At least 10 people died and more than 30 are still missing after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Tunisia, officials said on Wednesday.
Tunisian cost guard rescued 76 migrants from the same shipwreck, the national guard official Houssem Eddin Jebabli said.
Faouzi Masmoudi, a judge from the city of Sfax, told Reuters that up to 30 people were still missing.
The past month has seen a sharp increase in migrant boats trying to reach the Italian coast from Tunisia, leading to a spike in drowning accidents as vessels are often rickety and overcrowded with unreliable engines. In March at least 52 migrants died and 70 went missing in similar disasters.
The National Guard said this month that more than 14,000 migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were intercepted or rescued in the first three months of the year while trying to cross to Europe, five times more than figures recorded in the same period last year.
The sharp increase is partly due to Tunisia taking over from Libya as a main departure point for people fleeing poverty and conflict in Africa and the Middle East in the hope of a better life in Europe.
Crackdowns on human trafficking in Libya in recents months have made Tunisia a more accessible option.
The US vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on Thursday that would have demanded an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and that Israel lift all restrictions on aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave.
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese departs for the US this week, raising expectations of a first meeting with President Donald Trump, where the AUKUS defence partnership and China are likely to dominate talks between the security allies.
Hundreds of thousands took part in anti-austerity protests across France on Thursday, urging President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu to acknowledge their anger and scrap looming budget cuts.
Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hailed the renewal of their nations' "special relationship" on Thursday, ending the US President's unprecedented second state visit with a show of unity after avoiding several possible pitfalls.
The Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) Joint Defence Council has strongly condemned the Israeli military attack on Qatar, calling it a dangerous escalation and a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, met with his core team during an annual gathering at the Museum of the Future.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has praised the role Emirati youth play at Expo 2025 Osaka, calling them “ambassadors of Emirati identity” who are vital to "strengthening intercultural dialogue".