by Crispian Balmer (Reuters) Captain Carola Rackete, 31, was freed from house arrest on Tuesday after a judge dismissed accusations she had endangered the lives of Italian servicemen by ignoring military orders and bringing a boatload of migrants to the port of Lampedusa. Salvini has repeatedly denounced Rackete, calling her a “pirate” and an “outlaw”, and promising to expel … [Read more...]
Italy Refuses Safe Harbor To Migrant Ship M/V Aquarius
Antonio Denti (Reuters) - Italy on Monday denied safe harbor to 141 people rescued by the humanitarian ship M/V Aquarius off the coast of Libya last week, setting up another standoff with European Union allies over taking in migrants who try to cross the Mediterranean. The Aquarius, run by Franco-German charity SOS Mediterranee and Doctors without Borders (MSF), picked … [Read more...]
Italy Bans Two Dutch Migrant Rescue Vessels
by Philip Pullella (Reuters) A heated exchange erupted after interior minister Matteo Salvini told more foreign NGOs operating migrant rescue ships in the Mediterranean they could not dock in Italian ports. Salvini, who is also leader of the right-wing League and deputy prime minister, posted remarks on Facebook and Twitter in an escalating row with NGOs as one ship, … [Read more...]
Migrant Rescue Ship Blocked From Italian Port: Pope Francis Steps In To Patch Relations With France
by Steve Scherer (Reuters) - Italy and France tried to patch up a row over immigration on Thursday as Pope Francis urged politicians everywhere to work together on helping refugees and respect their dignity. Italy summoned France’s envoy on Wednesday and demanded an apology from President Emmanuel Macron, who had said Rome’s move to block a migrant rescue ship from its ports … [Read more...]
Eni, Shell to Face Trial in Italy in $1 Billion Bribery Case
By Chiara Albanese, Sergio Di Pasquale and Kelly Gilblom (Bloomberg) -- Eni SpA, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and senior executives will face trial over a $1.1 billion bribery scandal in Nigeria, an Italian judge ruled on Wednesday. The trial will start on March 5 in Milan, judge Giusy Barbara told reporters. The long-awaited decision, initially expected several months ago, will … [Read more...]