Migrants and refugees are increasingly falling victim to organ trafficking - an illegal and deadly billion dollar industry. An investigative book by Italian journalists takes an in-depth look at the problem.
The municipal administration of Jesi, in central Italy, has organized an initiative which brings seniors and migrants together to share their experiences and get to know each other. The goal: to fight prejudices and to foster integration.
Interior Minister Matteo Salvini wants to close the migrant tent camp in San Ferdinando, southern Italy. "By the end of my mandate, there will be no tents left here," he said during a visit to the site.
Many refugees and migrants are stuck in detention centers near the civil war frontline, according to Doctors Without Borders, while thousands Libyan families have had to flee their homes. MSF is warning that access to healthcare is limited for those people and medical supplies are expected to run out after less then two weeks.
Seven people have been placed under investigation for taking part in an unauthorized demonstration in support of the Sea Watch and Sea Eye migrant rescue ships on January 5 . Among those being investigated is city councilor Eleonora de Majo. The probe has sparked a controversy.
The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has allocated two million dollars in emergency funding to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the conflict in Libya.
The Italian Coast Guard on Thursday intercepted a boat off the Sardinian coast with nine people onboard including two under age 18. The nine were trying to row their way to shore.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has published a report "Including the Excluded" on the organization's work to provide medical care to migrants and refugees living at the occupied former Olympic village in Turin known as the ex-MOI. MSF said it allowed marginalized people to enjoy their "right to health."
UN refugee agency UNHCR said Tuesday it has relocated 150 refugees held at a detention center in Libya, after transferring another group of refugees last week. The UN agency stressed in a statement that Libya is dangerous and migrants apprehended at sea should not be taken back to the country. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has also raised the alarm.
The Italian Supreme Court of Cassation has definitively confirmed sentences of 20 years in jail for three human traffickers responsible for a boat rescued in the Strait of Sicily carrying 313 migrants as well as the bodies of another 49 migrants who died during the crossing. The rescue took place in the summer of 2015 and the event is known as the "Ferragosto Massacre", Ferragosto being an Italian holiday on August 15.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban praised Serbia for having accepted a border barrier between the two countries. The Hungarian government erected the barrier to stem the continual flow of unauthorized migrants into Hungary, and Orban said Serbia also benefits.
Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj issued an appeal to "hurry" because the worsening situation in Libya could push "800,000 migrants and Libyans to invade Italy and Europe." He said among this enormous group of migrants there are also criminals and above all jihadists linked to the so-called Islamic State group ISIS.