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disputedHormuz tanker fires continue as IMO says attack count is understatedEbola deaths pass 5,300 as Congo's fatality rate tops 50%Oil hits two-week low on Iran talks as Gulf growth and Europe's gas buffers strainHouthis reported near Aden as fighting spreads to al-Jawf and Saudi airportsSpain train crash toll holds at 69 as investigators cite chain of faults and polls turn against SánchezMarvell agrees $115bn all-stock takeover of LumentumNewborn among 15 killed as Myanmar military strikes maternity clinic and schoolAnthropic discloses revenue surge and $895bn commitments ahead of IPOSupermarket freezers overheated across Europe weeks after French attackBank of England and RBA expected to hike as ECB and BOJ signal tighteningAt least 19 dead in Venezuelan army attack on Colombian rebel campIndia evacuates thousands ahead of second cyclone in a weekFrench school protests resume on smaller scale as German unions launch strikesEisenkot gains backing as Netanyahu questions Israeli election resultIsrael ends 10-day Hebron siege as UN logs record settler attacksOracle and Alphabet tap bond markets as AI selloff easesTrump administration asks Supreme Court to block 20,000 California mail ballotsTigray fighting pushes Ethiopia's health system toward collapse as Sudan complains to UN about dronesNine dead after Learjet crash in Palm Beach, FloridaChina steps up Gulf diplomacy as Xi hosts Oman's sultan and Wang Yi meets Iranian officialPoland's Constitutional Tribunal clash deepens as EU Commission backs parliament's right to appoint judgesBinance customers withdraw billions after record hack linked to North KoreaUS pushes Russian gas deliveries to Europe, Kremlin says transit not possible nowUN envoy expects Sudan transition talks with RSF within weeksBelgian PM De Wever offers resignation after budget talks failChina launches $15bn swap facility to support stocks after sell-offJapan weighs near-doubling of defence spending over five yearsIotova wins Bulgarian presidential runoffHackers send false nuclear warnings through Russian and Ukrainian alert appsSouth Korean sergeant dies at frontline unit as North Korea vows faster nuclear buildupOpenAI signs deals with ADNOC, G42 and Abu Dhabi as Altman travels to UAEIsraeli strikes kill at least three in Gaza despite ceasefireWestern Sahara refugees face uncertain future as UN mission MINURSO endsBolivia declares drought emergency as super El Niño hits Peru's fisheriesBangladesh garment workers block highway as wage protests enter third dayTrump removes South Africa from AGOA trade programme
Bota
Symbolic image: Italy suspends free movement from Spain as EU ministers back MadridSymbolic image

Italy suspends free movement from Spain as EU ministers back Madrid

7 sources

Italy has suspended Schengen free movement at its border with Spain over last week's mass crossing into Ceuta. At an emergency videoconference on Tuesday, EU interior ministers closed ranks behind Madrid instead.

What happened

  • Tens of thousands crossed from Morocco into Ceuta on Thursday, 30 July, swimming or walking around the breakwater.
  • Spain's interior minister counted 72,000 arrivals and 70,000 returns; The National reports 3,000 to 5,000 still in the enclave.
  • Death tolls differ: Madrid says at least 72, Rabat 11, The National reports 75 dead during the crossing.
  • Ceuta lies outside the Schengen area, and no migrants reached mainland Spain, according to Brussels and Madrid.
  • Rome requested Tuesday's emergency videoconference; ministers put new EU migration measures off to the autumn.

The view from outside

TASS reports Italy's minister used the meeting to push migrant centres in third countries, naming Rwanda, Uganda, Ghana, Tunisia, Libya, Uzbekistan and Armenia. Daily Sabah contrasts Europe's border-security framing with Türkiye's refugee record.

What could happen next

  • The cause of the surge is unresolved: Spain and Morocco blame social media manipulation, and Europol is helping Spanish authorities investigate.
  • Italy set no end date for its border checks; Brussels says Spain must keep the remaining migrants out of the EU.
  • Madrid says those with no right to stay will be expelled under Spanish and international law.
How the camps see it

  • Spain: Madrid says it acted immediately with Morocco, that Schengen was never at risk, and summoned Italy's ambassador while criticising Rome's own handling of Lampedusa.

  • Italy and Denmark: Rome calls the suspension a preventive national-security step, not a verdict on Spain; with Copenhagen it rallied 22 states behind a letter calling Spanish policy a pull factor.

  • Morocco: Rabat took the returnees back, reported a lower death toll than Madrid and, like Spain, blames social media manipulation for the surge.

Also involved

European CommissionGermany

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