Italian judge throws out case against migrant NGOs after seven years
Rome, Italy Reuters An Italian judge on Friday cleared three migrant sea rescue charities that had been accused of abetting irregular immigration in complicity with human traffickers, throwing out a case opened more than seven years ago. A pre-trial judge in Trapani, Sicily, said there were no grounds to proceed against international charities Doctors Without […]
Congolese city Goma under threat as thousands flee rebel advance
Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo Reuters A rocket landed near a university in the Congolese city of Goma on Wednesday as thousands of civilians fled a fresh advance by M23 rebels that threatens to isolate the city of around two million people. There were no casualties from the strike, which blasted a crater into open […]
Sudan conflict: Dozens of babies die in orphanage as Sudan war takes grim toll on Khartoum
In a special report, MAGGIE MICHAEL, of Reuters, speaks with those fighting to keep the infants living in Sudan’s largest orphanage alive in the midst of conflict…
Medical charity MSF appeals to Russia for access to occupied Ukraine
Geneva, Switzerland Reuters Médecins Sans Frontières held talks last month with Russian diplomats in Geneva on providing aid to areas of Ukraine under Russian military control but has yet to be granted access, the medical charity said on Thursday. International aid organisations have been unable to reach large swathes of Ukraine controlled by Russian forces […]
Storm Freddy kills more than 100 on return to Mozambique, Malawi
Blantyre, Malawi/Maputo, MozambiqueReuters Mozambique and Malawi on Monday were counting the cost of Tropical Storm Freddy, which killed more than 100 people, injured scores and left a trail of destruction as it ripped through southern Africa for the second time in a month over the weekend. Freddy is one of the strongest storms ever recorded […]
Italy approves clampdown on migrant rescue ships, fines charity
Rome, Italy Reuters Italy’s parliament on Thursday passed into law a government decree establishing a code of conduct for migrant charity ships, despite criticism from the United Nations and humanitarian groups that it will imperil lives. The new set of rules is part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s efforts to crack down on the rescue […]
Rescue charities say new Italian rules will cause migrant deaths
Rome, ItalyReuters Sea rescue charities on Thursday condemned tough anti-immigration measures recently introduced by the Italian Government, saying the new rules will cause ever more deaths in the Mediterranean. The decree, which was introduced last week, says charity ships must request a port and sail to it “without delay” after a rescue, rather than remain […]
“Situation worsening”: In Haiti, a crisis of violence, chaos, and cholera goes largely ignored by outside world
BOB SMIETANA, of Religion News Service reports that charities do what they can to help the impoverished nation, but international action is needed to bring order and restore infrastructure, experts on the ground say…
More than 500 migrants arrive in Italy as rescue ships dock
Rome, ItalyReuters Italy, which has vowed a tough line on immigration, took in more than 500 migrants on Sunday as two charity rescue ships were allowed to dock at ports in the south of the country after several days at sea in bad weather. The Geo Barents ship, operated by the Doctors without Borders (MSF) […]
Newborn baby airlifted from charity ship in Mediterranean
Rome, ItalyReuters A baby was born on a charity rescue boat in the central Mediterranean and flown to Sicily while more than 500 other migrants remain at sea waiting to reach Europe, NGO groups said on Thursday. The growing number of migrants stranded at sea risks leading to a new confrontation with Italy’s right-wing government, […]