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Bomb Kills 1, Wounds 5 at Press Award Event in Afghanistan

Afghan people, right, inspect the site of a bomb blast in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP)
Afghan people, right, inspect the site of a bomb blast in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP)
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Bomb Kills 1, Wounds 5 at Press Award Event in Afghanistan

Afghan people, right, inspect the site of a bomb blast in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP)
Afghan people, right, inspect the site of a bomb blast in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital city of Balkh province, in northern Afghanistan, Saturday, March 11, 2023. (AP)

A bomb exploded on Saturday during an award ceremony for journalists in Afghanistan’s Mazar-e- Sharif city, killing at least one person and wounded five others, a Taliban police spokesman said.

The blast occurred at the Tabian Farhang center in Mazar-e Sharif, the capital of Balkh province, as journalists gathered for the award event at 11 a.m., said Mohammad Asif Waziri, the Taliban-appointed spokesman for Balkh police.

It came two days after a bomb in Mazar-e-Sharif killed the provincial governor, Daud Muzmal, and two others. Four were wounded.

The identify of the fatality in Saturday's blast was not immediately known but journalists were among the five wounded. They included Najeeb Faryad, a reporter for Aryana News television station, who said he felt like something hit him in the back, followed by a deafening sound before he fell to the ground.

No one has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the regional affiliate of the ISIS group — known as ISIS in Khorasan Province — is a key rival of the Taliban.

The militant group has increased its attacks in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover of the country in August 2021.

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Spain Says Over 550 Migrants Reached its Canary Islands in 2 Days

A wooden boat used by migrants from Morocco is seen at the coast of the Canary Island on Friday, Oct.16, 2020. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)
A wooden boat used by migrants from Morocco is seen at the coast of the Canary Island on Friday, Oct.16, 2020. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)
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Spain Says Over 550 Migrants Reached its Canary Islands in 2 Days

A wooden boat used by migrants from Morocco is seen at the coast of the Canary Island on Friday, Oct.16, 2020. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)
A wooden boat used by migrants from Morocco is seen at the coast of the Canary Island on Friday, Oct.16, 2020. (AP Photo/Javier Bauluz, File)

More than 550 migrants have arrived in Spain’s Canary Islands in boats over the past two days, Spain’s maritime rescue service said Thursday. At least one body was found in one of the boats.

The Spanish archipelago off northwest Africa is continuing to experience large numbers of migrant arrivals as more people mainly from West Africa attempt the dangerous Atlantic crossing in ramshackle boats. In the first half of January, 3,409 migrants reached Spain by sea, the vast majority to the Canaries, Interior Ministry figures showed. About as many migrants came illegally during the same period last year.

In 2024, Spain received a record number of migrants who crossed illegally via sea, with more than 61,000 people having arrived on boats. Nearly 47,000 of those landed in the Canary Islands. They included several thousand unaccompanied minors, The AP reported.

The islands are roughly 65 miles (105 kilometers) from the closest point in Africa, but to avoid security forces, many migrants attempt longer journeys that can take days or weeks. The majority last year departed from Mauritania, which is at least 473 miles (762 kilometers) from the closest Canary Island, El Hierro.

Earlier this month, the Spanish migration rights group Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said that 50 people had died in the capsizing of a boat on its way to the Canary Islands. It reported that 44 of them were from Pakistan.

The European Union's border agency, Frontex, said irregular crossings into the bloc in 2024 fell 38% overall but rose by 18% on the Atlantic route between West Africa and the Canary Islands. It attributed the rise in part to more migrants leaving from Mauritania, which has become a primary point of departure for people attempting to reach Europe.

The International Organization for Migration recorded at least 5,000 migrants who died or went missing on the migratory route since it began keeping records in 2014. But Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) says the real death toll is significantly higher, and that over 10,000 people died or went missing while attempting the route last year alone.

Caminando Fronteras says it compiles its own figures from families of migrants and rescue statistics.