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                                                                                         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
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