Page 9 - ARUBA TODAY

A9
WORLD NEWS Friday 18 august 2017
Spain rescues 600 migrants in Mediterranean in 24 hours

six in a beach paddle boat. have reached Spain by
The service said of the 601, sea so far this year, more
432 migrants were rescued than the total for all of 2016.
in the Strait and 169 further IOM says one reason for
east in the Mediterranean. the increase could be that
Some 550 of the migrants the Mediterranean Sea
were from Maghreb coun- crossing from Libya to Italy
tries of northwest Africa is seen as increasingly dan-
and the rest from sub-Sa- gerous, due to lawlessness
haran African countries. in Libya and stepped-up
Joel Millman, a spokesman patrols by the Libyan coast
for the International Or- guard. More migrants also
ganization for Migration in reach Spain during good
Geneva, called the influx summer weather.
“a big number” for Spain, Tens of thousands of mi-
though Italy has received grants from Africa attempt
far more migrants this year. the perilous sea crossing to
“We haven’t had days like Europe in smugglers’ boats
that in quite some time. each year, with many
But it isn’t very big for the drowning along the way.
region,” he said. “Earlier In Spain’s case, many also
this summer, we had an try to enter Europe by scal-
8,000-person weekend, as I ing border fences surround-
Young migrants from Morocco queue to change their clothes at the port of Tarifa, southern Spain,
after being rescued in the Strait of Gibraltar, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Spain’s maritime rescue recall, between Libya and ing Ceuta and Melilla, the
service has saved more than 600 migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco in Italy. “ country’s two North African
the past 24 hours, making it one of its busiest days so far this year. More than 9,000 migrants enclaves.q
(AP Photo/ Marcos Moreno)
By CIARAN GILES busiest days so far this year.
Associated Press The service said it rescued
MADRID (AP) — Spain’s 16 migrants early Thursday
maritime rescue service in the Strait of Gibraltar, a
has saved more than 600 narrow passage that sepa-
migrants trying to cross the rates Spain from Morocco.
Mediterranean Sea from On Wednesday, its vessels
Morocco in the past 24 rescued 601 migrants, in-
hours, making it one of its cluding two in a canoe and

German nationalist leader Frauke

Petry could lose immunity: report

By FRANK JORDANS Saxony, and another party
Associated Press official to a state legislature
BERLIN (AP) — German na- committee in relation to a
tionalist leader Frauke Petry candidate list for a 2014 re-
could face prosecution gional election.
over allegations she lied Separately Thursday, Ger-
under oath, after a parlia- man media reported that
mentary panel in the east- a prominent member of
ern state of Saxony recom- the party — known by its
mended Thursday that her acronym AfD — had ties to
immunity should be lifted. a suspected Russian agent.
Petry’s Alternative for Piskorski was detained in
Germany party has cam- Poland in May 2016 on
paigned heavily against allegations of spying for
immigration and is expect- Russia and remains under
ed to enter the federal temporary arrest. Piskorski’s
parliament for the first time arrest prompted outrage
in next month’s German in Moscow, where he had
elections. been a regular guest in-
Unless further objections vited to speak in Russian
are raised by Saxony’s state-owned media about
state parliament, Petry’s the danger of nationalism
immunity will be lifted next in Ukraine.
week. The 42-year-old Rafal Pankowski, the head
has herself requested the of the Polish anti-racism
move, saying she wants to organization Never Again,
clear her name. The investi- described Piskorski as “one
gation centers on differing of the most active and
accounts given by Petry, most extreme neo-Nazis in
currently a lawmaker in Poland.”q