Turkey: 'Scores of migrants drown as boat sinks off western coast'
last update: September 06, 15:50
Smirne , 6 Sept. (AKI) - At least 58 migrants drowned Thursday when their boat sank off Turkey's western coast, according to local media reports. A further 45 migrants were rescued from the sea or managed to swim ashore.
Those who died, including women and children, had been below deck, and the death toll was expected to rise.
Turkey's Dogan news agency said nine children were among the dead.
The migrants were mainly from Syria and Iraq, the Turkish media reports said.
The fishing boat went down after hitting rocks at around 05.30 local time close to the shore near the village of Ahmetbeyli in the province of Izmir.
Two Turks have been arrested on suspicion of trying to smuggle the migrants on board to one of the Greek islands. They were reported to be the boat's captain and his second-in-command.
Turkey is currently home to more than 80,000 refugees from the 18-month-long conflict in Syria but the Aegean has long been a transit country for Africans and Asians seeking entry into the European Union.
The Greek islands in the Aegean Sea are a common destination for migrants who pay smugglers to take them from Turkey.
Monti: "parliament filled with anti-German sentiment"
15:31 06 SET 2012
(AGI) Fiesole - In a speech made to the EPP bureau, basically asking the European People's Party to control the CSU's excessive Europeanism which targets countries experiencing greater problems, and speaking of the current situation in Italy's parliament, Prime Minister Mario Monti said that the parliament, "which I often visit at the moment, has two groups, one centrist and one centre-right, that belong to the EPP, also supported by the CDU and the CSU." It is not however a political family that is always in agreement. Monti also said that "since my government was sworn in, I have observed in the Italian parliament, and even in the two groups inspired by Germany and the parties governing Germany, that there has been a rising level of intolerance regards to Germany and its government over the past four, five and six months...."An element that should be taken into account and one "explained" with explicit criticism that has followed statements by the CSU. Professor Monti also observed that "My minister and I are committed to ensure that every time we speak of European obligations, we never say that we are obliged to make sacrifices because Europe requires them since this would be the worst thing a politician could do because it would destroy all trust in the European project. However, in spite of these efforts, our parliament is filled with sentiments opposing certain countries and leaders..." .
"Assange case is a political mattter" says Putin
13:54 06 SET 2012
(AGI) Moscow - President Putin has said the case of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is a "political" matter. His remarks were made in an interview with Russia Today, in which he also accused Britain of double standards over his extradition order to Sweden on sex crime charges. Mr Putin said "They (the British judiciary) decided to extradite him. What is this? Of course it is double standards, that is clear [...] As far as I know, Ecuador asked Sweden for guarantees that Assange will not be extradited from Sweden to the United States. It has received no such guarantees [...] Of course this leads one to think that this is a political case." .
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