Africa

A large search and rescue operation has been launched off the southern coast of Greece after a fishing boat carrying dozens of migrants capsized and sank.

More than 80 individuals were rescued in the early hours of Wednesday in the sea area located 47 nautical miles southwest of Pylos in the southwestern region of Peloponnese. The incident took place within international waters when a fishing vessel, carrying an unknown number of undocumented migrants, capsized.

Nearly 3,800 people died on migration routes within and from the Middle East and North Africa last year, the highest number recorded there since 2017, according to data published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

In a move that many hailed as a salve for the historic wounds between Europe and Africa, Germany last December returned 22 artifacts, looted during the colonial era, to what is now Nigeria.

But five months on, questions are being asked in Germany as to whether cultural guardians were wise to hand back the priceless treasures, known as the Benin bronzes.

After years of ignored pleas and stonewalled requests, deals were finally coming together to return some of Africa's most prized treasures to the continent.

Greece's independent authority for transparency will investigate new reports that the authorities were involved in illegal pushbacks of refugees after the New York Times published a video allegedly showing the Coast Guard abandoning people at sea, many of which were children.

ASMARA - Serbia's Minister for Equal Regional Development Edin Djerlek met on Wednesday in Asmara with Eritrean FM Osman Saleh Mohammed to discuss bilateral relations and advancement of overall cooperation.

Djerlek noted that his trip to Eritrea was the first official visit to the country by a Serbian official since the establishment of Serbia-Eritrea diplomatic relations.

Türkiye has welcomed the "Jeddah Declaration," which envisages meeting humanitarian needs and facilitating relief activities between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces, the foreign ministry has said on May 13.

Ankara hopes that the declaration will lead to a permanent ceasefire and inclusive dialogue in Sudan, said the statement.

In a letter to the United Nations secretary-general, Greece's permanent representative to the UN, Evangelos Sekeris, expressed Athens' complete opposition to Libya's claims regarding the limits of its maritime zones, as reflected in a verbal communication from the Tripoli government to Cairo. 

The warring factions in Sudan have agreed to the seven-day truce, South Sudan's foreign ministry in Juba said in an official statement on Tuesday.