At least 70 people were killed when a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of West Africa, Gambia’s foreign affairs ministry said late on Friday, in one of the deadliest accidents in recent years along a popular migration route to Europe.

Another 30 people are feared dead after the vessel, believed to have departed from Gambia and carrying mostly Gambian and Senegalese nationals, sank off the coast of Mauritania early on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement.

It was carrying an estimated 150 passengers, 16 of whom had been rescued. Mauritanian authorities recovered 70 bodies on Wednesday and Thursday, and witness accounts suggest over 100 may have died, the statement said.

The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands, typically used by African migrants trying to reach Spain, is one of the world’s deadliest.

More than 46,000 irregular migrants reached the Canary Islands last year, a record, according to the European Union. More than 10,000 died attempting the journey, a 58% increase over 2023, according to the rights group Caminando Fronteras.

Gambia’s foreign affairs ministry implored its nationals to “refrain from embarking on such perilous journeys, which continue to claim the lives of many”.

Pakistan’s seafood industry has received a significant boost as the United States granted a four-year approval for fish exports, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry announced.

Chaudhry said the license is global recognition of Pakistan’s seafood quality standards, proving that the country’s fisheries meet strict U.S. benchmarks.

He added that this approval will ensure continuity in exports to one of the world’s most valuable markets.

Sharing figures, the minister noted that Pakistan exported 242,000 tons of fish last year, generating $489 million in foreign exchange.

With U.S. access secured for the next four years, seafood exports are expected to increase, with projections reaching $600 million in the coming year.

He emphasized that U.S. approval will bring stability to the export sector, strengthen Pakistan’s global credibility, and open up fresh opportunities for the fishing community.

“This is a proud achievement for Pakistan, as our fisheries have demonstrated the ability to meet international quality requirements,” Chaudhry stated.

Meanwhile, Federal Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb recently hinted at major U.S. investments in multiple sectors of Pakistan following successful trade talks.

In an informal discussion upon his return from the United States, Muhammad Aurangzeb said that the country will soon receive encouraging news of substantial investments across various sectors from the US.

He stated that during his visit, Pakistan achieved significant success in key meetings held as part of trade negotiations, which were highly appreciated by the US administration.

The minister described the trade talks with the US as a major success for the country, noting that Pakistan is moving in the right direction and the results will be visible soon.

Muhammad Aurangzeb underlined the need for making decisions that will bring long-term improvements to the economy and expressed satisfaction over the mutually successful outcome of the negotiations.

Turkey’s top diplomat announced on Friday that Ankara has closed its ports and airspace to Israeli ships and aircraft, with a diplomatic source telling AFP that the restrictions specifically target “official” flights. The move comes amid escalating tensions between Turkey and Israel, reflecting Ankara’s strong stance in response to recent developments in Gaza.

The decision is expected to impact diplomatic and official travel, while signaling Turkey’s growing disapproval of Israeli actions in the region.

Ties between Turkey and Israel have been shattered by Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, with Ankara accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in the tiny Palestinian territory — a term roundly rejected by Israel — and suspending all trade ties in May last year.

“We have closed our ports to Israeli ships. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports…. We do not allow container ships carrying weapons and ammunition to Israel to enter our ports, nor do we allow their aircraft to enter our airspace,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told lawmakers in a televised address.

Asked for clarification about the minister’s remarks, a Turkish diplomatic source said its airspace was “closed to all aircraft carrying weapons (to Israel) and to Israel’s official flights”.

It was not immediately clear when the airspace restrictions were put in place.

In November, Turkey refused to let the Israeli president’s plane cross its airspace, forcing him to cancel a planned visit to the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan.

And in May, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a visit to Baku after Ankara reportedly refused overflight rights.

Trade cut off:

On Monday ZIM, Israel’s biggest shipping firm, said it had been informed that under new regulations passed by Ankara on August 22, “vessels that are either owned, managed or operated by an entity related to Israel will not be permitted to berth in Turkish ports”.

The information was made public in a filing to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in which ZIM warned the new regulation was expected to “negatively impact on the company’s financial and operational results”.

The ban also extended to other ships carrying military cargo destined for Israel, it said.

“Separately.. vessels that are carrying military cargo destined to Israel will not be permitted to berth in Turkish ports; in addition, Turkish-flagged vessels will be prohibited from berthing in Israeli ports.”

Fidan’s remarks were the first public acknowledgement of the ban.

“No other country has cut off trade with Israel,” he told Turkish lawmakers at an emergency session on the Gaza crisis.

Turkish officials have repeatedly insisted that all trade ties with Israel have been cut, vowing there would be no normalisation as long as the Gaza war continues.

But some Turkish opposition figures have accused Ankara of allowing trade to continue, notably by allowing oil shipments from Azerbaijan to pass through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline running through Turkey — claims dismissed by Turkey’s energy ministry as “completely unfounded”.

Although Azerbaijan has long been one of Israel’s main oil suppliers, data published on its state customs website this year no longer showed Israel as one of the countries that purchase oil from Baku, Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported earlier this year.