LONDON (AP) — A Sudanese man alleged to have piloted a boat connected to the deaths of four migrants trying to cross the English Channel has been charged under a new British immigration law, authorities said Saturday.
Alnour Mohamed Ali, 27, was charged late Friday with endangering another during a journey by sea to the U.K., the National Crime Agency said.
The new law allows Britain to extend the reach of its criminal jurisdiction to crack down on migrants making the dangerous crossing.
The two men and two women died Thursday in strong currents while trying to board the boat Ali allegedly piloted off the coast of Calais.
French authorities rescued 38 others from the waters. Ali and another 73 migrants then continued on to England, where he was arrested.
The incident occurred at Equihen Beach in Calais as the migrants tried to wade out to what authorities call a “taxi-boat,” typically a small motorized inflatable that picks up people along large stretches of the northern French coast.
The tactic has become more popular with smugglers as police on the beaches try to thwart crossings by puncturing the rafts that groups of migrants have to inflate and carry to the water.
Under maritime law, French police do not try to stop the boats on the water because it put lives at risk.
Recent days have seen a surge in attempted crossings and deaths, with 102 people rescued in two operations on Wednesday. Two people died last week in similar circumstances off the coast north of Calais.
Ali, also known as Elnoor Mohamed Ali, is scheduled to appear Saturday in Folkestone Magistrates Court.
A police officer stands guard after a migrant taxi-boat accident, in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
A young boy runs on the beach after at least four people died while trying to board an inflatable boat for a dangerous sea crossing from northern France to the U.K. in Equihen-Plage, northern France. Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
Policemen stand guard after a migrant taxi-boat accident, in Equihen-Plage, northern France, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drone strikes killed at least two people in the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight into Saturday, local authorities reported, ahead of a proposed ceasefire for Orthodox Easter.
A further two people were wounded in the attack on the Black Sea port city, when drones hit a residential area, damaging apartment buildings, houses and a kindergarten.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia targeted Ukraine with 160 drones overnight, of which 133 were shot down or intercepted, hours before a proposed Easter ceasefire was due to come into force.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 99 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across Russia and occupied Crimea.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend, ordering Russian forces to halt hostilities from 4 p.m. Saturday until the end of Sunday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised Saturday to abide by the ceasefire, describing it as an opportunity to build on peace initiatives. But he warned there would be a swift military response to any violations.
“Easter should be a time of silence and safety. A ceasefire (at) Easter could also become the beginning of real movement toward peace,” Zelenskyy wrote in an online post on Saturday.
But he added: “We all understand who we are dealing with. Ukraine will adhere to the ceasefire and respond strictly in kind.”
Ukraine earlier proposed to Russia a pause in attacks on each other’s energy infrastructure over the Orthodox Easter holiday.
Previous ceasefire attempts have had little impact, with both sides accusing each other of violations.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described Putin’s move as a “humanitarian” gesture, but said Moscow remains focused on a comprehensive settlement based on its longstanding demands — a key sticking point that has prevented the two sides from reaching an agreement.
A possible prisoner exchange over the Easter holiday has also been discussed.
Russia’s human rights ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova said last week that both sides were working on exchanges of prisoners.
Periodic prisoner exchanges have been one of the few positive outcomes of otherwise fruitless monthslong U.S.-brokered negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv. The talks have delivered no progress on key issues preventing an end to Russia’s invasion of its neighbor, now in its fifth year.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
A rescue worker walks in front of residential building which was heavily damaged after a Russian strike in Odesa, Ukraine, Monday, April 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Shtekel)
