A survey conducted with 300 young migrants and refugees in Italy via the online platform UNICEF U-Report on the Move revealed that 54% of those surveyed had never heard of hate speech and fake news.
The Italian government has presented a new asylum decree, which would see the waiting time for an asylum decision cut from two years to just four months, resulting in faster repatriations in applicable cases. Speaking at a press conference in Rome, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said the decree would also update the list of countries considered safe for repatriations.
A spokesperson for the German Interior Ministry said the country could seek to leave the planned automatic redistribution mechanism for asylum seekers if the mechanism were to increase the number of migrants into the thousands.
The new municipal government of the Calabrian town of Riace, in Italy, previously known for the way migrants were integrated into the local community, has replaced a sign at the entrance of the town describing it as ''welcoming'' with a new one dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian.
The Italian Interior Ministry advised that a total of 1,200 migrants had arrived by sea in September to date. Meanwhile, arrivals by small boat continue unabated, in particular on the islands of Lampedusa and Sardinia.
Malta has rescued 45 migrants attempting the perilous Mediterranean crossing. Among those saved was a pregnant woman at risk of miscarriage, who had to be airlifted. Later, the Italian coastguard picked up another 28 migrants.
At the weekend, dozens of migrants disembarked autonomously on the coasts of the Italian island of Lampedusa, where independent arrivals by sea are becoming increasingly more frequent.
The European Union has agreed to extend its Operation Sophia anti-migrant-smuggling mission along the Libyan Mediterranean coast by six months. It will now run until the end of March 2020 — however, actual naval operations remain halted.
Italy's new Interior Minister Lamorgese is seen as a moderate who may re-open ports to rescue vessels, but PM Conte wants the EU to show more solidarity with Italy in return. Bernd Riegert reports from Brussels.
Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte has called for concrete initiatives “such as the setting up of European humanitarian corridors” to enable the European Union to “leave behind emergency management” of migration crises.
The former mayor of Riace, in southern Italy, Domenico “Mimmo” Lucano has returned to his town. Riace became a symbol of migration under Lucano who was famous for implementing integration policies to help migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. He had been blocked from returning but the Locri Court has now revoked its ban. Upon his return, Lucano was welcomed by a group of refugees.
The new Italian cabinet has ruled that a law, instated by the northern Fruili Venezia Giulia region, is discriminatory. During its first cabinet meeting, the government decided to contest the law in question.