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☆ Germany announces extended border controls from this week
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A suspected illegal migrant is searched after he was detained by German police during their patrol along the German-Polish border to prevent illegal migration, in Forst, Germany, September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Sept 27 (Reuters) - Germany will introduce extended border controls with Poland and the Czech Republic this week to curb illegal migration, the interior minister said on Wednesday, as a surge in migrant arrivals exposes the cracks in the European Union's asylum system. Germany, which took in around 1 million Ukrainian refugees over the past year, has also seen a sharp rise in asylum seekers from other regions. Germany's neighbour Poland on Tuesday began conducting checks on some vehicles crossing the Slovak border, suspecting they could be carrying illegal migrants. Reporting by Alexander Ratz, Writing by Rachel More, editing by Kirsti KnolleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Nancy Faeser, Alexander Ratz, Rachel More, Kirsti Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Forst , Germany, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Berlin, North Africa, Lampedusa, Germany's

☆ Morocco and East African co-bid to host future Africa Cup of Nations finals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Morocco won by default after Algeria, Zambia and a joint bid from Benin and Nigeria all withdrew before the vote of the Confederation of African Football's executive committee in Cairo on Wednesday. The north African country was a runaway favourite and will see the decision as a boost to their hopes of co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain. It is only the second time that Morocco will host Africa's most popular sporting event, almost four decades after the previous time in 1988. The joint East African bid for 2027 returns the finals to the region for the first time since 1976. Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Christian Radnedge and Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohamed Abd El Ghany, Mark Gleeson, Christian Radnedge, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Soccer Football, Africa, of Nations, Olembe, Nations, REUTERS, Rights, Portugal, CAF, Thomson Locations: Senegal, Egypt, Yaounde, Cameroon, Rights CAIRO, Morocco, Guinea, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Algeria, Zambia, Benin, Nigeria, Cairo, Spain, Botswana, Cape Town

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt is seeking to double the number of visitors to the country in the next five years, its top tourism official told The Associated Press. Egypt is aiming at reaching 30 million visitors by 2028, as its once-thriving tourism sector recovers from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and the grinding war in Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Ahmed Issa said Tuesday. Last year, tourism revenues surged to $10.7 billion, up from around $5 billion in 2021, according to the Egyptian central bank. Such an increase, he said, would help the government achieve its target of 18 million tourist visits in 2024. Issa spoke to the AP from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, a neoclassical structure built in the late 19th century and the first purpose-built museum in the Middle East and North Africa.

Persons: Ahmed Issa, “, ” Issa, Issa, ”, Hosni Mubarak, Ali Abdel, Halim, Abdel, Marcel Dourgnon, “ It’s Organizations: Associated Press, Antiquities, Egyptian, British Museum, European Union, National Museum of Egyptian, Grand Egyptian Museum Locations: CAIRO, Egypt, Europe, Ukraine, Tourism, Russian, Cairo, East, North Africa, Paris, French

☆ Supermarket franchisee Spinneys Dubai plans IPO in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-24 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A woman looks at products as she buys food supplies at a supermarket, as Muslims prepare for the fasting month of Ramadan in Dubai July 8, 2013. Albwardy Investment, the franchise's 100% owner, hired Rothschild & Co to advise on the planned IPO, the sources said, requesting anonymity as the plans are not public. The potential IPO of Spinneys Dubai, planned on the Dubai Financial Market, would add to the small but growing regional food retail sector. Spinneys Dubai operates more than 65 stores across the UAE, its website says. Albwardy, which says it has annual turnover above $1 billion, also owns the franchise rights to upmarket British supermarket chain Waitrose.

