Connect with us

Published

on

At least 16 migrants have died and 30 more are missing after two boats sank in separate incidents in Greek waters.

Around 80 migrants were rescued after their boat broke up near cliffs in stormy weather near the island of Kythira in southern Greece.

The rescues happened after dozens scrambled ashore near the village port of Diakofti.

One resident described seeing the boat “smashing against the rocks” and people climbing up them to try and “save themselves”.

“It was an unbelievable sight,” Martha Stathaki said. “All the residents here went down to the harbour to try and help.”

Rescuers lowered ropes down to the seafront to help survivors climb up the cliffs to reach safety.

Those rescued said around 15 were still missing.

More on Greece

Migrants wait at the bottom of a cliff as waves hit them during a large-scale rescue operation on the island of Kythira, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) south of Athens, early Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. The operation is underway off a southern Greek island where a sailboat carrying up to 100 migrants sank in high winds. The coast guard said its vessels, private boats and a rescue helicopter were involved in the effort off the coast of the island of Kythira. (Ippolytos Prekas/kythera.news via AP)
Image:
Migrants wait at the bottom of a cliff in Kythira as waves hit them. Pic: AP
Authorities and local residents save a migrant during a large-scale rescue operation on the island of Kythira, some 225 kilometers (140 miles) south of Athens, early Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. The operation is underway off a southern Greek island where a sailboat carrying up to 100 migrants sank in high winds. The coast guard said its vessels, private boats and a rescue helicopter were involved in the effort off the coast of the island of Kythira. (Ippolytos Prekas/kythera.news via AP)

A nearby school has also opened to provide shelter for those who have been rescued, local officials said.

With many people still missing, navy divers are expected to continue searching the area on Thursday.

Read more:
‘They shot us with rifles’
‘Migrants paid £8,000’ to be smuggled
Channel crossings reach record high

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Stranded migrants scramble up Greek cliff face

Further east, a total of 16 bodies have been recovered by rescuers near the island of Lesbos after a dinghy carrying around 40 people got into difficulty on Wednesday night.

Nine people were rescued and around 15 remained missing.

Most migrants reaching Greece travel from neighbouring Turkey, but smugglers have changed routes in recent months to avoid heavily patrolled waters around Greek islands near the Turkish coastline.

Greece has toughened its migration policy in recent years and regularly carries out interceptions of boats at sea – a move which has been criticised by some human rights groups.

The country has repeatedly blamed Turkey for not taking sufficient measures to stop migrants from making the dangerous journey.

Kythira is some 250 miles (450km) west of Turkey and part of a route often used by smugglers to bypass Greece and head directly to Italy.

Continue Reading

World

Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs – prompting a stock sell-off

Published

on

By

Donald Trump confirms Mexico and Canada tariffs - prompting a stock sell-off

Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada have come into effect, as has an additional 10% on Chinese products, bringing the total import tax to 20%.

The US president confirmed the tariffs in a speech at the White House – and his announcement sent US and European stocks down sharply.

The tariffs will be felt heavily by US companies which have factories in Canada and Mexico, such as carmakers.

Mr Trump said: “They’re going to have a tariff. So what they have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs.”

There’s “no room left” for a deal that would see the tariffs shelved if fentanyl flowing into the US is curbed by its neighbours, he added.

Mexico and Canada face tariffs of 25%, with 10% for Canadian energy, the Trump administration confirmed.

And tariffs on Chinese imports have doubled, raising them from 10% to 20%.

More on Donald Trump

Canada announced it would retaliate immediately, imposing 25% tariffs on US imports worth C$30bn (£16.3bn). It added the tariffs would be extended in 21 days to cover more US goods entering the country if the US did not lift its sanctions against Canada.

China also vowed to retaliate and reiterated its stance that the Trump administration was trying to “shift the blame” and
“bully” Beijing over fentanyl flows.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

What is America’s trade position?

Mr Trump’s speech stoked fears of a trade war in North America, prompting a financial market sell-off.

Stock market indexes the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq Composite fell by 1.48% and 2.64% respectively on Monday.

The share prices for automobile companies including General Motors, which has significant truck production in Mexico, Automaker and Ford also fell.

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

Consumers in the US could see price hikes within days, an expert has said.

Gustavo Flores-Macias, a public policy professor at Cornell University, New York, said “the automobile sector, in particular, is likely to see considerable negative consequences”.

This is due to supply chains that “crisscross the three countries in the manufacturing process” and ” because of the expected increase in the price of vehicles, which can dampen demand,” he added.

Read more:
The effects of Trump trade tariffs explained
Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again

The Trump administration is gearing up to bring in other tariffs in the coming weeks.

