INSIDER
Italy’s justice minister has strongly defended the government’s decision to free and repatriate a Libyan warlord wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Two European aid groups have docked their rescue vessels in Italian ports and some 500 would-be refugees have disembarked, even as the Italian government insists it isn't backing down on its hard line against migrant smuggling operations from North Africa.
A deal for Europe to jointly help asylum-seekers was breaking apart in a bitter French-Italian feud over a ship floating in the Mediterranean, its passengers and crew desperate for land.
Italy allowed a humanitarian rescue ship carrying 179 migrants to enter a Sicilian port and begin disembarking minors early Sunday, while refusing to respond to requests for a safe harbor from three other ships carrying another 900 people in nearby waters.
Italy’s new far-right led government has adopted a measure formalizing the closure of its ports to rescue ships run by humanitarian groups as four vessels with more than 1,000 migrants continue to press for a safe port.
Italy’s new prime minister has defended her government against criticism that a decree banning rave parties could be used to clamp down on sit-ins and other forms of protest.
