AFP, Madrid
Migrant arrivals by sea to Spain tripled in 2017 on the previous year, fuelled by a surge in the numbers of Algerians and Moroccans, while over 200 died trying to make the crossing.
“At the end of the year, the tally is devastating,” the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR), which defends the right to asylum, said in a statement.
Turkey nabs 29 suspected militants
AP, Ankara
Turkish police detained 29 suspected Islamic State group militants in the capital, Ankara, on Friday, some of whom allegedly were preparing to carry out attacks during New Year’s celebrations, the state-run news agency reported.
Some 500 police officers took part in simultaneous raids to detain the suspects, many of them foreign nationals, Anadolu Agency reported. Police had warrants to detain 17 other suspects.
Indonesia volcano in ‘biggest’
eruption this year
AFP, Jakarta
Indonesia’s Mount Sinabung volcano experienced its biggest eruption of the year this week, spewing clouds of gas and showering ash into the sky, a local official said Friday.
The volcano, which roared back to life in 2010 after four centuries of silence, has been erupting steadily since 2015, displacing more than 3,000 families.
Wednesday’s eruption “was the biggest eruption this year, given the reach of the pyroclastic flow and the size of the area covered by the ashes”, local disaster agency chief Nata Nail told AFP.
Iraq faces ‘new war’ – on corruption
AFP, Baghdad
They have fled the country, their pockets full, or been released from prison under amnesties: despite Iraq’s “war” on corruption, those guilty of embezzling state funds often evade justice.
Even before he declared victory against the Islamic State group in early December after a three-year battle, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the country’s next fight would be against graft, vowing to “surprise the corrupt”.
