Saturday, July 21, 2012

EU plans controversial drones to track migrants...

It’s summer in the Mediterranean. Sunseeking holidaymakers lounge on sandy beaches, glittering yachts glide into and out of quaint old harbors and packed cruise ships hop between idyllic islands.

But it’s no holiday further out at sea, where migrants float crammed together in rickety boats or cling to sinking rafts, some choking on their final breaths as they and their dreams of finding a better life in Europe perish under the sparkling water.

This year, the Mediterranean is again the scene of vastly disparate stories of tourism and tragedy because the same warm waters that attract millions of vacationers also serve as perilous transit routes for refugees and economic migrants from Africa.

This year’s death toll has already reached 170. Calls for the European Union to take action to prevent further loss of life grew louder earlier this month after 54 souls, mainly Eritreans fleeing oppressive conditions at home, died when their inflatable boat sank off the Italian coast. Only one man survived to tell their harrowing tale. Full story...

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