Updated Aug 20, 2018

Spanish border crossings have quadrupled in 2018

Zachary Basu

The border fence between Morocco and Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta. Photo: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images

A 20-foot high barbed wire fence and 1,100 police officers in the city of Ceuta — which belongs to Spain despite its place on Africa's northern coast, bordering Morocco — is all that separates migrants from dreams of asylum in Europe, writes Rod Norland for The New York Times.

The big picture: Spain has become a destination of choice for asylum-seekers now that Italy and Malta have shut their doors to new migrants. Efforts to cross Spain's borders have quadrupled in 2018 — with more than 3,300 migrants reaching Spanish soil in August alone. But, because of the especially dangerous currents in the Strait of Gibraltar, hundreds of migrants from all over the continent have taken to "mobbing" the fence in Ceuta, where a chance to travel to the European mainland could await them on the other side.

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Amy Harder

Coronavirus crisis tests Trump’s love for cheap oil

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

President Trump is working to help an oil industry imploding as the coronavirus crisis chokes demand, but listen closely and you’ll hear his enduring love for cheap prices.

Why it matters: He’s like most Americans, who worry about energy only when it’s expensive or gone. As president, Trump has been slow and uneven in responding to the sector’s turmoil because of his inclination to cheer rock-bottom prices.

Go deeperArrow11 mins ago - Energy & Environment
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Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 1,275,856 — Total deaths: 69,514 — Total recoveries: 262,999 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 337,638 — Total deaths: 9,647 — Total recoveries: 17,582 — Map.
  3. Federal government latest: Surgeon general says this week will be "our Pearl Harbor, our 9/11 moment." The USDA confirms that a Bronx zoo tiger tested positive for coronavirus.
  4. 2020 latest: "We have no contingency plan," Trump said on the 2020 Republican National Convention. Biden says DNC may have to hold virtual convention.
  5. States updates: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state is "literally going day-to-day" with supplies.
  6. World update: Queen Elizabeth II urges the British people to confront pandemic with "self-discipline" and "resolve" in rare televised address.
  7. What should I do? Pets, moving and personal health. Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk.
  8. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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Keep ReadingArrowUpdated 2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Axios

World coronavirus updates: Fewer deaths in Italy and Spain, U.K. toll jumps

Data: The Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins, the CDC and China's Health Ministry. Note: China numbers are for the mainland only and U.S. numbers include repatriated citizens and confirmed plus presumptive cases from the CDC

Health officials in Italy and Spain are seeing a glimmer of hope, as both countries reported a decline in deaths from the novel coronavirus Sunday. But the death toll continues to surge in the United Kingdom, which now has the world's fourth highest number of fatalities from COVID-19.

The big picture: The virus has killed more than 69,000 people and infected 1.25 million others globally as of early Monday, per Johns Hopkins data. Spain has reported the most cases outside the U.S. (more than 131,000) and Italy the most deaths (over 15,000). About half the planet's population is now on lockdown.

Go deeperArrowUpdated 2 hours ago - Health