ROME: Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni unveiled her right-wing government’s plans to crack down on people smugglers following a Cabinet meeting she led Thursday in the southern town near the beach where a wooden boat packed with migrants broke apart 11 days earlier, killing scores and leaving many missing.
By holding the meeting in Cutro, Calabria, instead of the capital, Rome, Meloni said she was stressing her resolve to “combat the slavery of the Third Millennium.”
She announced that her Cabinet had approved a decree establishing a new crime — people smuggling that results in death of migrants — punishable by up to 30 years in prison, an exceptionally stiff sentence for crimes involving facilitating illegal immigration.
According to details of the approved decrees, provided by Meloni’s office Thursday night, the punishment for the death of a sole migrant could bring up to 24 years in prison.
Many of the dead and survivors in the Feb. 26 tragedy had fled Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Syria, hoping to join family members in Italy and other Western European countries.
Earlier this week, a 72nd body was recovered from the shipwreck. The overcrowded boat smashed into a sandbank just off Steccato di Cutro beach, started taking on water and splintered apart.
Eighty people survived, many of them staggering ashore on the beach after swimming from the wreck. Dozens are still believed to be missing because survivors said the boat had set out from Turkiye with around 180 passengers.
“Our task is to find solutions to the problem, and today, as I said, the best way to honor those victims is to do what one can so that this tragedy isn’t repeated,” Meloni said.
The Cabinet decree must be converted into law by Parliament, where Meloni’s right-wing coalition holds a comfortable majority.
The decree also empowers Italy to pursue smugglers even if the crimes are committed “outside our national borders,” Meloni said.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio told reporters that Italy will affirm its jurisdiction in cases where a deadly shipwreck, or other loss of life or injury to migrants, happens in “waters not under anyone’s (territorial) control.” That will apply when the smugglers’ vessel is headed to Italy.
The same decree will be wielded against those who finance the operations behind the smuggling, Nordio said.
Opposition politicians quickly criticized the government for failing to establish a more robust system of humanitarian corridors, so those fleeing war and persecution wouldn’t turn to people smugglers.
Instead, in a move apparently aimed at satisfying business lobbies that support Meloni’s government, her Cabinet approved devising a system that would facilitate foreigners trained abroad in programs recognized by Italy to obtain jobs as migrants as well as for seasonal farm workers.
Meloni said her government also intended to establish quotas for legal entrance by migrants “from those countries which work with Italy to crack down on traffickers and educate their citizens on the risks” of embarking on smugglers’ unseaworthy vessels.
Opposition leaders and humanitarian groups have decried the Italian authorities’ decision not to quickly dispatch coast guard rescue boats after a Frontex patrol aircraft spotted the wooden vessel about 40 nautical miles (72 kilometers) off Calabria’s coast hours before the pre-dawn wreck in rough seas.
Frontex is the European Union’s border and coastal protection agency.
Pressed by reporters, Meloni in Thursday stuck by her interior minister’s account to lawmakers earlier this week that Frontex — in its communication to Italian authorities late Feb. 25 — hadn’t indicated any sign of distress.
“We’re talking about a boat that navigated for three days and ... never had a problem,” the premier said. ”It arrived in front of the Italian coast, 40 meters (yards) away. There wasn’t and there couldn’t have been any sign of a possible shipwreck” in the offing, she contended.
Meloni blamed the smugglers for waiting for an opportune moment to disembark the passengers and elude Italian authorities. Instead, the boat rammed the sandbank.
Prosecutors in Calabria are investigating whether Italy should have launched rescue operations following the aerial sighting by Frontex.
Meanwhile, hundreds more migrants have stepped ashore on the southern island of Lampedusa in recent days.
Many arrived without needing rescue. Italy’s coast guard and border police boats plucked dozens of others to safety this week in the central Mediterranean. Among them were 45 migrants, including five newborns, rescued on Wednesday, and 38 saved by the coast guard after their boat sank in Malta’s rescue sector.
