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Dozens of Migrants Rescued at Türkiye Border

Refugees on their way from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos across the Aegean Sea (AFP)
Refugees on their way from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos across the Aegean Sea (AFP)
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Dozens of Migrants Rescued at Türkiye Border

Refugees on their way from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos across the Aegean Sea (AFP)
Refugees on their way from Türkiye to the Greek island of Lesbos across the Aegean Sea (AFP)

Greek police on Wednesday said 39 migrants, including several minors, had been rescued from an islet in Evros river bordering Türkiye.

The group included 13 men, 11 women and 15 minors, the police said in a statement, without disclosing nationalities.

It added that rights activists had alerted the police to their presence.

According to AFP, the migrants were taken to the islet on a dinghy by a smuggler on the Turkish side of the river and left there, the police said.

Athens in 2020 erected a 37.5-kilometre (23-mile) steel barrier in this remote northeastern area after tens of thousands of migrants tried to break through, clashing for days with Greek security forces.

With the country headed into a tight general election later this month, the conservative government has vowed to extend the barrier by another 35 kilometres by the end of the year.

Greece's police minister has said some 265,000 migrants were barred from entering the country illegally last year.

Türkiye and rights groups accuse Greece of pushing asylum seekers back across the border.

Athens denies this, despite numerous testimonies from alleged victims.

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At Least 16 Killed in Suicide Attack on Police Facility in Northwest Pakistan

File photo: Firefighters work to extinguish the burning cars at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)
File photo: Firefighters work to extinguish the burning cars at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)
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At Least 16 Killed in Suicide Attack on Police Facility in Northwest Pakistan

File photo: Firefighters work to extinguish the burning cars at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)
File photo: Firefighters work to extinguish the burning cars at the site of bomb explosion, in Quetta, Pakistan, Sunday, May 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

At least 16 people, including five police personnel, were killed in northwest Pakistan on Friday after a suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden car into a police facility as people were praying at a mosque inside, police said. 

The incident occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's Kohat city, with the ‌vehicle ramming ‌into an outer wall ‌of ⁠the police facility and ⁠gunmen who accompanied it opening fire, provincial police chief Zulfikar Hameed said. 

It was a suicide attack, he added. 

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, according to Reuters. 

The blast occurred close ⁠to a mosque where the ‌police personnel, their ‌family members, and other civilians were offering ‌Friday prayers, a police statement said. 

A ‌gun battle was still raging between police and the attackers, and one assailant wearing an explosives-laden vest had been killed, ‌the statement said. 

The interior ministry said the "cowardly actions" of ⁠the attackers ⁠could not weaken the "nation's firm resolve". 

Militancy in Pakistan's border areas has risen sharply in recent months, targeting mainly the military and police. 

Islamabad says the militants use safe havens in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks in Pakistan. Afghanistan's Taliban government has denied the charge and said militancy is Pakistan's domestic problem. 

 

World

Spanish Police Launch Operation to Clear Ceuta Migrants off Beach

The Spanish National Police transfer hundreds of migrants who had been sleeping on the street to a new location consisting of several tents, aiming to prevent them from continuing to sleep outdoors, in Ceuta, Spain, 13 September 2026. EPA/Reduan
The Spanish National Police transfer hundreds of migrants who had been sleeping on the street to a new location consisting of several tents, aiming to prevent them from continuing to sleep outdoors, in Ceuta, Spain, 13 September 2026. EPA/Reduan
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Spanish Police Launch Operation to Clear Ceuta Migrants off Beach

The Spanish National Police transfer hundreds of migrants who had been sleeping on the street to a new location consisting of several tents, aiming to prevent them from continuing to sleep outdoors, in Ceuta, Spain, 13 September 2026. EPA/Reduan
The Spanish National Police transfer hundreds of migrants who had been sleeping on the street to a new location consisting of several tents, aiming to prevent them from continuing to sleep outdoors, in Ceuta, Spain, 13 September 2026. EPA/Reduan

Spanish riot police fired rubber ‌bullets into the air and struck people with batons on Friday as they began an operation to clear thousands of migrants off beaches in the North African enclave of Ceuta and move some of them into temporary housing. 

Spain estimates 10,000 migrants remain in the tiny territory. More than 72,000 crossed into the enclave from Morocco at the end of July in an unprecedented border rush, although most later left, Reuters said. 

The authorities have built new temporary housing inside the enclave's port to hold 1,700 people. ‌NGOs say ‌thousands remain unhoused and have been sleeping rough ‌in ⁠camps. 

Friday's operation to ⁠clear the beaches began shortly before 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and involved both riot police and the Spanish military. 

Migrants who had spent the night waiting on the beach in hope of a place in temporary shelter initially applauded as the march got under way, but tussles later broke out as ⁠they competed for the limited number of places ‌available. 

Footage from state broadcaster TVE ‌showed crowding and jostling as people struggled to enter the designated route. Police ‌fired rubber bullets into the air and struck several migrants ‌with batons before the situation calmed down and the operation resumed. 

Later footage showed mostly adult men carrying belongings, walking in small groups under police escort along a route of just over 1 km (0.6 miles) ‌from the El Trampolin beach to the port. 

The vast majority of the migrants are men ⁠and boys. ⁠The temporary housing is built only for adult men, so minors are being separated and housed separately. 

Three NGO leaders told Reuters that authorities had been too slow to provide migrants with minimum shelter required under the European migration pact, and that reception centers opened so far could not accommodate those still sleeping on the streets. 

One NGO estimated that about 4,000 migrants remained outdoors on Ceuta's beaches and pavements, meaning the new center would not be sufficient to clear makeshift camps in public areas. Two NGO leaders said officials probably expect most migrants to return voluntarily to Morocco. 

 

World

Iran Says Struck Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
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Iran Says Struck Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
Vessels transit the Hormuz Strait off the coast of Iran's southern port city of Bandar Abbas on September 7, 2026. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Friday they struck an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, according to state news agency IRNA, as a British maritime agency also reported an attack.

Iran has maintained its stranglehold on the strategic strait as Washington continues pressing its counterblockade of Iranian ports during the Middle East war, said AFP.

The Iranian republic wants to charge ships for passage, attacking vessels it accuses of attempting to circumvent its preferred route.

"The Togo-flagged oil tanker 'Trend' had been targeted and detained after a fire broke out on board" late on Thursday, the statement said, calling it an attempted "illegal passage".

Early on Friday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said a ship was hit by an "unknown projectile", causing a fire that was extinguished.

The monitoring agency had also reported a "security incident" in Hormuz late on Thursday, without giving details.

It was unclear if the IRGC and UKMTO reports referred to the same incident.