Persons: El, Rothschild, Moelis, Yousef Saba, Barbara Lewis Organizations: REUTERS, Spinneys, United Arab, Albwardy Investment, Co, Dubai Financial, Americana, North, KFC, Lulu, Reuters, UAE, Spinneys Dubai, Waitrose, Nestle UAE, Thomson Locations: Dubai, Spinneys Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Albwardy, East, North Africa, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Middle East, Africa

☆ No 'sea of death': Pope calls for pan-European action on migration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MARSEILLES, France, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Saturday condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". According to UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, about 178,500 migrants have come to Europe via the Mediterranean this year, while about 2,500 died or went missing. Governments in several European countries, including Italy, Hungary, and Poland, are led by outspoken opponents of immigration. Francis called on people to "hear the cries of pain" rising from North Africa and the Middle East. On Friday, he said migrants who risk drowning at sea "must be rescued" because doing so was "a duty of humanity" and that those who impede rescues commit "a gesture of hate".

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Emmanuel Macron, Saint Mother Teresa, Yara, Philip Pullella, Peter Graff Organizations: Palais du, REUTERS, UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, Thomson Locations: MARSEILLES, France, Marseille, Rome, Marseilles, Saint Mauront, Europe, Italy, Hungary, Poland, North Africa

☆ Pope Francis Moved as Reuters Photographer Shows Him Child Migrant Picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Francis was moved as he was shown a picture of a migrant child by Reuters photographer Yara Nardi during his flight to a Church conference on Mediterranean issues in Marseilles, France. Nardi, who was travelling with the Pope, showed the large-sized picture to Francis as he was greeting media correspondents during the flight from Rome on Friday. On Saturday in Marseilles Pope Francis condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". Nardi said that the day before travelling with Francis she was putting in order her photo archive, as she normally does before her assignments. "I saw that picture I had taken in Lampedusa and suddenly felt I had to show it to the Pope," she said.

Persons: Pope Francis, Yara Nardi, Nardi, Pope, Francis, Claudine Nsoe, Marseilles Pope Francis, Giulio Piovaccari, David Holmes Locations: ROME, Marseilles, France, Rome, Lampedusa, Cameroon, North Africa

☆ Pope Francis moved as Reuters photographer shows him child migrant picture
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Nardi, who was travelling with the Pope, showed the large-sized picture to Francis as he was greeting media correspondents during the flight from Rome on Friday. "He was immediately moved, as soon as I took it out of the envelope," Nardi said, adding silence fell among the aircraft's passengers and Francis had commented: "They keep them in Libyan detention camps, then they throw them to sea". On Saturday in Marseilles Pope Francis condemned "belligerent nationalisms" and called for a pan-European response to migration to stop the Mediterranean, where thousands have drowned, from becoming "the graveyard of dignity". Nardi said that the day before travelling with Francis she was putting in order her photo archive, as she normally does before her assignments. "I saw that picture I had taken in Lampedusa and suddenly felt I had to show it to the Pope," she said.

Persons: Yara Nardi, Pope Francis the, Pope Francis, Nardi, Pope, Francis, Claudine Nsoe, Marseilles Pope Francis, Giulio Piovaccari, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Cameroon, Lampedusa, France, ROME, Marseilles, Rome, North Africa

☆ Russia’s diesel export ban may be just its latest attempt to hurt Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Russia’s decision to ban diesel exports to most countries could not have come at a worse time for Europe. But the EU still needs a steady flow of Russian diesel to global markets to keep prices stable. The Russian government announced the curbs — which also apply to gasoline — Thursday, saying they were aimed at stabilizing domestic fuel prices. Diesel is Europe’s economic workhorse, powering the majority of vans and trucks ferrying goods and raw materials round the continent. Before Europe imposed its import ban, Russia supplied 40% of the country’s diesel.