In another Italian coast guard operation, 20 migrants were saved when their boat ran into trouble after setting out from Sfax, Tunisia, and a woman’s body was recovered, Italian state television said.
By Thursday afternoon, more than 1,300 migrants had reached Lampedusa by sea in the past few days.
Dozens of townspeople turned out on Thursday in solidarity with migrants in Cutro, a town of 8,000, which closed schools and cordoned off the area as part of security for the Cabinet meeting.
So far, the body of a migrant from Afghanistan has been buried in Calabria, that of a Tunisian victim was sent to Tunisia, a victim from Afghanistan was transported to Germany while four bodies were sent back to Pakistan. On Wednesday, seven bodies were transported to Bologna’s Muslim cemetery, while still others were prepared to be sent to Germany and Afghanistan.
Italy to raise penalties for smugglers after migrant tragedy
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Italy to raise penalties for smugglers after migrant tragedy
- Premier Giorgia Meloni holds meeting in southern town where a wooden boat packed with migrants broke apart 11 days earlier, stressing her resolve to crack down on people smugglers
Russia’s FSB says it killed saboteur recruited by Ukraine
- The man was a Russian national recruited by Ukraine’s military intelligence to carry out the attack in the Leningrad region
- He had entered Russia from Lithuania in March after receiving training there
MOSCOW: Russia’s FSB state security service said on Friday its officers had killed a saboteur who had been recruited by Ukraine and was planning to attack a fuel terminal in northwestern Russia with explosives.
The FSB said in a statement the man was a Russian national recruited by Ukraine’s military intelligence to carry out the attack in the Leningrad region, and that he had been killed after shooting at security agents.
The FSB said he had entered Russia from Lithuania in March after receiving training there.
Vilmantas Vitkauskas, Head of the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Center, denied the allegation.
“Russia has been systematically conducting disinformation campaigns and provocations for a long time in order to raise tensions among societies and allies and to cover its aggressive actions,” he said.
“This disinformation spread by the FSB is a case in point. One of the objectives of such aggressive activities is to influence Lithuania’s support for Ukraine.”
There was no immediate comment by Ukraine, were Russian forces are waging war after Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Little hope of Ukraine breakthrough during Xi France visit: observers
- “France and the European Union expect him to use his influence on Russia, but Xi Jinping has nothing to offer on Ukraine,” said a former European diplomat
- Xi is due to make a state visit to France on Monday and Tuesday
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will next week make a new push to try and dissuade China’s Xi Jinping from supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine but is unlikely to make a breakthrough on ending the conflict during the visit, observers say.
President Xi’s visit is set to be rich on symbolism — with a sumptuous dinner at the Elysee Palace and a trip to the Pyrenees mountains planned — but risks being short on diplomatic success for the French leader.
“France and the European Union expect him to use his influence on Russia, but Xi Jinping has nothing to offer on Ukraine,” said a former European diplomat, asking not to be named.
Xi is due to make a state visit to France on Monday and Tuesday, followed by visits to Serbia and Hungary, two European countries retaining warm ties with Russia.
While Xi and Macron will discuss international crises, trade, climate change and cultural exchanges, the key aim will be to “point out that for Europe, the first issue with China is its position on Ukraine,” said a source close to the French government.
On a visit to China in 2023, Macron had already called on Xi to “bring Russia to its senses” over Ukraine and urged him not to deliver weapons to Moscow.
Little has changed, however. Xi will host Putin for talks in China later this month.
Macron, 46, indicated he had not given up on the idea of trying to get Xi, 70, on his side.
“It’s not in China’s interest today to have a Russia that destabilizes the international order,” the French president said in an interview with The Economist published on Thursday. “We need to work with China to build peace.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has urged Beijing to play a greater role in ending the Ukraine war, will join Macron and Xi for talks on Monday.
Macron has said he will ask the Chinese president to help him achieve that aim when he visits Paris, which is preparing to host the Olympic Games this summer.
There is a historic tradition that peace should reign during the Olympics — although the opening of the Games in Beijing in August 2008 did not halt Russia’s invasion of Georgia.
