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world news Diabierna 7 Mei 2021

Woman from Mali gives birth to 9 babies in Morocco

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — A ters.
Malian woman has given
birth to nine babies at Cisse had been expecting
once — after only expect- seven babies. Malian doc-
ing seven, according to tors, under government or-
Mali's Minister of Health ders, sent her to Morocco for
and the Moroccan clinic the births because hospitals
where the nonuplets were in Mali, one of the world's
born. poorest countries, are ill-
equipped to provide adequate
It appeared to be the first care for this exceptional mul-
time on record that a woman tiple pregnancy.
had given birth to nine sur-
viving babies at once. The Casablanca clinic's di-
rector Youssef Alaoui told
The five girls and four boys, Moroccan state TV that they
and their mother, "are all do- had been contacted by Ma-
ing well," Mali's health min- lian doctors about the case a
ister said in a statement. month and a half ago. They
were not expecting nine ba-
The mother, 25-year-old bies, he said.
Halima Cisse, gave birth to
the babies by cesarean section Cisse gave birth prematurely
on Tuesday in Morocco after at 30 weeks and is now in
being sent there for special stable condition after heavy The current holder of the tion about the pregnancy or risk of losing her uterus or
care, Mali's top health official bleeding for which she was Guinness record is American births. losing her life," he said. The
announced. given a blood transfusion, he Nadya Suleman, who gave babies "could suffer physical
said. birth to eight premature but Yacoub Khalaf, a professor and mental handicaps. The
Associated Press reporters otherwise healthy children in of reproductive medicine at risk of cerebral palsy is astro-
saw some of the babies wig- The Guinness Book of World 2009. King's College London, said nomically higher."
gling their hands and feet Records said in an email to that such births would be ex-
inside incubators Wednesday The AP on Wednesday that Alaoui, the clinic director, traordinarily unlikely with- He urged more awareness
in the private Ain Borja clinic its current record for most told The AP that as far as he out fertility treatment, and worldwide about monitoring
in Casablanca. Medical staff living births at once is eight, was aware Cisse had not used noted the dangers involved fertility treatments and about
checked their status regularly and that it is verifying the fertility treatments. The Ma- with such multiple births. the risks and costs of having
in the neonatal ward wallpa- Morocco birth. lian health ministry did not so many premature babies at
pered with cartoon charac- provide any other informa- The mother "was at severe one time.

Fishing tensions flare between France, UK over Brexit rules

LONDON (AP) — British Royal an invasion."
Navy vessels and French police The French naval policing boats Authorities on Jersey, the largest
boats patrolled Thursday near Athos, which has a large machine gun French authorities said the patrol ves- of the Channel Islands, said some
the English Channel island of on its front deck, and the unarmed sels were there to assist in any mari- French boats had not provided the
Jersey, where French fishermen Themis were sent to keep watch on time emergencies. "We would thus be right paperwork and accused France
angry about losing access to its waters between France and Jersey, capable of intervening rapidly should of acting disproportionately after Par-
waters gathered for a maritime French maritime authorities said. the situation worsen, which is not the is threatened to cut off electricity to
protest. The deployment came after Britain case at the moment," they said in a the island.
on Wednesday directed two naval statement to The Associated Press.
The irate mariners set off flares and vessels, the HMS Severn and the Jersey and the other Channel Islands
entered the island's main harbor HMS Tamar, to also patrol the waters The French flotilla later dispersed lie closer to France than to Britain
in the first major dispute between around the island, a self-governing peacefully after wrapping up its pro- and Jersey receives most of its elec-
France and Britain over fishing rights British Crown Dependency near the test, French authorities said. tricity from France, supplied through
in the wake of the U.K.'s Brexit di- coast of northern France. undersea cables.
vorce from the European Union. The British government said that,
French fishermen steamed into Jer- "given the situation is resolved for French maritime minister Annick
EU officials appealed for calm, but sey waters to protest new post-Brexit now," the Royal Navy vessels would Girardin warned Tuesday that France
also accused the U.K. of not respect- rules requiring them to submit their return to port in the U.K. was ready to take "retaliatory mea-
ing the terms of the post-Brexit trade past fishing activities in order to re- sures," accusing Jersey of stalling in
deal. ceive a license to continue operating Opponents accused British Prime issuing licenses to French boats.
in the island's waters. French fish- Minister Boris Johnson of escalat-
ing communities claim some boats ing the crisis and of using the fishing Jersey government officials met with
that have operated around Jersey for spat as an Election Day stunt. The French fishermen on Thursday in an
years have suddenly had their access story dominated U.K. front pages on attempt to end the dispute, calling the
restricted. Thursday as voters went to the polls talks "constructive."
in local and regional elections in Eng-
Dimitri Rogoff, who heads a group land, Scotland and Wales. Don Thompson, president of the Jer-
of fishermen, said about 50 boats sey Fishermen's Association, said the
from French ports along the western French and British fishermen have French fishermen should be given
Normandy coast joined the protest often clashed. The latest dispute, the more time to supply the information
Thursday morning, gathering off the first since Britain's departure from to get the permits but that no more
Jersey port of St. Helier. He said the the European Union last year, came concessions should be made.
protest over licenses was not an at- after Jersey implemented new re-
tempt to blockade the port. quirements that make fishermen ac- He said if French fishermen had
count for their past work in Jersey missing paperwork, "then they just
Yet Jersey fisherman John Dearing waters to be eligible for a license to need to go back to their government,
said the scene off St. Helier was "like continue operating. not hold Jersey under siege."