Maritime history

More than 3,400 migrants were rescued at sea May 2, mainly off Libya, as Europe seeks ways to deal with the flood of people trying to reach its shores following a series of deadly shipwrecks.

About ten Russian warships and vessels of the Black Sea Fleet and aviation are carrying out military exercises, a military official of the fleet has said.

Brigades of the Caesar Kunikov, a Project 775-class landing ship, and the Azov missile cruiser are taking part, according to Capt Nikolay Voskresenskiy's statement quoted by Russia's RIA Novosti agency.

Britain's last surviving warship from Gallipoli is being restored to mark the bloody campaign's centenary, as a new exhibition tries to counter myths surrounding the disastrous World War I offensive.
 

Italy pleaded for more help April 16 to rescue migrants risking their lives to cross the Mediterranean, and demanded a "clear answer" from the European Union about where the refugees should be sent.
      

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.        

Australian officials said Feb. 22 all efforts were being made to help those hit by Tropical Cyclone Marcia, which smashed through Queensland state leaving 1,500 homes damaged and thousands without electricity.
      

The conservation process of 37 sunken ships discovered during the Istanbul Marmaray excavations and removed from the area over eight years is nearing completion. The unearthed ships are set to be displayed when the works are completed by the end of this year.

The Italian coastguard launched a massive operation on Feb. 15 to rescue more than 2,000 migrants in difficulty between the Italian island of Lampedusa and the Libyan coast, local media said.
      

The captain of the shipwrecked Costa Concordia cruise ship was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for his role in the 2012 shipwreck that killed 32 passengers and crewmembers close to the Tuscan island of Giglio.

More than 200 migrants died after their boats sank as they were attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Libya to Italy.

The two boats involved in the latest tragedy had departed from Libya on Saturday, carrying more than 100 passengers each, the BBC reports.