“On Ukraine, China has done nothing,” said Marc Julienne, director of the Center for Asian Studies at the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
In February 2023, China published a 12-point position paper on Ukraine, but it was rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies.
Beijing, which says it is a neutral party in the Ukraine conflict, has been criticized for refusing to condemn Moscow for its offensive.
The United States had accused China of helping Russia carry out its biggest militarization since Soviet times.
US officials say China has provided dual-use supplies that have let Russia regroup in the face of a long delay in US aid to Ukraine.
In April, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this included “machine tools, semiconductors, other dual-use items that have helped Russia rebuild the defense industrial base that sanctions and export controls had done so much to degrade.”
China has rejected the US claims as “groundless accusations.”
Macron, too, is expected to raise “concerns” about “the activity of certain Wuhan companies that could be directly involved in or contribute significantly to the Russian war effort,” according to a member of his team.
Beijing is a major supporter of the Russian economy.
China-Russia trade in 2023 reached a record $240 billion, according to customs data, overshooting a goal of $200 billion set by the neighbors.
Experts say Beijing is unlikely to renounce support for Moscow, which it sees as a priority partner in its opposition to the United States.
“Xi Jinping’s priority is the Global South,” said Emmanuel Lincot, a China expert at the Catholic University of Paris.
“There is a congruence in the Sino-Russian bilateral relationship, particularly in the desire to counter the West. Which is not to say that there is no rivalry.”
Human rights group begins legal action over UK’s Rwanda migrant policy
- The group said the government’s Safety of Rwanda policy document was inconsistent with the new law
LONDON: Human rights group Asylum Aid said on Friday it had launched a legal challenge to the British government’s policy of sending asylum seekers to Rwanda in the wake of a new law which seeks to pave the way for the scheme to be put into operation.
The group said the government’s Safety of Rwanda policy document, published on April 29, was inconsistent with the new law which was passed by parliament last month to override a ruling by the UK Supreme Court that the scheme was unlawful.
Britain sanctions Israeli groups, individuals for violence in West Bank
- The four individuals sanctioned were responsible for human rights abuses against Palestinian communities in the West Bank
LONDON: Britain on Friday imposed sanctions on two “extremist” groups and four individuals in Israel who it blamed for violence in the West Bank, its latest package of measures against Israeli settlers.
Britain’s Foreign Office named Hilltop Youth and Lehava as two groups which it said were known to have supported, incited and promoted violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
The four individuals sanctioned were responsible for human rights abuses against these communities, the statement added.
Among them are Noam Federman, who has trained settler groups in committing violence and Elisha Yered, who has justified killing Palestinians on religious grounds.
Violence in the West Bank was already on the rise before Israel’s assault on Gaza, which was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas-led attack on southern Israel.
It has escalated since, with stepped-up Israeli military raids, settler violence and Palestinian street attacks.
British foreign minister David Cameron said extremist settlers were undermining security and stability and threatening the prospects for peace.
“The Israeli authorities must clamp down on those responsible. The UK will not hesitate to take further action if needed, including through further sanctions,” he said.
Those sanctioned will be subject to financial and travel restrictions. Britain previously imposed sanctions on four Israeli nationals in February.
Universities take steps to prevent pro-Palestinian protest disruptions of graduation ceremonies
- Students booed and yelled “free Palestine” while the University of Utah president spoke Thursday night at commencement
- “People can exercise their First Amendment rights without disrupting or creating fear,” Burdick said of protesters
MICHIGAN, USA: With student protests over the Israel-Hamas war disrupting campuses nationwide, several major universities are intent on ensuring that commencement ceremonies — joyous milestones for graduates, their families and friends — go off without a hitch this weekend.
It won’t be easy. Colleges are hiring extra security, screening attendees at venues and emphasizing that significant disruptions by pro-Palestinian protesters won’t be tolerated. At the same time, they’re pledging to honor free-speech rights by designating protest zones.
