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France, Germany join forces against migration from Tunisia in wake of latest Mediterranean tragedy

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France, Germany join forces against migration from Tunisia in wake of latest Mediterranean tragedy

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Ministers from Germany and France tasked with regulating migration are joining forces to try to curb deaths on dangerous routes across the Mediterranean Sea, traveling Sunday for talks with the president and their counterpart in Tunisia, a major North African stepping stone for migrants trying to reach Europe at risk of their lives.

The two-day trip by the German and French interior ministers, Nancy Faeser and Gérald Darmanin, follows what is feared to be the deadliest migrant shipwreck in years in the Mediterranean — the capsizing last week of a fishing vessel packed with men, women and children trying to reach Italy from Libya, Tunisia’s neighbor.

More than 500 migrants are presumed to have drowned in the sinking Wednesday off the southern coast of Greece that renewed criticism of Europe’s yearslong failure to prevent migration tragedies.

The U.N. migration agency said it could be the second-deadliest migrant shipwreck recorded — after the April 2015 capsizing of another vessel on the Libya-Italy route that killed an estimated 1,100 people.

A statement from the German minister’s office about her trip with Darmanin said: “We want to create legal migration routes in order to remove the basis for the inhumane business of smugglers. We want the human rights of refugees to be protected and the terrible deaths on the Mediterranean to stop.”

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With migrants, mainly from sub-Saharan Africa, undertaking perilous sea crossings from Tunisia in unprecedented numbers, European authorities are seeking reinforced action from the government of Tunisia’s increasingly autocratic president, Kais Saied.

In the first three months of this year, Tunisian authorities intercepted 13,000 people on boats off Tunisia’s eastern port city of Sfax, a main route to Europe for sub-Saharan Africans, who don’t need visas to travel to Tunisia.

As well as working to reduce migrant flows from Tunisia, European authorities are also offering aid to stabilize the North African country, which is in the midst of its deepest economic crisis in a generation. European leaders visiting Tunisia earlier this month held out the promise of more than 1 billion euros in financial aid — including 100 million euros earmarked this year for Tunisian border management and search-and-rescue and anti-smuggling operations.

The German minister’s statement said discussions would focus on “important current migration and security issues,” including promoting legal migration channels, reducing irregular migration and people smuggling, strengthening sea rescue operations and promoting the voluntary return of migrants not entitled to stay in the European Union.

Darmanin, the French minister, did not detail his objectives for the trip to Tunisia in advance. But his ministry confirmed planned meetings on Monday for Darmanin and Faeser with their Tunisian counterpart and with Saied. As well as migration issues and hoped-for strengthened efforts against people smugglers, the French minister also wants to discuss security issues following an attack on a Tunisian island during an annual Jewish pilgrimage in May.

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In the attack on Djerba, a Tunisian naval guard shot and killed a colleague and two civilians — one of them French — as he tried to reach the 2,500-year-old Ghriba temple, one of Africa’s oldest synagogues. Security guards killed the attacker. Ten people were injured.

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John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed.

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Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration

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Protesters in Tel Aviv say government responsible for captives’ fate

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Protesters in Tel Aviv say government responsible for captives’ fate

Angry demonstrators demand the Israeli government secure the release of captives held in Gaza.

There have been more large protests in Israel, demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conclude a captives-for-prisoners exchange deal with Hamas.

There are about 58 captives still held in Gaza, 34 of whom the Israeli military says are dead.

Family members of the captives and those supporting them rallied, with tensions rising between them and police in Tel Aviv on Saturday.

People take part in a protest demanding the immediate release of captives held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, in Tel Aviv, Israel [Maya Alleruzzo/AP]

Demonstrators condemned the government’s decision to return to war, and held aloft pictures of their family members in captivity. They said they were holding the Israeli government responsible for their lives.

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Saturday’s protest comes as Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, released a video titled, Time is Running Out, purporting to show an Israeli captive in Gaza calling on the government to secure his release, the second such video shared by the group within days.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group identified the man as Elkana Bohbot, who was taken captive from the site of a music festival in southern Israel during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack that led to Israel’s latest campaign against Gaza.

The footage lasts more than three minutes, showing Bohbot speaking in Hebrew and pleading for his freedom.

