Migrant ship refused access to Italian, Maltese waters: NGO
Rome, June 28: Italy and Malta are refusing to allow a migrant rescue ship operated by award-winning Spanish charity Proactiva Open Arms to enter their territorial waters, the NGO tweeted on Thursday.
"Italy and Malta are refusing to allow the ship Open Arms access to their territorial waters. The vessel has saved over 1,000 lives in a year in coordination with the Italian coastguard," read the tweet.
Italy's new populist government is taking a tough stance against charity migrant rescue boats in the Mediterranean and has turned two away from Italian ports this month with hundreds of Africans on board, sparking diplomatic standoffs with European officials.
One of the two boats, operated by the German charity Mission Lifeline, docked in Malta on Wednesday with 230 migrants on board after being stranded at sea for five days.
Malta said it would seize the boat pending an investigation of claims by Italy and Malta that Lifeline flouted international rules by refusing to cooperate with Libyan coastguard. The rescued migrants will be taken in by Malta, France, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg and Portugal.
Mission Lifeline denies Italy and Malta's claims that it acted illegally and insists that its affairs are in order.
Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said the country had no obligation under international law to assist the ship, but was doing so on humanitarian grounds.
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Protesters storm residences of 2 Manipur ministers, 3 MLAs over killing of 3 persons, curfew clamped
Imphal, Nov 16: Protesters stormed the residences of two ministers and three MLAs in Manipur's Imphal on Saturday, demanding justice for the murder of three persons in Jiribam district, police said.
The mob attacks on legislators' houses prompted the Imphal West administration to impose prohibitory orders in the district for an indefinite period.
According to an order issued by Imphal West District Magistrate Th Kirankumar, the curfew was imposed from 4.30 pm on Saturday.
A mob stormed the residence of Health and Family Welfare Minister Sapam Ranjan in Lamphel Sanakeithel area, a senior officer said.
Lamphel Sanakeithel Development Authority's representative David told reporters, "Sapam assured us that the issues related to the killing of three persons will be discussed at a cabinet meeting and that the minister will tender his resignation if the government fails to honour the sentiment of the public."
Protesters also stormed the house of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister L Susindro Singh, another senior officer said.
Agitators in Sagolband area of Imphal West district gathered in front of the residence of BJP legislator RK Imo, who is also the son-in-law of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, and raised slogans demanding an "appropriate response from the government" over the killing of three persons and urging the authorities to "arrest the culprits within 24 hours".
Protesters, who had come to meet Keishamthong constituency's independent legislator Sapam Nishikanta Singh at his residence at Tiddim Road, targeted the office building of a local newspaper owned by him after they were told that the legislator was not present in the state, a senior officer said.
The mob destroyed some temporary structures in front of the office building, he claimed.
Three bodies, suspected to be of six missing people from Jiribam district, were found near the confluence of the Jiri and Barak rivers along the Manipur-Assam border on Friday night.
The bodies of a woman and two children were found about 16 km from Borobekra in Jiribam district, close to the location where the six people went missing on Monday.
Mob attacks the residence of BJP MLA Sapam Kunjakesore, also known as Keba, in Tera Sapam Leikai. They set fire to vehicles and vandalized the residence. Other MLAs, including Sapam Nishikanta of Keisamthong and Sagolband MLA RK Imo, also stormed the residence.
— Yaqut Ali (@aliyaqut) November 16, 2024
.#manipur… pic.twitter.com/mQt46f1fAT
