Tuesday morning news: December 13, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kristen Flavin. 

Border crossings » The crisis on the southern border is intensifying.

The Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol on Monday reported 16,000 migrant encounters at the border in just 48 hours.

Republican Sen. Ron Johnson…

JOHNSON: This is a humanitarian crisis. It is a disaster. It’s not good for anybody. It’s got to be fixed.

And Fox News reports that Mexican police escorted nearly 20 buses full of migrants into the border town Ciudad Juarez just across the border from El Paso, Texas.

Johnson said lawmakers have also heard from a whistleblower in the Department of Homeland Security who says many illegal immigrants fall victim to sex traffickers.

Border authorities reported a record of more than 2.3 million migrant encounters in the last fiscal year. And traffic on the border could increase further when the pandemic-era Title 42 rule expires a week from tomorrow.

Ukraine requests more air defenses » Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed Western leaders again on Monday to provide more advanced weapons to help defeat Russia. WORLD’s Anna Johansen Brown has more.

ZELENSKYY: [Ukrainian]

ANNA JOHANSEN BROWN, REPORTER: During a video conference, Zelenskky told leaders of the G7 industrial powers that “Ukraine needs modern tanks,” more guns, shells, rocket artillery and long-range missiles.”

Zelenskyy also told the G-7 that protecting Ukraine’s energy facilities from Russian missiles and Iranian drones protects all of Europe.

He said that’s in part because Russian shelling of Ukraine’s energy grid and other civilian targets has triggered a migration catastrophe.

Polish President Andrzej Duda said “The number of refugees in Poland has risen (recently) to some 3 million … and that numbers will likely rise sharply across the continent this winter."

Reporting for WORLD, I’m Anna Johansen Brown.

EU energy » Meantime, in Europe, top officials sounded alarms about possible energy shortages next year.

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol said Monday…

BIROL: 2023 may well be much more difficult than this year.

European Union leaders said the bloc can weather an energy crisis this winter, but it has to act fast. That includes speeding more renewable energy to the market, cutting down on wasted energy and more.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen:

LEYEN: If you look at the overall scope, efficiency, savings, joint purchasing, renewables; this might be the mixture we need to make up for the missing gas next year.

Russia cut most of its natural gas supply to Europe amid the war in Ukraine. But EU countries tapped new supplies to mostly fill their gas storage for the winter.

EU nations benefited from mild weather and low demand from China amid COVID-19 lockdowns. But those favorable conditions could evaporate next year.

Bomber in court » The man charged with building the bomb that brought down Pan Am Flight 103 more than 30 years ago faced a judge in a U.S. federal court on Monday.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan…

SULLIVAN: Mas'ud will be facing justice for his alleged role in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

Abu Agila Mohammad Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi was in a Libyan prison in 2020. Sullivan would not get into details about the extradition. But he told reporters…

SULLIVAN: I will say that this was done in a lawful manner according to established procedures.

More than 250 people died in the terrorist attack, including more than 190 Americans.

Peru President elections » Peru’s new president gave into protesters’ demands on Monday calling for early elections.

BOLUARTE: [Spanish]

In a televised address, Dina Boluarte announced that she would send Congress a proposal to move up elections. That’s after thousands of protesters again took to the streets demanding that she resign.

The protesters want to replace not only Boluarte but all members of Congress.

Boluarte previously declared that she would remain president for the remaining 3 1/2 years of her predecessor’s term. Now she is saying she will propose general elections for April 2024.

Iran another execution » Iran has executed a second prisoner convicted over alleged crimes committed during the nationwide protests. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has that story.

JOSH SCHUMACHER, REPORTER: Iranian officials hung protester Majidreza Rahnavard from a construction crane on Monday.

The government accused him of fatally stabbing two members of a security force over the alleged killings and beatings of anti-government protesters.

As many as 500 people have reportedly been killed in the government crackdown on the months-long protests.

Activists warn that at least a dozen people have already been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

And I’m Kristen Flavin. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.