Page 6 - aruba-today-20220606

A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 6 June 2022
Mediterranean nations criticize EU solidarity on migrants

By FRANCES D'EMILIO tion season in more than a
Associated Press decade.
ROME (AP) — Five Euro- Italian Interior Minister Luci-
pean Union nations on the ana Lamorgese cited the
Mediterranean who fear blocking of grain in Ukraine
possible waves of refugees as just another reason for
driven by hunger out of Af- the EU to develop a "ad-
rica called Saturday for an equate mechanism of dis-
end to the EU's "voluntary" tributing migrants" among
solidarity on migrants and its members.
a better way to redistribute She also pressed for more
the burden of caring for repatriation agreements
them. with countries whose peo-
The Interior ministers from ple are seeking a better
Italy, Cyprus, Greece, Mal- life in Europe but had their
ta and Spain wrapped up asylum bids rejected since
two days of talks in Ven- they are fleeing poverty,
ice amid worries that the not war or persecution.
blockade of Ukraine grain Italy has an effective re-
exports due to Russia's inva- patriation agreement with
sion could see huge num- Tunisia, but not with most
bers of refugees from Africa of migrants sit in a wooden boat adrift off the waters of Tunisia early Wednesday, May 25, 2022. other countries in Africa or
flooding southern Europe. Associated Press in Asia whose citizens take
Cypriot Interior Minister Nic- to smugglers' boats to try to
os Nouris told reporters that Many EU countries didn't grants, now 5% of the east- Africa and surging food reach southern European
robust, common EU policy step forward. Others, even ern Mediterranean island prices even before the war shores. As a result, even
is needed on migration. with they did pledge to re- nation's population consists made shipping Ukrainian though their asylum appli-
"Solidarity is not a slogan, ceive modest numbers of of asylum-seekers. grain to Somalia, Egypt and cations fail, many migrants
nor can it be void of sub- some of the hundreds of The meeting did not ad- other poor nations impos- remain in Italy, often taking
stance," Nouris said. thousands of migrants res- dress the millions of Ukrai- sible could drive up the al- illegal jobs or resorting to
Past EU policies in which cued from smugglers' un- nian refugees who recently ready alarmingly numbers begging.
member countries could seaworthy boats, didn't fol- flooded into northern EU of hungry people. Greece's interior minister
offer to receive some of low through. nations like Poland, Hunga- In the Sahel, the part of Af- expressed support for more
the hundreds of thousands "Solidarity in our mind can- ry and Romania. rica just below the Sahara legal paths for migration.
of migrants landing in Italy, not be voluntary,'' Nouris How Europe handles large desert, an estimated 18 "We cannot let smugglers
Greece and other southern said. numbers of migrants takes million people are facing decide who comes to live
shores proved grossly inad- He noted that after several on particular urgency now, severe hunger as farmers in Europe,'' minister Notis Mi-
equate. years of Cyprus taking in mi- amid fears that drought in endure their worst produc- tarachi told reporters.q

At least 49 dead in 2nd day of

Bangladesh cargo depot fire

country's main Chittagong by Sunday evening, ac- safety conditions have im-
Seaport, 216 kilometers cording to Ekattor TV sta- proved significantly after
(134 miles) southeast of the tion, and the area's civil massive reforms, but ex-
capital, Dhaka. surgeon said the number perts say accidents could
At least nine firefighters could still rise as the fire still occur if other sectors do
were among the dead, ac- raged for a second night. not make similar changes.
cording to Brig. Gen. Main Prime Minister Sheikh Ha- In 2012, about 117 work-
Uddin, director general of sina expressed her shock at ers died when they were
the Bangladesh fire service the accident and ordered trapped behind locked ex-
and civil defense. More adequate arrangement for its in a garment factory in
than 10 others were being medical treatment of the Dhaka.
Firefighters work to contain a fire that broke out at the BM
Inland Container Depot, a Dutch-Bangladesh joint venture, in treated for burns, he add- injured. The country's worst indus-
Chittagong, 216 kilometers (134 miles) southeast of capital, ed. Bangladesh has a history trial disaster occurred the
Dhaka, Bangladesh, early Sunday, June 5, 2022. Multiple rounds of explo- of industrial disasters, in- following year, when the
Associated Press sions occurred after the ini- cluding factories catching Rana Plaza garment fac-
tial blast as the fire contin- fire with workers trapped tory outside Dhaka col-
By JULHAS ALAM blaze continued into a sec- ued to spread, Uddin said. inside. Monitoring groups lapsed, killing more than
Associated Press ond night. Explosives experts from have blamed corruption 1,100 people.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The inferno at the BM Inland Bangladesh's military have and lax enforcement. In 2019, a blaze ripped
A massive fire at a contain- Container Depot, a Dutch- been called in to assist the Global brands, which em- through a 400-year-old
er depot near a port city in Bangladesh joint venture, firefighters. The explosions ploy tens of thousands of area cramped with apart-
southeastern Bangladesh broke out around midnight shattered the windows of low-paid workers in Bangla- ments, shops and ware-
killed at least 49 people, Saturday following explo- nearby buildings and were desh, have come under fire houses in the oldest part of
including nine firefighters, sions in a container full of felt as far as 4 kilometers (2 to improve factory condi- Dhaka and killed at least 67
and injured more than 100 chemicals. The cause of 1/2 miles) away, officials tions in recent years. In the people. Another fire in Old
others, officials and local the fire could not be im- and local media reports country's massive garment Dhaka in a house illegally
media reported Sunday, mediately determined. said. industry, which employs storing chemicals killed at
as efforts to extinguish the The depot is located near The death toll reached 49 about 4 million people, least 123 people in 2010.q