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Nearly 100 Sudanese refugees dead or missing after twin Libya boat disasters

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Nearly 100 Sudanese refugees dead or missing after twin Libya boat disasters


Migrants travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England. — AFP/File 

TRIPOLI: Around 100 Sudanese refugees are dead or missing after two separate boat disasters off Libya’s coast last weekend, and the toll is feared to rise, UN agencies said Wednesday.

One boat capsized on Saturday and another caught fire on Sunday, both off the eastern port city of Tobruk, according to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The first boat was carrying 74 people, “mostly Sudanese refugees”, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said on its X account for Libya, of whom “only 13 people survived and dozens remain missing” from Saturday’s wreck.

An IOM spokesperson earlier told AFP that Sunday’s “tragic incident took place when a rubber boat carrying 75 Sudanese refugees caught fire” en route to Greece, adding: “At least 50 lives were lost.”

The UNHCR and the IOM spokesperson did not immediately provide details of the ages or gender of those on board the boats.

“IOM provided immediate lifesaving medical care to the 24 survivors,” the spokesperson added, without clarifying if one last person was still missing from Sunday’s wreck.

Libya is a key transit country for thousands of migrants seeking to reach Europe by sea each year.

At least 456 people died and 420 were reported missing along the central Mediterranean route between January 1 and September 13, according to the IOM.

Libyan authorities have so far this year intercepted and returned 17,402 migrants to Libya, including 1,516 women and 586 children.

The war in neighbouring Sudan between the army and paramilitaries has pushed over 140,000 refugees into Libya in the past two years, nearly doubling the number of Sudanese refugees in the country.

Many brave near-slavery conditions in Libya, migrants have told AFP, while others attempt the dangerous sea crossing in a bid to reach Europe.

The IOM considers the central Mediterranean crossing one of the deadliest migrant routes in the world.

In 2024, 2,573 people trying to reach Europe died in the Mediterranean Sea, it said.

Libya is still plagued by division and instability after years of unrest following the NATO-backed uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

It remains divided between the UN-recognised government in the west and its eastern rival, backed by military commander Khalifa Haftar.

Smugglers and human traffickers have taken advantage of the instability, leading to human rights violations, including extortion and slavery, according to rights groups.





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Andrew’s Sandringham move to keep low profile fails to calm critics

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Andrew’s Sandringham move to keep low profile fails to calm critics


Andrew’s Sandringham move to keep low profile fails to calm critics

The former Duke of York has finally packed up and moved on but his change of address is doing little to quiet the noise around him.

After months of whispers, he has vacated Royal Lodge and taken up residence at Wood Farm Cottage on the Sandringham Estate, where he’ll stay until nearby Marsh Farm is prepared. 

The relocation, however, hasn’t gone down smoothly with everyone in the area.

Visitors and locals alike have been quick to voice their disbelief at the arrangement, questioning why the King’s troubled brother is being housed on a royal estate at all. 

One elderly visitor wondered how someone described as sidelined can truly be so when he’s still being given a roof within palace grounds. 

Another scoffed that the move hardly looks like a step down, it sounds more like a return to comfort than a retreat.

Others are more annoyed by the sudden spotlight on their normally peaceful surroundings. 

One resident complained that the influx of cameras and reporters has shattered village calm. 

Though Wood Farm Cottage lacks the grandeur of Andrew’s former home, it’s no bare-bones bolthole. 

The property has reportedly been given a security heavy makeover, including the installation of a towering six foot fence to replace the original wire barrier. 





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New Epstein link emerges with Palace amid Prince Harry’s phone hacking case

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New Epstein link emerges with Palace amid Prince Harry’s phone hacking case


New Epstein link emerges with Palace amid Prince Harry’s phone hacking case

Prince Harry had been pursuing a case against the Daily Mail Publisher, Associated Newspapers Limited, along with seven other high-profile claimants.

The Duke of Sussex had accused the publisher for acquiring private information via ‘unlawful’ means and had given a detailed testimony in the Royal Courts of Justice last month.

When asked why he hadn’t complained about some of the articles at the heart of his claim, Harry responded that “to a certain extent” he believed the information in the articles came from legitimate sources.

He also thought that “the institution” would not have allowed him to complain anyway.

While Harry’s case is still ongoing, a surprise Jeffery Epstein connection emerged in which the convicted paedophile claimed “the Palace” asked him to take legal action against a newspaper for alleged phone hacking.

In the email, dated July 12, 2011, Epstein was getting legal advice on how he should open the case against the New York Post, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Group in New York.

“If you have been following the issues of Rupert Murdoch, and News intl. He closed one of his newspapers in London, after it was caught hacking phone,” the email reads.

New Epstein link emerges with Palace amid Prince Harrys phone hacking case

“Well, there is no love lost in the palace for him. They say they have evidence that the NY post hacked my phones, to get to Prince Andrew.”

It continued, “The palace has asked if i would bring an action in new york. a.) I am not a sympathetic figure, but the girl who accused Andrew is even less credible than Strauss Kahn’s maid b.) I’m not sure if I want the battle. c) I’m not sure if you would be conflicted.”

It is unclear what is being referred to as “the Palace” in the email. It could have been Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor or it could be the institution itself.

The email in question comes from the latest tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice. It was sent two days after News of the World closed down after its owners, News International, admitted to hacking for their work.

This appears to have a similar tone to Prince Harry’s lawsuit but it is possible that these two events could have a connection. It remains to be seen how things unfold in the case.





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Rebecca Ferguson shares new details about co-star who left her in tears

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Rebecca Ferguson shares new details about co-star who left her in tears


Rebecca Ferguson shares new details about co-star who left her in tears

Rebecca Ferguson is addressing her past confession about an unspecified co-star, who “screamed” at her while on set.

Making the initial claim two years ago, which left parts of the internet scrambling for clues about the mystery actor, the Swedish actress has provided further details about what the moment felt like.

“It wasn’t about the person. It was about me. It was so scary. I didn’t know then how to go, ‘Hey, can I talk to you privately?’” she told Harper’s Bazaar UK. “Now, I would want to believe that I could have taken this person aside.”

She also reflected on the prevalent debate about “woke” culture, saying that she thinks it’s actually “great”.

“A lot of people say that we’ve become too woke, but I think, no, it’s great. The pendulum needs to swing to the other side so that we can find a balance in between.”

Her comments were a reflection about the revelation she made during a February 2024 episode of Reign with Josh Smith podcast.

“I remember there was a moment and this human being was being so insecure and angry because this person couldn’t get the scenes out,” the Dune star had shared.

“And I think I was so vulnerable and uncomfortable that I got screamed at,” she continued. “But because this person was number one on a call sheet, there was no safety net for me. So no one had my back. And I would cry walking off set.”

Though she never revealed which co-star she was talking about, she did confirm that it was neither Tom Cruise nor Hugh Jackman, two of her most famous screen partners.

She has worked with Cruise in the Mission: Impossible franchise while Jackman was her co-star in the 2017 musical The Greatest Showman.

Rebecca Ferguson’s next high profile projects include Dune: Part Three and Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, both set to release later this year.





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