2018年7月27日星期五

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Yahoo! News: Brazil


North Korea Returns Remains Of Americans, White House Says

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 08:46 PM PDT

North Korea Returns Remains Of Americans, White House SaysWhat are thought to be the remains of 55 American servicemen killed during the


Judge Says Suit Challenging Citizenship Question On 2020 Census Can Advance

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:41 AM PDT

Judge Says Suit Challenging Citizenship Question On 2020 Census Can AdvanceA federal judge in New York ruled Thursday that a lawsuit challenging the


Slaying at scenic mountain inn rattles seasonal workers

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:55 PM PDT

Slaying at scenic mountain inn rattles seasonal workersRALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A woman working a summer job at a North Carolina mountain lodge was out hiking when, authorities say, a co-worker attacked her and left her lifeless body steps from a famed scenic highway.


Colombian Cartel Puts $70,000 Price On The Head Of Drug-Sniffing Dog

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 04:31 AM PDT

Colombian Cartel Puts $70,000 Price On The Head Of Drug-Sniffing DogA drug-sniffing dog that helped law-enforcement authorities in Colombia find


I've never been in favor of Wikileaks' activities, says Ecuador president

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 04:17 AM PDT

I've never been in favor of Wikileaks' activities, says Ecuador presidentBy Sonya Dowsett MADRID (Reuters) - Ecuador's president, signaling his government's desire to end the long sojourn of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in its London embassy, said on Friday he had never supported Assange's leaking activities. President Lenin Moreno confirmed a July 15 report in London's Sunday Times that Ecuador and Britain were in talks to try to end Assange's stay at the embassy where he successfully sought asylum in 2012. Moreno said any eviction of Assange from the embassy had to be carried out correctly and through dialogue, but he displayed no sympathy for Assange's political agenda as a leaker of confidential documents.


Engineer of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam shot dead: police

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 07:51 AM PDT

Engineer of Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam shot dead: policeThe head of a controversial Ethiopian scheme to dam the waters of the Blue Nile was shot in the head on Thursday in a daylight killing in Addis Ababa, police said. Simegnew Bekele was the project manager and public face of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, a massive scheme that has triggered fears among downstream users of the Nile, including Egypt. Federal police commissioner Zeynu Jemal said Simegnew was shot in the right side of his head, and a gun was later found nearby.


What Tesla's New Patent Can Tell Us About Elon Musk's Future Models

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 09:41 AM PDT

What Tesla's New Patent Can Tell Us About Elon Musk's Future ModelsTesla's working on making safer batteries.


Brock Turner Says Sexual Assault Conviction Should Be Thrown Out Because He Was Having 'Outercourse'

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:05 PM PDT

Brock Turner Says Sexual Assault Conviction Should Be Thrown Out Because He Was Having 'Outercourse'A former prosecutor called Turner's argument "ridiculous"


Could a parasite carried by your cat make you more entrepreneurial?

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:55 AM PDT

Could a parasite carried by your cat make you more entrepreneurial?Possibly, according to new US research, which found that a parasite carried by our furry friends could make infected humans more entrepreneurial and more likely to pursue business-related activities. Although infected humans often don't show any acute symptoms, growing evidence suggests that T. gondii may influence behavior, with previous research linking it to more impulsive behaviors, an increased risk of car accidents, road rage, mental illness, neuroticism, drug abuse, and even suicide. In addition, when the researchers carried out a survey of 197 adult professionals attending entrepreneurship events, they found that T. gondii-positive individuals were 1.8 times more likely to have started their own business compared with other attendees.


Cory Booker Suggests Supporting Brett Kavanaugh Makes One 'Complicit' In Evil

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:32 AM PDT

Cory Booker Suggests Supporting Brett Kavanaugh Makes One 'Complicit' In EvilSen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) drew sharp criticism from Republicans this week


Taiwan denounces China moves to limit its global profile

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:22 AM PDT

Taiwan denounces China moves to limit its global profileTAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Thursday denounced China's latest moves to increase its global isolation, saying residents of the self-governing island would reject attempts to deny its existence.