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Venice says it will host Bezos wedding and denies reports of possible disruptions for the city

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Venice says it will host Bezos wedding and denies reports of possible disruptions for the city

ROME (AP) — The city of Venice confirmed Saturday it will host the wedding of multi-billionaire Jeff Bezos and fiancée Lauren Sanchez, denying reports the famous Italian city would be invaded by hundreds of celebrities and possible disruptions for citizens and tourists.

The city in a short statement didn’t give a date for the wedding. Italian media have reported it will be between June 24-26, with a few days of celebrations.

“The many speculations and fake news circulating about Jeff Bezos’ wedding are completely unfounded,” the statement said.

Bezos is the owner of The Washington Post and founder and largest individual shareholder of Amazon. Among others, George and Amal Clooney celebrated their wedding in Venice in 2014.

The city said only 200 guests would be invited, a number easily accommodated without any disruption to the city, its residents and visitors. It noted that it has broad experience handling international events “much larger than this.”

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“Venice is used to being the stage for events and shows every week, without significant impacts,” the city said, citing G20 and G7 summits, the Architecture and Cinema Biennales, as well as private events and VIP weddings.

Several reports in both Italian and international media suggested that Bezos’ wedding organizers had already booked rooms at Venice’s main luxury hotels and reserved for a few days in late June large numbers of gondolas and water taxis — which are mainly used by locals and tourists for daily transportation.

The city denied those reports, saying it “is their utmost priority to make sure the city functions as normal, for all, with no abnormal disruption to anyone.”

“We are mutually working and supporting the organizers, to ensure that the event will be absolutely respectful of the fragility and uniqueness of the city,” Mayor Luigi Brugnaro said.

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Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released

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Faye Hall, American detained by Taliban, has been released

An American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February has been freed, a source with knowledge of the release told Fox News on Saturday.

American citizen Faye Hall was released on Thursday and received at the Qatari embassy in Kabul. She has been confirmed to be in good health after undergoing a series of medical checks, the source said. Arrangements are currently underway for her return to the United States.

The Taliban agreed to release Hall after President Donald Trump removed multimillion-dollar bounties on senior members of the militant group, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Faye Hall, an American woman who had been detained by the Taliban since February, has been freed a source with knowledge of the release told Fox News Saturday. (Diplomatic source in Afghanistan)

TALIBAN FREES AMERICAN HOSTAGE GEORGE GLEZMANN FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS WITH US, QATAR

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Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s interior minister, the outlet reported, noting that Washington was offering a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Fox News Digital wasn’t immediately able to confirm the nature of the agreement and has reached out to the White House and the State Department for comment.

Her release was initiated following a court order and with logistical support from Qatar serving in its role as the United States’ protecting power in Afghanistan, the Fox News source said. 

Hall, along with the British couple, Peter Reynolds, 79, his wife Barbie, 75, and their interpreter were arrested on Feb. 1, the outlet reported. 

Faye Hall and Qatari officials

Faye Hall pictured with Qatari officials following her release. (Diplomatic source in Afghanistan)

FAMILY OF THIRD AMERICAN HELD BY TALIBAN CALLS FOR HIS IMMEDIATE RELEASE: ‘WE ARE CONCERNED’

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The Associated Press previously reported that the British couple ran education programs in Afghanistan via Rebuild, an organization that provides education and training programs for businesses, government agencies, educational organizations and nongovernmental groups. 

The Sunday Times said one project was for mothers and children. The Taliban severely restricts women’s education and activities in the country.

It is unclear what relationship Hall had with the couple or their group.

The couple’s detention was not based on any violations of local laws or religious customs, but was a political move by a faction to increase international pressure on the government and Haibatullah Akhundzada, its supreme leader, the Telegraph reported. 

Afghanistan-Taliban

Trump agreed to remove millions of dollars of bounties on three senior members of the Haqqani network, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban government’s interior minister, the Telegraph reported.

The couple’s children wrote a letter to the Taliban pleading for their release, saying that the couple respected and obeyed the laws.

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“They have chosen Afghanistan as their home, rather than with family in England, and they wish to spend the rest of their lives in Afghanistan,” the letter reads in part, according to the Associated Press.

Hall’s release comes after the Taliban released American hostage George Glezmann, 65, last week after holding him for more than two years. That deal was also struck after negotiations between the Trump administration and Qatari officials. Glezmann was abducted while visiting Kabul as a tourist on Dec. 5, 2022.

Two other Americans, Ryan Corbett and William McKenty, were released earlier this year in exchange for a Taliban member in U.S. custody in a final-hour deal struck by the Biden administration.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and the Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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