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Migrant rescue ship says new Spain port offer ‘incomprehensible’

A charity vessel carrying 107 rescued migrants stuck in limbo off Italy said Monday that Madrid’s latest offer to allow it to dock at the nearest Spanish port was “incomprehensible.”
Spain said late Sunday the ship could dock in Mallorca after the Proactiva Open Arms charity rejected an initial offer to go to the southwestern port of Algeciras because it was too far away.
“After 18 days of deadlock, Italy and Spain seem to have reached an agreement designating Mallorca as a landing port. This decision seems totally incomprehensible to us,” the NGO said in a statement.
“While our boat is 800 meters (yards) off the coast of Lampedusa, European states are asking a small NGO like ours to face... three days of sailing in harsh weather conditions,” it added.
The Spanish government immediately denied the existence of an agreement with Italy and said that it had not received a “clear and direct reply” from the NGO to its Mallorca offer.
“It is not a question of accepting or not accepting” the offer, an Open Arms spokeswoman said.
“The answer we gave them is that we cannot guarantee the safety of these people on our boat. Since Italy and Spain have assumed responsibility of these people, they should find a solution.”
Italy’s Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli on Sunday offered the Open Arms a coastguard escort to Spain which he thanked for its offer to take the boat in “even if (it was) too many days late.”
Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Carmen Calvo said Madrid had initially offered Algeciras because it is “an authorized port” that is equipped to handle the arrival of migrants.
“They told us it was a long way off. We then offered them the nearest (Spanish) port which is the Balearics. We were also told no,” she said on Monday before her Socialist government said it had not received a “clear” response from Proactiva Open Arms to its latest offer.
The Balearic Islands are about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) west of Lampedusa.
Six European Union countries -- France, Germany, Romania, Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg - have offered to take in the migrants aboard the Open arms boat.
Italy’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who is also deputy prime minister, has refused to allow migrant rescue vessels to dock as part of his hardline policies.
Salvini, who leads the anti-immigrant League party, says Italy bears an unfair burden as the first port of call for the rescued migrants and it is up to her EU partners to do their part to resolve the crisis.
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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