Rome gives Libya 12 boats to ‘fight human trafficking’ at sea
AFP, Rome
The Italian government will give Libya 12 boats to help them “fight human trafficking” and curb the flow of migrants into Europe, Rome announced late Monday.
The announcement comes as several EU nations are pressuring Libya to take charge of migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, with the bloc debating how to handle the influx of migrants to the continent.
Bus overturns on Iran road, killing 7 Iraqi pilgrims
AP, Tehran
Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency says seven Iraqi pilgrims were killed when their bus overturned in northeastern Iran. Tuesday’s report quotes spokesman of Iran’s emergency organization, Mojtaba Khaledi, as saying that 20 passengers – out of the total of 29 on board – were injured.
He says “seven pilgrims lost their lives in this accident” along the Sabzevar-Shahroud road. It took place on Monday night as the pilgrims were headed from the holy city of Mashhad to Isfahan in Iran.
French President off to Nigeria visit
AFP, Lagos
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday headed to Abuja to meet his Nigerian counterpart Muhammadu Buhari, in his latest attempt to forge closer ties with English-speaking Africa. Fifteen years after he was an intern at the French embassy, Macron returns to the Nigerian capital for a whistlestop meeting with Buhari before flying south to Lagos.
The 40-year-old former investment banker, who speaks fluent English, has made a point of boosting ties with France’s former colonies but also improving trade with anglophone countries.
Bridge collapses in India’s Mumbai
Xinhua, New Delhi
A road overbridge collapsed due to heavy rains in India’s financial capital Mumbai Tuesday morning, police said. “Part of Gokhale Bridge connecting Andheri East to West has collapsed affecting the overhead wires too. Traffic above & below the bridge is stopped for now,” the Mumbai Police tweeted.
One person is said to be trapped under the debris, according to Kirit Somiaya, a senior lawmaker of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The overbridge collapse has disrupted railway traffic in the area, officials said.
