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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 24 april 2024
More deaths in the English Channel underscore risks for migrants

despite UK efforts to stem the tide

By DANICA KIRKA and fleeing war, the effects of
BARBARA SURK climate change and eco-
Associated Press nomic uncertainty seek a
LONDON (AP) — Five more better life in Britain. They
people died in the English pay smugglers thousands
Channel on Tuesday, un- of dollars for the crossing,
derscoring the risks of cross- hoping to reunite with fam-
ing one of the world’s busi- ily members or find work in
est sea lanes in overloaded a country where immigra-
inflatable boats just hours tion enforcement is seen as
after British lawmakers ap- weak and where migrant
proved a controversial mi- groups from all over the
grant bill to stop the traffic. world can easily melt into
The migrants, including a society.
7-year-old girl, died when Human rights organizations
their boat got stuck on a say the way to stop the
sandbank off the coast of trafficking is for countries to
Pas-de-Calais in northern work together to provide
France. The French navy safe and legal routes for
rescued 49 people, but 58 migrants, not for countries
others refused to disembark like Britain to put up barriers
and continued on toward and outsource their prob-
Britain, local authorities said lem to others.
in a statement. A group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, by the Border Force But even allies Britain and
The vessel was just one of following a small boat incident in the Channel, on Tuesday April 23, 2024. France have struggled to
several small boats packed Associated Press sufficiently coordinate ef-
with people that took off U.K. Parliament approved illegal and inhumane. passion more than any- forts to reduce the number
from the French coast early legislation allowing the “If you look at what’s hap- thing else, we must actually of those crossing the Eng-
Tuesday, as calm weather government to deport to pening, criminal gangs break this business model lish Channel in small boats.
enticed them to attempt Rwanda those who enter are exploiting vulnerable and end the unfairness The U.K. has struck a series
the crossing. The over- the country illegally. While people; they are packing of people coming to our of deals with France to in-
crowded boats are be- Prime Minister Rishi Sunak more and more people country illegally.” crease patrols of beaches
ing monitored by drones, says the plan will deter peo- into these unseaworthy din- The number of migrants and share intelligence to
French maritime authorities ple from risking their lives on ghies,” Sunak told reporters crossing the channel in disrupt smugglers all of
said. the channel, human rights on a trip to Poland. “That’s small boats has soared in which have had only a lim-
Just a few hours earlier, the groups have criticized it as why, for matters of com- recent years as people ited impact.q

Dutch intelligence sees the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as triggers

for terrorist threats

By MOLLY QUELL Akerboom said he is par- the one last April, when an security. for the Dutch to stop send-
Associated Press ticularly concerned about anti-Islam activist tore pag- Russia also continues to ing arms to Ukraine have
ZOETERMEER, Netherlands big events, noting that the es from the Quran in front of pose a risk to the Nether- included demonstrators
(AP) — The Dutch national agency is working closely the Dutch parliament build- lands amid Moscow’s full- paid by Russian sources to
intelligence agency said with French authorities to ing, put the Netherlands on scale invasion of Ukraine. attend and given prefabri-
Tuesday that threats tar- prevent incidents during the map of targets. So-called peace protests cated slogans, the security
geting the Netherlands are the Paris Olympics this sum- About a dozen terror at- in Amsterdam which call service has asserted.q
increasingly connected to mer. tacks were thwarted by au-
worldwide turmoil, includ- In December, the Dutch thorities in Europe last year
ing the wars in Gaza and counterterrorism agency and in four cases, suspects
Ukraine. increased the country’s were arrested in the Neth-
Although the number of threat alert to its second- erlands, the report said.
terror attacks across Eu- highest level because of None of those attacks was
rope has been down in concerns about the Islam- focused on the Nether-
recent years, the General ic State group’s Khorasan lands, according to Aker-
Intelligence and Security affiliates, Akerboom said. boom.
Service in its annual report IS-K, a Central Asian af- The Dutch also see threats
said the Israel-Hamas war in filiate, was responsible for from China, in particular cy-
Gaza and the destruction the attack at a suburban berattacks, as a major con-
of a Quran outside parlia- Moscow concert hall that cern. Akerboom said China
ment last year are “trigger killed at least 133 people in is producing more hackers
events” for extremists. March. to break into Dutch systems
“The terrorist threat is seri- According to the new re- than the Dutch can pro-
ous at this moment,” the port, “global jihadism has duce to defend them. The Erik Akerboom, director-general of the Dutch General
Intelligence and Security Service, AIVD, speaks during a press
agency’s director-general, been the greatest terrorist security service has cited conference in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Erik Akerboom, told The As- threat for years in the Neth- China as the biggest threat Associated Press
sociated Press. erlands.” Incidents such as to the country’s economic