World Tour: Senegal and Spain address illegal migration

PAUL BUTLER, HOST: Coming up next on The World and Everything in It: World Tour.

We’re excited to announce that just a few weeks ago, Onize Ohikere got married. And along with a new husband, she has a new name.

So, here’s World Tour with our reporter in Africa, Onize Oduah.

AUDIO: [Sound of meeting, camera shutters]

Senegal-Spain partnership — Today’s roundup takes off in Senegal, where Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye met with the prime minister of Spain to tackle illegal migration.

Senegal is a major departure point for thousands of Africans who cross the dangerous Atlantic route to enter Europe mostly through Spain’s Canary Islands.

The two leaders signed new agreements which will offer temporary work opportunities and vocational training for Senegalese nationals in Spain.

Senegal’s Faye has said his administration is working on measures to stop the departures, but he called for greater cooperation to address the root causes of the problem.

FAYE: [Speaking French]

He says here that his government is interested in developing more local projects to retain people in the country but also promote legal migration.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also made similar stops in Mauritania and Gambia during his trip.

More than 20,000 people have arrived on Spain’s shores since January.

AUDIO: [Sound of fire, crowd reactions]

Grenfell report — Over in London, former residents and grieving family members are today awaiting the results of an inquiry into the deadly Grenfell Tower fire.

The blaze killed 72 people seven years ago, marking London’s deadliest residential fire since World War II.

Authorities have blamed the fire on cheap flammable cladding, or a covering for building materials to improve the structure’s appearance and insulation. Britain has since banned that type of cladding. Today’s report is expected to provide more details on what exactly played out.

But many who are still waiting for answers worry it may not make a difference. Shah Aghlani lost his mother and aunt in the fire.

AGHLANI: It's very painful just for us, you know, who have lost a loved one. To see that their death, you know, is going in vain is very disturbing. It actually, you know, stops us coming to a closure.

Back in May, police said any charges related to the fire would not be announced until late 2026 and that a trial may not begin until a year after that.

The Grenfell Next of Kin group is also pushing for a ban on unsafe cladding across Europe.

AUDIO: [Protesters chanting]

South Korea climate case — Over in South Korea, the constitutional court last week ruled in favor of young environmental activists, concluding that many of the country’s climate goals are unconstitutional.

The court found that the government’s limited climate targets do not sufficiently protect the basic rights of the people.

Lawmakers will now have to revise the country’s climate goals to include more concrete measures to reduce carbon emissions.

Lee Chi-sun was one of the lawyers involved in the case.

LEE: [Speaking Korean]

He says here that he hopes the ruling will strengthen climate reduction targets in the country, just as a similar ruling did in Germany.

The case is a first of its kind in Asia. The group of petitioners lists four children, including one who was still an embryo but is now a toddler.

AUDIO: [Sound of Tango music]

Tango championship — We wrap up today at the annual World Tango Championship in Argentina’s capital of Buenos Aires.

More than 750 couples from 53 countries participated in the qualifying rounds. But the final stage closed last week with 60 couples competing in the stage tango and salon tango categories.

Ayelen Morando and Sebastian Martinez won the stage tango category.

MARTINEZ: [Speaking Spanish]

Martinez explains here that he loves tango and will continue to fight for it.

The tango is a traditional South American dance that’s now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage.

That’s it for this week’s World Tour. Reporting for WORLD, I’m Onize Oduah in Abuja, Nigeria.

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