With illegal boat migrant landings happening in numbers equal to previous crisis peaks this month, it is estimated that as many as 100,000 could enter Italy by the end of 2022.
Eleven Moroccan children were rescued by Spanish authorities near the exclave of Ceuta this week after they attempted to cross the Strait of Gibraltar alone in a small boat.
The Italian Interior Ministry figures show that illegal migrant arrivals are up more than 40 per cent so far this year.
Dozens of migrants are missing and feared to be dead after a boat smuggling them into Europe capsized off the coast of Greece.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has revealed an estimated 600 people have been led by smugglers to their deaths in the first three months of this year, a surge in numbers compared to prior years. According to the IOM,
Since the start of the year, Italy has seen over 17,000 illegal immigrants arrive in its territory, up 28.5% from the same period last year.
Over 3,000 people are said to have gone missing or died at sea trying to reach Europe over the course of last year, according to the UNHCR.
Italian Interior Minister Luciana Lamorgese has reported that so far this year, at least 6,701 migrants have arrived in Italy by sea, with around half of the migrants needing to be rescued. According to Minister Lamorgese, 3,323 of the 6701 migrants were
Hungarian foreign minister Peter Szijjártó has praised the Egyptian government for its commitment to stopping illegal migrants who wish to depart from its coast for Europe.
Libyan authorities intercepted 30,990 migrants heading for Europe in 2021 according to UN statistics, a trebling of the year prior.
35,000 illegal migrants landed on the Italian island of Lampedusa in 2021, an all-time record for arrivals.
The German migrant taxi NGO Sea-Watch has picked up 446 migrants in the Mediterranean Sea over the Christmas weekend.
Around 800 migrants are on three different NGO migrant “taxi” ships are awaiting port access after being picked up in the Mediterranean.
In a period of just 48 hours, the Italian island of Lampedusa is said to have seen around 500 migrants arrive on its shores after a brief break arrivals in recent weeks.
The first witnesses in the trial of former Italian deputy prime minister and minister of the interior Matteo Salvini have been heard, with Admiral Sergio Liardo claiming that Salvini was not alone in responsibility for blocking an NGO migrant taxi in 2019.
Stolen yachts, including some with U.S. registrations, are being used by people smugglers to sneak migrants into Italy.
Ten people were found dead at the bottom of an overcrowded wooden boat packed with 99 surviving migrants and refugees.
More than 500 migrants arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Saturday, with several of them allegedly showing signs of abuse and torture.
Lampedusa has seen nonstop landings of illegal migrant boats over the last several days, with hundreds arriving on the Italian island.
The Mediterranean is turning into a tropical sea due to rising global temperatures, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) warned in a June report.
Members of Matteo Salvini’s League have slammed an expected relocation of migrants to the party’s heartlands in Italy’s north, with some stating they will not accept any new arrivals.
The Italian government is in a race against time to acquire new facilities for incoming migrants as arrivals surge and ships previously used for quarantine will soon no longer be available.
The German migrant taxi NGO Sea-Watch dropped off 454 migrants in the Sicilian port city of Trapani this week after Italian authorities granted the vessel port access.
NAQOURA, Lebanon — After a nearly six-month pause, Lebanon and Israel on Tuesday resumed indirect talks with U.S. mediation over their disputed maritime border.
The UNHCR has revealed an increase in migrants departing Libya as migration numbers have increased across the Mediterranean so far this year.
The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group is participating in Operation Inherent Resolve with new airstrikes, the Navy said on Wednesday.
The MV Ever Given clogged one of the most vital shipping routes in the world, after its route traced a familiar shape in the Red Sea.
The closure of the Suez Canal, one of the world’s busiest maritime shipping lanes, continues into its second day after a cargo ship ran aground and completely blocked passage between the Red and Mediterranean Seas. The Suez Canal Authority announced Thursday it was “temporarily suspending navigation” through the canal as maritime traffic backed up on both ends, Agence France-Presse reported.
The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group conducted a passing and communication exercise with the Turkish Navy in the Mediterranean Sea this week, the Navy said on Thursday.
Turkey has begun to rename the Aegean sea as the “Sea of Isles”, to avoid using Greek language when referring to the region.
Turkish government communications director Fahrettin Altun has claimed the eastern Mediterranean Sea as part of his country’s “blue homeland”, as tensions remain high in the region.
ATHENS – The Greek Air Force will get a training program and 10 aircraft from Israel in a $1.68 billion contract, Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems announced.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to respond to Greece in the Mediterranean sea after claiming that both Greece and Cyprus have failed to live up to promises made during recent negotiations.
France on Friday backed Cyprus’ calls for the European Union to consider imposing tougher sanctions on Turkey.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece will bolster its military with new arms, more personnel and by developing the country’s defence industry, the government said Monday, as a tense standoff with neighbouring Turkey has led to concerns of open conflict between the two NATO allies.
Former Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu has warned that the continued aggressive policies of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan could result in military conflict.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has warned that heated tensions between Turkey and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean could prove to be a “disaster.” The German minister stated that the current tensions, which have been provoked by Turkish seismic resource research
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erodğan said on Friday that Turkey has made its largest-ever discovery of natural gas in the Black Sea.
The Greek government is preparing to push the European Union to introduce sanctions against Turkey if the country’s provocations in the Eastern Mediterranean continue.
Turkish Islamist President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed Greek naval forces attacked a Turkish research vessel in the Mediterranean, while Greek media have labelled the story “fake news”.
