Mediterranean

Wastewater from nearly 40,000 people and businesses pumped straight into sea as island still has no treatment plantRaw sewage from nearly 40,000 people and businesses is being pumped straight into the sea because the British overseas territory of Gibraltar does not have, and has never had, a wastewater treatment plant.For decades, untreated sewage has poured into the Mediterranean from the southern tip of the peninsula at Europa Point, where the government of Gibraltar says there are “high levels of natural dispersion”. Continue reading...

• Turkey and Greece opened negotiations on Monday in Athens to address longstanding maritime boundary disputes and resource rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, marking the first high-level talks in eighteen months. • Both countries appointed senior diplomats to address competing claims over exclusive economic zones and the status of disputed islands, with the EU facilitating discussions. • U.S. State Department officials welcomed the resumption of dialogue, calling it essential for regional stability and noting that resolution could improve NATO cohesion in Southeast Europe.

• The UK and France announced a joint initiative on April 7 to address Mediterranean migration flows, with both countries deploying increased naval assets and proposing new burden-sharing mechanisms among EU member states. • Record numbers of migrants attempted Channel crossings in March; both nations acknowledged root causes including conflict in Syria, instability in Afghanistan, and economic desperation in North Africa. • The agreement includes expanded search-and-rescue coordination, joint processing centers, and humanitarian support; however, European capitals remain divided over permanent asylum burden-sharing frameworks.