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Water profiteers thrive in Sicily as drought intensifies

Caltanissetta, Italy Reuters A drought on the Italian island of Sicily has become so severe that many residents of the city of Caltanissetta have been without running water for two months, leading to handsome profits for unauthorised private sellers. In a situation more readily associated with a developing country than an advanced European economy, thousands […]

Migrant charity defies Italy over surveillance plane restrictions

Rome, Italy Reuters A German rescue charity on Wednesday launched a fresh aerial surveillance mission from Italy to track down migrant boats in difficulty in the central Mediterranean, defying restrictions by Italian authorities. The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) this week said it was banning small planes used by migrant charities from airports on the […]

Italy bans NGO planes from using airports close to migrant routes

Rome, Italy Reuters Italy said on Tuesday that planes used by charities to track migrant boats in difficulty would no longer be able to fly from airports on the islands of Sicily, Pantelleria and Lampedusa that are close to the shipping routes. The decision, announced by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), will make it […]

Italian judge throws out case against migrant NGOs after seven years

Rome, Italy Reuters An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened more than seven years ago. A pre-trial judge in Trapani, Sicily, said there were no grounds to proceed against international charities Doctors Without […]

Sixty migrants feared drowned crossing Mediterranean from Libya

Rome, Italy Reuters As many as 60 people are feared to have drowned on a vessel carrying migrants across the Mediterranean from Libya to Italy or Malta, the operators of a charity rescue group said on Thursday. SOS Mediterranee said it rescued 25 people in a “very weak” condition in coordination with the Italian Coast […]

Newborn found dead on migrant boat off Italy’s Lampedusa as islanders protest

A vessel with migrants approaches the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, on 16th September, 2023

Lampedusa, Italy Reuters The Italian Coast Guard found a newborn baby dead on a boat carrying migrants to Lampedusa, ANSA news agency reported on Saturday, as dozens of the island’s citizens protested over a recent surge in arrivals.  Nearly 126,000 migrants have arrived in Italy this year, almost double the figure by the same date […]

Italy’s Lampedusa pleads for help after thousands of migrant arrivals

Migrants wait at the port to be transferred to the mainland, on the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, Italy, on 14th September, 2023.

Lampedusa, Italy Reuters The small Italian island of Lampedusa is being overwhelmed by the number of migrants arriving on its shores, its mayor said on Thursday, after thousands of people landed from North Africa on flimsy boats over the past two days. Lampedusa sits in the Mediterranean between Tunisia, Malta and the larger Italian island […]

Mount Etna eruption closes Sicily’s troubled Catania airport

Mount Etna, Europe's most active volcano, lights up the night sky with eruptions as seen from Rocca Della Valle, Italy, on 13th August, 2023.

Catania, Sicily Reuters Flights serving the eastern Sicilian city of Catania were halted on Monday after an eruption from nearby Mount Etna, local authorities said, bringing fresh travel woe to the crisis-plagued Italian airport. The 3,330 metre high volcano burst into action overnight, firing lava and ash high over the Mediterranean island. The lava flow […]