Amazon’s Face Recognition Tool Confused 28 Lawmakers With Arrestees

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:16 AM PDT

Amazon's Face Recognition Tool Confused 28 Lawmakers With ArresteesAmazon's facial recognition tool incorrectly matched the faces of 28 lawmakers


Samantha Bee Uses NRA's Own Scare Tactics Against It In Pitch-Perfect Parody

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 02:09 AM PDT

Samantha Bee Uses NRA's Own Scare Tactics Against It In Pitch-Perfect ParodySamantha Bee spent Wednesday night tearing into the NRA for remaining silent


Iraqi Airways suspends pilots who fought in-flight over food

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 06:21 AM PDT

Iraqi Airways suspends pilots who fought in-flight over foodIraqi Airways has suspended two of its pilots for getting into a fight -- over a food tray -- during an international flight with more than 150 passengers on board. "Conversation with the pilot became heated because he forbade an air hostess from bringing me a meal tray, under the pretext that I hadn't asked him for authorisation," the co-pilot said in a letter addressed to Iraqi Airways management, seen by AFP. The duo went on to land the plane safely in Baghdad, only to continue their quarrel after landing.


Japan hangs 6 more members of cult behind subway gas attack

Posted: 25 Jul 2018 09:18 PM PDT

Japan hangs 6 more members of cult behind subway gas attackTOKYO (AP) — The last six members of a Japanese doomsday cult who remained on death row were executed Thursday for a series of crimes in the 1990s including a sarin gas attack on Tokyo subways that killed 13 people.


Pakistan election results: Imran Khan wins but rivals reject the vote

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 12:42 PM PDT

Pakistan election results: Imran Khan wins but rivals reject the voteImran Khan has been officially crowned winner of Pakistan's general election, as defeated rivals announced protests demanding new elections following allegations of widespread vote rigging. The former cricketer had a commanding lead in the national assembly and had been expected to form a coalition easily over the coming days, although the protests could throw obstacles in his path to power.  "We will run a movement for holding of elections again. There will be protests," said Maulana Fazalur Rehman from the All Parties Conference, which included the outgoing ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). Shahbaz Sharif,  leader of the PML-N since his brother Nawaz was ousted and jailed, announced his support for the "movement" but said he still needed to consult his party to see if they would boycott taking oaths that would swear them into parliament as well. Khan declared that he had been given a mandate to rule despite the contested results Credit:  AAMIR QURESHI/ AFP "I fully agree with it. The worst kind of irregularities have been committed, which are unprecedented," he added. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has won the third largest number of seats in the vote, was notably absent from the APC. In a later press conference, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his party also rejected the election results, but vowed it would try to convince the other parties to participate in the parliamentary process. The vote was meant to be a rare democratic transition in the Muslim country, which has been ruled by the powerful army for roughly half its history. Supporters of Pakistan's cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, and head of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) party, celebrating in Karachi on Thursday after the election Credit: AFP But it was marred by violence and allegations of military interference in the months leading up to the vote, with Khan seen as the beneficiary. The EU Election Observation Mission to Pakistan's chief Michael Gahler told reporters in Islamabad that "a number of violent attacks, targeting political parties, party leaders, candidates and election officials, severely affected the campaign environment". "Many of our interlocutors acknowledged a systematic effort to undermine the former ruling party through cases of corruption, contempt of court and terrorist charges against its leaders and candidates," he continued. The Election Commission (ECP) said Friday that with only a handful of seats left to count, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be the biggest party in parliament. But the count indicates PTI will not achieve the 137 seats needed in the National Assembly to form a majority government. Analysts had long predicted that if Khan took power it would have to be via coalition - but the size of his lead still took many by surprise. Analyst Ayesha Siddiqa said observers may have underestimated the depth of feeling among Pakistan's growing middle class. "Remember they grew up on this narrative of a corrupt Pakistan being damaged and needing a new leadership... In all this hue and cry, we didn't notice there is another Pakistan there that wanted this change," she told AFP. Khan campaigned on promises to end widespread graftwhile building an "Islamic welfare state". Now the former World Cup cricket champion will have to partner with independents and smaller parties, a task analysts said should be straightforward. Imran Khan has had to be very flexible indeed on his long climb to power in Pakistan Khan claimed victory in a wide-ranging address to the nation on Thursday. He vowed to tackle corruption and touched on promises to balance relations with the US, while saying he was open to discussions with arch-rival India including over the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir. Khan will face myriad challenges including militant extremism, an economic crisis with speculation that Pakistan will have to seek a bailout from the International Monetary Fund, water shortages, and a booming population, among others. He will also have to contend with the same issue as many of his predecessors: how to maintain a balance of power in civil-military relations. In the West, Khan is typically seen through the prism of his celebrity and high-profile romances, but at home he cuts a more conservative persona as a devout Muslim who believes feminism has degraded motherhood. Known in Pakistan as "Taliban Khan" for his calls to hold talks with insurgents, he increasingly catered to religious hardliners during the campaign, spurring fears his leadership could embolden extremists.


