumbing to disorder or discretionary practices,” Salam said.
He added that advanced scanning equipment would soon be installed “to facilitate goods movement, enhance transparency and enable properly regulated land exports of Lebanese products.”
Salam said that transforming the border crossing “from a vulnerability into a symbol of state effectiveness” represents a critical first step in broader reforms.
“This is where change begins — with Lebanon fully reclaiming control of its borders and converting them into gateways for legitimacy and order, not channels for chaos and violations.”
Portugal police arrest crime ring over fraudulent permits for 10,000 foreigners
Portugal’s center-right government has toughened some immigration rules in the past year
LISBON: Portuguese police have arrested 13 people they believe provided an estimated more than 10,000 foreigners with residence permits and documents allowing them to stay in Portugal and the European Union in exchange for bribes, police said on Thursday.
A spokesperson for the Judicial Police force said the bribes paid to the group, which included a foreign ministry employee, a lawyer and several entrepreneurs, averaged 15,000 euros ($16,950) per person.
The foreigners paid to obtain bogus labor contracts that allowed them to stay in the country and then get residence permits, open bank accounts and access the social security system. Many of them have since left for other EU member states, police said.
Portugal’s center-right government has toughened some immigration rules in the past year, reflecting attempts elsewhere in Europe to fend off the rise of the far-right, and on Saturday vowed to deport 18,000 illegal migrants in the coming months.
It was not immediately clear if those who benefited from the illegal scheme counted among those.
Still, the country remains relatively open to migrants, particularly from Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and from Brazil. Many experts argue that growing immigration has stoked economic growth.
While anti-immigration sentiment is expected to play a role in an early election on May 18, far-right party Chega has been steady or declining in opinion polls after a surge in the previous election last year. The center-right Democratic Alliance of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro looks set to win the most votes.
Portuguese police have arrested 13 people they believe provided an estimated more than 10,000 foreigners with residence permits and documents allowing them to stay in Portugal and the European Union in exchange for bribes, police said on Thursday. (Reuters/File)
Silent streets, shuttered shops: Fear grips Kotli after India strikes in Azad Kashmir
- District official says missile strike on house and mosque killed two siblings and injured two others
- Residents deny India’s claim of targeting ‘terrorist infrastructure,’ say civilians were the target
KOTLI, Azad Kashmir: A convoy of journalists escorted by the Pakistani military and officials traveled through the scenic but tense roads of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) this week, arriving in the afternoon in Kotli, where an Indian strike on a mosque on Wednesday early morning had killed two people.
The usually bustling city stood silent, its shops shuttered, roads empty and anxious residents watching from a distance.
Amid the most intense military flare-up between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in decades, New Delhi said it had struck nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and AJK early Wednesday. AJK is the part of the disputed Kashmir valley administered by Pakistan while Jammu and Kashmir is a region administered by India.
India described Wednesday’s strikes as retaliation for an April 22 attack in its part of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists. Delhi attributed that attack to Pakistan, a claim Islamabad has repeatedly denied.
Pakistani authorities said six locations were hit across the country during Indian strikes, resulting in 31 deaths and 57 injuries. The Pakistan army spokesperson said the military responded by downing five Indian aircraft.
“It [the attack] happened after 12:30 a.m. on [Wednesday], when people were asleep and were jolted awake by the sound of the blasts,” Dawood Ahmed, a local resident, told Arab News near the mosque in Kotli that was hit by Indian strikes.
“It happened so suddenly, and people were so terrified that they rushed out of their homes with their children ... We thought a major attack had occurred and that Kotli had been surrounded.”
Ahmed said the Nakial sector on the Line of Control (LoC), the restive de facto border separating the Pakistani and Indian sides of Kashmir, was about 22 kilometers from the area.
“So, we are not used to regular firing or skirmishes,” he added. “This was something entirely new for us.”
Asked about the Indian claim that it had targeted a militant facility, Ahmed said the building was just a mosque. No one lived there and it was occupied only when the imam came to lead prayers.
