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WORLD NEWS Monday 18 January 2021
Guatemala forces stall migrant caravan with tear gas, batons

By SANDRA SEBASTIAN highway.
Associated Press Guatemala’s immigration
VADO HONDO, Guatemala agency distributed a video
(AP) — Guatemalan police showing a couple of hun-
and soldiers launched tear dred men scuffling with sol-
gas and wielded batons diers, pushing and running
and shields against a group through their lines, even as
of Honduran migrants that troops held hundreds more
tried to push through their back Saturday night.
roadblock early Sunday. On Saturday, Giammattei
A group of about 2,000 mi- issued a statement calling
grants had stopped short on Honduran authorities
of the roadblock the night “to contain the mass exit
before. The roadblock was of its inhabitants.” On Fri-
strategically placed at a day, the migrants entered
chokepoint on the two- Guatemala by pushing
lane highway to Chiqui- past about 2,000 police
mula in an area known as and soldiers posted at the
Vado Hondo. It’s flanked border; most entered with-
by a tall mountainside and out showing the negative
a wall leaving the migrants coronavirus test that Gua-
with few options. temala requires.
Some 100 migrants tried to “The government of Gua-
make their way through A Honduran migrant is tended to by Guatemalan soldiers after they clashed with them in a bid to temala regrets this violation
authorities around 7:30 reach the U.S. border in Vado Hondo, Guatemala, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Associated Press of national sovereignty and
a.m. Sunday. The secu- calls on the governments
rity forces beat them back Later, hundreds of migrants refusal to allow caravans Referring to the damage of Central America to take
and deployed tear gas. sat down on the roadway, through out of fear they wrought by two major hur- measures to avoid put-
None made it through and refusing to leave and in- could spread COVID-19. ricanes that hit his home- ting their inhabitants at risk
the larger remaining con- sisting they be allowed Some of the migrants wore town near San Pedro Sula amid the health emergen-
tingent kept its distance through, appealing to the face masks, others didn’t, in November, Eliazar said cy due to the pandemic,”
during the melee. soldiers as fellow Central but there was little social “there is still mud every- Giammattei’s statement
Some migrants were vis- Americans. distancing among them. where there, everything continued.
ibly injured by baton strikes. Leila Rodriguez, of Guate- Few had the negative CO- got knocked down, we lost Guatemala has set up al-
One man, who did not give mala’s human rights office, VID-19 tests that Guate- everything.” most a dozen control points
his name, leaned against spoke to the migrants, ac- mala requires for people Guatemalan soldiers and on highways, and may start
a wall near police with a knowledging “this is a dis- entering the country. police had blocked part of busing more migrants back
bandage atop his head. tressing moment we’re ex- As the standoff stretched a caravan of as many as to Honduras, as it has done
“They hit me in the head,” periencing.” “We want to toward 24 hours, some mi- 9,000 Honduran migrants before, arguing they pose
he said. “I didn’t come with start a dialogue with you, grants, like Ismael Eliazar Saturday night at a point a risk to themselves and
the intention of looking for to ask you to accept some of Choloma, Honduras, lay not far from where they en- others by traveling during
problems with anybody. of the needs of the Guate- down in the grass beside tered the country, seeking the coronavirus pandemic.
We’re brothers, Central malan people right now,” the roadway. “We have to reach the U.S. border. Governments throughout
Americans. We’re not look- Rodriguez said, in appar- only had water, even my The soldiers and riot po- the region have made it
ing for trouble. We just want ent reference to President stomach is grumbling,” Elia- lice — about 450 in total clear they will not let the
to pass.” Alejandro Giammattei’s zar said. — formed ranks across a caravan through.q

Egypt unveils ancient funerary temple south of Cairo

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s for- the underworld in ancient a decade. The discovery
mer antiquities minister Egypt, he said. Hawass was the result of coopera-
and noted archaeologist said archaeologists also tion between the Antiqui-
Zahi Hawass on Sunday unearthed burial wells, cof- ties Ministry and the Zahi
revealed details of an an- fins and mummies dating Hawass Center at the Bib-
cient funerary temple in back to the New Kingdom liotheca Alexandrina.
a vast necropolis south of that ruled Egypt between The Saqqara site is part of
Cairo. Hawass told report- about 1570 B.C. and 1069 the necropolis at Egypt’s
ers at the Saqqara ne- B.C. They unveiled at least ancient capital of Memphis
cropolis that archaeolo- 22 burial shafts up to 12 that includes the famed
gists unearthed the temple meters (40 feet) deep, with Giza pyramids as well as
of Queen Neit, wife of King more than 50 wooden cof- smaller pyramids at Abu Sir,
Teti, the first king of the Sixth fins dating back to the New Dahshur and Abu Ruwaysh.
Dynasty that ruled Egypt Kingdom, said Hawass, The ruins of Memphis were
from 2323 B.C. till 2150 B.C. who is Egypt’s best known designated a UNESCO A trove of ancient coffins and artifacts on display that Egyptian
Archaeologists also found archaeologist. World Heritage site in 1970s. archaeologist Zahi Hawass and his team unearthed in a vast
a 4-meter (13-foot) long Hawass, known for his In- In recent years, Egypt has necropolis, in Saqqara, south of Cairo, Egypt, Sunday, Jan. 17,
papyrus that includes diana Jones hat and TV heavily promoted new ar- 2021. Associated Press
texts of the Book of the specials on Egypt’s ancient chaeological finds to inter-
Dead, which is a collec- sites, said work has been national media and dip- country. The vital tourism lence that followed a 2011
tion of spells aimed at di- done at the site close to lomats in the hope of at- sector suffered from years uprising that toppled auto-
recting the dead through the Pyramid of Teti for over tracting more tourists to the of political turmoil and vio- crat Hosni Mubarak.q