5 migrants die while crossing the English Channel after the UK OK’ed a deportation bill

PARIS (AP) — French authorities say five people, including a child, died while trying to cross the English Channel. It occurred just hours after the British government approved a migrant bill to deport some of those who entered the country illegally to Rwanda. Authorities said they spotted several boats packed with migrants off the coast of Pas-de-Calais. Several French navy ships intervened. The regional prefect for the north of France says a woman, three men and a 7-year-old girl died. He says the boat carried 112 people. Human rights groups have described the British legislation as inhumane and cruel.

Haiti health system nears collapse as medicine dwindles

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Life-saving medication and equipment is dwindling or altogether absent at hospitals and clinics across Haiti’s capital as brutal gangs tighten their grip on Port-au-Prince and beyond. They have blocked roads, forced the closure of the main international airport in early March and paralyzed operations at the country’s largest seaport, where containers filled with key supplies remain stuck. Dr. Rachel Lavigne of Doctors Without Borders says that “everything is crashing.” Haiti’s health system has long been fragile, but it’s now nearing total collapse after gangs launched coordinated attacks on Feb. 29, targeting critical state infrastructure in the capital and beyond.

Moscow court rejects Evan Gershkovich’s appeal, keeping him in jail

MOSCOW (AP) — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich will remain in jail on espionage charges until at least late June. A Moscow court on Tuesday rejected his appeal that sought to end his pretrial detention. The 32-year-old U.S. citizen was detained in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and has spent over a year behind bars. Last month, his arrest was extended until June 30 in a ruling he and his defense lawyers later appealed. His arrest in the city of Yekaterinburg rattled journalists in Russia, where authorities have not detailed what, if any, evidence they have to support the espionage charges. He and his employer have denied the allegations.

Modi is accused of using hate speech for calling Muslims ‘infiltrators’

NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s main opposition party has accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using hate speech after he called Muslims “infiltrators.” It was some of his most incendiary rhetoric about the minority faith and came days after the country began its weekslong general election. The remarks at a campaign rally Sunday drew fierce criticism that Modi was peddling anti-Muslim tropes. The Congress party filed a complaint Monday with the Election Commission of India, accusing him of breaking rules that bar candidates from engaging in any activity that aggravates religious tensions. Critics of the prime minister accuse his party of fostering religious intolerance and sometimes even violence.