Students booed and yelled “free Palestine” while the University of Utah president spoke Thursday night at commencement. He paused his speech to ask those who were protesting to leave or be removed. Outside the ceremony in Salt Lake City, a group of about 50 people were rallying. There was one arrest.
“Milestone is a perfect word,” said Ken Burdick of Tampa, Florida, describing his daughter’s graduation Saturday at the University of Michigan. He hopes the big day goes untarnished.
“People can exercise their First Amendment rights without disrupting or creating fear,” Burdick said of protesters.
Here’s how some schools are planning to balance things:
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
More than 8,000 graduates — and 63,000 spectators — are expected for Saturday’s festivities inside Michigan Stadium, known as The Big House. There will be security screening, and disruptive protesters could be subject to removal. Public safety officers and staff who commonly monitor major events, such as fall football games, will be present. Author and historian Brad Meltzer is the featured speaker.
In March, an annual event recognizing students with high academic achievement ended early when pro-Palestinian protesters raised provocative signs and drowned out remarks by President Santa Ono, yelling, “You are funding genocide!” The university subsequently drafted a policy that could lead to student expulsions and staff dismissals for event disruptions, though it hasn’t been finalized.
“It was painful for everyone who had gathered — and especially so for members of our Jewish community,” Ono said two days later.
Protesters have erected dozens of tents on the Diag, a historic space for campus activism more than a mile away from the stadium. They’re demanding that Michigan cut financial ties with companies connected to Israel. There has been no effort to break up the encampment and no arrests.
“We respect and uphold the principles of free expression, and also recognize that no one is entitled to disrupt university activities,” Laurie McCauley, Michigan’s chief academic officer, said in an email to students and staff about commencement.
Blake Richards, 25, is earning a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry. Richards plans to be at the football stadium Saturday after participating in a smaller ceremony Thursday for chemistry students.
“It could take away some great feelings, muddle them,” Richards said of any disruptions. “But truth be told, I’m not bothered. I know others have different opinions; I’m just happy to be here.”
INDIANA UNIVERSITY
The Bloomington, Indiana, campus is designating protest zones outside Skjodt Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium, where ceremonies will be held Friday for graduate students and Saturday for undergraduates. Nearly 10,000 students are eligible to attend.
A social media post circulating on Instagram urged protesters to wear “your keffiyeh along with your cap and gown” and walk out during Saturday’s remarks by President Pamela Whitten.
Roughly 20 tents set up by protesters remained in place this week in an area known as Dunn Meadow, a mile from the stadium. Dozens of protesters have been arrested there recently, according to the Indiana Daily Student.
Maya Wasserman, a 22-year-old senior in management who is Jewish, said she and her family feel uncomfortable about the prospect of pro-Palestinian protests disrupting commencement. She expressed special concern for her mother and grandmother, who are Israeli.
“It’s unfortunate because we want this event to be about graduating, not politics,” Wasserman said.
At Dunn Meadow, students in lawn chairs or on blankets worked on their final assignments. Jessica Missey, a 20-year-old protester and senior, said she boycotted final exams; some professors, she said, simply canceled them. She has enjoyed the camaraderie at the encampment.
“Commencement is kind of just taking almost a little sidestep for me,” said Missey.
NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
A week after police arrested nearly 100 protesters at Northeastern University, the school is holding its commencement exercises Sunday at Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, for the fourth consecutive year.
The venue will help security officials monitor the crowd and limit what people can bring. Signs, banners, balloons and full-size flags are prohibited in the stadium, along with most bags. Renata Nyul, vice president for communications, said public safety staffing will be strengthened.
All those entering Fenway will need to pass through metal detectors. About 50,000 graduates, family and friends are expected.
Northeastern is one of several universities in the Boston area that have had pro-Palestinian encampments. Some have let the protests continue, though Northeastern’s camp was broken up.
“While we realize that issues in the world prompt passionate viewpoints, the focus this weekend should be on our graduates and their remarkable achievements,” Nyul said.
