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Thousands of migrants have tried to cross the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in recent days, Spanish authorities said on Monday (26 August). Among these migrants, hundreds of young people have attempted to swim around border controls. Cristina Pérez, the Spanish government's representative in Ceuta, told reporters on Monday (26 August) that since Thursday (22 August) an average of 700 people a day had tried to breach the border, with a peak of 1,500 attempts on Sunday (25 August). While Pérez did not specify how many migrants had successfully reached Ceuta, she noted that authorities were returning 150 to 200 people a day to Morocco under Spanish laws that allow for 'border rejections'. She thanked the Moroccan authorities for their "loyal cooperation".

The UN's International Organisation for Migration (IOM) reported on Sunday (25 August) that at least 13 people have died and 14 others are missing after a boat sank off the coast of Yemen on Tuesday (20 August). The dead include 11 men and two women, while a search is underway for the missing, including the Yemeni captain and his assistant, the IOM said. The cause of the shipwreck remains unknown.

The European naval mission Aspides in the Red Sea says the Greek oil tanker Sounion, which was attacked by Houthi rebels, does not appear to be leaking oil. The tanker is carrying 150,000 tonnes of crude oil. If it leaked into the sea, it would cause an environmental disaster.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has pardoned more than 4,800 people wanted or convicted of illegal cannabis cultivation. This was reported by the Moroccan newspaper Le Matin and the French news agency AFP on Monday evening (19 August), citing the North African country's justice ministry. The pardoned farmers simply met the 'conditions for pardon', the ministry said, explaining the decision.

Belarus said on Monday (19 August) that it had sent more troops to its border with Ukraine. A day earlier, President Alexander Lukashenko said nearly a third of the Belarusian army was stationed on the border, although he did not give exact figures. Belarusian General Andrei Lukyanovich said this included anti-aircraft troops.

Croatia reintroduces a two-month military service from next year. The country is taking the measure because of heightened tensions in Europe and the Balkans following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.