Migrant Boat Sinks off Tunisia with at Least Eight Dead, 29 Rescued
Tunisia's coast guard on Monday recovered the bodies of eight African migrants after their boat sank off the country's coast as it sailed towards Europe, a security official told Reuters, adding that 29 other people were rescued.
The boat sank in waters off the city of Abwabed near Sfax, a departure point often used by African migrants.
Search operations were underway for possible missing persons, said Houssem Eddine Jebabli, an official in the national guard.
Tunisia is grappling with an unprecedented migration crisis and has replaced Libya as a major departure point for both Tunisians and others in Africa seeking a better life in Europe.
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Saudi Gazette
19-05-2025
- Saudi Gazette
British mountaineer sets record 19th Everest summit
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Saudi Gazette
08-05-2025
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21 airports across northern India will be closed until Saturday
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Saudi Gazette
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Major airlines are avoiding Pakistan's airspace as tensions with India simmer
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Kashmir, one of the world's most dangerous flashpoints, is controlled in part by India and Pakistan but both countries claim it in its entirety. Since their independence from Britain nearly 80 years ago, the two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars over the mountainous territory that is now divided by a de-facto border called the Line of Control (LOC). In the wake of the tourist massacre, India and Pakistan have been flexing their military muscle, putting both countries on edge. Pakistan on Monday carried out a second missile test in three days, Reuters reported. The Pakistani army said the missile tested was a Fatah series surface-to-surface missile with a range of 120 kilometers (75 miles), according to Reuters. It came two days after the successful launch of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile. India has also ordered all its states and union territories to carry out mock security drills on Wednesday – a rare order from the home ministry not seen in decades covering 244 areas categorized as 'civil defense districts.' It comes days after India's navy said it had carried out test missile strikes to 'revalidate and demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike.' Tensions have ramped up despite the United States and China urging restraint. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also urged both India and Pakistan to 'avoid a military confrontation that could easily spin out of control.' 'Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution,' he added. The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Monday, according to a statement from Pakistan's foreign ministry. Water has become a key flashpoint in the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan. India suspended its involvement in the Indus Water Treaty days after the militant attack, threatening a pact that has been in place since 1960. The treaty governs the sharing of water from the enormous Indus River system, a vital resource supporting hundreds of millions of livelihoods across Pakistan and northern India. The Indus originates in Tibet and flows through China and Indian-controlled Kashmir before reaching Pakistan. Indian media citing government sources earlier reported that New Delhi had cut water flowing through the Baglihar dam in Indian-administered Kashmir, stopping water flowing into Pakistan via the Chenab river. In response to those reports, a Pakistani government source on Tuesday told CNN that authorities 'are aware that India has started work on hydro projects' since suspending the treaty. 'Pakistan has also protested in this regard, but India has started work without giving any response,' the sources said. CNN has contacted India for a response. 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As military tensions ramp up, cultural exchanges between New Delhi and Islamabad have also come to a halt. India has blocked the social media handles of Pakistani celebrities and a much-anticipated Indian film featuring a Pakistani actor is now not expected to release in the country. Fawad Khan, an actor, singer and producer with a huge following in India, announced his Bollywood comeback in April, sending fans into a frenzy. But his upcoming movie, 'Abir Gulaal,' will not hit cinemas on May 9 as previously planned, according to local media reports. Khan's impending return to Bollywood was hailed as heartening news by Indian critics and fans alike. The actor, who has appeared in Indian films in the past, disappeared from Indian screens in 2016 after dozens of Indian soldiers were killed in a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that was followed by deadly clashes along the contested border. India blamed Pakistan for that attack, which Islamabad denied, and as tensions escalated between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association imposed a de facto ban on Pakistani talent. — CNN
