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Mediterranean trafficking: Italiy confiscates Spanish ship, Spanish navy hurries to rescue, Cyprus gets more Syrians
 Italian prosecutor orders to seize Open Arms boat, migrants to disembark [AlAhram] An Italian prosecutor ordered to seize the Open Arms ship that has been stranded at sea by the Italian island of Lampedusa for the past 19 days with almost 100 The The Spanish charity boat has repeatedly asked to bring the Spain sending navy ship to bring Open Arms migrants to Spain [AlAhram] The Spanish government said on Tuesday it was sending a navy ship to the Italian island of Lampedusa to escort the Open Arms rescue ship to Spain, in a bid to bring an end to an ordeal that has seen migrants stranded in the Mediterranean for 19 days. "The Audaz will depart this afternoon at 5 p.m. and will sail for three days to Lampedusa, where it will take charge of the people hosted by the Open Arms and escort the boat ... to the port of Palma in Mallorca," the Socialist government said in a statement. The Open Arms ship, run by a Spanish charity of the same name, was still unaware of the plan. Earlier on Tuesday the charity described the situation onboard as "out of control," and said that at least ten people had jumped overboard in a "desperate" attempt to swim to Lampedusa. Cyprus Receives 33 Migrants, Mostly Syrian [AnNahar] Cyprus has received 33 mainly Syrian migrants who arrived by boat at the southern port of Larnaca after being escorted to shore, authorities said on Tuesday. Police on the Mediterranean island said they had received information that a boat from the Middle East was heading toward the island. Coastguards on a patrol boat spotted a crowded eight-meter vessel within Cypriot waters. The 33 migrants, all Syrian except for one Lebanese national, were being processed by police on Tuesday before being transferred to a reception center outside the capital Nicosia. Police said the migrants, including 10 children and six woman, all appeared to be in good health. Cyprus has warned Brussels it faces increased pressure from irregular migration, with the highest rate of refugee arrivals of any EU country relative to its population. The popular holiday island lies just 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Lebanon and 80 kilometers from Turkey, both transit countries for people fleeing war-torn Syria. Earlier this month Cyprus asked fellow EU member states to take in 5,000 of the migrants it hosts, to alleviate the "disproportionate pressures and severe challenges" it faces. Syrian nationals account for over 26 per cent of irregular migrants to Cyprus from 2016 onwards. According to government data, almost 15,000 applications for asylum in Cyprus are waiting to be processed. Posted by: trailing wife 2019-08-21 |
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