Displaying items by tag: Italy

A volcano on the tiny Italian island of Stromboli, off the coast of Sicily, has erupted for the second time in two months, forcing tourists to flee from this popular tourist spot. On 28 August a ‘high intensity’ explosion erupted, spewing huge clouds of black smoke and ash high into the sky. Streams of lava were seen rolling down the hills into the sea, forcing tourists to flee. Videos posted online show visitors in small boats desperately racing out to sea to avoid clouds of hot ash, which tore down the slopes of the volcano and into the waters surrounding the island. No injuries or damage have so far been reported, although the lava flows did start several small fires, forcing the authorities to send helicopters to dump water on the conflagrations. Stromboli is a continuously active volcano, but the recent eruptions are much larger than usual.

Deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has banned the Alan Kurdi, carrying forty migrants, from entering Italian waters. The boat, run by a German charity, had hoped to dock at Lampedusa. This rescue mission comes shortly after over one hundred migrants disembarked from a different boat in Sicily, but only after a new deal was reached with the EU to distribute those on board between five nations - Germany, France, Portugal, Luxembourg, and Ireland. A Sea-Eye spokesperson said migrant rescue boats had to respond immediately to situations, as soon as there is an emergency at sea, and political calculations should not play any role whatsoever. It is critical that all migrants be allowed to dock at Lampedusa to receive future treatment. In July authorities arrested the captain of another rescue ship after it docked there without prior permission.

A series of eruptions has rocked the small island of Stromboli, off the west coast of Italy. The initial explosion was the largest since at least 2007, according to volcanologist Boris Benhcke. Firefighters were deployed to extinguish fires started by the eruption, and a helicopter was dispatched to rescue hikers in distress. One hiker died and a second was rescued. On 3 July, two primary eruptions occurred, preceded two minutes earlier by lava spills. At the time of writing there have been a further twenty minor explosive events. ‘We can still see the fire on the mountain,’ said one onlooker. ‘The mountain is burning but it doesn't look as if it's going to come to the village soon, at least. These eruptions are considerably more severe than normal. The island is engulfed in a plume of smoke.’

A German humanitarian group operating a rescue boat with 42 rescued migrants on board was in limbo in the Mediterranean for two weeks after Italy ordered it not to enter its territory. The captain ran out of options and turned the boat towards Lampedusa. He said, ‘I know what I'm risking, but the survivors are exhausted. I'm taking them to safety.’ Italy's hard-line anti-migration interior minister Matteo Salvini vowed fines, arrests, and a boat seizure. He said that other European countries should take responsibility for the migrants; in this case Germany, where the NGO has its headquarters, and the Netherlands, because the vessel flew a Dutch flag. On 27 June the boat reached Lampedusa and law-enforcement officers boarded it. By then the migrants were ‘desperate’. Salvini wants Italy to ignore European rules and refrain from registering and identifying future new arrivals.

Italy intends to close all ports to NGO ships rescuing migrants crossing from Africa to Europe. The UN said that the decree intensifies the hostile climate and xenophobia against migrants. Meanwhile over 40 migrants from the German aid group Sea-Watch remained off the island of Lampedusa waiting to disembark its passengers. There are thousands looking for a new start after difficult journeys. In the middle of his nursing training, Hassan was drafted for five years of Eritrean military service, so, with his twin brother walked 550 miles overland to Khartoum, lived in a UN refugee camp for four months and hid in a truck caravan for 2,200 miles to Libya. Eight months of hard labour gave them enough for fake papers and a rubber dinghy holding 45 adults that crashed on a Sicilian beach. They managed to travel to Denmark, applied for refugee status and are hoping, eventually, to join friends in the UK.  See https://prayercast.com/displaced-people-in-europe.html

Maltese armed forces have boarded a merchant vessel that was allegedly hijacked by migrants after they were rescued off the coast of Libya. Five of the migrants have now been arrested, accused of forcing the captain of the oil tanker to cede control ‘through coercive action’ and ordering it to alter course for Italy. There were 108 migrants,77 men, 19 women and 12 children. A patrol vessel stopped the tanker from entering Maltese waters, then a special forces unit boarded it and handed over control of the ship to the captain. Matteo Salvini, Italy’s hardline interior minister, called the asylum seekers ‘pirates’. Italy’s ports are closed to rescued migrants. Human rights groups said they were escaping Libyan detention camps where they are beaten, raped and even sold as slaves, and should be directed towards a safe port.

Italy’s Five Star Movement is plotting with similar groups in Poland, Croatia, and Finland to shake up the EU and end Brussels control. Luigi di Maio, leader of the anti-establishment party, is meeting with a number of emerging movements across Europe to create a ‘group of direct democracy’ to challenge the ‘current crop of elitist EU parties’. He will also call on the so-called ‘yellow vest’ movement, which has threatened to sink Emmanuel Macron’s reign as French president, to help spearhead the people’s revolution in Brussels, according to Laura Agea, Five Star’s most senior figure in the Belgian capital. She said, ‘Our goal is to be decisive for the next European Parliament. We will focus on direct democracy, the health of citizens, fighting poverty, and defending the excellence of Made in Europe.’

Mount Etna volcano is restless, with small earthquakes and steam emissions continuing for six days. Aerial footage by emergency services has revealed the scale of the damage from the two earthquakes (4.3 and 4.8 magnitude) which injured 28 people and left 600 homeless across a broad area near Catania, one of the most densely populated metropolitan districts in Sicily. More lava was being spewed out on 1 January: see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E42VCLuJC4I Strong gas and dense ash emissions have been rising, prompting frightened villagers to flee their homes. Italy's civil protection officials said that the quakes were part of a swarm of 1,000 tremors, most of them barely perceptible, that are linked to Etna's ongoing recent eruption.

Italy has refused to back down over its expansionary 2019 budget, which EU chiefs claim breaches previous spending agreements. The indebted nation at first unveiled plans for a deficit budget of 2.4% of GDP, three times the previous administration's target. The European Commission rejected the draft and demanded it be revised to a more realistic level. But the Italian government has so far refused to budge, saying the spending plans are in the best interest of the Italian people. Prime minister Salvini has even threatened to veto the next proposed eurozone budget, in retaliation. However, that budget will be available only to those countries which abide by EU rules about budget deficits and debt; so Italy could be left out in the cold if the dispute is not resolved.

After a motorway bridge collapsed in Genoa on 14 August, causing at least 39 deaths, prime minister Giuseppe Conte has declared a state of emergency for the region. As stories emerge of how some people miraculously escaped, attention has shifted to who (if anyone) might have been responsible for the disaster. Autostrade per l'Italia, which is responsible for the country’s motorways, has rejected accusations that it was making huge profits and not spending enough on maintenance. It says checks were carried out quarterly by world-leading experts and had shown no cause for alarm. Also, Brussels has dismissed claims by deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini that EU spending rules prevented the country from spending enough to keep its infrastructure safe. A spokesman stated that in fact, the EU has encouraged investment in infrastructure in Italy. See