On 2 April, reciprocal tariffs will take effect on all countries that impose duties on US products.

He is also considering 25% tariffs on goods from the EU “very soon” after claiming the bloc was created to “screw the United States”.

Continue Reading

World

More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash – second deadly collision within days

Published

on

By

More than 30 killed in Bolivia bus crash - second deadly collision within days

A truck has collided with a bus in southern Bolivia, killing at least 31 people, according to police – just two days after a deadly crash claimed at least 37 lives.

Officers said the bus rolled some 500m (1,640ft) down a ravine after the collision on Monday, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.

The driver of the truck has been arrested, while the cause of the accident is under investigation.

Police spokesperson Limbert Choque said men and women were among the dead, and 22 people suffered injuries.

** on right of picture are bodies ** First responders work at the site after a crash between a vehicle and a bus along a highway in Lenas, Potosi, southern Bolivia, March 3, 2025, in this handout image obtained from social media. Bolivia's Attorney General/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT
Image:
Rescue teams operating at the site of the crash. Pic: Bolivia’s attorney general/Reuters

Bolivia’s President, Luis Arce, expressed condolences for the victims on social media: “This unfortunate event must be investigated to establish responsibilities,” he said in a post on Facebook.

“We send our most sincere condolences to the bereaved families, wishing them the necessary strength to face these difficult times.”

Map showing location of collision, which took place on the highway between Oruro, in the Bolivian Altiplano, and the highland mining city of Potosi.
Image:
The crash happened between Oruro and Potosi

On Saturday morning, a crash between two buses killed more than three dozen people in the same region.

More on Bolivia

It happened between Colchani and the city of Uyuni, a major tourist attraction and the world’s largest salt flat.

People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in the crash.
Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command
Image:
People stand near the wreckage of one of the two buses involved in a crash on Saturday. Pic: Reuters/Potosi Departmental Command

Coincidentally, one of the buses was heading to Oruro, where one of the most important carnival celebrations in Latin America is currently taking place.

Read more from Sky News:
Pope suffered ‘acute respiratory failure’
Drones weakening Russia’s combat ability

More than 30 people were also killed after a bus crash on 17 February.

In that crash, police said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle, causing it to drop more than 800m (2,600ft) off a precipice in the southwestern area of Yocalla.

Bolivia’s mountainous, undermaintained and poorly supervised roads are some of the deadliest in the world, claiming an average 1,400 fatalities every year.

Continue Reading

World

The Pope has had ‘two episodes of acute respiratory failure’, Vatican says

Published

on

By

The Pope has had 'two episodes of acute respiratory failure', Vatican says

The Pope has had two episodes of “acute respiratory failure”, the Vatican has said.

The 88-year-old has been in hospital since 14 February with a severe respiratory infection that triggered other complications.

The Vatican said the respiratory failures were caused by “significant accumulation” of mucus in his lungs and a “bronchospasm”, akin to an asthma attack.

Doctors were then required to perform two bronchoscopies – a test which sees medics use a long, thin, telescope with a light to look into the lungs – to evaluate the Pope’s air passages, the statement said.

“In the afternoon, non-invasive mechanical ventilation was resumed,” the Vatican continued. “The Holy Father has always remained vigilant, oriented and collaborative. The prognosis remains reserved.”

Vatican sources said the situation had been calm this morning, before becoming worse this afternoon.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Behind the scenes at the Vatican

The respiratory issues the Pope suffered today are due to an ongoing infection rather than a new one but he is not out of danger, they added.

Asked if the Pope is in good spirits, they gave no answer. When asked if the Vatican’s apartment is getting ready to welcome Francis back, the source said it was too premature to discuss this.

His clinical picture remains complex, they said.

More from Sky News:
Artist found dead at his flat
Trump hits out at Zelenskyy again

Earlier on Monday, Pope Francis issued a written message after Vatican officials begged him to let his voice be heard following more than two weeks out of public view.

He thanked his doctors for their care and well-wishers for their prayers, before praying for peace in Ukraine and elsewhere.

“From here, war appears even more absurd,” he wrote.

Catholic faithful attend a nightly rosary prayer for the health of Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican, Sunday, March 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Image:
People at a nightly rosary prayer for the Pope in St. Peter’s Square yesterday evening. Pic: AP

This has become the longest public absence of his 12-year papacy.

Cardinal Konrad Krajewski presided over the evening rosary prayer in St Peter’s Square on Sunday night.

“Let us pray together with the entire church for the health of the Holy Father Francis,” he said.

Continue Reading

Trending