Persons: London CNN —, ” Jorge León, ”, Natalia Kolesnikova, Pamela Munger, Henning Gloystein, Gloystein, “, Tim Lister, Anna Chernova Organizations: London CNN, European Union, Reuters, Kremlin, Diesel, Analysts, European, Rystad Energy, CNN, Gazprom, Getty, Eurasia Group, “, Brent Locations: Europe, Russian, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South America, East, North Africa, AFP, Turkey, United States

☆ EU to Disburse $135 Million to Tunisia as Part of Migration Pact
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission on Friday said it would disburse 127 million euros ($135 million) in aid to Tunisia as part of its deal with the country aimed at fighting illegal immigration from Africa to Europe. The commission said 60 million euros would be made available in budget support to Tunisia, while a package worth around 67 million euros aimed at strengthening Tunisia's capacities to combat human traffickers and tighten border controls would be disbursed in the coming days. Tunisia and the EU in July signed a "strategic partnership" deal to fight illegal migration in return for financial support during a sharp increase in boats leaving the North African nation for Europe. ($1 = 0.9401 euros)(Reporting by Bart Meijer; Editing by Alex Richardson)

Persons: Bart Meijer, Alex Richardson Organizations: European, EU Locations: BRUSSELS, Tunisia, Africa, Europe

☆ Asylum Seekers in Italy Told to Pay to Avoid Detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Sept. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Crispian BalmerROME (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government said on Friday, in a measure apparently aimed at deterring migrants. At present migrants to Italy who apply for asylum are free to move within the country while their application is reviewed, but the government decree published on Friday said they would have to pay a type of bail to stave off the threat of detention. "They are looking to make detention for migrants the norm, but it is hard to see how they can do that," she told Reuters. At present there are 10 repatriation centres in Italy, which have a current capacity of just 619. In 2022 Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, according to official data.

Persons: Crispian Balmer ROME, Giorgia Meloni's, Anna Brambilla, Meloni, Luca Zaia, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Association, Immigration, Reuters, League Locations: Italy, Veneto, Rome, Africa, Europe

☆ Asylum seekers in Italy told to pay to avoid detention
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Asylum seekers in Italy will have to pay 4,938 euros ($5,259) to avoid detention while their request for protection is being processed, the government said on Friday, in a measure apparently aimed at deterring migrants. "They are looking to make detention for migrants the norm, but it is hard to see how they can do that," she told Reuters. At present there are 10 repatriation centres in Italy, which have a current capacity of just 619. In 2022 Italy reviewed 52,625 asylum requests, rejecting 53.5% of them, according to official data.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia Meloni's, Anna Brambilla, Meloni, Luca Zaia, Crispian Balmer, Alex Richardson Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, REUTERS, Rights, Association, Immigration, Reuters, League, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, Veneto, Rome, Africa, Europe

The United States had 3.5 million residents who identify as Middle Eastern or North African, Venezuelans were the fastest-growing Hispanic group last decade and Chinese and Asian Indians were the two largest Asian groups, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. MIDDLE EASTERN OR NORTH AFRICAN POPULATIONThe 2020 census was the first to allow respondents to identify themselves as coming from a Middle Eastern or North African country, otherwise known as MENA. ASIAN POPULATIONMore than 5.2 million people identified as Chinese, the largest group among respondents who were Asian alone or in combination with another group. The Nepalese population was the fastest growing Asian group, growing from almost 52,000 people in 2010 to almost 206,000 people in 2020. Some 1.9 million respondents who picked “some other race” identified as multiracial or multi-ethnic, and more than a half million said they were Brazilian.

Persons: Biden, ”, Maya Berry, it’s, Nicolás Maduro’s, Ernesto Ackerman, Mike Schneider Organizations: . Census, Bureau, Survey, Arab American Institute, Independent Venezuelan American Citizens, Puerto Ricans Locations: States, U.S, Jordanian, Moroccan, Washington, California, Michigan, New York, Venezuela, Miami, Puerto, American, U.S . New York, Texas

The so-called “hijab bill” will be enacted for a three-year trial period. On Thursday, the Iranian parliament passed a controversial bill ramping up penalties against women who do not wear the hijab properly. Those who collude with foreign media and governments to promote nudity, improper hijab, or improper dress, face up to 10 years in prison, the new bill adds. Those who are found guilty of ridiculing or insulting the hijab face a fine, in addition to a possible travel ban up to two years, the bill says. The draft law would also mandate broader gender segregation in universities – common hotbeds of civilian protests – and other public spaces.

