Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20211202

A30 world news
Diahuebs 2 December 2021

EU to make it harder for migrants to enter from Belarus

make a border area off-limits tection.”
to everyone except residents
and people who live, work or Human rights group Oxfam
study in the designated no- said the proposals go against
access zone. the values the EU says it
stands for.
EU Home Affairs Commis-
sioner Ylva Johansson said “Stopping, detaining and
that the number of migrants criminalizing people trying to
arriving in the Belarus capi- find safety in Europe breaks
tal, Minsk, “has more or less international and European
stopped totally,” and that asylum law. Supporting the
many are being returned to detention of migrants at EU
their home countries. borders puts politics over
peoples’ lives.” Oxfam Eu-
“The numbers are not high. ropean Migration Campaign
This is not primarily a mi- Manager Erin McKay said.
gration crisis. It’s a hybrid
threat,” Johansson said. European Trade Union Con-
federation Confederal Sec-
The EU’s executive branch, retary Ludovic Voet said the
the European Commission, EU should help people apply
made the proposals to ease for asylum instead of greeting
the asylum rules. The pro- migrants and refugees with
posals, which must be en- “the deployment of border
(AP) — Top European Around 8,000 asylum-seek- dorsed by the 27 member guards, walls and razor wire,
Union migration officials The EU migration officials ers, many from Iraq, have countries before they can and their detention or depor-
offered Wednesday to ease proposed allowing Poland, crossed into the three EU take effect, met some initial tation.”
the asylum-evaluation Lithuania and Latvia for six countries since the beginning opposition Wednesday.
rules for Poland, Lithua- months to extend the re- of the year. Thousands more
nia and Latvia in response quired time for registering got stranded at borders in Be- The lead Greens EU law-
to what the EU has called asylum applications from larus as the weather turned maker on migration, Tineke
a “hybrid attack” by Be- three to 10 days to up to four cold. Strik, said the revised proce-
larus to destabilize the weeks. Applications would dures “are tantamount to en-
bloc using migrants and only be accepted at dedicated The EU accuses the leader of dorsing the illegal, immoral
refugees. border crossing points. Belarus, President Alexander and life-threatening practice
Lukashenko, of retaliating of pushbacks.”
The move would make it The processing could be for sanctions against his gov-
harder for people to enter the done at the borders, includ- ernment by luring desperate “The commission has caved
27-nation bloc from Belarus, ing any right of appeal, but refugees and migrants to his in to far-right pressure from
even though fewer are now should be done within 16 country with the promise of the Polish government and
trying. Charity groups and weeks. The three countries help entering Europe. blackmail from the Belaru-
lawmakers said the revised would also be able fast track sian dictator, and thrown
procedures would amount to their national procedures for Poland and Lithuania de- European values to the way-
legalizing “pushbacks,” the deporting unsuccessful appli- clared states of emergency on side,” Strik said, adding that
act of denying people their cants. People could be held in their borders with Belarus. its “response to this crisis is
right to apply for asylum, of- temporary reception centers. On Tuesday, Poland’s gov- to detain all asylum-seekers
ten using force. ernment applied new laws to and offer them even less pro-

Volcanic lava threatens church, more homes on La Palma

(AP) — A fresh river of tourism. was completely covered by a won’t dare make a prediction 24 hours.
lava from the volcano on A nearby cemetery has been mountain of ash. (about its course).”
Spain’s La Palma island completely covered, burying Thousands of residents have
threatened Wednesday for a second time the remains “The lava is flowing mostly The volcano is going strong been displaced by the erup-
to engulf a parish church of 3,000 people. A fissure that on top of previous flows that and seismic activity in the tion, which has not claimed
that has so far survived volcanologists believe spout- have hardened,” Noelia Gar- area has increased in recent any lives on the westernmost
the eruption that shows ed a gusher of lava has also cía, the mayor of Los Llanos days. Spain’s National Geo- member of the archipelago
no signs of relenting after left a gaping hole in front of de Aridane, told Canary Is- graphic Institute registered in the Atlantic Ocean off the
10 weeks. a house whose bottom floor lands Television. “But we 341 earthquakes over the past northwest coast of Africa.

The nearest lava flow to the
Los Llanos de Aridane church
has slowed down since it
started over the weekend but
it is still only 1 kilometer (0.6
miles) away.

Molten rock from the Sept.
19 eruption on La Palma, part
of Spain’s Canary Islands
archipelago, has consumed
over 1,500 buildings and
covered over 1,130 hectares
(2,800 acres) including ba-
nana farms, the island’s main
source of revenue along with