GOP Congressman Insults Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Then Fundraises Off Of It

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 05:21 PM PDT

GOP Congressman Insults Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Then Fundraises Off Of ItWASHINGTON ― If Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) ever leaves politics, he should


When and where to watch the blood moon on Friday

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 07:00 AM PDT

When and where to watch the blood moon on FridayOn Friday night, the moon will take on a ghoulish shade of red for many parts of the world, during what will be the longest total lunar eclipse of the century. 


Rep. Jim Jordan Is Running To Be Speaker Of The House. He's Also Accused Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse.

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 11:46 AM PDT

Rep. Jim Jordan Is Running To Be Speaker Of The House. He's Also Accused Of Covering Up Sexual Abuse.Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced his bid to run for House speaker on


Roseanne Barr Apologizes To Valerie Jarrett, Then Immediately Mocks Her Haircut

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 03:29 AM PDT

Roseanne Barr Apologizes To Valerie Jarrett, Then Immediately Mocks Her HaircutRoseanne Barr just had to have the last insulting word.


Eritrea dares to dream of change as Ethiopia peace dawns

Posted: 25 Jul 2018 09:08 PM PDT

Eritrea dares to dream of change as Ethiopia peace dawnsCrushed tanks and trucks destroyed in Eritrea's war for independence from Ethiopia are piled up on the outskirts of Asmara, a rusting testament to a long and bloody history of conflict. Old fashioned!" a former fighter turned government employee told AFP reporters who last week visited the notoriously hermetic country, which dismantled its private media in 2001 and rarely gives access to foreign journalists. The breathtaking pace of rapprochement has seen flights resume between Asmara and Addis Ababa and emotion-filled visits by Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.


Disneyland Resort proposes to raise minimum wage for California park workers

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 12:14 AM PDT

Disneyland Resort proposes to raise minimum wage for California park workersThe agreement with Master Services Council, provides for a minimum wage rate increase of 40 percent within two years of the deal, making it one of the highest minimum wages in the country, Disneyland Resort said. Subsequently, hourly wages will increase to $15 in January and rise further to $15.45 in mid-June 2020, Disneyland said. Disneyland Resort, which features two theme parks – Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, said the agreement also includes at least 3 percent increases to wage rates for each year of the contract term for those near or above the minimum rates.


Shark Week: Divers Surrounded by Man-Eating Sharks for Terrifying Stunt

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 11:38 AM PDT

Shark Week: Divers Surrounded by Man-Eating Sharks for Terrifying StuntThe two divers agreed to be a part of the experiment for Discovery's Shark Week.


The Latest: California wildfire burns dozens of homes

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:30 PM PDT

The Latest: California wildfire burns dozens of homesSHASTA CITY, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on California's wildfires (all times local):


House Republicans move to impeach deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 09:38 AM PDT

