Italy Navy

An Italian coastguard ship carrying more than 500 migrants, including dozens rescued by the US Navy off Libya last week, arrived Tuesday night at a port in Sicily, days after the new far-right interior minister banned NGO rescue ships from docking in Italy.

Italy has finished the gruesome task of recovering migrant bodies from a fishing boat that sank with hundreds of people aboard more than a year ago, the navy said on Thursday.

Italian navy officials say they have recovered 217 bodies from the hull of a migrant ship that sank off Libya last year in a tragedy that sparked the EU to beef up Mediterranean rescue operations.

Italy's navy and coastguard said today it had rescued over 700 migrants from six boats off the coast of Libya, and recovered four bodies.

Hundreds of migrants scuffled with police and briefly blocked a major road in Italy's financial capital Milan on Monday in a protest against their living conditions and their long wait for authorisation to seek work.

At least 40 migrants died in the hold of a boat off Italy Saturday as the EU struggled to cope with "the worst refugee crisis since World War II", with thousands making dangerous crossings to reach Italy and Greece.

More than 1,000 migrants were rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean over the weekend, Italy's coastguard said Sunday, with further tragedies narrowly averted.

Around 2,700 migrants were rescued from 13 boats near the coast of Libya on Wednesday, Italy's coastguard said.

The Italian navy on Monday said it had begun efforts to recover the bodies of some 800 migrants killed in a shipwreck in the Mediterranean in April, as authorities rescued another 4,400 people making the dangerous sea journey to Europe.

Tunisia's navy rescued more than 350 illegal migrants off its coast and was searching for hundreds more on Wednesday after they tried to sail from neighbouring Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the local Red Cross said.

Nearly 3,500 migrants were rescued Saturday from 15 boats off the coast of Libya, Italy's coastguard said.

Around 6,800 migrants were rescued from overcrowded boats crossing to Europe over the weekend, including a mother who gave birth to a baby girl on an Italian navy ship, the coast guard said.

Nearly 5,800 migrants were plucked from boats off the coast of Libya and 10 bodies were recovered in less than 48 hours, Italy's coast guard said, in one of the biggest rescue operations this year.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that Britain would offer to deploy military ships and helicopters to the Mediterranean to help stem a deadly tide of refugees trying to reach Europe by sea.

European Union leaders who decided last year to halt the rescue of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean will reverse their decision on Thursday at a summit hastily convened after nearly 2,000 people died at sea.

An Italian coastguard ship carrying more than 500 migrants, including dozens rescued by the US Navy off Libya last week, arrived Tuesday night at a port in Sicily, days after the new far-right interior minister banned NGO rescue ships from docking in Italy.

Italy has finished the gruesome task of recovering migrant bodies from a fishing boat that sank with hundreds of people aboard more than a year ago, the navy said on Thursday.

Italian navy officials say they have recovered 217 bodies from the hull of a migrant ship that sank off Libya last year in a tragedy that sparked the EU to beef up Mediterranean rescue operations.

Italy's navy and coastguard said today it had rescued over 700 migrants from six boats off the coast of Libya, and recovered four bodies.

Hundreds of migrants scuffled with police and briefly blocked a major road in Italy's financial capital Milan on Monday in a protest against their living conditions and their long wait for authorisation to seek work.

At least 40 migrants died in the hold of a boat off Italy Saturday as the EU struggled to cope with "the worst refugee crisis since World War II", with thousands making dangerous crossings to reach Italy and Greece.

More than 1,000 migrants were rescued trying to cross the Mediterranean over the weekend, Italy's coastguard said Sunday, with further tragedies narrowly averted.

Around 2,700 migrants were rescued from 13 boats near the coast of Libya on Wednesday, Italy's coastguard said.

The Italian navy on Monday said it had begun efforts to recover the bodies of some 800 migrants killed in a shipwreck in the Mediterranean in April, as authorities rescued another 4,400 people making the dangerous sea journey to Europe.

Tunisia's navy rescued more than 350 illegal migrants off its coast and was searching for hundreds more on Wednesday after they tried to sail from neighbouring Libya to the Italian island of Lampedusa, the local Red Cross said.

Nearly 3,500 migrants were rescued Saturday from 15 boats off the coast of Libya, Italy's coastguard said.

Around 6,800 migrants were rescued from overcrowded boats crossing to Europe over the weekend, including a mother who gave birth to a baby girl on an Italian navy ship, the coast guard said.

Nearly 5,800 migrants were plucked from boats off the coast of Libya and 10 bodies were recovered in less than 48 hours, Italy's coast guard said, in one of the biggest rescue operations this year.

Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday that Britain would offer to deploy military ships and helicopters to the Mediterranean to help stem a deadly tide of refugees trying to reach Europe by sea.

European Union leaders who decided last year to halt the rescue of migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean will reverse their decision on Thursday at a summit hastily convened after nearly 2,000 people died at sea.