A man peers overboard as the Open Arms stays in international waters between Malta and Lampedusa
THE Italian government’s decision to impose fines of up to €1 million (£923,000) on any migrant rescue NGO that brings non-Europeans rescued from the Mediterranean Sea into its waters is already having a chilling effect on the civil fleet.
A Spanish migrant rescue ship, currently in international waters between Malta and the Italian island of Lampedusa with 121 shipwrecked migrants on board, is stuck in limbo after it was denied permission to enter port by both nations.
On August 1 and 2, the Open Arms charity’s ship rescued 123 migrants, 32 of whom are children, including nine-month-old twins, from two overcrowded boats in the Mediterranean.
Fan group The 1873 issues scathing response to owners’ statement saying the club will not close
Israeli media awash with leaks and rumours of Netanyahu’s plans to seize Gaza. Meanwhile, the unrelenting siege of Gaza continues unabated
Mr Smalls and 13 other Freedom Flotilla Coalition activists who tried to break Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza aboard the Handala ship remain in detention and on hunger strike