House Republicans move to impeach deputy attorney general Rod RosensteinA group of Republicans infuriated at the investigation into Russian meddling in the election have launched a bid to impeach Rod Rosenstein, the man overseeing Robert Mueller's work. Mark Meadows, a congressman from North Carolina, said Mr Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, had behaved in a "reprehensible" way. He and his 10 colleagues argue that Mr Rosenstein, who supervises the Mueller inquiry, has kept congress in the dark about the progress of the investigation. Mr Mueller was appointed by Mr Rosenstein in May 2017, after Mr Sessions recused himself. Mr Rosenstein is the only person with constitutional authority to fire Mr Mueller, and must approve matters that fall inside his jurisdiction. Mr Mueller must also follow justice department regulations and consult with Mr Rosenstein about how to handle matters outside his jurisdiction. Mr Rosenstein is charged in five articles of "high crimes and misdemeanors" for failing to produce information to the committees - even though the department has already provided politicians with more than 800,000 documents - and of signing off on what some Republicans say was improper surveillance of Trump adviser Carter Page, with a FISA warrant. That warrant was also signed by a federal judge. Robert Mueller was appointed in May 2017 to lead an investigation into Russian meddling in the November 2016 election Credit: AP The resolution also questions whether the investigation was started on legitimate grounds, and criticises Mr Rosenstein for refusing to produce a memo detailing the scope of Mr Mueller's work. It is highly unusual, if not unprecedented, for politicians to demand documents that are part of an ongoing criminal investigation. And the 11 Republicans' move appeared unlikely to gain much traction. Indeed, Mr Meadows himself chose not to force an immediate vote on the impeachment resolution, even though he could use procedural manoeuvres to do so. That is being seen as a sign that he knows he would not get enough support for the resolution to pass. Republican leaders have not signed on to the effort and are unlikely to back it. Rod Rosenstein, deputy attorney general, with Jeff Sessions, his boss Credit: AP Trey Gowdy, a member of the Tea Party who chairs the House oversight committee, said after meeting with justice department officials earlier this month that he was pleased with the department's efforts. Paul Ryan, the most senior Republican in the House, has also said he is satisfied with progress on the document production. On Thursday he dismissed the moved by the 11 Republicans as unnecessary. He said the department of justice was largely complying with demand for documents surrounding the investigation. "I don't think we should be cavalier with this process or this term," he said of impeachment. "I don't think this rises to the level of high crimes and misdemeanors." The House leaves on Thursday afternoon for a five-week recess. In a joint statement, the top Democrats on the House judiciary, oversight and government reform and intelligence committees called the move a "panicked and dangerous attempt to undermine an ongoing criminal investigation in an effort to protect President Trump as the walls are closing in around him and his associates." So far, Mr Mueller, the special counsel, has charged 32 people and three companies. That includes four Trump campaign advisers and 12 Russian intelligence officers.


The 20 Funniest Tweets From Women This Week (July 20-27)

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 06:01 AM PDT

The 20 Funniest Tweets From Women This Week (July 20-27)The ladies of Twitter never fail to brighten our days with brilliant ― but


Late Night TV Hosts Roast Trump By Releasing Their Own Mocking Michael Cohen Tapes

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 01:17 AM PDT

Late Night TV Hosts Roast Trump By Releasing Their Own Mocking Michael Cohen TapesLate night TV hosts covered the emergence of a secretly recorded conversation


We suspect arson, Greek minister says of wildfire

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 12:32 PM PDT

We suspect arson, Greek minister says of wildfireBy Michele Kambas and Karolina Tagaris MATI, Greece (Reuters) - Greece said on Thursday it suspected arson was behind a devastating forest fire which killed at least 83 people and turned the small town of Mati east of Athens into a wasteland of death and destruction. "We have serious indications and significant signs suggesting the criminal actions of arson," Civil Protection Minister Nikos Toskas told a news conference. With the toll from Greece's deadliest wildfire in decades expected to rise further, about 300 firemen and volunteers were still combing the area on Thursday for dozens still missing.


700 separated children still in US custody after deadline

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 04:21 PM PDT

700 separated children still in US custody after deadlineThe US government said Thursday that hundreds of families it broke up at the border with Mexico have not been reunited as a court-ordered deadline to return all children to their parents elapsed. A federal judge in California had ordered that all eligible migrant families be brought back together by 6:00 pm (2200 GMT) and officials said in a court filing that 1,442 children aged five and older had been reunited with their families. A further 378 children had already been released under other "appropriate circumstances," the filing said, but more than 700 children remain in custody.


Inflation-hit Venezuela unveils new money with 5 fewer zeros

Posted: 25 Jul 2018 06:41 PM PDT

Inflation-hit Venezuela unveils new money with 5 fewer zerosCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicola Maduro unveiled plans Wednesday for combatting runaway inflation in Venezuela — by printing new paper money with five fewer zeros.


Georgia police officers filmed using coin-toss to decide whether to arrest woman fired

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 09:21 AM PDT

Georgia police officers filmed using coin-toss to decide whether to arrest woman firedTwo Georgia officers seen on video using a coin-toss app to decide on an arrest during a traffic stop have been fired, the city's police department said. Rusty Grant, police chief of the Roswell Police Department, fired officers Kristee Wilson and Courtney Brown on 26, July for violating the department's policies, the department's community relations manager Julie Brechbill confirmed to The Independent.


Northern California wildfires forces thousands to evacuate

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 07:12 AM PDT

Northern California wildfires forces thousands to evacuateWildfires throughout the state have burned through tinder-dry brush and forest, forced thousands to evacuate homes and forced campers to pack up their tents at the height of summer. Gov. Jerry Brown declared states of emergency for the three largest fires, which will authorize the state to rally resources to local governments. Stiff winds drove walls of flames into the historic Gold Rush-era town of Shasta, where state parks employees had worked through the early morning to rescue historic artifacts from a museum as the blaze advanced.