Persons: CNN —, Mahsa, ”, Majid Asgaripour, Amini’s, ” Sanam Vakil, Hossein Raeesi, Raeesi, General Saeed Montazerolmahdi Organizations: CNN, Guardian Council, Reuters, UN, Authorities, Chatham, Carleton University Locations: Islamic Republic, Tehran, East, North Africa, London, Iranian, Ottawa, Canada, Iran

☆ Do Some Men Love Ancient Rome for the Wrong Reasons?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( David Potter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

But while the image of this empire in the modern world is of an immutable military might, in reality the imperial system survived because it was flexible. It was far more adaptable than the flailing democracy it replaced in the first century B.C., or the modern British and French empires, which later claimed Rome as a model. In two new books, Tom Holland and Adrian Goldsworthy, both accomplished novelists as well as historians, offer lucid accounts of the challenges inherent to managing this complex imperial enterprise. Holland’s “Pax” concerns itself with a period of relative imperial tranquillity between the suicide of the Roman emperor Nero in 68 A.D. and the death of the emperor Hadrian in 138. Goldsworthy explores the relations between Rome and its most powerful neighbor, the successive Persian regimes ruling what is now Iran and Iraq, from their first encounters in the first century B.C.

Persons: Adrian Goldsworthy, Tom Holland, Nero, Hadrian, Goldsworthy, ”, Vespasian Organizations: Adrian Goldsworthy PAX Locations: ROME, PERSIA, Roman, Central Europe, North Africa, Rome, Iran, Iraq, Palestine

☆ This storm chaser captures stunning photographs of extreme weather
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Nadia Leigh-Hewitson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Ad FeedbackThough she is an accountant by trade, Sarah Hasan Al-Sayegh calls herself the first Kuwaiti-Arab female storm chaser. “Storm chasing made me see the world more,” she says. Al-Sayegh recalls that on May 31, 2016, she and fellow storm chaser Mike Olbinski came across a huge storm structure near Lamesa, Texas. She now hopes to expand her meteorological knowledge and raise awareness around climate change. “I just hope to be able to put that message to everybody through my photography and through my storm chasing,” Al-Sayegh says.

Persons: Sarah Hasan Al, Sayegh, ”, “, sandstorms, Storm Daniel, Mike Olbinski, “ Don’t, ” Al Organizations: CNN, UN, United Arab, Kuwait City Locations: Kuwaiti, Kuwait, East, North Africa, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Dubai, Libya, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Al, Lamesa , Texas, Gulf

Meanwhile, failed uprisings in Bahrain and eastern Saudi Arabia were followed by years-long crackdowns and a continuing civil war in Syria. “What we’re beginning to see in Saudi Arabia right now is the emergence of a new social contract. Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest exporter of crude oil, and nearly two-thirds of its income still comes from selling fossil fuels. If Saudi Arabia can become a hub for major sporting events, then that’s a way of attracting interest to the country,” said Maguire. In response to previous criticism about Saudi Arabia’s purported “sportswashing,” the kingdom’s sports minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal said: “People that don’t know Saudi Arabia, have never been to Saudi Arabia, go out and talk about it as if they’ve lived there for 30 years, 40 years.

