Sicily

A boat capsized off Sicily when the migrants aboard rushed to meet rescuers, killing at least 10 people, the Italian coastguard said on March 4.
      
"The migrants, as they frequently do, all rushed to one side of the boat which then capsised," Italian coast guard spokesman Filippo Marini told TV station SkyTG24,  adding many of the passengers did not know how to swim.        

The Italian Parliament elected Sergio Mattarella as the country's president on Saturday at its fourth attempt.

In the previous three rounds, which took place on Thursday and Friday, none of the candidates managed to gather two-thirds majority or 673 votes.

The Italian Navy rescued some 1,300 migrants in several operations late on Christmas Day, among them a Nigerian woman who gave birth on board one of the rescue vessels, local media said Dec. 26.

The majority of the migrants were on boats adrift off the coast of Sicily and were expected to be brought ashore later Dec. 26.

A ship carrying around 200 undocumented immigrants suffered engine problems off the coast of Pylos, in the Peloponnese, early on Friday, prompting an intervention by the Greek Coast Guard.

Italian authorities said Nov. 15 that more than 900 people had been rescued at sea in 24 hours, in a blow to hopes that the approach of winter would stem the flow of migrants attempting perilous crossings of the Mediterranean.
      

Search and rescue operations to prevent migrants drowning in the Mediterranean will be undertaken by the EU as of weekend, but UK says it cuts support, while future of Italian mission looks uncertain The EU will launch a patrol mission in the Mediterranean on the first day of November amid warnings the number of boat migrant deaths could rise with Italy mulling pulling the plug on its own resc

By Andrew Frye

he European Union will take the lead in the Mediterranean Sea’s immigration crisis, relieving the Italian navy of primary responsibility for patrolling the waters and rescuing migrant boats in distress.

By Stathis Kousounis

Ten of the Mediterranean’s 30 most popular island vacation destinations this summer are Greek, according to searches made on Trivago’s 47 online booking platforms between April 1 and June 30.

18 migrants have died, reportedly by suffocating, aboard a crowded boat travelling from North Africa to Italy carrying hundreds asylum-seekers on Saturday.

The migrants are said to have choked on fumes from an old engine while they were confined below deck, Italian news agency Ansa reports.

More than 2,600 migrants were rescued by the Italian navy this weekend, authorities said Monday, as police searched for new arrivals who landed by night on Sicily's southern coast.