Gun Safety Groups Race To Stop Company From Unleashing 'The Age Of The Downloadable Gun'

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 11:28 AM PDT

Gun Safety Groups Race To Stop Company From Unleashing 'The Age Of The Downloadable Gun'The nation's leading gun safety groups are asking a judge to block an online


Israel vows to expand settlements after Israeli father stabbed to death by Palestinian teen

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 06:06 AM PDT

Israel vows to expand settlements after Israeli father stabbed to death by Palestinian teenIsrael will build hundreds of new settlement homes in response to the killing of an Israeli father by a Palestinian teenager in the occupied West Bank, Israel's defence minister said.   A 17-year-old Palestinian crept into the settlement of Adam on Thursday night and stabbed  Yotam Ovadia, 31, to death. He wounded two other Israelis before being shot dead.  Mr Ovadia was a father to two young children and was reportedly on his way home to cook a meal for his wife when he was killed. Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's defence minister, said the government would respond by approving 400 new homes in the settlement. "The best answer to terrorism is the expansion of settlements," Mr Lieberman said.  Israel's government often responds to attacks against settlements by promising to expand the settlements even further. Britain and most of the international community believes the settlements are illegal.   Mr Ovadia's killer was identified in Palestinian media as Mohammed Youssef, from the Palestinian village of Kauber. Relatives and friends gather around the body of Yotam Ovadia during his funeral in Jerusalem Credit: AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner The Israeli military raided the village on Friday morning and questioned several members of Youssef's family.  The army will demolish the family's house as part of a widely-criticised Israeli policy of destroying the homes of Palestinian attackers to try to deter future assaults.  A crowd of around 150 people resisted the military's incursion into the village with rocks and fire bombs, the military said.    The two other Israeli men wounded in the stabbing attack in Adam are expected to survive their injuries.  Jason Greenblatt, Donald Trump's peace envoy, denounced the killing as "another barbaric attack" and asked when Palestinian leaders would condemn the stabbing.  Yet another barbaric attack tonight. When will President Abbas and Palestinian leaders condemn the violence? Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families tonight.— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) July 26, 2018 Israeli ministers also blamed the Palestinian Authority for the violence, saying it was fueled by the Palestinian policy of making payments to the families of attackers.   The Palestinian Authority is yet to condemn the attack. It defends the policy of payments as part of a justified resistance to Israeli occupation.  Hamas praised the attack as a "heroic action". The killing of Mr Ovadia and the army raid on Koubar came amid heightened tensions across the Holy Land.  Palestinians clashed with Israeli police outside the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Friday. Video showed young men shooting fireworks towards police while officers responded with stun grenades. Largescale Palestinian protests are also expected at the Gaza border on Friday, after a week of on-off fighting between Israel and Hamas.  Six Hamas fighters have been killed since last Friday, while one Israeli soldier was killed and another was wounded. 


Cairo Zoo Denies Its Zebras Are Really Donkeys With Painted Stripes

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 01:41 PM PDT

Cairo Zoo Denies Its Zebras Are Really Donkeys With Painted StripesA zoo in Cairo is allegedly showing its true stripes by passing off painted


CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves Accused Of Sexual Harassment

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 02:44 PM PDT

CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves Accused Of Sexual HarassmentLeslie Moonves, chairman and CEO of the CBS Corporation, has been accused of


Baby saved from Laos dam disaster by Thai cave rescue volunteers

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 06:33 AM PDT

Baby saved from Laos dam disaster by Thai cave rescue volunteersThe rescue of a baby boy, terrified and hungry after days without food, has been captured in a viral video showing the infant survivor of a dam collapse in southern Laos being carefully carried through swirling flood waters and waist-high mud. Footage of volunteers from Thailand rescuing 14 people, including the baby, was widely shared online when it was released Friday as an increasingly international relief mission scrambles to save lives in a disaster that has left scores dead or missing. The Thai rescue team, who waded several kilometres (miles) through rushing water containing uprooted trees and debris, are fresh from efforts to help free a youth football team trapped in a cave in the north of their country.