Persons: Hilal, Kylian Mbappé, Germain, Neymar Jr, Ballon d’Or, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nassr, Patricia de Melo Moreira, it’s, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman –, Leon Neal, Ballon, Karim Benzema, Al Hilal, spender, –, Carlo Nohra, Jordan Henderson, Henderson, “, ’ ” Simon Chadwick, “ We’ve, ” Chadwick, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Al Nassr, Stringer, you’re, Kieran Maguire, they’re, Everybody’s, ” Maguire, Chadwick, Ronaldo, Maguire, … Mohammed bin Salman, ” James Dorsey, ”, Chadwick –, Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al, Faisal, don’t, they’ve, LIV Golf, Jimmy Dunne, LIV, Dunne, Aleksander Ceferin, Erling, Haaland, Jurgen Klopp, Michael Emenalo, Steven Gerrard, Nohra, ” “ They’ve Organizations: CNN, Saudi, Al, Paris Saint, PSG, Saudi Pro League, Ligue, Liga, Serie, Bundesliga, English Premier League, Deloitte, Investment Fund, AFP, Getty, SPL, Saudi Crown, Spanish, Arsenal, CNN Sport, English, Newcastle United, Liverpool, The Athletic, SKEMA Business School, Argentina, Zamalek, King Fahd Sports City, Anadolu Agency, Chelsea, Manchester United, Manchester City, Football, AFC Asian, FIFA, Greece, Royal Spanish Football Federation, Spanish Super, ”, Amnesty International, Amnesty, Middle East Soccer, Saudi Ministry, Sport, PGA Tour, European, UEFA, Premier League, Ettifaq Media, Reuters New Saudi Pro League, Major League Soccer, La Liga, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Investigations, PGA Locations: Saudi Arabian, Brazil, Saudi, Ittihad, Al, Ahli, Real Madrid, England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Liverpool, China, Qatar, Taif, Egypt, Spanish, East, North Africa, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Bahrain, Syria, “, ”, Europe, ” Liverpool

☆ The mastermind of Russia's treacherous defenses in Ukraine appears to be in a kind of faraway 'exile' as the line is being breached
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russian Army Gen. Sergey Surovikin appears to be in Algeria, according to recent photos. Surovikin is the mastermind of Russia's formidable defensive lines and fortifications in Ukraine. But as Kyiv's forces break through these elaborate fortifications, the mastermind behind them is nowhere near the action. The experts cited several additional photographs of Surovikin purportedly in Algeria, which were published to Telegram by Russian sources. Insider was unable to independently verify any of the recent photographs of Surovikin shared to X and Telegram.

Persons: Sergey Surovikin, Wagner, Surovikin, Dara Massicot, Yevgeny Prigozhin —, Russia's Aerospace Forces Sergei Surovikin, Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, Staff Sergei Rudskoi, Vladimir Putin, Mikhail Metzel, subsume Wagner Organizations: Russian, Wagner Group, Service, RAND Corporation, Twitter, Institute for, Commonwealth, Independent States, CIS, Kommersant, Russia's Aerospace Forces, Staff, Russian Armed Forces, Armed Forces, Sputnik, Russian MoD Locations: Algeria, Ukraine, Africa, Wall, Silicon, Russia, Moscow, California, Washington, Yevgeny Prigozhin — Russia, North Africa, Russian, Sochi

☆ Saudi PIF-backed ADES prices IPO at top end, implying over $4 bln valuation
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Saudi oil and gas driller ADES Holding said on Wednesday it has set the final price for its initial public offering (IPO), implying a valuation of 15.242 billion riyals ($4.06 billion) for the Saudi sovereign wealth fund-backed firm. ADES confirmed the pricing for the IPO, saying it drew nearly $76.5 billion in orders from institutional investors. Its clients include state oil giant Saudi Aramco, Kuwait Oil Company and North Oil Company in Qatar. The four banks are also bookrunners and underwriters, joined by GIB Capital, HSBC, Al Rajhi Capital and Saudi Fransi Capital. Arab National Bank, Alrajhi Bank and Saudi National Bank are the receiving agents and Lazard is independent adviser to ADES.

Persons: ADES, EFG Hermes, Goldman Sachs, Lazard, Yousef Saba, Sonia Cheema Organizations: Reuters, Saudi Exchange, Kuwait Oil Company, North Oil Company, SNB, JPMorgan, underwriters, GIB Capital, HSBC, Al, Saudi Fransi Capital, Arab National Bank, Alrajhi Bank, Saudi National Bank, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Saudi, Khobar, ADES, East, North Africa, India, Saudi Aramco, Qatar, Al Rajhi Capital

