Today (Sunday) the Spanish authorities evacuated the last large migrant camp in the city of Ceuta, two days before a scheduled visit by the King of Spain and his wife, according to what Agence France-Presse correspondents reported at the site.
The camp was established following the influx of more than 70,000 people from neighboring Morocco into the Spanish-controlled city on July 30 and 31.
Although most of them returned to Morocco within days, thousands of migrants remain in Ceuta, where they sleep in the open in the streets and on the beaches.
This sudden influx, during which dozens of people died, sparked concern across the European Union and caused a political crisis in Madrid.
Police forces, supported by military personnel, arrived shortly after eight o'clock on Sunday morning at El Guano Square, where hundreds of migrants were staying in temporary shelters, after the authorities had evacuated previous gatherings of them on nearby beaches, according to what an Agence France-Presse correspondent witnessed.
The migrants were transported on buses to reception centers, while cleaning teams began removing the camp from the square and the beach.
Some migrants fled to nearby hills to avoid being transported by buses.
The Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, are scheduled to visit Ceuta on Tuesday, in a visit that was coordinated with the government.
Morocco claims sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla, the two cities under Spanish sovereignty in North Africa.
The visit of King Felipe VI to Ceuta, which will be followed by a visit to Melilla on October 14, will be the first by a Spanish monarch to the two cities since the visit of King Juan Carlos to them in November 2007, which then sparked a diplomatic crisis with Morocco.
Pope Leo
According to the Reuters news agency, this is the first problem that raises concerns regarding the health of Pope Leo (71 years old) since he took office.
The Pope told a crowd in St. Peter's Square, in today's sermon, that the matter was detected at a very early stage and that it was "completely under control."
He said: “Recently, during medical examinations, doctors detected a small nodule in my lungs... It was detected at a very early stage and the matter is completely under control.”
He added: “Doctors believe it is best to intervene, and therefore, based on their advice... I decided to undergo surgery to remove it... The surgical procedure has already been scheduled for the next few days.”
The Vatican's media office stated that Pope Leo's recovery from the surgery is expected to take about a week. The office did not provide further details about the Pope's health.
A pulmonary nodule is a small, localized lesion that can be benign. The American Thoracic Society says that less than five percent of all lung nodules turn out to be cancerous, but the risk increases with age, size and other factors such as smoking.
The world's cardinals elected Pope Leo to ascend the papal throne in May 2025, at a relatively young age compared to his predecessors in the position. He usually enjoys playing sports such as tennis and is not known to be a smoker or to have previously suffered from health problems.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni wished the Pope a recovery. “I would like to express to the Holy Father my personal support, and the support of the Italian government, as he faces this challenge in the coming days,” she said in a statement.
Meloni added, "The calmness and composure with which he spoke about the matter during the Angelus prayer today are reassuring."
Pope Francis, the late Pope and predecessor of Pope Leo, died at the age of 88 after suffering from deteriorating health in the years before his death.
Pope Leo has a busy work schedule, as he is scheduled to undertake an 11-day tour to Uruguay, Argentina and Peru from November 6 to the 17 of the same month.
