Latest Mediterranean Sea News
A decade of documenting more than 63,000 migrant deaths shows that fleeing is more lethal than ever
BERLIN (AP) — More than a decade ago, the death of 600 migrants and refugees in two Mediterranean shipwrecks near Italian shores shocked the world and prompted the U.N. migration agency to start recording the number of people who died or went missing as they fled conflict, persecution or poverty...
Survivors of Mediterranean rescue say about 60 people died on the trip from Libya, aid group reports
MILAN (AP) — Survivors rescued from a deflating rubber dinghy in the central Mediterranean Sea have reported that some 60 people who departed Libya with them more than a week ago perished during the journey, the humanitarian rescue group SOS Mediterranee said Thursday. The European...
Survivors of Mediterranean Sea rescue say 50 people died in crossing from Libya, rescue group SOS Mediterranee reports
Italians cut back on olive oil as prices surge, survey says. Producers are pushing back on that
MILAN (AP) — One-third of Italians have reduced their consumption of extra virgin olive oil, a mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, due to skyrocketing prices, according to a survey released Friday. But Italian producers are pushing back against the data, saying the snapshot of...
At least 8,500 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year, the most in a decade
GENEVA (AP) — At least 8,565 migrants died on land and sea routes worldwide last year, the highest number since the U.N. migration agency began counting deaths a decade ago. The biggest increase was on the treacherous Mediterranean Sea crossing, to 3,129 from 2,411 in 2022, the...
Tunisian authorities investigate a fire at a synagogue, question a suspect in custody
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A man believed to have started a fire in a garden at a synagogue in the east of Tunisia is in custody and under investigation for targeting a Jewish house of worship, officials said Saturday. Hichem ben Ayad, the public prosecutor in the eastern port city of...
2 Lebanese men ordered detained for bringing 146 Syrian refugees to Cyprus by boat
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A court in Cyprus on Saturday ordered two men to remain in police custody for six days on suspicion of people smuggling. The men were identified as the drivers of two boats that brought 146 Syrian refugees and one Lebanese migrant to the east Mediterranean island nation. ...
Carnival parades on the French Riviera celebrate pop culture and the Olympics coming to Paris
MENTON, France (AP) — As most of Europe moves into the solemn weeks before Easter, the party is just getting started on the French Rivera. The Mediterranean town of Menton showcased its lush citrus and celebrated the upcoming Olympics in Paris during its Carnival parade on Sunday....
Migrant's 3 brutal years trying to reach Italy inspired the Oscar-nominated film 'Io Capitano'
CASTEL VOLTURNO, Italy (AP) — Mamadou Kouassi’s searing, epic journey over African deserts, through illegal prisons and across the Mediterranean Sea in a smugglers’ boat informed Italian director Matteo Garrone’s Oscar-nominated film “Io Capitano.” Some episodes that the Ivorian migrant...
After record year, Tunisia reports migrant deaths from shipwreck near Libyan waters
TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia's coast guard retrieved the bodies of nine people who died after their boat sank on Thursday, marking the latest disaster for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The coast guard also retrieved 45 people from the boat after it...