☆ East Libya Strongman Keeps Tight Control Over Aid After Floods
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Ben Hubbard | More About Ben Hubbard | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Days after a torrential downpour collapsed two aging dams and unleashed a rushing wall of water that swept parts of the Libyan city of Derna and thousands of its people into the sea, the military strongman who rules the area came for a quick visit. Khalifa Hifter, the 79-year-old renegade commander and longtime C.I.A. asset shook hands with soldiers, took a brief drive through Derna’s muddy streets and flew off in a helicopter. The disaster that struck Derna on Sept. 11 has drawn renewed international attention to Mr. Hifter and his so-called Libyan National Army, a military coalition that controls the eastern half of the divided North African nation with an iron fist. More than a week after the disaster, as rescue efforts shift to the long and costly work of caring for the displaced and helping the city recover, Mr. Hifter’s tight hold over eastern Libya has made it clear that he will be the overall arbiter of the aid operation in the oil-rich country.

Persons: Khalifa Hifter, Derna, Hifter, Hifter’s Organizations: Libyan National Army Locations: Libyan, Derna, Libya

☆ Analysis: EU, Italy talk tough on migration but action won't be easy
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/5] An Italian Coast Guard vessel carrying migrants rescued at sea passes between tourist boats, on Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy. Well over 10,000 migrants reached the Italian island - whose permanent population is about 6,000 - last week. Lampedusa sits in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island of Sicily and is a first port of call for many migrants seeking to reach the EU. In 2020, it was discontinued as other EU nations balked at Italian requests to have them redistributed around the bloc. Other EU states have not commented publicly on the idea of a naval blockade, which Italy says would also need the consent of North African states.

Persons: Yara, Sophia, Giorgia Meloni, Lampedusa, Meloni, Ursula von der Leyen, Ferruccio Pastore, Pastore, von der Leyen, Maurizio Ambrosini, Jan Strupczewski, Gavin Jones, Janet Lawrence Organizations: Italian Coast Guard, EU, European Union, European, International, European Forum, Research, Immigration, Human, Reuters, Dublin, University of Milan, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, North Africa, ROME, Tunisia, Malta, Sicily, Europe, Albania, Italian, Rome, Tirana, France, Austria, Dublin, EU, Germany, Brussels, repatriations

Hundreds of Libyans protested on Monday from the devastated eastern city of Derna, demanding the removal of those responsible a week after torrential rains burst two dams and unleashed a catastrophe that killed thousands. Some protesters stood on the muddy, rocky earth that the floods carried through the city center on Sept. 11, washing entire neighborhoods and their inhabitants into the Mediterranean Sea. Others perched on the roof of a mosque that still stood, and a number appeared to be part of relief and rescue efforts, dressed in white biohazard suits and reflective vests. The cries of the protesters were part of a rising chorus of calls to hold leaders across the divided North African country accountable. Specifically, they want an international investigation into the circumstances that led to the bursting of the two dams on the edge of Derna.

Persons: “ Aguila, ”, Aguila Saleh Locations: Derna

☆ Storm-ravaged Libya faces a long road to recovery as humanitarian groups ask for $71 million in aid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Dalya Al Masri | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Ahmed Elumami | ReutersStorm Daniel has left Libya, a country grappling with conflict and economic crisis for over a decade, in catastrophe. We need specialized and experienced rescue teams," Mohamed Elkwafi, a volunteer with the Eastern Libyan National Army Security Units in Derna, told CNBC. A man sits on a damaged car, after a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Libya, in Derna, Libya September 12, 2023. Libya's reconstructionThe Central Bank of Libya convened an emergency meeting last Thursday to discuss support for the impacted areas. General view of flood water covering the area as a powerful storm and heavy rainfall hit Al-Mukhaili, Libya September 11, 2023, in this handout picture.

