Page 5 - aruba-today-20240904

A5
WORLD NEWS Wednesday 4 september 2024
A boat with dozens of migrants rips apart in the English Channel off

France, killing 12

By JOHN LEICESTER and plane, two fishing boats and
MARK CARLSON more than six other vessels
Associated Press were involved in the rescue
BOULOGNE-SUR-MER, France operation. In another sea
(AP) — A boat carrying mi- tragedy Tuesday involving
grants ripped apart in the migrants seeking a better
English Channel as they life in Europe, a boat carry-
attempted to reach Britain ing migrants capsized off the
from northern France on Libyan coast, leaving one
Tuesday, plunging dozens person dead and 22 miss-
into the treacherous water- ing, Libyan authorities said.
way and leaving 12 dead, The agency overseeing the
authorities said. rescue operation in the Eng-
Most of the victims were be- lish Channel said the boat
lieved to be women, some got into difficulty off Gris-Nez
under 18, and many of the point between Boulogne-sur-
passengers didn’t have life Mer and the port of Calais
preservers, officials said, with further north. Sea tempera-
one calling it the deadliest In this grab taken from video provided by BFM Littoral, emergency services at the port of Boulogne- tures off northern France
migrant accident in the Sur-Mer, France, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, after a boat thought to be carrying migrants ripped apart were around 20 degrees C,
channel this year. attempting to cross the English Channel. or about 68 F.
“Unfortunately, the bottom Associated Press Interior Minister Gerald Dar-
of the boat ripped open,” migrants had died or gone apart. Doctors confirmed 12 died in another attempt in manin went to Boulogne-sur-
said Olivier Barbarin, mayor missing while trying to cross to died, he said. April. And five dead were Mer to meet those involved
of Le Portel near Boulogne- the U.K. this year, according Another 12 people were recovered from the seas or in handling what he de-
sur-Mer, where a first aid post to the International Organi- hospitalized, and two were found washed up along a scribed as the “terrible ship-
was set up to treat victims. “If zation for Migration. in very serious conditions, beach after a migrant boat wreck.” He said the boat was
people don’t know how to Rescuers pulled a total of authorities said. ran into difficulties in the dark frail and small -- less than 7
swim in the agitated waters 65 people from the English Baggio called it the deadliest and winter cold of January. meters (23 feet) long -- and
... it can go very quickly.” Channel on Tuesday in a migrant boat tragedy in the Many of those aboard the that smugglers are pack-
Europe’s increasingly strict search that lasted more than English Channel this year. In vessel that broke up in the ing more and more people
asylum rules, growing xeno- four hours, according to Lt. July, four migrants died while English Channel on Tuesday aboard such vessels. Most of
phobia and hostile treatment Etienne Baggio, a spokes- attempting the crossing on didn’t have life vests, Bag- the people on the boat were
of migrants have been push- man for the French agency an inflatable boat that cap- gio said. It was not immedi- believed to be from Eritrea,
ing them north. Before Tues- that oversees the stretch of sized and punctured. Five ately clear what kind of boat and most of the victims were
day’s accident, at least 30 sea where the boat ripped others, including a child, it was. Three helicopters, a women, he said. q

Mexican demonstrators block Congress over proposals to make

judges stand for election

By MEGAN JANETSKY But under the proposed statement. He asked leg- abroad say the new chang- López Obrador said last
Associated Press changes, any lawyer with islators not to try to force es could mark a setback in week he has put relations
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Protest- minimal qualifications could their way into Congress the effort to clean up courts. with the United States and
ers in Mexico City blocked run, with some candidacies headquarters, saying “we However, the changes also Canadian embassies “on
entrances to Congress Tues- decided by drawing names don’t want to provoke any include a time limit for judg- pause” after the two coun-
day over proposals that from a hat. incidents.” es to rule on many cases tries voiced concerns over
would make judges stand The government claims One of the protesters, Javier to combat a tendency for the proposed judicial over-
for election. courts are corrupt, while crit- Reyes, a 37-year-old federal some trials to stretch out over haul. q
A mix of court employees, ics say it is a power grab by court worker, pledged to re- decades.
students and other critics the president and a blow to main at Congress for as long
chanted and strung ropes judicial independence. as it takes.
across entrances to the lower The ruling Morena party
house of Congress. has the two-thirds major- “The party with the major-
Many employees, includ- ity in Congress needed to ity could take control of the
ing those at the Supreme approve the reforms. The judicial branch, and that
Court, have gone on strike party’s congressional leader, would practically be the end
to protest constitutional Rep. Ricardo Monreal, said of democracy,” Reyes said.
reforms proposed by Presi- the vote would go ahead, Mexico’s courts have long
dent Andrés Manuel López but perhaps not at the of- been plagued by corrup-
Obrador’s Morena party that ficial Congress building. tion and opacity, but in
they say would politicize and Monreal said there were the last 15 years they have
de-professionalize the court no plans to abandon the been subject to reforms
system. reforms, and said legislators to make them more open
Under the current system, might be called to session at and accountable, including
judges and court secretaries, a hotel or convention center changing many closed-door,
who act as judges’ assistants, farther from the city center. paper-based trials for a more Protesters block entrances to Congress over constitutional
slowly qualify for higher posi- “This reform is going ahead,” open, oral-argument format. reform proposals that would make judges stand for election in
tions based on their record. Monreal said in a taped Voices both at home and Mexico City, Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024.
Associated Press