Planned boss of regional National Park Service office quits

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 01:57 PM PDT

Planned boss of regional National Park Service office quitsJACKSON HOLE, Wyo. (AP) — The employee tapped to take over the National Park Service's Intermountain regional office in Denver has quit.


Cricket Hero Imran Khan Set to Lead Pakistan as Rival Parties Cry Foul

Posted: 26 Jul 2018 08:17 PM PDT

Cricket Hero Imran Khan Set to Lead Pakistan as Rival Parties Cry FoulRival parties allege they were barred from observing vote by pro-Khan military


Florida police officer arrested for allegedly kicking 8-month pregnant woman in stomach

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 09:27 AM PDT

Florida police officer arrested for allegedly kicking 8-month pregnant woman in stomachPolice charged 26-year-old Ambar Pacheco with aggravated battery after they said she accosted a pregnant woman on a street corner in South Beach. Ms Pacheco has worked as a uniformed police officer with the North Miami Beach Police Department for almost a year, according to a department spokesperson. "I saw red and beat the s*** out of her," Ms Pacheco, who was off-duty at the time, allegedly told police.


White House Bans CNN Reporter Who Asked Trump About Cohen And Putin

Posted: 25 Jul 2018 07:30 PM PDT

White House Bans CNN Reporter Who Asked Trump About Cohen And PutinThe White House banned CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins from a press event on


Spain's overwhelmed coastguard says it can't cope with migrant influx, as 700 rescued in one morning

Posted: 27 Jul 2018 10:12 AM PDT

Spain's overwhelmed coastguard says it can't cope with migrant influx, as 700 rescued in one morningSpain's coastguard union has warned the service was completely "overwhelmed" by surging numbers of migrant crossings, as more than 600 people were rescued from rafts in the Gibraltar Strait in just one morning. The union for Spain's Maritime Rescue agency issued an urgent call for resources to help it cope with the "massive arrival of immigrants" on the country's shores. Crew reinforcements were desperately needed to guarantee they could continue saving lives, it said in a statement.  The "extraordinary upturn" in arrivals had meant "an absolute overflow of work" for maritime rescue centres, many of which already had "insufficient" crew levels, it said.  The warning came as the Spanish coastguard pulled 774 people from 52 rafts in the Gibraltar Strait on Friday morning, bringing arrivals to more than 2000 this week alone. A further 125 people were rescued elsewhere in Spain, including the sea of Alborán, Murcia and Majorca. The country is now the largest gateway for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe, with 20,992 people landing on its shores so far this year, according to the International Organisation for Migration. Arrivals to Italy now trail Spain by almost 3000 - a gap that just a week ago was 200. Mediterranean migration On Friday, the government announced an extra 30 million euros for agencies dealing with the migratory challenge. Magdalena Valerio, minister for work, migration and social security, called for help from the European Union and said Madrid was worried by Thursday's events in Ceuta, one of Spain's two outposts in Morocco, where more than 600 migrants forced their way through the border fence.  Two Civil Guard unions also called for urgent assistance in the face of what they said were increasingly well planned incursions into the two enclaves, Europe's only land borders with Africa. Thursday's forced entry was said by security forces to be of "unprecedented violence", with the group throwing quicklime, stones and excrement to fend off officers. The Red Cross later said more than 130 people had required medical treatment.  Authorities and NGOs in Andalusia have been sounding the alarm over the surge in arrivals, noting that reception centres are saturated and migrants being forced to sleep in converted sports halls, on boats and in one case on a police station patio.  Both Spanish authorities and experts have blamed the increase on the crackdown on the central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy, where the new populist government has barred NGO rescue ships from docking.  The decision of Spain's new Socialist prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, to offer safe harbour to the NGO boat the Aquarius and its 630 rescued migrants in June was largely welcomed. But there are growing concerns that the Spanish asylum system, which NGOs describe as "collapsed", is simply unequipped to cope. Migration was a key topic at Thursday's meeting between Mr Sanchez and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, but there was little in the way of concrete proposals.  The mayor of Algeciras, the Gibraltar Strait port city, said on Thursday the area was in danger of becoming the "new Lampedusa", referring to the Italian island in the Mediterranean that became a hotspot for migrant landings at the peak of the crisis.  José Ignacio Landaluce told El Mundo that European help was desperately needed, adding that arrivals were expected to rise further in August, the peak month for crossings. "It may be our problem initially, but tomorrow, or in a week's time, or a month's, it'll be at the heart of Europe," he said. 


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