Sinking dreams
OVER the past few years, several tragic incidents have occurred involving boats carrying Pakistani migrants attempting to reach Europe through irregular channels. On June 14, 2023, the Adriana, an overcrowded…
The warp and woof of morality
Before I sat down to write these words to meet my deadline for this column, I had drafted in my mind a rather emotional and impressionistic piece on my sojourn…
Europe’s new migrant hotspot races to cope with surging deaths
Two years ago forensic pathologist Modesto Martinez, 68, moved to the tiny Canary Island of El Hierro with an eye to retiring. Instead, he’s been called out day and night…
Combatting rising human trafficking
Migrant smuggling is a deadly business operated by groups that seek to profit from thousands of people, without any respect for their rights and dignity. For example, the migrant flow…
‘Like the Moon’: Astronauts flock to Spanish isle to train
Kneeling on the edge of a deep crater, astronaut Alexander Gerst uses a chisel to collect a sample of volcanic rock which he carefully puts inside a white plastic bag.…
Unfinished Spanish town fights to recover from property bust
When Spanish companies began building Valdeluz in 2006, they had a vision of a modern, upper class residential area for professionals, just 17 minutes from their work places in Madrid.…