Arab News could not independently verify this.
“PLACE OF WORSHIP”
Nasir Rafiq, the area’s deputy commissioner, said a house located next to the mosque was also hit by the Indian strikes.
“Two people, a 19-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy, both siblings, were killed in the attack, and two others were injured including a woman and her son,” he told Arab News, standing in front of the destroyed house and mosque.
He said the siblings, both students, had come from the nearby Nakial town. The elder sister was attending university and the younger brother was in school.
As the media delegation remained at the site, more residents gathered, listening closely to the conversations between journalists and locals.
Dr. Mazhar Iqbal Tahir, head of a local hospital, said the blast was so massive that staff couldn’t immediately understand what had happened.
“We immediately imposed emergency [at the hospital] and called all doctors and health care professionals,” he told Arab News.
Tahir said the hospital treated the injured, but both siblings had died before they were brought in.
Umar Farooq, a local university professor, said Kotli was one of the most populated cities in AJK and far from the LoC, questioning how India could have bombed such a place.
“There is no military target here, there is no paramilitary target here, and this is the question that I am raising,” he told Arab News.
“Just take a look around,” he said, gesturing toward the mosque. “This is a place of worship. India is the signatory of the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian agreements. Still they have done this to us.”
Riyadh man faces prosecution for selling counterfeit pharmaceuticals
- SFDA said that violations pose a great risk to the health and safety of consumers
- SFDA also requested the public’s cooperation by reporting any observable violations
The Saudi Food and Drug Authority has referred the representative of a commercial establishment in Riyadh to the Public Prosecution after he was found to be involved in the sale of a counterfeit pharmaceutical product.
The act is a direct violation of the Pharmaceutical and Herbal Establishments and Products Law in the Kingdom, which mandates a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of SR10 million ($2.6 million), the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The SFDA highlighted the importance of strictly adhering to the laws and regulations put in place to ensure the safety and quality of products circulating in the Saudi market.
The authority said that violations pose a great risk to the health and safety of consumers, warranting the enforcement of legal penalties against offenders.
The SFDA also requested the public’s cooperation by reporting any observable violations in establishments under its supervision to the toll-free line 19999, in an effort to strengthen oversight and safeguard public health.
Saudi students display robotic inventions at Robocon 2025
- Event was attended by student inventors, investors and technology companies
- Several panel discussions focused on ways in which robotics can affect society
RIYADH: Saudi students displayed their robotic inventions at King Abdulaziz University Robocon 2025, which was held at the university’s King Faisal Convention Center from Tuesday to Thursday, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Organized by the university’s Deanship of Student Affairs, the event was attended by student inventors, investors and technology companies.
Saudi student Samar Awad Al-Rabi, from the Faculty of Medical Rehabilitation Sciences at King Abdulaziz University, presented a smart temperature-monitoring device, aimed at protecting sensitive environments from sudden thermal changes.
Rania Al-Mukhtar Al-Sheikh, from Taibah University, presented an innovative treatment for dry macular degeneration, an eye disease that affects vision.
The device treats and repairs damaged cells, reduces inflammation, and improves bloodflow without damaging healthy tissues with the hope of restoring or improving vision.
Exhibition activities included a range of qualitative competitions, including the “Saqr” competition, which is the first engineering competition focused on drone technologies.
In another competition — the Robocup —robots battled it out on a miniature football pitch.
The event also featured the launch of the innovtech Hackathon, a coding challenge that will include four main tracks focusing on technology in education, tourism, manufacturing and the financial sector.
Several panel discussions focused on ways in which robotics can affect society — including one titled Turning Point: Transforming Tech Ideas into Successful Projects, which explored how to market technological inventions.
The exhibition offered a range of interactive experiences, including virtual reality exhibits and practical workshops that contributed to the skill development of participants.
An interactive game invited attendees to collect stamps from different attractions to win a prize, and visitors were served Arabic coffee by robots.
The university said that the event reflects its vision of empowering students and building a generation that will lead the future of robotics and smart technologies.
