Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean with 2 Crew Missing

A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon,  July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
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Russian Cargo Ship Sinks in Mediterranean with 2 Crew Missing

A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon,  July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
A fisherman casts his fishing line into the Mediterranean Sea from a rocky area along the Beirut coastline on a sweltering hot day in Beirut, Lebanon, July 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

A Russian cargo ship called 'Ursa Major' sank in the Mediterranean Sea between Spain and Algeria and two of its crew are missing, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.
The ship went down after an explosion in its engine room and 14 of its 16 crew members have been rescued and brought to Spain, Reuters quoted the ministry as saying in a statement.
LSEG ship tracking data shows the vessel departed from the Russian port of Saint Petersburg on Dec. 11 and was last seen sending a signal at 2204 GMT on Monday between Algeria and Spain.
On leaving Saint Petersburg it had indicated that its next port of call was the Russian port of Vladivostok, not the Syrian port of Tartous which it has called at previously.
The operator and owner is a company called SK-Yug, part of Oboronlogistics, according to LSEG data. Oboronlogistics and SK-Yug declined to comment on the ship's sinking.
Oboronlogistics said in a statement on Dec. 20 that the ship was carrying specialized port cranes due to be installed at the port of Vladivostok as well as parts for new ice-breakers.



Mexico Plans Alert App for Migrants Facing Arrest in US after Trump Threats of Deportations

A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
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Mexico Plans Alert App for Migrants Facing Arrest in US after Trump Threats of Deportations

A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP
A demonstrator at a Mexico-US border crossing in Tijuana holds a banner with the image of US President-elect Donald Trump, who has vowed a mass deportation of undocumented immigrants - AFP

Mexico will launch a mobile application with an alert button for migrants facing imminent detention in the United States, the government said Friday, following President-elect Donald Trump's threats of mass deportations.

"If you find yourself facing imminent arrest, you press an alert button that sends a signal to the nearest consulate," Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente told a news conference, AFP reported.

The app, which is expected to be ready in January, will also notify the person's family and the Mexican foreign ministry, he added.

There were an estimated four million unauthorized Mexican immigrants in the United States in 2022, according to the US-based Pew Research Center.

Mexico has dozens of consulates across the neighboring country.

The Mexican government has been in talks with other countries including Guatemala and Honduras about their own contingency plans for possible mass deportations after Trump takes office on January 20, according to De la Fuente.

He said there would be a ministerial-level meeting between countries that are sources of migrants later to discuss the issue.

Trump has promised to declare a national emergency at the border with Mexico and expel millions who lack residency papers, calling the arrival of migrants an "invasion."

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has said her government is preparing a document highlighting the contribution of Mexican workers to the US economy.