Persons: Ahmed Elumami, Reuters Storm Daniel, Mohamed Elkwafi, Storm Daniel, Moammar Gadhafi, Esam Omran, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, Kristalina Georgieva Organizations: Reuters, UN, UNDP, CNBC, World Health Organization, International Organization for, Maxar Technologies, Eastern Libyan National Army Security, Government of National Unity, Fetori, Government of National, Central Bank of, Bank, Monetary Fund, IMF, surveilling Locations: Libya, Derna, Libyan, Soussa, Benghazi, Albayda, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, North Africa, Tripoli, Central Bank of Libya, Africa, surveilling Libya, Mukhaili

☆ The US-Iran prisoner deal is a diplomatic breakthrough, but the bad blood persists
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The carefully choreographed agreement was years in the making and is being seen as a major diplomatic breakthrough for the two foes. The Biden administration is unlikely to engage in “meaningful revival” of the 2015 nuclear deal, said Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Chatham House think tank in London. Production is the highest it’s been since 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports have also increased, averaging 1.9 million bpd in August, Reuters reported, citing shipping firm TankerTrackers.com. “Those claiming that Biden is ignoring Iran’s exports are assuming that Biden can just shut down Iran’s exports through sanctions,” he said.

Persons: “, ”, Biden, Trump, Sanam Vakil, Ali Vaez, That’s, Ali Ahmadi, there’s, Rafael Mariano Grossi, Nasser Kanaani, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, ” Raisi, Trita Organizations: CNN, Five, Biden, Chatham House, Group, International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, Petroleum, Trump, Reuters, US Energy, Geneva Centre, Security, Islamic, Sunday, US Republican Party, US Treasury Department, NBC, Quincy Institute Locations: Iran, Qatar, United States, Washington, Tehran, East, North Africa, London, China, Islamic Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Washington ,

☆ Lampedusa: EU chief pledges action while visiting Italian island hit by soaring migrant arrivals
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Eve Brennan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has pledged action to help Italy’s crisis-hit island of Lampedusa during a visit on Sunday, after the island was left struggling to cope with an influx of migrants. Von der Leyen visited a migrant reception center on the island after the Italian Prime Minister called on European leaders to help more. The island has recently seen an uptick in migrant crossings, with Italian authorities saying Thursday that 7,000 people had arrived in just two days, prompting the local mayor and the United Nations refugee agency to warn the Italian island is becoming overwhelmed. The Italian prime minister and EU chief met Sunday to “offer a coordinated response by the Italian and European authorities,” according to von der Leyen. Meanwhile, von der Leyen championed legal pathways and humanitarian corridors as measures to counter “smugglers’ lies.”“We will offer migrants real alternatives through this humanitarian admission.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni, von der Leyen, “, von der, ” Lampedusa, Cecilia Fabiano, LaPresse, ” Meloni, ’, ”, Von der, Filippo Mannino, agency’s, San Marino, Chiara Cardoletti Organizations: CNN, EU, Italian, European Union, United Nations, European Commission, UN, UNHCR, International Organization for Migration Locations: Lampedusa, Italian, Africa, Europe, European, Italy, San, Tunisia, Libya

☆ EU chief pledges migrant action plan in Italy's Lampedusa
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Yara Nardi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsLAMPEDUSA, Italy Sept 17 (Reuters) - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday visited the Italian island of Lampedusa, which is struggling with a surge in migrant arrivals, and promised a 10-point EU action plan to help Italy deal with the situation. Nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, almost double the figure by the same date in 2022. Von der Leyen was accompanied by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the car carrying them to Lampedusa's migrant reception centre was briefly blocked by locals protesting over the burden facing the island. The plan includes using the EU's external borders agency Frontex to identify migrants arriving in Italy and repatriate those not eligible for asylum. Frontex would also step up sea and aerial surveillance of migrant boats and help crack down on people-smugglers, von der Leyen said, adding that she had already spoken to several EU leaders about the plan and was confident of their support.

Persons: Ursula von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni's, Yara, Von der Leyen, Giorgia Meloni, Meloni, von der Leyen, Frontex, Tony Colapinto, Gavin Jones, Louise Heavens Organizations: Italian, REUTERS, Sunday, Meloni, coastguard, Thomson Locations: Lampedusa, Italy, European, Tunisia, Tunis, Europe

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